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.