Watch: Throwback to When Michael Jordan Single-Handedly Dominated Knicks at Their Home

With the score tied at 107 and just over a minute left in the game, Michael Jordan dribbled to the baseline and passed the ball to an open Scottie Pippen, who banked it in. The Knicks then tied it at 109 with two free throws after a timeout. In the next Bulls possession, Jordan gave the Bulls a 2-point lead with a contested jumper over John Starks. 

The Knicks tied it at 111 before Jordan took the ball for the Bulls’ finals possession with 12 seconds left. He rose for a jumper just a step ahead of the free-throw line. With three Knicks defenders closing on him, he passed the ball to an open Bill Wennington in the paint for a dunk. With three seconds left in the game, the Knicks couldn’t score, and the Bulls won 113-111. 

Even after being away from basketball, Michael Jordan came back and dominated like he was never gone. And neither was his clutch gene. Interestingly, the Bulls played the Atlanta Hawks the game before the Knicks. Even then, Jordan had hit the clutch shot to give the Bulls a 99-98 win. 

Michael Jordan’s secret behind his clutch gene and why it is missing from modern NBA

The last image of MJ’s final retirement from the Bulls is his series-winning shot over Bryon Russell to seal his sixth title. The list of Jordan making clutch shots is long, going back to his days at the University of North Carolina. But it wasn’t something that the Bulls legend was born with. 

In 2019, the six-time NBA champion revealed the secret behind his will to take a clutch shot and his confidence, something that he believed was missing from modern NBA.

“I believed every time out I was the best. And the more shots I hit, the more it reinforced that,” Michael Jordan said per ESPN. “So, when you miss — because no matter how great you are, you will miss — you don’t waver, because you’ve built yourself a nice little cushion of confidence.”

“Now, we’ve seen plenty of guys go the other way. They miss one shot, and they can’t seem to ever make one. That’s the kind of negative reinforcement that ruins guys,” he added.

Every NBA superstar is just another human who will miss some shots in those adrenaline-filled moments. However, it’s always the years of preparation and mental strength that finally provide the confidence to demand the ball in the crucial moments of the game.