No Air in ’84: When the NBA Held Its Breath 👟

 

With the third pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select... Sam Perkins? Wait — what?

That’s the moment everything changed. In this alternate reality, Michael Jordan never enters the 1984 NBA Draft. The greatest player of all time never suits up in a Bulls uniform. 

He doesn’t drop 63 on the Celtics in the Garden, doesn’t win six titles, and doesn’t reshape the NBA in the 1990s. Instead, Jordan doesn’t debut until the mid-2000s — entering the league alongside Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. 

All three icons rise together in a league with entirely different dynamics than the one Jordan once ruled alone.

Before we ever get to that future, however, we begin here — in 1984 — with the draft that never was. At Re↠Written Rings, Season One kicks off our inaugural storyline: a 40-part reimagining of NBA history, with each entry rewriting one season at a time. 

Players are drafted in the same order as in real life, but the teams making the picks may have changed. Everything else is a direct result of that shift. For example, Sam Perkins becomes a Bull in this timeline, but he’ll leave for the Lakers when he did in reality. 

Players remain with their newly drafted teams until the moment they were traded or signed elsewhere in actual history.

Hakeem Olajuwon still goes #1 to Houston, and Portland still selects Sam Bowie at #2. But with Michael Jordan off the board entirely, the Chicago Bulls — now without a franchise savior — select Sam Perkins, a solid but unremarkable forward from North Carolina. 

This single move creates a cascading effect across the league. Charles Barkley, who originally went 5th, jumps up to #4 and lands with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Later in the first round, the Mavs also draft John Stockton, who becomes the future all-time assists leader. Two Hall of Famers land on one team — and yet, that team still isn’t destined for immediate success.

Other changes ripple through the draft: Alvin Robertson becomes a Washington Bullet, Otis Thorpe joins the Clippers, and Kevin Willis is now part of Philadelphia’s frontcourt. 

It’s not just the Bulls’ trajectory that changes — the entire league begins to shift.  All it took was that one change, and as the years go by it completely alters actual history.

To simulate how this altered 1984–85 season plays out, we used each player’s real-life statistics and applied weighted values to project team performance. 

Points counted as 1×, rebounds and assists as 2×, and steals and blocks as 4×. After rounding to the nearest whole number, we totaled the top five players on each team to generate an overall team rating. 

These team ratings determined regular season standings, playoff seedings, and simulation outcomes — laying the foundation for an entirely new version of the 1985 postseason. 

This is also the system we’ll use going forward to track player development season by season.  So hang on tight you are in for one wild ride, Eventually.  

The results? A wildly different playoff picture. However in year one we still have the Boston Celtics finishing with the best record in the league at 65–17 (rating: 264). 

Behind them are the Bucks, Nets, and Pistons, with the Bullets, 76ers, Hawks, and Cavaliers completing the bracket. So far the only change from reality is that the Hawks replace the Bulls in the playoffs.

Out West, the Utah Jazz shock everyone by securing the #1 seed, powered by Mark Eaton and Adrian Dantley. The Blazers come in second, Houston slots in at third with rookie Hakeem Olajuwon, and the Lakers — a year removed from their Finals loss — land fourth. 

The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors, and Sonics round out the top eight.  In the west two changes from reality, the Warriors are in and the Mavericks, despite the good draft don't make the playoffs.  Sonics make it in, instead of the Suns.

In the first round, Boston beats Cleveland 3–1 (like real-life), while Milwaukee handles the Hawks in four games, despite a 40-point explosion from Dominique Wilkins. 

The Nets and Sixers go the distance in a gritty five-game series. In the decisive Game 5, Michael Ray Richardson drops 30 points and 10 assists to lift New Jersey into the next round. 

The Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, dispatch the Bullets in four games.  In this timeline Celtics, Bucks, Nets, and Pistons move on, while in reality it was Celtics, Bucks, Sixers, and Pistons, already changing are happening.

In reality, the Sixers were the 3-seed and faced the Bullets in the first round — but in our timeline, it's the Nets who hold the 3-seed and home-court advantage, setting up a completely different matchup.

Out West, Utah dominates Seattle in a sweep, showcasing Eaton’s defensive presence. The Warriors stun the second-seeded Blazers in five games, thanks to standout performances from Sleepy Floyd and Joe Barry Carroll. 

In the 3–6 matchup, the Rockets and Spurs clash in a physical series. Houston features the newly formed Twin Towers with rookie Olajuwon, but it’s veteran George Gervin who turns back the clock. 

