Bulls @ Knicks - 1995. Jordan's 55 point comeback
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- March 28, 1995
Well, everybody knows this game. And I know there are other shorter versions of this game which are also excellent. Considering the circumstances, it is an extraordinary game even for Jordan's standards. Also, it's the game in which he declared he's "really" back. So I wanted to make another version with more replays, more context, a post-game interview with Jordan, quotes, articles and so on.
Since almost everything has already been said about this game, I'll just point out a couple of quick things. First off, it should be mentioned that Riley's 94-95 Knicks was the #1 defensive team in the NBA, measured by points allowed per possession.
The only player who was able to score 40 or more points against the Knicks that season was young Shaq (41). Other than him, only 3 players managed to score 30 or more points at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks in the entire regular season. And here comes a guy who hasn't played basketball for 18 months, scores 55 points on 21-37 shooting (57%) in just his fifth game, commits only two turnovers, and dishes out the game winning assist. Just too good to be true by any standards.
One other thing is that there's a crucial play towards the end of this game which is not included in most of the highlights. Jordan is about to sink another jumper over Starks 1:20 to go in the game. Ewing comes out to double and manages to block the shot with his fingertips.
It's very important because after the game Jordan said that play was on the back of his mind and as soon as he saw Ewing coming out to double him in the last play, he knew his man would be wide open. Knowing that provides more context for the final assist and makes it even more special.
Post game notes & quotes:
=====================
NEW YORK -- Message delivered. Message accepted.
Michael Jordan, in only the fifth game of his comeback, used the NBA's biggest stage to offer some irrefutable evidence that he still is the game's best - hands down, no doubt about it.
It was a game for the ages.
It was a game that at least 100,000 people will probably swear they saw at Madison Square Garden. In the end, it was Jordan who made a remarkable play that gave the Chicago Bulls a victory.
Jordan's pass to Bill Wennington for an uncontested dunk with 3.1 seconds to play on Tuesday night lifted the Bulls over the Knicks, 113-111. Jordan scored 55 points on 21-for-37 shooting, but it was his pass that won it.
The 55 points also established a new high for points scored in an NBA game this season. The previous high was 53 points by Willie Burton, but Jordan needed only four games and eight practices to beat that total.
Some statement, huh?
"I just let my game go, let my game come to me," he said. "I forgot how to make a statement."
Yeah, right.
"It was a statement that Michael Jordan is back to play basketball," said Bulls coach Phil Jackson. "That's one thing we can count on."
With the score tied, 111-111, and the final 10 seconds ticking away, Jordan drove into the lane against John Starks, drew New York's defense to him, then spotted Wennington alone underneath the basket. Wennington caught the bullet pass and stuffed the ball through the net.
Jordan said he was thinking shoot-first, but couldn't because of the Starks-Ewing double-team. "In the huddle," Bulls guard Steve Kerr said, "we decided to clear out and let Michael go. We put four shooters on the floor in case they tried to double-team Michael. Michael made his move, Ewing double-teamed and he threw it down to Bill. When he caught it, it didn't take a shooter to make that one."
"On the play before, I seemed to have Starks beat, Patrick came in to help and made the play," Jordan said. "I knew that. But I'd be lying if I said I came out to pass the ball. I came out to score. This time when Patrick came, I was able to make the pass and he was open."
The Knicks still had one last chance to answer, but it slipped away. Anthony Mason inbounded at midcourt to Starks, but as he went to make a spin move around Jordan, Starks slipped and lost control of the ball. It trickled beyond midcourt, and when Starks retrieved it he was called for a backcourt violation with 1.3 seconds to play.
"A lot of times when we came in here, I wanted to go out and do well and I was too enthusiastic and I was tense," Jordan said. "This time, I had low expectations for myself."
"I knew I wasn't that far away. As much as I practiced, I needed to play games. I guess it took four games to get a rhythm down."
