ripple effect
Ok pulling out the media guide for this one.
Actually 1985 is one of my alltime favorite Carolina teams, scrappy and over achieving, most thought the streaks of 1st or 2nd place finishes that dated to 1967 would end, it did not. This team had talent, Kenny Smith, Brad Daugherty, Joe Wolf, Steve Hale, Dave Popson, ok Popson sucked, well he wasnt what everyone thought he would be, Let me break down this season and tell you where MJ would have made the most difference.
The early part of the season was a series of cakewalks against sub-par competiton and a early conference win on the road (kinda) against Wake Forest who by seasons end would slip from the level they had played for the few previous seasons, so nothing changes far as I'm concerned. What I do think would change is the way the team would have played thru MJ Kenny and Brad, wolf and popson would have been role players.
Interesting thing about this season was a pair of games in the Suntory Bowl in Japan against Wichita St and Arizona St, I remember a short blurb in SI about it and how enamoured the Japanese were with the Heels, think what it would have been like with MJ.
The first loss of the season came on the way back from Japan in Hawaii against Missouri by 5, MJ could have swayed it his way, but I seem to remember the entire team came back tired, lets keep it.
A 2 pt loss in Greensboro to a SMU team in the top 10 kicked off a stretch where the Heels lost 4 of 6, I remember it well, Kenny Smith missed an attempt to put back a intentionally missed FT as time expired, SMU was really good that year and led the whole way, I seem to remember it being a 10pt game with 3 minutes to go before Carolina made a real move. With MJ, W.
Hmm I went to the next game against NC State a 86-76 victory that occured after overcoming a 15pt deficit in the final 10 minutes.Duke was waiting 6 days later and in their final trip to Carmichael they crushed the Heels 93-77. With MJ it is closer, but that was the Dookies day.
Then after getting past Jacksonville in Greensboro in a game I went to that was much too close for comfort ( 74-68) back to back conference losses occured to Ga Tech and Clemson, both avoidable even without MJ both probably completely different with him. For aruments sake though lets say one happens. Most likely Tech, but for arguments sake lets say Clemson as it was a road game.
A rebound of five wins in a row followed, then a 9pt loss on the road to State, unavoidable, if memory serves it wasnt even that close, I seem to remember State getting ahead by about 26. The other loss was again to Ga Tech by 5, with MJ the Heels would have been in a better position to win but I will let Tech keep it since I took the other from them earlier. A resounding thumping to ruin senior day at the University of New Jersey at Durham followed so by my new math that is 10-4 in conference, 24-5 overall.
A sweep of the conference tournament follows with the Heels winning what now would have been a rubber match with Ga TEch, then again in my timeline Tech finishes 8-6 and Dook is probably your 3 seed so this matchup occurs in the semi finals, lets say for arguments sake State takes out Dook and then UNC wins the rubber match. 27-5.
Probably that actually makes Carolina in this very top heavy season ( G'town St Johns Oklahoma and Michigan were the top seeds) #2 in the east and eventually it involves a matchup with Georgetown, Tech got that matchup and played tough but lost by 6. I say the Heels pull that one off in a rematch of the 1982 final. But in the end it would be UNC who would take that loss to Villanova as it was the Wildcats destiny to win that title
But MJ would have been the one choosen with that famously frozen envelope, and his hpe would have been off the chain. And I think he and Phil Jackson would have been destined to find each other and to have the success they had, it just would have been in New York. Then again Wikipedia shows some guy named Scotty Stirling who didnt even warrant his own entry, who knows MJ may have made the guy look like a hall of famer.