But one thing I will say is that it was pretty evident that Jordan was run down after the first three-peat - physically, emotionally and mentally. From the controversy surrounding his once untarnished public image - to just the raw rigor of enduring through those epic title runs, he was quite spent (by his own admission).

The baseball escapism was arguably better for him in the long-run, to have just enough in the tank to bring home 4, 5 & 6 -- because asking him to continue to win his 4th & 5th consecutive title against that Rockets team is crazy. But if anyone could've done it - it was probably him.

Seeing how broken down that team was after the run also gives more credence to the Iron-Man standard set by LeBron, who is now poised to go 9-for-9 in his Finals playoff campaigns over the past decade, winning his conference every single time he vies for a championship over a 10 year stretch. And he's looking unfathomably spry for a 17-year veteran while doing so.