'Why would you do that?' - Eddie Johnson recalls the moment when his coach Larry Brown, got mad after he trash-talked Michael Jordan

During his playing days, Michael Jordan was the last person anyone wanted to talk trash to. With a reputation for responding to any slight with a dominating performance, it was prudent to leave the legendary wingman alone during a game.

However, this must have slipped Eddie Johnson's mind when he played against Jordan's Chicago Bulls late in the 1995-1996 season. In the second-to-last game of the regular season, Johnson's Pacers had the inside track on the win, leading by eight with under two minutes remaining.

At that moment, Johnson made the mistake of trash-talking the former Tar Heel. As expected, MJ's response was nothing short of extraordinary.

Jordan made a non-bearing game mean something

At that time, Jordan and the Bulls had already made history. With 71 wins, they were on their way to setting the record for most wins in a single season. As Chicago hosted Indiana, the vibe was mellow as the two teams appeared to be more focused on preparing for the postseason grind. However, the situation quickly escalated when Johnson exchanged words with MJ.

"I remember saying something to him one time. This is when they were trying to win 73 games. They were trying to get the all-time record. We had them in an afternoon game. The game meant nothing. They were in the playoffs. I was playing with the Pacers. We were in the playoffs," "The Smooth Shooter" narrated.

Feeling confident that the Pacers were up by a considerable margin with little time remaining in the game, Johnson suggested that Mike should sit the rest of the game down, a playful jab that nearly resulted in disaster for the Pacers.

"We were up eight points with about a minute and a half left, and I remember standing at the free throw line, and I looked at him. I said, 'Why don't you go sit down? Game's over,'" he said. "And he looked at me. The next minute, I'm telling you, he played like it was Game Seven. I'm like, 'What's wrong with this dude?' I mean, he was playing like it was Game Seven. He did not like the fact that I just said that to him."

Larry Brown was pissed

With the tide suddenly turning, Pacers head coach Larry Brown sued for time to give his troops time to regroup.

"All of a sudden, it was a one-point game. So Larry Brown calls timeout, and we go to the bench. And I think one of my teammates—I don't know, Antonio Davis—said, 'Did you say something to MJ?' I said, 'Yeah, I told him the game was over,'" Johnson sheepishly admitted.

Upon hearing of what his player had done, Brown was beside himself.

"And Larry Brown heard it. Larry was like, 'Why would you do that???'" Eddie added.

Fortunately for the Pacers, they still won that game 100-99. Their postseason run, though, was short lived, as they fell to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. On the other hand, the Bulls went on to win the 1996 NBA title with a finals win over the Seattle Supersonics.