Throwback: Michael Jordan’s Record-Breaking Playoff Game Against the Boston Celtics in 1986

Jordan finished with 63 points on 22-of-41 shooting, converting 19 of his 21 free throw attempts. He also added 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, though he never attempted a single three-pointer.

However, the Celtics still won, 135-131 in double overtime, led by Larry Bird’s 36 points and Kevin McHale’s 27. Boston swept the series and would go on to win the title.

Having said that, the record Michael Jordan broke that night had stood since 1962 and was made by Elgin Baylor.

Baylor had scored 61 points for the Los Angeles Lakers against the same Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Jordan surpassed it by two, and no one has come within six points of his total since. Trailing behind Jordan and Baylor, the all-time single-game playoff scoring list includes Donovan Mitchell with 57, and Jimmy Butler and Charles Barkley tied at 56.

That being said, the 63-point game was not an anomaly, as Michael Jordan returned to the same stage repeatedly and turned in performances that reinforced the same truth.

Michael Jordan had a Habit of Defining Playoff Moments

In Game 3 of the 1992 first round against the Miami Heat, he scored 56 points on 20-of-30 shooting, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. He had just 2 points in the first quarter, but then erupted for 54 more across the final three. The Bulls completed the sweep.

In Game 2 of the 1997 first round against the Washington Bullets, Jordan scored 55 points, including 20 of Chicago’s final 23 fourth-quarter points, to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and close out a 109-104 win. He shot 62.9% from the field and converted all 10 of his free throw attempts.

“We did everything conceivable to try to contain him,” Bullets coach Bernie Bickerstaff said afterward. The Bulls swept that series as well, on their way to their fifth championship.

However, what the 1986 game established, and those later nights confirmed, was that Michael Jordan did not simply score in the playoffs; he raised his level precisely when the stakes demanded it.