Jordan's Lucky Day In Basketball Was March 28th

CLEVELAND - I'm the biggest Michael Jordan fan in history, which means that today couldn't possibly pass without me mentioning the sterling performances that took place on this monumental day in his NBA career.

March 28!

Jordan's first March 28th game took place in his rookie season. On March 28, 1985, a 22-year old MJ had a super 35 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, but the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavs. In his 5th season, he had a high triple-double (33 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) on March 28, 1989 in a victory over Golden State. The following season, 1989-90 would produce his most prolific output on an NBA court ever. Playing in Richfield Coliseum nearly 11 months after his famous buzzer-beating jumper eliminated Cleveland from the 1989 playoffs, Jordan (pictured in this famous game above) dominated with a career-high 69 points along with 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Chicago won, 117-113 in overtime.

The next season would culminate in the Bulls' first-ever NBA championship. On March 28, 1991, MJ scored 42 points in a mere 30 minutes of a 34-point Bulls blowout of the host New Jersey Nets. A year later on March 28, 1992, Jordan was unguardable as he drilled an amazing 21 of 32 shots including several post up fadeaway jumpers over the woefully mis-matched Steve Kerr, who played for the Cavs at the time and was given the thankless task of defending the soon-to-be six-time NBA scoring champion Jordan.

Jordan retired in the fall of 1993 after an epic, decade-long career, then returned to the court in the Spring of 1995. He struggled mightily in his first three games back in uniform (a peculiar looking number 45) but had a break-out performance March 25 in Atlanta. But it was his virtuoso performance on March 28, 1995 in Madison Square Garden that became legendary. Facing the New York Knicks for the first time since the classic 1993 NBA Playoffs, MJ netted a vintage 55 points and drew a double-team in the closing seconds, only to find teammate Bill Wennington with a flawless pass for the game-winning basket on the assist.

Filmmaker and MJ colleague Spike Lee "coined" the term "double-nickel" to describe Jordan's outstanding 55 point explosion.

That 1995 game was Jordan's final super human March 28 game. In his final game on that day, his luck seemed to run out. On March 28, 2003, a 40-year old Jordan took to the court in Hollywood for a meeting with the defending champion L.A. Lakers. MJ, now a member of the Washington Wizards was facing the league's premier offensive juggernaut, 24-year old Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was similar to what Jordan had been 15 years prior; an unmatched scoring machine with boundless energy and endless creativity with the basketball. He was also completely indefensible in every area of the court. Bryant put on a clinic, scoring a whopping 42 points in the first half alone before finishing with his own double-nickle of 55 points, mirroring MJ's effort from eight years in the past. In this game, the Wizards' Jordan had a tepid 23 points and the whole contest felt like a passing of the torch. Jordan's team was trounced by 14.

March 28 will always be a special day for me as all of the great Jordan memories come to my mind. To the most iconic figure in the history of basketball, I salute you.

You made my day every year.