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Michael Jeffrey Jordan turned 50 Sunday. In honor of the greatst player the NBA has ever seen, here are his 10 best games of all time.
Photo: Getty Images
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10. Jordan scores 64: On Jan. 16, 1993, Michael Jordan officially welcomed Shaquille O'Neal to the NBA by dropping 64 points on the Magic in a Bulls win. It was Jordan's second-highest scoring game in his career.
Photo: AP in English
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9. Jordan scores career-high 69: In an overtime game in 1990, Jordan again abused his frequent victims, the Cleveland Cavaliers, by scoring a career-high 69 points, chipping in 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in another Bulls victory.
Photo: AP in English
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8. Jordan drops a double nickel: It was just his fifth game back after a 21-month 'retirement,' and Jordan showed he was far from finished in this game at Madison Square Garden, a place where he always played well. He scored 55 against the Knicks' fabled defense, on 57 percent shooting.
Photo: AP in English
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7. Jordan helps Bulls even Finals: Trailing the Lakers 1-0 in Jordan's first Finals appearance, MJ helped the Bulls even the series by scoring 33 points, dishing out 13 assists and pulling down 7 rebounds. He also set a Finals record with 13 consecutive field goals as he made a remarkable 15 of 18 shots.
Photo: AP in English
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6. 'The Shot:' The score that put Jordan on the map. This buzzer-beater in Game 5 of the first round knocked off the favored Cavaliers and was the first step in cementing Jordan's legacy as maybe the best clutch player in history. MJ scored 44 points, had 9 rebounds and 6 assists in the victory.
Photo: AP in English
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5. Jordan melts Suns: Leading the Suns 2-1 heading into Game 4 of the Finals, Jordan almost single-handedly drove the Bulls to an insurmountable 3-1 series lead with 55 points (second-most in a Finals game in history), including a three-point play in the final seconds that sealed the win.
Photo: AP in English
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4. The 'Flu Game:' With the 1997 Finals tied 2-2 and Game 5 in Utah, Jordan turned in another legendary performance. Despite suffering from a stomach virus and despite the Jazz taking an early 16-point lead, Jordan brought the Bulls back, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter alone and hitting the three-point shot that gave Chicago the lead for good in a crucial victory. Jordan finished with 38 points and 7 rebounds.
Photo: AP in English
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3. Jordan goes wild: Jordan put Game 1 of the 1992 Finals against Portland away early, scoring a record 35 first-half points and hitting a record six three-pointers. Following his final three, Jordan turned to the announcers table and simply shrugged, adding another indelible image to his legacy.
Photo: AP in English
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2. Jordan throws Garden party: In a double overtime game against the eventual champion Boston Celtics, Jordan tied a playoff record with 63 points in a 135-131 playoff loss that officially marked his arrival as the league's newest star.
Photo: AP in English
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1. Last shot: Trailing the Utah Jazz by three points in the last 41 seconds of Game 6 at the Delta Center and needing a win to avoid Game 7, Jordan took over. He scored to cut the lead to one point, then stole the ball from Karl Malone, setting up his game-winning shot over Bryon Russell with just 5.2 seconds left. Jordan scored 45 points -- 16 in the fourth quarter -- and ended his career with the Bulls with a sixth NBA title and sixth NBA Finals MVP award.
Photo: AP in English
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Michael Jeffrey Jordan turned 50 Sunday. In honor of the greatst player the NBA has ever seen, here are his 10 best games of all time.
Photo: Getty Images
