Back In The Day NBA, June 3, 1992: Michael Jordan Shrugs Against The Portland Trail Blazers In Game 1 Of The NBA Finals

Michael Jordan dropped 35 points in the first half to open up the 1992 NBA Finals.

The 1992 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers had some critics comparing Michael Jordan to Clyde Drexler.

And that’s all Jordan needed. 

Magic Johnson, an NBC analyst at the time, said Jordan was going to target Drexler after hearing the comparisons.

“The night before Game 1, Michael says, ‘You know what’s gonna happen tomorrow. I’m gonna give it to this dude,’” Johnson said.

He did exactly that, exploding in the first half of Game 1 for 35 points on six 3-pointers. He attacked Drexler and dismantled the entire team en route to a blowout victory. After hitting his sixth shot from downtown, Jordan hit the famous shrug while shaking his head at forward Cliff Robinson.

Drexler didn’t even say anything to Jordan, but the Chicago legend was known for creating narratives to fuel his game. Even though Drexler was an amazing player, Jordan wanted to show there was a clear distinction between the two shooting guards.

Chicago went on to win their second consecutive championship. Games like this are why Jordan is regarded as the greatest of all time. The competitive nature and willingness to take on the best opponent separated him from everyone else.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Back in the Day NBA. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.