NBA Archives Debunked: The Jordan Saga

Chapter 51

This is Jordan's fifth game back.In the "Basketball Mecca", facing familiar and demanding opponents and audiences, Jordan scored 55 points, setting a single-game scoring record for visiting team players in this arena.This 55 points is a return to supporters and a counterattack to doubters. No. 23 became No. 45, and Michael Jordan is still Michael Jordan.

Usually, at the beginning of the game, Jordan always gave the ball to his teammates to build up their confidence, and he didn't shoot many shots.But this night, he humiliated his opponent Starks in various ways as soon as he came up. Jordan hit 7 of the first 6 shots, so that the TV commentator Marv Albert exclaimed: "He is so aggressive! He wants to Get 50 to 60 points!" Albert's prediction soon became a reality.

Jordan made 11 of 9 shots in the first quarter and scored 31 of the Bulls' 20 points. At halftime, he had scored 35 points and made 19 of 14 shots. Points can also be regarded as successor fatigue.Throughout the game, Jordan made a total of 20 shots, most of which were mid-range and long-range jumpers, and he scored neatly.

"There are some players who are so unique and transcend every aspect of the game," Knicks coach Riley lamented. "Michael is the only person in the history of basketball who has such a great influence—all-round influence."

55 points is not the whole content of Jordan's battle.If the Bulls lose, the value of these 55 points will be halved. However, how can Jordan let such a victory slip away?

The two sides are entangled and inextricably linked.With 25.8 seconds left before the end of the game, Jordan hit a jumper under the strict defense of Starks, and the Bulls led 111 to 10+9.This is Jordan's last score, but it is not a lore, because Starks is not a vegetarian.With only 14.6 seconds left in the clock, Starks broke through forcefully, causing Bulls center Perdue to foul, Starks made two free throws, and tied 111.

The lore opportunity is still in Jordan's hands.He caught the ball from the backcourt, took it upcourt, tried to solve the problem himself, but when he turned away from Starks to shoot, he found Ewing in front of him.In an instant, Jordan sensed that teammate Bill Wennington was unmarked at the basket.Wennington was supposed to be Ewing's man, but when Ewing defended, Wennington had a chance.Jordan turned his shot into a pass and sent the ball to Wennington, who easily dunked in with both hands. 113 to 111, this is the final score.

"I'd be lying if I said I was going to pass the ball in the first place," Jordan said. "But they had to stop me from shooting, and they did. But, I can pass the ball to the open guy."

Jordan learned from the previous lessons.More than a minute before the end of the game, he once got rid of Starks and wanted to make a mid-range jumper, but was blocked by Ewing who was helping to defend, but gave Starks a chance to counterattack and dunk to equalize the score.In the last attack, Jordan certainly didn't want to make the same mistake. "I made it up the previous time," he said, "when it looked like I was beating Starks and Patrick (Ewing) made it up."

After Jordan assisted Wennington, the Knicks still had a chance, with 3.1 seconds remaining on the timer.At the end of the timeout, the New Yorkers put hope in the hands of Starks, but Starks slipped in front of Jordan as soon as he received the ball, the ball returned to the backcourt, and made a mistake.

Jordan loved New York and performing at Madison Square Garden. "I'm here to win, to enjoy the game, to win a championship," he said. "I'm not here for personal glory. I want to win another championship, and I want to win for Chicago."

Riley made this thesis for Chicago: "Jordan is going to change the Bulls. He's going to change their whole direction, change their belief. They're going to be a more exciting team, and they're going to believe they have a chance. I think that's his strength. All the people around him will believe that they can conquer anyone."

Look at Wennington, the backup center who scored the game-winning goal for the Bulls in only five minutes of the game, and you'll understand what Riley means.

In the first half, Jordan went to the bench to rest and sat down next to Wennington."I hate losing," he said, looking his new teammate straight in the eye.

Obviously, Wennington understood.

At the end of the regular season, the Bulls ranked fifth in the East with a score of 47 wins and 35 losses. With Jordan's Bulls, they have once again become a force that cannot be ignored in the Eastern Conference playoffs.However, once Jordan comes back, can the Bulls be invincible and point to the championship?

In the first round of the 1995 playoffs, the Bulls faced the Charlotte Hornets, which won three games more than themselves in the regular season. They did not have home court advantage, but they still won 3-3.In the first game of the series, the two sides played overtime to decide the outcome. Jordan made 1 of 32 shots, scored 18 points, 48 rebounds, and 9 assists.

The opponent in the second round is the Orlando Magic, which is in the limelight.The Magic won 57 wins in the regular season and are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. They not only have two young superstars Shaq O'Neal and "Penny" Hardaway, but also have the old Chicago player Horace Grant in the penalty area, which makes the Bulls The whole team is like a stick in the throat.

Before Grant's contract expired in 1994, Reinsdorf met with him one-on-one to discuss renewing his contract.Grant and Reinsdorf reached an agreement verbally, but did not sign the contract text. Later, Grant changed his mind, became a free agent in the summer, and signed a five-year $5 million contract with the Magic.Leinsdorf was very angry about this, and specially held a press conference, publicly accusing Grant of reneging on his promise and getting fat.In this way, Grant and Chicago broke up.Now the two teams are facing each other in the playoffs. For the Bulls, losing is okay, but if they lose in the hands of Grant, it is a bit unacceptable.

Jordan's competitive state has not reached its peak, which has become a key factor in the outcome of this series.In the first game, he made as many as 8 turnovers, especially at the decisive moment. He was first chased and intercepted by Magic guard Nick Anderson, and then the pass to Pippen was deviated, completely ruining the Bulls' chances of winning.After the game, Nick Anderson said publicly: "No. 45 is not as explosive as No. 23 before. No. 23, he can swish past you and take off like a space shuttle. No. 45, he will accelerate, but really I can't fly anymore." As soon as this remark came out, the outside world was in an uproar, and Jordan was also angered.Starting from the second game, Jordan changed back to No. 23, and the league also punished the Bulls for this. The NBA does not allow players to change their jersey numbers without the permission of the league during the season, not to mention that Jordan's No. 23 has been retired by the Bulls before.

Since Jordan came back, he has been wearing the No. 45 jersey.He doesn't want to wear No. 23 anymore, because he feels that his father has always seen him wear No. 23. Now that his father is gone, this is a new beginning. No. 45 is Jordan's number in high school. Before he was on the same team with his brother Larry Jordan, he always wore No. 45. Later, in the third year of high school, the two brothers became teammates. His brother still wore 45, so he changed it to 23. Half of 45 It's 22.5, rounded up to 23.

The number of the jersey can be changed, but the competitive state is not like a faucet, as soon as you turn it on, water will come out.Jordan, who changed back to the No. 23 jersey, still failed to stop the Magic, with a total score of 2 to 4, and the Bulls were eliminated.In this round of six games, Grant contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Magic, and the Bulls really lost in his hands.At the moment of promotion, the magicians carried Grant high on their shoulders. Grant waved the towel in his hand and shouted wantonly, which was tantamount to demonstrating to Chicago and adding salt to the bull's wound.

After the last game, Jordan dawdled for more than an hour before coming to the media to speak.He was very frank and took the initiative to take responsibility for the loss. He said that he had been out of shape and it was very difficult for his new teammates to make adjustments for him.In this series, Jordan averaged 31 points per game, and his 47.7% shooting rate was not too bad, but he made as many as 4 turnovers.

Those who knew him could sense that, to this day, Jordan was already looking forward to next season.

1994-1995 season
Regular season: 17 games, 26.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals, shooting 41.1%
Playoffs: 10 games, 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.3 steals, 48.4% shooting
(End of this chapter)