The name Craig Ehlo became embedded into our consciousness because of Michael Jordan 's game-winning shot over him in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First-Round series between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ron Harper , also a member of that Cavaliers team, claims that when their coach declared that Ehlo would be the one to guard Mike, he knew they would lose. Upon hearing his claims, Ehlo clapped back, questioning Harp's defensive abilities.
Harper vs Ehlo
Ehlo said that Harper, who averaged 15-20 points per game in Cleveland , was the team's main offensive gunner. Craig claimed that he was usually tasked to guard the opposing team's best player so that Harper could rest and play on defense. It was just a simple and sound tactic.
But Craig took offense to Ron's statements. So much so that he hinted that if Harp defeated Mike, the "Black Cat" still would've hit that game-winning shot.
"Harp had never really talked about defense or guarding people," Ehlo said , per cleveland.com. "He wasn't a bad defender, I will give him that much, but I think those years with the Bulls where he got those championships, he was definitely third or fourth fiddle, so all of a sudden he becomes this lockdown defender, apparently. I don't really remember him during our time wanting to play defense that much. He kind of shocked me with those comments, saying he wanted to guard Michael."
Most analysts have showered praise on Harp for reinventing his game. From an explosive scorer, he became an all-around guy for the Bulls and helped them win titles. Interestingly, Ehlo isn't too impressed with Ron's evolution.
Related: John Stockton recalled when Isiah Thomas called his dad amidst Dream Team drama: "I don't know if I would be big enough to do that"
It looked flat
But looking past their feud and focusing on the epic play, Craig felt he did a splendid job on Mike. So much so that the shot looked flat in his eyes, and he truly felt it would rim off .
"Not really. I mean, when I was watching it, 'cause I had to turn and look, I mean, it looked flat," Ehlo recalls. "He didn't have to rush, but I just didn't think it was gonna go in 'cause it did hit some of the rim. So that's what I was thinking."
"But boy, when it did, then my signature moment with Gatorade and Nike and all of those is me going to the floor and Michael jumping up and down fist-pumping after he watched it go in," he exclaimed.
Ehlo seemed to have recovered well despite receiving a timeless Jordan highlights. He doesn't sound bitter reminiscing about that epic shot that made him famous for the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, it may take some time to heal his wounds from Harp's comments.
Related: Brad Sellers recalls making the inbounds pass that led to The Shot: "Jordan gets free because he shoves Nance"
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