MJ 1995 buzzer throwback
On March 25 timelines resurfaced Michael Jordan's 32‑point buzzer‑beater that lifted the Bulls to a 99‑98 win over the Hawks in 1995 — Scottie Pippen had 23/10 that night. (x.com)
Contemporary accounts disagreed on the distance of Jordan’s buzzer jumper — the Chicago Tribune described it as a straight‑on 14‑footer while UPI called it a 20‑footer. (chicagotribune.com) Play‑by‑play records show Mookie Blaylock’s layup with 1:22 and an Andrew Lang jumper with 47 seconds put Atlanta ahead, after which Jordan grabbed a rebound with 5.9 seconds remaining, called timeout and dribbled the length of the court before his final shot. (upi.com) Official box scores list Jordan 14‑for‑26 from the field and 4‑for‑4 from the free‑throw line for that night, and the game was played before an announced attendance of 16,378 at the Omni Coliseum. (espn.com) Toni Kukoč led Chicago with 18 points off the bench, while Atlanta received 20 points from Mookie Blaylock and 19 from Steve Smith, according to the team stat lines. (espn.com) Reporters noted the game came in Jordan’s fourth appearance since returning from his 17‑month retirement, and three days later he produced the 55‑point "Double‑Nickel" outing at Madison Square Garden. (upi.com) Contemporaneous wire copy recorded that the result moved the Bulls 2½ games ahead of the Hawks in the race for the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed that season. (upi.com)
