34 years ago at the Boston Garden, a game was played between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls widely considered one of the greatest games ever played. The Bulls, led by the legendary Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, took the court against the 1986 Celtics, a team often regarded as one of the best in NBA history.
His Airness delivered a phenomenal performance, scoring a record-setting 63 points in a double-overtime game. The Celtics, with five future Hall of Famers, including Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton and Robert Parish, faced an inspired Jordan who played so well that Bird would say he saw “God disguised as Michael Jordan” on the court.
“That game represented so much of what is great in sport and basketball,” said Walton via Bulls Dot Com.
“It was a phenomenal performance, what Michael was able to do against a team like that,” added Walton.
“That team could win any type of game, a speed game, a power game, a shooting game, a defensive game, a physical game, a cerebral game. It had balance, depth and talent, coaching experience, great leadership, top management with Red (Auerbach), a great legacy as a franchise on top and a legend in Larry Bird.”
“He was hitting outside shots, driving to the hole. We had about everyone on the team guarding him,” remembered Bird.
“He obviously was in a zone. He kept them in the game with big basket after big basket,” said the Hick from French Lick. “We couldn’t stop him. We tried to shade him to help, everything. You were talking about a different type of talent.”
“Early in his career, I always thought he was looking to score every time. He did not have the talent around him, so he had to be the scorer.”
