Full Game: MJ’s Answer to Hardaway’s "Assignment" | Bulls vs Heat (November 6, 1996)

The 1996-97 NBA season began with the league still reeling from the Chicago Bulls' 72-win odyssey, but in South Beach, Pat Riley was convinced he’d found the antidote. The Miami Heat had been stewing since getting swept by the Bulls in the '96 playoffs, and by the time Chicago arrived on November 6, 1996, the quotes in the local papers were thick with bravado. Tim Hardaway, never one to lack for confidence, had been vocal about his desire to personally guard Jordan, essentially offering himself up as a sacrificial lamb on a silver platter. Michael Jordan, as he often did when the "cracks in the foundation" were suggested by others, responded with a surgical scoring display that effectively silenced the building before the first quarter was over. He came out and scored the first 11 points for Chicago, a sequence that saw him dismantling Hardaway’s defense with a cold, repetitive efficiency. By the time the final buzzer sounded on a 106-100 Bulls victory, Jordan had hung 50 points on Riley’s second-rated defense, shooting 18-of-33 from the floor. This wasn't just a regular-season game; it was a psychological reckoning. While Riley attempted to utilize the "Bad Boys" blueprint—utilizing Alonzo Mourning’s interior muscle to create friction—Jordan operated with a refined, mid-range lethality that bypassed the physical contest entirely. The narrative of the night was the total failure of the Heat’s trash-talking "culture" when confronted with an icon who viewed their ambition as nothing more than a personal slight to be corrected. History shows this game set the tone for a season where the Bulls proved they weren't suffering from any championship hangover. Instead, they were merely managing the egos of those who thought they were ready to take the crown. As I’ve always noted in The Jordan Rules and The Second Coming, Michael never needed a reason to win, but if a point guard like Hardaway gave him one in the morning paper, he’d make sure they felt it by the fourth quarter. Timestamp Index: 00:00 Start of Game 00:09 Michael Jordan's First Basket 00:49 Jordan Makes the Basket and is Fouled 02:06 Jordan has Scored all 7 of the Bulls' Points 03:54 Jordan with 9 of the Bulls' 10 Points 04:50 Rodman and Kurt Thomas get Physical 06:35 Jordan Hits a Fadeaway, has Scored all 11 Bulls' Points 07:10 Luc Longley with a Beautiful Spin Move 08:03 Interview with Michael Jordan 13:20 Alonzo Mourning Blocks Scottie Pippen 14:24 Interview with Heat VP Randy Pfund 15:09 Jordan Baseline Jumper for 13 Points 22:59 Start of the 2nd Quarter 26:28 Alonzo Mourning with a "Man's Move" for the Basket 29:43 Scottie Pippen Three-Pointer 31:55 Sideline Interview with Don Shula 42:07 Jordan with an Incredible One-Handed Catch and Score 44:04 Pippen Jumper to Cut the Lead to Two 46:51 Start of Final Two Minutes of the 1st Half 47:41 Pippen Hits a Three with 12 Seconds Left in the Half 48:07 Jordan Steals the Inbound and Hits a Three at the Buzzer 52:04 Start of the 3rd Quarter 57:52 Jordan with an Impossible "Show Time" Shot and a Foul 59:45 Luc Longley with a Powerful Baseline Dunk 01:00:37 Jordan's Basket Counts After a Foul 01:04:59 Jordan Up-and-Under Layup for 38 Points 01:13:52 Start of the 4th Quarter 01:18:21 Jordan with an Acrobatic Layup for his 40th Point 01:24:19 Alonzo Mourning Follow and Foul 01:26:24 Jordan Backdoor Cut for an Easy Layup 01:28:40 Start of the Final Two Minutes of the Game 01:30:13 Jordan Baseline Jumper for 46 Points 01:31:09 Jordan is Fouled and goes to the line for his 50th Point 01:43:30 Ron Harper with a Clutch Fast-Break Layup and Foul 01:48:47 Post-game Interview with Scottie Pippen 01:49:31 Post-game Interview with Michael Jordan