MJ, of course, hung in the air over a helpless Ehlo and knocked in an iconic buzzer-beater to eliminate Cleveland from the 1989 NBA playoffs.

Harper, who eventually won championships alongside Jordan in Chicago, “had never really talked about defense or guarding people,” says Ehlo.

Per Cleveland.com:

One thing Ehlo doesn’t remember: Ron Harper’s version, which he relayed in Episode 3 of “The Last Dance” — a hit ESPN documentary that chronicles the Chicago Bulls’ quest for a sixth NBA championship in 1998.

“I never said I was a Jordan stopper like Gerald Wilkins or anything,” Ehlo said during an extensive call with cleveland.com this week. “But back then Harp and me were on the court at the same time and he was our big offensive threat. So, when I came in it was a no-brainer that I would guard Jordan so Harp could rest on defense and play on offense.

“Harp had never really talked about defense or guarding people. 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.”

On Sunday night, Harper openly questioned coach Lenny Wilkens’ polarizing decision to use Ehlo as the primary defender on the final play — a clip that has since gone viral.

“We’re up by one and I said, ‘Coach I got MJ,’” Harper explained. “Coach tells me, ‘I’m going to put Ehlo on MJ.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever. F**k this bullshit.’”

Related Agent: Michael Jordan Would Average ‘Between 50 and 60’ Today

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LBJ and MJ’s heroics were strikingly alike, as each scored 44 points to give their respective squads 3-2 series leads (in Jordan’s case, “The Shot” eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the playoffs.)

His Airness x The King pic.twitter.com/8MqXtnfRfP

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 26, 2018

Ehlo had an “eerie” feeling after LeBron came through in the clutch.

Craig Ehlo was at Quicken Loans Arena last night to watch LeBron do what Jordan once did to him: https://t.co/o2JRNbGxMh

— Scott Cacciola (@ScottCacciola) April 26, 2018

Per the NY Times:

“As soon as I saw it,” [former Chicago Bulls center Brad] Sellers said, “I was like, ‘That’s it. I’ve seen it before. I’ve been there. That’s Jordan.’”

It was not until Thursday morning, when Ehlo’s son showed him side-by-side clips of the shots on social media, that Ehlo, who was defending Jordan on that play 29 years ago, recognized the resemblance.

“Eerie,” Ehlo said in a telephone interview. “Immediately, I was in that moment again.”

Not that Ehlo minds being included as a historic stage prop to help illustrate Jordan’s greatness, at least not anymore. Back when he was still playing, it was different.

“But now that it’s one of the most famous shots that Michael took, it’s actually an honor to be mentioned in it,” Ehlo said. “When people ask me about it, I stand up and say, ‘Yeah, it hurt when it happened. But I don’t hurt anymore because of the way they kind of honor you.’”

The post LeBron James’ Game-Winner Reminded Craig Ehlo of ‘The Shot’ appeared first on SLAM.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers swingman Craig Ehlo is mostly remembered for being Michael Jordan’s most famous victim, but as he details in the revealing video above (via Bleacher Report), Ehlo’s life was defined by a lot more than MJ and “The Shot.”

Ehlo opens up about his surprising and productive 14-year NBA career, an addiction to painkillers following retirement, and a bizarre domestic violence incident that landed him in jail two years ago.

Ehlo has moved on from the game, and says he’s found peace and happiness.

The post Craig Ehlo Discusses ‘The Shot’ and His Post-NBA Life (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

In early August, former NBA player Craig Ehlo’s name randomly popped up across the newsfeed, as it was reported that Ehlo was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Turns out Ehlo lit a bunch of clothes on fire during a dispute—no one was reportedly harmed—and he has now pled guilty to Second Degree Reckless Burning. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, but 363 of them—minus the one he already served—have reportedly been suspended. Per KREM.com: “Former NBA star Craig Ehlo entered a guilty plea Wednesday morning according to court officials. Superior court workers said Ehlo pleaded guilty to a one count of Second Degree Reckless Burning. The charge is a misdemeanor. The judge sentenced Ehlo to 364 days in jail. However, 363 of those days were suspended according to court records. Ehlo received credit for the one day he served when he was arrested in August. Court documents said Craig Ehlo lit clothes on fire on August 1 causing damage to his home in South Spokane. He was allegedly fighting with family when he lit his clothes on fire with gasoline. The documents also said family members had to hold him down until deputies arrived at the home. No one was hurt during the incident. … Ehlo was last scheduled to appear in court on August 14th but did not show up. His lawyer said Ehlo had entered a program for six weeks. The judge granted permission for Ehlo to leave the state to seek treatment. The 51-year-old recently coached at Eastern Washington University and resigned July 11. Ehlo played at Washington State University 1981-1983 and was drafted into the NBA by the Houston Rockets. He played for 14 seasons with the Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Seattle SuperSonics.”

The post Former NBA Player Craig Ehlo Pleads Guilty to Reckless Burning appeared first on SLAM.

In the 80s and 90s, Craig Ehlo became a household NBA name mostly for the terrible things Michael Jordan repeatedly did to him on the court. Ehlo is back in the news, and the news is bad. He was booked on a domestic violence charge. Per the Spokesman-Review: “Local basketball star Craig Ehlo, who starred in the NBA and most recently coached at Eastern Washington University, was arrested early Thursday on a domestic violence charge. Spokane County sheriff’s deputies arrested Ehlo, 51, on charges of first-degree reckless burning, domestic violence, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked into Spokane county jail at 7:36 a.m. The charge is a Class C felony. A sheriff’s office spokesman declined to provide more information about the arrest. Ehlo resigned from EWU on July 11. He also worked as a television analyst for the Seattle SuperSonics and Gonzaga.”

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