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In the twelve years the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) televised NBA games, the league rose to new heights in terms of ratings and popularity. Some of the NBA's most memorable games occurred during the twelve years NBC televised the league (from 1990 to 2002).
- 1991 NBA Finals, Game 2: Michael Jordan's lay-up, where he switched hands in mid-air, would become the seminal play of his career.
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Oh!!! A spectacular move by Michael Jordan! |
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—Marv Albert
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- 1992 NBA Finals, Game 1: Jordan's first half performance included a record six three-pointers and thirty-five points.
- 1992 NBA Finals, Game 6: Leading the series three games to two, the Chicago Bulls came back from sixteen points down in the fourth quarter, to prevent a Game 7 and give Chicago their second straight NBA title.
- 1993 NBA Finals: The Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns authored one of the more memorable NBA Final series; the Bulls took a 2-0 lead on the road, only to lose Game 3 at home in triple-overtime. Chicago regained control, taking a 3-1 lead in Game 4 off of a 55 point performace by Michael Jordan, only to lose Game 5 (and homecourt advantage). Game 6 saw Chicago falter in the fourth quarter, scoring only nine points during the period (all by Jordan) before a game-winning three-pointer by John Paxson to clinch the series.
- 1994 NBA Finals, Game 7: The only NBA Finals Game 7 that NBC would ever air saw the Houston Rockets win the first of their two titles and the New York Knicks' John Starks have a nightmare performance.
- 1995 NBA Finals, Game 1: After trailing by eighteen during the game, the defending champion Houston Rockets came back to force overtime, with help from four consecutive missed free-throws by Orlando Magic guard Nick Anderson. In overtime, Houston prevailed on a game-winning tip-in by Hakeem Olajuwon at the buzzer.
- 1996 NBA Finals, Game 6: The Chicago Bulls' series clinching win over the Seattle SuperSonics is best remembered for the reaction of Michael Jordan. After the win, which took place on Father's Day, Jordan (whose own father was murdered in 1993) fell to the United Center floor, clutching the basketball and crying.
- 1997 NBA Finals, Game 1: Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone missed two free throws in a tie game with only seconds remaining, allowing Michael Jordan to nail the game winning jumpshot at the buzzer.
- 1997 NBA Finals, Game 5: Michael Jordan, battling the effects of the flu, scored thirty-eight points en route to an important win. In one clutch sequence, Jordan missed a free throw, chased down the rebound, and eventually hit a clutch three pointer to give Chicago an 88-85 lead.
- 1997 NBA Finals, Game 6: Michael Jordan, double teamed with seconds left in the game, passed the ball to a wide open Steve Kerr, who hit the go-ahead jumpshot that would help the Bulls win their fifth NBA title.
- 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6: see "The Shot"
- 2000 NBA Finals, Game 4: With the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers in overtime, Laker guard Kobe Bryant, on a sprained ankle, takes over for a fouled-out Shaquille O'Neal in leading the Lakers to an important victory. After Reggie Miller missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer, the Lakers would walk away with a three games to one series lead.
- 2001 NBA Finals, Game 1: The Los Angeles Lakers were undefeated heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the heavy-underdog Philadelphia 76ers. In Game 1, Allen Iverson, scoring thirty-three points in the first half, led his Sixers back from an early deficit and into the lead for most of the game. After Laker guard Tyronn Lue shut down Iverson defensively, the Lakers came back to force overtime, taking a five point lead late in the extra session. Trailing late in the game, and with momentum heavily favoring the Lakers, Philadelphia found a way to come back and win (with one of the more memorable images of the comeback being Allen Iverson scoring a jumpshot over a falling Tyronn Lue and then stepping over him as he went back down the court).
[edit] Conference Finals
- 1991 Western Conference Final, Game 6: The Los Angeles Lakers, at the tail end of their 1980s dominance, were playing the defending conference champion Portland Trailblazers and leading the series three games to two. With seconds to go in the game, Magic Johnson rebounded a Portland miss and threw the ball the length of the court, preventing the Blazers from getting it back as time expired. The moment included one of the indelible moments of The NBA on NBC, as Johnson leapt triumphantly into the air to celebrate the win.
- 1993 Eastern Conference Final, Game 4: Michael Jordan scored fifty-four points to help his Chicago Bulls tie the series with their arch-rival New York Knicks.
