<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Zach-LaVine.jpg"></figure><h1>Zach LaVine joins Michael Jordan with impressive record after hot game vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-15T21:15:59-08:00">January 15th, 9:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-15T21:15:59-08:00">January 15th, 9:15pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zach Lavine has notched yet another record for the Chicago Bulls not seen since the great Michael Jordan. On Friday, the 25-year-old high-flyer became the latest player in Bulls history to record four-straight 30-point games while shooting 50 percent from the floor. MJ was the last to achieve the feat way back in 1996.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zach LaVine is the first Bulls player with 4 consecutive 30-point games while shooting 50% (or better) from the floor since Michael Jordan had a 5-game streak in Nov. 1996. <a href="https://t.co/0RU6GWIpDZ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/0RU6GWIpDZ</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1350287830170423298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>LaVine finished with an impressive line of 35 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and one steal against the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. He made 11 of his 19 field goals and went 8-of-14 from three-point territory in 43 minutes.</p><p>But his great performance once again went for naught as the Bulls couldn’t get the job done and <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/chicago-bulls-oklahoma-city-thunder-2021011525/">lost in overtime, 127-125</a>. They fell to 4-8 while the Thunder improved to 6-6. LaVine putting up huge numbers in losing efforts continue to be the story of the season for the Bulls. As impressive as the two-time Slam Dunk champion’s explosions have been, they have lost four straight games.</p><p>Heading to Friday’s game versus the Thunder, LaVine was putting up 27.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 steals, and 1.3 steals. His name has also been linked to multiple trade rumors since the beginning of the season.</p><p>The Bulls’ misfortunes are clearly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-zach-lavine-takes-important-role-chicago-tries-dig-out-early-hole/">not for LaVine’s lack of trying</a>. The team must soon find a way to give him all the help he needs to close out games. The Bulls will take on the Dallas Mavericks next and will try to put an end to their ugly slump.</p><p>If Zach LaVine can put up two more 30+ point outings, he’ll have the rare opportunity to surpass His Airness’s record.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zach LaVine joins Michael Jordan with impressive record after hot game vs. Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cavs-news-Gilbert-Arenas_-spicy-take-on-Michael-Jordan-and-LeBron-James-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Gilbert Arenas’ spicy take on Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Cavs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-14T13:43:43-08:00">January 14th, 1:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-14T13:43:43-08:00">January 14th, 1:43pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James is considered the greatest basketball player of all time by some and those people mention his ability to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals early in his career as a reason why.</p><p>With Michael Jordan and James argued as the GOATs in NBA history, retired star Gilbert Arenas uttered that he <a href="https://twitter.com/WhistleSports/status/1349504723452366848">doesn’t believe</a> Jordan could have led the early-James Cavs to the playoffs (via <a href="http://whistle.video/PlayersBreakdown">Whistle Sports</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">What would've happened if you gave MJ &amp; Kobe those <a href="https://twitter.com/cavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Cavs</a> teams <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@kingJames</a> had in his first Cleveland stint?</p><p>"They wouldn't have made the playoffs. Wouldn't have made it to the championship, Jordan would've just averaged 60 &amp; said the hell with it"</p><p>📲 <a href="https://t.co/P8dnSrQQLJ" target="_blank">https://t.co/P8dnSrQQLJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/49cXgEQbdj" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/49cXgEQbdj</a></p><p>— Whistle (@WhistleSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhistleSports/status/1349504723452366848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 13, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In the season before the Cavs took James, they finished with a league-worst 17-65 record. But in his second season with Cleveland, James helped improve Cleveland to a 42-40 record despite missing the postseason.</p><p>However, in his third season with the Cavaliers, James led an average squad to the Eastern Conference semifinals, only to <a href="https://cavsnation.com/cavs-news-what-21-year-old-lebron-james-was-really-like-per-larry-hughes/">somehow carry them</a> to the NBA Finals in 2006-07. The supporting cast for James early in his career was guys like Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Larry Hughes, and Drew Gooden.