Michael Jordan Averaged 37.1 PPG In 1987 And NBA Decided To Change The Rules Because Teams Triple-Teamed Him In Order To Stop Him

Michael Jordan was unstoppable in 1987, averaging 37.1 PPG. Rivals were so intense on Jordan that the NBA had to change the rules to avoid triple teams.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports

View the original article to see embedded media.

Michael Jordan is the greatest scorer in NBA history, winning 10 consecutive scoring championships during his honored career, leaving everybody in awe of his impressive skills at the time of attacking the rim, beating rivals one-on-one and of course, his unforgettable mid-range shooting. 

His scoring abilities didn't went go away when he got older, as MJ is the first, second, and third oldest player to win the scoring title, which perfectly sums up how incredible he was on the court. His Airness was simply unbelievable, and teams had to do maneuvers to stop him.

This didn't always work for them, though, and Jordan's 1986-1987 NBA season is the perfect example of that. This is Jordan's best NBA season in terms of scoring, and that's without saying how impactful it was that even the NBA had to change the rules thanks to him. 

---

Michael Jordan Averaged 37.1 PPG In 1987 And Made The NBA Change The Triple-Team Rules 

A 1987 article from the New York Times explains that despite Jordan averaging nearly 40 points per game during the 1986-87 season, the league made some big changes to forbid teams to put more than three defenders on a specific player. This was dubbed the 'Michael Jordan Rule' at the time. 

A new N.B.A. rule this season prohibits teams from putting more than two men on the side of the court away from the ball below the top of the foul circle. A violation would result in the loss of possession.

Almost as soon as the new rule was announced, it became known as the ''Michael Jordan Rule,'' because of Jordan's masterly one-on-one play.

Doug Collins does not, however, think that his team's strategy should have been responsible for the rule change.

''We have no special play or plays that isolate Michael,'' said Collins, the Chicago Bulls' coach.

Last season, Jordan had to overcome the harassment of zone traps and double and triple-teaming to win the scoring title by averaging 37.1 points a game

For the record, at least, Jordan said he was not concerned with who was in the spotlight.

''It's a team sport and I can deal with it,'' he said. ''If I don't get any more attention because the other guys are getting it, I can live with that too. I'm not a greedy person. It's an adjustment, but it's something I've done in the past at North Carolina. I used to score something like 17, 18, 20 points a night and we won 85 to 90 percent of the games. I could be happy with that here.''

This is one of those stories that show how incredible Michael Jordan was. He really was a bad man who didn't hesitate to make rivals pay. Jordan is the greatest offensive force in NBA history, and even though he couldn't win the title that year, he shows what was coming for the NBA in a couple of years.