Michael Jordan was an absolute machine during his years in the league; it’s not for no reason that he has managed to hold on to his place as the consensus basketball GOAT. MJ was a defensive beast, he could stay with just about any player, clamping down some of the best stars of his era. But that wasn’t what the crowd came to see, as impressive as it was, Jordan gained all the popularity and hype he had thanks to his explosive scoring ability.
MJ was broken when it came to putting the ball into the basket, there was nothing opposing defenders could do to slow him down, let alone stop him. His incredible dunking inspired a whole generation and created a massive brand for him, while in his later years, his jump shot was the mark of his killer ability, no one that came up against it would survive.
And what made it all even more impressive is that Jordan would somehow step his game up in the playoffs when the lights were brightest. MJ is the all-time leader in playoff scoring based on points per game, a staggering stat considering how many deep runs to the end he made in his career. And the breakdown of his averages from Game 1s to Game 7s, all the ones he participated in, show just how consistently ruthless MJ was when he graced the league.
Jordan PPG by playoff game:
Game 1 — 34.0
Game 2 — 33.3
Game 3 — 34.2
Game 4 — 33.2
Game 5 — 33.1
Game 6 — 31.3
Game 7 — 33.7 pic.twitter.com/wCuSCex5yQ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 29, 2022
“Jordan PPG by playoff game: Game 1 — 34.0 Game 2 — 33.3 Game 3 — 34.2 Game 4 — 33.2 Game 5 — 33.1 Game 6 — 31.3 Game 7 — 33.7.”
Jordan averaged over 33 points per game for every game in a playoff series barring Game 6s. And while that may seem like something happened to him in those Game 6s he played, he still averaged over 31 points in those as well. These averages, especially from Game 1 to Game 5, are the best any player has put up in the history of the NBA, although Game 6 and Game 7 crowns belong to someone else.
A large part of MJ’s legend comes from the fact that he never lost in the NBA Finals, going 6-0 whenever he made it that far. What’s more, none of those series ever went to a Game 7 either, Jordan and the Bulls were too good for that. Stats aren’t everything in the NBA, but looking at the ones like this one put into perspective what kind of a monster MJ was.
