In the NBA, there are many people who imitate Jordan's style of play, but most people can't imitate it, only learn some fur, but there is a player, his style of play is too similar to Jordan, learned the essence of Jordan's actions, and looked at it suddenly, as if it was Jordan, people called it the "poor man's version of Jordan", and the player whose style and Jordan are very similar is Ron Harper.
Harper has had a wonderful 15 years in the NBA, he was a star in the Cavaliers, he played a supporting role in the Bulls, helped the Bulls complete a three-game championship, and made himself a great part.
Defensive "Poor Man's Version of Jordan"
Harper is 1.98 meters tall, which is a tall man among defenders, and Harper's skeleton is still very large, stronger than the average 1.98 meters defender, so excellent physical conditions, so that Harper and most of the defenders have a physical advantage. Harper's athleticism is also good, the explosive force is very strong, the speed is not slow, the rush up Harper is also unstoppable, has a very good physical fitness, Harper on the court very much love dunks, as long as there is a chance to perform, Harper will definitely dunk one, let the audience appreciate it.
Harper is very talented, but he is not a person who plays by talent, Harper's skills are good, the stop jump shot is more accurate, the finishing ability under the basket is also good, that is, the three-point shooting ability is average, but this was not a problem in the era at that time. Harper can shoot suddenly, and his scoring ability is naturally very strong, averaging 20+ points per game for three consecutive seasons.
Harper can attack, he can also defend, in college, Harper is keen to do two things, one is dunk, one thing is defense, Harper's physical condition is very suitable for defense, and Harper is keen on defense, practiced a lot of defensive things, which makes Harper's defensive performance on the court very good, he moves fast, can keep up with the opponent's movement, defensive position selection is good, the opponent is difficult to beat him, because he is born tall, arm length, Harper's defense and very strong oppression, Players with poor physical fitness do not dare to be tough in front of Harper, if they do not protect the ball in front of Harper, then Harper will break the ball, Harper in the NBA 15 years, there are 6 seasons of average steals in more than 2, Harper can be called a steal master. In the '90s, it was popular to swing people at the front guard, and Harper would sometimes swing to the small forward position and play two positions.
Although Harper has never been named to the Best Defensive Team, people have recognized Harper's defense as a defensive champion, and Harper can help the Bulls win three consecutive championships because of his strong defensive ability. Harper can score, defend, and organize, and at best, Harper can average 5.4 assists per game, that is, Harper can play the role of an objective organizer on the court, and when he does not organize the team, he can also act as a response point to distribute the ball. Can score, good defense, strong steals, but also can score the ball, Harper can play a lot of roles on the court, as a star can also be, as a champion with pictures is even more in line, the Bulls can win three consecutive championships, can not do without Harper's sacrifice and pay.
Logically, each player's style of play is not too similar, because the physical conditions are different, but Harper's style of play is very similar to Jordan, whether it is the posture when dunking, or the action when the jump shot is stopped, it is very similar to Jordan, if you do not look carefully, it is easy to treat Harper as Jordan, when can you clearly distinguish Harper and Jordan, that is, in the high difficulty of the action, Harper is not as good as Jordan, because Harper's talent is stronger than ordinary people, but compared with Jordan, it is still a level worse, nevertheless, Harper and Jordan have too many similarities, first, both can attack and defend, have the ability to organize, and secondly, the movements and postures of the two are very similar, and the two are almost in talent, and because of this difference, Harper is called the "poor man's version of Jordan".
Harper and Jordan have a deep relationship, when Harper first entered the league, Harper and Jordan were rivals, the two fought a big fight, and after Harper's serious injury, the two became teammates in the Bulls, fought side by side, took three championship rings, and below, talked about Harper's NBA career.
The rookie season is at its peak
Harper did not participate in the draft until after graduating from college, when he was 23 years old, and his technology was relatively mature, that is, he was very strong, but his potential was not great. In the 1986 draft, the Cavaliers selected Harper with the No. 8 pick in their hands, Brad Dohd with the top pick, and also signed Mark Price, the Cavaliers used a draft meeting to find three outstanding players for themselves, and the Cavaliers rose at once.
