Bulls vs Cavaliers, 1989 First Round Game 5
The Shot and its sequel defined a rivalry.
The Bulls–Cavaliers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The teams have played each other since the Cavaliers joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970, but the rivalry did not begin in earnest until the Bulls drafted Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in 1984. After Jordan would go on to the Washington Wizards and eventually retire, the rivalry died down, but when Cleveland picked LeBron James with the first selection in 2003, the rivalry heated up again.
Quick Facts
- Series status
- Bulls win 3-2
- Key moment
- Michael Jordan's game-winning jumper over Craig Ehlo
- Location
- Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio
Lore & Background
Back when the first round was best-of-5 instead of best-of-7, it was game 5 of the First Round in 1989, on May 7, Jordan hit what is known today as 'The Shot' even with Cleveland sweeping Chicago in the season, it wasn't enough to get by Jordan's shot to win and play the Knicks the next round. Craig Ehlo was the player Jordan shot over to win the game. The Cavaliers wouldn't play the Bulls in the playoffs until the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals, which Chicago would win yet again. The Shot is remembered by Cleveland fans as part of the Cleveland sports curse, along with The Drive, The Fumble and Red Right 88. A sequel to 'The Shot' occurred at the end of Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, again with Jordan hitting a series-winning shot on the same end of the Richfield Coliseum floor as in 1989. The Bulls swept the Cavaliers en route to their third consecutive title.
Reader's Guide
The Bulls advanced to face the New York Knicks in the next round after 'The Shot' in 1989. The sequel to 'The Shot' occurred in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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