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Michael Jordan in the Clutch
Michael Jordan built much of his reputation on delivering when games
were on the line. From his rookie season in Chicago through his final
years with Washington, Jordan repeatedly made late shots or free
throws that directly decided games.
The list below includes 30 game-winning plays commonly
credited to Jordan during his NBA career. They include regular-season
games, playoff series-clinching shots and two of the most famous
NBA Finals shots ever made.
30
Game-Winning Plays
21
Regular Season
9
Playoffs / Finals
1984-2002
Career Span
Michael Jordan Game-Winning Shots — Complete List
| # |
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Time Left |
Game-Winning Play |
| 1 |
Nov. 11, 1984 |
Indiana Pacers |
118-116 |
4 sec. |
Jordan hit a 12-foot jumper with four seconds remaining.
|
| 2 |
Dec. 7, 1984 |
New York Knicks |
95-93 |
5 sec. |
Jordan connected on an 18-footer with five seconds remaining.
|
| 3 |
March 26, 1985 |
Indiana Pacers |
120-119 |
5 sec. |
Jordan made two free throws with five seconds remaining to give
Chicago the victory.
|
| 4 |
April 24, 1985 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
109-107 |
22 sec. |
Playoffs:
Jordan knocked down the eventual game-winning jumper from the corner
with 22 seconds remaining in Game 3 of Chicago's first-round series
against Milwaukee.
|
| 5 |
Oct. 25, 1985 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
116-115 |
Final sec. |
Jordan went to the free-throw line with the game in his hands.
He missed the first attempt but made the second for the victory.
|
| 6 |
Nov. 11, 1986 |
Atlanta Hawks |
112-110 |
9 sec. |
Jordan drove through traffic and converted a difficult layup with
nine seconds remaining.
|
| 7 |
Nov. 21, 1986 |
New York Knicks |
101-99 |
1 sec. |
Jordan scored Chicago's final 18 points, including a running
18-footer with one second remaining to beat New York.
|
| 8 |
Feb. 12, 1988 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
95-93 |
2 sec. |
After Terry Cummings fouled him hard, Jordan made both free throws
with two seconds remaining.
|
| 9 |
April 3, 1988 |
Detroit Pistons |
112-110 |
4 sec. |
Jordan made two free throws with four seconds remaining.
|
| 10 |
April 15, 1988 |
New Jersey Nets |
100-99 |
Final sec. |
Jordan rose over Mike O'Koren and knocked down the jumper to defeat
the Nets in New Jersey.
|
| 11 |
Feb. 16, 1989 |
Milwaukee Bucks |
117-116 |
1 sec. |
Jordan hit a 20-foot jumper with one second remaining.
|
| 12 |
May 7, 1989 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
101-100 |
Buzzer |
Playoffs — "The Shot":
Jordan rose over Craig Ehlo and hit the series-winning jumper at the
buzzer in Game 5 of the first round.
|
| 13 |
May 19, 1989 |
New York Knicks |
113-111 |
4 sec. |
Playoffs:
After Trent Tucker's four-point play tied Game 6 of the Eastern
Conference Semifinals, Jordan made two free throws with four seconds
remaining to finish the series.
|
| 14 |
May 27, 1989 |
Detroit Pistons |
99-97 |
3 sec. |
Playoffs:
With future teammate Dennis Rodman defending him, Jordan hit a pull-up
jumper with three seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference
Finals.
|
| 15 |
Nov. 13, 1990 |
Utah Jazz |
84-82 |
Buzzer |
Jordan created space against Thurl Bailey and Jeff Malone and buried
a 15-foot jumper as time expired.
|
| 16 |
June 7, 1991 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
104-96 |
3.4 sec. |
NBA Finals:
Jordan's late basket effectively sealed Chicago's Game 2 victory
against the Lakers during the 1991 NBA Finals.
|
| 17 |
Jan. 22, 1992 |
Charlotte Hornets |
115-112 |
Final sec. |
Jordan collected a loose ball, raced the length of the floor for a
layup, drew the foul and completed the three-point play.
|
| 18 |
Nov. 11, 1992 |
Detroit Pistons |
98-96 (OT) |
Buzzer |
Jordan beat Detroit with a long three-pointer at the overtime buzzer.
|
| 19 |
March 17, 1993 |
Charlotte Hornets |
123-121 |
2.1 sec. |
Jordan delivered another late game-winner against Charlotte with
2.1 seconds remaining.
|
| 20 |
May 17, 1993 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
103-101 |
Buzzer |
Playoffs — "The Shot, Part II":
Jordan struck Cleveland again, hitting the jumper over Gerald Wilkins
at the buzzer to win Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
|
| 21 |
March 25, 1995 |
Atlanta Hawks |
99-98 |
Buzzer |
Only days after returning from baseball, Jordan brought the ball up
the floor and hit the game-winning jumper over Steve Smith in Atlanta.
|
| 22 |
Feb. 11, 1997 |
Charlotte Hornets |
103-100 |
Buzzer |
Jordan hit a clutch jumper from long range at the buzzer to lift
Chicago over Charlotte.
