John Kim 
Thus far, the 2014 NBA Playoffs have delivered everything we’ve expected of pro sports in the postseason. The high stress, hard fouls, heady plays, and hefty comebacks have delivered some high-octane entertainment, all of which pale in comparison to the fact that the eventual champion is still a big question mark. Needless to say, it’s been nothing but must-see-TV in the NBA front over the last two weeks, a nice departure from best-of-sevens of recent years that seem to reach a conclusion after two or three games. There’s obviously more of a story when there isn’t a clear-cut winner and lower-seeded teams emerge as contenders, but in the decade prior to the new century, it was all Jordan; he and the Bulls dominated when it came to the “second” season and the power shifted back to the West only when MJ was absent from the game. That doesn’t mean his track record went unscathed, because there was a time in the 90’s when Michael Jordan was sent home.
Had it not been for retirement, it is entirely possible that the Jordan-led dynasty could’ve stretched to double digits. Arguably the most competition the Bulls ever got in the Finals was Malone, Stockton, and the Utah Jazz, but even those teams couldn’t stretch the series to seven games. Sports romantics would point to his early retirements in ’93 and ’98 as the only thing getting in the way of a potential decade-long dynasty, but Michael did have a chance to win another in 1995 when he made a surprise comeback to the Bulls with just a handful of games left in the regular season. Did the early return and exit taint his legacy in any way? Not likely, but it says more about what should have been – an uninterrupted string of titles at least eight long. While we’re amidst one of the best NBA Playoffs perhaps of the post-Jordan era, let’s take a look back at Jordan’s sole exit from the postseason back in ’95.
After retiring from basketball, Michael Jordan turned his attention towards baseball – a sport that his late father wished his son to partake in. Citing “nothing else to prove” in the NBA, he used his intense focus to excel in the minor league ranks for the Chicago White Sox organization. He played decently and made swift improvements in a short time, but due to the MLB lockout and an itch for competition, Michael decided to return to the NBA with just 18 games left in the regular season. The Bulls, of course, welcomed back their leader with open arms, only he looked a tad different than how they last remembered him; he appeared a bit slower, his jumpshot was not as precise as it once was, and he was wearing the unfamiliar jersey number 45.
The number, of course, was brought over from his baseball days; jordan decided to move on from the past and star anew. All in all, it was still a great comeback for Michael (certainly one of the major sports events of ’95), and the Chicago fanbase and franchise entered the NBA Playoffs with one thing in mind – winning another NBA title with Michael Jordan.
In that time Jordan was gone, a new powerhouse was building in the Eastern Conference – the Orlando Magic. Two of the best college players of the decade in Shaquille O’neal and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway joined forces with a bolstered roster that included former Bull Horace Grant and some sharp-shooting role players in Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott. The Magic quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with, and the result of this second-round match-up between the Bulls and Magic might as well have determined the Finals representative for the East. Anderson, who was charged with the duty of guarding Michael throughout the series, noted that “45 is not 23” and that his opponent was no longer as explosive as he used to be. This came after two key turnovers my Michael in the last ten seconds of the game – errors that likely cost the Bulls the game.
It was during this Playoff series that the legendary tale of the Air Jordan 11 unfolded. Michael was steadily wearing the Air Jordan X, but Tinker Hatfield showed him a sample of the patent-leather laden successor prior to the series. Without Hatfield’s consent, Jordan decided to debut the Air Jordan XI to the world for the first time.
Michael displayed classic brilliance during this series. Was it MJ wearing off the rust? Was it his new shoes kicking in, or was it the fact that he, unbeknownst to anyone, even his teammates, that he switched back to his old #23? Michael hung up his old number for good when he switched to baseball and switched to the awkward #45 upon his return, but he chose to make the switch and revealed it to the world as he unzipped his warm-ups prior to Game 2. Jordan took over the second half of the game, and single-handledly evened the series up.
The comeback of 23 was a surprise to everyone but Michael. Teammate Steve Kerr had no clue. Opposing player Brian Shaw, for a moment, didn’t see Jordan’s name on the scoreboard, because he was looking for a 45 instead of a 23. The Bulls were fined by the league (reports say the damage was up to $100,000) for approving a jersey change without notifying the league. The front office had no idea that Michael did what he did, but Jerry Krause and the franchise was 100% behind whatever decision Michael made.
The 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic were now tied at one game a piece. In two games, spectators had seen two different versions of Michael – one that was, according to his primary defender Nick Anderson, “not No. 23”, and another that was everything we remembered about the basketball hero. Game 3 was a toss-up. Would the home crowd see the vulnerable Jordan from Game 1, or the heroic one from Game 2? Despite MJ pouring in forty points, Chicago would fall to Orlando and the team was down yet again.
Aside from the game, another apparel-based subplot was brewing. Jordan made the decision of changing his jersey, but for Game 3, the league decided to implement a change of its own; due to “non-conforming shoes”, Michael’s new Air Jordan 11s were not deemed suitable for wear as the rest of his Bulls teammates wore all-black shoes. A quick remedy would be for Michael to go with the all-black “Shadow” colorway of the Air Jordan 10, but with no spare pairs laying around, he had to borrow some Nikes from Penny Hardaway. The Air Flight One featured Penny’s “1” on the heel-tab of the shoes, so Michael went ahead and chopped them off.
Finally, Michael’s uniform was all good to go. He had his #23 on his back, and Nike delivered a pair of “conforming” shoes – the sexy patent leather sneaker in an all-black variety. The shoes featured a unique Royal Blue Jumpman logo on the upper, a hue that ironically matches that of the opposing Orlando team rather than the Bulls. The rest from the jersey-related hoopla was certainly welcome as Chicago squad regrouped to the tie the series at 2 each.
The series switched back to Orlando for Game 5 (the Home Court arrangement was a different back then), and Orlando quickly capitalized on their familiar floor. After winning Game 5 and momentum on their side, the Magic managed to take Game 6 in Chicago and hand Michael his first-ever Playoff series loss in the 90s. How did he bounce back? By leading the Bulls to a record 72 wins and winning three more NBA titles. While the story of loss is one Michael would like to forget, we remember this short span of Playoff basketball for one of the most historic moments in sneaker history.
