Larry Bird’s ‘God Disguised as Michael Jordan’ Quote: The Game That Changed How Fans Saw MJ
Michael Jordan’s 63-point playoff explosion against the Celtics was already legendary, but Larry Bird’s postgame quote helped turn it into NBA history. Here’s the full context behind the game, the line, and how Boston still finished that season with a title.
Larry Bird’s ‘God Disguised as Michael Jordan’ Quote: The Game That Changed How Fans Saw MJ originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Some famous sports quotes stick around because they sound good.
This one stuck because it felt true in real time. On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan walked into Boston Garden for Game 2 of a first-round playoff series and lit up one of the best teams ever assembled. After the game, Larry Bird delivered the line that would live forever, saying it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan.
” It was not empty praise, and it was not just Bird being dramatic. Jordan had just scored 63 points against a 67-win Celtics team that would go on to win the NBA championship. What makes the moment even better is the context.
Jordan was only in his second NBA season, and that year had nearly been wrecked by injury. He played just 18 regular-season games after breaking a small bone in his foot early in the season, yet still returned in time to lead a 30-52 Bulls team into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
Continue to the original source for the full article.