That Time Steve Smith Motivating Michael Jordan Was Bad News For Miami Heat

Michael Jordan had 56 points to eliminate the Miami Heat in the first round of the 1992 playoffs

You really couldn't fault Miami Heat guard Steve Smith at the time. 

He was just an NBA rookie in 1992. He didn't know any better. 

During their first playoff game, Smith and teammate Glen Rice thought it would be fun to start trash-talking Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan. It was Game 3 of the first round. The Heat were hosting their first postseason game. 

And Jordan was struggling. 

"My rookie year, we make the playoffs, and we were the eighth seed playing Chicago," Smith in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. "It was only a best-of-five then. He didn't score in the first 10 minutes. Glen (Rice), myself, we were talking and going at it with him. We were up one, or they were up one, it was close." 

That was all Jordan needed. 

He went on to score 56 points the remaining three quarters, knocking the Heat out of the playoffs. 

"He started counting backward," Smith said on an episode of TNT's Open Court. "He said something like 38 and he started saying 36." 

What made things worse is Jordan told reporters after the game he played 36 holes on the golf course ... before the game. 

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