The Night Chicago Realized They Had Michael Jordan

Remember Michael Jordan's NBA debut? He almost ended his career in his first game with a dunk attempt. He hit the floor in the third period on the receiving end of a Jeff Ruland elbow and hip maneuver. You could hear the air rush out of the arena. He was motionless on the floor about 30 seconds before getting up and rejoining his team. Three days later he was about to earn his The Milwaukee Bucks were not just an opponent. They were Chicago's nemesis. Every time the Bulls played Milwaukee, they lost. And in 1984, the Bucks had the perfect weapon to stop rookies from getting comfortable. Sidney Moncrief, back-to-back defensive player of the year, the reigning king of perimeter defense, a man who made all-stars work for every single point. Chicago Stadium, on the other hand, was packed. When Jordan stepped onto that court on October 29, 1984, he was about to face his biggest test. In only his third NBA game, Michael Jordan was making a name for himself, thanks to Quinton Daly, who failed to appear for the game. Daly could not be reached by club management. Jordan played without the benefit of a backup point guard. But Daly's absence pushed Jordan even harder. Every time the Bucks tried to trap him, MJ split the defense, went down the lane, and made impossible shots. Moncrief later admitted, he was so explosive, I don't think there's anybody that could defend Michael. This was the moment, the exact moment Sidney Moncrief, the best defender in the NBA, realized he was watching greatness. When you play against Michael, you're in for a night of all-around basketball, because this rookie will hound you everywhere you go. He was sensational down the stretch. The Bucks couldn't do anything with him. They tried double-teaming him, and he just jumped right over it. He showed tremendous poise. Very few rookies can come into the NBA and dominate like this. This is where the gamble starts. Jordan sees the entry pass going into the post. 7-footer has position. Easy bucket, right? Wrong. Kevin Lockery used to yell at him for this. Stay with your man. But Jordan couldn't help himself. He had to make the play. He had to turn every possession into the chaos. But it worked. At first, the Bucks crushed the Bulls for 3 quarters. The Bulls fell behind by 7 early in the fourth quarter. The Bulls coach Kevin Lockery had enough and said, Jordan, take the ball, penetrate and score, or pass to the open man. If he had to do it single-handedly, Jordan was going to make the Bulls a winner. He made all the big plays and brought the Bulls back. One step. That is the difference between Michael Jordan and everyone else. One explosive step and the defender might as well be playing a different sport. By the time they process the movement, the ball is in the air. By the time they contest, it is already going through the net. This isn't practice gym shooting. This is game speed. Elite defenders. And Jordan is making them look like they are running through quicksand. His first step was so explosive that by the time your brain processed he was moving, he was already pulling up. And speaking of crowd, they are just not cheering. They are in shock. They are witnessing something they have never seen before. For years, Bulls fans had suffered through losing seasons. Empty seats. Boo birds. Their franchise was dying. But now, look at them. Every time Jordan touches the ball, they rise to their feet and celebrate it like crazy. The building shakes. The grown men jumping upside down. The defender's weight is going backward. Jordan is rising up. He doesn't need separation like modern players. He creates it instantly. One step. One dribble. Defender is still recovering. Jordan's shot is already in the air. Jordan sparked the comeback that included his 3-point play with 47 seconds left. Alton Lister, 7 feet tall, 240 pounds of muscle, is waiting in the paint. He's been anchoring Milwaukee's defense all night. Jordan doesn't care. He attacks. Drives the lane. Lister rises up to meet him. But Jordan, just hangs there. Defying gravity. Defying physics. Defying everything we thought we knew about human beings. He is suspending in midair like someone hit the pause on the VCR. Lister is already coming down. Jordan is still up there. He double pumps. Soft touch off the glass. Bucket. And the whistle blows. Lister's 6th foul is done. The 7-footer just fouled at trying to stop a 21 year old rookie. Which gave the Bulls a 109-108 lead. Mr. Jordan this time fouling at Paul Presi with another gliding double pumping drive to the basket. Presi is a