Quick trivia question: How many players have scored back-to-back 50pt games in the playoffs? The answer: Only Michael Jordan. He did it here in this series against the Cavaliers in 1988 in Games 1 and 2. This is Game 1 here and I will put up Game 2 next where MJ gets 55.
The Cavs were peaking with the Bulls during these years and they were their first rivals. MJ of course was the reason why they never made it all the way. History also blames him for destroying the entire franchise with the famous "Shot" game the very next year. But in Game 1 here, MJ went for 50 on 19-35 shooting without a three pointer needed. With a smooth game with great control, MJ mixed a variety of jumpers with creative, finesse drives. We also see the stop-and-pop jumper that is pretty much extinct in today's game. MJ didn't even need to pull out the fadeaway here.
Aside from the back-to-back 50+pts MJ produced in this superb series, he set a few additional NBA records. MJ scored the most points in a 5 game series with 226 and the highest average for a 5 game series with 45.2ppg. But, it's the back-to-back 50+ in the real season that was singular in NBA history. Well, MJ almost did it two years earlier when he went for 49 and 63 in Games 1 and 2 against the Champion Celtics, but we'll forgive him for that.
Near the end of this game, MJ suffers from what appears to be a devastating knee injury and collapses to the ground for 10 minutes. But, he gets up and finishes the game not with a cop-out jumper, but with a drive and mind-blowing move in typical Jordanesque fashion for the victory.
Look out for Game 2 from The Master next.





- ( 0 votes )
Favorites: 0 timesViews: 299
Full Screen