And with Walton back playing at a high level and wining Sixth Man honors after years of injury backing them up. His usage rate was an absurd 45%, but he was efficient, needing just 35 shots to get his 55 points. He then dropped 49 points in Game 1 of the first playoff round against the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics before adding 63 more in Game 2. 1 Alabama and No. Jordan's short jumper with a little over two minutes left for Jordan's 50th point in the game gave the Bulls a one point lead. The beauty and effectiveness of those jumpers turned the exact kinds of ho-hum, back-to-the-basket, post-up chances that defined basketball for generations into breathtaking, must-watch television. Players with higher salaries that season included Benoit Benjamin, Brian Shaw, Danny Ferry and Dale Davis. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Emsley A. Laney in Wilmington, North Carolina, Draft: His final 60-point game came in January 1993 against the Magic, who beat the Bulls thanks to 29 points and 24 rebounds by rookie Shaquille ONeal. 7) Jordan played in 35 NBA Finals games. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App. Of note, Jordan turned 40 years old during the 2002-03 campaign but still had his moments. Stats, records, achievements, shoes and more. Sidney Green, now a Bulls ambassador, was first man off the bench with Gene Banks and Paxson also playing the other significant minutes off the bench. Moderators: bwgood77, KingDavid, Domejandro, cupcakesnake, Harry Garris, ken6199, infinite11285, zimpy27, bisme37, Dirk, Post#1 by Bel Thu Aug 1, 2019 1:14 am, Post#2 by Carlos_Danger Thu Aug 1, 2019 1:39 am, Post#3 by LKN Thu Aug 1, 2019 1:52 am, Post#4 by Effigy Thu Aug 1, 2019 2:19 am, Post#5 by HEAT33 Thu Aug 1, 2019 2:24 am, Post#6 by thebigbird Thu Aug 1, 2019 2:26 am, Post#7 by SeniorWalker Thu Aug 1, 2019 3:12 am, Post#8 by Anticon Thu Aug 1, 2019 3:25 am, Post#9 by Jables Thu Aug 1, 2019 3:26 am, Post#10 by queridiculo Fri Aug 2, 2019 3:53 pm, Post#11 by LofJ Fri Aug 2, 2019 4:54 pm, Post#12 by Ben Simmons Fri Aug 2, 2019 4:59 pm, Post#13 by MrDollarBills Fri Aug 2, 2019 5:04 pm, Post#14 by Bandit King Fri Aug 2, 2019 5:11 pm. Jordan played 53 of the 58 minutes, but there were many times and multiple sequences where he stayed out of the play. When Jordan sank that iconic dagger to sink the Jazz in the 1998 Finals, Bob Costas said it perfectly: "If that's the last image of Michael Jordan, how magnificent is it?". That gave the Knicks some momentum with the series heading back to Chicago, but Jordan averaged 41.3 points on 55.8 percent shooting, grabbed 9.8 rebounds, dished 8.8 assists and contributed three steals and two blocks per night the rest of the series, which the team won 4-2. After a 4-of-7 outing in his return, Jordan proceeded to shoot just 32.2 percent from the field over his next four games. Michael Jordan was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a Player in 2009 (Full List) Michael Jordan played 15 seasons for the Bulls and Wizards. In the six seasons they won the title, they were 42-0 in the playoffs and 210-5 in the regular season when leading by 10 or more entering the fourth quarter. Not only did Jordan slowly build up one of the most reliable jumpers in the NBA, he also engineered brilliant ways to get to this signature move. October 29, 1984 - Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks!Best Rookie 4th Qtr Performance Ever!First 30+ Points Game!2 Amazing Game Winning 3 pt Play Layups in a r. A fellow forum user here, Dipper13 (a Wilt fan, for those concerned), compiled Jordan's shot chart along with his clutch +/- for playoff games according to the NBA definition (last 5 minutes in 4th quarter, both teams within +/- 5 points). It really wasn't until late in the overtimes Boston made any serious effort to trap and get the ball out of Jordan's hands, though he still moved around and through. But the Celtics came back and Jordan had a chance for a winner with a left elbow jumper, which he missed. And he picked his spots/positioned himself so well that he bothered bigger players almost as much. Data Provided By Those jumpers also allowed the Bulls to run a simple offense, something that came in handy within the brutality of 1990s hoops: Just get MJ the ball in the post. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Defending MJ meant facing an endless and unpredictable array of one-on-one moves and simply hoping shots wouldn't fall. 1998 Upper Deck MJx #127 Michael Jordan 4th Quarter Highlights. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. Jordan scored 20 of the Bulls' 23 points in the fourth quarter of a close game. Check out all those red dots in the midrange in this vintage NBC shot chart: Jordan scored 20 of the Bulls' 23 points in the fourth quarter of a close game. Two days later, he scored 45 points which remains the most any player has ever scored on New Years Eve, regardless of age. Copyright 2023. michaeljordansworld.com - All rights reserved. It would be greatly appreciated and would He kept them in the game with big basket after big basket. Jordan had 39 career 50-point games; James has . Join our linker program. All rights reserved. Michael Jordan Finals Stats Michael Jordan's numbers in the NBA Finals. