Michael Jordan, an era-defining NBA legend, has faced a ton of fiery opponents during his career. From Karl Malone to Clyde Drexler, there’s a long list of players who tried their hand at stopping the Air Jordan. One of these would be former player Sherman Douglas who encountered the Bulls star several times on the court.

That immediately draws the basketball pundits back to the 1998 NBA Playoffs. In an Eastern Conference first-round matchup, the New Jersey Nets locked horns with MJ-led Chicago Bulls. They were the prime years of the eventual GOAT and Nets’ Sherman Douglas decided to lock horns with him.

The Bulls vs Nets playoff game day (1998)

In the final seconds of the game, Douglas positioned to take an inbound from beyond the arc and Michael simply knocked it out of bounds. Douglas felt that he was fouled during the act, but the decision didn’t stand in his favor. The next thing that fans witnessed was the Nets point guard trash-talking Jordan on the court.

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In response, Michael laughed constantly at Douglas’ comments without any hitch. He mocked Douglas with that laugh that proved to be more than a comeback to his opponent.

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Well, Jordan always knows what he’s up to. Several banters and trash-talking instances have surrounded Jordan’s career. Against a player so good, the competitors also grow in numbers.

Why was Michael Jordan vs Sherman Douglas a big deal?

The 1998 NBA Playoffs wasn’t the first time that Jordan and Douglas locked horns. In the duration of Sherman Douglas’ 12-year NBA career, he has faced the legend 30 times. And yes, Douglas was defeated by Michael all those times. That’s written down in NBA history, the most number of defeats (30) without a win for a player against another.

As far as the 1998 face-off is concerned, Michael Jordan and the Bulls swept the Nets 3-0 in the series to proceed in the postseason. Jordan, who averaged 36.3 points per game during the series, took the show on himself.

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