Michael Jordan has temporarily silenced his comeback critics - at least those who said he had lost a step.
Jordan officially returned to his old form on Saturday in a preseason game against the New Jersey Nets, as he erupted for 41-points in the Washington Wizards' 102-95 loss in front of a sellout crowd at home. And in typical Jordan fashion, the five-time MVP and six-time NBA Champion also incited a third quarter Wizards' surge that nearly brought his team to a come-from-behind victory.
With Washington down by 18 early in the third, Jordan caught fire, scoring 16 Wizards' 20 points over a five-minute stretch. During the run, he shot six for six from the field, including back-to-back three pointers and his first dunk since he announced his second return to the NBA earlier this month.
When Wizards coach Doug Collins gave Jordan a much-needed rest with 5:36 to play in the quarter, the Nets lead had been whittled down to just two points.
For the game, Jordan shot 15 of 24 from the field, 9 of 11 from the line, and 2 for 2 from three-point land in 33 minutes of action. The beefed up version of Jordan (now a thicker 216 lbs.), starting in the small forward spot instead of his trademark shooting guard position, also grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists - including a textbook no-look pass to Courtney Alexander.
But what the box score does not reveal is that the Wizards struggled to maintain a high level of play with Jordan on the bench. With Jordan in the game, the Wizards outscored the Nets by 16 points; with him on the bench, New Jersey held a 23-point advantage. When number 23 checked back into the game one minute into the fourth quarter, the Nets had turned the tables in the six minute Jordan absence and built their lead back up to 17.
Not surprisingly then, Jordan promptly took matters into his own hands in the final quarter, scoring ten of his team's 27 points and bringing the hosts back to within two points with 1:19 to play. There would be no last minute magic, though. With the Nets up four, it was Wizard Tyronn Lue who took the shot instead of Jordan, which resulted in a badly missed three pointer. New Jersey's Brandon Armstrong then put the nail in the coffin with a three pointer of his own to make it 100-95 with 36 seconds to go.
Collins then took Jordan out of the game, and the Wizards fell to 1-3.
So although his individual talent remains firmly intact, the question remains as to whether or not Jordan can lead a new franchise into the NBA hierarchy. The challenge will officially begin next Tuesday, when the Wizards open their season against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.
