20 Years Ago Today: Jordan Was 'Star 69' Against Cavs

CLEVELAND - For all of his wondrous scoring feats over the years, Michael Jordan seemed to always save his best for the Cleveland Cavs. 20 years ago today, he unleashed his very best on them.

And it was no surprise.

Jordan was "in the zone" that night at the now-defunct Richfield Coliseum in Ohio. Just 27 years old at the time, his ethereal basketball talents were on full display as he registered career-highs with 69 points and 18 rebounds. His brilliance was second to none as he repeatedly hit pull-up jumpers and attacked the basket with searing impunity. For good measure, he dished off 6 assists and had 4 steals.

And his Chicago Bulls won, 117-113 in overtime.

MJ's ire had been drawn after he was fouled hard by the Cavs' John "Hot Rod" Williams in the first quarter. That is when Cleveland fans cheered the nasty takedown of Jordan, to which he took exception because he could have been seriously hurt. He responded by netting 31 points by halftime and continued to dominate all over the court as the game progressed. With the Cavs and Bulls being not only Eastern Conference rivals, but also Central Division ones, the game had added significance.

The phenomenal outburst was anything but a surprise given the fact that Jordan was always extra special when facing the Cavs. He led the Bulls to playoff series victories over them in both 1988 and 1989 and the '89 defeat featured the legendary "The Shot" game, which took place just 10 months prior to the 69-point game. Furthermore, Michael laid a giant 54-point statement on the Cavs to open the 1989-90 season and had several more high-scoring games against them leading up to 69. Add all that up, and it was anything but surprising that he did what he did on March 28, 1990.

He was in his prime, but still in his pre-championship days that season. But Jordan was always a marvel to behold and that game will forever stand as perhaps his grandest statement as an individual juggernaut.

Long live Air Jordan.

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.