NBA: Ranking Michael Jordan's 5 MVP's

Michael Jordan dominated the NBA unlike any other. Whether it was the 80s when he put up monstrous numbers or the 90s, when finally having been given an able supporting cast, he ripped through the league and won 6 titles. He probably could have won MVP almost every year at his peak but he didn't.

The seasons that he did win it though, there was little to no argument that he deserved it. Today we decided to try and rank his 5 MVP seasons.

#5 1997-98

Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals. (Image Courtesy: footwearnews.com)

Season Averages: 28.7 Points, 5.8 Rebounds, 3.5 Assists, 1.7 Steals

This was a slightly weird one. I can probably pick 5 seasons when Jordan didn't win MVP but they were better than this one. MJ dropped in Points, Rebounds, Assists and FG % from his previous campaign and the Bulls even won fewer games. So why he didn't win it in 1997 is somewhat baffling to me. Regardless, he still led the Bulls to 62 wins and the Number 1 seed in the East along with the joint best record in the NBA.

His 28.7 Points a game still led the league, but he shot just 46% from the field, one of the lowest marks of his career. His scoring did pick up come playoffs, as he scored 32 a game, as the Bulls advanced to their 3rd straight Finals. We all know what happened in the Finals of course. 45 Points in Game 6 and that iconic game-winner over Bryon Russell to clinch his 6th and final title.

As I said before, this was probably Mike's least impressive MVP campaign. The lowest scoring average, FG% and one of the lowest assist totals of his career. He still ran away with the award though, 92 1st place votes to 20 for Karl Malone who came 2nd.

#4 1995-96

Michael Jordan and Gary Payton

Season Averages: 30.4 Points, 6.6 Rebounds, 4.3 Assists, 2.2 Steals

Coming off his 1st retirement and his first Playoff series loss since 1990, Jordan decided to change his game a bit. Now in his 30s and no longer the athlete he once was, MJ favored more of a back to the basket game. The end result was the same as before of course. He once again averaged over 30 Points a game and led the league but wasn't as efficient as his other MVP seasons higher up the list. His shooting from the field dipped to 49% which is still pretty impressive and he did shoot 42% from 3.

For all the accolades he received this year, it was obviously overshadowed by the Bulls setting the record for most wins in a season with 72. They only lost once on their way to the Finals and beat the 64 win Sonics in 6 games to capture their 4th title.

While it was a great season for the Bulls, MJ's stats did begin to take a downturn after coming back. His efficiency went down as he favored more of the mid-range game and the only reason the 3 point % was this high was that the NBA had shortened the distance to 22 feet from 1994-97. The assist totals also slipped to under 5 a game for the 1st time since his 3rd year.

#3 1991-92

Image Courtesy: SI.com

Season Averages: 30.1 Points, 6.4 Rebounds, 6.1 Assists, 2.3 Steals

With the monkey off his back after winning his 1st NBA title in 1991, Jordan continued his dominance over the rest of the league the following year. He again topped 30 Points a game to lead the league and shot better than 50% from the field. The 6.1 Assists was the highest among all of his MVP seasons. The Bulls won a then-franchise record 67 games and were the Number 1 seed.

Come playoff time, Jordan was at his ruthless best. Whether it was dropping 56 on the Heat in Round 1 or 42 in Game 7 against the Knicks in the semifinals. After getting past the Cavs in 6 games, the Bulls set up a Finals matchup with the Blazers. There was talk of Clyde Drexler being a potential rival to Jordan but MJ put that to rest pretty quickly. He scored 35 points in just the 1st half of Game 1 to set a Finals record and did the now famous shrug after drilling his NBA record 6th 3 pointer of the half. The Bulls eventually won the series in 6 games. The reason this season doesn't go higher up is the drop in Points and efficiency compared to the 2 up ahead.

#2 1990-91

Image Courtesy: SI.com

Season Averages: 31.5 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5.5 Assists, 2.7 Steals, 1 Block

After years of being maligned for putting up numbers but not getting it done, MJ finally broke through to win his 1st title in 1991. Jordan was his usual efficient self, shooting almost 54% from the field en route to yet another scoring title. He led the Bulls to the Number 1 seed in the East for the 1st time in Franchise history as the team won 61 games. The highlight of the season was a monstrous performance against the playoff-bound Warriors. Jordan dropped 42 Points to go along with 14 Rebounds, 7 Assists, and 3 Steals.

Jordan and the Bulls dominated in the playoffs. After sweeping the Knicks in Round 1, they breezed past Charles Barkley and the Sixers in 5 games to set up a showdown with the Pistons. The Bulls smoked the Pistons to end it in a sweep and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games to win their 1st title and finish the post-season 15-2.

While this was an incredible season and many consider it to be the best, it just about gets beat by what's coming up next.

#1 1987-88

Image Courtesy: SI.com

Season Averages: 35 Points, 5.5 Rebounds, 5.9 Assists, 3.2 Steals, 1.6 Blocks

It's kind of funny that the only MVP season in which he didn't win the title comes out on top. MJ's 1st MVP campaign was as dominant as it gets. He once again averaged over 35 points a game (led the league of course) and was pretty efficient, shooting a ridiculous 53% from the field for such a volume shooter. To go along with the offense, this was Mike's best year on defense. Jordan won his only DPOY by averaging career-highs in Steals and Blocks. His 3.2 Steals a game led the league as well.

As far as team success goes, the Bulls won 50 games for the 1st time in 15 years. This was the season the Bulls drafted Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, finally giving Jordan the help he needed. They advanced past the 1st Round for the first time in Jordan's career but were eliminated in 5 games by the Detroit Pistons. While this season did not result in a title like the rest of the years on this list, this probably was his most well rounded season apart from 1988-89, when he bizarrely didn't win MVP despite putting up 32-8-8.

Well anyway, he became the 1st player in NBA history to win MVP and DPOY in the same season and it would only be a matter of time before he won that elusive title.