He's back. Back in the win column, that is. After helping the Washington Wizards jump out to an unexpected 2-1 start this season, reality began to set in for Michael Jordan and the Wizards, as the team lost its next eight contests.
But the downward spiral finally came to a halt, at least temporarily, on Saturday night when the team edged the Boston Celtics at home in overtime, 88-84. Though Jordan managed a mere 17 points on a dismal 7-24 shooting performance - only the third time he has shot that poorly since 1998 - MJ was still able to smile after winning an NBA game.
Overall, Jordan's shooting has suffered all season. Although he is sixth in the league in scoring, Jordan's barely 40 percent field goal percentage is more than 10 percent below his career average. And while Michael is clearly not the Michael of old, his Wizards' teammates just plain stink. The putrid combination basically ensures that Jordan and the Jordaneers won't be making very many appearances in the win column this year. While Jordan's comeback has done little to inspire his bumbling teammates, the same cannot be said about the return of Allan Iverson to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup. With Iverson recovering from offseason shoulder surgery during the first five games of the season, the Sixers stumbled to an 0-5 start. Only a few months after making it to the NBA Finals, it appeared that the injury-plagued Sixers could play themselves out of the playoff race in the first month of the new season. However, "The Answer" returned just in time to prevent such a fate, and since his debut in the sixth game of season, Iverson has seemingly solved all the 76ers' problems. In the eight games in which he has played Philadelphia has gone 7-1 and the 76ers are back in the playoff hunt. Two other Eastern Conference teams with historically high expectations that are struggling are the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. For much of the 1990's the Knicks/Heat rivalry was one of the NBA's greatest. However, if the season thus far is any indication, instead of battling for playoff position and the Atlantic Division title, these two proud franchises may end up duking it out to avoid the cellar spot.
So what's the problem? For both teams, the list is endless. But in short, both teams are old, slow and lack healthy big men. For the Knicks, their only true big man, Marcus Camby, has been out all season. And for the Heat, Alonzo Mourning can't seem to stay healthy. Allan Houston is not living up to his hefty contract in New York and Miami's former star guard Tim Hardaway is now a backup in Dallas. Though both teams still have high expectations, it may be time for these squads to think about rebuilding. Out in the Western Conference, a similar changing of the guard seems to be taking place. After years of being the eighth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs its appears that the Minnesota Timberwolves are fed up with the one-round-and-out performance that they have grown accustomed to. While it is still very early in the season, if the playoffs were to begin today, the T-Wolves and their 10-2 record would be the number two seed in the West. Yes, there is a lot more basketball to be played. But it appears that Kevin Garnett and company are determined to gain homecourt advantage in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and finally do some damage. On the flip side, perennial playoff contender, the Utah Jazz appear to be headed in the opposite direction. Perhaps age is finally catching up to Karl Malone and John Stockton as the dynamic duo doesn't appear to have the magic left for yet another playoff run. With a 4-8 record, the Jazz would not qualify for the playoffs if they were to begin today. Such a fall from grace would be hard to swallow for a franchise that has been so good for so long and boasts two future Hall of Famers. It remains to be seen whether the pair can right the sinking ship. Other teams that are surprising throughout the league include coach Byron Scott's New Jersey Nets who sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 9-4 record (not including Sunday), the Boston Celtics, who are playing nearly .500 ball, and the Golden State Warriors who at 6-7 (not including Sunday) are also approaching .500 in the Pacific Division. The L.A. Clippers and the Orlando Magic are surprising for other reasons as both teams entered the season with high expectations and both are struggling to get over the .500 mark.
