Before he won multiple championships with Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr matched up with the GOAT several times. The Golden State Warriors head coach recalled the very first time he stood toe-to-toe with the Black Cat .
Kerr felt good in the first sequences of the game and even gave himself a pat on the back. But as the game progressed, Steve realized he was no match for Jordan's offensive prowess.
Steve meets Mike for the first time
When Kerr was with the Cleveland Cavaliers , he started at the shooting guard spot in place of the injured Craig Ehlo . This meant he guarded Jordan, which Kerr labeled as "the all-time mismatch physically."
"I remember I made the first shot of the game with him on me, felt really good about that, and then six minutes into the game he hadn't scored," Kerr said . "I was thinking, sitting there during a timeout, 'Michael hasn't even scored yet. I'm doing pretty well.' I thought about it and I realized he hadn't even taken a shot yet."
The current Warriors coach also noticed that MJ was passing the ball to his teammates instead of going to his spots. This befuddled Kerr as the Chicago Bulls shooting guard was known as an explosive scorer even then. But soon enough, His Airness turned on his offensive switch.
Mike dropped 54 on Kerr's head
"And then over the next four minutes he just torched me," Kerr continued. "Made like six straight shots and then Lenny Wilkens took me out. By the end of the game he had like 48, I finished with two. Just that first bucket of the game. That was my welcome to the 'Michael Jordan World' moment."
Steve was referring to the Nov 3, 1989 game between the Bulls and the Cavaliers. The point guard was close to being accurate. But the official stats show that he scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line. However, Jordan dropped 54 points on him and led the Bulls to an overtime victory, 124-119.
Kerr was right. It was the ultimate mismatch. Nevertheless, he walked away with a great memory of meeting and playing against Jordan for the first time.
In 1993, the 6-foot-3 guard found himself donning the Bulls jersey amid Jordan's first retirement. After making his return to the league, Jordan and Co. lost to the young and budding Orlando Magic led by Hardaway and Shaq. Nonetheless, it worked out exceptionally well for Chicago as they kicked off their second three-peat in 1996.
Related: "Frequently it was heated" — Steve Kerr claims Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen's conversations in practice usually had tension
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