Michael Jordan 1989: 48pts Vs. Dominique & Hawks

[OczonBarbaraagm]

hoopsencyclopedia, it's this exact clip why I begun to play basketball. in conjunction with every single ankle breakers. If you cannot dunk yet, you definitely have to start training. I highly recommend that you make an effort with the program I'm using - 50inchvertical(dot)com - Im 5'8 not to mention I am able to dunk!

[franzken]

HD quality

[mananmater]

malone, the best.

[2011ROY]

4 minutes 19 seconds into this video, all i can do is shake my head

it just wasnt fair how good mike was; wasnt fair i tell ya!

[addicusbrown]

Great job hoopsencyclopedia. It is clear Jordan had a physical advantage over most of the competition. He was simply, faster, stronger and was able to jump higher than most. Add in his will and domination was the name of the game.

[Rohitevelmathew]

spudd webb can jump!!...ahh well michael can fly :D

[BigCrockDawg]

No one's gonna believe me but I shoot that shot at 2:15 somewhat frequently...love that move because they don't expect a shot off the deep baseline drive...

[Billups97]

This is when MJ was at his best.. My favorite years of MJ were the years right before he started to win championships.. 87,88,89,90..

No player like him ever.. Although, I will say, much like I did back then with MJ, LeBron is the only player since that I tune into and can blow me away.. Different players for sure, but the dominance of both is very compelling..

[winhawk23]

You can make all the comparisons and speculations that you want, but Isiah was not on that team simply because Jordan didn't want him there.

[fundy23]

That's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard. First, if memory serves Isiah had ruptured his achilles tendon anyway but be that as it may, exactly which player on that team was he going to play instead of? Magic? Stockton? I don't think so

[baldheadkid]

Uh yes Stockton. Or Mullin.

[fundy23]

Stockton? lol You really are going to replace the game's best (at that time) pure point guard and all time assists leader? Why, cuz Isaiah might have been flashier? As for Mullin, he was a forward. Doubt you need three point guards as there would't be enough minutes for them all. It's only 40 minute games in international ball

[GNugget151]

Isiah Thomas was a better all around point guard and player than John Stockton at that time and had 2 titles so yes you would replace stockton with Isiah Thomas

[fundy23]

Better in which category? Assists? No. Defense? Stockton is I believe still the all time steals leader so no. Maybe Isaiah was a better scorer but on this team they didn't need scoring. The only category Isaiah can be considered the best in is "Best Former Player to Ruin the Most Franchises"

[GNugget151]

Oh yeah I forgot that being a 12 time all star out of 13 seasons isn't anything, or a Finals MVP, two all star game MVPs, Leading your team to 2 NBA championships, being an ALL NBA First teamer, and winning a gold medal prior to all this means nothing. Maybe a better scorer? There is no maybe, he was. Isiah was a better all around point guard than John Stockton. Whatever his team needed him to do, whether it was scoring, passing, defense, or leadership he did and you saw the results as a player.

[MJisKingKobesuckss]

Jordan is beyond the best. Jordan=GOAT

[td2frizzle]

mj's the goat

[drovadose]

omg , jordan at the 4 min mark , unreal play

[TBlake34]

The two worst omissions from the original Dream Team were Isaih and Dominique.  I guess Laetner was on the team because of a rule requiring a college player, but both I would take both players ahead of Mullen and David Robinson.

[blackadam06]

"I would take both players ahead of Mullen and David Robinson."

When U have a "PURE" shooter like Mullin, who RARELY shot under 46%, and he was SOLELY a jump shooter, they did RIGHT by picking him!

He busted the opposition's ass ALL DAY LONG from the perimeter & SERIOUSLY loosened up the opposition's interior defense from collapsing on Barkley, Malone & Ewing.

Now David Robinson, I can sorta agree with. Personally, I would've chosen Hakeem..

[TBlake34]

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think Hakeem was an American citizen for the first Dream team. I know he played on one a few years later, after becoming a citizen. If he was eligible at the time, then he's definitely the biggest ommission.

Mullen was a bad dude, but I don't know if he deserved to be on that team ahead of Isaih. That team would have had plenty of outside shooting with Bird and all the others. Tough choices all around.

[blackadam06]

Yeah forgot Hakeem wasn't an official citizen then. Isiah would've been my choice over stockton, which wasn't a bad choice either don't get me wrong.

Bird that year was LITERALLY on his last legs & given the fact that his back had GREATLY deteriorated, Mullins presence was NEEDED.

In case U forgot, Bird RARELY played..they played him in certain games & in certain situations. His selection to the team was in part, outta respect for what he'd meant to the NBA, due to his looming retirement..