It was almost as if Bulls picked up where they left off during the 1993 playoffs, the last time the Knicks had played against Jordan. Patrick Ewing (36 points) carried the Knicks down the stretch and almost carried them back, but just like he has done so many times, Jordan found a way.
All the Knicks could do afterward was shake their heads and regroup. None of them was surprised by Jordan's heroics.
"That's Michael Jordan. That's why he's the best," Starks said.
"I tried. I tried to throw everything I had at him. It was a matter of time before he played one of those games like you just weren't there."
Ewing, who had stepped away from Wennington and toward the ball on the winning play, had little to say after the game. Little except praise for Jordan.
"He's a great player _ the best in the game. And he proved it tonight," Ewing said.
Said Charles Oakley, "Everybody who played against Michael knows what he can do. Nothing's changed."
Charles Smith lamented the fact that Jordan, who has now played five games since coming out of retirement, waited until the Knicks game to look like his former superstar self.
"Now, he decides to play well?" Smith said. "I think it's all a joke that he's not playing well and he comes to the Garden and drops 50. He carried the whole team."
The game was the hottest ticket in town since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Seats were said to be selling for as much as $1,500.
Fans came carrying posters welcoming back Knicks forward Anthony Mason, playing his first game at the Garden since a five-game suspension. But there were plenty of No. 45 Jordan jerseys in the crowd, too, and Jordan drew gasp after gasp once he began raining down jumpers.
"It's been a far bigger event than I wanted it to be," Jordan said. "It's been absurd, to an extent. It's almost embarrassing. I mean, I've been treated great, but. . . ."
He's been treated as a god. His comeback has been bigger than Elvis', bigger than almost anyone's.
"No, I'm not surprised," said Coach Pat Riley, looking out at the hundreds of media members during his post-game news conference. "That's why all of you are here. Some players simply transcend every aspect of the game. No one in the history of this game has had the impact that he has had. He got it started the other night against Atlanta, sort of building up to New York."
====================
====================
MAD ABOUT MICHAEL // Chicago fans `figure best is yet to come'
by Greg Boeck, March 30, 1995. USA TODAY
His comeback is only five games and 12 days old, but Michael Jordan already has outdone the original.
Yes, the shaved head and wagging tongue are familiar.
But "Michael Madness" has lured media from Japan and Australia, put Jordan jerseys on the backs of rival Indiana fans, sparked unheard-of applause from normally cold-shouldered Boston fans, produced a rare sellout in Atlanta and paralyzed Chicago since his NBA return on March 19.
Still, who would have expected Jordan's 55-point performance for the Chicago Bulls against the New York Knicks Tuesday - the most by a player in a game this season?
Everybody's talking about Jordan: From corporate board rooms to mailrooms, from posh New York eateries like the "21" Club to pizza parlors, from the streets to the subways he was Topic A in New York Wednesday.
"He's very charismatic, very positive," says Dee Patton, a systems analyst who bet a New York bagel on the Knicks. "Everyone's happy to see him doing well. It's wonderful to see someone excel to that degree."
Adds Courtney Callahan, a free-lance writer: "He's the antithesis of O.J. And maybe that's what people like most - they want a sports hero to come out like a gentleman."
They also like the way he shoots, hustles, passes and brings energy and graceful sportsmanship back to the game. "Jordan is unbelievable. He's the best ever," says John Tabert, an electrician from Old Ridge, N.J.
In Chicago, where the Bulls play Boston tonight and Philadelphia Saturday, radio station WMAQ asked listeners Wednesday to vote on whether Jordan "should be proclaimed King of the World." Results: 41% said yes.
The world is watching.
Steven Tick, of Los Angeles-based Murray's Tickets, says the broker has had inquiries about tickets to Bulls games "from everywhere: Vienna, Sweden, Australia." The cost: starting at $200. "People love a comeback," says Tick.
