How Michael Jordan fared against every team he faced in the playoffs
With a history as deep and illustrious as Michael Jordan’s in the playoffs, it becomes easy sometimes to forget some of his smaller accomplishments, like how he did against teams prior to facing them in the Finals. As such, we decided to go back in time and examine how Jordan fared against every single franchise he ever faced in the postseason, of which there are 18 in total. Spoiler alert: He had a winning record against 15 of those teams and a losing record against just two.
That Jordan guy was pretty special in the playoffs.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
WASHINGTON BULLETS
Win percentage: 100 percent (3-0)
Stats: 37.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 57.1 FG%
Jordan and the Bulls faced the then-Washington Bullets in the 1997 playoffs, winning the series in three games by a combined 18 points, with His Airness leading the way. That included a 55-point performance by Jordan which came on nearly 63 percent shooting that evening:
Quick, painless dominance for M.J. over the Bullets.
NEW JERSEY NETS
Win percentage: 100 percent (3-0)
Stats: 36.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 52.9 FG%
The following year, Chicago saw the then-New Jersey Nets in the first round, likewise dispatching their overmatched opponents in three games by a combined 23 points. Jordan didn’t have an explosion that series like the 55-point performance against Washington, but he was consistently excellent against the Nets anyway, dropping 39 points in Game 1, 32 points in Game 2 and 38 in the decisive Game 3, which was a 15-point road win for Chicago.
MIAMI HEAT
Win percentage: 90.9 percent (10-1)
Stats: 34.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 spg, 48.3 FG%
Jordan’s Bulls faced off with the Miami Heat in three separate playoff series, first in 1992 (a three-game sweep which Chicago won by an average margin of victory of 18), then in 1996 (another first-round sweep where the Bulls won by a total of 69 points) and finally in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, where Miami was finally able to secure a victory against Jordan, though still succumbing in five games.
His best performance came in Game 3 of the 1992 series when the legendary 2-guard dropped 56 points on 20-of-30 shooting:
The Heat were so blown away by Jordan’s performances against them that Pat Riley went so far as to retire his jersey in Miami, despite Jordan never suiting up for Miami. No, seriously.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Win percentage: 87.5 percent (7-1)
Stats: 29.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.9 spg, 48.2 FG%
Jordan saw the Atlanta Hawks eight total times in the playoffs, with three of those games coming in the first round of the 1993 playoffs and the other five occurring in 1997. The Bulls went 7-1 in that stretch, as the first-round matchup was a sweep for Chicago in which they outscored Atlanta by 49 total points and the second-round matchup in ’97 was a 4-1 victory for the Bulls.
The second series did contain some drama, as the Hawks took home-court advantage away from Chicago after winning Game 2 at the Bulls’ house 103-95 behind 53 combined points from Mookie Blaylock and Steve Smith, and a 19-point, 15-rebound, 2-block performance courtesy of Dikembe Mutombo. Atlanta held Jordan to just 27 points on 29 field-goal attempts that night, too. Regardless, the Bulls took back control of the series in Game 3 by winning in Atlanta by a 20-point margin, going on to win the series two games later.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Win percentage: 80.0 percent (4-1)
Stats: 31.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 11.4 rpg, 2.8 spg, 55.8 FG%
The Bulls only faced off with the Los Angeles Lakers once during Jordan’s time there, but it just so happened to take place on the biggest state in basketball, in the 1991 NBA Finals.
A series that saw Jordan and running partner Scottie Pippen match up against five-time champion Magic Johnson and fellow Hall-of-Famer James Worthy had all the makings of an all-time classic, especially following Game 1. That night, L.A. took home court from the Bulls by winning in Chicago thanks to a clutch Sam Perkins triple with 14 seconds remaining, when the Lakers were down by 2 (assisted by Magic, because of course, it was). Jordan actually got a great look at a potential game-winning bucket with under seven seconds remaining, but his pull-up mid-range jumper trickled in and out of the rim, leading to a 93-91 win for Los Angeles.
However, the rest of the series was pretty anti-climatic, as the Bulls won the next four games by a combined 51 points behind typical M.J. brilliance. For the five-game matchup, Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 2.8 steals, earning the first of his six Finals MVP awards for his efforts.
PHILADEPHIA 76ERS
Win percentage: 80.0 percent (8-2)
Stats: 38.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 7.6 apg, 2.9 spg, 52.1 FG%
Meanwhile, Jordan and the Bulls saw the Philadephia 76ers 10 total times while the explosive shooting guard was there, winning eight of the contests and dropping just two (by a combined eight total points).
