"Nobody really wants to hear it" - Rick Carlisle quips on being labeled as 'Michael Jordan stopper' recalling his battles with MJ
Michael Jordan's career is filled with several moments of him punishing defenders. An iconic performance from him was his 63-point outing against the Celtics in Game 2 of the 1986 playoffs. Interestingly, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was part of that Celtics squad where he held Jordan 0-1 shooting. He looked back on it during his appearance on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast.
The two former NBA players were part of the same draft class in 1984 but had different roster roles from the teams that selected them. Carlisle highlighted that he only played one to two minutes during that memorable Michael Jordan game, the podcast hosts pointed out that he was the only successful defender that made him miss a hot.
However, Carlisle had an interesting response involving the Bulls legend as today's podcast episode was uploaded on YouTube.
"(44:57) Well I don't advertise it because nobody really wants to hear it," Carlisle said. "But it was a memorable game. The third game we played those guys we were double-teaming him and making the other guys shoot and all that kind of stuff and we ended up winning three straight... and Michael had been hurt that year... that guy is a competitor."
Rick Carlisle and the Boston Celtics were still able to pull off the Game 2 victory despite Jordan's best efforts. It then led to a three-game sweep as Boston proved to be the better ball club in that series.
Meanwhile, Carlisle shared that Michael Jordan's impressive scoring performance didn't shock him the slightest as he acknowledged his capabilities on the basketball court.
Michael Jordan talked about the time he dropped 63 points at Boston's TD Garden in Game 2 of the 1986 NBA Playoffs
Jordan electrified the Boston crowd back in the 1986 playoffs when he put up a 63-point performance. However, in an interview with The Washington Post, his individual stat line was the last thing on his mind as his team was down 0-2 before eventually getting swept in the series.
"I'm not worried about the points," Jordan said. "I'd give all the points back if we could win."
Despite not feeling too high about himself, his competitors felt otherwise. Larry Bird named him the "Black Jesus" due to how his shotmaking was not like anything they'd seen before. It wasn't just the barrage of jumpers that he showcased but also his impressive athleticism that proved to be a challenge as well for Boston's defense.
Regardless of how Michael Jordan felt, NBA fans still look back on that performance in awe of what the Bulls legend was able to do. At the same time, his comments are a testament to the kind of competitor he was and how he valued winning at the highest level possible.