30 Years Later: Recalling Jordan's First Big Hoops Moment

CLEVELAND - Nearly six weeks after his 19th birthday, Michael Jordan caught a basketball pass and without hesitation, rose up and shot the ball towards the hoop as effortlessly as if it were merely a shot in practice. In actuality, he and his North Carolina Tarheels were knee deep in a pressure cooker; the 1982 NCAA championship game v.s. the Georgetown Hoyas in the New Orleans Superdome.

Of course, the wunderkind made the shot with about 15 seconds remaining.

Jordan's shot erased a Carolina deficit and ended up being the final points in the Tarheels' 63-62 victory over Georgetown. Today (March 29) marks the 30th anniversary of that shot, that game and of course, that moment that the lanky freshman from Wilmington, NC became a household name. The magnitude wasn't known at the time, but that shot from MJ would be the first national moment of basketball glory for the man who would eventually author the most iconic pro basketball career in history. The incredible confidence and remarkable ability to deliver under the bright lights of the biggest game were all elements of excellence for Michael that night. He took all of those attributes and expanded on them in the NBA where he amassed 10 league scoring titles, 5 MVPs and led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships.

But that game in the Spring of 1982 was the birth of a legend.

Carolina's coach Dean Smith had taken the unusual step that season of allowing Jordan to be a starter. Up until then, Smith's policy was that no freshman player would start for the Tarheels. Jordan had joined the team in late 1981 as he started his collegiate career and was an immediate sensation. By the time the championship game came around that Spring, Michael had turned many heads with his dazzling athletic prowess. His big game proficiency, however, was less known but would eventually become a hallmark of his reputation on the court.

North Carolina won their first title in 25 years that night and Jordan went on to win the College Player of the Year award in both 1983 and 1984 before skipping his senior season to join the NBA. Of course, the world knows very well what he accomplished there en route to becoming the greatest player in league history.

But the beginning remains a major thrill and a cultural flash point in the history of basketball. Salute MJ!

Jordan Was A Caged Lion In Final College Game

CLEVELAND - Today marks the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's final college basketball game, a day that still bothers him to this day.

Talk about March madness.

Jordan was a 21-year old junior at the University of North Carolina at the time and was the catalyst in the Tarheels' glittering 28-2 record. They went into a matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers with high hopes, given their roster full of talent besides Jordan. The Hoosiers were inferior, they had six more losses than UNC and only a couple decent players on the team.

None of that mattered.

Playing in the East Regional, the Hoosiers' rambunctious and controversial coach Bob Knight employed a highly effective strategy to counter Dean Smith's Carolina attack. Knight also assigned obscure guard Dan Dakich to defend the dazzling Jordan.

Talk about a mismatch.

Amazingly, Dakich was successful with his hard-nosed defense. MJ was tagged with two early fouls and spent most of the first half on the bench and frustrated. With Hoosiers star Steve Alford scoring at will and Jordan unable to find a smooth second half rhythm, Indiana stunned Carolina with a 72-68 victory on a searing 70% shooting.

Jordan finished with a meaningless 13 points and a very significant five fouls. Two weeks later, he announced his decision to forego his senior year and join the NBA. Dackich was relieved when the game was over, but didn't think much of his success against the 1984 College Player of the Year.

Until Jordan became what he became.

Once MJ became a super legendary basketball hero in the pros, Dakich's defense on him during that final game became something of a mythological event. "Dakich is the only guy that could stop Jordan," said countless people once Michael became an offensive juggernaut in the NBA.

Jordan looks back on that moment now and commends Dakich for his efforts, but maintains that it was his own fault for not knocking down the "good shots" that he had. Either way, the hyper-competitive Jordan walked away from that game with a broken heart.

I'm glad it didn't ruin his NBA career!