Tag: on this day

On This Day, June 7: Bulls’ OT win over Lakers in Game 3 of NBA Finals

On this day (June 7) in 1991, the Chicago Bulls took Game 3 of the NBA Finals of the Los Angeles Lakers.

ON THIS DAY (1991) – For an entire decade, the Chicago Bulls reigned supreme over the NBA world, winning six championships in eight seasons and going undefeated in the Finals. Led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, they dominated, and it all started in 1991 when Chicago won their first NBA Finals.

In 1991 the Bulls took down Magic Johnson‘s Los Angeles Lakers, starting their reign of terror. And on this day, June 7, they won Game 3 of the NBA Finals, taking a 2-1 lead over the Lakers. In what was an overtime thriller, the Bulls eventually pulled away, securing a victory over Los Angeles, all led by Jordan.

Heading into overtime, the game was tied at 92-92, but Chicago dominated the final period. The Bulls won overtime by a score of 12-4, finishing the game with a 104-96 victory.

As noted, Jordan led the way for the Bulls. He finished as the team’s scoring leader, dropping 29 points. In addition, he added nine rebounds, nine assists, four steals, and two blocks to his totals. However, it was an inefficient performance for Jordan, who shot 11-of-28 from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the three-point line.

Horace Grant also played a big role for the Bulls, ending the night with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 9-of-11 from the floor. Pippen had 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

For the Lakers, it was a team effort, as three players finished the night with 20 or more points. Sam Perkins had 25 points, Vlade Divac had 24 points, and Magic Johnson had 22 points. Johnson also added six boards, 10 assists, and two steals to his scoreline.

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On This Day, June 6: Bulls lose NBA Finals Game 3 to Jazz

On this day, June 6, in Chicago Bulls history, the Bulls lost Game 3 of the 1997 NBA Finals to the Utah Jazz.

ON THIS DAY (1997) – Right now, only the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets remain in the NBA playoffs. The rest of the field has been eliminated. But long ago, the Chicago Bulls were still playing at this time, as Michael Jordan led them to the NBA Finals six times in the 1990s, winning all six.

In the franchise’s history, the Bulls have only played one game on June 6, and it was in 1997. Chicago was playing in their fifth NBA Championship in seven years and were up 2-0 on the Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, in Game 3, they ended up falling short, dropping their first contest of the series.

Utah ended up winning Game 3 of the Finals, taking down the Bulls by a score of 104-93. Karl Malone ended up leading the Jazz to victory, dominating the Bulls. He scored 37 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and four steals while shooting 15-of-29 from the field.

As for the Bulls, their two stars played well but not quite well enough.

Scottie Pippen led the team in scoring on the night, dropping 27 points. He also added four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Pippen shot 7-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 from behind the three-point line.

Meanwhile, Jordan put together a rather inefficient performance. The Bulls superstar ended the game with 26 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks. He shot 9-of-22 from the floor and 4-of-10 from distance.

All in all, June 6 isn’t the greatest day in Bulls history. One game, one loss, and it was in the Finals.

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Chicago Bulls OTD: Michael Jordan’s SI cover with Shaquille O’Neal

ON THIS DAY in Chicago Bulls history, Michael Jordan graced the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside Shaquille O’Neal.

ON THIS DAY (1995)—If you gave time machines to every Chicago Bulls fan on the planet, most would set the date to the 1990s. Michael Jordan was running the show, Scottie Pippen was by his side, and the Bulls were on top of the world. There have been some fun, talented Bulls squads since then, but nothing will ever compare to Jordan.

Time machines don’t exist, but we can still take a glance at the past. And on this day 28 years ago, May 22, 1995, Jordan graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Chicago’s series against the Shaquille O’Neal-led Orlando Magic had just wrapped up, with Jordan losing to the youngster after returning to the sport just in time for the postseason.

The cover showed Jordan meeting O’Neal at the rim with the words “Battle of the Titans” printed on the front page in large font. Two of the biggest figures in sports going head to head were bound to create a spectacle, and the people got their money’s worth.

O’Neal was great during the series, putting up 20-point, 10-rebound double-doubles in all but one game, including a 23-point, 22-rebound performance in Game 5.

As for Jordan, he also played well, outside of a 19-point dud in Game 1. He had 38 points or more in three of the six games, but it wasn’t enough to take down O’Neal and the Magic.

