1986 Regular Season: Jordan's 63 Points vs Celtics

Lore & Background

In Game 2 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Celtics, Michael Jordan scored 63 points in a double-overtime loss, surpassing Elgin Baylor's 61-point performance from the 1962 NBA Finals. This still stands as the NBA playoff scoring record. Jordan averaged 43.7 points per game in the series, but the Bulls were swept by the Celtics. The Bulls had the second-worst record for a playoff-qualifying team in history, going 30–52 during the season.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Boston Garden was thick with smoke and anticipation as the clock wound down in overtime. Michael Jordan stood at the free-throw line, his jersey soaked, eyes locked on the rim that had rejected him moments before. The crowd roared, not for their team's defense, but in awe of the man who had just shattered records against them. He sank the shot, bringing his total to 63, yet the scoreboard told a different story: defeat. As he walked off the hardwood, the silence of the locker room would soon follow, a quiet moment where greatness and heartbreak collided.

Reader's Guide

This entry corrects the earlier mislabeling of the 63-point game as a regular-season event. The game was a playoff game on April 20, 1986, in the first round.

Did You Know?

• Michael Jordan's 63 points in Game 2 of the 1986 playoffs remains the NBA playoff scoring record.
• The Bulls were swept by the Celtics despite Jordan averaging 43.7 points per game in the series.
• Game 2 was ranked by TV Guide as the 26th Most Memorable Moment in Television History.
• The 1986 playoffs marked the third time in four years the Milwaukee Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals.