Michael Jordan, who is one of the most fierce players in history, punished Lakers with 54 points for letting Anthony Peeler guard him.
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Michael Jordan has established himself in the history books as one of the most lethal scorers of all time. Certain fans often put Wilt Chamberlain over MJ for his regular-season conquests.
However, for Jordan, it wasn’t ever an effort. He scored at will. Though Wilt scored a hundred in a game and Michael never did, if you compare their post-season stats, you’ll realize just how much more influential MJ was.
In one such instance, Mike proved his offensive genius to Lakers player Byron Scott. He prophecized that he would score 50 if Anthony Peeler guarded him. Safe to say, MJ fulfilled his own prophecy.
Michael Jordan scored 54 on Anthony Peeler
By 1992, MJ was feared across the league. He had already won six scoring titles and proven to the league his lethalness as an offensive force.
In addition, Michael Jordan also established a zero-tolerance policy on trash-talking. If you played Jordan, you stayed quiet or handled the consequences.
But at times, Jordan would acknowledge even non-verbal cues as declarations of war. On November 20, 1992, MJ put up one such performance that was purely executed to smite the Lakers and Anthony Peeler.
The Bulls played the Lakers in their first matchup of the regular season. Byron Scott, who usually guarded Jordan, was forced to miss the game due to an ankle sprain.
The Bulls were getting off their bus just as the Lakers squad was leaving practice. Michael went straight for Byron and asked him why he wasn’t playing tonight and who would guard him.
Byron told him that rookie guard Anthony Peeler would be guarding him in his stead. Michael immediately scoffed and said 50. Which meant that he was going to drop 50 points on the rookie.
That night, Jordan absolutely demolished the 6’4″ shooting guard. He outdid even his own prediction and scored an impressive 54 points. But despite Michael’s scoring show, the Lakers won the game 120-118.
MJ’s competitive gene was triggered by his father
MJ’s competitive gene was put to motion by his father’s rebuke early in the Bulls legend’s life. As a child, Jordan liked spending time with his father.
But James Jordan worked a lot on people’s cars for the extra bit of money. So, the only way for Jordan to be around his father was to be in the workshop.
However, as a child, he knew nothing about the tools. And James wasn’t the kind of a man who admired lack of knowledge. So, he rebuked him and told him to hang out with the women instead.
For Jordan, this left a deep mark on his psyche. He continued to push for excellence just to prove to his father his own worth.
For close to two decades, the entire NBA feared Michael for how far he could take things. The humiliation he could dish out on the court was unrivaled. All of that was triggered by James Jordan.
