Michael Jordan can’t miss and famously shrugs during Game 1 of 1992 Finals; Boston outlasts Phoenix in triple OT to win Game 5 of 1976 Finals.
In Game 1 of the 1992 Finals, Michael Jordan drills six 3-pointer in the 1st half, leading to one of the best reactions in NBA history.
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Below is a day-by-day look at landmark moments, games, performances and more from this week in NBA lore.
June 1
June 1, 1979
The Seattle SuperSonics, who dropped the championship series opener, beat Washington 97-93 in Game 5 for their fourth consecutive Finals victory, capturing their only NBA championship, as Gus Williams scored 23 points and Jack Sikma grabbed 17 rebounds.
June 1, 1993
Dan Majerle of Phoenix set a then-playoffs record by sinking eight 3-pointers during the Suns’ 120-114 victory over Seattle in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Majerle finished the game with 34 points.
June 1, 1994
Indiana’s Reggie Miller drilled an NBA playoffs record five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of the Pacers’ 93-86 win over host New York in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miller finished with a game-high 39 points, shooting 6-for-11 from 3-point range. Five players have since tied Miller’s record of five 3-pointers in one quarter of a playoff game.
June 1, 2005
The original dominating big man and Hall of Famer George Mikan dies at 80.
George Mikan, one of the 1st superstars of the NBA, was a 3-time scoring champion and won 5 NBA titles in his career.
June 1, 2011
Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki makes the tie-breaking layup with 3.6 seconds left, and the Dallas Mavericks roar back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 95-93 and tie the NBA Finals at one game apiece. The Mavs outscore the Heat 22-5 down the stretch and pull off the biggest comeback win in an NBA Finals since 1992.
June 2
June 2, 1985
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers became the all-time leading scorer in NBA playoff history, surpassing Jerry West’s total of 4,457 points, as the Lakers beat Boston, 136-111, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals — a series they would win in six games. Abdul-Jabbar was eventually passed for total playoff points by Chicago’s Michael Jordan.
June 2, 1996
Seattle, led by 26 points from Shawn Kemp and 21 from Gary Payton, defeats visiting Utah, 90-86, in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, earning the SuperSonics a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1979.
June 2, 2000
The New Jersey Nets name Rod Thorn, who had been serving as the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, as the team’s new president. Thorn, who served as an assistant coach with the Nets between 1973-75 and then again between 1976-78, had been in professional basketball for more than four decades as a player, assistant coach, head coach, general manager and league official. He joined the league office in February 1986, and was in charge of all on-court operations, including scheduling, officiating, game conduct and discipline.
June 2, 2020
Washington Bullets legend and Hall of Famer Wes Unseld dies at 74. Unseld was the NBA’s MVP and Rookie of the Year in 1969 and led the Bullets to an NBA title in 1978. One of the NBA’s Top 50 Players, Unseld retired in 1981 and moved into a front-office job with the Bullets and also coached the team for seven seasons (1987-94).
Wes Unseld earned 5 All-Star nominations and led the Bullets to the 1978 NBA championship.
June 3
June 3, 1977
Portland’s Bobby Gross scored 25 points while center Bill Walton controlled the boards with 24 rebounds, enabling the Blazers to defeat the Sixers, 110-104, in a crucial Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Philadelphia.
June 3, 1984
Magic Johnson handed out an NBA Finals-record 21 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Boston, 137-104, in Game 3 of a championship series the Celtics would eventually win in seven games.
June 3, 1992
Host Chicago defeated Portland, 122-89, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan, who finished with a game-high 39 points, set NBA Finals records for points scored in a half (35) and 3-pointers made in one half (six). After the sixth trey, Jordan turned to the midcourt TV camera and shrugged as if to say, “I guess everything’s going in.”
In Game 1 of the 1992 Finals, Michael Jordan drills six 3-pointer in the 1st half, leading to one of the best reactions in NBA history.
June 3, 1999
Utah’s Karl Malone becomes the ninth player in NBA history to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy twice when he is named the league’s MVP for the 1998-99 season. He previously won the award for his play during the 1996-97 season.
June 3, 2018
Golden State’s Stephen Curry nails nine 3-pointers in a 122-103 win in Game 2 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, breaking Ray Allen’s record for the most 3-pointers in an NBA Finals game.
June 4
June 4, 1976
Boston’s Jo Jo White scored 33 points as the Celtics outlasted Phoenix, 128-126, in triple-overtime in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, at the time the longest Finals game ever. Phoenix forward Gar Heard, who set a then-Finals record by playing 61 minutes, hit a buzzer-beater to force the third overtime. Phoenix and Chicago went to triple-overtime in Game 3 of the 1993 Finals, a game won by the Suns, 129-121. Kevin Johnson of Phoenix broke Heard’s previous Finals record for minutes played with 62.
