The Shot

The Shot is the name of the series-winning basket hit by Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round on May 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Richfield Coliseum. It is considered to be one of Jordan's greatest moments, and in the game itself, a classic. The Cavaliers swept the regular season games against the Bulls 6–0, including a 90–84 victory in the final regular season game, in which they rested their four best players (Ron Harper, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance).

Cleveland was the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference and Chicago was the 6th. Cleveland had a 57–25 regular season record, tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the second-best record in the league behind the Detroit Pistons. Chicago's regular season record that year was 47–35, which although it placed them fifth in their division, was good enough for the sixth playoff seed in the conference. Given both these factors, the Bulls' playoff victory was considered a major upset. In retrospect, it symbolized the beginning of a dynasty of Michael Jordan's Bulls. It was the first of many game-winning shots that Jordan made in his playoff career. In Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Jordan made another series-winning buzzer-beater on the same end of the court in the same building, to give the Bulls their 4th playoff series win over the Cavaliers, that time a 4-game sweep. The Shot is one of many dramatic sports moments to come at a Cleveland team's expense—Red Right 88, The Catch, The Drive, The Fumble, The Decision, The Move, and the Curse of Rocky Colavito.

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