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Basketball is a team sport, but few single player performances stand out more than Michael Jordan’s Flu Game. While MJ’s 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals were far from shabby, it was his will to win and play through debilitating flu symptoms that made this game the stuff of legends. Instantly iconic, the performance still holds weight 17 years later.
Fighting off the sweats, the shakes and the spins from what has since been suspected as food poisoning, Jordan worked up the desire to dress for Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Utah. He would ultimately play, and play a lot. Spotlighted stat line aside, Jordan was on the hardwood for 44 minutes of the incredibly important swing game. Barely able to sit up before the game and fighting to stand up after, MJ got in the zone and handed the Jazz an L by hitting a late game triple – shifting the momentum of the series and giving the Bulls a 3-2 edge on Utah en route to a Game 6 closeout.
While the game clinching three-pointer may have been the defining play of the night, the most vivid image remains Scottie Pippen assisting his beloved teammate off the court. The night may have been MJ’s, but ultimately it was the Bulls who supported their star while he inspired them to win.
