Sunday marks the 28th anniversary of the best of the best of NBA buzzer-beaters, Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot over Craig Ehlo to give the Chicago Bulls a 101-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their first-round series. This shot has been immortalized in commercials and is one of the most famous in NBA history.
A review of newspaper archives and YouTube footage has allowed us to determine that shot is the only game-winning buzzer-beating field goal to come in a winner-take-all game of an NBA or ABA postseason series.
There have been close calls (Kevin Johnson against the Jazz in 1990, Allan Houston against the Heat in 1999, Chris Paul against the Spurs in 2015), but none have come at the buzzer.
A few notes on Jordan’s shot:
Jordan made three career postseason buzzer-beaters in addition to the one in 1989 against the Cavaliers: in 1993 against the Cavaliers again (Eastern Conference semifinals Game 4, also an elimination game) and 1997 against the Jazz (NBA Finals Game 1).
Jordan averaged 39.8 points per game in that 1989 series. He scored 50 in a Game 4 loss and then 44 in Game 5.
In Game 5, the score was 90-90 with three minutes left. There were no ties the rest of the way. Each of the last nine scoring plays (basket or free throw) gave a team the lead. Ehlo outscored Jordan 8-6 in the final three minutes (including 5-4 in the final minute), but Jordan got the last shot ... and made it.
This was a remarkable series win given that the Bulls went 0-6 against the Cavaliers during the regular season. The Bulls then upset the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Pistons in the conference finals. Jordan’s first title did not come until 1991.