[TBlake34]

Fair enough. I guess there are two ways to approach it: 1-what's the best team you could put on the floor at that time, then you have to include Mullen, and maybe take Isaih or Dominique in front of Bird. And 2, if you took the players at their prime, who would make the best team-then you obviously take Bird.

I do remember Larry Legend spending most of the olympics lying on his stomach near the bench.

[mackcrusher]

If I recall correctly--but I'm not sure--Dominique was not 100% that year. I think he blew out his ACL or knee or something in his leg. However, I don't know if that had anything to do with his selection, or lack thereof.

[fundy23]

Bird was more of a symbolic gesture to have his name there. His back was so bad that he considered not playing but the other guys wouldn't let him pull out. He barely played at all

[TBlake34]

Damn. I could watch these two go at it all night.

My favorite play is the badass dunk at 2:50. Theus thought MJ was going to pull up for the J. Watch him jump straight up about 3 yards behind Michael after he blew past. Hilarious. I always enjoy seeing people go up to block an MJ move only to be hanging there by themselves as he explodes past.

[JayVenom]

yeah he caught nique and moses on that one. that move at 2:15 is ridiculous. nique was the best at catching shots off the rim for the dunk.

[omm85]

man dominique was fuckin sick !!!

[vidaa11]

that fastbreak from 4:01-4:05 was excellent. mike just took it all the way with speed and the nice finish with the dunk.

[ristlinmajare]

the reason why MJ is the considered the best player isn't only his ability to win but rather his ability to win against GREAT teams. You never see a play off game back then with a margin of more than single number win it seems. the games were always close, tense and therefore - fun.

[Lebronmvp07]

Jordan and Kobe are great players. Jordan by far is the better player and Kobe has a chance to go down as a top 5 player from his own era. Jordan should be compared to Shaq and Duncan who are the only leaders with multi-championships. Read my channel description. I guarantee you that it teaches you more about the game and the history of MJ and the history of Kobe.

[respecK23]

2:37 to 3:13...the best!!

[DunkadelicCrazy]

Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were the 2 best dunkadelic-mega-stars of their era. No 2 players in their prime could be as explosive as MJ and Nique.

[rrTale]

MJ vs Nique best show on Earth

[jaboo82681]

At 4:10 What the heck was Spud trying to do block his dunk!!!

[romans6thru8]

Please more'89 amd more vs.'Nique! There was nothing like getting excited for the dynamic war between these two. I asked myself, "wonder what's gonna happen" It seemed like they knew how much the other scored. Jordan would make a puch for points and a victory.

Know Christ

John 17:3

[perfectnick]

i can't believe ,why a 189pound jordan had that kind of power , it's just unbelievable

[sfhguibnbhq]

Neil Funk does rule.

Michael Jordan rules more.

[penilefrenchelephant]

that was one nasty motherfucking dunk on moses man

[KingRaffers]

kobe aint close enough to his game

[cable03]

Damn that play at 2:47 is one of the sickest plays of all time. That was just sick. MJ the greatest ever.  PERIOD.

[lebronrod7]

you know d was a beast man. if only he were playing today, I would love to see ron try to guard him ( he would waste mj's time) He would have 50 on him when he was with the wizards in one game but the took him out.

[colex91]

what excites me in this clips is the exhange of dunks between these 2 amazing dunkers of all-time is in 2:45 when nique give mj thunderous dunk and then MJ in response slashed into the middle poured down a powerful yet beautifully executed right hand dunk...oh wow! i like that...michael jordan to good to be true

[D7B]

Look how quick and mobile MJ and Nique are here-

they played the game with such intensity in these days.

[neoxsupreme]

A legendary matchup.

[tatsumaru87]

loving hoops' and jordanlover's comments.i like not only watching it, but studying his moves, every particular. absolutely amazing..trying to do this things in my mind or in my room before getting into the court.thanks guys

[ratzkie619]

pippen stole jordans rebound

[syagllatoohs]

haha you're right, it almost looked like he boxed jordan out... doesnt matter, would have been nice for MJ to get a triple double, but they won anyway

[nunadas]

lol got that right ratzkie he would have nailed a triple double with that rebound..awesome performance thx for the vid Hoops i really apreciate the hard work

[darockk]

I have that game on tape..is this the game where Longley does a spin on Zo and dunks on him?

[darockk]

have you got the reverse dunk jordan did @ Hawks in 1991? I remember watching this game. For the intro they play "jordan vs. Domnique" to the music of Genesis' "Just a job to do". Bull blow out the Hawks

[craw32]

The dunk happened in late March 1991. Sunday afternoon NBC game in the 3rd qtr. That might have been the last time he did that dunk until April of 1996 at Miami!

