It seems like I’m posting a Michael Jordan “This Day In History” post every single day.
There’s a good reason for that, and it has nothing to do with Nike’s marketing or old-timers who think everything was better in the analog days. It’s 100% about how consistently great the GOAT was.
Here’s a great excerpt about this classic game from a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED article called MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. It’s from the November 6th, 1989 issue with Joe Dumars palming the head of a Michael Jordan cut out on the cover. Above the photo is the question, “Can anyone shut down Michael?” The answer is no and that included Joe Dumars…
On the afternoon of April 3, 1988, Jordan embarrassed Detroit by scoring 59 points in a nationally televised game that Chicago won 112-110. That wasn’t the first time Jordan had worn out the Pistons—he had gone for 49, 47, 61 and 49 against them during various games in previous seasons. But after the 59-point effort, Detroit coach Chuck Daly had seen enough. “We made up our minds right then and there that Michael Jordan was not going to beat us by himself again,” says Daly. “We had to commit to a total team concept to get it done.”
So Daly and his assistants at the time, Ron Rothstein and Dick Versace, created a defensive game plan just for Jordan. Each Piston had specific responsibilities: Jordan has the ball on the wing, you go there, you do this; Jordan is posted up on the right box, you check him there, you watch for this, and so on. Collectively these responsibilities became known as the Jordan Rules.
MICHAEL JORDAN’S 87/88 SEASON
Can you imagine accomplishing everything below in a season and it not being your “best” one?
- MVP
- DPOY
- All-Star Game MVP
- Dunk Contest Championship
- 82 GMS
- 40.4 MPG (NBA High)
- 35 PTS (NBA High)
- 3.2 STL (NBA High)
- 1.6 BLK
- 5.9 AST
- 5.5 REB
- 54% FG
Besides the 59-point masterpiece on 78% shooting, he also had these two games:
- 44 PTS, 9 AST, 5 BLK, 5 STL
- 32 PTS, 10 STL in 27 MINS
The reason why most people won’t pick this season as his best is that it wasn’t one of his six Championship seasons. As for big numbers without a ring, he averaged 37.1 POINTS in the previous season, which included this scoring streak: 53 PTS (70% FG), 50 PTS (52% FG), 61 PTS (58%).
But if you would like to know more about the 87/88 season, you can thank Maxamillion711 for putting together a 42-minute montage.