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Scoop: Thirty years of Jordans

Here's what they say: It's just shoes, right? Sneakers. They serve a single purpose. They don't make a difference on the court. It really ain't the shoes.

All true. All missing the point.

In the winter of 1985, something more than Michael Jordan was happening, something unknown to anyone -- even those who were paying attention. See, the shoe game has always been an extension of the game, a subtext of basketball's culture that made "Is it the shoes?" a plausible and legit question.

The shoes helped define who our heroes were.