[darockk]

my jaw dropped when he did that dunk, it was one of the fastest reverse dunks ever. i would love to see it again to see how it's held the test of time.

[craw32]

hey man I still think about that dunk MJ did in '91 @ Hawks. I have it on tape but not the game. Wish I did. But the more I think about it the more I realize how incredible that dunk was. And you never see the highlight anywhere!

[rrTale]

Was that a 2 handed back dunk ur talkin about? Anyways i hope Hoops has it

[craw32]

yes it was that reverse double pump! he'd done it before but this one was the best I'd ever seen! the way he did it and how clean it was! after the jam he looked at Pippen, who was totally jacked and MJ slapped his hand like - oh yeah! hope hoops has it too!

[rrTale]

I think i got that one mate, interestingly enough this one is one of my favs, it's gotta be this one ur talkin about.

Check it:

youtube(dot)com/watch?v=VEBtq4­qpyvM

[rrTale]

I forgot to specify the time, its on the 2:44 mark

[craw32]

that's the one! Wish I could see the game again! I have the highlight on video from the broadcast angle...even better!

[triklops]

@det916: Great video but thats not the slam I mean. I think the one in your video is pre-retirement. The one I mean was later. Thanks anyway.

[superbuggerdude]

I know exactly which dunk you mean. In Miami. 1996. Breakaway double pump. Came outta nowhere cos it was a time when he stopped doing flashy dunks! I have it on VHS. Will try to upload it.

[lyricalsail]

Jordan's move at 2:24 I believe, I had never seen that one, amazing.

[nishifou]

i cannot see jordan

clearly

[jordanlover23]

Awesome video det916. I've seen it before, but that was a really hgh quality version of it.

[det916]

Ahhhhhh... This site won't let me post an internet address.

this is the address anyway, just type it in properly in your address bar...

tinyurl dot com backslack ntafp

[det916]

I'm pretty sure I've got that dunk on a Michael Jordan mix I made, you can download it. It's a lower resolution version of the mix, about 70MB if I remember right. It's to the song "Don't Stop" by the Rolling Stones. The reverse was on a fast break right? Pretty sure it's the one i'm thinking of. Anyway, here's the link:

[triklops]

me again.

Just watched the first minute of your compilation, Jordanlover....WOOOOWWWWWWW..H­ow am I supposed to sleep tonight ???It's 01.42 AM here and this one really got me...OK..gotta check the other minutes :P :P

[triklops]

@Jordanlover23:

This is the poster of the dunk:

Go to GOOGLE , images/pictures (?) and type:

"jordan out of this world"

there you should find it

the poster ruined the move IMO ;) Too modern

[triklops]

I remember seeing it on TV ( CNN's world sport at 13:30 Cenral European Time ?? ;) ). Was always waiting for some

MJ moves and perhaps a "World Sport Play Of The Day" at the end with my VCR turned on to record those short clips

:P

I remember this because I really got excited about how explosive it looked.

[jordanlover23]

Hmmm...interesting. If you find it, post it hoops. :)

[jordanlover23]

I've never seen that dunk, triklops, and I've seen a LOT of Jordan footage (though I don't have many games from the '95-'96 season on tape). What made it so special, justthe distance he took off from or the vertical or what?

[hoopsencyclopedia]

I have that dunk on a news cap reel. I'd have to dig it out tho. It was a double-pump, reverse dunk on the fast break. Very rare but one of his best, later dunks.

[rrTale]

i think thats one of the dunks ive been tryin to find..ive seen it on highlight video but never found it again.the one im talkin about he was on red uniform, with his back turned to the basket, he bring the ball down and then up again for a 2-handed slam.

thx hoops

[h0opman]

@hoopsencyclopedia which Jordan dunk are you talking about? date and against?

[triklops]

Ok two make it more precise: it was a wide open one man fast break for MJ and he must have surprised everyone watching because he simply jumped like he had not done in  years.

[rrTale]

i found the dunk i was talkin about, its a two handed backwards jam, but i think its from 92 or 93, so probably its not the one ur lookin..

anyway if u wanna take a look type "michael jordan aspiration" here on youtube. the dunk is at 2:45

[triklops]

Does anyone know where I can see MJ's backwards two-hand

Jam in a game in Miami after he came back from his first retirement ? I think it was the 95-96 Season but I'm not sure. Can't find that Jam.

