Statitudes

Statitudes

On This Day (May 1)

Notable events from NBA history that occurred on May 1.

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Justin Kubatko
May 01, 2023
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Jordan Makes History

On this day in 1988, the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan scored 55 points in a 106-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Jordan — who scored 50 points in Game 1 — became the first (and still only) player in NBA history to record back-to-back 50-point games in the playoffs.

Jordan shot 24-45 from the field and made all seven of his free throws. Jordan tied the NBA record for most field goals made in a playoff game (a mark he still shares) and set a franchise record for most field goals attempted in a playoff game (a mark he still owns).

Jordan averaged 45.2 PPG in this series, the second-highest scoring average in a postseason series in NBA history. This was one of five times Jordan averaged at least 40 PPG in a playoff series, one more than all other players in NBA history combined (Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Rick Barry, and Bernard King, once apiece).

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