Michael Jordan's Glove problem: How Gary Payton's defense changed the 1996 NBA Finals between Bulls and Sonics

Michael Jordan has rarely been one to give credit where it is due. If "The Last Dance" has made anything clear, it is that his results-driven brain isn't interested in appreciating those he vanquished en route to six championships. Jordan won. His opponents lost. He doesn't dwell on journeys, only a singular destination, and as long as he got there, he is perfectly willing to disregard those who attempted to get in his way. That includes, as of episode 8 of "The Last Dance," 1996 NBA Finals opponent Gary Payton.

"I had no problem with the Glove," Jordan said dismissively after Payton claimed to have changed the series with his incredible defense from Games 4-6. " they had other things on my mind."

Yes, it is true that 1995-96 was the first season that M.J. played without his father by his side, and yes, it is true that Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals was played on Father's Day, but Payton's handiwork was hardly confined to a single game. When the Seattle SuperSonics and Bulls met for the first time in the regular season, Payton held Jordan to 22 points on 6-of-19 shooting in a Sonics victory. In the three NBA Finals games in which Payton drew the primary Jordan assignment, His Airness averaged only 23.7 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field. In Chicago's first 15 playoff games, Jordan averaged 32.1 points on 47.6 percent shooting.

Numbers don't lie. Jordan did, in fact, have a problem with the Glove. So how did Payton defend Jordan so effectively? Let's dive into the 1996 NBA Finals to find out.
Prologue: Why didn't Payton defend Jordan for the entire series?

To call Gary Payton the greatest defensive point guard in NBA history is almost an understatement. Pound-for-pound, he is one of the best defenders the NBA has seen at any position. He earned First-Team All-Defense honors nine years in a row. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 despite the All-Defensive First Team being 60 percent Bulls (Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman).

But during Seattle's run to the Finals, Payton tore a calf muscle and was playing at less than 100 percent. Key reserve and team leader Nate McMillan was injured as well, and Chicago had the NBA's best defense by far. After the Utah Jazz held the Sonics to only 89 points per game in the Western Conference finals, George Karl decided to prioritize offense. Payton wouldn't initially defend Jordan so as to save his energy for scoring. The results were disastrous.

Payton struggled offensively, averaging only 15 points on 40.4 percent shooting, but Jordan didn't. He roasted Seattle's other wings, proving far too big for Hersey Hawkins in the post, but too fast for the bigger Detlef Schrempf in averaging 31 points on 46 percent from the field. Chicago won the first three games of the series, so a desperate Karl pulled the trigger and moved Payton onto Jordan.
Games 4-6: Payton's masterpiece

"A lot of people backed down to Mike," Payton explained in "The Last Dance." "I didn't. I made it a point, I said 'just tire him out. Tire the f*** out of him. You've just gotta tire him out.' I just kept hitting him and banging him and hitting him and banging him, and it took a toll on Mike."

That principle governed Payton's entire defensive strategy. He sent that message of physicality on the very first play of Game 4.

This was, essentially, how Payton treated Jordan off of the ball on every play. The physicality with which he played would be unheard of in the modern game, and it wasn't just limited to chasing Jordan around. Whenever he got the ball facing the basket, Payton pulled out every trick in the book. He swiped relentlessly, hand-checked and steered Jordan into traffic without giving him an inch of breathing room.