Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Tuesday, there are 63 days remaining.There have been 31 regular season games in NBA history in which a player has scored 63 points or more. There has been only one in the playoffs, an indication of how much tougher it is to do. And it's no surprise who did it.
In a career that is nothing but highlights and accolades, titles, trophies and triumphs, Michael Jordan had his most impressive individual scoring performance when he scored 63 points for the Chicago Bulls in a double-overtime playoff loss to the Boston Celtics in 1986.
It was just his second NBA season, leaving a mark that neither he nor anyone else has touched.
"I didn't think anyone was capable of doing what Michael Jordan has done to us,'' remarked Boston star Larry Bird that day. "He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. There's Michael Jordan, and there's the rest of us.''
Bird was speaking from authority. His Celtics went on to win the NBA championship that season after winning 67 games, crowned as one of the greatest teams in league history.
Jordan left an indelible impression. He had played only 18 games that season because of a broken foot. He returned for the end of the regular season and that first-round playoff series against the Celtics.
Although the Celtics swept the best-of-five series, Jordan made Game 2 a memorable one. With his Bulls trailing by two in regulation, he missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He was fouled by a lunging Kevin McHale, made both of his free throws after time expired and sent the game into overtime, making shots from all over the floor.
The Celtics eventually won, 135-131. Jordan had scored 49 points in the Game 1 loss, but he managed to top it two days later when he hit 22 of 41 field goals and 19 of 21 free throws.
Although Jordan's performance was anything but typical, the game became a symbol of the early years in his NBA career, where scintillating individual performances were tarnished by a struggling team.
It was the second consecutive first-round playoff exit for Jordan, who had won the Rookie of the Year Award the previous season. It wasn't until his fourth season that the Bulls even finished with a winning record and advanced beyond that first round.
Five of the top seven scoring performances in his career came in those first four years. He scored 69 against Cleveland late in the 1989-90 regular season. He scored 64 against Orlando in the middle of the 1992-93 season.
Yet nothing ever topped the 63 he dropped on the Celtics under the glare of the playoffs.
"I think it was just God disguised as Michael Jordan,'' Bird remarked that day.
Michael Jordan Photos
Actor Kevin Costner; PGA Golfer Mike Weir and Michael Jordan attend the Inaugural Mike Weir Charity Classic at the Glen Abbey Golf Club on July 20, 2009 in Oakville, Canada..Inaugural Mike Weir Charity Classic.Glen Abbey Golf Club.Oakville, ON Canada.July 20, 2009.Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage.com..To license this image (57947355), contact WireImage.com
WireImage.com
Actor Kevin Costner; PGA Golfer Mike Weir and Michael Jordan attend the Inaugural Mike Weir Charity Classic at the Glen Abbey Golf Club on July 20, 2009 in Oakville, Canada..Inaugural Mike Weir Charity Classic.Glen Abbey Golf Club.Oakville, ON Canada.July 20, 2009.Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage.com..To license this image (57947355), contact WireImage.com
WireImage.com
LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 02: Tyrese and Michael Jordan visit the Grand Gala Suite at the 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)
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LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 02: Tyrese and Michael Jordan visit the Grand Gala Suite at the 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)
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LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 02: Tyrese and Michael Jordan visit the Grand Gala Suite at the 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)
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DETROIT - APRIL 06: (L-R) Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton and C. Vivian Stringer are announced as members of the 2009 Hall-of-Fame class at halftime of the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. Utah Jazz head coach is also elected but was not present. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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DETROIT - APRIL 06: Michael Jordan is announced as a member of the 2009 Hall-of-Fame class at halftime of the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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DETROIT - APRIL 06: Michael Jordan is announced as a member of the 2009 Hall-of-Fame class at halftime of the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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DETROIT - APRIL 06: (L-R) Michael Jordan and David Robinson are announced as members of the 2009 Hall-of-Fame class at halftime of the Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 31: Former Laker great James Worthy (L) talks with former Bulls great and Charlotte Bobcats part owner Michael Jordan (R) on the bench during the game between Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Bobcats game at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 31, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-28-2009 @ 4:08AM
Jorge Sevil said...
Jordan's 63 was impressive to say the least, but not as impressive as Elgin Baylor's 61 in the finals against the Celtics. Though the Celtics won the 1961-62 Championship, those Finals will be remembered for ever because game 5 was the stage for Elgin Baylor's best performance: he scored 61 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a 126-121 Laker victory at the Boston Garden.
That April 14, 1962, he had to deal with Tom "Satch" Sanders, one of the best defenders in the league, and with the legendary Bill Russell to get his 61 points, but the result of his effort was that he established an NBA Finals record that is still waiting to be broken.
To add magnitude to those 61 points, Michael Jordan needed 2 overtimes to get his 63 points but Baylor scored 61 in regulation time.
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9-10-2009 @ 8:33AM
Derek said...
Jorge you must be on crack
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9-28-2009 @ 11:54AM
Giles said...
If being right is similar to being on crack, at least Jorge is right. Jordan got two more free throws, maybe, or the like, but Baylor got maybe triple the rebounds, and if the game had gone past regulation into double OT, like Jordan`s did, he`d have gotten more stats. Jorge did not say Jordan wasn`t impressive overall, just the single game scoring outburst by Baylor was more impressive as a single game. But while Jordan was a better defender than Baylor, as the single game reference implies, despite being maybe an inch shorter, Baylor, who played some wing guard, though mostly forward, was a significantly better rebounder than Jordan. Jordan out scored Baylor, but only slightly, in championship play, 1,176 to 1,161, only 15 points, though at a better average, 35 games for Jordan, 44 for Baylor. But Baylor is also 3rd in championship rebounds, behind Russell and Chamberlain, ahead of Jabbar and Heinsohn. So you think about the other all time greats, O`Neal, Gilmore, Malone, Hayes, etc., and Baylor was only maybe 6`5(+?), but out boarded them. And Baylor was impressive in the regular season, too. Jordan was the second guy to average 30.1, tied for best ever, and two guys averaged over 20 every season, Jordan was third there, averaging AT 20 his final, so far, year. Behind Bob Pettit and Alex Groza. But yes, Jordan was very impressive. He and Bill Russell combined weren`t as good as Wilt. Chamberlain led the league in assists one season, though Russ is 3rd in championship assists, he never led the league, and Jordan didn`t even do that. And Wilt led the league in field goal percentage most seasons. He didn`t shoot nearly enough! Even the season he averaged 50.4 points, he was second in the league in FG%, And grabbed 2,052 rebounds, about twice what lesser league leaders might grab today! But Jordan was an excellent ball player, maybe as high as third best, behind Wilt and Kareem, maybe best little man, at 6`6, ever.
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