Michael Jordan's iconic buzzer-beater over Craig Ehlo stunned 20,273 fans and launched the Bulls dynasty in a legendary 1989 playoff upset.
On May 7, 1989, Michael Jordan hit a game-winning buzzer-beater at Richfield Coliseum in Ohio, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 101–100 in the deciding Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round. The final minute alone featured six dramatic lead changes, making it one of the most thrilling finishes in NBA playoff history.
The Cavaliers were heavy favorites as the third seed with a 57–25 record, having swept all six regular-season games against the sixth-seeded Bulls. Chicago's 47–35 record barely squeaked them into the playoffs, making their series victory a major upset.
With three seconds left and Cleveland leading 100–99, Jordan broke free from a double-team by Craig Ehlo and Larry Nance, received an inbound pass from Brad Sellers, and drained a hanging jump shot at the foul line over Ehlo as time expired.
The iconic image of Jordan leaping into the air with emphatic fist pumps while Ehlo collapsed to the ground in despair was never actually shown during the CBS game telecast. Viewers at home instead saw head coach Doug Collins running around assistant Phil Jackson into the arms of his players.
Jordan finished the game with a dominant 44 points. The performance is widely regarded as one of his greatest clutch moments and helped symbolize the beginning of the Jordan-led Bulls dynasty that would go on to win six championships.
This was the first buzzer-beater to occur in a winner-take-all playoff game in NBA history. A similar game-winning shot in a deciding game wouldn't happen again until 2019, when Kawhi Leonard hit his famous bouncing Game 7 shot for the Toronto Raptors.
Four years later, Jordan returned to the very same building and the very same end of the court to hit another series-winning buzzer-beater against Cleveland in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals, completing a four-game sweep.
After eliminating Cleveland, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks in the Conference Semifinals before falling to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals. It was a stepping stone to the Bulls' first championship just two years later.