In a long list of superstars whose championship aspirations were thwarted by Michael Jordan , Shawn Kemp stands as a notable figure. While the Chicago Bulls’ dominance in the 1990s left few teams capable of genuinely challenging them, the ‘95-96 Seattle SuperSonics proved to be a formidable opponent that set the stage for a hyped finals series. However, despite the best efforts of Kemp, Gary Payton, and the rest of the Sonics players to unsettle His Airness, the five-time MVP remained resolutely focused on only attaining one goal.
Kemp admitted that the SuperSonics tried playing mind games with MJ
During the ‘90s, when Jordan was indisputably the most impactful scorer in the league, opposing teams theorized that the only way to overcome Phil Jackson’s team was to disrupt MJ’s mental focus. Consequently, they employed specific strategies to only contain his wrath in the entirety of the game.
During his appearance on ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, Kemp admitted that even his SuperSonics employed a range of different strategies, from intensifying physical play to verbal provocations. However, to their surprise, Mike paid no attention and was only concerned about bringing out his A-Game.
"When we played Mike in the finals, we was trying to engage with him a lot, man," Kemp said . "We was trying to test him but he wasn’t going for it. He was focused… I got lot of mad respect for the man. I’ve seen people get physical with Mike. I’ve seen them have a game plan to stop him, he alters his game plan every night, couldn’t stop him."
Despite initially falling into a 3-0 deficit, the SuperSonics showcased resilience to bounce back with victories in the subsequent two games with an impressive average point differential of 16. However, with Jordan logging a series-high scoring average of 27.3 points per game, he effectively prevented Coach George Karl’s team from regaining a foothold in the series.
As a result, the six-time All-Star argued that while opposing coaches implemented specific game plans to contain Mike’s scoring prowess, the six-time Final MVP’s game acumen and awareness allowed him to adapt his playing style in response to the evolving situations on the court.
Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics
Kemp argued that SuperSonics had Jordan ‘rattled’ in the ‘96 Finals
This wasn’t the only time Kemp has spoken out about Jordan and their matchup in the ‘96 championship. While he’s always been upfront about how the New York native bullied his team, he’s also pointed out that the Sonics did manage to rattle Mike at times in that series. Kemp believes it was Karl’s decision to put Detlef Schrempf on Jordan that cost Seattle the chance to even the series.
However, the fact remains that no matter how hard the opposition tried to throw MJ off, the 14-time All-Star always had a way of shutting them down.
Related: Gary Payton says Seattle was the original Lob City: "I was doing that in the early 90s before even that boy was even in diapers"
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