The Flu Game

Teammate, Scottie Pippin helps an exhausted Jordan
off the court following the victory

"The Flu Game", also known as "The Sick Game" was the game in which Michael Jordan solidified his position as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. On June 11th, 1997, the Chicago Bulls were in the NBA finals and were facing the Utah Jazz in a critical match-up. Before and throughout the game, MJ was suffering from multiple flu like symptoms including a fever of 103 degrees. However, that didn't stop him from doing what he needed to do. He knew that if his team got a win that night  it would be instrumental in them winning the championship. With that in mind, he did what any great player does and decided to face his adversity head-on. In doing so he led his team with 38 points and inspired them to a 90-88 victory over the Jazz. Below is a link to an article about that night as well as a video titled "Jordan's Flu Game" that captured the highlights of that unforgettable game. Many call Jordan's efforts that night "heroic" and "courageous" and his teammates praised him for his leadership. What do you think?

Article/Video Link: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/steve_aschburner/06/11/jordans-sick-game/index.html

Tracy McGrady: When It Mattered Most

December 9th, 2004 will always be one of the most memorable nights in NBA history. It was the night that Tracy Mcgrady was able to lead his team, the Houston Rockets to victory against the San Antonio Spurs, while being down 74-64 with about a minute left. In a situation where you're down 10 points with time ticking off the clock, a majority of us would decide to throw in the towel. However, Tracy McGrady is an incredibly rare talent. He was able to raise the spirit of his teammates and achieve the seemingly impossible, leading them to an 81-80 victory by scoring 13 of his 33 points in the game within the last 35 seconds. This comeback will forever go down as arguably one of the best in history. I was able to pull a video off of YouTube that captures this amazing feat. Check it out and let me know what you think below! More blogs coming soon!

The Team Leader: AKA The Franchise Player

Within the NBA and almost every other team environment there is always going to be a leader. My name is Jordan Coutinho and this is my first post within my blog in which I will discuss the greatest leaders to ever grace the hardwood of an NBA floor. Leaders in the NBA are referred to as franchise players. By definition, a franchise player is an athlete who is not only the best player on the team, but also a player that the team can build around for the foreseeable future. In the past, these players have included the likes of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan (in picture below). In the present, these players include Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Tracy Mcgrady. During the next few weeks, I will be talking about some of these players within my posts and describing what they did to turn themselves into franchise players. If anyone wants me to talk about a certain player or has any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franchise_player