April 20th, 1986: Michael Jordan Drops 63 Points On The Celtics

Long before his six rings, before the endless epic performances that cemented him as the greatest to ever play, Michael Jordan still had something to prove. Sure the sports media and his own stats from his rookie season (28.2 ppg and 51.5% shooting) had made him a star by 1985, but at that point he had yet to truly shine for the Chicago Bulls in the post-season, getting very nearly swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round during his initial season with Chicago. The 1986 season saw them getting swept entirely by the Boston Celtics in the first round, a quick series that went down in the history books with a massive asterisk thanks to Michael’s performance.

In game two of the series, taking place on April 20th 1986, Michael brought home an astounding 63 points for his team-a playoffs record that has yet to be broken to this day. The game ended with a double OT loss for the Bulls, and even though they walked out of the building with a loss MJ had successfully fired off his warning shot, showing the world a preview of his dominance that would lead to so many future accolades. Larry Bird admitting to being floored by MJ’s skills, famously calling him “God disguised as Michael Jordan” after that night. Hit the jump with us for some photos from Michael Jordan’s 63 point game against Boston, including plenty of looks at his OG Air Jordan 1’s that got him there in all their glory. Also, let us know in the comments below where you rank this in terms of classic MJ moments. Photos: Sneaker News