query: who played in the nba finals in 1994

pos: 1994 NBA Finals 1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the championship, with the Rockets holding home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. The Rockets defeated the Knicks 4 games to 3 to win the team's first NBA championship. This matchup was Hakeem Olajuwon's second NBA Finals appearance, his other being in 1986, where Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets four games to two. The series

pos: 1994 NBA Finals represented Houston's only professional championships. The 1994 NBA Championship represented the city of Houston's first professional championship since those two teams, and the first in a league that did not later merge. 1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the championship, with the Rockets holding home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. The Rockets defeated the Knicks 4 games to 3 to win the team's first NBA

pos: 2009 NBA Finals an 82–79 lead. On the next Laker possession, the Magic played good defense, but Trevor Ariza was able to hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 82. After Hedo Türkoğlu hit a stepback 3-point shot, Howard blocked Gasol's jumper, giving him a single-game NBA Finals record with 9 blocked shots. On the bench to witness it was a previous record holder, his assistant coach Patrick Ewing, who had 8 in Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals while with the New York Knicks. Türkoğlu made another jumper with 1:34 remaining to give the Magic

pos: 1971 NBA Finals 1971 NBA Finals The 1971 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 25th anniversary season of 1970–71. The Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were founded just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969–70 NBA champion New York Knicks. The Bucks were the first Western Conference champions to win the league's finals since the St. Louis Hawks did so in 1958. This was the first NBA Finals not played in the state of California in 10 years. It

pos: NBA Finals Jordan's departure, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles. During this time, Olajuwon became the only player in history to win the NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season. That was the only year that both the NBA and NHL Finals went to seven games, with the Rockets facing the New York Knicks in 1994. With their win in Game 7, the Rockets denied New York from winning both the NBA and NHL titles in the same year, as the New York Rangers won

pos: 2005 NBA Finals down 3–2. NBA history was heavily in favor of the Spurs, who were looking to celebrate a title at the SBC Center for the second time in three years. NBA teams are 74–17 all-time at home in Game 7, and 9-0 when leading 3–2 going home. Entering this game, the Pistons tied the 1994 New York Knicks for most games played in a single postseason, with 25. The Boston Celtics broke this record during their championship season of 2008. Like the previous two games of the series, Game Seven was closely contested throughout, but the Spurs fell into a nine-point

pos: 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season is the first meeting between the Magic and Pistons. 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season The 1995–96 NBA season was the Pistons' 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th season in the city of Detroit. During the offseason, the Pistons hired Doug Collins as head coach while acquiring Otis Thorpe from the Portland Trail Blazers, who won a championship as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals. Under Collins, the Pistons who were now led by second-year star Grant Hill and Allan Houston, played .500 basketball in the first half of the season, as the team

pos: 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season 1995–96 Detroit Pistons season The 1995–96 NBA season was the Pistons' 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th season in the city of Detroit. During the offseason, the Pistons hired Doug Collins as head coach while acquiring Otis Thorpe from the Portland Trail Blazers, who won a championship as a member of the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals. Under Collins, the Pistons who were now led by second-year star Grant Hill and Allan Houston, played .500 basketball in the first half of the season, as the team signed free agent Michael Curry along the way. However,

pos: 1994 NBA Playoffs 1994 NBA Playoffs The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP. This was also the first time that the Boston Celtics since 1979, and Los Angeles Lakers since 1976, missed the playoffs and their first-ever absence since the playoff field expanded to 16 teams in 1984. This was the first time that both missed the playoffs in the same year.