People may remember Jordan’s playoff battles with Charles Barkley from the 1993 NBA Finals, but many don’t remember that Jordan actually saw the Hall-of-Fame power forward two separate series before that, both when Barkley was still a Sixer. Chicago and Philadelphia faced each other back-to-back years in 1990 and 1991, with both matchups taking place in the second round.
Jordan was absolutely spectacular in his matchups with the 76ers, but Barkley was great in his own right too, putting up 23.8 points, 17.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the 1990 series against Chicago and 25.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists the following year. However, without much help, Barkley had little chance against Jordan.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Win percentage: 77.8 percent (7-2)
Stats: 30.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 47.8 FG%
The Charlotte Hornets own an interesting place in Jordan lore historically, as they were the first team Chicago faced in the playoffs following the all-time great’s return from retirement in the 1995 postseason.
And, as if he needed to remind everyone of what he was capable of in the playoffs, Jordan dominated the Hornets in Game 1 of the opening-round series, going off for 48 points on 18-of-32 shooting while chipping in nine rebounds, eight assists and one steal and block apiece.
The Bulls would win that game 108-100, and eventually the series three games to one, before falling to the Orlando Magic in the second round. More on that later, though.
Chicago would see Charlotte in the postseason again three years later, in the second round of the 1998 playoffs, and the series would follow a similar pattern; the Bulls took control early, the Hornets would take a game to make things relatively interesting but never truly challenge Jordan and Co. before falling in five.
NEW YORK KNICKS
Win percentage: 70.4 percent (19-8)
Stats: 33.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.1 spg, 47.0 FG%
Out of the 18 teams Jordan faced in postseason action, the New York Knicks were by far his most frequent opponent; the two sides saw each other for a total of 27 games during Jordan’s playoff career, with the first time coming in the 1989 playoffs and the final time coming in 1997, for a total of five series between the two teams.
Jordan’s best playoff scoring performance against New York came in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals when he went off for 54 points while hitting 60 percent of his 30 field-goal attempts in what was a 105-95 win for the Bulls.
Chicago would go on to win that series in six games.
To their credit, the Knicks did beat Jordan’s Bulls in the playoffs eight times during his time in the NBA, the second-highest total of any Jordan adversary, and were even able to push Chicago to a seven-game series in the second round of the 1992 playoffs.
So what happened in that Game 7?
Well, Jordan exploded for 42 points on 51.7 percent shooting that night (that was after he shot 41.2 percent combined in Games 5 and 6 and played uncharacteristically poorly against New York’s tough defense) – and helped lead the Bulls to a series-clinching 110-81 victory.
Ho-hum.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Winning percentage: 70.0 percent (14-6)
Stats: 37.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.2 apg, 2.7 spg, 50.1 FG%
The second-most memorable shot of Jordan’s career came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he faced 20 times in the playoffs, 14 of which were Bulls wins.
The Cavs were never able to take a series from Chicago, but they did play Jordan and Co. close, rarely getting obliterated like a lot of their counterparts and even blowing the Bulls out on a couple of occasions.
Regardless, the moment everyone remembers of Cleveland vs. Jordan came in the deciding Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs. With Chicago down 100-99 and roughly three seconds left on the clock, Jordan wiggled away from multiple defenders before catching the ball on the wing, took two hard dribbles left with Craig Ehlo tightly on him, pulled up from about the free-throw line, double-clutched the jumper to let Ehlo’s contest float harmlessly by him – and sank the series-winning shot as time expired.
Iconic.
Jordan would see the Cavaliers two more times in the playoffs after that, once in 1992 and once more in 1993, though no moments throughout those series would come close to topping The Shot.
PHOENIX SUNS
Winning percentage: 66.7 percent (4-2)
Stats: 41.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 50.8 FG%
Jordan boasted a 66.7 percent win rate in the playoffs against four opponents: the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle SuperSonics and Utah Jazz.
Interestingly enough, all five of those matchups (not four, because Chicago and Utah saw each other twice in consecutive years) for the Bulls came in the Finals, as Jordan became notorious for vanquishing non-Lakers opponents in the Finals in six games, never requiring a Game 7 to win a championship series.
Two of those foes carry very juxtaposed positions in Jordan’s history as opponents, as the legendary player averaged his highest playoff points per game total against the Suns, but his lowest (and worst field-goal percentage) against the Sonics.
