KY Hoops TV: NBA 1985- Washington Wizards @ Chicago Bulls: Highlights

Source:KY Hoops TV- The Bullets vs Da Bulls (as they're called in Chicago) in 1984.

"Chicago Bulls vs Washington Bullets on October 26th, 1984 in Chicago, IL at Chicago Stadium. Michael would have a solid game, in his NBA Debut he would score 16 points on 5-16 shooting & 6-7 from the Free Trow line. The Bulls won, 109-94." 

From KY Hoops TV

Just on a personal note first: you might recognize the voice of the game analyst if you watch this video. Wes Unseld who I believe is the best all around player in Washington Wizards history, did color commentary for the Bullets (as they were called back then) before he became general manager and head coach of the franchise in the late 1980s. 

As far as this game and matchup, I think about what if. You look at the Wizards starting lineup with Frank Johnson and Jeff Malone, and Cliff Robinson, Rick Mahorn, and Jeff Ruland up front, or maybe you put Greg Ballard at the small forward and Cliff Robinson at the power forward and you bring Mahorn off the bench as your 1st big man, that's a very good Wizards team in the mid 1980s, if they keep everyone healthy. 

It wasn't just mismanagement for the steep decline that the Wizards went through in the 1980s when they went from a team that was an annual NBA Championship contender in the 1970s, to a team where a good season was making the playoffs and going out in the 1st round. They had some bad luck as well, with Frank Johnson breaking his foot and Jeff Ruland breaking his knee. And those two players never really make it back at all. Johnson was an excellent two-way point guard and Ruland was one of the best centers in the NBA in the early and mid 1980s. 

And then you look at Chicago Bulls from 1984-85 and you could ask yourself how good would they have been in the 1980s, before they're winning all of those NBA Finals in the 1990s, if they could've kept Orlando Woolridge and Steve Johnson healthy, Michael Jordan doesn't break his foot in 1986. That's a pretty good threesome to start out with. They had Charles Oakley in 1985, and Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant two years later. Maybe Michael Jordan is not averaging 35-40 points a game with that supporting cast.