- 1993 Eastern Conference Final, Game 5: New York Knick Charles Smith, directly under the basket with seconds winding down had multiple shot attempts repeatedly blocked or deflected, before ultimately having the ball stolen from him by Scottie Pippen. The Bulls would win the game and take a three games to two lead.
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Plenty of time on the shot clock, down to ten... Ewing for Smith... Smith, stripped... Smith stopped... Smith stopped again! By Pippen! What a play by Scottie Pippen! Final seconds, Jordan, for Armstrong! And the Bulls have defeated the Knicks![1] |
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—Marv Albert
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- 1993 Western Conference Final, Game 7: Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley scored 44 points and grabs 24 rebounds to lead the Suns to a series win over the Seattle Supersonics.
- '1994 Eastern Conference Final, Game 7: New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing wins the series finale against Indiana with a dramatic tip-dunk of an errant John Starks layup with 25.9 seconds remaining to give the Knicks a 1-point lead. Reggie Miller tried to win it for Indiana on the following possession but shot an air ball that went out of bounds to New York. The game was notable as Ewing, the team's leader and icon, led the league's New York franchise to their first NBA Finals, the only Finals Ewing would be healthy enough to participate in for his career.
- '1995 Eastern Conference Final, Game 4: In a back and forth last minute of the game, the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers traded clutch three-point jumpshots. The sequence began with Orlando trailing by 2 points. First Orlando's Brian Shaw connected for three. Then Indiana's Reggie Miller responded with his own three-pointer. Orlando's Anfernee Hardaway hit a three following that with only 1.3 seconds remaining to put the Magic back up one, before Pacers center Rik Smits hit the game winning jump-hook shot at the buzzer over Tree Rollins.
- '1997 Western Conference Final, Game 4: Houston Rockets forward Eddie Johnson hits a game winning three-pointer as time expires, helping the Rockets tie their series against the Utah Jazz.
- 1997 Western Conference Final, Game 6: Four nights later, Utah Jazz guard John Stockton hits a game-winning three-pointer as time expires to send his team to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.
- 1998 Eastern Conference Final, Game 4: Reggie Miller hits a game winning three to tie the series between the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls at two games apiece.
- 1999 Western Conference Final, Game 2: Trailing the Portland Trail Blazers the entire game (at one point the deficit was eighteen), the San Antonio Spurs were down 85-83 with twelve seconds left. Following a time out, Mario Elie inbounded to Sean Elliott past a diving Stacey Augmon. Tiptoeing along the sideline to avoid stepping out of bounds while gathering his balance, Elliott connected on his sixth three-pointer of the game over the outstretched hand of Rasheed Wallace and gave the Spurs their first lead of the ballgame, 86-85. Nine seconds later, the game ended with that same score. Elliott's shot, and the game itself, is now known as the Memorial Day Miracle.
- 1999 Eastern Conference Final, Game 3: With his New York Knicks trailing by three points, forward Larry Johnson hits a three-pointer from the corner and is fouled by Indiana Pacer Antonio Davis, resulting in a game winning four-point play.
- 2000 Western Conference Final, Game 7: Trailing by as many as seventeen points in the third quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers mount a historic comeback in the fourth quarter, culminating in an alley-oop pass from Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O'Neal. The Portland Trailblazers, already the victims of a comeback in the 1992 NBA Finals, blew the largest lead in a Game 7 in NBA history.
- 2002 Eastern Conference Final, Game 3: The Boston Celtics pull off the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history. With the score 74-53 after three quarters, the Celtics, led by Paul Pierce, overcame a 21-point deficit by outscoring the New Jersey Nets 41-16 in the final period.
- 2002 Western Conference Final, Game 4: The Sacramento Kings led the Los Angeles Lakers 40 to 20 after the first quarter, and led by as many as twenty-four points in the game. The Lakers would mount a comeback almost identical to the one pulled off the previous afternoon by the Boston Celtics, coming to within two points (99-97) with seconds to play. On their final possession, the Lakers put the ball in Kobe Bryant's hands. Bryant would drive to the basket and miss a runner. Shaquille O'Neal rebounded the ball, but missed a tip-in. Ironically, it was Sacramento center Vlade Divac who would tap the missed ball out towards the three-point arc, where Laker forward Robert Horry stood, wide open. Horry took the ball and put up the game-winning three-pointer as time expired.
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Bryant, putting the move on Christie... rebound O'Neal, coming up short... Horry, for the win... Yes!... and the Lakers have suddenly defeated the Sacramento Kings .. on a three-pointer by Robert Horry! |
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—Marv Albert
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- 2002 NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals, Game 6: Game 6 of both Conference Finals in 2002 were played on the same night (Friday May 31), giving NBC a unique doubleheader on a weeknight. In the first game played in Boston, a strong second half propelled the Nets to their first Conference title, defeating the Celtics 96-88. In the second game played in Los Angeles, the Lakers pulled out a 106-102 victory over the Kings, forcing Game 7 two days later.
- 2002 Western Conference Final, Game 7: The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings would battle into overtime for the Western Conference crown. While Mike Bibby was clutch for Sacramento, Chris Webber, Doug Christie and Peja Stojakovic missed big shots for the Kings. The Lakers would take advantage of the missed shots and win the series in overtime. In a rare move, NBC's Jim Gray interviewed both Bibby and Kobe Bryant after the game was over.
[edit] Other games
- 1991 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5: At the tail end of their dominance, the Boston Celtics hosted the Indiana Pacers in the deciding Game 5 of the first round. Pacer guard Chuck Person hit several clutch shots, but was not able to lead the Pacers to an overtime win against Boston. Larry Bird was seriously injured in this game, making a Willis Reed-like comeback late in the game to spur on the Celtics.
- 1994 Western Conference First Round, Game 5: For the first time in NBA history, a number eight seed defeated a number one seed in the first round. The Denver Nuggets upset the Seattle Supersonics and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The image of Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo lying on his back on the court, clutching the ball in jubilation, was later used in the final NBA on NBC montage.
- 1995 Western Conference Semi-Final, Game 7: Mario Elie's "Kiss of Death"; the Houston Rockets once trailed in the best-of-seven series against the Phoenix Suns three games to one. In Game 7, the Rockets came away with a rare road Game 7 win after a clutch three pointer by guard Mario Elie (a shot that was immediately followed by a blown kiss to the Phoenix bench).
- 1999 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5: For the second time in NBA history, a number eight seed defeated the number one seed. Thanks to an Allan Houston game-winning runner with under a second left in the game, the New York Knicks upset the Miami Heat, 78-77.
- 1999 Western Conference First Round, Game 5: The upstart Sacramento Kings took the veteran (and two-time defending conference champion) Utah Jazz to overtime in the deciding game of their first round series. Vlade Divac missed a shot that would have won the game for Sacramento in regulation, and the Kings were unable to pull off an upset on the road.
- 2002 Western Conference First Round, Game 1: In one of the more bizarre finishes to an NBA playoff game, Utah Jazz forward Scott Padgett, with his team trailing the Sacramento Kings by three points, attempted to slam dunk a three-point attempt by John Stockton that had hit the rim and looked like it might bounce back into the basket. Padgett missed the attempted dunk, and Utah lost the game. Analyst Bill Walton asked incredulously, "What is he doing? What is Scott Padgett doing?"
[edit] Miscellaneous
[edit] The O.J. chase
1994 NBA Finals, Game 5:One of the most memorable moments in the history of The NBA on NBC had nothing to do with the NBA. On June 17, 1994, during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, most NBC affiliates (with the noted exception being WNBC-TV out of New York) split the coverage of the game between NFL Hall of Famer (turned NBC football commentator) O.J. Simpson's low speed freeway chase with the LAPD. Bob Costas (who worked with Simpson during The NFL on NBC) said during the telecast from Madison Square Garden that the Simpson situation was "not just tragic but now surreal." Because of the chase, Game 5 of the Finals registered an abnormally low (for the time) 8.0 rating.
[edit] "The Shot"
1998 NBA Finals, Game 6: With his team trailing by one point and leading the series three games to two over the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan stole the basketball from Utah forward Karl Malone and drove the ball the length of the court. With time ticking down, Jordan pushed off on Jazz forward Bryon Russell, freeing himself up for what would end up being the game and series clinching jumpshot. The play would end up being one of the most replayed in league history.
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Seventeen seconds... from Game 7 or championship number six... Jordan... open... Chicago with the lead! |
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—Bob Costas
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[edit] Reggie Miller
Indiana Pacer guard Reggie Miller authored several memorable plays on NBC:
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Miller for three. And he got it. Reggie Miller with a clutch trey, and it's 105-102. And a steal! Miller retreats to the three point line... and hits again! |
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—Tom Hammond
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ NY Knicks 94 x 97 Chicago Bulls Game 5, 1993
