"You know Michael is not going to beat you with it very often" - Clyde Drexler wasn't worried despite MJ torching his Blazers with six threes in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals
Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan put up one of the most unforgettable NBA Finals performances of all time when he torched Clyde Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers with six 3-pointers in the first half of Game 1 of the 1992 Finals.
He punctuated the great moment by looking at the announcer's table and shrugging in disbelief as he ran back to play defense.
Like a true master, MJ reined his emotions in and thought about what the 3-point barrage meant from a tactical perspective.
He figured his hot hand opened up more things for him and his teammates, which put immense pressure on the Blazers' defense.
"I like to get those outside shots to set up the guessing part of my offense," Jordan said, per the Chicago Tribune. "If I start hitting my outside shot, that opens up a lot of things for me and it makes it even tougher for the defense because they have to guess what Michael Jordan is going to do now."
"'Is he going to shoot the ball? Is he going to drive? Is he going to penerate? Is he going to dunk on me?' It leaves them guessing and in that respect, I feel I have the advantage," he pointed out.
Blazers were not concerned
Jordan finished with 39 points, which was enough to lead the Bulls to a 122-89 victory. When the smoke had subsided, the Blazers settled down and started preparing their minds and bodies for Game 2.
Point guard Terry Porter boldly proclaimed that they had to throw Game 1 out of the window. Jordan's performance was an anomaly and likely won't happen again, a belief echoed by Drexler and Danny Ainge.
"You don't want to give him that shot," Drexler said, "But at the same time, you know Michael is not going to beat you with it very often."
"I don't think anyone expects Michael Jordan to shoot 10 three-pointers," Ainge agreed.
"And even if he makes a couple, that's better than the alternative-driving to the basket, creating shots for his teammates, dunking, getting to the free-throw line," Danny pointed out.
"We'd like to get a little more pressure on him out there, but it would be silly for us to run at him and allow him to do what we set out not to let him do and that's get to the basket."Team sport
Meanwhile, Blazers head coach Rick Adelman offered a similar perspective. While the crowd was going crazy every time Jordan knocked down a 3-pointer, Adelman and his staff kept cool, calm and collected. MJ jacking up shots almost every possession meant the other Bulls were not building an offensive rhythm.
"I see us giving up 11 offensive rebounds and making 12 turnovers and that's totally why we were down 15 points at the half," said Adelman. "We could still be in the game, surviving Jordan's 35 points, because no one else was scoring. We outscored him by 16 ourselves."
True enough, Mike was 0-of-4 from downtown in Game 2. While he had 39 points again, the Blazers' balanced effort powered them to a 115-104 victory. It may not have worked out for them in the end as Chicago won the championship in six games, but Portland proved they were worthy opponents.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
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