Rookie season, because Price's performance is not good, Dohd is still young, that is, the strong power of Harper has become the boss of the team, with unlimited firing rights, which allows Harper to have room to play, and Harper also handed over a very good performance, the NBA debut cut 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 block, helping the Cavaliers to win the opponent and win, Harper's first shot in the NBA was played.
In the following games, Harper performed brilliantly, although he was a rookie, he already had the style of a team boss, and he gave his all in every game to lead the team to win. At the end of the season, Harper played 13 games 30+, averaging 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game, shooting 45.5% from the field, in the same rookie, Harper's performance was excellent, but because the team performance was not as good as Chuck Person, Harper failed to win the Best Rookie Award, only selected for the Best Rookie Team.
87-88 season, Dohd, Price performed better, the Cavaliers also found Larrinas, the Cavaliers can play too many people, the ball is more dispersed, Harper's play space is not so large, the average data per game compared with the rookie season, it dropped a lot, and in the following season, removing the injury season, Harper failed to refresh his average scoring performance in the rookie season, in general, Harper's rookie season performance is the peak performance of his NBA career, it can be said, Harper is also a debuting player.
He fought hard with Jordan twice and became a background board for God
At the end of the 87-88 season, the Cavaliers qualified to play the playoffs, Harper played with the team, the Cavaliers playoffs in the first round of opponents is Jordan's Bulls, the Cavaliers are dogs, not as strong as the Bulls. In the first game of the playoffs, Harper was absent, in the second game, Harper returned urgently, but did not perform well, the third game of the playoffs, Harper finally let go of the baggage, played well, helped the Cavaliers to pull back a set, in the fourth game, Harper got unlimited firing rights, cut 30 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, helped the Cavaliers win, dragged the series into the decider.
In the decider, Harper shot 8-of-13, contributing 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 steals and 1 block, performing well, but in fact, the overall performance was not as good as the Bulls, losing to Jordan by 6 points, which was Harper's first loss to Jordan. In the 1988-89 season, Harper became the boss of the team, in excellent form, offensively efficient, defensive performance, the Cavaliers overall performance is also excellent, is the strongest team in the East, against the Bulls, the Cavaliers also beat the Bulls once, the regular season ended, the Cavaliers East second, the Bulls Sixth in the East, the two teams met again in the playoffs.
This time, the bull is a puppy, and people think that the bull can't beat the Cavaliers, but when the series starts, people find that Jordan's bull is really very capable. In the first game of the series, the Cavaliers lost to the Bulls, in the second game, Harper contributed 31 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals to help the Cavaliers win a set, and the next two games, the two sides played very anxiously, each won one, and the series entered the decider again.
In the decider, Harper played very well, he contributed 22 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds, and did a very good job of restricting Jordan's task, at the last moment, the Cavaliers were still ahead, but the problem appeared in the last defense, it should have been Harper to defend Jordan, to put pressure on Jordan, but in the substitution, the Cavaliers' defense was chaotic, Harper was not in front of Jordan, Jordan got a very good shot space, hit the killer "The Shot", this goal, is a great goal in Jordan's NBA career, Harper and the Knight gave Jordan a backdrop. Last year was the dog lost to the bull, this year the bull is under the dog, or lost to the bull, this failure, to the knight is not a small blow, directly to the knight's momentum hit the head, they made a very puzzling deal, is to send away Harper.
Just after transferring to the Clippers, he suffered a serious injury
In the 1989-90 season, After playing seven games for the Cavaliers, Harper was sent to the Clippers by the Cavaliers, came to the Clippers, and for Harper, although he could not win the championship, he could play more brilliantly because of the space to play. After Harper played for the Clippers, things did play as Harper wanted, he performed wonderfully, 30+ in 5 games, according to this trend, Harper can play a great performance in the Clippers, be selected as an All-Star, and then sign a big contract and go to the peak of life, but things don't go according to this trend.
