And so began MJ's legacy as the greatest playoff performer there ever will be, which, of course, is the main reason why he is the greatest there ever will be. Although we had already seen MJ perform his miracles on the college and Olympic level, this was MJ's first great NBA playoff game - a game in which he dominated by balancing the fine line between individual aggressiveness and team chemistry. MJ mixed up intense attacks to the rim while doing all of the dirty work - setting hard screens, flying for loose balls, cutting and creating for his teammates, making all the right passes, playing non-stop, hard defense and doubling everything in the clutch. With the game tied with a great Bucks team, rookie MJ took over in the last 7 minutes with 13 of his 35 points and ruthless defense to save the Bulls from a sweep and elimination. The many layers of MJ's greatness in their early stages were all here. But most importantly, the ability to raise his game when it absolutely had to be raised was on full display. And, it was rewarded with MJ's first game-winner in the real season - a harbinger of the enormous and impossible achievements he would attain in the years to come. (Apologies for the video problems. The stats I counted myself so I may have missed a number here and there.)

Be the first to comment