The Double Nickel Game

The Double Nickel Game was the fifth Basketball game that Michael Jordan played in after returning to basketball after temporarily retiring to play professional baseball for the "Barons" and the "White Socks". This game was played on March 28, 1995; it was played between the "Chicago Bulls" and the "New York Knicks". The game was played at "Madison Square Garden" in New York City. The memorable part of it is that Michael Jordan scored 55 points in a game that the Bulls won 113-111. This became a defining moment in basketball and marked the return of Jordan to professional basketball

Some background information on this is that Michael Jordan had retired from professional basketball after his dad died in 1993. During his retirement, he pursued his professional baseball career. In 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA with a now-famous two-word sentence, "I'm back." The Double Nickel Game took place only 10 days after he came back to the NBA. Jordan had played 4 basketball games since he came back but did not show his dominance like he had before he retired. This all ended when he played one of the best teams in the league, the New York Knicks.

The Knicks were known for their defence, and Jordan came out and scored 55 points; he shot and made 21 out of 37 shots from the field. He also made 3 out of 4 three pointers he shot and made 10 out of 11 free throws. Jordan is the main reason this game was won, and he proved to everyone that he was still the greatest of all time. They named this the double nickel game because of the dual 5s in his point total. At the time, he also broke the record he had set a few years earlier on total points scored at Madison Square Garden.

The final moment of this night also didn't disappoint. With the score tied 111-111 Jordan drove to the basket and made the assist to Bill Wennington who dunked the ball and made the Bulls pull ahead and ultimately win the game. Overall the significance of this game was built on numerous factors. This showed the true Michael Jordan coming back after being retired for 18 months. It showed his dominance coming back, scoring 55 points on one of if not the best defense in the league at the time. It also all happened at a place of significance, Madison Square garden one of basketballs most famous arenas.

This Game was ultimately a trendsetter showing that Michael Jordan was still a championship contender. As a matter of fact the Bulls went on to play in the Eastern Conference semifinals before finally losing to the Orlando Magic.

References

NBA.com - Top Moments: Double Nickel Game
The Washington Post - Michael Jordan's greatest moments
Sky Sports - Michael Jordan Greatest Chicago Bulls Games
New York Knicks Media Guide - Historical Dates
Youtube.com - Double Nickel Game
MLB.com - Michael Jordan

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