'The Shot' Turns 25

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 7, 2014 9:00PM

This has been one hell of a week for Chicago sports anniversaries. Yesterday marked the 16th anniversary of Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout game. On May 7, 1989 Michael Jordan made "The Shot," his game-winning basket in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It added to Cleveland's long history of sports futility, forever hung a goat tag on Craig Ehlo and served notice the Jordan-era Bulls were a team on the rise.

Here's a rarely seen view of "The Shot" from the baseline. (Forward to the 1:50 mark to see the inbounds and shot.) Jordan famously said he never saw the basket fall, probably because he was too busy punching invisible demons. But he did compose himself long enough to take Chicago area sportswriters to task for not believing in his team, who would move on to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Bulls would eventually lose to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals and would lose to Detroit again the following year before sweeping the Pistons in the '91 Eastern Conference Finals, setting the stage for the Bulls' first threepeat.