Russell declined to be interviewed for this story. He just hung in the air a lot longer than me.” In his defense, everybody said Michael pushed off. “I assume that he probably gets tired of hearing, like I did, that Michael does it to everybody. “Both of us were in that same situation,” Ehlo said. Jordan made 14,380 field goals in his NBA career, and those two shots over Ehlo and Russell are certainly among the most-replayed of them all. Ehlo and Russell even wore the same number - 3 - for those pivotal moments.
The situations are incredibly similar: Jordan and the Bulls down by exactly one point in the final seconds of a playoff game, a jumper from just beyond the foul line to decide the outcomes. Jordan knocked down the dagger shots in both instances, dragging an unwitting Ehlo and Russell into spots in history that they’d likely not own. Russell was guarding Jordan for what became his final shot in a Bulls uniform, the one that gave Chicago the 1998 NBA title over the Utah Jazz. “There was nothing more I could do.”Įhlo was guarding Jordan for the final shot of the 1989 Eastern Conference series between Cleveland and Chicago - “The Shot,” it still is known by in those cities. “After seeing it so many times on commercials and always being talked about, I’ve figured that I’ll just face this,” Ehlo said.
They’ll be on highlight reels forever and “The Last Dance” - the ESPN and Netflix 10-part documentary series about Jordan’s Chicago Bulls that ends on Sunday - only freshened the familiarity fans have with two of the most-replayed shots in NBA history. They each shared an ultimate moment with Michael Jordan, and Jordan came out on top each time. (Robert Deutch/USA Today via AP, file)Ĭraig Ehlo still believes he played great defense.īryon Russell has long insisted that he got shoved.ĭoesn’t matter if they’re right or not. He’ll be on highlight reels forever and “The Last Dance” - the ESPN and Netflix 10-part documentary series about Jordan’s Chicago Bulls that ends on Sunday, only freshened the familiarity fans have with two of the most-replayed shots in NBA history. He shared an ultimate moment with Michael Jordan, and Jordan came out on top each time.
Craig Ehlo still believes he played great defense. This Jfile photo shows Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan shooting the game-winning shot in the closing seconds of Game 6 of an NBA Finals basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City to give Chicago their sixth NBA Championship.
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