Jordan is so hot that tickets to Tuesday's game were said to be fetching up to $1,500 outside Madison Square Garden. And courtside seats were dotted with awestruck celebrities.
The Bulls' five remaining road games - New Jersey (April 5), Cleveland (April 9), Detroit (April 12), Miami (April 17) and Milwaukee (April 23) - are sold out.
But that doesn't stop fans from calling or stopping by ticket offices searching for admittance.
Bruce Trout, the Detroit Pistons' box office manager, says his office gets 50 to 75 calls a day about tickets.
People are watching even if they can't get in the arenas. The Bulls-Knicks telecast on Turner Sports was watched in an estimated 3.2 million homes, the most for any regular-season game in Turner's 11-year association with the NBA.
Even teammates are caught up in Michaelmania. "We have Superman on our team," says Bulls guard Steve Kerr.
It's all taken Jordan by surprise.
Jordan and Wennington combine for 57.
+sbeallvln I think it's "Wellington", but thats hilarious...
+Dion Santana It says "Wennington" in the description.....
been living in chicago for 23 years now and i swear there is no greater city in the US. Thank you michael jordan for all the wonderful times . windy city 4 life.
Best team sports athlete the world has ever seen!
Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time. He had the combination of athletic ability, skill, and competitive nature that made him the best. Yeah, there are some players that are better at individual aspects of the game... but nobody put it all together like Mike. He was as clutch as anybody as well.
I truly believe that H. Olajuwon can put it all together like you said.
the greatness of MJ goes beyond from winning championships and individual awards.it goes on how he elevate his game to another level.if we noticed,MJ during his early years in the NBA he was more of a penetrator,creating spectacular plays & dunks one after the other.but,as the years go by he changed his offensive game and became more of a jump shooter,played more in the post and taking those fadeaway turn around jumpshot w/c were very impossible to stop.his offensive game was simply effortless!!
Thank you for the post. Being from Chicago it is something I NEVER get tired of watching, he played this game almost pissed and angry.....
I really hope today's young NBA fans realize this is artistry and excellence that will, in all probability, will never again be repeated, and by that I mean that someone else will never lose a championship when they are favored to win, and there will never be a better team sport athelete again, ever. Semper Fi.
So many young kids growing up across the country loved and imitated him and only a few came close ( Kobe, Labron, Wade ) and they are a live testimonial to how great a player he was.
a genius how he read each play. first he gets the step on stark, so stark overplays the next one- where jordan pump fakes him in the air, then ewing helps and blocks the shot, so jordan remembers- and drops off- his ability to adjust from play to play - and learn from his mistakes quickly on court are amazing- and what seperated him from any other player- he simply didnt make inefficient decisions, nor many mistakes on the court.
Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players ever! He definitely played against hall-of-famers throughout his awesome career! Kobe hasn't faced that kind of talent throughout his great career!
Dudes, that 3:00 mark was sweet. Love how he hung in the air (waiting for the foul) and then release. Kobe has learned to perfect this move.
OMG there is never going to be a basketball player as good as MJ
NEVER
He is a legend not only in basketball but in SPORTS GENERAL
NO ONE can stop MJ when he's in the zone.
it's amazing how easily he scores and controls the game.
Let me tell you this, I was in Boot Camp when Jordan Came back and they Announced it over the PA System... That Commands Respect Period God Given Talent.
Another thing that was amazing about his 55 point game is that he went ICE and I mean ICE cold in the 4th quarter. He had a 1 for 10 shooting stretch. He had 49 at the end of the 3rd quarter. He was on pace for at least 65 points.
You're so right about this game by MJ, i'm still just mesmerized by it after all these years. MJ's 5th game back, after 2 years of retirement, and he scores 55 on the road against the NBA's best defensive team, UN-FUCKIN' REAL. Against the '95 Knicks, not some 60 loss lottery squad scoring meaningless points. MJ needed every one of those 55 points and he earned it. MJ had a lot of great scoring games against the best defenses and best teams, that's what made him so special.
haha loved the interview at the end by jordan! you can see his love for the game like most of the greats love the game
The thing I love about this era of basketball was that even though Jordan played such an amazing game, the Knicks still kept the score in check
On a side note. As a Bulls fan in NYC. I got respect for what John did with his life. He never gave up and made a pretty damn good career for himself.
