Wearing his iconic red-and-black Air Jordans, Michael Jordan played under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden for the final time as a member of the Chicago Bulls on March 8, 1998.
It was the second-to-last meeting between the Bulls and the New York Knicks that season. The Bulls had a 44-16 record, the best in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks had a 34-25 record, the sixth-best record in the conference.
The game was televised nationally in the United States on a Sunday, a perfect time for NBA fans to witness the final chapter of a career-long rivalry. Jordan entered the contest on fire with an average of 30.3 points over his last three games, the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets being his victims.
Prior to taking the court, Jordan rubbed chalk into his hands and wiped the soles of his shoes. His Airness was home and the show was about to begin.
The Last Dance
The more than 19,000 people who were in attendance that day witnessed one more incredible game from Jordan against the Knicks.
During his 43 minutes on the court, Jordan led the Bulls to victory with 42 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block. He shot an efficient 17-for-33 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free throw line and 7-for-9 from the free throw line.
Jordan put on a masterclass, nailing fadeaway after fadeaway to go along with some impressive finishes as the rim.
Allan Houston scored a team-high 24 points for the Knicks in the loss. He went toe-to-toe with Jordan in the first half, scoring 15 points to Jordan's 17. The Knicks even had the upper hand at the half, but Jordan dominated the third and fourth quarter to secure the win for Chicago.
Bulls head coach Phil Jackson took Jordan out of the game with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. He left to a standing ovation.
Sneaker problems
All that glitters is not gold.
While Jordan made it look easy, it was anything but. The iconic Air Jordans that he wore from 1985? They were size 12.5. Between the 13 years of him wearing those shoes for the first time and this game, Jordan's feet had grown to a size 13.5, making them a size too small for him.
"It's been a long time since I wore them," Jordan said postgame. "It's kind of fun to come back here and play and remember some of the old days and some of the games that I've had here. The shoes are a part of that. But my feet are killing me."
According to Sole Collector, Jordan originally planned on only wearing the sneakers during warmups, but he decided to keep wearing them once they started to get more and more attention, not needing the extra pair of shoes he had on the bench.
"I couldn't take those shoes off fast enough," Jordan says on "The Last Dance." "When I took the shoes off, my sock was soaked in blood."
Jordan retired with career averages of 31.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists against the Knicks.
This has been translated from NBA Spain: "La última actuación de Michael Jordan en el Madison Square Garden con los Chicago Bulls de 'The Last Dance'"
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