</p><p>With that in mind, James definitely exceeded expectations by being able to lead Cleveland to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2005-10. On the other hand, Arenas—who had his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-gilbert-arenas-asked-lebron-james-if-he-could-be-unpaid-intern-for-la/">fair share</a> of battles with James—believes that Jordan wouldn’t have had the same results on the Cavaliers as James.</p><p>While Arenas realizes that Jordan would likely muster up a historic number of points per game, he isn’t confident that Jordan would have gotten everyone involved. Arenas believes James’ ability to create plays and utilize his teammates is why he’s the greatest of all time.</p><p>Despite Jordan being legendary in his own right, Arenas is confident that Jordan wouldn’t have been able to sniff the playoffs if he were on the Cavs teams that James was on early in his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Gilbert Arenas’ spicy take on Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Cavs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/23XI-Racing-Michael-Jordan-Nascar-Daytona-500.jpg"></figure><h1>Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing NASCAR team unveils car for 2021 Daytona 500</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-14T09:58:33-08:00">January 14th, 9:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-14T09:58:59-08:00">January 14th, 9:58am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NASCAR</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The newly-formed 23XI Racing NASCAR team, owned by Michael Jordan, recently unveiled its car for driver Bubba Wallace for the Daytona 500 next month.</p><p>Wallace tweeted out a short promo video for the team and the car on Thursday morning. The car is primarily red and white, with Wallace racing the No. 23. It looks like an ode to Jordan’s days with the Chicago Bulls.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Year. New ride. Let’s Go! ⁰<br>Daytona 500 | February 14 | FOX | 2:30pm ET<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReadytoDeliver?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ReadytoDeliver</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DoorDash?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#DoorDash</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/23XIRacing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#23XIRacing</a> <a href="https://t.co/n4zjLsOCQu" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/n4zjLsOCQu</a></p><p>— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) <a href="https://twitter.com/BubbaWallace/status/1349718211277824004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 14, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Michael Jordan partnered with NASCAR legend Denny Hamlin to form the new NASCAR Cup Series Team, appointing Wallace to be his marquee driver shortly thereafter.</p><p>Wallace will look to represent His Airness well in his fourth full Cup Series season, just months after shaking up the sport.</p><p>The only full-time Black driver in the Cup Series, Wallace was instrumental in getting NASCAR to ban confederate flags from race sites this past summer. He subsequently dealt with an ugly situation involving a rope knot shaped as a noose, which was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/sports/autoracing/nascar-noose-bubba-wallace.html">found in his garage</a> at Talladega Superspeedway.</p><p>Meanwhile, Jordan partnered with Hamlin to form their own team, one meant to to encourage more diversity in the sport. Jordan also pledged $100 million over the next ten years in the hopes of diversifying NASCAR:</p><blockquote>“Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners,” 23XI Racing main man Michael Jordan said, via <a href="https://www.nba.com/hornets/mj-hamlin-wallace-nascar">NBA.com</a>. “The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more. In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing.”</blockquote><p>The Cup Series begins with three minor races at <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-rumors-kyrie-irving-to-join-kevin-durant-james-harden-at-some-point/" rel="noopener">Daytona before the heralded</a> Daytona 500 on Feb. 14.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing NASCAR team unveils car for 2021 Daytona 500

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/warriors-news-stephen-curry-drops-iconic-line-on-michael-jordan-meme-after-62-point-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Stephen Curry drops iconic line on Michael Jordan meme after 62-point game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-04T06:50:11-08:00">January 4th, 6:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-04T06:50:55-08:00">January 4th, 6:50am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Stephen Curry invoked none other than the great Michael Jordan in his post-game presser after dropping a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-nba-twitter-going-bonkers-over-stephen-curry-62-points/">career-high</a> 62 points for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.