June 4, 1987
The Lakers shot a then-NBA Finals record 61.5% from the field and Michael Cooper set what was then a Finals record by sinking six 3-pointers in a 141-122 victory over Boston in Game 2 of their championship series — eventually won by the Lakers in six games. The Lakers’ field-goal percentage remains the second-highest in Finals history. Magic Johnson’s 20 assists were one shy of his own NBA Finals record, and the Lakers’ 44 assists tied the team single-game NBA Finals record set by another Lakers’ team on May 6, 1970.
June 4, 1995
The Orlando Magic advanced to the NBA Finals in only the sixth year of the franchise with a 105-81 win over visiting Indiana in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Shaquille O’Neal had a game-high 25 points to lead the Magic and Dennis Scott set NBA playoff records for a seven-game series for the most 3-pointers attempted (65) and the most treys made (28).
June 4, 1997
The NBA announced that the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets would play an NBA regular-season game in Mexico on December 6, 1997. The event marked the first time the NBA has staged a regular-season game in Mexico, which joined Japan as the only two countries outside of the United States and Canada to host an NBA regular-season game.
June 4, 2000
Down 15 points with 10:28 to go in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers stage an epic comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers outscore the Blazers 29-11 down the stretch, clinching the victory off a Kobe Bryant-to-Shaquille O’Neal alley-oop with 40 seconds left. The win sends the Lakers to their first Finals since the 1990-91 season.
Trailing by 15 points in Game 7 of the 2000 West finals, the Lakers come back to win behind Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
June 4, 2009
Randy Smith, who played in a then-record 906 NBA games between 1972-82, dies at the age of 60.
June 4, 2020
The NBA Board of Governors today approves a competitive format to restart the 2019-20 season with 22 teams returning to play and a tentative start date of Thursday, July 30. The 22 returning teams were the 16 teams (eight per conference) in playoff positions and the six teams that were six games or fewer behind the eighth seed in their respective conferences. Those two groups comprise teams with the NBA’s 22 best records.
June 5
June 5, 1977
The phenomenon known as Blazermania reached a peak as Bill Walton blocked eight shots, a record for an NBA Finals game (since tied by three players), and Portland beat Philadelphia 109-107 in Game 6 to win its only NBA championship.
Bill Walton led the Portland Trailblazers to an NBA title in 1977.
June 5, 1991
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls drove the lane against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. As he moved past Byron Scott with the ball in his right hand, Jordan took off for the basket intending to dunk. The Lakers’ Sam Perkins came over to try to contest the shot, but Jordan switched the ball into his left hand while in midair and gently flipped it in off the glass. The vintage Jordan effort helped the Bulls beat the Lakers 107-86 en route to their first title. Chicago set a Finals record for team shooting percentage at .617 (50-for-81). Bulls guard John Paxson also tied a Finals record by shooting 1.000 (8-for-8) from the field, tying Scott Wedman, who was 11-for-11 for Boston in Game 1 of the 1985 Finals against the Lakers.
In Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan switches hands from right to left in mid-air for a layup in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers.
June 5, 1992
Portland defeated Chicago 115-104 in overtime in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Danny Ainge was a key factor for Portland in OT, tying a Finals record set by John Havlicek (1974) and Bill Laimbeer (1990) by scoring nine of the Blazers’ 18 points in the extra session.
June 5, 1994
New York, led by Patrick Ewing’s 24 points and 22 rebounds, defeated Indiana 94-90 at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, sending the Knicks to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973.
On June 5, 1994, New York beat Indiana in Game 7 to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years.
June 5, 1996
Global television coverage of the 1996 NBA Finals between Chicago and Seattle reaches a record 169 countries on six continents in 40 different languages. The Bulls’ 107-90 win in Game 1 at the United Center earns a 16.8 rating and a 31 share on NBC and is viewed in a record 16,111,200 homes.
June 6
June 6, 1946
The National Basketball Association was founded at the Commodore Hotel in New York. Maurice Podoloff was the league’s first president, a title later changed to commissioner.
June 6, 1982
Philadelphia held Los Angeles center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to his all-time playoff low of six points and trounced the Lakers 135-102 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
June 6, 1989
The Pistons beat the Lakers 109-97 in Game 1 of the 1989 NBA Finals, snapping the Lakers streak for consecutive wins during one postseason at 11.
June 6, 1996
At a press conference in Chicago, NBA Commissioner David J. Stem announces plans for the “NBA at 50” celebration, which commemorated the league’s 50th anniversary during the first half of the 1996-97 season.
June 6, 1997
Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls tied an NBA Finals record when he made seven 3-pointers in Chicago’s 104-93 Game 3 loss to the Utah Jazz. Kenny Smith of the Houston Rockets had set the record with seven treys vs. Orlando on June 7, 1995.
June 6, 2000
The NBA announced that effective July 1, Stu Jackson, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, would assume the responsibilities previously held by Rod Thorn as head of the NBA’s Basketball Operations department. His duties were to include chairing the league’s Competition and Rules Committee, overseeing officiating, and imposing discipline for misconduct by players and coaches. It was announced Jackson would report to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Russ Granik.
June 6, 2000
Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star and 1989 Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons, was named the team’s President of Basketball Operations. Dumars was hired as Vice President of Player Personnel on June 14, 1999, and served in that capacity during the 1999-2000 season.
June 6, 2001
For only the second time in NBA Finals history, two opposing players scored 40 or more points in the same NBA Finals game. Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers (48 points) and Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers (44 points) each surpassed the 40-point mark in Game 1 of NBA Finals 2001, a 107-101 Philadelphia win in overtime.
June 6, 2001
In the 2001 Finals, Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson uses his trademark crossover dribble against Los Angeles Lakers guard Tyronn Lue. Iverson then stepped back and hit a fadeaway jumper as Lue fell down. After the shot went through, Iverson took an exaggerated step over the prone Lue on his way back up the court. That basket gave the Sixers a 105-103 lead in overtime as they would go on to win Game 1.
In Game 1 of the 2001 Finals, Allen Iverson used his crossover against Tyronn Lue, then hit a jumper as Lue fell down. Iverson then took an exaggerated step over the Lue on his way back up the court.
June 7
June 7, 1978
The Washington Bullets traveled to Seattle and defeated the SuperSonics 105-99 in Game 7 to win the NBA Championship. During this series, Washington coach Dick Motta famously proclaimed, “The opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings.”
The Bullets defeat the SuperSonics 105-99 in Game 7 to win the 1978 NBA title.
June 7, 1990
Terry Porter of the Portland Trail Blazers made all 15 of his free-throw attempts in Portland’s 106-105 overtime win over Detroit in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Porter’s perfect performance set an NBA Finals record for most free throws made without a miss.
June 7, 1992
In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Chicago and Portland combined to score only 31 points in the third quarter, the lowest-scoring third quarter in Finals history. The Blazers’ 94-84 loss was the ninth straight homecourt defeat suffered by a Western Conference club, dating back to 1989, also an NBA Finals record.
June 7, 1993
New Jersey guard Drazen Petrovic, a 1993 All-NBA Third Team selection and a member of the Croatian team that won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, was killed in an automobile accident in Germany.
June 7, 1995
Bolstered by the outside shooting of guard Kenny Smith, who set NBA Finals records for most 3-pointers made in a game (seven) and quarter (five), Houston overcame a 20-point first-half deficit and defeated host Orlando 120-118 in overtime in Game 1 of the ’95 Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon’s tip-in with only three-tenths of a second left in OT gave the Rockets their comeback victory and a 1-0 series lead. The teams also combined to fire up an NBA Playoff and Finals record 62 3s, with the Rockets hitting 14-for-32 attempts and the Magic 9-for-30.
June 7, 1998
The Chicago Bulls defeat the Utah Jazz 96-54 in the most lopsided game in the history of the NBA Finals. The 54 points by the Jazz is also an NBA record for fewest points in a game since the inception of the 24-second shot clock.
June 7, 2000
Shaquille O’Neal scores 43 points against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of NBA Finals 2000, using a variety of dunks, spin moves and jump hooks. In doing so, he continued a trend established at the start of NBA Playoffs 2000. In the Lakers’ first game in the first round against Sacramento, O’Neal exploded for 46 points. In a second round series opener against Phoenix, he posted a 37-point effort. In the Western Conference Finals opener against Portland, he came out of the box with 41 points. In all, O’Neal averaged 41.8 ppg in the year’s playoff openers. O’Neal’s domination in Game 1 nearly landed him in the NBA Finals record book. He finished the night with 21 field goals, one shy of the NBA Finals mark of 22, co-held by Elgin Baylor and Rick Barry. O’Neal joins Baylor, Barry, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA Finals history to hit at least 21 field goals in a game.
