Cleveland Cavaliers

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Lore & Background

The Cavaliers opened their inaugural season by losing their first 15 games and struggled in their early years, placing no better than sixth in the Eastern Conference during their first five seasons. The team won their first Central Division title in 1976, which also marked the first winning season and playoff appearance in franchise history, where they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The franchise was purchased by Ted Stepien in 1980. Stepien's tenure as owner was marked by six coaching changes, questionable trades and draft decisions, and poor attendance, leading to $15 million in financial losses. The Cavs went 66–180 over the course of those three seasons and endured a 24-game losing streak spanning the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons. George and Gordon Gund purchased the franchise in 1983. During the latter half of the 1980s and through much of the 1990s, the Cavs were a regular playoff contender – led by players such as Mark Price and Brad Daugherty – and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992. After the team's playoff appearance in the 1997–98 season, however, the Cavs had six consecutive losing seasons with no playoff action. Cleveland was awarded with the top overall pick in the 2003 draft, and they selected LeBron James. Behind James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavaliers again became a regular playoff contender by 2005. They made their first appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007 after winning the first Eastern Conference championship in franchise history. After failing to return to the NBA Finals in the ensuing three seasons, James joined the Miami Heat in 2010. As a result, the Cavaliers finished the 2010–11 season last in the conference, enduring a 26-game losing streak, the third-longest in NBA history. Between 2010 and 2014, however, the team won the top pick in the NBA draft lottery three times – first in 2011 where they selected Kyrie Irving, and again in 2013 and 2014. After four seasons with the Heat and having won back-to-back titles in the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons, James returned to the Cavs in 2014 and led the team to four straight NBA Finals appearances. In 2016, the Cavaliers won their first NBA Championship, marking Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964. The 2016 NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors marked the first time in Finals history a team had come back to win the series after trailing 3

In Their Own Story

The final play unfolded on May 7, 1989, inside Richfield Coliseum with the best-of-five series tied at two games apiece. After Craig Ehlo drove for a layup to give Cleveland a 100–99 lead with three seconds remaining, Chicago called a timeout. Jordan was double-teamed by Ehlo and Nance on the inbound but managed to push past them, cutting left to receive the pass from Brad Sellers. Drifting to his left, he launched a jump shot over the leaping Ehlo just as the buzzer sounded, securing a 101–100 win. The lasting image of this moment is Jordan's wild celebration: a leap into the air with multiple fist pumps while Ehlo fell to the ground in despair. Although CBS never aired this specific replay during the telecast—showing instead head coach Doug Collins celebrating with Phil Jackson—the radio call by Jim Durham ('GOOD! THE BULLS WIN IT!') became iconic. This was the first buzzer-beater to decide a winner-take-all playoff game, a feat not repeated until Kawhi Leonard's shot in 2019.

Reader's Guide

The Cavaliers began play in the 1970–71 season as an expansion team. They set losing records in each of their first five seasons before winning their first division title in 1976. The 1976 team was led by Austin Carr, Bobby 'Bingo' Smith, Jim Chones, Dick Snyder, Nate Thurmond and head coach Bill Fitch. It was remembered for the 'Miracle at Richfield', in which the Cavaliers defeated the Washington Bullets, 4–3, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They won Game 7, 87–85, on a shot by Snyder with four seconds to go. The Cavaliers moved on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, but were without Chones after he broke his toe before the series opener. As a result, the Cavaliers went on to lose, 4–2, to the Boston Celtics. They made playoff appearances in the following two seasons before a six-year playoff drought. The early 1980s were marked by Ted Stepien's ownership. During Stepien's tenure, the Cavaliers made a practice of trading future draft picks for marginal veteran players. His most notable deal sent a 1982 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Don Ford and the 22nd overall pick in 1980. As a result of Stepien's dealings, the NBA introduced the 'Stepien Rule', which prohibits teams from trading first-round draft picks in successive seasons. The Cavaliers went 66–180, dropped to the bottom of the league in attendance and lost $15 million during Stepien's three years as the owner. The Cavs went through six coaches during this span, including four during the 1981–82 season. The team finished 15–67, and between March and November 1982, the team had a 24-game losing streak, which, at the time, was the NBA's longest losing streak. George and Gordon Gund purchased the Cavaliers from Stepien in 1983. The Cavaliers made the playoffs 10 times between 1985 and 1998. The 1988–89 season was the Cavaliers' best season to date, finishing the regular season at 57–25 with a team that included Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance, and head coach Lenny Wilkens. They had their second 57-win season in 1991–92 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year. However, between 1999 and 2005, the Cavaliers failed to make a playoff appearance. The Cavaliers finished the 2002–03 season 17–65, tied for the worst record in the NBA. The Cavaliers had the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, selecting future NBA MVP LeBron James,

Did You Know?

• The Cavaliers' 1976 team was remembered for the 'Miracle at Richfield', defeating the Washington Bullets 4–3 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
• Ted Stepien's ownership led to the NBA introducing the 'Stepien Rule', which prohibits teams from trading first-round draft picks in successive seasons.
• The Cavaliers had a 24-game losing streak spanning the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons, which at the time was the NBA's longest.
• LeBron James announced his departure from the Cavaliers in a nationally televised one-hour special titled The Decision on July 8, 2010.
• The 2016 NBA Championship was Cleveland's first major sports title since the 1964 Browns.

Historical Context and Upset Dynamics

The 1989 Eastern Conference First Round between the Bulls and Cavaliers was a rematch of the previous year's series, which Chicago had won 3–2. In their final regular-season meeting, Cleveland rested their four best players: Ron Harper, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Larry Nance, yet still won 90–84. Entering the playoffs as the third seed with a 57–25 record (tied for the second-best in the league), Cleveland was heavily favored over the sixth-seeded Bulls, who had a 47–35 record. This reversal of seeding from the previous year set the stage for what became known as a major upset when the Bulls won Game 5.

The Decisive Final Minutes

The final minute of Game 5 featured six lead changes. With three seconds left, Craig Ehlo inbounded the ball to Larry Nance, who passed it back to Ehlo. Ehlo scored on a driving layup to give Cleveland a 100–99 lead. Chicago then called a timeout. On the subsequent inbounds play, Michael Jordan was double-teamed by Ehlo and Larry Nance. Jordan moved right to push Nance away, then cut left to get open for an inbound pass from Brad Sellers. Drifting left, Jordan made a jump shot at the foul line over the defending Ehlo just as time expired, giving the Bulls a 101–100 victory.

The Iconic Celebration and Broadcast Legacy

The most enduring image of 'The Shot' is Michael Jordan leaping into the air with emphatic fist pumps while Craig Ehlo fell to the ground in despair. Despite its fame, this specific celebration was not shown during the CBS telecast; viewers saw head coach Doug Collins running around assistant Phil Jackson instead. The broadcast featured Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown calling the action, with James Brown as sideline reporter. However, Jim Durham's radio call ('GOOD! THE BULLS WIN IT!') became legendary, later used on opening billboards for NBA on NBC broadcasts in the 1990–91 season. This was the first buzzer-beater to decide a winner-take-all playoff game until Kawhi Leonard's shot in 2019.

Long-Term Impact and Rivalry Significance

'The Shot' is considered one of Michael Jordan's greatest clutch moments and marked the beginning of the Bulls' ascent. It was the first of many series-winning buzzer-beaters Jordan made; he repeated this feat on Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Cleveland in the same building, resulting in a four-game sweep for Chicago. Following the 1989 victory, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks in six games but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games. The loss contributed to the 'Cleveland sports curse' narrative, while the game itself is regarded as a classic example of playoff basketball.