No one has watched as many Michael Jordan games as Marv Albert . As the lead play-by-play announcer of NBC Sports' national television coverage of the NBA in the '90s, he is beyond blessed to have a front-row seat to witness MJ's brilliance and grace on a nightly basis.
For six seasons, Marv has caught almost all of Michael's unforgettable highlight-reel plays, but nothing tops the iconic mid-air, switch-handed layup he saw from his Airness back in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"That's one of the all-time moves as far as I'm concerned, at least in my days of doing the NBA [commentating]. Just to see him propel himself and make that switch from one hand to the next, the crowd went crazy. We couldn't believe what we saw," the retired Hall of Fame sportscaster said on the Mark Jackson Show.
Albert was in awe with MJ
Just by listening to how Albert reacted with such bewilderment in front of the national airwaves, we can already know how stunning it was to see MJ execute that incredible layup.
The Bulls came out firing on all cylinders against the Lakers, unleashing a massive third-quarter rally that put them above by as much as 24 points in the final frame. The mayhem intensified with around 8 minutes left when Cliff Levingston found MJ and passed him back the ball at the top of the key. With his tongue out, Jordan took a bounce, bullishly drove to the basket, and held the ball with his right hand, but immediately switched hands while gliding and scooped it over with his left as his instincts thought Sam Perkins would contest his shot.
And the rest was just history. The entire Chicago Stadium erupted, Jordan clenched his fist out of thrill, and Phil Jackson could only do nothing but smile about the wild sequence. That uber-athletic play served as the signature moment of Michael's eventual championship victory with the Bulls, wrapping up the series in five games to secure their first championship.
"I mean, there's so many incredible Jordan moves these days, with guys just making it even more fantastic moves. You see things that are close to that, but not what Michael did in that particular game," Albert concluded.
MJ's massive hands gave him an advantage
Besides his god-given athleticism and top-notch finishing skills, MJ could only credit his massive hands for pulling that unthinkable move. Thanks to the immense size of his hands, Jordan managed to palm the ball easily and make the switch look so easy, personifying his 'Airness' identity.
Michael's hand size was measured at 9.75 inches, one of the biggest in NBA history. It also gave him significant benefits in performing at his best everywhere throughout his illustrious career, from shooting, rebounding, playing defense, and handling the ball. MJ's hands were so big and beneficial at his end that it only forced Kobe Bryant to wish that he also had the same size as the Bulls legend.
"Physically if I could change one thing, the one thing that Michael Jordan had, some of the other players (I played with) had, is massive hands. I have big hands but their hands were huge," Bryant said.
Related: "It's the most unique thing ever" - Rex Chapman on Michael Jordan's most overlooked advantage
Most Popular
Comments / 0