At age 32, he drops 35 in Game 5, icing the series and denying Houston a deeper run. Finally, the Lakers outlast Denver in a high-scoring series, fueled by a breakout from Byron Scott.

Let’s recap the West. In reality, the Lakers, Blazers, Jazz, and Nuggets moved on. It’s noteworthy that in our world the Jazz are a 1-seed, while in reality, they were a 6-seed upsetting the 3-seeded Rockets. 

So we got two things right here: the Jazz were better than the league thought, and the Rockets weren’t playoff-ready.

The teams advancing in our world are the Lakers, Jazz, Spurs, and Warriors. So just like reality, we had two upsets — Warriors and Spurs in our world; Jazz and Blazers in real life. 

Our 6-seed Spurs also pull off the upset against the Rockets — led by a vintage playoff run from George Gervin, who turns back the clock to close the series in Game 5.

The conference semifinals bring more surprises. Boston drops Game 2 to Detroit but quickly adjusts, winning the series 4–1 behind Larry Bird’s tempo control and Kevin McHale’s dominance in the paint. 

In the East’s biggest upset, the Nets defeat Milwaukee in seven games. Buck Williams contains Terry Cummings, and Richardson continues to deliver in the clutch. 

So Celtics and Nets move on to the Conference Finals in this world.  In reality we still have the Celtics there, but it was the Sixers pulling off the upset vs the Bucks.

Out West, the Lakers' experience proves key as they eliminate the top-seeded Jazz in six games. Meanwhile, the Spurs continue their incredible run, beating the Warriors 4–2 and advancing to the Conference Finals.

Here’s an epic change: in reality, both upset teams — the Jazz and Blazers — had to face top seeds in the second round (Lakers at #1, Nuggets at #2). 

But in our timeline, they face each other, guaranteeing one would advance to the Conference Finals.

So in our reality, it’s the 4-seeded Lakers vs. the 6-seeded Spurs — and just like in real life, the Lakers have home-court advantage in the Conference Finals as a 4-seed. Wild how that lines up.

In the Eastern Finals, Boston meets New Jersey. The Nets are tough and resilient, but they simply don’t have the firepower to match Boston’s talent. 

Bird averages 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists across the series, while Dennis Johnson locks up Richardson on defense. The Celtics advance in five games. 

Out West, the 4th-seeded Lakers face the 6th-seeded Spurs — and crucially, LA has home court. That edge proves enough as the Lakers win the series in five and reach the Finals once again.

The 1985 NBA Finals still feature the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers — just as in real life. Boston has home court advantage and is determined to repeat as champs. 

But as in the real timeline, the Lakers find a way. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, now 38 years old, turns back the clock with a masterful performance. He dominates a more talented Celtics team with poise, footwork, and unrelenting competitiveness.

 

The Lakers win the series in six games. Jabbar earns Finals MVP honors, proving that in a world without Michael Jordan, the league still belongs to him.

Comparing this timeline to reality, several constants remain — the Lakers beat the Celtics in the Finals, Kareem is Finals MVP, and Magic Johnson orchestrates the offense with brilliance. 

But many other storylines shift dramatically. The Nets, who were a first-round exit in real life, reach the Eastern Conference Finals. The Spurs, powered by a vintage Gervin performance, become Western Conference Finalists. 

And with no Jordan in the East, the conference feels more open — more vulnerable.

As with any NBA season, there are clear winners and losers. The Nets and Spurs come out on top, both enjoying their deep playoff runs. The Warriors, Hawks, and Sonics also benefit from the new league structure, sneaking into the postseason. 

On the losing side, the Bulls suffer the most — finishing dead last without Jordan and posting a dismal 15–67 record. The Mavericks, despite drafting both Barkley and Stockton, miss the playoffs entirely.

And now the focus turns to what comes next. After their bottom-of-the-barrel finish, the Bulls have a shot at the #1 pick in the 1985 Draft. Could Patrick Ewing become their new franchise cornerstone? Could a different dynasty take shape in Chicago?

Season Two begins at the lottery, with the fate of the league once again hanging in the balance. And remember — this 40-part journey is just the beginning of what we’ll explore at Re↠Written Rings. Every draft pick is a turning point. 

Every era has another side. And sometimes, the biggest legends arrive late.  Stay tuned for Season Two: 1985–86 — coming soon.