Craig Ehlo fires back at Ron Harper after ‘The Last Dance’ rip job

Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas can step aside for now. “The Last Dance” has a new feud, one involving two former Cavaliers teammates arguing over Jordan’s famous shot to beat the Cavaliers in the 1989 playoffs. It revolved around the third episode, in which Ron Harper recalls how he was told by coach Lenny Wilkens …

It revolved around the third episode, in which Ron Harper recalls how he was told by coach Lenny Wilkens that Craig Ehlo would guard Jordan on the final shot, and his negative reaction to it, after requesting to defend him.

“I never said I was a Jordan stopper like Gerald Wilkins or anything,” Ehlo said, according to Cleveland.com. “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.”

In the show, Harper, who would win three titles later in his career with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998, remembered the situation differently.

“We’re up by one and I said, ‘Coach, I got MJ,’” Harper said. “Coach tells me, ‘I’m going to put Ehlo on MJ.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever. F–k this bulls–t.’”

Mark Price, the team’s point guard, didn’t recall it going as Harper recalled either.

“That was pretty interesting,” Price told the website. “That caught me a little off guard. I didn’t know Ron had such strong feelings about that because I didn’t really remember all that. Maybe it’s because we were in the midst of everything or maybe that was something where Ron had talked to Lenny on the side or before. I didn’t ever really recall that situation being a big deal at the time when the game was going on. I just remember Lenny kind of telling us what we were going to do and then going out and trying to do it. Obviously it’s something that had bothered Ron.

“Whoever [Lenny] picked, it wasn’t really a major factor, as far as I was concerned. I thought overall it was a contested shot, it was good effort.”