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“Michael Jordan averaged 35 with 3 steals a game! MVP and DPOY? Put it in the bag!”: When the Bulls legend set the NBA ablaze in the 1987-88 season 

Jeet Pukhrambam
Published

“You got your cocaine lines, your weed, and your women here and there”: Michael Jordan was given a rude awakening into the world of drugs as a Bulls rookie

There are great individual seasons and then there are untouchable seasons. In 1987-88, Michael Jordan won the MVP and DPOY. Transcendent. 

When certain players decide to torch the basketball court, there is not much you can do about it. Most of the time players can do this every now and then. Michael Jordan did it for a whole season!

Imagine going out and facing a guy who will score 35 points and who will also steal the ball 3 times from you – every game! We think the NBA was in catatonic shock during Jordan’s reign.

Jordan’s numbers have always been absurd. They are so inhuman and godlike that players today cannot even fathom averaging them.

The 1987-88 season contained the stuff that made legends. MJ was entering his fourth season. He had never made it past the first round of the playoffs. All of that was about to change.

Also read: “I’ll see you tomorrow”: When Michael Jordan took Shaq’s beatdown personally en route to the Bulls’ 72 win season in 1996

Michael Jordan won both MVP and DPOY! And even took a lopsided Chicago Bulls team to 50 wins!

At the time, the Bulls were abysmally bad. Scottie Pippen had not even emerged from his chrysalis yet. Michael Jordan had to carry his team on his back.

And carry he did. Not only did he average 35, but he also put up a stunning 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks every game. Those were enough to fetch him the Defensive Player of the Year.

He also played all 82 games that season. Jordan scooping up the MVP award along with the DPOY was a testament to his dominance.

That year, the Chicago Bulls made it out of the first round, it was the first time Michael did in his career. However, they were derailed in the next round by the Detroit Pistons. But this point marked the start of Jordan’s ascent to the very top of the NBA.

We reckon that the feats that Jordan pulled off in that season will never be replicated. Nor will anyone even come close. Jinx? We don’t know. But we do know that Jordan’s feats should be celebrated, after all, he is The Greatest of All Time.

Also read: “The Bulls won’t have won 7 rings in a row, even if Michael Jordan didn’t retire!”: When Steve Kerr talked about the fatigue deep postseason runs give and the 90s Bulls

    About the author

    Jeet Pukhrambam

    Jeet Pukhrambam

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    Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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