NBA—michael Jordan, Larry Bird Essay Sample

Important of NBA—Michael Jordan, Larry Bird in 80s America

The National Basket Association over the 1980s went through a state of awesome outcomes due to the number and nature of the games played. The NBA had its first rise under the leadership of Michael Jordan who acted as a guard for the Chicago Bulls and the rival forward Larry Bird, who played for Boston Celtics. The two had a successful career during their separate years in the world of American Basketball. During their tenure in their respective teams, NBA experienced unending popularity among fans and the commercial sector. Their tenure for the first time experienced continuous urge by companies requesting them to take part in commercials to promote the various products they manufactured. Larry and Michael appeared in a number of promotions due to their agility and fame in the basketball court throughout the 1980s. The paper tends to look into the major events that took place throughout the 1980 to 1989 decade.
It describes the events in relation to the biography of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird who turned pro during the period (Jack 4). Apart from basketball, America experienced advancements and developments in other sectors of the economy and politics. The country experienced the assassination attempt on President Reagan and his election into the government. Technologically, the decade saw the discovery and assembly of the boombox, a machine that revolutionize the music industry. The period saw America experience economic stability compared to other developing countries in the world. The country gained superiority as it saw the collapse of the mighty USSR into the small independent state. The economy of the time influenced the growth of American basketball and the Association in many states in the country. The paper describes the events in the following manner;

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan joined basketball in 1984 with a successful career of his early games. He experienced approximately 52% shooting and more than 25 ppg on the first season of his career. Due to his ability to create an outstanding performance in the basketball court, the agile player managed to steal attention from many fans including those from the opposite teams. He became the man to watch whenever he went to play against his rivals.
The magazine Sports Illustrated featured him on their cover page with a note that they had experienced the birth of a star. The phenomenon occurred after his career took over several months after he had turned professional. The fans voted the player as an all-star starter during the first season of his professional career. Nevertheless, the following months of between 1984 and 1987 followed with negative reputation revolving around Michael Jordan. His teammates became jealous of his fame and success in the basketball court.
They thought that Jordan received exaggerated attention from the fans who ignored the existence of the rest. Isiah Thomas led the rest of the teammates in making negative claims over Jordan’s fame. The claims made other players fail to pass the ball to Jordan during the games they played to diminish him. However, the actions failed to discourage his efforts in the pitch. The fans also believed in Jordan, and they still voted him Rookie player of the year. The season ended with a defeat to Milwaukee Bucks during the first round of the playoffs.
The player experienced an accident in the second season of his career. He broke his foot while playing his third game. During the season, Jordan missed 64 games that affected his career. He had broken a 30-52 record that no other team would achieve in the coming years which made him a champion among the fans. After recovery, he coincidentally joined the team when Chicago Bulls made playoffs, and he had a great performance after his return. The playoffs took place in the 1985-86 period when he made a debut return to the team making history in National Basketball Association. During the period, Jordan made a record that no one has ever broken to date with more than 60points in his game 2.
Nevertheless, the Celtics slashed the Bulls taking the champion cup home. In the 1986-1987 season, he made full health recovery and made history through his scores in the NBA seasons. He scored more than three thousand points in one season with more than 35 points and approximately 47% shooting. He also broke the NBA history through his record of two hundred steals and more than one hundred blocks in one season. He made the Bulls possess more than forty wins and having participation for the next three consecutive games that they lost to Celtics.
Jordan won his first MVP Award after he made more than 50% shooting and averaged 35.0 ppg in the 1987-88 season. The NBA named Jordan the Defensive Player of the year with 1.6 blocks and 3.16 steals from each game he had played during the entire season. The Bulls had an outstanding result since they beat Cleveland Cavaliers five times in the game they played against one another. Bulls had a score of 50-32 and had a success to make it in the first playoff round. Nevertheless, Chicago Bulls experienced defeat against Detroit Pistons five times in a row under the leadership of Isiah Thomas. The next season saw an improvement in Jordan’s career as he scored approximately 32 ppg and more than 50% shooting and a good average per game.
His efforts made Chicago Bulls have the outstanding finish of 47-35 record which made them qualify the finals in which they beat defeated Cavaliers and New York’s Knicks in Conference Finals. Jordan experienced challenges playing the Pistons who guarded him against performing. The Pistons ended up beating Bulls in six games. The season in 1990 saw the team rise to its ultimate occasion under the Coach Phil Jackson. The team received other improved players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. He led the team with a final record of 55-27, average 33.6 ppg and 52.6% shooting with a good performance each game. They continued to the Eastern Conference finals beating The Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers along the way and losing to the Pistons in three consecutive seasons.

