1993 NBA East R1 Game 3 Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks, May 4, 1993, MJ-Wilkins Only Playoff Duel

CHI 98, ATL 88 - After back-to-back championships and a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Michael Jordan was beginning to lose the motivation that once fueled his passion for the game. Yet, before his first retirement, there was still unfinished business: the 1993 NBA Playoffs. Jordan guided the Chicago Bulls to a dominant first-round sweep of the Atlanta Hawks. This was the first and last time Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins would play against each other in the playoffs. In Game 3, the 2-seed Bulls secured a 98-88 victory to eliminate the 7-seed Hawks. Jordan delivered a classic performance, scoring 39 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing 4 assists, and swiping 2 steals. Meanwhile, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant contributed a combined 28 points. At 34 years old, Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins was still up for the challenge, dropping 29 points on 11-of-26 shooting. Perhaps Wilkins still felt slighted from the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest loss in Chicago. Despite Wilkins' effort, the Hawks struggled offensively, shooting just 45.6% from the field, 16.7% from three, and 56% from the free-throw line. Player of the game: Michael Jordan: 39 PTS, 16-28 FGM, 57 FG%, 2-5 3PM, 5-5 FTM, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 4 TOV, GMSC 27.8 Notable performance: Dominique Wilkins: 29 PTS, 11-26 FGM, 42 FG%, 1-5 3PM, 6-9 FTM, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 5 TOV GMSC 16.0 While the Hawks players caught the next flight to Cancun, the Bulls marched on to win to defeat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the 1993 NBA Finals, capping off their quest for a three-peat. Thanks to the legendary careers of Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, these two teams will always be linked in history. In the three-game sweep, Michael Jordan averaged 34.3 points, shooting 53% from the field, 46% from three-point range, and 88% from the free-throw line. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks, with a Game Score of 26.7. During this series, both BJ Armstrong and Horace Grant outperformed Scottie Pippen, who had a Game Score of only 10.3. Armstrong and Grant posted Game Scores of 12.4 and 12.0, respectively, while Pippen struggled with poor shooting and turnovers, leading to his inefficient performance. Dominique Wilkins was clearly the standout player for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 30.0 points per game on 43% shooting from the field, 25% from beyond the arc, and 77% from the free-throw line. He also contributed 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.3 blocks per game, posting a Game Score of 18.0. In their head-to-head matchups, Michael Jordan consistently outperformed Dominique Wilkins in all statistical categories, averaging 31.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Out of the 48 games they faced off, Jordan's teams came out on top 30 times. However, Wilkins held his own, posting impressive averages of 29.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks.