CLEVELAND - Michael Jordan didn't know it at the time, but he put an awful spell on the Cleveland Cavaliers one Sunday afternoon that would cripple them for decades to come.That spell seems to have finally ended.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of Jordan's legendary 18-foot jump shot that became immortalized as simply "The Shot." The buzzer-beater eliminated the Cavs from the 1989 NBA Playoffs and earned the upstart Chicago Bulls a 3-2 first round series victory.
And Jordan was the author.
The Cavs had just wrapped up their best ever regular season; a 57-25 record (including a league best 37-4 at home) and were favored to not only beat Chicago, but possibly sweep them. Indeed, with the Cavs' 6-0 record vs Chicago during the season, all bets were on Cleveland to thrash their Windy City rivals.
The series started on the Cavs' homecourt in Richfield Coliseum. The Bulls stunned Cleveland by winning game one on the road and by the end of game three, Chicago held a 2-1 series lead with the potential clincher (game 4) being played in Chicago Stadium.
Jordan scored an amazing 50 points in game 4 but missed critical foul shots and a corner jumper in the closing seconds of regulation that could have clinched the series. Instead, the teams went into overtime and the Cavs came away with a rousing 108-105 victory. Jordan blamed himself for the loss and vowed to seek revenge in Cleveland during the deciding game 5.
That he did.
After an epic second half battle, the teams traded the lead nine times in the final three minutes and Jordan seemed to grow more determined with each passing minute. After the 26-year old superstar drilled a jumper with six seconds left, the Bulls looked victorious as they led, 99-98.
Timeout, Cavs.
When play resumed, Cavs guard Craig Ehlo scored a driving layup off an amazing give and go with Larry Nance to give the hometown guys a 100-99 lead with three seconds left. The team and the crowd cheered as though the game were over.
It wasn't.
After the Bulls' timeout, Jordan escaped a double-team and caught the inbounds pass, lost Nance with a crossover, then dribbled to the foul circle with Ehlo heavily guarding him. He rose, double-pumped the ball to avoid Ehlo's block attempt, then released the ball. It dropped through the basket as time expired giving the Bulls a stunning 101-100 victory and the series upset. Jordan jumped high into the air, pumped his fist repeatedly in jubilation and was then mobbed by his teammates and coaches. His contributions? Try 44 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and one gigantic statement.
Neither team was the same for many years.
Chicago marched to the Eastern Conference Finals and came within two wins of an NBA Finals berth before losing to eventual champion Detroit. Two years later, the Bulls won their first NBA title and became a decade-long unstoppable juggernaut. The Cavs traded star guard Ron Harper and ended up with Duke standout forward Danny Ferry. Jordan, seemingly just for kicks torched the Cavs again the following season with an opening night 54-point explosion and late in the season, career bests of 69 points and 18 rebounds in an overtime victory.
Cleveland began a downward spiral of injuries to stars Mark Price and Brad Daughtery in 1990 and 1991. They returned to prominence in '92 as they matched their best season with another 57 wins. They ended up losing to defending champion Chicago in the Eastern Finals and again in '93 in the East semifinals. In the '93 series, Jordan hit a near mimicry of his famous '89 shot, again at the buzzer to finish off a 4-0 sweep. They wound up winning their third consecutive NBA championship while Cleveland fired Coach Lenny Wilkens.
Jordan retired in the fall of '93 and by the time he made his surprising return in 1995, the Cavs were in a new arena and now played a very slow tempo style of basketball that still left them in the middle of the pack. A 1994 back injury ended star center Brad Daughtery's career and Mark Price was in decline, now coming off the bench for Terrell Brandon. The Bulls endured an early playoff exit in '95 with a rusty Jordan, but returned to dominate the league with a record setting 72-10 mark in 1995-96 and their 4th championship.
Cleveland then traded Price and continued to be hamstrung by Ferry's colossal 10-year contract and career-long underachieving. As the Cavs grew increasingly irrelevant and mediocre, the Bulls continued to make history, Jordan in particular. He led Chicago to two more championships in 1997 and 1998, capping off an historic career with a title-winning jump shot in the 1998 NBA Finals vs Utah.
The Cavs had remade themselves with their acquisition of Sonics star Shawn Kemp which appeared promising after he led them to a playoff victory in '98. That hope was short-lived as he became less effective and more problematic starting in the lockout-shortened 1999 season. By now, Jordan had retired seemingly for good and ten years after his iconic shot against the Cavs, was widely acclaimed as the greatest hoopster in history. Cleveland had, by contrast endured one setback and false start after another.
The Cavs were a largely downtrodden team at the turn of the century. With castoffs and misfits now occupying the team (and unattractive powder blue uniforms), the team was lackluster and almost forgotten during 2000 and 2001. Jordan made a shocking decision to return to the pros at age 38, this time as a member of the team that hired him as V.P. of basketball operations; the Washington Wizards. He took to the court in the fall of 2001 and had clearly lost much of his athleticism and super hangtime. Nonetheless, his brilliance as a player was still evident in many sterling performances that proved to be vintage MJ.
The Cavs finally received good news when they won the NBA draft lottery in 2003, ironically one month after Jordan retired from pro hoops forever. Their pick was obvious; 18-year old prep star LeBron James.
James, a spectacular 6'8" 240 pound wonder from St. Vincent-St. Mary in nearby Akron, Ohio had began to garner national praise for his plethora of hoops skills and pro potential in late 2001 and by early '03, the national fixation of him had reached a fever pitch. There were many skeptics that questioned his readiness for the drastic change of NBA ball straight from high school with no college to ease the transition.
James crushed the skeptics.
After leading the Cavs to an 18-game improvement, LeBron was rewarded as he was named the 2003-04 NBA Rookie of the Year. In his third season, he led the Cavs to their first playoff berth in years and began to amass historical moments on the court himself. His amazing game 5 in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit is among the greatest playoff games in history. He even led the team to their first ever NBA Finals that year against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Cavs were swept.
The following season was less successful as Cleveland lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Boston. Each season, James had improved his game to stunning degrees of excellence and was arguably the NBA's best player.
This season, the Cavs wowed the entire league as they rolled to a franchise-best 66-16 record (and an eye-popping 39-2 at home). They earned the number one seed overall and swept rival Detroit with ease in the first round. Two nights ago, they dispatched Atlanta by 27 points in game one of the semifinals. This came a day after James, now in his 6th pro season earned his first-ever NBA Most Valuable Player award, the first Cavs player in history to be named NBA MVP.
The way the team has played this entire season has been truly a sight to behold. Their killer instinct, focus, resilience and camaraderie have made them the odds on favorite to capture the 2009 NBA championship which would be a franchise first. Of course, James is the quintessential basketball superhero in much the same way Jordan was. LeBron is still a tender 24 years old, but his game is already almost as good as any icon that has ever played the game.
As a fan of Michael Jordan, I celebrate his legendary shot from 20 years ago. As a current fan of the Cavs, I respect their ascent to the ranks of the NBA elite. It is an absolute fact that MJ's crushing shot sent the Bulls to unmatched prosperity and success and augmented his legacy to an enormous degree. It is also fact that the Cavs fell apart and couldn't fully regain their mojo until this season and these playoffs; they look like they have the inside track on this year's title. That is why I believe that it has taken all the way until this season to exorcise the demon that was the curse of Michael Jordan.
This is one time where we can finally say congratulations to both MJ and the Cavs.
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