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. In 1992, Michael Jordan got hot from deep, leading to one of the best reactions in NBA history. "Michael coming back, the injuries, the side show, all that stuff. asked Corzine. That's how we know that while Jordan led the league in scoring in 1996-97, he ended up tied for 57th in the NBA in points in the paint and 54th in made 3s per game. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In fact, since the NBA moved the 3-point line back in 1997, no one has come close to topping Jordan's mark of midrange makes in a season. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Paxson inbounded to Jordan in the backcourt. Jordan's career scoring mark of 30.12 points per game is the all-time record, and MJ won the per game scoring title 10 times. Going into the second overtime tied at 125, the Celtics began trapping Jordan in the backcourt and he would miss his first four shots of the second overtime. Michael Jordan made at least $94,022,500 playing professional basketball. In the NBA in 1997, there was Michael Jordan, and then there was everyone else: Still, to fully absorb how special Jordan's late-era Bulls numbers were, you not only have to understand that he put them up in the face of astounding amounts of defensive pressure. Or write about sports? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. * Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics in the 1986 Playoffs. Countless memorable moments have taken place on the NBAs grandest stage and these are some of the best of all time. Out of time, my bacon smellin' fine.". The Celtics finally wrestled back the lead on a Bird three with about 11 minutes left as Bird would go on to finish with 36 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. $4.99. As in: What in the hell did I just do? or What can I say? The Shrug happened when Jordan glanced courtside at Magic Johnson, then an NBC commentator, and it became iconic. New York tied its second-round series against the Bulls in 1989 after MJ went just 7-of-17 with 15 points. On Feb. 14, 1990 Jordan scored 49 points wearing No. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Want every headline right at your fingertips? Parish got the rebound, but Jordan knocked it away and the Bulls got the ball back with six seconds left in regulation. His final two seasons in Chicago, Jordan made 997 mid-range shots, over 250 more than any other player. The next highest scorer was Dominque Wilkins with 30 points a game. Shelburne: Kobe and MJ's friendship Join our linker program. Shelburne: Kobe and MJ's friendship The media coverage wasn't what it is. The rest of the Bulls scored 54 points on 43 shots. Watch Full Highlights and Full Game: https://www.patreon.com/mj23hafI am now on Vimeo and Rumble: https://vimeo.com/user131808865https://rumble.com/c/c-11244. Yep, Miller attempted 484 while Jordan made 547. Can Thunder's struggling D slow a better-than-ever Warriors offense? Jordan had 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points. Chicago Bulls, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1984 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2009 (Full List), More Michael Jordan pages at Sports Reference. One interesting thing is that in 179 playoff games, Jordan never scored less than 15 points, and less than 20 only 6 times. In the 101-96 win, Bryant became the oldest player to score 60 or more points in a game at 37 years, 234 days. It's not just that he was the most aesthetically magnificent superstar that basketball has ever seen. Everything you need to know By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. We tried to shade him to help, everything. But he was splitting everything and going around and shooting over.". "Dennis was a prideful defensive player," recalled Jerry Sichting, who would come off the bench and make what would be the winning shot in the second overtime. Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963. Michael Jordan went off, scoring 55 points, equaling his highest output since he returned from retirement in 1995. When he sensed his defender was leaning too far one way, he could flip the script, glide into a clear shooting pocket and let his old-man jumper do the rest. Meanwhile, Curry is the only one to do it in the 2010s, after he achieved this in 2015 and 2018. His usage rate was an absurd 45%, but he was efficient, needing just 35 shots to get his 55 points. It was more a circus and then we get into the playoffs against Boston, who was much better than us and Michael is just having great games. Jordan was sidelined for four months during the 1985-86 season with a broken foot after playing just three regular-season games. Log in for full results. us, High School: This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. Ainge had joked after Game 1 the way to play Jordan was to "foul him and hope someone else can come in and do the job.". It's not just that Jordan was statistically incredible. What was most remarkable about Jordan's scoring was how effortless it seemed. Shooting Guard and Small Forward Consider these two nuggets: In 1996-97, Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson ranked second in midrange scoring, pouring in 391 field goals from that zone. There was a cruel intimacy to his domination. In the end, the East would win the game 138-133 in a . Jordan took over when it mattered most, scoring eight . Privacy and Cookies Policy. MJ's magnificence was running on fumes as he won his 10th scoring title in 1997-98. Like all transcendent superstars, he created new fundamentals, and in the post-Jordan NBA landscape, the fadeaway jumper became a cornerstone of many of the league's greatest shooters. The Bulls raised their lead back into double digits from a first half high of 11 as Johnson now began face guarding Jordan and playing him face up without even watching where the ball was when Jordan didn't have it. But consider that after missing 64 games that season with a broken foot and with a patchwork team in which you might argue no one but Jordan could even make the Celtics, Jordan set the all-time scoring record against what many regard as the greatest front line ever in Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Post #1 by Dipper 13 But back then you only got two free throws for a three point attempt. "NBA Finals 4th Quarter Scoring Stats: LeBron in Games 4,5,6 of the 2011 Finals Vs Mavs: 9 Points FG%: 40% Jordan in Games 4,5,6 of the 1996 Finals Vs Sonics: 4 Points FG%: 16% Yet one gets talked about as an all time meltdown and one hasn't been talked about at all." Opponent : G : MPG : FG% 3P% Guarded by Cliff Robinson, Jordan let it fly. It looked like he could have scored 100 points without pushing all that hard. inBrooklyn,New York Against teams seeded the same or lower, Jordan's teams had a perfect 24-0 series record. The 1990s Bulls weren't hunting mismatches every trip down the floor. The Celtics big guys continued to shade toward Jordan, but the Bulls still held a 91-88 lead going into the fourth quarter. It's not that MJ was averse to attacking a compromised defender -- it's that he was so freakishly comfortable beating the league's best defenders from scratch, over and over again. First, when it comes to the greatest dynasties in NBA history, you have that Michael guy and his Chicago Bulls. Can you name the 2 other players in NBA history to average 40+ PPG in the first 6 games of an NBA Finals series? He had 10 points at the line. And that is why I succeed. Things looked far more dire for the Bulls in 1992. It was primarily his defense in clutch situations that made him such a good closer. MJ, as Jordan is popularly known, played 15 seasons in the . You must also recognize that at one point in his career, his jumper was the weakest part of his game. He was his teams outright leading scorer in 32 of them with Scottie Pippen (twice) and Toni Kukoc (once) the only others to lead the Bulls in scoring. The Bulls started Woolride, Charles Oakley, Corzine, Kyle Macy and Jordan. 6) Jordan was named first-team All-Defense nine times. The Bulls won in six games and Drexler outscored Jordan in only one game (which the Blazers lost). I've lost almost 300 games. After two years of Jokic carrying a largely sundry crew through the woods, the Nuggets have finally formed back into a true showcase squad, worthy of many more grand stages. 5) Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon are the only players in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. It's not that he became a brand unto himself before that was even a thing. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Just like he did versus the Bullets in Game 2, he dominated from the midrange. 11) Jordan is the only player to lead the NBA in both points per game and steals per game in the same season three separate times. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. 2015-2016 Stats: 17.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG . Coming into the 1984 draft, 16 of the NBA's previous 20 MVPs were centers. He drove, he pulled up. It was a different consciousness you don't get to often.". Jordan ranked first in midrange scoring and third in efficiency despite his midrange game requiring him to take numerous impossible shots against the league's top defenders on a nightly basis. With their backs against the wall, though, Jordan's Bulls crushed New York in Game 7, winning 110-81 behind MJ's 42 points on 15-of-29 shooting. Jordan finished with 33 points in 43 minutes, while Pippen put up 26 points and five rebounds. He took a quick step past McHale for a baseline slam, one of the few dunks Jordan got as the Bulls drew within one with three minutes left. "So the biggest thing about him was, can he make a shot?". Ultimately, Michael did not need any of that stuff. Jordan still had nine dimes and eight rebounds in the 95-82 win, but this marked his lowest scoring output and made-field-goal total of his career. