Grant Long, a 15-year NBA veteran who was part of the original Miami expansion team, once shared a little story about Michael Jordan. In the 1990-91 season, Jordan was under the weather while playing for the Bulls in Miami, and struggled in the first half. One of Jordan’s errant shots had been blocked by Willie Burton, a rookie out of Minnesota, and as the Heat went into the locker room at halftime, Burton blurted out, “I am shutting him down! I got him on lockdown!”
Little was it known to Burton that Jordan was just a few feet behind him.