Why Michael Jordan's scoring prowess still can't be touched

ON APRIL 27, 1997, Chris Webber and the Washington Bullets were visiting the Chicago Bulls for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. It didn't go well.

Michael Jordan went off, scoring 55 points, equaling his highest output since he returned from retirement in 1995. It was an amazing display, but how he did it was telling. MJ didn't nibble around the edges or hunt foul calls all night. He made just one 3-pointer. He had 10 points at the line. He scored 42 on 2-point field goals alone.

Check out all those red dots in the midrange in this vintage NBC shot chart:

Jordan scored 20 of the Bulls' 23 points in the fourth quarter of a close game. His usage rate was an absurd 45%, but he was…