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NBA: Top 5 Christmas Performances

By Daniel Tran

Dec 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers hold Christmas gifts behind their back before a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Los Angeles Lakers hold Christmas gifts behind their back before a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 21, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan unveils the new Charlotte Hornets logo at halftime during the game against the Utah Jazz at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, 1992 vs. New York Knicks

“Why Us?” Every Knick fan has uttered this exasperated phrase during the Michael Jordan era and it was understandable why. Jordan was the best player in the league and torched every team that stood in his way, but he took great pleasure in torturing the Knicks and their fan base.

Jordan and the Bulls swept the Knicks out of the playoffs in 1991 when Jordan averaged 29 points and six assists in the series. The next season, when the Knicks were able to push the Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinal, Jordan demolished New York with 42 points in Game 7 to eliminate the Knicks from the playoffs. The Bulls would go on to win their second straight title and the Knicks were left wondering if they would ever get over their Michael Jordan Complex.

When the schedule was released for the 1992-93 season showing the Bulls squaring off against the Knicks on Christmas day, there was no doubt that Jordan wanted to make it a game to remember.

The game was a complete slugfest (pre-hand-check ban after all), with both teams struggling to hit anything from the court. Well at least the mortal players were not doing well. Jordan was just being his G.O.A.T self and making the Knicks pay once again.

With the rest of the Bulls shooting 37.8 percent from the field, Jordan took over, scoring 42 points in addition to eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. The Bulls would score 89 points as a team and win the game by 12 points, 89-77. Jordan accounted for 47.2 percent of the Bulls total offense against a Knicks team that had a top-tier defensive rating of 97.5.

It was another game that Jordan could add to his collection of greatest hits against the Knicks. Unfortunately for the New York Knicks, the game was a bad omen for how season was going to end.

The Knicks would meet the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be eliminated in six games due to Jordan averaging 32.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series, leaving the organization and their fans asking the same tired question: “Why us?”

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