"It's Gotta Be The Shoes" – Air Jordan 2
Air Jordan 2 (1986 – 87)
Licence to Score
The arrival of the Air Jordan 2 shoes coincided with the 1986-87 season; Michael Jordan’s third of his career with a team he believed had less physical talent than any other Bulls team he ever played on. This was a team that just lost athletic talent like Orlando Woolridge, David Greenwood, Quintin Daley and the legendary George Gervin and preceded the arrival of future all-star teammates Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and BJ Armstrong. As a result MJ and his then rookie coach Doug Collins both figured that Jordan needed a licence to score heavily if the Bulls were going to be any successful in the 1986-87 season, which meant reaching the playoffs.
Record Scoring Spree
MJ made his intentions clear to attack right from the opening game of the 1986-87 season when he torched the New York Knicks for 50 points at Madison Square Garden. In late November, he lit up the eventual 1987 world champion LA Lakers for 41 points, triggering a 9 game streak where he scored at least 40 points. This incredible feat was the third most consecutive game streak of 40 or more points behind Wilt Chamberlain. MJ would end up scoring 40 points or more in an incredible 37 regular season games, third most 40 point game season in NBA history! MJ concluded the season by scoring at least 50 points in 3 consecutive games – 53 points in a victory over the Pacers, 50 points in a win against Milwaukee and a season high 61 points in a close loss against the competitive Atlanta Hawks team. During that game, MJ scored 23 consecutive points for the Bulls which then was an NBA record.
Remarkable stats for a remarkable season
MJ concluded the 1986-87 season by scoring 3041 points, third highest scoring season by an individual in NBA history at an incredible average of 37.1 points per game. Equally impressive were his defensive stats; he made 236 steals and 125 blocks, confirming his dominance at both ends of the floor. His achievements enabled him to carry ‘the least physically talented Bulls roster of his time’ into the Playoffs, a herculean effort that recognized the Bulls as a one man team. His amazing statistical achievement netted his first All NBA team selection and was a runner up in the NBA MVP voting.
Air Jordan 2 – It’s gotta be the shoes!
Of course you gotta give his Italian made Air Jordan 2 shoes some credit for MJ’s points and popularity explosion during the 1986-87 season. The ciao bello factor with the stylish white low tops were instrumental in MJ starting another streak of his own – being the leading vote getter in the 1987 NBA All-Star game , confirming his status as basketball’s most popular player. It’s an achievement he would accomplish a total of 9 times during his illustrious career, including a streak of 6 from 87-93.
Furthermore MJ wore his Air Jordan 2 shoes when he won the 1987 Slam Dunk contest. He blitzed the field through his vast array of gravity defying dunks, including his side ways lean in ‘kiss the rim’ slam, his signature double clutched dunk from the foul line and of course his rockababy jam which highlighted his 1987 Air Jordan 2 shoe commercial.
It’s all in the imagination!