Versus Phoenix, Jordan averaged an astounding 41.0 points per contest (along with 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists) in the 1993 Finals, including a four-game stretch between Games 2 and 5 where he poured in 45.5 points nightly and shot 51.0 percent from the floor. That stretch included a 55-point masterpiece by M.J., which took place in the pivotal Game 4 with the series at 2-1 in favor of Chicago.
SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Winning percentage: 66.7 percent (4-2)
Stats: 27.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 41.5 FG%
Against Seattle, on the other hand, Jordan would average merely 27.3 points over six games while shooting 41.5 percent from the floor, making the Sonics one of just two teams (along with Atlanta) to hold Jordan under 30 points per game in the playoffs.
It didn’t really matter, of course, as the Bulls won the first three games of the 1996 Finals against Seattle, taking firm control of the series before dropping Games 4 and 5 and ultimately winning the title in Game 6, in Chicago.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Winning percentage: 66.7 percent (4-2)
Stats: 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 52.6 FG%
Portland and Utah are also crucial pieces in Jordan’s history, of course. After all, it was against Portland that Jordan, feeling slighted by pregame comparisons to another Hall-of-Fame 2-guard in Clyde Drexler, scored 35 points and hit six three-pointers in the first half of Game 1 (one that included an all-time reaction afterwards, The Shrug), setting the tone for the rest of the series.
UTAH JAZZ
Winning percentage: 66.7 percent (8-4)
Stats: 32.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 44.1 FG%
And it was against the Jazz that Jordan produced two of his most memorable moments: The Flu Game and The Last Shot. In the former, Jordan overcame a reportedly terrible stomach flu that had sapped him of nearly all his energy to drop 38 points, seven boards and five dimes to take home a crucial Game 5 victory in Utah during the 1997 Finals, while in the latter, Jordan hit what was supposed to be the final field-goal attempt of his career, a stop-on-a-dime game-winning mid-range jumper to put the Bulls ahead 87-86 in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals, securing the sixth and final championship of Chicago’s dynasty.
People remember the shot, but what they forget is that Jordan had a crucial strip and steal on Karl Malone the possession before, which saved the game for Chicago, as well as the fact that Jordan scored 45 of the Bulls’ 87 points that night. And what we all wish we could forget is that that didn’t end up being the last shot of Jordan’s career, as he returned for two more seasons with the Washington Wizards three years later.
If only it had ended in 1998, the picture-perfect cap to a historic career.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Win percentage: 60.0 percent (6-4)
Stats: 30.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.4 spg, 49.1 FG%
The first team on our list to actually defeat Jordan’s Bulls in a playoff series, the Magic faced Chicago in postseason play back-to-back years, first in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals and then in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals.
Orlando beat the Bulls in six games in ’95, though it must be noted Jordan had only returned to full NBA action a month prior after a year-plus break from the sport of basketball. Even so, Jordan performed extremely well in that series despite the defeat, averaging 31.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting nearly 48 percent from the floor. It wouldn’t be enough for Chicago, however, as Shaquille O’Neal (24.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 blocks that series) and Penny Hardaway (18.5 points and 7.5 assists) were close to unstoppable in those six games.
Jordan would get his revenge the next year, though, as the Bulls would sweep the Magic in the ’97 conference finals, in a series that was capped in Game 4 by a 45-point on 16-of-23 shooting road performance by the incomparable M.J.
Jordan clearly had revenge on his mind in that series, and boy, did he deliver.
INDIANA PACERS
Win percentage: 57.1 percent (4-3)
Stats: 31.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.7 spg, 46.7 FG%
Chicago only saw the Indiana Pacers in the postseason once during Jordan’s time there, but it took place with rather enormous stakes: in the Eastern Conference Finals during Jordan’s final season as a Bull. And on top of that, the series went to seven games, too.
After pretty comfortably taking Games 1 and 2 by six points apiece, Chicago dropped Game 3 in Indiana by a final marker (107-105) that made the contest seem closer than it actually was. The Pacers were in control of that outing by the end of it, but late-game fouling and a garbage-time Pippen dunk made the score a two-point deficit.
