Michael Jordan’s famous grudges, real and imagined, were a key part of his persona as he played better mad. Before games, he would work himself up by fixating on things like Charles Barkley or Karl Malone winning MVPs over him or making up stories like the one about Washington Bullets rookie LaBradford Smith taunting him.
Another such grudge was held over Clyde Drexler, the Portland Trail Blazers’ all-star shooting guard. Media commotion suggested Drexler could give Jordan a run for his money in their ’92 Finals matchup as another rising superstar in the NBA, and Jordan took that personally.
MICHAEL JORDAN BROKE 2 NBA FINALS RECORDS DURING FAMOUS “SHRUG GAME”
Portland came close to the Finals in 1991 but fell short against Magic Johnson’s Lakers. Odds are the Bulls would have done away with them regardless as Chicago ended Showtime in five games to win their first championship in franchise history. Michael Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award in the 1991-92 season and intended to cap it off with back-to-back championships. Seeing that Portland would be standing in his way provided extra motivation. Jordan had heard the media suggesting Clyde Drexler to be his rival, akin to the type of rival Larry Bird was to Magic. He would squash that narrative right off the bat in Game 1.
Jordan set two records playing against his “rival” that day: the most points in a half for a Finals game at 35 and the most threes in a half during a Finals game at six. At one point in the game, Jordan turned to the sideline and gave an iconic gesture, a shrug toward Magic Johnson who was commentating for NBC that night. Johnson had beaten Michael in a game of cards the night before, which Magic suggests may also have motivated the statement game. The Bulls went on to beat Portland in six games to capture their second championship in franchise history.
June 3, 1992: In the Chicago #Bulls Game 1 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, SG Michael Jordan set NBA Finals records for PTS in a half (35) and 3PM in a half (6) with a game-high 39 points which featured his famous “shrug”
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 3, 2021
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