Although the season has an asterisk next to it because Jordan only played in 17 regular-season games, O’Neal took down the Bulls in the middle of their dynasty. At the time, he was 23 years old, but the big man was already shaping up to be a legend.

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On this day in Broncos history: Denver trades for QB John Elway in 1983

The Broncos acquired QB John Elway in a trade with the Colts on May 2, 1983. He won two Super Bowls as QB and later won a third title as GM.

The Denver Broncos made the most important move in franchise history on May 2, 1983, when they finalized a trade with the Baltimore Colts to acquire quarterback John Elway.

Before the draft, Elway had informed the Colts he would not play for them, but the team picked him anyway after failing to trade the No. 1 overall pick before going on the clock. A few days later, they reached an agreement with the Broncos on a trade that sent Elway to Denver.

“If it was football with the Colts or baseball with the Yankees, I would have picked baseball,” Elway said during a 1983 interview.

The Broncos traded offensive tackle Chris Hinton (their first-round pick in 1983), quarterback Mark Herrmann and a 1984 first-round pick (guard Ron Solt) in exchange for Elway. The rest is history.

The Colts went 13 years before winning a playoff game. Denver went on to reach five Super Bowls with Elway as quarterback, winning back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998 before Elway retired.

Elway later returned to the Broncos as an executive in 2011 and he helped the team win a third Super Bowl in 2015. Elway is the most important figure in franchise history, and he was acquired on this day 40 years ago.

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On this day: Sixers select Allen Iverson No. 1 in 1996 NBA draft

On this day in 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick.

On June 26, 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers held the No. 1 pick in a pretty stacked draft class that included Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Jermaine O’Neal and Allen Iverson.

With that No. 1 pick, the Sixers chose the 6-foot, scrawny guard out of Georgetown. What Iverson brought to the floor was scintillating at times; he put the Sixers back on the NBA map.

Iverson won Rookie of the Year in the 1996-97 season while averaging 23.5 points and 7.5 assists with 4.1 rebounds. He went on to lead the league in scoring four times while a member of the Sixers. He won the MVP honor in 2001 when he averaged 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals and led the Sixers to the NBA Finals.

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Iverson made a big impact on the league on his way to a Hall of Fame career with the Sixers and the Denver Nuggets, with whom he teamed with Carmelo Anthony. His No. 3 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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On this day in Sixers history: Allen Iverson steps over Tyronn Lue in Game 1

On this day in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is one of the legendary players in NBA history. He always threw the Sixers on his back when the time called for it, and in his first NBA Finals game on June 6, 2001, he did so in a huge way.

After the Sixers knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, they took a trip to Los Angeles to take on the vaunted Lakers, who went undefeated on the Western side of the bracket. Given the Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Sixers were heavy underdogs.

Iverson did not back down. He dropped 48 points with six assists with five rebounds and five steals in the opener. He then had an iconic highlight play in overtime when he crossed over Tyronn Lue and knocked down the shot before stepping over Lue as Philadelphia stole Game 1, 107-101, on the road.

Of course, the Lakers won the series, 4-1, after they realized Iverson and the Sixers wouldn’t back down. But this play by Iverson was impressive, and it goes down as one of the best plays in the history of the NBA Finals.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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On this date in 2002, Oklahoma beat Missouri to advance to the Final Four

On this date in 2002, the Oklahoma men’s basketball team defeated Missouri in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four in Atlanta.

On this date in 2002, the Oklahoma men’s basketball team defeated Missouri to advance to the Final Four in Atlanta. This marks the Sooners as one of just two Big 12 teams to have made multiple Final Fours in the last twenty years.

Four Sooners finished in double-digit scoring as Oklahoma cruised to a six points win over the Tigers. Hollis Price had a team-high 18 points, followed by Ebi Ere with 17, Aaron McGhee with 15 and Quannas White with 12. Price finished 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

The Sooners held an eight point lead at halftime that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Missouri’s Rickey Paulding led all scorers with 22 points, and Kareem Rush added 17 for the Tigers.

Oklahoma entered the 2002 tournament as a two-seed, and would eventually be beaten by runner-up Indiana 73-64. 

The Sooners most recent Final Four appearance was in the 2015-16’ season, when NBA 3-point contest champion Buddy Hield helped Oklahoma tear through the bracket. They were eventually beaten by Villanova.

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