RECAP
Jordan turned in possibly the best all-around performance of his career in the 1988-89 season. The league's leading scorer once again at 32.5 points per game, Jordan finished 10th in the NBA in assists with a career-high 8.0 per outing and also set a career high by pulling down 8.0 rebounds per contest. He ranked third in the league in steals at 2.89 per game.
On January 25, he scored the 10,000th point of his career. Named to the East All-Star Team for the fifth straight year, Jordan scored 28 points in 33 minutes of action. His postseason honors included membership on the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team and selection as Player of the Year by The Sporting News.
The Bulls slipped a bit in the regular season, posting a 47-35 record, three fewer wins than the season before. But after squeezing by the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the opening round of the playoffs, the Bulls ousted the New York Knicks in the conference semifinals and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the third time in team history. They fell to the Detroit Pistons in six games. Jordan averaged 34.8 points in 17 postseason games. In the pivotal Game 5 of Chicago's first-round series against Cleveland, Jordan hit a memorable buzzer-beating jumper over Craig Ehlo to bring the Bulls from a 100-99 deficit to a 101-100 victory.
HONORS
All-NBA First Team
NBA All-Defensive First Team
NBA All-Star Starter
REGULAR-SEASON STATS
| YEAR | TEAM | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | OFF | DEF | TOT | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 88-89 | Chi | 81 | 81 | 40.2 | .538 | .276 | .850 | 1.8 | 6.2 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 2.89 | 0.80 | 32.5 |
PLAYOFF STATS
| YEAR | TEAM | G | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | OFF | DEF | TOT | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 88-89 | Chi | 17 | 17 | 42.2 | .510 | .286 | .799 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 2.47 | 0.76 | 34.8 |
REGULAR-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
vs. Phoenix Suns
The human highlight reel squirts along the baseline and rises underneath the backboard to drop in the beautiful reverse layup.
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at Cleveland Cavaliers
How about a Cavalier sandwich? Jordan blows by his favorite whipping boy, Craig Ehlo, and elevates for the one-handed jam over Cleveland's Larry Nance and Brad Daugherty.
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at Boston Celtics
Michael takes the Celtics' Reggie Lewis to school as he knocks down the soon-to-be patented fadeaway jumper on his way to another 50-plus point performance at Boston Garden.
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at Utah Jazz
Michael Jordan nearly shook the very foundation of the arena as he exploded for a cram over Utah's Mike Brown.
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vs. Utah Jazz
MJ drives from the wing and power rams it over Utah forward Thurl Bailey.
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PLAYOFF HIGHLIGHTS
Air Jordan hangs...and knocks the Cavs out of the 1989 Playoffs.
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ALL-STAR HIGHLIGHTS
STREAMING VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
It is known, in Chicago and especially in Cleveland, as "The Shot," and Michael Jordan's game-winning jumper was among the first of his numerous clutch shots.
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