data-mm-id=”_tr7qix5rm”>Jeff Hornacek is an NBA lifer, playing for 14 years from 1986 to 2000 before entering the head coaching ranks. While he's been out of the league since 2016, some old memories will eventually be drudged up of Hornacek's time as shooting guard of the Utah Jazz. He was also a central figure of the 1997-98 team that lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in that year's finals. That season, of course, is the focus of ESPN's extremely popular Jordan documentary The Last Dance, with episodes 5 and 6 scheduled to be aired this coming Sunday. Hornacek guarded Jordan for much of those Finals. On Monday, FOX Nation will release Guarding Jordan With Jeff and Abby Hornacek, a special feature on Hornacek's experience going up against Jordan at the peak of his powers. Jeff's daughter, Abby, is a travel, sports, and lifestyle host for FOX and will host the program. In an excerpt acquired by The Big Lead, Abby asks Jeff if he had any tricks for guarding His Airness, and his answers are about what you'd expect given everything we now know about Michael Jordan the player and the man. "You know, the biggest thing was I was just trying to make him shoot jump shots. You know, if he's going to beat you by making fifteen jump shots, then he beat you," Hornacek said. "You don't want to let him go to the free throw line, which was almost impossible because I think he averaged about 10 free throws a game, you know, and maybe catch him out and make that he's off a little bit from the outside. But that rarely happened and the one big key was don't make him mad."Abby then posed the natural follow-up: What happened when you made Jordan mad?"Well, you know, he was the ultimate guy that loved the challenge. And I'm sure it'll show throughout this documentary how when he's challenged with something, as competitive as he is, he's just going to take it to the end," Jeff said. "You know, I think I've heard stories from Gary Payton, the guys who were trash talking … I was never trash talking so it wasn't a big deal."The legacy of Jordan's competitiveness has only grown in scope in the 22 years since he was backing down Hornacek in the post during those Finals. It comes as no surprise that he should warn against getting Jordan angry. That's when he was at his most dangerous. And just like other dominant superstars in NBA history, all you can really do is make life difficult for Jordan and pray he's having an off night. Sometimes, that's all you can do when faced with overwhelming greatness: hope. Hornacek confirmed as much here. You can view the full interview, in which Hornacek will revisit his time as a player on the Utah Jazz and the challenges, both mental and physical, he faced guarding Jordan one-on-one during the 1998 NBA Finals, on Monday, May 4 on FOX Nation.
Related Posts
Mikel Arteta admitted his side came up short in both boxes as Arsenal slumped to defeat to West Ham to miss out on regaining top spot in the Premier League.
The Gunners remain behind Liverpool as they lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on what Arteta conceded was one of the most frustrating nights of his four-year tenure as Arsenal boss.
Tomas Soucek’s opener – awarded after the VAR could not determine whether the whole ball had gone out of play in the build up – and a second-half header from former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos earned the visitors a deserved win.
A defence masterclass from David Moyes side
— Premier League (@premierleague)
Things could have been even better had Said Benrahma not had a stoppage-time penalty sav…
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou believes his players have become conditioned to the constant demands for success.
Captain Callum McGregor lifted the cinch Premiership trophy on Saturday after a 5-0 win over Aberdeen rounded off a season in which Celtic collected 99 points and scored a post-war club-record 114 league goals.
Postecoglou has now claimed four of five domestic trophies available since arriving from Japan in the summer of 2021 and he can follow in the footsteps of Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon by clinching the treble with Scottish Cup victory over Inverness on Saturday.
Good morning, Celts!
… about last night
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC)
“From the moment I arrived, I think I have sa…
Galatasaray have offered a three-year contract to Patrick van Aanholt of Crystal Palace, according to .
The 30-year-old left-back will be out of contract at the end of the season, and Crystal Palace apparently still haven t decided whether they want him at Selhurst Park beyond the summer. His situation has attracted attention from several Premier League clubs, but Galatasaray have made a concrete offer first, and it is now being considered by his representatives and discussed between the two parties.
Having played for Den Bosch and PSV Eindhoven at different youth levels, Van Aanholt spent almost his entire senior career so far in England. He joined Chelsea s Under-18 side in 2007 had loan spells with Coventry, Newcastle, Leicester City, Wigan, and then a two-year one w…
AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said his striker Omar Bugiel reported being the victim of alleged racist abuse during Saturday’s goalless draw at Bradford.
