As dominant as Michael Jordan was, he knew he couldn’t regularly take on double- or triple-teams unless his team needed him to do that for the greater good. But on January 8, 1987, in a match against the Portland Trail Blazers, MJ took matters into his own hands and put up one of the most incredible performances of his career, scoring 53 points in a 121-117 victory over Clyde Drexler and the Blazers.
Spectacular night
His Airness was a sight to behold in that game, as he made 20 of his 34 attempts from the floor and all but three of his 16 attempts from the charity stripe. He added four rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots in a stat-sheet-stuffing performance at the Chicago Stadium.
With Jordan being blitzed on defense, the Bulls got solid production from Charles Oakley, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Brad Sellers, who had 15 markers and 10 boards. Oakley, Sellers, and John Paxson all sank key buckets down the stretch off of assists from Jordan to put Portland away.
Not a one-man show
Early on, Jordan often bristled at the critique of his play in Chicago. Experts and fans often labeled MJ as a one-man-show who only cared about his stats and nothing else. However, that night, Jordan didn’t hesitate to find his teammates.
“I may have been a one-man team earlier in the season, but now we’ve gotten our act together, and when you look at Oakley’s 16 points and 16 rebounds and Sellers’ 15 points and 10 rebounds, nobody can accuse me of being a one-man show,” Jordan said.