|
| 23 |
March 18, 1997 |
Seattle SuperSonics |
89-87 (OT) |
8 sec. |
Gary Payton fouled Jordan on a jumper in overtime. Jordan made both
free throws with eight seconds remaining.
|
| 24 |
June 1, 1997 |
Utah Jazz |
84-82 |
Buzzer |
NBA Finals:
Jordan buried the game-winning jumper at the buzzer to give Chicago
an 84-82 victory and a 1-0 series lead in the 1997 NBA Finals.
|
| 25 |
Feb. 13, 1998 |
Atlanta Hawks |
112-110 |
Buzzer |
Jordan pulled up and hit the game-winning buzzer-beater over Atlanta's
Steve Smith and Chucky Brown.
|
| 26 |
March 22, 1998 |
Toronto Raptors |
102-100 |
5.4 sec. |
Jordan hit a short fadeaway jumper from the right wing with just over
five seconds remaining.
|
| 27 |
June 14, 1998 |
Utah Jazz |
87-86 |
5.2 sec. |
NBA Finals — "The Last Shot":
In his final game as a Chicago Bull, Jordan knocked down the
championship-clinching jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining in Game 6
of the 1998 NBA Finals. Chicago won 87-86 for its sixth championship.
|
| 28 |
Dec. 22, 2001 |
New York Knicks |
87-86 |
3.2 sec. |
Now playing for Washington, Jordan used a couple of dribbles to create
separation from Latrell Sprewell and knocked down the winning shot with
3.2 seconds remaining.
|
| 29 |
Jan. 31, 2002 |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
93-92 |
Buzzer |
Jordan struck Cleveland once more, burying a 15-foot jumper at the
buzzer to give the Wizards a 93-92 victory.
|
| 30 |
Feb. 15, 2002 |
Phoenix Suns |
97-96 |
Buzzer |
Jordan received the inbound pass near the top of the circle, drove
right, used a head fake to get Shawn Marion in the air and buried a
13-foot game-winner.
|
Jordan's Playoff and NBA Finals Game-Winners
Jordan's clutch reputation grew most dramatically in the postseason.
His playoff game-winners include the 1989 series-clinching shot over
Cleveland, another series-ending jumper against the Cavaliers in 1993,
and two legendary NBA Finals winners against Utah.
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
Round |
Moment |
| April 24, 1985 |
Milwaukee |
109-107 |
First Round |
Eventual game-winning jumper |
| May 7, 1989 |
Cleveland |
101-100 |
First Round |
"The Shot" — series winner |
| May 19, 1989 |
New York |
113-111 |
Conference Semifinals |
Two game-winning free throws |
| May 27, 1989 |
Detroit |
99-97 |
Conference Finals |
Pull-up jumper with three seconds left |
| June 7, 1991 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
104-96 |
NBA Finals |
Late game-clinching basket |
| May 17, 1993 |
Cleveland |
103-101 |
Conference Semifinals |
"The Shot, Part II" |
| June 1, 1997 |
Utah |
84-82 |
NBA Finals |
Buzzer-beater in Game 1 |
| June 14, 1998 |
Utah |
87-86 |
NBA Finals |
"The Last Shot" in Game 6 |
Jordan's Most Famous Game-Winning Shots
May 7, 1989 — "The Shot"
With Chicago trailing Cleveland 100-99 in the deciding Game 5,
Jordan caught the inbound pass, rose over Craig Ehlo and buried a
jumper at the buzzer. The basket gave Chicago a 101-100 victory and
eliminated the Cavaliers.
May 17, 1993 — "The Shot, Part II"
Four years after his famous winner over Cleveland, Jordan did it
again. His jumper over Gerald Wilkins at the buzzer gave the Bulls a
103-101 victory and completed Chicago's sweep of the Cavaliers.
June 1, 1997 — Game 1 of the NBA Finals
With the score tied at 82, Jordan isolated against Bryon Russell and
hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Chicago an 84-82 victory over Utah
in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
June 14, 1998 — "The Last Shot"
Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone, brought Chicago down the
floor and hit a jumper over Bryon Russell with 5.2 seconds remaining.
The basket gave the Bulls an 87-86 lead and ultimately delivered
Chicago's sixth NBA championship.
Teams Michael Jordan Beat With Game-Winning Plays
| Opponent |
Game-Winning Plays |
| Cleveland Cavaliers |
4 |
| New York Knicks |
4 |
| Atlanta Hawks |
3 |
| Charlotte Hornets |
3 |
| Detroit Pistons |
3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks |
3 |
| Utah Jazz |
3 |
| Indiana Pacers |
2 |
| Los Angeles Lakers |
1 |
| New Jersey Nets |
1 |
| Phoenix Suns |
1 |
| Seattle SuperSonics |
1 |
| Toronto Raptors |
1 |
Michael Jordan Game-Winner Facts
First NBA game-winner:
November 11, 1984 against Indiana, only weeks into Jordan's rookie
season.
Final game-winner as a Bull:
June 14, 1998 against Utah in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Final NBA game-winner:
February 15, 2002 against Phoenix while playing for Washington.
Most frequent victims:
Cleveland and New York appear four times each on this 30-play list.
NBA Finals winners:
Jordan delivered famous late winners against Utah in both the
1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.
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