Game 4, however, contained one of the most exciting finishes to any Jordan playoff defeat ever. A clutch jumper by Jordan put Chicago up by three with under a minute remaining, but a Travis Best layup, a Dennis Rodman offensive foul and two missed free throws by Pippen gave Indiana the ball with 2.9 seconds remaining, down by just one. What followed was one of the most clutch shots in playoff history, sunk by Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller:
The Bulls would bounce back in Game 5 back in Chicago, beating the Pacers 106-87 behind 29 points, seven boards and four assists by Jordan, drop Game 6 in Indiana 92-89 despite an absolute stinker of a performance by Miller who had just eight points on 2-of-13 shooting, and then take Game 7 88-83 thanks to a 28-9-8 evening from their best player.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Win percentage: 50.0 percent (4-4)
Stats: 33.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 7.8 apg, 2.6 spg, 49.4 FG%
Here’s a bit of fun Jordan playoff trivia for you: The first team His Airness ever faced in the postseason was the Milwaukee Bucks, who matched up with the Bulls in the first round of the 1985 Eastern Conference playoffs.
That series would just go four games, as Milwaukee, led by Hall-of-Famer Sidney Moncrief, a five-time All-Defensive wing who spent a lot of that series defending a rookie Jordan, was too much for the Bulls, taking the playoff round three games to one. Regardless, even then, we already got glimpses of Jordan’s eventual greatness.
After Milwaukee won Games 1 and 2 by fairly comfortable margins, Game 3 took the series back to Chicago, where Jordan, knowing his team needed a win, had the best performance of his early career, dropping 35 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals, and even sinking the game-winning jumper (from the midrange, because of course) with 22 seconds remaining.
That’s how insanely deep Jordan’s playoff history is, that some of his postseason game-winners just get completely forgotten by the basketball collective.
Milwaukee and Chicago would face off in the playoffs one more time five years later against a more up-to-the-task Jordan and the Bulls returned the favor, winning the first-round series in four games (3-1) behind 36.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists from Jordan.
One more fun fact about Jordan’s playoff history regarding Milwaukee: Two-time All-Star Terry Cummings is the only player ever to outscore Jordan in a postseason series. It happened in 1985, Jordan’s rookie year, with Cummings dropping 119 points that series to Jordan’s 117.
DETROIT PISTONS
Winning percentage: 45.5 percent (10-12)
Stats: 30.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.1 spg, 48.1 FG%
One of just two teams against whom Jordan had a losing playoff record, the Detroit Pistons went 12-10 against Chicago in the postseason during Jordan’s time as a Bull.
The Pistons became notorious for their extremely hard style of defense they used to stifle Jordan, which became known as the Jordan Rules. Detroit would try their best to force Jordan to start plays at the top of the key, as opposed to on the baseline, where he was so dominant, force him left and collapse defenders on top of him after he’d inevitably get by the first line of defense. And on situations where they were flat-out beat, rather than give up an easy basket, the Pistons would just foul Jordan as hard as the rules would possibly allow. With a roster featuring undeniable bad boys such as Rodman, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars and many others, Detroit had the method for slowing down Jordan in the postseason down to a T.
And their method worked. For three straight postseasons, from 1988 to 1990, Detroit and Chicago met in the playoffs, with all three series going to the Pistons.
It wasn’t until the 1991 playoffs that Jordan was able to gain the upper hand on Detroit, and when he did, it got ugly for the Pistons. That postseason, Detroit and Chicago met in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Bulls, led, obviously, by Jordan, took them out in four games by a combined total of 46 points.
Jordan shot 53.5 percent from the floor that series, averaging 29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks. Utter domination from Jordan against the team that thought they had the secret to defeating him.
BOSTON CELTICS
Winning percentage: 0 percent (0-6)
Stats: 39.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.8 apg, 2.2 spg, 46.4 FG%
After his rookie-year loss to the Bucks in the first round, Jordan would go on to get bounced by one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, the ’80s Boston Celtics, in the first round each of the next two seasons. And he went out both times by getting swept, making Boston the only team Jordan faced in the playoffs to have never suffered a defeat to him.
Of course, the odds were stacked against Jordan, as the Celtics were in peak form led by Larry Bird, arguably one of the 10 greatest players ever, along with Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, giving a young Bulls team little chance to put up much of a fight.
And yet, Jordan did put up a fight, including a historic 63-point outing in Game 2 of the first round in the 1986 playoffs, which is still the league record for most points scored in a single postseason contest.
The fact Jordan did that in just his fourth playoff game ever is just mind-blowing, even if it came in a four-point defeat, and it led to Bird essentially calling Jordan’s performance that night God-like.
Even so, Jordan was never able to beat Boston in a playoff game, despite averaging 39.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists in six contests against them. The Celtics were just on another level back then.
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