The story of turning enemies into friends has always been loved by people, and in the history of the NBA, there are still many stories of turning enemies into friends, and the protagonist we are going to talk about today, Ron Harper, is the protagonist of a story that turns enemies into friends, and the other protagonist of the story is the famous Michael Jordan. Harper played for the Cavaliers early in his career, and the Bulls were a divisional opponent, the two played twice, and later in his career, Harper joined the Bulls, became teammates with Jordan, and the two won three championships together.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > can attack and defend, known as the "poor man's version of Jordan"</h1>
Harper is 1.98 meters high, the arm span is very good, the man is also very strong, Harper this size is relatively large in the guard, and Harper's ability to run and jump, in terms of speed, explosiveness are very good, in the game, Harper often do some very difficult actions, such as pull bar basket, folding dunk, look very ethereal, in the look, quite Jordan's taste, but not as exaggerated as Jordan. The size is large, the athletic ability is also strong, so that Harper has a very large basic advantage, and Harper is not a rough man without skills, the ball is very good, the layup technology is also very good, the shooting ability is not bad, it is very accurate within the three-point line, before the major injury, Harper averaged 20+ per game for three consecutive seasons, and is also a very strong scoring guard.
In addition to scoring, Harper can also organize the offense, the ball can not be said to be very subtle, but do not delay things, although the ability is not as strong as the master of assists, but as an organizational point is also OK, averaging 4 assists per game, the problem is not big. Defensive end, Harper's talent also gave him a lot of help, his steps are very flexible, powerful, can fight but agile and not clumsy, the defense is very sticky, entangled by Harper, whether there is a ball or no ball is very uncomfortable, and because of the long arm, Harper interferes with the ball, the ability to give the ball pressure is also very strong, has averaged at least 2 steals per game for 7 consecutive seasons, and during the time when he was an opponent with Jordan, Harper defended Jordan, and the effect was excellent.
A good defensive player should have the characteristics of Harper, but unfortunately, in Harper's time, there were too many outside defensive players, and Harper was set off very generally, and his career was not selected for the best defensive team. Harper entered the league in 86, and Jordan entered the league in 84, from the time he entered the league, Harper is Jordan's junior, when Harper was a rookie, Jordan was already a well-known star. And Harper's body shape, the style of playing, the feeling of doing the action, are all very imaginative with Jordan, and Harper, like Jordan, is a player who can attack and defend, so Harper was once called "the poor man's version of Jordan".
Harper did well in the early days of his career, leading the Cavaliers to a fierce confrontation with the Bulls, and after joining the Bulls, Harper transformed into a puzzle to put himself at the top of the NBA.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="16" > 15 years in the NBA, wearing 5 championship rings</h1>
Harper graduated from college and participated in the 86 draft, the biggest winner of the 86 draft was the Cavaliers, they selected Harper with the 8th pick, and also selected Brad Dohd with the first pick, and signed Mark Price, these three people will later be the three pillars of the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers through a draft, let themselves rise. On November 1, 1986, Harper made his NBA debut, scoring 25 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 block, helping the Cavaliers to defeat the opposing Bullets by 7 points and get the season opener. In the following games, Harper was very strong, in the game against the Kings, Harper cut 34 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks, and this game was Harper's sixth game in the NBA, and the 23-year-old Harper stepped on the NBA stage and performed very well, making his team boss position more stable.
The season ended quickly, and Harper was brilliant, scoring 40 points in one game, at least 30 in 13 games, at least 20 points in 60 games, and only 2 games without double-doubles. Averaging 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game, Harper's performance was top-notch in this rookie season, but in the selection of the best rookie, Harper lost to Chuck Person because Person brought better records to the Pacers, and Harper unfortunately missed the first individual award of his NBA career.
In the 87-88 season, the talented Cavaliers changed their playing style, distributing the ball equally to the team's main players, which made Harper's scoring data drop a lot, and at the end of the season, Harper averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, for Harper, the change in play had a big impact, but the Cavaliers benefited, they reached the playoffs, to play against the Bulls led by Jordan.
This is the first time harper's career to play the playoffs, nervousness is certain, and he missed the first game, without him, the Cavaliers lost to the Bulls, the second game, Harper played, but because of the nervous Harper played abnormally, he only shot 4 of 15, contributed 10 points, 4 assists and 6 rebounds, the Cavaliers lost to the opponent Bulls by 5 points, the Cavaliers lost two consecutive games, after the second game, the burden in Harper's heart was also unloaded, he played his strength, the third game, he shot 6 of 12, He scored 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block to help the Cavaliers beat the Bulls by 8 points and pull back a set.
