The Shot (Bulls–Cavaliers)

Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round
Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers
101 100
Head coach:
Doug Collins
Head coach:
Lenny Wilkens
1234Total
Chicago Bulls 24222332101
Cleveland Cavaliers 28202725100
DateMay 7, 1989
VenueRichfield Coliseum, Richfield Township, Ohio
RefereesHugh Evans, Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell
Attendance20,273

The Shot was a game-winning jumpshot by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls during a 1989 playoff game between the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It took place on May 7, 1989, at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Township, Ohio, during the deciding Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round series between the Bulls and Cavaliers. With the best-of-five series tied at two games apiece and the Cavaliers leading the game by one point with three seconds left, Bulls player Michael Jordan received an inbound pass and made a buzzer-beater shot to give the Bulls a 101–100 win and clinch a series victory. The play capped off a final minute in which there were six lead changes. Jordan finished the game with 44 points. The Shot is considered to be one of his greatest clutch moments, and the game itself is regarded as a classic. Following the First Round, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks in the Conference Semifinals in six games, but lost to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games.