[pheeeel17]

I know the dunk you mean. I reckon it was in the new (at that time) black road jerseys with the red pinstripes. It was a big deal because Jordan hadn't dunked like that in years. Also the radio call by Neil Funk was insane. The man exploded after that dunk, thats what I remember as much as the dunk. Neil Funk rules.

[det916]

How people legitimately still think that Kobe is better than Jordan is simply beyond me. Even as an individual talent, the argument is moot.

[blackadam06]

You're dealing with kids, who've never seen any footage of the "real", much less can tell you anything about NBA history. With kids, they tend to think a player is the "best" because he's THEIR "favorite". Whenever someone lacks a sense of history about a particular subject..i.e. basketball, their "taste" in the subject tends to be awful...

[hoopsencyclopedia]

Applause to that.

[mnkhan2020]

couldn't have said it better myself.

[SDTEKKEN]

man hoops props again on the awesome vid

[triklops]

I miss those players. Watching current USA Basketball is horror. No heart , no soul. Refuse to play D vs. Greece yesterday....ridiculous

[gomego]

man ur right hoops. he did pretty much every move in this game, such as his aesthtic jumpshots, dunks, steals, handling the double teams beautifully, beautiful layups, some hangtime moves, etc.... man oh man and one more rebound and he could've gotten triple double! how good is this guy?? lol

[underwood23]

After Dominique slammed one on the Bulls, MJ came back and bulldozed the Hawks with a super power slam :-)

[norshaedm]

finally! hoops i love ya dude haha ...

[jordanlover23]

The quality isn't the greatest, but then again, VHS tapes don't hold up well. =P I could go on and on about this game, but just look at the AMOUNT of amazing things he did in ONE GAME. He did this every game, basically. Nowadays when a guy has one or two great plays in a game it's news, but Jordan literally did 5-10 things EVERY GAME that made your jaw drop or that you had never seen before. The game just flowed out of him in such a creative and pure way.

[hoopsencyclopedia]

Exactly. Every MJ game during his first 7 years were packed with such moves. That's why we watched. The point totals and wins were almost secondary during that time.

[jordanlover23]

This was just a spectacular individual game from Jordan. Not just the stats, but the plays he made during the game. I have this on tape from when they showed it on NBA TV about a year ago, but it's from the opposite side of the court, so it was interesting to watch the whole game from the opposite vantage point. :P

[SPMJ]

I've actually seen this game a couple of times on ESPN Classic. That dunk at the 2:05 mark looks much better from a normal angle(this game I believe was on National TV too). He took off from way out and glided to the rim. It was beautiful.

[hoopsencyclopedia]

Yeah, it was a perfect, finesse dunk. The glide was too smooth.

[barkingclam]

Wow - more great MJ stuff. Thanks!

[Frank87]

Domnique is an athletic freak, but skill-wise he can't compare with Mike. Mike's game was just beautiful.

[mythia]

LOL is it one of the commentator shouting at the finish?

Everytime I watch MJ's play I get goosebumps.

I also have this weird feeling that current NBA players generally have stronger muscles than players in MJ's era. Look at Lebron for example, he's a hunk rather than appearing athletic...

[jxn23]

NBA Players are definately bigger today & they do more spectacular dunks. But players back in these days had so much better fundamentals, skills, and they played hard for the whole game, every game.

I like what hoops wrote about this game, that it was a meaningless midseason game, but MJ (and the other players) played like it was the Finals.

[hoopsencyclopedia]

Interesting, in 1989, the average height was 6-7.31 and the avg weight was 215.58. In 2005, the avg height was shorter 6-7.26 but the weight was higher at 224.29. Obviously, weight training is the key. MJ himself hadn't started to lift until around this time.

I agree that the older vets had MUCH better fundamentals, skills and knowledge. There's a little to much 'street' in isolation play today which has nothing to do with actually being good.

[darockk]

I reckon the added weight that the players carry around today means they will never be as quick and mobile as the players from the 80's. Even Jordan himself slowed down dramtically when he suddenly bulked up in 1992.

[SPMJ]

After a long time, hoops. Great unique stuff as usual. Loved MJ's coast to coast drive. Such incredible speed. Another great moves comes at the 5:23 mark when he quickly dribbles to the right for a jumper b4 the double team arrives. Nobody perimeter player in history dealt with double/triple coverage better than MJ. His basketball IQ man...

[mythia]

...approaches infinite yeah. :D

that and the speedy transition to offensive after grabbing the ball at 1:22...and the steal at 4:00... it's just awesome!

[hoopsencyclopedia]

Yeah, you can see him predict the double and bait it to his left before running around it. But, then, he's also aware of the third guy behind that move so he knows which spot to pull up.