[ad_1]
PHOENIX – The comparison came immediately after Kevin Durant destroyed the Chicago Bulls on Monday. In the final seconds, the Phoenix Suns forward sank a double-pump, do-he-just-that jumper to give the Suns a 115–113 victory.
Kept watching replays all night! pic.twitter.com/EEw60HC8Uf
– Phoenix Suns (@Suns) 23 January 2024
If you thought Durant’s incredible shot was a lot like Michael Jordan’s iconic double-pump jumper to eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs, you’re not alone. Some Bulls on the same team agree.
Will Purdue, an analyst for NBC Sports Chicago, watched Monday night’s game from a studio in Chicago. As soon as he saw Durant’s shot fall, he immediately recognized the significance.
“That 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 against (Craig) Ehlo in ’89. I was there!”
The people around him were not convinced.
“Look at it again,” Perdue said.
Obviously, the circumstances were different. Chicago’s victory in 1989 came in a first-round elimination game, win or go home. The Phoenix game unfolds in the middle of the season on Monday night. And unlike the 1989 game, in which Chicago was trailing Cleveland 100–99 when Jordan got the ball, the game was tied when Suns guard Grayson Allen lined up for the inbounds with 6.3 seconds remaining.
But just like in 1989, everyone in the building knew where the ball was going. In 1989, it was Jordan. On Monday at the Footprint Center, it was Durant. Jordan had to double-pump to prevent Ehlo from blocking it. Durant had to do this to prevent Alex Caruso from straying behind.
Phoenix’s inbounds pass went to big man Jusuf Nurkic, who deflected it back to Durant. Chicago went straight to Jordan. Durant took a dribble with his left hand. Jordan took two wickets.
Durant double-pumped and shot from 17 – good.
Jordan pumps a double and hits a shot from 17 – good.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Purdue 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 began at the far end of the court, away from the Chicago bench. Perdue stood on the baseline in Cleveland’s Richfield Coliseum. He saw Jordan jump. She watched him double-pump.
On Monday, he saw Durant do the same, altering his shot mid-air as Durant saw Caruso approaching from behind.
“Caruso almost blocked it – and there’s a defender in front?” Perdue said. “It’s one of those things, it’s almost like a Spidey sense. He has a third eye. Or an eye in the back of his head or something. …Perfect timing of the pump and then getting it back up, after Caruso goes up and shoots it. And if you notice, it was so pure that the net could hardly move.”
How difficult is it to make such a shot?
“Basically, like taking a car going 100 miles an hour, getting the brakes jammed, throwing it in reverse and going in the opposite direction,” Perdue said. “And yet jam it back into first gear and go back the way you’ve been going. To try to be able to stop all that inertia to do this, 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 on Monday night was a lot like Jordan’s performance in 1989. Check this out:
In the first half…
Durant was 4 of 13 from the field.
Jordan was 5 of 13.
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-for-44.
In 1989, Sam Vincent was a reserve guard for the Bulls. In the Game 5 win over the Cavs, he played eight minutes, collecting two points and two assists. He was on the bench when Jordan broke Cleveland’s heart.
Vincent said, “We realized how big this moment was in terms of the win and advancing to the playoffs, but we didn’t realize the history that would be built around ‘The Shot.’ “A very impressive shot. An amazing shot. One of many for Michael. But it was of vital importance to how the Bulls grew from there.
Vincent Durant missed the shot. As the men’s basketball coach at Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, he was watching film Monday night, preparing for Friday’s game against Keep Striving Prep. but after athletic Sent him the video, Vincent agreed to watch it.
His reaction: Oh, wow.
“After watching it twice,” Vincent said, “I saw an incredible, uncanny comparison to the shot Michael took in Cleveland.”
“What Kevin Durant did tonight was special.”
– Head Coach Frank Vogel🎥 Relive KD’s game-winner from all angles. pic.twitter.com/ckmqI30c6U
– Phoenix Suns (@Suns) 23 January 2024
Vincent said both players used their unique skills to their advantage. For Jordan, it was his ability to hang on. (“I don’t understand how he stayed in the air that long,” stunned Cleveland center Brad Dougherty said after the 1989 game.) For Durant, it was his length.
“I don’t think it’s a shot you practice, but I think it’s a shot you practice to do The practice – which I know Michael has practiced a lot and I’m sure I’ve seen footage of Kevin doing it too – and it takes a difficult entry dribble to get to a spot and then actually lift up. Capable,” Vincent said. “You practice that shot over and over again and in a game, the defense collapses. But because you’ve worked on that shot, it’s a little easier to swing the ball to be able to hit that shot.”
The 35-year-old Durant has played well all season, but recently he has taken his game to a higher level. Western Conference Player of the Week, he had 40 points in a home win over Indiana. One night later, he burned 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 in a row. Suddenly, preseason championship expectations don’t seem so unrealistic.
In his 17th season, Durant has played a leading role in the upset.
“I hope Phoenix Suns fans understand exactly what they’re watching,” Perdue said. “And it has nothing to do with age. It has to do with greatness.”
(Photo of Durant’s game-winning game against the Bulls on Monday: Garrett Ellwood/NBA via Getty Images)
