Former NBA big man Greg Ostertag has had his fair share of heartbreaks and disappointment after facing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. As a young center for the Utah Jazz during the Karl Malone-John Stockton era, he was a part of his team's painful crumble against them in back-to-back Finals appearances from 1997 and 1998.
From this gut-wrenching experience, Ostertag crafted his interesting basketball insight on how to fight and beat MJ and the Bulls.
Take down the supporting line
Outlasting a mythical Jordan-led Chicago team will always be an impossible task to accomplish. But despite this, Greg believes they are still vulnerable.
As MJ is already guaranteed to get his own shots and buckets to score, Ostertag notes that battling the Bulls should be emphasized by limiting the production of their role players.
"When you play a team with a player like Michael Jordan or a LeBron James, or somebody like that, … you knew Michael was going to get his points," Ostertag said. "You couldn’t let the guys that were like role players be the ones that killed you. You couldn’t let Luc Longley or Bill Wennington or someone like that go out and get double-figure points and double-figure rebounds, because that was going to kill you ultimately.”
MJ didn't do it alone for the Bulls
This idea from Ostertag is quite intriguing. While MJ’s greatness and legendary leadership have been the catalyst of the Bulls' dynasty, he had the best supporting cast he could ask for.
He had the best star sidekick and a defensive force in Scottie Pippen, a rebounding machine in the form of Dennis Rodman, and a bunch of elite players like Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, and Steve Kerr, who helped him carry the load in Chicago's success.
Not to mention, Phil Jackson also implemented the triangle offense, which catered to the strengths of Jordan, and neutralizing the pieces around him can at least offer a solution to match their superior might.
As it is, this plan can only be applied in a dream, as MJ and the Bulls have already immortalized their names as perhaps the greatest NBA team ever by winning six championships in the ‘90s. And for Ostertag, while the nightmare of his Finals losses with the Jazz will always haunt him, he got nothing but appreciation to feel the brilliance of MJ during the height of his power.
"I got lucky," Ostertag said. "I was just one of those guys in the right year at the right time that got to play against Michael Jordan and just really experience the greatness of what he really is, what he really was as a player.”
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