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. But he also showed us that guards who can shoot can dominate the best basketball league in the world. us, High School: It was the Bulls' third straight loss. This means that 58.82% of the time, he would make the Finals and finish the season at first or second. But Bird also liked to roam the lanes for steals to ignite the Boston break, so he rarely was on a primary scorer. 2020-08-26. Shaq did it once for the Orlando Magic in 1995 and then for the Lakers in 2000. By the second three-peat, Jordan had become maybe the best post-up guard in history. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Here you have his stats in the Finals. 12 for one game. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina. broadcast or podcast, please strongly consider citing this site as the "It was a different time and space in those days. "He had no pattern," Smith said. The president also pledges support for California following waves of destructive weather. ', "Little did he know," Sichting said with a laugh, "what was coming.". ". >> Video: Jordan drops 63 in Boston Garden "He's in the shower after that Game 1 when Michael has 49. I've lost almost 300 games. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. THE CHANGES IN NBA superstar scoring over the past 20 years have been drastic. Thats the largest percentage of team points any player has been responsible for in a single NBA Finals. When Jordan left the NBA, the league belonged to skill and speed. 12 on a loss to the Magic. Woolridge took Bird. Playing against a Utah Jazz team consisting of Karl Malone and John Stockton in Game 1 of the 97 NBA Finals, Jordan . Or write about sports? Answer (1 of 5): Here is his percentage in the playoffs, and some comparisons: Game-tying/go-ahead field goals with under 10 seconds left in the postseason: Michael Jordan: 7/15 (47%) Kobe Bryant: 5/22 (23%) LeBron James: 12/23 (52%) This was cited as of May 5, 2018, here: LeBron is More Clu. He played exactly 500 more regular-season games with Chicago. In the 1987-88 season, Michael Jordan led the league in scoring with 35 points a game, was named the defensive player of the year, and won MVP. The challenge was as much mental as it was physical. I like separating clutch stats by peak years, there's a nostalgia factor with the still great 96-98 Jordan that ignores how scary he actually was. Stathead: Baseball's Most Powerful Search Tool, Stathead: Basketball's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Football's Most Powerful Research Tool, Stathead: Hockey's Most Powerful Research Tool. 21) On Nov. 6, 1990, Jordan had 33 points and 12 assists in a two-point loss to Larry Birds Celtics. Jordan had 59 after the first overtime. Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York. 1998 Upper Deck MJx Basketball #127 Michael Jordan/4th Quarter Highlights. Other players will win scoring titles and NBA championships, but nobody will ever do it like Jordan did. This is an NBA record and one of just two 60+ performances in Playoffs in NBA history. Boston got the lead back to 116-114 with 27 seconds left. 20) Jordan's shot over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals was a 17-footer from the top of the key. They loaded up their defense to stop him and he scored on every double and triple team he saw.". For this clutch MJ moment, we'll jump into 1997. LeBron James connected on his 7th career go-ahead shot in the final 5 seconds of the 4th quarter/OT in his playoff career. 9) In the 1993 NBA Finals, Jordan scored 38.4 percent of the Bulls' total points. (Mike, Air Jordan, M.J., His Airness, Money, Black Cat, Mr. June, G.O.A.T., Superman, Captain Marvel, Black Jesus), Position: Jordan transfigured the look and feel of basketball greatness, reshaping and elevating it beyond anyone's expectations. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved. 1 player in the #NBArank, Michael Jordan. In honor of No. 18) Jordan averaged 11.4 assists per game in the 1991 NBA Finals and led the Bulls outright in assists in all five games. And in the NBA Finals? The Bulls were up and down during that stretch (7-9) but were able to sneak into the playoff field. The windshield wiper also highlights the thoughtfulness behind MJ's approach. ON APRIL 27, 1997, Chris Webber and the Washington Bullets were visiting the Chicago Bulls for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Jordan made 547. source for the material. Jordan would catch the ball, pause a moment, the crowd would anticipate, then he'd just go get a bucket. On Jan. 16, 1993, Michael Jordan scored a season-high 64 points in an overtime loss to the Orlando Magic. "I always thought that was his coming out party," said Sichting. It's not a coincidence that players such as Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki rode fadeaways and midrange jumpers all the way to the top of the NBA in the years following Jordan's retirement. Learn More. Some of those moments were good, but others, not so much. