Last night the Miami Heat totally dominated the Indiana Pacers at one point even leading by 37 points. They eventually won the game 117-92 eliminating the Pacers from the playoffs and heading to their fourth straight NBA Finals. Following the game, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel addressed the media and said something that definitely caught everyone’s attention.
via Sports Illustrated:
“It’s bitterly disappointing to fall short of our goals, and it’s bitterly disappointing to lose to this team three years in a row,” Vogel said. “But we’re competing against the Michael Jordan of our era, the Chicago Bulls of our era.”
The Jordan/James talk has continued unabated this season. James, 29, has a chance to join Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to win three consecutive Finals MVP awards. During Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, James surpassed Jordan for the most 25-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist games in the playoffs. Jordan had held the record with 73 such performances.
“Me and [Dwyane] Wade grew up watching the great Chicago Bulls team and the great Michael Jordan and the rest of those guys,” James said on Friday, when told of Vogel’s comments. “Any time I hear my name or our team in the same breath with legends and great teams and franchises, it’s so humbling, man.
“When you hear the comparisons, you respect it, you’re humbled by it, and you just feel like while you’re in the moment hopefully, while you’re playing the game, that you can make an impact enough to where you move on and people will start comparing you to ones that’s in the game at the present time.”
