‘The Last Dance’ Features Rare Angle of Michael Jordan’s 1989 Shot vs. Cavaliers

In Monday’s Hot Clicks: an iconic MJ moment like you’ve never seen it before, the Patriots’ new uniforms and more.

Still beautiful from any angle

Of all the famous buckets Michael Jordan sank, only one of them is iconic enough to be known simply as “The Shot.”

His midrange jumper over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer to beat the Cavs in the first round of the 1989 playoffs is remembered just as much for Jordan’s fist-pumping celebration after the shot went in. If you had three clips to sum up MJ’s career, it would definitely have to be one of them. 

Any sports fan, even those born after “The Shot” (like me), has seen that video a thousand times. It’s a classic NBA moment. But it’s highly unlikely that you’ve seen it the way it was presented in ESPN’s The Last Dance documentary. The doc’s premiere Sunday night featured a rare view of the moment shot from the baseline. (Thanks to /r/NBA for pointing it out.)

The footage comes from WBBM, Chicago’s CBS affiliate. I found the rest of the station’s film of the end of the game on YouTube. It was uploaded by someone named “Hakim24x” in January 2015 and, by the time I found it this morning, it had accumulated fewer than 1,000 views. 

The closeup view of the play provides such a different perspective than the traditional broadcast angle. From under the basket, the controlled chaos of the inbounds play looks much more chaotic than controlled. The floor-level angle also makes Jordan’s ridiculous hang time on the shot seem that much more impressive. 

And then there’s the mayhem on the court after the shot. The Chicago reporter rushes at Jordan screaming, “Michael, you stuck it, baby!” and tries to interview him before James Brown could talk him on the national broadcast. Check out the look on Brown’s face as the reporter gets shoved out of the way by the CBS cameraman. It does an amazing job of making you feel like you’re right there on the court 31 years ago. 

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Around the sports world

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I was cackling after they showed this. How do you stop this?

Too smooth

(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/8VnOp4fnkW

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 20, 2020

Jordan’s reaction to being told there was a 10% chance returning from injury too soon could end his career

New Patriots uniforms

The look we love, promoted to primary.

Order now: https://t.co/SxB09Sfb9X pic.twitter.com/sfkUq81OUp

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 20, 2020

What if what? What is this supposed to mean?

What if? 💭

The Last Dance premieres tonight at 8PM CT on @espn. pic.twitter.com/8FOeYKklG7

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 19, 2020

I’ll call this sports

I’m good at everything.. even things you didn’t know were a thing pic.twitter.com/RzCuhGVJxP

— Danny Duncan (@DannyDuncan69) April 18, 2020

No surprise the dog had him beat

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A post shared by Boston Bruins (@nhlbruins)

That’s definitely more than six feet

Just incredible to see 💖

📍 Liguria, Italy 🇮🇹 | #tennisathome pic.twitter.com/dh8bqlvFhj

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 18, 2020

Steph is being productive in his time off

Three-time champion Steph Curry learning how to type at the age of 32 pic.twitter.com/0yLbbBNElf

— Chris (@gswchris) April 18, 2020

Yes, those are kangaroos

Indiana’s head football coach, everybody

I about broke my toe by kicking a trash can full of water!!!

— Coach Tom Allen (@CoachAllenPSU) April 18, 2020

Not sports

A Connecticut man allegedly broke into a shuttered restaurant and spent several days eating and drinking. ... MoMA is offering free online art classes. ... Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy stars in a PSA reminding you to wash your hands.

Nature is bouncing back

Gangs of turkeys taking over the empty #quarantine streets here in #batonrouge #animalstakingover pic.twitter.com/aZYGVQSDqz

— Prosanta Chakrabarty (@PREAUX_FISH) April 18, 2020

Drunk driving, with flair

when he stopped he got out, looked around, said "wow someone fucked this WHOLE place up!", and then finished his drink in his car while listening to music until the cops got there

— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) April 18, 2020

This is what’s on Quibi?

A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.