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 1984-85; 1985-86; 1986-87; 1987-88; 1988-89; . Do you have a sports website? In Game 5 of the 1997 Finals, a flu-stricken Michael Jordan willed the Bulls to a win against the Jazz. Michael Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney in Wilmington, North Carolina and UNC. James doesn't compare. 15) By the end of his tenure with the Bulls, Jordan had developed into the games best mid-range scorer. I remember that.". Right, Born: This is mostly a good thing. He had 10 seasons in which he shot better than 47 percent from the floor, something Bryant has not done a single time. Jordan scored just 21 points on 9-of-25 shooting. Sign up to receive NBA emails! The Bulls looked in trouble with about seven minutes left when Paxson got a drive blocked and the Celtics, always looking ahead for fast breaks and runouts, threw ahead to Ainge for an easy layup and 104-100 lead. "He fouled us all out," laughed Walton. Quarter Finder; Teammates & Opponents; High School & Amateur Game Log; More Michael Jordan pages at Sports Reference. For example, if you select Quarters and then check all four boxes, it would return four results for James Harden (and other players who have accomplished the feat), one for each period.If you're interested in the more general question, Who has the most 20-pt quarters, irrespective of the period?, then leave this unchecked. Before Jordan, fadeaways were frowned upon by many coaches. Michael Jordan shot 44.0% (40/91) overall and 28.6% (4/14) from three in 11 games in the fourth quarter in the NBA Finals in his career. 17) There were five seasons in which Jordan led the NBA in both Player Efficiency Rating and usage percentage. They were not the focus of all the eyeballs in every arena. "It's the zone you hear some players talk about from time to time, where the basket seems bigger, you almost see the moves before you make them, everything is going in. 2020-10-16. 8) Jordan is the only player to win an NBA title, NCAA title and multiple Olympic gold medals. He mapped out the future of the sport. All other players in NBA history have combined to do it four times, with no other player doing it more than once. Chicago won Game 6 by a final score of 97-93. 12 is Hall of Famer George Yardley. 14) For his career, Jordan was 9-of-18 shooting in the playoffs on potential game-tying or go-ahead shots in the final 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. Woolridge airballed a three to end it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. How to replay the series, "Somebody like Reggie Miller will run you back and forth across the floor through a million picks on every possession," Smith said. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The Bulls went on a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter. The 15 fourth-quarter points today for Butler were the most by a Bulls player in the fourth quarter of a road playoff game since MJ dropped 16 in Game 6 of the . The Celtics big guys continued to shade toward Jordan, but the Bulls still held a 91-88 lead going into the fourth quarter. The exception? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Here you can find details about how many times in his career Michael Jordan scored an specific amount of points. Lowe: How Pippen lifted MJ's Bulls And how many times in the playoffs? James has either been the best or second best in ten of his 17 seasons. Michael Jordan played six NBA Finals in his 15-year career. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The oldest player to ever win a scoring title was Michael Jordan at age 35. But McHale was called for the foul 25 feet away. the official stats partner of the NBA. How to replay the series. All content 2000-2023 RealGM, L.L.C. 2) In the 11 seasons he played at least 20 games with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan finished in the top 5 of MVP voting 10 times. Bulls coach Stan Albeck decided to go small to open the second half with Oakley, Woolridge and Banks on the front line going against the Boston big three, a move which didn't work well as Woolridge forced numerous off balance shots, finishing nine of 27 with all the other Bulls starters at least 50 percent. . He missed 22 shots from that spot in the regular season which trailed only Horace Grant and Rik Smits. As his incredible athleticism began to wane in his 30s, Jordan knew he had to keep his defenders off balance.