PHOENIX — The comparison emerged not long after Kevin Durant eliminated the Chicago Bulls on Monday. In the final seconds, the Phoenix Suns forward buried a double shot, “he just did it,” to give the Suns a 115-113 victory.
WATCHING ON REPLAY ALL NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/EEw60HC8Uf
—Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 23, 2024
If you thought Durant’s incredible shot resembled Michael Jordan’s iconic double pump shot to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs, you’re not alone. A couple of Bulls from that same team agree.
NBC Sports Chicago analyst Will Perdue watched Monday night’s game from a studio in Chicago. As soon as he saw Durant’s shot fall, he immediately recognized its significance.
“It was a double pump!” said Perdue, who was in his rookie season out of Vanderbilt with the Bulls during the 1989 playoffs. “It’s the same thing Jordan did to (Craig) Ehlo in ’89. “I was there!”
Those around him were not convinced.
“Look at it again,” Perdue said.
Obviously the circumstances were different. Chicago’s win in 1989 came in a first-round elimination game, win or go home. Monday night’s Phoenix game took place in the middle of the season. And unlike the 1989 game, when Chicago trailed Cleveland 100-99 when Jordan caught the ball, this game ended in a tie when Suns guard Grayson Allen prepared to rush in with 6.3 seconds left.
But as in 1989, everyone in the building knew where the ball was going. In 1989 it was Jordan’s turn. On Monday at Footprint Center it was Durant. Jordan had to pump twice to keep Ehlo from pinning him. Durant had to do this to prevent Alex Caruso from deflecting from behind.
Phoenix’s inbounds pass went to big man Jusuf Nurkic, who returned it to Durant. Chicago went straight to Jordan. Durant dribbled with his left hand. Jordan got two.
Durant doubles and shoots from 17: good.
Jordan doubled and shot 17: good.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Perdue said he remembered Jordan’s shot like it was yesterday. In 1989, he was stuck behind Bill Cartwright and Dave Corzine in the Bulls rotation. The play had taken place at the far end of the court, away from Chicago’s bench. Perdue was on the baseline at Cleveland’s Richfield Coliseum. He saw Jordan jump. He saw him double pumped.
Monday saw Durant do the same, changing his shot in mid-air because Durant saw Caruso coming from behind.
“Caruso almost blocked it – and is there a defender in front?” Perdue said. “This is one of those things, it’s almost like a spider sense. He has a third eye. Or an eye on the back of the head or something. …The perfect timing of the pump and then taking it back, after Caruso had passed to go up and shoot him. And if you notice, it was so pure that the net barely moved.
How difficult is it to take a shot like that?
“Basically, it’s like taking a car going 100 miles an hour, hitting the brakes, putting it in reverse and going in the opposite direction,” Perdue said. “And then you put it back in first gear and go back in the direction you’re going. Trying to stop all that inertia to be able to do that, on a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 12.”
The similarities don’t end with Durant’s final shot. In fact, his performance Monday night pretty much mirrored Jordan’s in 1989. Check this out:
In the first half…
Durant was 4-of-13 from the field.
Jordan was 5 of 13 years old.
In the second half…
Durant scored 30 points.
Jordan scored 30 points.
In the fourth quarter…
Durant scored 17 points.
Jordan scored 17 points.
For the game…
Durant finished 16 of 32 for 43 points.
Jordan finished 17 of 32 of 44.
In 1989, Sam Vincent was a reserve guard for the Bulls. In the Game 5 victory against the Cavs, he played eight minutes, collecting two points and two assists. He was on the bench when Jordan broke Cleveland’s heart.
“We realized how big the moment was in terms of winning and advancing in the playoffs, but we didn’t realize the story that would be created around ‘The Shot,’” Vincent said. “A shot of great impact. An extraordinary shot. One of many for Michael. But it had a significant impact on how the Bulls grew from there.”
Vincent misses Durant’s shot. As the men’s basketball coach at Beacon College in Leesburg, Fla., he was watching film Monday night, preparing for Friday’s game against Keep Striving Prep. But after Atletico sent him the video and Vincent agreed to take a look at it.
His reaction: Oh, wow.
“After watching it a couple of times,” Vincent said, “I saw the incredible, disturbing comparison to that shot Michael took in Cleveland.”
“What Kevin Durant did tonight, it was special.”
–Head coach Frank Vogel🎥 Relive KD’s winning match from all angles. pic.twitter.com/ckmqI30c6U
—Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 23, 2024
Vincent said both players used their unique skills to their advantage. For Jordan, it was his ability to hang himself. (“I don’t see how he stayed in the air that long,” stunned Cleveland center Brad Daugherty said after the 1989 game.) For Durant, it was the length of him.
“I don’t think it’s a shot you practice, but I think it’s a shot you practice Do practice – which I know Michael practiced a lot and I’m sure I saw footage of Kevin doing it as well – and that is being able to do a hard penetrating dribble in one spot and then really elevate,” Vincent said. “You you coach over and over again and in one game, the defense shuts down. But because you’ve worked on that shot, it’s a little easier to maneuver the ball to be able to get that shot off.”
Durant, 35, has played well all season, but lately he has taken his game to a higher level. Western Conference Player of the Week, he scored 40 points in the home win over Indiana. The next night, I torched the Bulls. On Wednesday he had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists as Phoenix defeated Dallas, 132-109. After a slow start, Phoenix (26-18) has won seven straight. Suddenly, those preseason championship hopes don’t seem so unrealistic anymore.
In his 17th season, Durant played a major role in the turnaround.
“I hope Phoenix Suns fans truly understand what they are witnessing,” Perdue said. “And this has nothing to do with age. “This has to do with greatness.”
(Game-winning photo of Durant on Monday against the Bulls: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
