Charlotte Hornets: Michael Jordan had colorful words for BJ Armstrong
Looking back at the 1998 playoffs, Michael Jordan had some colorful words of motivation against a former teammate and Charlotte Hornets’ point guard.
As Charlotte Hornets fans await any news about the NBA’s regular season, many have been able to enjoy their Sunday nights by watching The Last Dance. So far, this series has meant a lot to many basketball fans.
During the Mother’s Day episode, fans were able to learn even more about current Hornets’ owner Michael Jordan. For Jordan, his matchup against the Hornets in the 1998 playoffs was something else.
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After having the second-best season in franchise history, the Hornets (51-31) would go on to lose to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Fans learned a lot about this matchup in The Last Dance.
When it came to one of Jordan’s opponents on the Hornets, the legend had some colorful words of motivation. When speaking about former Hornets’ guard BJ Armstrong, Jordan said, “I’m supposed to kill this guy, I’m supposed to dominate this guy.”
Going into this playoffs series, Armstrong said: “I was excited to face them in the Playoffs knowing what I knew about the Bulls, what I knew about Michael, and to see if everything that I had learned would actually work.”
After the Hornets won game two of the series against the Bulls, BJ Armstrong had the courage to stare down Michael Jordan. Little did Armstrong know, that the Bulls would win three straight games to close out the series 4-1.
What Armstrong did ignited something in Jordan following that game. In the final three games of the playoff series, Jordan averaged 30.3 points per game. As Jordan’s former teammate, Armstrong knew exactly how to push his buttons.
While Armstrong spent seven seasons with the Chicago Bulls, his time in Charlotte was short-lived, as the Hornets traded him the season following the loss in the 1998 playoffs. As a Hornet, Armstrong averaged 4.2 points and 2.4 assists per game.
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Looking back at that playoff series, The Last Dance showed fans more in-depth action on what happened. The relationship between Jordan and Armstrong at the that time was interesting. During the episode, fans had a lot of fun discussing BJ Armstrong on social media.