What is it about March 28 that always brought out the best in Michael Jordan? It remains a mystery. But on this day throughout his career, the GOAT gave several of the GOAT-y performances Bulls fans became so used to seeing.
The Best From The Greatest
On March 28, 1990, the Bulls were back in Cleveland facing the Cavaliers. In the first round of the previous season’s playoffs, Jordan hit a buzzer-beating shot over Craig Ehlo to clinch Game 5 and the series. Poor Ehlo had another traumatic experience nearly a year later. Jordan gave Ehlo a compliment pregame, calling it a “challenge” to score against him. Michael then proceeded to embarrass Ehlo all over the court, scoring a career high 69 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the Bulls’ 117-113 OT win.
Check the highlights:
Jordan shot 23-37 from the field (62.2%) and 21-23 from the free throw line. He added 6 assists and 4 steals. Proving for the umpteenth time that he could take over a game when needed, MJ scored 18 of the Bulls’ final 28 points between the 4th quarter and overtime.
Double Nickle at MSG
Fast forward five years. March 28th, 1995, Jordan is sporting #45 in just his fifth game back from his first retirement. The Bulls are battling the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the NBA’s biggest stage.
Jordan was playing baseball when Pat Riley’s gang knocked Scottie Pippen and the Bulls out of the second round in ’94. Perhaps MJ was trying to make a point; reestablishing his dominance by shredding the Knicks on their home floor. He did just that, scoring 55 points in what became known as the “Double-Nickle” game.
The highlights:
Jordan finished that game (a 113-111 Bulls win) shooting 21-37 (56.8%) from the field and 10-11 from the charity stripe. He only dished 2 assists, but one of them was a beautiful dime to Bill Wennington for the game-winning dunk with 3 seconds left.
Honorable Mentions
March 28, 1985: This one came in Jordan’s rookie season. In a 122-114 loss at Cleveland, His Airness dropped 35 points. He also dished 10 assists and grabbed 8 rebounds.
March 28, 1989: In a 115-106 win over the Warriors, Jordan tallied a triple double with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He added 4 steals.
March 28, 1991: Playing only 30 minutes of the Bulls’ 128-94 blowout win over the Nets, Jordan scored a very efficient 42 points on 16-26 shooting from the field. Pippen was the team’s next highest scorer with 14.
March 28, 1992: The defending champs win easy over Cleveland, 126-102. MJ pours in 44 points on 21-32 shooting while adding 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. The Bulls go on to win 11 of their final 12 regular season games, charging into the postseason for their second straight title run.
Not a bad track record for a random day in early spring. Makes you wonder what Jordan is up to today…like putting big money on a round of 18 or grabbing a spot at a craps table in Vegas.
Happy Michael Jordan Day, everyone!
