Michael Jordan’s No. 23 has long been synonymous with greatness. Now that number has a completely different meaning for him.
As Jordan watched from his luxury box, his Charlotte Bobcats lost their 23rd consecutive game Thursday night 104-84 to the New York Knicks and finished the shrunken season with the worst winning percentage in NBA history (.106). That means the man recognized globally as the greatest basketball player ever is the not-so-proud owner of the worst NBA team ever.
A spectacular resume that includes six NBA championships and five league MVP awards would also include one very forgettable season for the record book.
It had been 39 years since an NBA team finished with a worse winning percentage than the Bobcats. In a full season, the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110).
In this lockout-shortened regular season, the Bobcats finished a woeful 7-59 – and they are every bit as bad as the numbers indicate.
They were last in league scoring and shooting percentage. They lost 22 games by 20 points or more. And it’s hard to decide what was worse, their offense or their defense.
This year’s Bobcats were everything Jordan wasn’t as a player – unproductive, uncompetitive and unwatchable.