smart defender. Versatile. Strong. He is supposed to be able to handle this. MJ gets the ball at the top of the key. Presi is in his stance. Ready. Jordan makes his move. That explosive first step. Presi tries to stay in front. Jordan glides toward the basket. Another double pump drive. Another moment of aerial artistry. The ball is going up. Presi has no choice. He fouls hard. Whistle blows. Presi's 6th foul. He is done. Two buck starters. Although he missed the free throw. The Bulls were up 111-110 with 31 seconds to go. A free throw by Caldwell Jones and two more by Jordan gave the Bulls a 114-110 lead. A 22 point fourth period was a Bulls record. He left 9356 stadium fans howling after the Bulls' dramatic victory. Michaels scored 22 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter and 20 of the Bulls' last 26 points. Four of them came in two sensational moves to the basket that sent the stadium crowd into delirium and had the Bucks now. A legend was born. Why and how did MJ dominate his third game? Because he did something that few players can do upon entering the league. And that is to study his opponents and learn from their mistakes. The Bulls were 5-2 in the preseason, with Jordan averaging 30 minutes of playing time. 22 points while shooting 59% from the floor and 86% from the foul line. Not bad for a rookie. The regular season started with his NBA debut. MJ's value to the team didn't necessarily show up in the Bucks' score. He had 9 rebounds and 16 points. Jordan was double-teamed most of the game. Then MJ dazzled the Bulls' fans with two driving hesitation layups in the next 30 seconds to help the Bulls grab an insurmountable 98-82 lead. He scored only 21 points in the second game but got his first dunk, which was an alley-oop. He got his first rock-the-cradle dunk. In slow motion, he looked like an astronaut who did a lunar revolution and went back to Earth. He smoked Sidney Moncrief, who was the best defender in the league at that time. Moncrief could shut people down. He blocked Moncrief, dunked over him. He made his statement. But it didn't matter. The Bucks won the game. But he learned and studied the Bucks' defense in his second game. Jordan knew that he could easily beat Sidney Moncrief one-on-one and counter the Bucks' coach Don Nelson's double-team tactics. Back to the third game. Michael told Kevin Lockery he could take advantage of it by beating Moncrief to the hoop in the fourth quarter. He noticed that when the Bucks were double-teaming him, they left a wide-open gap in the lane that he was able to take advantage of. 37 points in his third game. It was his arrival. Jordan said in the post-game interview, I'm not the superstar of this team and I don't want to overshadow anyone. I just want to mingle with the rest of the guys. I need the other 11 guys. I became charged up emotionally in the late game because I know how important it is for the team to win in Chicago and to get rid of the Bluebirds. He meant the Boeing fans. The Bulls were not used to this type of action. Home attendance before Jordan arrived was about 6,300. It doubled in Jordan's first year. And after 1987, you couldn't find any Bulls home game ticket. Even David Stern was a Jordan fan. Just because he is a commissioner doesn't make Stern any different from the rest of the fans. Why am I in Chicago? Same reason everyone else is. To see Michael Jordan. It was Stern's first full season as NBA boss. Stern had seen MJ before at the exhibition game against the Knicks in the Garden. And New York fans aren't easy, as you know, but they watched Jordan. And they all knew something special was happening when Michael Jordan came to the Garden. Jordan dazzled witnesses in the pre-season with moves that signaled the second coming of Julius Irving. The look, the manner are uniquely Michael Jordan. The wristband is worn so high on his left arm that it nearly covers his elbow. His basketball shorts look three sizes too large and give a parachute effect when he comes down from one of his incredible leaps. His number 23 jersey tucks so far into his shorts that half of it is hidden. He was not a college kid anymore. No longer would his game be hindered by zone defenses. Michael could now exhibit all his skills with flair. He discovered his kind of magic, the ability to turn the game around and instill in his teammates a desire to excel. Thanks to Michael Jordan, basketball was fun again in Chicago. Jordan and his heroics showed the Bucs, future opponents, and even league commissioner David Stern on hand for the game that these bulls are a different kind of breed.