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The GOAT

Zach LaVine just recorded the 31st best scoring month in Bulls history. Can you guess who has the top 30?

February 23, 2021

Every now and then, on slow days like today, talk sports fires up the Michael Jordan GOAT debate. Jordan vs. LeBron. Jordan vs. Brady. Jordan vs. Matt Cogar, the Lumberjack Championship king. You name them, Jordan has been judged against them. The thing is, Jordan always wins. Jordan wins because he has six rings. Jordan wins because he has five MVPs. Jordan wins because of the eye test and the myth making and the branding. Hell, the entire world knows the man simply by his silhouette. That’s why Jordan wins.

But if you forgot (or just needed a reminder), NBC Sports Chicago presented some fresh, mind-boggling evidence on Monday night. Check it out.

Yes, you’re reading that right. Zach LaVine just recorded the 31st highest scoring month in Chicago Bulls history. The guy occupying all 30 spots above him? Michael Jordan. No Scottie Pippen. No MVP-season D-Rose. We’re not even going to mention Joakim Noah. It’s all Jordan, all the time. In fact, after LaVine—who is currently in a tie with, you guessed it, Michael Jordan—MJ owns the next 13 spots as well. That means up until February 2021, Michael Jordan was sole owner of the top 46 scoring months in Chicago Bulls history. That’s nearly four years worth of collected greatness, for those of you crunching the numbers at home.

Now we don’t expect you to care too much about “top scoring months.” It’s the kind of made-up stat designed to make guys like Zach LaVine feel good. But in this case it’s instructive. The dominance is just so complete. It can’t be ignored or denied or decontextualized. It will never be equaled or surpassed. That, folks, is why Jordan wins.