Play was briefly stopped by referee Ross Joyce towards the end of the game after a complaint was made about something shouted from the Valley Parade crowd towards Bugiel.
Jackson said he was unaware of what was said but revealed Lebanon international Bugiel had spoken to the referee about the incident.
“I think there were some racist abuse towards Omar Bugiel. He’s gone in with the referee to report it.
“I don’t know what was said. Obviously, we’ll wait to see the report until I comment further but someone in the crowd has said something to him that they shouldn’t have done.”
Celtic right-back Anthony Ralston will embrace his developing role as one of the more senior members of the squad after signing his latest contract.
Ralston has made five appearances since the return of Brendan Rodgers and the manager quickly showed his faith by handing him a new contract until the summer of 2027 this week.
The academy graduate made his Celtic debut seven years ago under Ronny Deila and was handed further first-team action by Rodgers before truly establishing himself in the early days of Ange Postecoglou’s reign, following loan spells with Dundee United and St Johnstone.
Given the number of players who have arrived at Celtic Park over the last two years, the Scotland international accepts he can now be classed as a senior player.
Antho…
Chile have become draw specialists as they look to kick-start their Copa America campaign against Bolivia in Cuiaba on Friday.
La Roja recorded their third consecutive 1-1 draw after Eduardo Vargas equaliser cancelled out Lionel Messi s superb free-kick against Argentina on Monday.
Copa America champions in 2015 and 2016, Chile have struggled for form since the 2019 tournament, winning just three games (L5, 6D).
Encouragingly for Chile, they have dominated Bolivia in the Copa America amid a run of five wins and a draw in CONMEBOL s showpiece event.
We must improve the possession of the ball and do it more calmly, not be so direct in some parts of the game because that causes us a lot of wear and tear, Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo said following the dra…
Pep Guardiola hailed as “unbelievable” Erling Haaland’s goal haul after Manchester City’s top scorer hit five in the FA Cup holders’ fifth-round thrashing of Luton.
The 23-year-old took his tally for the season in all competitions to 27 as he combined with the excellent Kevin De Bruyne to deliver a goalscoring masterclass in the 6-2 victory at Kenilworth Road.
It came less than four weeks after his return to the side following nearly two months out with a foot injury, and took his total since joining City in the summer of 2022 to 79 in 83 appearances.
Through to the next round in style!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
After looking noticeably out of sorts in recent games, particularly during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadi…
Gareth Southgate has been pleased by England’s progress during an unbeaten 2023 but knows there is work to do as the team tries to win the European Championship.
The Euro 2020 runners-up are among the favourites to win in Germany next summer but seemed to lose their edge after sealing qualification with two matches to spare.
Friday’s uninspiring 2-0 Wembley win against minnows Malta was followed three days later by an underwhelming 1-1 draw in North Macedonia as the curtain came down on an undefeated year.
November’s double-header will not live long in the memory but Southgate has “learned a lot” from the fixtures, with attention now intensifying on his fourth – and possibly final – major tournament in the dugout.
“We wanted to look at a f…
What the papers say
Paris St Germain and Newcastle are believed to be leading the chase for Kalvin Phillips. According to The Telegraph, the Manchester City midfielder is likely to leave the club this month in search of regular football, having made just two starts for City since his £45million move from Leeds 18 months ago.
The Hull Daily Mail reports Burnley winger Manuel Benson has entered talks with Hull City. The paper says the development comes after the two sides verbally agreed on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Manchester City are reportedly among a wealth of teams interested in 18-year-old Lille defender Leny Yoro. Le 10 Sport, via the Manchester Evening News, says Liverpool and Paris St Germain are also tracking Yoro, but Lille are unlikely to enter…
France got back to winning ways as they came from behind to beat Chile 3-2 at Stade Velodrome.
Les Bleus endured a poor start for the second time in as many games, falling behind after just six minutes in Marseille through Marcelino Nunez s finish.
However, they turned the contest on its head before half-time with Youssouf Fofana equalising and Randal Kolo Muani heading them in front.
Olivier Giroud ultimately got the winner for Didier Deschamps side who, despite Dario Osorio s late strike, completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a ninth victory in 12 games since their 2022 World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
France, who conceded after just seven seconds against Germany on Saturday, were punished for another slow start as a neat one-two down the righ…