Michael Jordan has hit numerous game-winners during his phenomenal career in the NBA. But the Chicago Bulls legend has missed a few as well.
One of the biggest misses of Jordan’s career came during Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan’s jumper rolled in and out of the rim with nine seconds left on the clock. The Bulls legend didn’t let that miss demotivate him and shared his views on it.
“Now, if you thought about it, that was a pretty big miss,” Jordan said, per ESPN. “It was my first-ever game in the Finals. I could have folded. But I had no trouble bouncing back because I knew it was a good shot. I didn’t rush it or short-arm it or anything. I just missed it.”
Jordan added: “I believed every time out I was the best. And the more shots I hit, the more it reinforced that. So, when you miss, because no matter how great you are, you will miss, you don’t waver, because you’ve built yourself a nice little cushion of confidence.
“Now, we’ve seen plenty of guys go the other way. They miss one shot and they can’t seem to ever make one. That’s the kind of negative reinforcement that ruins guys.”
Jordan’s missed shot led the Lakers to win Game 1 of the series at 93-91. However, instead of getting demoralized by the miss, Jordan had a phenomenal comeback in the rest of the series.
He led the Bulls to four straight wins in the series and won the first NBA Championship of his career. Jordan also won the NBA Finals MVP award for averaging 31.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 11.4 APG.
Michael Jordan Explained Why Players Feel Pressure When Taking Clutch Shots
Taking clutch shots is an art, and every player cannot master it. Michael Jordan certainly did it as he drained 28 game-winners during his career.
Jordan once explained why certain players allow the pressure of taking clutch shots to devour them. He gave a simple answer to the question.
“If you have doubt or concern about a shot, or feel the ‘pressure’ of that shot, it’s because you haven’t practiced it enough,” Jordan said. “The only way to relieve that pressure is to build your fundamentals, practice them over and over, so when game breaks down, you can handle anything that transpires.”
According to the six-time NBA champion, a lack of practice is the only reason behind players feeling pressure to take clutch shots. If they are confident enough in their skills, they should be able to knock down important shots.
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