Okay, so today I decided to finally settle that age-old debate: John Havlicek vs. Michael Jordan. Who was truly better? I know, I know, it’s like comparing apples and, well, even better apples. Different eras, different rules, different everything. But, I was bored, and I figured, why not dive in?
First, I dug up some old game footage. Let me tell you, finding decent Havlicek clips wasn’t easy. YouTube is filled with Jordan highlights, naturally. For Havlicek, it was more like sifting through grainy, black-and-white treasure.
The Watching Begins
I started with Havlicek. Watched a few Celtics games from the ’60s and ’70s. Man, that guy was a machine! Non-stop running, incredible stamina. He was everywhere on the court, all the time. It was exhausting just watching him!
- Havlicek’s Hustle: The dude never stopped. Seriously.
- Team Play: Always looking for the open man, making the smart pass.
- Scoring: Consistent, not always flashy, but he got the job done.
Then, I switched to Jordan. The Bulls’ dynasty years, of course. It’s like a different sport almost. The athleticism, the explosiveness…it’s just on another level. The dunks, the fadeaways, the sheer dominance…it’s mesmerizing.
- Jordan’s Airness: The athleticism is just unreal.
- Scoring Prowess: Could score any way he wanted, anytime he wanted.
- Killer Instinct: You could see the fire in his eyes. He wanted to win, badly.
I spent hours watching, pausing, rewinding. I tried to be objective, to really see beyond the highlight reels. I looked at their stats, too. Of course, the numbers are different, but you can still see the greatness in both.
The thing with statistics, I had to do an extra work to find Havlicek’s.
After all that, what’s my verdict? Honestly, it’s impossible to say definitively. They were both incredible, just in different ways. Havlicek was the ultimate team player, a relentless engine. Jordan was a force of nature, a singular talent who could take over a game like no one else.
So, I ended up not really answering the question. But I did have a lot of fun going down this basketball rabbit hole. Maybe next time, I’ll tackle Bill Russell vs. LeBron…or maybe not. That might take a whole week!
