Watch The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago, on Netflix via your Sky Q box from Monday, April 20
Thursday 16 April 2020 12:04, UK
The Last Shot? The double-nickel? The flu-game? The shrug? What’s your favourite MJ performance? Read, watch then tell us in the comments box below
Bulls @ Knicks, March 28, 1995
In his fifth game since returning from his baseball stint, Jordan made a 55-point statement in Madison Square Garden, letting the NBA know he wasn't finished terrorising opponents just yet.
Wearing No 45 - the Bulls had retired his No 23 jersey after his 1993 departure - Jordan gave the Knicks all they could handle, shooting 21-for-37 from the field, breaking his own record for most points scored by an opponent at MSG and making the game-winning play.
With the game on the line, Jordan forced the Knicks to double-team him after a nasty hesitation move nearly sent point guard John Starks to the floor. Patrick Ewing stepped up to try and block what appeared to be a game-winning shot attempt from Jordan, but MJ made a smooth adjustment in mid-air to find centre Bill Wennington for an easy dunk that would win the game for Chicago.
Speaking on 'The Woj Pod', former Knicks coach Jeff van Gundy said of the Double-Nickel game: "The greatest single performance I ever saw from an NBA player live was Jordan coming back from two years of baseball, being back playing basketball for 10 days, going up against the best defensive team in basketball and getting 55 points at The Garden. I've never seen anything like that in my life. Do I need to relive it? No, I don't."
Bulls vs Lakers, Game 2, 1991 NBA Finals, June 5, 1991
The Bulls lost Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals in Chicago, putting themselves at risk of going down 2-0 heading back to Los Angeles. Jordan's Game 2 performance assured that his team wouldn't hit the West Coast with their backs against the wall, delivering one of the most well-rounded games of his career.
MJ had 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block to go with his game-high 33 points in a blowout win for the Bulls. Jordan was locked in, shooting 15-for-18 from the field including a stretch of 13-consecutive makes.
"A spectacular move by Michael Jordan," was the historic call from commentator Marv Albert when Jordan pulled off his famous right-left switch in mid-air to score. But it was a spectacular game overall, sparking the first of four-straight wins as the Bulls stormed to their first NBA title.
Bulls @ Cavaliers, Eastern Conference playoffs first round Game 5, May 7, 1989
Prior to the Bulls' run of dominance, they found themselves as an underdog No 6 seed taking on the No 3 seed Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs in 1989.
With the series tied at 2-2 - back when first round playoff series were best-of-five - Chicago trailed Cleveland 100-99 in the final seconds of the deciding game. Jordan received the inbound pass with the opportunity to either send the Bulls on to the next round or home to their couches.
He took one dribble and pulled up, hanging in the air as Craig Ehlo's outstretched arm contested his game-winning attempt.
"It's good! Michael Jordan has won it at the buzzer for Chicago!"
Jordan finished with 44 points shooting 17-for-32 from the field. The Bulls would advance as far as the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Detroit Pistons.
Bulls vs Trail Blazers, Game 1, 1992 NBA Finals, June 3, 1992
Jordan was never a renowned three-pointer shooter. Through the first 16 games of the 1992 NBA Playoffs, he had knocked down a total of five triples. What he did in the first two quarters of Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals was something we had never seen before.
Jordan torched the Blazers for 35 points in the first half, knocking down six three-pointers - both of which set NBA Finals records (the latter was broken by Ray Allen in 2010). After his sixth triple of the half, even he was impressed with himself, giving us the classic 'Jordan Shrug' moment.
Jordan finished the game with 39 points and 11 assists shooting 16-for-27 from the field and 6-for-10 from three in a 33-point win for the Bulls. Chicago would go on to defeat Portland in six games to win their second-consecutive NBA title.
Bulls @ Jazz, Game 5, 1997 NBA Finals, June 11, 1997
With the Finals tied at 2-2, Utah had everything in their favour to put themselves one win away from an NBA title. In addition to playing on their home court, they faced a weakened Jordan playing despite suffering flu-like symptoms.
Jordan's illness was evident in the first quarter as the Jazz got out to a 16-point lead but even in horrible physical condition, MJ was able to turn things up a notch. He'd score 17 points in the second quarter alone to bring Chicago back in the game, then drop 15 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Jordan would finish with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a clutch game-sealing three-pointer, leaving us with one of the most iconic photos in sports history as Scottie Pippen had to carry his team-mate off of the court.
"I almost played myself into passing out," Jordan said after the game. "I came in and I was almost dehydrated, and it was all just to win a basketball game. I couldn't breathe. My energy level was really low. My mouth was really dry. They started giving me Gatorade, and I thought about IV (intravenous)."
Bulls @ Cavaliers, March 28, 1990
One season after Jordan knocked the Cavaliers out of the playoffs with 'The Shot', he returned to Cleveland and produced a career-high 69 points to carry the Bulls to a 117-113 overtime win.
Jordan's scoring total came at an extremely efficient clip shooting 23-for-37 (62.2 per cent) from the field to go with two threes and 21-of-23 free throws. He added a career-high 18 rebounds, too.
"I didn't think about being tired because I wanted to win the game," Jordan said. "I've been in that situation where I've scored a lot of points and we lost, and I didn't want that to happen. So I kept pushing myself, kept talking to myself, saying, 'Don't stop, don't stop. Keep going.' You feel better about the effort when you win."
Bulls @ Celtics, Eastern Conference playoffs first round Game 2, April 20, 1986
A broken foot forced Jordan to miss 64 games in the 1985-86 season, but he returned in time to produce the first major statement of his pro career in a playoff loss to one of the greatest NBA championship teams in history.
The Celtics, with a starting line-up featuring future Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton and Dennis Johnson, ultimately swept the overmatched Bulls but not before Jordan scored a single-game playoff record (that still stands) 63 points in Game 2, shooting 22-for-41 from the field and 19-for-21 from the free throw line.
Asked about MJ's performance after Game 2, Bird remarked: "That was God disguised as Michael Jordan."
Bulls @ Jazz, NBA Finals Game 6, June 14, 1998
Jordan's final Bulls performance was about much more than him hitting a clutch game-winning shot to seal Chicago's sixth championship of the decade.
The 35-year-old Jordan was playing in his 331st consecutive game. He hadn't missed a single contest since returning from retirement back in 1995. He averaged 41.5 minutes per game in the 1998 playoffs.
Leading the series 3-2 but with the series' remaining games in Salt Lake City, Game 6 saw the Bulls under immense pressure as Scottie Pippen, hampered by a back injury, was able to play only 26 minutes.
Jordan dug deep, playing 44 of the 48 minutes, to produce the perfect finale to his Bulls career. John Stockton knocked down a three-pointer to give Utah a three-point lead with just over 40 seconds to go. Then Jordan took over, scoring at the rim to bring the Bulls within one, then stealing possession from Karl Malone to give his team a chance to win the game.
Jordan then bamboozled Jazz defender Bryon Russell with a filthy crossover, rose up and buried what would become the game-winning bucket, capping a 45-point performance and securing his sixth NBA title and sixth Finals MVP trophy with one of the NBA's most defining moments.
