Michael Jordan also experienced setbacks in the NBA early in his career. In Jordan's first three years into the playoffs, he was swept twice and won only one series.
Jordan was already a great player and scoring machine in his first seasons in the NBA. Prior to the 1991 championship, the "trapeze" averaged 32.8 points, 6.3 assists, 6.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.1 steals per game. During that time, the Basketball God received honors as MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He was a six-time All-Star and won the scoring title four seasons in a row.
However, there are opponents that he can't beat or have a hard time beating in the playoffs.
5. Sidney Moncrieff
Sidney Moncrieffe, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, represented the Milwaukee Bucks in Michael Jordan's first playoff series. The seventh-seeded Chicago Bulls were at a disadvantage against the second-placed Bucks.
In the series against Jordan, Moncrieff was the Bucks' primary defensive player. "Jordan the Flyer" still averages 29.3 points, 8.5 assists, 5.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 steals per game. He is arguably the best player on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, but he can only lead the Bulls to one win in the series.
Sidney Moncrieffe's defensive duties didn't stop him from averaging 26.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
4. Terry Cummings
When the Bucks eliminated the Chicago Bulls in 1985, one of Sidney Moncrieff's teammates was Terry Cummings. The two-time All-Star was a big part of Milwaukee's success in the '80s and was a thorn in the side of the Bulls, averaging 29.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Michael Jordan's first playoff series didn't end well, in part because of Terry Cummings' presence.
3. Dennis Johnson
In 1986, Michael Jordan's second year of playoffs, he led the Chicago Bulls to eighth place in the West. Waiting for them is none other than Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics wanted revenge for their 1985 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Chicago looks like a stepping stone for them on paper.
Dennis Johnson, Boston's defensive stalwart and playmaker, was the Celtics' first choice to defend Jordan. In the second game, he slammed a record 63 points. Larry Bird called Jordan "God" in that game.
Despite Johnson's hard work on the defensive end, he played a solid series. He averaged 19.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals.
2. Isaiah Thomas
Michael Jordan has a 10-12 record against the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. Isaiah Thomas is a big reason why the "god of basketball" did not win against "Bad Boys".
Thomas' Pistons eliminated the Bulls three years in a row in 1988, 1989 and 1990. When the Bulls swept through Detroit in 1991, Jordan finally stepped past the Pistons.
In 22 playoff games against Jordan, Thomas Jr. averaged 18.9 points, 8.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. To this day, the hatred between these two legends has only become more intense.
1. Larry Bird
Michael Jordan is 6-0 in the NBA Finals. He was also 0-6 against Larry Bird in the playoffs. In those six games, he averaged 39.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 steals. He's not the reason the Bulls can't beat the Celtics, led by Bird.
In Jordan's early prime, NBA legend Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was one of those players who beat Jordan in several games he faced in the playoffs.
Bird is the biggest reason the Boston Celtics swept Michael Jordan's Bulls for two consecutive seasons.
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