</p><p>Curry came out with a performance for the ages, and it was only apt that he calls upon the GOAT, as the former back-to-back MVP used the opportunity to shade his haters, who came out of the woodwork after his slow start to the season.</p><blockquote>“Cue the Jordan meme, right?” Curry said, via <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30647770/golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-explodes-career-high-62-points">Nick Freidell of ESPN</a>. “I take all that personally.”</blockquote><p>For those in need of context, Curry was referencing a now widely popular line uttered by Jordan himself in <i>The Last Dance</i>, wherein MJ stated how he “took that personally”. Jordan explained how he used a series of events during the historic 1997-98 season as motivation towards ultimately winning his sixth NBA title that year.</p><p>As for Curry, what he admitted to having taken personally is all the criticism that has been thrown at his direction of late. The Warriors have had a poor start to the 2020-21 season, and Curry has served as the scapegoat for some folks. Sunday’s performance served as a reminder that he still remains to be one of the best players in the game today.</p><p>Curry led the Dubs to their third win in their opening six games, as they defeated Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, 137-122. Curry will need to be at his very best throughout this season in order to give the Warriors any hope of contending for the title.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Stephen Curry drops iconic line on Michael Jordan meme after 62-point game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Zach-LaVine-Michael-Jordan-Bulls.jpg"></figure><h1>Zach LaVine was 1 point away from matching Michael Jordan’s decades-old record</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-03T20:48:29-08:00">January 3rd, 8:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-03T20:48:29-08:00">January 3rd, 8:48pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chicago Bulls swingman Zach LaVine was just one point away from forging himself alongside Michael Jordan for a franchise scoring plateau.</p><p>In the Bulls’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, LaVine dropped 29 points in the first half alone. This is just one point shy from matching Jordan’s 30-point outburst in a half in 1997.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SAME ENERGY.</p><p>Zach LaVine's 29 points in the first-half is the most by a Bulls player since… MJ dropped 30 in a half in 1997. <a href="https://t.co/OwkcZoSLuI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/OwkcZoSLuI</a></p><p>— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1345916942306189312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As expected from these performances, LaVine started hot from the get-go. He started off perfect from the field in the opening quarter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zach comes out the gate shooting 4/4 with 8 points 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSChicago?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@NBCSChicago</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLaVine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ZachLaVine</a> <a href="https://t.co/YV9HI2F9S8" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/YV9HI2F9S8</a></p><p>— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1345903675324170240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bulls Twitter knew that LaVine was onto something special when he reached 21 points in the first quarter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 ZACH LAVINE IS GOING OFF 🚨</p><p>21 points in the first quarter… so far.</p><p>— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1345905789974835200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 4, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It would’ve been great if LaVine matched or even broke Jordan’s record. After all, the GOAT probably holds most of the Bulls’ scoring records. Some of them might never be broken. But LaVine would probably be okay with it. After all, like most fans and NBA players, LaVine is in awe of Jordan especially after watching The Last Dance last year.</p><p>In fact, LaVine saw a different side of Jordan that he once thought was just a myth. Per <a href="https://twitter.com/TheUndefeated/status/1252265773562650624">Marc J. Spears on The Undefeated, LaVine said in April 2020</a>:</p><blockquote>“I didn’t really understand how much of like an addiction of competitiveness that he had. It was off the charts,” said LaVine. “You hear about people saying ‘I don’t like to lose’ or different things, but it really bugged the hell out of him. It bugged him. So I didn’t realize how mentally competitive he was.”</blockquote><p>Safe to say that on Sunday against the Mavs, LaVine <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bulls-news-zach-lavine-reveals-what-he-learned-about-michael-jordan-from-the-last-dance/">put on his best Jordan impression</a>. He came up short of 30 but it’s still a noteworthy performance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zach LaVine was 1 point away from matching Michael Jordan’s decades-old record

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Zach LaVine was 1 point away from matching Michael Jordan’s decades-old record