In the fourth game, the Cavaliers gave Harper unlimited firing rights, And Harper made 23 shots, cutting 30 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, helping the Cavaliers win by 6 points and win a valuable victory, dragging the series into the fifth game of the decider. In the fifth game, Harper played very well, 8 of 13 shooting, contributing 17 points, 4 assists, 6 steals and 1 block, but the Cavaliers still lost to the Bulls by 6 points, stopping the first round of the playoffs, which was Harper's first loss to Jordan.
In the 88-89 season, Harper returned to the position of the team boss, the number of shots, and Harper played very well, very efficient, averaging 18.6 points, 5.3 assists, 5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, helping the Cavaliers to get a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, once again reaching the playoffs, facing Jordan's Bulls.
This time Harper came up and played very well, in the first game, he shot 10 times, contributed 14 points, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, but unfortunately, this Harper foul was not well controlled, 6 early, did not help the team more, the Cavaliers lost the first game of the series. In the second game, Harper's foul control was good, and his form was good, with 12-of-19 shooting, scoring 31 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals, which was comparable to Jordan's performance, helping the Cavaliers win by 8 points to win back a set. In the next two games, the Bulls and Cavaliers each won one, the big score was 2-2, the series was once again dragged into the fifth game, the fifth game, the two sides played very glue, Harper contributed 22 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 2 rebounds, and gave Jordan a lot of obstacles, but in the final moments, when Jordan threw the decisive ball, Harper did not appear in front of Jordan, let Jordan complete the famous "The Shot", the Cavaliers were killed, once again stopped the first round of the playoffs, and Harper lost to Jordan for the second time.
Harper faced Jordan for two consecutive years, defended Jordan, gave Jordan a lot of obstacles, won Jordan's respect, and played well himself, but limited by the Cavaliers' playing style at that time, Harper's number of shots was not much, the data was very general, which limited Harper to a certain extent, did not let Harper show his scoring ability. In '88, '89 this Cavaliers was very strong, in the Eastern Conference in the top half, but in the playoffs the Cavaliers did not produce results, consecutively stopped the second round, which made the Cavaliers less optimistic about the team's prospects, early in the 89-90 season, the Cavaliers sent Harper to the Clippers, Harper's Cavalier career ended.
After coming to the Clippers, Harper's number of shots, more room to play, played 28 games, 5 games to cut 30+, Harper's state is very good, according to this rhythm, Harper can play a very good performance, but at this time, Harper suffered a knee injury, the season reimbursement. The impact of the knee injury on Harper was great, directly interrupting Harper's rhythm and making Harper's body less strong, in the 90-91 season, Harper only played 39 games, the offensive efficiency fell off a cliff, and the 90-91 season was essentially a season of Harper's adjustment of state.
In the 92-93 season, Harper adjusted, but Harper after the injury was very different from before the injury, the most obvious is the low efficiency, after Harper shot at least 45%, the highest 51%, and after the injury, Harper can only stabilize the efficiency at 45%. But then again, Harper couldn't break through the ceiling, but the 45% shooting percentage was also good, against the Charlotte Hornets, he scored 36 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, which was Harper's first cut 35+ after injury, Harper's state returned to a good level, the end of the season, Harper averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, helping the Clippers to a 45-37 record and qualifying for the playoffs, which was Harper's first playoff since coming to the Clippers, and Harper's last playoff was 3 years ago.
The clippers playoffs first round opponent is the Jazz, the first game of the series, Harper shot 11 times, contributed 12 points, 4 assists and 1 steal, after three years to play the playoffs, Harper's performance is OK, the second game of the series, Harper played 42 minutes, contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, these two harpers did not play very well, the Clippers lost two consecutive games.
In the third game of the series, Harper's form returned to a good level, 15 shots, scored 16 points, and also contributed 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, helping the Clippers pull back one game, and in the fourth game of the series, Harper contributed 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block, helping the Clippers equalize, and the series entered game five. In the fifth game, Harper played 43 minutes, contributing 16 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, which was very good, but the Clippers lost by 9 points and failed to break through the first round.