When Harper played just right, Harper's knee was injured, the season was reimbursed, this knee injury was very serious, the impact on Harper was also very large, After returning from injury, Harper would not play directly, the offensive efficiency was extremely low, and after adjusting the state, Harper was not as good as before. In the Clippers, Harper still took the Clippers into the playoffs twice, but both were first-round trips, and the first round became a pit in Harper's NBA career that could not be crossed.
Harper was looking at the playoff gates in the Clippers and pondering, and the Bulls, who had just won a triple title, were also pondering, they didn't have Jordan, they wanted to find someone to replace, they thought of the "poor man's version of Jordan" Harper, they signed Harper, but after actual combat, Harper proved that Hepper could not replace Jordan. After talking with Phil Jackson, Harper found a new role, that is, to be a jigsaw puzzle player, to give up the main attack, to defend, to pass, which made Harper change from a protagonist to a supporting role, and after Jordan's return, Harper's role was even less.
For others, it may not be acceptable, but Harper can, he is a player with dedication and sacrifice. In the new role, Harper's performance is wonderful, and he has since broken through the first round and started the most exciting journey of the NBA journey.
Win three titles in a row and be a part of the great
In the 95-96 season, the Bulls played well in the regular season, and in the playoffs, they swept the Eastern Conference to reach the Finals, which was Harper's first time playing the Finals. In the first game of the Finals, Harper cut 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block to help the Bulls win, the second game, Harper 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, the next three games, Harper did not play much, in the sixth game, Harper contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, helping the Bulls win the game, and also ended the series and won the championship.
Harper NBA career for the first time tasted the taste of winning the championship, Harper for the Bulls to win the championship a lot of efforts, is the most scored outside the starter, so, Harper is considered to be the bulls to win the championship, the next two seasons, Harper's points are not much, the data is not outstanding, in the 1997 Finals, Harper averaged 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, in the 1998 Finals, Harper averaged 5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Harper's data is not brilliant, but Harper plays a lot of roles on the court that data can't reflect, his defense, his passes, his rebounds, is part of the Bulls' entire tactical system, is the Bulls' indispensable championship puzzle.
With his silent dedication, Harper helped the Bulls win two more championships and achieve the feat of three consecutive championships, and this Bulls became a great team, and Harper became a great part. After helping the Bulls to complete the great cause, Harper is 34 years old, at this time, his physical function has dropped sharply, but he is too experienced, and he can occasionally break out, he does not want to leave, he and Phil Jackson, together with the Lakers, brought the championship gene to this Lakers.
Win two more championships and retire perfectly
Harper's understanding of the "triangle tactic" is very deep, after coming to the Lakers, he helped the Lakers players understand this set of tactics, and at key moments, he can also play a role. In the 2000 Finals, the Lakers against the Pacers, Harper went to defend Miller, the effect was very good, helped the Lakers set the tone of the series, helped the Lakers laugh to the end, won the championship.
In the 2000-01 season, the 37-year-old Harper ran out of oil in the tank, couldn't play, and could only teach the experience on the sidelines, but the Lakers were already the league overlords, and they won another championship in the playoffs, giving Harper a fifth championship ring. Harper can't move, he also has 5 championship rings on his hand, no need to fight for honor, he chose to retire, successfully ended his NBA career.
Harper has played in the NBA for 15 years, although he has not been selected for the All-Star, All-Rookie Team, only selected for the Best Rookie Team, but no one thinks that Harper is not an All-Star, because he helped two teams win championships, wore 5 championship rings in his hand, scored 13910 points in the NBA, he can go to a team where he can be the boss, but he still chooses to play in a good team, he is a player who plays for the team first and then for himself.
Write at the end
Harper's physical condition after retiring is also good, the body shape is not out of shape at all, the spirit is still very good, in 2014, 15 years, he also came to China to do activities, in recent years, Harper does not appear in public, there is no news about him, may the 58-year-old Harper all be well, spend his old age happily.