Lmao at Earl "the pearl" Monroe. That is the best way to guard him.
7:43 is the definition of a cold-blooded killer. In the face of Starks and the classic MSG Defense chant he hits a crucial shot. Then, recognizing the double team by Patrick Chewing, he follows that up with the winning pass at 8:30. Truly amazing.
Jordan One of the Best to Ever Play the game i wish the old days came back
awkward moment when you read the warning not to open the description and you still did.. I regret nothing!
this is why mj is the best. amazing interview at the end.
after 21 months without playing basketball...phenomenal
2 things i wish happened during mj's career
1. That he didn't retire to play baseball and gave us 2 more years of super duper enjoyment and highlights+ 2 more MVP's + 2 more Finals MVP + 2 more championships.
2. That in his days, the cameras were as good as these days.
Great childhood memories! Watched the game live and loved it!
hes like a scoring machine,,no one can beat this man!
I can watch this video over and over again..
Back then, defense was so physical, it's almost like the other team were trying to hurt you intentionally, but these guys (MJ, pippen still went to the hole as hard as they could), gotta give respect to that
What makes Jordan such a champion, he speaks with class.
its sacrilege to compare Jordan with anyone...he is GOD of basketball!!! There wont be anyone else like him again!!!
Yes and no : yes because he is so smooth and he can run, stop and jump shoot so well. No because Kobe style is sometimes insane and he can deliver shoots from nowhere in any position.
I love both !
the fans were hyped for him return and he was at an away game. GOAT.
My favourite player of all time! Legendary!
you were amazing, Michael!! I always remember your plays.
memories that will last untill the end of time thanks michael i saw this game
The last play was beautiful to watch! Any other superstars would've taken that last shot and kept the glory for themselves.
I miss this era.. every regular single game were exciting to watch.. especially rivalry games such as this
you're right, jordan is still the greatest. i liked that you didn't say james is "scum" or "overrated", you stayed respectfull and told the truth.
Exactly 5 years before this...28th march 1990...69 points against Cleveland...that's destiny!
That Pip dunk at 1:42 is one of my all-time favorite dunks. It's a shame it's not on more highlight reels.
what a dunk by pip! watching jordan in this game with all his pull-ups is like watching kobe today
Best part of this performance was the pass at the end. Smart and unselfish. And clever as hell.
That stop and pop pull up is just deadly. Ain't gonna stop that.
My favorite player in history never will there be another MJ not magic but Jordan one of a kind
One of the greatest games of all time.
Kareem=sky hook Jordan=jumper, turn around jumper, double clutch, spin move, stutter step, etc. THE GOAT!!! Not even close.
MSG is always where the other team's clutch players put on a show. Between MJ and Reggie Miller, the heartbreak of the Ewing era is enormous!
2:05... he already starts to go back on defence even before the ball goes in... shows how good of a shooter mj was
This is still the best performance at NY. He was coming off a layoff, he was older, defense was better, ny was better, the game was more important, the game was closer and he ended the game on a pass. I am not taking anything away from anyone else but it is what it is.
I was in my prime (21-27 yrs old) when the bulls had their streak of championships. I remember the ups and downs, the grant park celebrations, and walking up and down clark and addison hi fiving everyone. Sluggers was the place to be if you weren't in United Center.
Michael: 39 minutes, 21/37 FG (56.8%) , 10/11 FT, 4 Rebs 2 Asst, 1 Steal, 0 Blocks 2 Turnovers, 55 Pts.