Larry Bird

The period between 1980 and 1989 witnessed Celtics and Lakers playing almost in every NBA Finals. The Lakers won five times, and the Celtics took three wins home. The Piston had two wins and 76ers took the title once. In the early 1980 Michigan State University under the leadership of Magic Johnson played against Larry Bird’s Indiana University State University team. In the game, Michigan won the title. The clash experienced a huge view with high training from different fans across the globe and mostly from domestic fans. Most of the viewers turned to watch the game on the court after several promotions. Bird had a difference concerning his stay on the league but later came up with a decision that he would stay and together with Magic they joined the league in the coming year.
They had a great influence on the performance of their teams since they outshined the rest of the others in terms of score and energy. Johnson managed to take Lakers to the 1980 Finals against 76ers. He played in different positions within the team with a score of 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. He won the first NBA Finals MVP Award after playing the best games in the seasons that came after he joined Lakers. Boston qualified for the 1981 finals with the help of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale.
The Celtics experienced two first round picks for the Parish Warriors and McHale later also experienced the first pick. The three players had an interesting career ahead of them through their performance inside the court and their relationship to the outside communities. The fans considered them the best front court of the time, and they featured in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The trio met with the Rockets in 1981 when they played the finals and with a great performance they managed to beat Laker during the first round. Through their performance, they became the second team to make into the finals after a defeat in their regular season. During the season, the Celtics had a record of 62-20. The team went ahead to win the season finals in 6 games single handedly.
With a rematch against the 76ers and a new coach (Pat Riley), Lakers managed to get back on their form and win 1982 finals. Nevertheless, the 76ers beat the Celtics in a seven-game series to win the Eastern Conference title. The NBA finals saw Magic Johnson win the MVP Awards with a performance of 6 wins against 76ers. The Philadelphia lost their three consecutive finals appearances that made them rethink about their performance in the season. In 1982, they traded for Moses Malone. Philadelphia under the guardianship of Malone and Erving won the following season’s finals with one loss during the entire season and beating the Lakers. The win appeared according to the description of Malone one year before joined Philadelphia. The 1984 finals saw a defeat of the Lakers by Celtics under the leadership of Bird with a result of 4-3. Their seventh game generated a huge platform for viewers through television with two stars playing for the separate sides. The final formed the last game whereby the teams used 2-2-1-1-1 until twenty-two years later.
The 1985 made Lakers a champion to reckon with due to their astonishing performance against the Celtics. The Lakers won the Finals by beating them six games in a row. Nevertheless, the Lakers lost their first game, and people referred to the day as the Memorial Day Massacre. The Lakers won the next four out five games with game six in its debut performance from the Boston Garden. They worked hard to destroy the good performing reputation of the Celtics. The finals used the 2-3-2 format in their games. In 1986 Finals, Larry Bird won his second MVP trophy after Celtics slashed the Rockets to take the title. Boston won six games and taking home their 16th title. 1987 saw both Lakers and Celtics meeting again for a rubber game.
The two teams had performed well in one of their games, and they faced each other to play the third game. Lakers conceded win on their first two games (Grant. 50). Nevertheless, Boston won three of their games. Game 4 saw Magic Johnson doing his best in the last two seconds to elevate Lakers to the winning status. The performance results came in the following manner; 107-106 win and a 3-1 series lead respectively. However, the basketball giants lost their fifth game and had an outstanding win in their sixth game which made Magic win his third final MVP Award.
Bird had the role to transform Celtics into a team worth to fight for titles. He made them win more than 32 games from the period before they signed him as a draft in the Eastern Conference. He played good basketball that resulted in an average performance of 21.3 points, 10.4 per game. The performance influenced the association to select him as the All-star team player and the Rookie of the year. As the season progressed, Celtics made a change in the team through rearrangements and hiring of new players to play for the team during the season.
The draft had Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, which resulted into the hall of fame trio that would cause terror in the pitch in the following years. The Boston upgraded their bench, and Celtics advanced to the finals with a rematch against 76ers. Boston remained behind with 3-1 on the start but went ahead to win three games to qualify for the finals against Rockets. Bird won his first championship by performing in six games. Nevertheless, he lost his title to his teammate Cedric Maxwell. 1982 saw Bird gaining the All-Star MVP award after scoring 19 points. He won the first selection to all defensive team as the season came to a conclusion.
He came second to the NBA MVP award after his teammate Moses Malone. Celtics went against 76ers for the consecutive time in a row losing seven games in the Conference Finals. Boston failed to perform well in the coming season and Bird gaining the second position in the MVP Awards behind Malone. The team also lost to Conference Semifinals against Milwaukee Bucks. Celtics performance reached above charts when they defeated the Bucks in 1983-84 season to play Lakers in the finals. They won 5 games during the period to advance to the finals. A mistake committed in the pitch on Kurt Rambis by Lakers made Lakers to concede a loss to the Celtics. Bird became the finals MVP with 3.6 assist on each game, more than ten rebounds and approximately 27.4 points.
The following season saw Bird score one of the highest points in his entire professional career. He scored more than 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks. The record came on top of Kevin McHale’s 56 points’ record on the previous game. With approximately 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, Bird became the MVP of the year for the second consecutive time. Boston later won a rematch to play Lakers in the playoffs losing all their six games with the opponents.

