NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 8 · APRIL 20, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE AVERAGED 33.6 POINTS PER GAME IN THE FINALS. HIS REGULAR SEASON AVERAGE WAS 30.1.
Career Points In The NBA Finals — Jordan's Career
Average
MICHAEL JORDAN LEBRON JAMES JERRY WEST
Michael Jordan averaged 33.6 points per game across all 6 of his NBA Finals series — every series he
ever played in. His worst Finals performance was 29.7 PPG. He was better in the Finals than in the regular
season (30.1 PPG career). The bigger the moment, the higher the number. Jerry West was called 'Mr.
Clutch' for his playoff performances. Jordan averaged more per game in the Finals than West did. The
logo on the NBA ball is West's silhouette. Jordan's number averaged more.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz 1998-06-14
6 3 15/35 W
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
The Last Shot.
JUNE 14, 1998. THE ONE THEY ALL REMEMBER.
Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Bulls down 3 going into the fourth quarter. Utah at home. The Delta Center
crowd ready to force a Game 7. With 18.9 seconds left and the Bulls down one, Jordan stole the ball from Karl
Malone. Went the other way. Hit the jumper over Bryon Russell. 87-86 Bulls. Utah never got another
possession. The buzzer sounded. Jordan pumped his fist. He retired five months later. The Last Shot is what
a career ending looks like when you decide to write the ending yourself.
MJ VS TODAY 03
The Last Shot vs All Other Career-Ending Moments
JORDAN'S ENDING MOST ATHLETES' ENDINGS
FINAL SCORE TYPICAL ENDING
Bulls Win, 87-86 Injury or decline
JORDAN'S LINE VS LAST GAME
45pts, steal, winner Often a loss
RETIRED AFTER MOMENT CONTROL
Yes (first time) Rare
Athletes almost never get to write their own ending. Bodies fail, teams change, performance declines — the
sport usually decides when it's over. Jordan decided. His last shot as a Bull — the defining franchise moment
— won the championship. He then walked off the court, walked into Phil Jackson's office, and announced his
retirement. The agency in that is almost mythological.
Does The Last Shot cement him as the GOAT?
YES, FULL STOP TOP 2 REGARDLESS STILL NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR LEBRON'S LONGEVITY
DIFFERENT ERAS, CAN'T COMPARE
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
THE MOMENT BEFORE THE MOMENT
He Stole The Ball With 18.9 Seconds Left.
What people remember is the jump shot over Bryon Russell. What they forget is the play
before it. Karl Malone — the second-best power forward who ever played — was posting
up with the ball, game on the line, protecting a one-point lead. Jordan came from behind.
Stripped him clean. Nobody saw it coming. Without the steal, there is no last shot. The
steal was the last shot. The jumper was the confirmation.
Karl had the ball. I just took it.
— MICHAEL JORDAN, 1998
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
CAREER FINALS PPG POINTS IN THE LAST SHOT GAME
33.6 Across all 6 Finals series. His worst Finals 45 Game 6, 1998 Finals. His series ended
was 29.7 PPG. He was better in June than with the highest individual effort of the
in November. series. Classic Jordan.
NBA FINALS RECORD SECONDS LEFT WHEN JORDAN STOLE THE
6-0 Won all 6 series he appeared in. Never 18.9 BALL FROM MALONE
needed a Game 7. Won Finals MVP all 6 The steal setup the jumper. The moment
times. before the moment everyone remembers.
87-86 FINAL SCORE — BULLS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP
Jordan's jumper was the final margin. The last scoring play of the 1997-98 season.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
John Salley
DETROIT PISTONS / CHICAGO BULLS / LAKERS · 1986–2000
4 CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS ACROSS 3 FRANCHISES
The Only Player To Win Championships With The Bulls AND The Bad Boys
John Salley won back-to-back championships with the Detroit Pistons — the team that defined itself by
stopping Jordan — and then won a championship with Jordan's Bulls in 1996 at age 31. He's one of a tiny
number of players who beat Jordan AND played with Jordan on a championship team. His perspective on
both sides of the rivalry is unmatched. His career gets reduced to 'Spider.' He deserves more.
The Jordan Connection: Salley saw Jordan as a rival up close with the Pistons and as a teammate with the
Bulls. He once said: 'I knew we had to stop him to win. When I played with him, I understood why nobody
could.'
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
MJ MONDAYS The Jordan Era · 1984–2003
Every Monday. No exceptions.