Kobe: 36:47 Minutes, 19-31 FG (61.3 %), 20-20 FT 0 Rebs,3 Assists, 2 Turnovers, 0 Steals, 1 Block, 61 Pts.
Yeah, he shot more free throws than MJ, but he also made more field goals on less attempts in in 3 less minutes. I'd say that evens out, and these two performances are just works of equal maestro from the two greatest to ever play.
La perfeccion de todo un gran deportista... Michael Jordan, mi inspiracion !!! I miss this guy.
That dunk on Charles Smith by Scottie is one of the best dunks ever.
He broke Stark's ankles twice on the last play and he still passed it. He was a team player.
@KripDrip No Jordan had been retired after the 92/93 season. So to break the record after being out of the game for so long, and just be able to dominate one of the best defensive teams in the league is what made this performance a classic encounter. The Knicks were major title contenders, and John Starkes was considered to be one of the best players at guarding MJ. That Knicks team led by Pat Riley was the 90's equivalent of the late 80's Detroit Pistons. Nobody was 'soft' on that team.
Damn i wish i could buy a tape or a dvd of this entire game. This is one of my fav
This games a real classic to watch
Pippen's dunk was so sick it made a Jordan highlight reel
55 pointas and sat out 3mins one time and 2mins another time,,,,all strait inna row. he dominated this game
glad u left in the scottie dunk - always gets forgotten when ppl talk about this game
"It's starting to come back to me a little bit" hahahahaha 55 points. I think it never left the greatest!
I know the results didn't exactly go our way (Knicks), but man I miss the rivalry we once had. And I know Michael and the true Bulls fans do too.
And that, my friend, is one of the huge differences that puts Kobe way, way up there, buy puts MJ in a league ALL HIS OWN. Semper Fi.
i never got to watch this game until 2day OMG! But i did listen to it on AM Radio in NYC it was more electric
Jordan had the pull up jumper people could only dream of having
The team the bulls had the following year was probably one of the best, if not the best, to ever be assembled. would like to see them simulate a playoff between the 96 bulls, 87 lakers, 86 celtics, 2000 lakers, 94 rockets, 2001 lakers, 91 bulls, and the 88 lakers. that shit would be sick!!!!!!!!!!!
that fadeaway at 3:48 is beautiful!!
I remember watching this game. The best part was the pass to Wennington. Any Bulls fan will be able to tell you how this game ends if you bring up "Jordan's 55 Points Against the Knicks."
The Bulls retired his number 23 after his first retirement. They un-retired it after a while but he wore 45 when he first came back.
That Pippen dunk has to be my fave of all time.
lookat the slow motion scene around 4:28-4:32 and look at his right leg when he got fouled be Patrick Ewing..... ouch. This is why Michael Jordan is the best and will forever be remembered as basketballs greatest!
this is honestly amazing
This is the most amazing game IMO of MJ's career. Clearly not near his best but for the given conditions and the importance of this game. he did much more than any die hard Bull fan could ever expect. Remember he had 49 by the end of the 3rd 1/4. His handle was definitely rusty and his legs were not near would they were the following season. he did this on pure adrenaline and his ability to put himself in the ZONE like no other athlete was on display. I think the only people more startled than
his number was orignally 23, because his brother wore like 45 in like high school, and he wanted to be half as good as his brother, then when he came back from his first retirement he wore 45, but switched back to 23 again in the playoffs when Nick Anderson said he was Jordan, but he wasn't as good as 23 after the Magic beat the bulls, so he switched back to show him and everyone else he was as good as ever
MARCH 24Th 1995 ! CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEADLINES-~ THE KING IS BACK~ FOR CHICAGO BULLS. ON HIS SECOND COMEBACK.
MARCH 24Th 1995 ! CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEADLINES-~ THE KING IS BACK~ FOR CHICAGO BULLS. ON HIS SECOND COMEBACK.