Importance of the occurrence to 2015

The events in the 1980s created a huge change in NBA in a positive manner. Through the activities, the sector saw an improvement in the teams and the remuneration given to the players. The recognition that the association gave to the player also increased as some of them made debut in their games. The 1980s saw the beginning of a twenty-four hour airing of basketball matches across the country. ESPN introduced the sports channel with a program known as Sports Center. The program aired the sports events as highlights of the day during and after the end of each game. Today, NBA has signed a major deal with Television stations to air some of the most important games as a segment of their programs.
The television network that works closely with NBA includes Cable. Cable broadcasts the games on Thursday night with doubleheaders and early round playoff games during the program. Today, the game has gained momentum with the introduction of a three-point line between 1979 and 1980.
The line has gained popularity since it earns players and their respective teams many points to win their matches. The rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson also raised eyebrows on racism. Today, basketball belongs to anyone with an interest. The game does not limit people in the court. Blacks and any other races play the game as if they owned the court. Through basketball, the country has fought racism through campaigns and games with a theme relative to humanity. Players also have developed a good relationship with one another. Anyone who abuses another from a racial perspective ends up with a beautiful from the Association and the court. The policies make the players have respect towards one another. The NBA introduced the salary cap that saw tremendous benefits given to players in the court as a way to motivate their efforts in the field.
The association also vowed to support small clubs in terms of remitting their costs. The association also introduced a ban on drugs. NBA banned anyone found to abuse drugs from playing any game. The suspension came with three stages. The first warning included a suspension following a waiver and third a lifetime ban from the game. The ban had a review process after every two years. The drug policy has seen most of the players in the market keep fit and live drug-free lives during their entire professional career. The policy governed the health status of the players from the big teams to smaller ones. The NBA market has grown to one of the largest sectors in American Economy (Damon and Sukhdial 73-81).
The American NBA also influences basketball in other parts of the world. Many individuals from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean watch the NBA on a daily basis. The NBA Entertainment Division has signed major deals for its players. The Association has approved more than $1.5 billion today through its major deals with CBS, NBC, and Cable. The NBA grows to become a booming business, and it receives major investments from sports entrepreneurs all over the world. Investors buy teams with a hope of making huge profits in billions to Carter for their lavish lives. Stern David runs the association as a professional tool to sign new young and talented players. He holds the position of the president of the Association due to his long Career in the NBA as a negotiator with ABA for a merger.
The world today celebrates a classic season full of professionalism and with the triumph over the matches that the players play in the pitch. Many television stations air most of the matches live from different parts of the world. The MVP as a title shows importance to both the players and fans. Any player who receives the title gains popularity among the fans also gains fame from the corporate the world. Major Corporates like Coca-Cola, Samsung, Nike and Adidas have made major endorsements of the players through deals that have made them millionaires over a short time. The world of advertisements looks for players to act as their brand ambassadors. The players promote any product that has affiliation with them throughout a certain period of the contract. Major deals involve the player and the agent and the management of a corporation. Today, NBA has turned out to a trade. Teams buy players from another with huge millions of their heads. Anyone with a prominent career like that of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird seems to have an expensive and successful position in the world of NBA. Authors have written books concerning the players in the NBA and their success in their professional career. With technology taking the world by storm, companies like Nintendo, EA SPORTS, and others have made games for successful basketball players like Michael Jordan and Bird. The games have an interactive nature, and they enable people to choose their teams and play on a player’s level. The games have different levels and the levels get tougher as one proceeds to another. The NBA computer games have grown popular with time and have made individuals play the simulation of their favorite players through the games they play. The games make huge profits for the computer companies since many people purchase them from the market on a daily basis. The games also improve with time in terms of their speed, graphics, and operations. The latest of the games also incorporate emotions and sound among the players. Basketball has developed interests of many individuals in the world today. People buy jerseys for their favorite players. Social media has also enabled fans to interact with the players and also carry out votes for the popular MVP winner. People give the ratings of their favorite player through the social media platform. They also use the social media to know the dates through which the teams play. The internet contains all the materials with information on NBA. The information includes new signing, playoffs, player’s information and calendar for the season. The internet makes people keep in touch with the game as it continues to play in the pitch. People make comments as the game continues. NBA has introduced a festival through which they celebrate the best basketball players and the team with the highest performance throughout the seasons. During the celebrations, the players receive recognition and rewards that motivate them to work hard. NBA also used the various format implemented in the 1980s to make the game interesting and have a diversified nature. The coaches have the freedom to choose the format they want to implement in any game they plan to play. They ensure that the format goes in line with the energy and agility of the players during a given period.

Conclusion

Basketball has come a long way to its present ultimate status. The players and their teams over generations have managed to go through turmoil to create a good platform for the next generation to enjoy the game. Individuals like Michael Jordan and Bird have enabled individual look at the basketball game as a life saver. The individuals come from poor backgrounds and basketball makes them reach the highest ladder in the society. They manage to start the project for their community through what they earn from basketball.

Works Cited

Damon, Aiken and Sukhdial Ajay. "Exploring the Old School Concept: Adding Definition to a "New" Market Segmentation Dimension." Sport Marketing Quarterly 13.2 (2004): 73-83.
Grant., Wahl. "The NBA Factor." Sports Illustrated 90.12 (1999): 50.
Jack, McCallum. "Indelible Impression (Cover Story)." Sports Illustrated. 90.3 (1999): 4.