The long-awaited airing of ESPN's The Last Dance, which chronicles Michael Jordan's illustrious career with never-before-seen footage in 10 parts, is finally here on Sunday. The network will be releasing its first two episodes of the documentary, one that was slated for June but coronavirus pausing all sports pushed up the start date.
So, in honor of His Airness, we're going to take a look back at some of Jordan's best moments against the Knicks. At the time, Knicks fans might not have liked what No. 23 or 45 was doing to their team. But looking back, they were witnessing greatness.
Let's start with his first ever Madison Square Garden appearance as a rookie during the 1984-85 season...
Jordan's MSG introduction: Nov. 8, 1984
Coming out of North Carolina, Jordan was already making noise in the NBA. The Bulls let him go to work early, scoring double-digit points in each of his six games before making the trip to the Big Apple to face the Knicks at The Garden. He even had 37 points against the Bucks in his third game ever in the league.
So, when the 21-year-old who was born in Brooklyn played the Knicks for the first time, of course he had to show off his worldly skills.
Jordan dropped 33 that night on 15-for-22 from the field with eight boards, five assists, three steals and two blocks in the win over New York.
Opening Night 50: Nov. 1, 1986
Jordan already established himself as a two-time All-Star in his first two seasons, but after only playing 18 games in the 1985-86 season, he was ready to make a statement in Year 3.
Unfortunately, that came against the Knicks on Opening Night in New York.
Jordan dropped his first 50 piece against the Knicks in his career (it wouldn't be his last) on 15-for-31 from the field, as he truly led the Bulls offense that night. He also had 22 free throw attempts, missing only two. Add six rebounds, three assists, four steals and three blocks to that stat line and Jordan was off to the races in a season where he led the league in points per game for the first time in his career at 37.1 per game.
Sorry, Patrick: April 30, 1991 (First Round of Eastern Conference Playoffs)
The Bulls were already up on the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs two games to none, and facing elimination when the series moved to MSG. And we all know how MJ was when he saw teams with their backs up against the wall.
Well, Jordan dropped 33 points to lead Chicago to the next round in what eventually led to his first of six NBA Finals rings. But one of his most iconic moments came that night in New York when he looked to be dribbling the ball back out to the left baseline, but went right past Charles Oakley and Mark Jackson just to meet the forceful Patrick Ewing at the rim.
The result... well... take a look for yourself:
Jordan drops 54 during '93 ECF: May 31, 1993
The Knicks got the Bulls down 2-0 to kick off the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. But when the series transitioned to Chicago, the Bulls took over and wouldn't let them win a game from there on out.
And Jordan had a lot to do with that as he always does. His best game? Game 4 when he unleashed 54 points on 18-of-30 shooting including six threes on the night. The series might have been tied at two, but Knicks fans knew that type of performance killed any momentum the Knicks might have had to reach the Finals.
Double Nickel: March 28, 1995
How do you truly announce a comeback to the game you left to play Minor League Baseball? Why take over MSG with a jaw-dropping performance, of course.
Known as the "Double Nickel Game," Jordan proclaimed to the world that he was back to dominate the NBA by dropping 55 points on the Knicks in The Garden on 21-for-37 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and one steal as well. And he did so wearing his new No. 45 jersey.
Though he dropped 32 points against the Hawks a few nights before, this was the game that brought Jordan back to his unstoppable self. One of his many signature shoes was named after that game, as he wore his Air Jordan 10s with the white and black base and red highlights that night.
You can watch the entire game here: