“I kinda forgot about the triangle” – Despite his 55-point performance Michael Jordan apologized to one of the coaches
While it’s true that Michael Jordan only clinched an NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls once coach Phil Jackson introduced Tex Winter‘s (his assistant) triangle offense, the six-time finals MVP only partially relied on it for scoring. Instead, MJ didn’t think twice before asserting himself when he found his groove.
The same was reflected when he registered one of his finest performances against the Washington Bullets, only to apologize to Winters for neglecting his triangle offense scheme later.
Jordan torched the Bullets in the 1997 playoffs
With a league-best record of 69-13 in the ’96-97 season, the Bulls were set to face the Bullets in the opening round of the playoffs. In the series opener, despite Chicago securing a 98-86 victory in Game 1 on the back of Jordan’s 29-point performance, five Bullets players scored in double digits.
Recognizing the need for a stronger offensive effort in Game 2, the five-time MVP unleashed an even more dominant performance, dropping 55 points. He employed a series of upfakes to deceive defenders, create open looks for himself, and knock several contested midrange jumpers.