Chapter 48 You Don't Understand Him

Phil Jackson could never understand why, with Jordan, Ah Gan was an exception.

Jordan was very good at using his emotions; sometimes he would even create difficulties where there were none, just to motivate himself.

For example, in the All-Star game's "freeze-out" by Isiah Thomas back then, looking back, there didn't seem to be a need for Thomas to conspire with others to isolate Jordan.

Moreover, from the video replays, Jordan didn't have a small number of shots; the Eastern stars didn't deliberately avoid passing him the ball, it was just that Jordan was off his game.

But Jordan nonetheless harbored resentment toward Thomas, and after that All-Star game, he went on a scoring spree against the Pistons and Thomas, frequently notching high scores.

When Jackson became an assistant coach for the Bulls, he found that Jordan was extremely competitive—he needed a target to chase, an outlet for his emotions.