The Bulls, tired of being “the one-player-team”, decided to join efforts even from the aesthetic side: Brad Sellers proposed them to use completely black sneakers to give the image of unity. At that time, the NBA still had the rule that made it compulsory for all players of a team to wear the same coloured sneakers, which meant that changing to black showed their intention in working as a whole. In 1989, black sneakers were still an accessible oddity only for the Boston Celtics, almost impossible to get for Will Perdue, the Bulls’ pivot who has an American size 21 (a European size 57). Bill Cartwright, John Paxson and Perdue himself had to dye their sneakers, in a process that couldn’t be completed until a few minutes before the first game. Michael Jordan actually had black sneakers, the Jordan IV with which he had played the All Star that same year. In the third game of the playoffs, they asked attendees to wear black shoes and even the technical staff wore black shoes to turn it into a tradition.
JORDAN IV, THE SHOT THAT ESTABLISHED A TRADITION
During Michael Jordan’s first years in the NBA, the debate was about whether the restless young scorer could better his team. The appearances of the Bulls in the playoffs, the definitive phase of the season, allowed Michael to shine, but the result would always end up being early elimination. 1989 seemed to repeat the same trend; classified as sixths of their conference, the Bulls were against the Cavs which historically hadn’t gone well for them, they had lost the six games of the regular season.
But what made black the colour of the playoffs forever, was Michael’s historical performance in 1989. In Michael’s first three games he scored 31, 31 and 44 points; the Bulls were overtaking them 2-1 to remain one victory away from the next round and the fourth match, in Chicago, could become very decisive. Jordan scored 50 points, but he missed two free throws in the last minute as well as one last throw in the last second which made them lose the game. According to Michael, who had written about it ten years later, the fourth match was the lowest moment in his professional career. The debate would become the same, could Michael Jordan become the leader that the team needed?
In the midst of discussing Michael’s role in the Bulls, they were reaching the last match of the series against the Cavs: the winner would go to the next round. In the last six seconds, Michael had managed for the Bulls to be ahead in two occasions, but the latter one would be the one to make history, a mid-range shot that entered the basket at the same time that you could hear the horn indicating the end. A throw that marked the defender forever, Craig Ehlo, who one second before the ball entered he could have bragged about playing his best match at the playoffs.
It wasn’t the first time that Jordan shined at the playoffs, he did so already at his first appearance against the Celtics, but this time his performance was critical. Phil Jackson, who was the Bulls’ assistant coach, believes that the importance of that throw against the Cavs is that it happened two days after Michael had failed a similar situation. It was the moment Michael Jordan became a leader.
The Shot, which is how the throw became known, turned the Bulls into a team that was directed by Michael Jordan. And his black Jordan IV became a symbol.
