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On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan made history when he dropped a remarkable 63 points in a playoff game against Larry Bird's Boston Celtics.
Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, Jordan was in the second year of his career. His outstanding performance left Bird in awe, with the Celtics forward famously comparing him to god.
During the game, Jordan ended up overtaking Elgin Baylor’s 24-year-old playoff scoring record of 61 points. Despite Jordan’s heroics, the Bulls ultimately fell to the Celtics in double overtime, with Boston winning 135-131.
Regardless, Jordan’s performance in that playoff game in 1986 will forever be remembered as one of the greatest individual efforts in basketball history.
After the game, Bird uttered these famous words:
“That wasn’t Michael Jordan out there. That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
Michael Jordan only cared about winning during his playing career
Michael Jordan finished the game shooting 22 of 41 from the field, 19 of 21 from the foul line, with six assists and five rebounds. After the game, the current Charlotte Hornets chairman claimed that winning was more important to him than his individual performance, which was evidence of his elite mentality.
“I’m not worried about the points. I’d give all the points back if we could win.”
Needless to say, while Jordan ended up producing a memorable night, it was only the beginning of a career that would end with six NBA titles and three retirements. His performances in Game 1 and Game 2 of the best-of-five series against the Celtics solidified his status as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Bird, who himself had an impressive game with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, had already singled him out as a phenomenon:
“He is the most exciting, most awesome player in the game. I didn’t think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us the past two games.”
Jordan went on to become a Chicago Bulls superstar after that series and won his first scoring title the following season and his first NBA MVP award within two years. His first championship came in 1991 against the LA Lakers. However, Jordan was never able to reciprocate his 63-point effort ever again and his record stands even today.
