Michael Jordan has a well-documented competitive streak and, apparently, that comes with a knack for predicting his own explosive performances.
During the second episode of "The Last Dance" — ESPN's highly anticipated 10-part docuseries about Jordan and the 1997-1998 championship Chicago Bulls — a look back at the Bulls' first-round playoff series against the star-studded Boston Celtics in 1986 provided yet another example of his ruthless mentality as a competitor.
Jordan and Danny Ainge, who is now the Celtics' general manager but was then a shooting guard on the team, went golfing together the day before Game 2 of the series. Jordan — widely known for his gambling — bet Ainge throughout the affair and, unsurprisingly, was quite unhappy after performing poorly and ultimately losing.
To add insult to injury, Ainge, whose team then owned a one-game lead over the Bulls — acknowledged smack-talking throughout the day on the links.
"I talked some trash to him that day," Ainge said during a sit-down interview for the series. "That might have been a mistake."
Not to be outdone, the future six-time NBA champion issued a warning to Ainge and the rest of his Celtics teammates before they parted ways.
"Tell your boy" — Dennis Johnson — "I got something for him tomorrow," Jordan said.
Johnson — a six-time NBA All-Defensive first-team selection and Hall of Famer — was tasked with containing Jordan throughout the series, including the game that following day. And, as promised, Jordan had something for him that game: an iconic 63-point performance that remains the NBA record high for points scored in a playoff game.
In a series debut full of memorable moments, Jordan's early-career antics stood out to many. Twitter had a field day reacting to Jordan's and Ainge's exchange.
—Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 20, 2020
—ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 20, 2020
—🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) April 20, 2020
—BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) April 20, 2020
—Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) April 20, 2020
- Read more:
- Michael Jordan once walked into his opponents' locker room to warn them that 'it's going to be a long f---ing night' before scoring 61 points
- Legendary NBA broadcaster Mike Breen says Michael Jordan's 'mystique' was so rare he could intimidate anyone in his path
- Michael Jordan turned down partying with the 'traveling cocaine circus' Bulls as a rookie and may have saved his career
- Barack Obama was referred to as 'Former Chicago Resident' in the premiere episode of 'The Last Dance' and Twitter is losing it
