Perhaps the toughest opponent in the NBA is no team or a Michael Jordan. It’s a single venue. New York’s Madison Square Garden is not kind even to its own team. It’s dazzling lights have weeded out even the biggest stars. Michael Jordan though was a rare breed who thrived under those conditions.

MJ’s Insights to Excellence this time highlighted the excitement he had about playing in MSG. Maybe more than he did at the United Center.

Like almost every NBA player (maybe not known New York-haters, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal), Jordan refers to New York as ‘The Mecca of Basketball’ because of its fans. They love basketball so much they can switch from the Knicks to the opponents if they’re that impressive. Jordan did that in every MSG appearance. But he knows others have folded.

To the players who’ve folded under the Garden’s lights, Jordan has profound advice. “Be you. Be you. You are you 365 days of the year,” Jordan urged when asked what advice he would give to a star player handling this arena’s unique energy. “What they’re trying to get you to do is not be you. And to me, that is a challenge for a young kid, but it’s a privilege. It’s an honor. If they’re coming in and they’re yelling at you, you are an impactful player.”

Even the best have stuttered as recently as tonight. LeBron James’ 22 and Luka Doncic’s 30 points weren’t enough as the Lakers posted a 112-100 loss to the Knicks tonight. They held Jalen Brunson to just 12 points but couldn’t match the Knicks’ depth.

The Lakers had a lot of missed opportunities, including James’ failed logo 3. With Caitlin Clark on the sidelines, the MSG announcer team taunted him live on NBC.

The frequency of ‘meltdowns’ in MSG recently makes Jordan’s message even more important now.

Michael Jordan has a stark warning for NBA players

The 90s rivalry between the Bulls and Knicks, especially with prime Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley, was the biggest storyline of the Eastern Conference. MJ was averaging 31.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over 60 career games against the New York Knicks.

The legendary 55-point “double-nickel” game in 1995 and a 42-point game in 1998 had New York fans root for him instead of the home team. So he has the luxury of calling the Garden’s ‘hostility’ a “privilege.”

Joel Embiid’s trips across the I-95 have been turnover spirals that are not as common from him in Wells Fargo Arena. In Game 5 of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Knicks, Joel Embiid committed a career-high nine turnovers in the 76ers miraculous overtime win.

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Victor Wembanyama’s MSG debut in 2023 was full of airballs. Others have faltered too. But the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Trae Young have thrived when they own the crowd.

These days, even the Knicks players aren’t safe. Fans have recently turned on Karl-Anthony Towns who was seen lashing out at teammates. New York now wants massive star power in Giannis Antetokounmpo to come to the Knicks. It just proves that the folks at the Garden can turn on you both on the court and off it.

It adds validity to Jordan’s warning. “If they feel like they can take you out of your game, then they have a better chance of winning.” So he has a message to the “young kids of today,” to survive this arena’s pressure. “It’s that if you are an impactful player to your team, shut them up. Go out there and be you. If you be you, then they can’t say anything. But if you’re not you, they win.”

Jordan’s core takeaway remains that Madison Square Garden is the ultimate psychological battle. If it acknowledges you, you win.