He came back as a knight in shining armor. His legacy had already been sealed when he hit the last playoff shot he would ever take against the Utah Jazz. It was a shot that earned him his sixth championship. It was a finish written for Hollywood; it was a picturesque and perfect ending as our hero rode off into the sunset with his fair maiden.

Fast-forward four years and it is a little harder to decide what to make of Michael Jordan’s last few games and his imminent retirement from the game. There won’t be a last-second shot to win a playoff game. There won’t even be a playoff game. Jordan’s home career closed out with the Wizards losing to New York while wearing the throwback Bullets jerseys. Now it is on to Philadelphia Wednesday for the last game of his playing career. Not the dramatic finish Michael had probably envisioned when returning to the game two years ago. It was nice to see, but reminiscent of a one-night stand when you wanted so much more.

Nonetheless, the last few Jordan games have been special in their own ways. Two games ago, Pat Riley’s Miami Heat had Jordan’s 23-jersey retired in an unprecedented, unsuspected and unusual move. Riley has been one of Jordan’s most constant nemeses over both of their careers. Jordan admitted that for Riley to show appreciation for him was about as touching as the slicked back Pat Riley could be.

Last night, Jordan’s last home game ended in a loss to the Knicks of all teams. No city suffered through more MJ moments and heartbreaks than New York did.

So upon the final analysis, what did Jordan’s playing days with the Washington Wizards mean?

Jordan came back with the goal of helping a young Wizard team learn how to play and become a playoff-caliber team. After two years, the Wizards still aren’t a playoff-caliber team, and after beginning his days with the Wizards trying to be patient and supportive of young players, Jordan’s days ended with some of the young players on the team being alienated. Now critics openly wonder whether Jordan’s only top pick as a general manager, Kwame Brown, will ever produce as a Wizard, or if his relationship with teammates and coaches has become too frayed. Only time will tell if Jordan’s comeback was in fact good for the Wizards. Will Brown develop, and, in Jordan’s absence, can former superstar Jerry Stackhouse flourish again?

Whether or not the comeback helped the Wizards, it is hard to deny that it meant a great deal to the NBA. After Jordan’s retirement, the league struggled to maintain popularity despite the emergence of dominant players. There was a sense that Jordan had been so good for so long that the NBA wasn’t worth watching without him. When MJ returned, the fans’ brains told them that Jordan’s age prohibited him from being the best player in the game, but their hearts made those same fans expect it.

Fact is, Jordan wasn’t the best player in the game anymore. He was the best player on a team that wasn’t playoff caliber. He had occasional moments of greatness and did earn a couple of free passes to the all-star game. It was fun to watch, but fans and players alike knew it wasn’t the old MJ. He was just as competitive, but it was often clear that the Kobe Bryants of the league were playing on another level.

Jordan’s return and subsequent playing days provided fans the opportunity to adopt new favorites and to realize that the league could survive after him, while they still had an opportunity to catch a fading glimpse of the greatness that was Jordan. Because of the last two years of Jordan’s career, the league and its fans are now ready to move forward without constantly desiring one last look at MJ. After Jordan’s two years with the Wizards, T-Mac, Garnett, Duncan, Kobe and tomorrow’s stars will have a chance to become the NBA’s new biggest attraction.

When all the votes are in on MJ’s return and playing days for the Wizards, it doesn’t matter one bit that he wasn’t quite the same player that he always had been. The return didn’t enhance his legacy, he didn’t need it to, his legacy had already been made. Quite simply, Jordan was a fierce competitor and that was enough. Even in his final playing days with the Wizards, he was the most competitive player on the team. In that respect, Michael never lost a thing; I don’t think he ever will.