It didn’t take much for things to become personal with Michael Jordan. Byron Scott witnessed it firsthand.
Peeler vs. MJ
Scott appeared on the “Dan Patrick Show” and shared a story about a matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers on November 20, 1992. The Lakers no longer had Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at that point; instead, they turned to Scott, Sam Perkins, Vlade Divac, and Sedale Threatt to lead their new era.
Before the game, Jordan learned that Scott, the Lakers' go-to MJ defender, would not play due to an ankle sprain he had sustained days earlier. When he found out Anthony Peeler would guard him instead, MJ warned Scott about the type of performance he was about to have.
"So they’re getting off the bus, we’re done with shootaround, and we’re walking out and MJ says, ‘B Scott, what’s going on?’ I said, ‘What’s up, MJ?’ he said, ‘Man, I hear that you’re not playing tonight.’ I said, ‘No, I sprained my ankle.’ He said, ‘Who’s guarding me?’ I said, ‘Anthony Peeler.’ He’s like, ‘50.’ [laughs]. So I told Anthony Peeler, ‘Listen, MJ is probably going to go for about 50 tonight on you. So just don’t piss him off. Just be cool.’ He ended up with 54,” Peeler said.
How Scott guarded Jordan
Scott’s mindset when guarding Jordan was never to make him angry. According to the former Laker, trying to trash-talk Jordan was a recipe for disaster because that could light a fire within the Bulls legend and lead to scoring explosions.
The Lakers beat the Bulls 120-118 in overtime on that November 20, 1992 game at the Great Western Forum. Jordan led all scorers with 54 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks, and Scottie Pippen added 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Bulls. Sam Perkins had a monster game for the Lakers with 26 points and 15 rebounds, and James Worthy finished with 23 points and 8 assists.
Peeler struggled when guarding Jordan throughout his career. Following Jordan’s 54-point explosion in 1992, the six-time NBA champion dropped 36, 20, 17, 22, 28, and 41 points in the next six games he played against the 6-4 guard.
More must-reads: