Michael Jordan wouldn’t speak with reporters after scoring merely 12 points against the Toronto Raptors in March of 1997.
Advertisement
Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA and for good reason. Before ever winning a championship or even an MVP, Jordan averaged 37+ points for the entirety of a season on less than 28 shots a night. Imagining him shooting just 4 more a night could’ve led to perhaps a 40+ ppg season.
Of course, Jordan would later have to realize that he needed to put his trust in his teammates much more often than he did, as taught to him by Phil Jackson. This didn’t stop MJ from winning scoring titles and MVPs but it’s safe to say that he wouldn’t be sustaining a 35+ ppg on a team with championship aspirations.
Michael Jordan had it all in his bag, everything from the lay-up package to the mid-range game and everything in between. Byron Scott explained a part of his game perfectly: if you get up close to him, he’ll blow right past you but if you stay away from him, just hope he misses the shot.
Michael Jordan had a horrible scoring night in March of 1997.
On March 27th, 1997, the Chicago Bulls matchup against the Toronto Raptors who were led by guys like Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire, and Doug Christie. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen would walk into the game without Dennis Rodman who was rehabbing a left knee injury at the time.
Instead of taking over in the absence of a key teammate, Michael began to miss a ton of his shots, with a couple open ones at it too. Damon and Christie are great defenders so kudos to them but MJ went 5-17 from the field, something that fans weren’t accustomed to seeing.
Despite the mere 12 points, Jordan ended the game by being a –11 along with Pip who was also a –11 that night. The Bulls actually won that 96-83 but the night finished off with ‘His Airness’ refusing to speak with the media.
Perhaps he wasn’t interested in answering the same old questions revolving around the team’s chemistry or maybe he was so disappointed in himself that he just needed to get away from it all.
