25 Years Later, Jordan's Playoff Feat Still A Marvel

CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan went down in NBA history as the greatest basketball star ever. Fueled by an iconic career of stunning milestones and groundbreaking impact, Jordan's status in the pantheon of great hoopsters remains mythological.

And his epic display of brilliance 25 years ago today truly began his legend.

That's right. A quarter century ago today, Jordan put on the most searing exhibition of indomitable will mixed with unmatched talent and athleticism the game had ever known. He scored a still unsurpassed postseason record of 63 points in Game 2 of the Chicago Bulls' first round match-up with the Boston Celtics.

What was truly special about MJ's effort were three key facts; one, he was just a 23-year old 2nd year player. Two, he'd missed 64 games that regular season due to a stress fracture in his foot and three, he laid this dominant offensive assault on the vaunted 1985-86 Boston Celtics. That team not only finished 37 games better than Chicago, but they also notched a record 40-1 mark on their homecourt. The location of this Sunday afternoon game?

Boston Garden.

Jordan played as if he were possessed by some weird hyperactive basketball potion. He whirled and spun for spectacular drives and layups. He threw down emphatic slam dunks in traffic. He hit feathery jumpers and crunchtime free throws and almost always scored in, through and around a crowd of defenders. This would've been impressive against any pro team, but against these Celtics (the eventual league champions), it was tantamount to an earth shattering flash point in sports history. And with the legendary status that Celtics team has attained to this day, MJ's feat stands as even more unbelievable.

Of course, the Celtics won the game in double OT and swept the series 3-0. But Jordan's burgeoning legacy was immeasurably augmented with this superlative performance, which also happened to be broadcast on national TV. He had been a superstar player in his rookie season, but with this showing in the '86 NBA Playoffs, he had the look of an icon in the making.

Which he became.

I'll always be fascinated by that young man's dominance that afternoon. No NBA player since then has managed to be so stupefyingly brilliant and determined against a more gigantic foe as those Larry Bird-in-his-prime Celtics. It's just one of many Michael masterpieces that he (and we) can forever look back on and say "Wow...I (he) did that!"

Happy anniversary, MJ.

15 Years Ago Today: Bulls Win 70

CLEVELAND - The Chicago Bulls enter today's NBA Playoffs as major contenders for the title for the first time in 13 years. That fact was more than enough to remind me of the days when they truly were the most unstoppable force in sports.

That is, when Michael Jordan roamed the skies in a red uniform.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Bulls' record breaking 70th victory. The grind-it-out ugly win came in Milwaukee at the expense of the Bucks with megastar Jordan knocking in a sub-par 22 points on a horrid 9-of-27 shooting. That was an example of just how unassailable the team was during the 1995-96 NBA season; MJ could struggle, but the team could still emerge victorious.

Mostly.

The Bulls went on to finish with a stunning 72-10 record and capture the 4th of their 6 NBA titles in a match-up with the Seattle Supersonics. Michael, at age 33 earned his 4th league MVP award not just because he was once again incandescent (30.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg and his record 8th scoring title). But the man had also successfully returned to the legendary form that was his trademark prior to his 17 month retirement.

Today's Bulls team is led by a fantastic guard named Derrick Rose. But as wonderful as he is and as impressive as the 2010-11 Bulls may be, they will always have a gigantic mountain to climb to even approach those Bulls of the 1990s.

After all, Jordan doesn't wear red uniforms anymore.