In the 93-94 season, Harper's offensive efficiency is not high, but with more shots, Harper averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and after three seasons, Harper once again averaged 20+ points per game, helping the Clippers once again enter the playoffs and meet the Rockets.
In the first game of the series, Harper played very poorly, played 16 minutes, 8 shots 1, contributed 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks, Harper played abnormally, the Clippers lost to the Rockets by 23 points, a fiasco stimulated Harper, Harper's second game played very well, 12 of 25 shooting, cut 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks, led the Clippers to win the Rockets by 12 points, equalizing. In the third game, Harper contributed 19 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, the Clippers lost to the Rockets by 12 points, and in the fourth game, Harper contributed 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists, helping the Clippers win by 3 points, and the series entered game 5. In Game 5, Harper did well, but his performance of 19 points, 6 steals, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks did not help the Clippers win, and Harper's career stopped in the first round of the playoffs for the fifth time.
Harper's performance in the playoffs is good, but each time it is a very embarrassing stop in the second round, which has a reason for luck and strength, and there is no good result in the playoffs, which also makes Harper eager to join the strong team to achieve his breakthrough in the playoffs.
Harper's side stalled in the playoffs, while the Bulls won their third championship in franchise history and completed a three-game winning streak. But Jordan retired, leaving the Bulls feeling powerless, looking for a replacement, they set their sights on the 31-year-old Harper, hoping that Harper could play an important role in the team, but after a season, Harper did not perform well, which was very different from the Bulls' expectations.
Summer, Harper and Phil Jackson had a conversation, through this conversation, Harper's role in the Bulls was determined, he changed from a scorer to a defensive tough guy, to target the opponent's arrow characters, to pass the ball, to organize the offense, this change is simple to say, is a few words, but it is not easy to really do on the field, Harper entered the league is a scorer, the protagonist, a change of supporting role, the gap in the heart is very large, but fortunately Harper is a player who pays attention to defense and is willing to defend, He wrote two words on his shoes in college, one was dunk, the other was defense, so Harper's transformation was difficult, but he could overcome it, and Harper has since become a defensive fighter next to Jordan.
In the 95-96 season, Harper appeared on the court with a new role, although the statistics declined, but Harper's contribution on the court was great, and the comeback Jordan's form also returned, the Bulls played an excellent record, and Harper once again made the playoffs with the Bulls.
In the playoffs, Harper performed well and helped the team reach the Finals, this is Harper's first time to play the Finals, the first game of the Finals, he contributed 15 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block, helping the team to win the opponent Supersonic, the second game of the Finals, Harper contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, helped the Bulls win another victory, the next three games, Harper did not play much, the Bulls lost two games in a row, the sixth game, Harper contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, helped the Bulls win, Defeating the Supersonics 4-2 to win the championship, Harper got his first championship ring.
For the next two seasons, Harper kept himself in shape, helping the Bulls win two more titles, achieving a three-game winning streak and putting himself on three championship rings. In the 1999-00 season, Harper switched to the Lakers, and Phil Jackson reunited, in the Lakers, Harper is still a defensive player, helped the Lakers to the Finals, the first three games of the Finals, Harper was given a heavy responsibility, both to defend Miller, but also to bear some offensive scenes, and Harper performed very well, helping the team to win two wins and one loss, setting the tone for the series, but Harper is a 36-year-old after all, after playing these three games, Harper's energy can only focus on defense, not on offense, the offensive performance is very general, But Harper's contribution was still great, and in the end, the Lakers beat the Pacers 4-2 to win the championship, and Harper put on his fourth championship ring.
In the 00-01 season, Harper still played for the Lakers, but at this time Harper was 37 years old, his ability was not strong, he could only emit some residual heat in the regular season, and in the playoffs, Harper could not help, but Harper's teammates grew up, they defeated the 76ers, won the championship again, let Harper wear the fifth championship ring, and at the end of the season, Harper announced his retirement and ended his career.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > written at the end</h1>
Ron Harper has played in the NBA for 15 years, has been a team boss, and has also done championship puzzles, although he has not been selected for the All-Star and The Best Team, but this does not prevent him from being a good player, and 5 championship rings prove his worth. After retiring, Harper came to China in 2014 and 15, participated in the event, interacted with the fans, let some new fans know themselves, and now Harper is far away from people's vision, enjoy his life, good luck!