2K11 AND RUclips HAS MADE MICHAEL AND ICON
THUMBS UP FOR THE GOAT
what amazes me is that you can see how Riley had readjusted the strategy before last action to stop Jordan who very often in that game used quick pivot and shot over Starks, so then Riley was thinking ok I know the pivot and the shot is coming so I'll send Ewing to double team Michael and make him shooting with two guys on him but who would've thought Michael would pass that ball?
it just shows the variety of methods that MJ would use to beat you
"One of the interesting things about the new rule is that it also [allows] guards to go where most guards [haven't] been able to go before -- close to the hoop. If you think those rules only benefit point guards, take a check at some of the guys who play on the wing. LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade and Brandon Roy handle the ball a lot for their teams. Their size and strength would negate any attempt to hand-check them on the perimeter, they too [benefit] from these rules."
-- Rob Peterson of NBA . com
I miss him.... he is the greatest
@KilroyLEGEND bro, you are right on with that comment! I could not agree more. I love how Jordan handled himself on the court. TRULY the complete player in every aspect.
if you remember he got crazy and played baseball instead of basketball for a while. when he came back to basketball his number was 45 for one season.
god damn basketball was just a game jordan was meant to play. It was his damn destiny he was one of the definitions of basketball.
I will admit though, that pivot move by Kobe was simply sick.
Twoday the 28 of March 2011.It is now 16 years since that great game.
3 rings, then he left came back did this his first year back then he came back at age 38-40 having 50 point games on the Wizards. G.O.A.T Period.
6× NBA Champion
5× NBA Most Valuable Player
14× NBA All-Star
6× NBA Finals MVP
10× NBA scoring champion
NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
10× All-NBA First Team (1987-1993, 1996-1998)
All-NBA Second Team (1985)
9× NBA All-Defensive First Team
NBA Rookie of the Year
NBA All-Rookie First Team
3× NBA All-Star Game MVP
At 8:37 and 8:53, that was some pure ankle breakage that MJ put on Starks.
Agreed. Back when the NBA was a TEAM sport and there weren't dunks on every possession and the players actually played hard tough man to man defense.... I miss the 90s NBA :'(, today's game is too much like street ball and there's no major consistent rivalry. No other player in any sport could get the respect of a New York crowd like Michale Jordan with the possible exception of Ken Griffey Jr.
In the early to mid 90's this was the best rivalry in the nba. It was 1 sided but it was still a great rivalry. If it wasnt for M.J then Ewing would probably have a ring. In response to azbaldy, when u consider he was out almost 2 years, this was arguably his best game ever.
MJ was already being regarded as the greatest to have ever played the game after his first retirement.
55 and at the Garden and he says "its starting to come back to me"....LOL... Tha GOAT
I cant believe how badly he broke John Starks' ankles...Im surprised he could even stand let alone try to recover and defend
am I the only one who thinks Pippen's dunk is freaking amazing?
the greatest player of all time!
That Pippen dunk doe
Difference is, Jordan's great points like his 63 and 69, went up against TOP-NBA teams of that time. The Cav's were a formidable team, and a playoff contender in that era.
While the 63 drop on the 86 Celtics one of Top 8 greatest teams of all time period. Yet that night, Jordan made everyone, even Larry Legend look like they were all in Highschool.
That's the difference between MJ's big scoring nights and Kobe's...MJ's best were against heavy contending teams.
that line by earl the pearl was classic!
this game was the day i was born :)
You just don't see defense like this in the NBA anymore. I watched this game live, and it's almost like you took it for granted. All the credit in the world to the Ewing-Oakley era Knicks, who might be considered one of the greatest defensive teams of all time. But it makes Jordan's scoring on a D like this even more stunning. How many points per game do you think he would be averaging in today's NBA?
Probably 50.
@moeschizlac 19.9 at 20 years of age, playing behind Shaq. There was still hand-checking in 2001, when Kobe, at 22, averaged 28.5 ppg. This was roughly Jordan's age when he first came into the league.