Top 5 Michael Jordan Moments For His 50th Birthday
So MJ turns 50 on Sunday. Pretty crazy to think that he hasn’t played basketball in almost a decade. Anyway, in tribute to the career of the greatest basketball player of all time (not a discussion, that’s a fact) Here are my Top 5 greatest Jordan Moments. Figured since its Friday afternoon and everyone is trying to kill the clock I’d throw in as many youtubes as I could find. Take a trip down memory lane. Don’t care if you weren’t a Bulls fan, you’ll still appreciate it, besides, I’m pretty sure everyone on planet earth was a Michael Jordan fan.
Note – This list could be done thousands of different ways. I left a bunch of other moments in honorable mentions, but honestly, each one could be in the Top 5.
5. 63 Point Against Celtics
So yes the Bulls lost this game but there are a few very important reasons this is on the list.
1) This is a postseason record that still hasn’t been broken. Over 25 years and no one has beaten it. That’s unreal.
2) The 86′ Celtics were one of the best teams of all time, and the 86′ Bulls was Michael Jordan and no one else. No Pippen. No Horace Grant or Steve Kerr. Its was MJ all on his own.
3) He didn’t hit any Three pointers. 63 points and no three pointers. That’s almost impossible.
4) The famous Larry Bird Quote “Today God was disguised as Michael Jordan”. That about sums up this game.
4. Shot Over Ehlo
Fading left, shooting right. As Doug Collins famously said “That play was give the ball to Michael, and everyone else get the fuck out of the way”.
3. The Shrug
Maybe the best reaction by any athlete ever. MJ basically saying, what do you want me to do, I’m just flat out better than everyone else on the court. 6 three pointers, 35 points, all in the first half. Unreal.
2. Flu Game
Now I know there is some speculation that MJ wasn’t as sick as he was letting on in this game. Fine. Whatever. Both stories are equally as incredible. Either he was insanely sick and was able to will himself to 38 points and a Game 5 victory. OR he was sort of sick and basically gamed the entire Jazz team and organization into thinking they’d get a weakened MJ. Either way this is one of those games that everyone remembers. Vividly remember the ice bag falling off his neck and MJ looking like he was about to die, only to come right back out and single handily murder the Jazz.
1. The Final Shot
I said this yesterday but I’ll say it again, As a hater there is nothing more that I love in the world than when a player absolutely SILENCES a crowd. That moment when 20,000 people go completely mute, interspersed with one or two shrieks of horror. Add in the fact that at the time this was most likely MJ’s last game (we’ll just forget about the Wizards in its entirerty) and this is the perfect moment. The best in the world coming up in the biggest spot. The steal, the shot. Absolutely perfect.
Honorable Mentions
-Pass to Kerr – Love this play. MJ just showing the world that winning is number 1 and being the hero doesn’t matter if you don’t have the rings.
-Dunk Contest – If you didn’t have this poster in your room (or the Wings one) growing up, then your parents either didn’t love you or were poor.
-Dunk Over Ewing – Nothing better than Knicks Bulls in the 90’s, especially because the Knicks never ever won.
-Playing for the White Sox – Memorable in the, that was cool but we all sort of want to forget it type of way.
-Fathers Day Championship - Awesome moment. First full year back after “retiring”
-Double Nickel vs Knicks – Right in Spike Lee’s stupid Midget face.
-92 Dream Team – Best basketball team of all time, also when he didn’t allow Isiah to be on the team. Boss Move.
-Changes Hands Mid Air – Up there with Dr. J’s under the hoop layup for best basketball highlight of all time.
-Game winning dunk for the TuneSquad – Best dunk ever?
Best Commercials – Toss Up, Like Mike vs McDonalds HORSE
Fuck Dude Perfect
This will be in your head for the rest of the day.
So there it is. I’m sure I missed a few in there somewhere. Best player of all time, a million highlights. No one will ever come close.