pos: 2008 NBA Finals clinch the championship at Staples. As for the odds stacked against the Lakers to come back from a 3–1 deficit, Jackson said, "We're young enough and dumb enough to do this." Entering Game 6, the Celtics set a record of most playoff games played in one season, with 26, breaking the previous record of 25 set by both the 1994 New York Knicks, whom Celtics Coach Doc Rivers played for, and the 2005 Detroit Pistons, both of whom lost in their respective finals in seven games (Knicks in , Pistons in ). However, for the 1994 Knicks, the first round

pos: Chauncey Billups Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A star at the University of Colorado, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection, Billups played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 after helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals,

pos: 2009 NBA Finals since 1984 to have two games go into overtime (Games 2 and 4); both were won by the Lakers. Dwight Howard set an NBA Finals single-game record with 9 blocked shots in Game 4. The previous record holders, all of whom had blocked eight shots in a Finals game, were: Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 6 of the 1977 NBA Finals; Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the 1986 NBA Finals; Howard's assistant coach Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals; Shaquille O'Neal of

pos: 1993–94 Houston Rockets season NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, also beating out Robinson by a narrow 23 to 22 votes. He was also selected for the 1994 NBA All-Star Game. In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 3–1 in the first round, then defeated the Phoenix Suns 4–3 in the semifinals, and the 5th-seeded Utah Jazz 4–1 in the Western Conference Finals. In the 1994 NBA Finals, they defeated the New York Knicks in seven games, and won their first championship in franchise history. It was the Rockets' third NBA finals appearance, after 1981

pos: Pat Riley returned to the NBA Finals, in 1994, en route defeating the three-time defending champion Bulls (without Michael Jordan) in seven games during the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, New York lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets after being up 3–2 in the series. During the 1994 Finals, Riley became the first coach to participate in an NBA Finals Game 7 with two teams, having been with the Lakers in 1984 and 1988. However, he had the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first (and to date, only) coach to lose an NBA Finals Game 7 with two teams, having lost

pos: 1994–95 Houston Rockets season considered to have outplayed O'Neal. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game of the series and became one of the few players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in every game of an NBA Finals series: By winning his second straight NBA Finals MVP award, Hakeem Olajuwon became the sixth player to do so on multiple occasions, joining Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Olajuwon also joined Jordan as the only two players to win the award consecutively as of that time. "Rockets win series 4–0" 1994–95 Houston Rockets season The 1994–95 NBA

pos: National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies was revealed that the New York Knicks logo was inside. The large-market New York Knicks, who finished with the third-worst record in the league that season, eventually used the first pick to draft Ewing who would become a legend on the team and lead the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals. (Although the Knicks also reached the 1999 NBA Finals, Ewing was injured during that time). Nevertheless, the "bent envelope" fueled speculation that the league staged the result. As a response to the controversy, the NBA would update their system to the more modern weighted lottery system in 1990, which

pos: 1995 NBA Finals 1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The series pitted the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The pre-series hype and build-up of the Finals was centered on the meeting of the two centers opposing each other: Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets. Going into the series the matchup was compared to the Bill Russell–Wilt Chamberlain matchup of the 1960s. The Rockets became the first team in NBA history to beat four 50-win teams in a single

pos: Doc Rivers coach after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The Celtics needed an NBA record 26 post-season games to win it. Rivers played for the team that held the previous record for most games played in a single post-season: the 1994 New York Knicks played 25 post-season games. Rivers led the Celtics to the 2010 NBA Finals where they once again faced the Los Angeles Lakers and lost the series in seven games. After deliberating between staying on the job and leaving the job and returning to spend more time with his family in Orlando, Rivers finally decided that

pos: 2013 NBA Finals 2013 NBA Finals The 2013 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2012–13 NBA season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs to win their second straight title. The Finals began with Game 1 on June 6, and ended with Game 7 on June 20. Miami became the sixth team to win consecutive NBA championships, joining the Boston Celtics (1959–1966, 1968–1969), the Los Angeles Lakers (1949–1950, 1952–1954, 1987–1988, 2000–2002, 2009–2010), the Detroit Pistons (1989–1990), the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993, 1996–1998), and the Houston Rockets (1994–1995). This

pos: 1992 NBA Finals and Olympic gold medal in the same year (Pippen would achieve this feat again in 1996). That team also included Blazers guard Clyde Drexler. This made Jordan, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks and Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors the only players to have won Olympic gold medals as both amateurs and professionals, having played for Team USA in Los Angeles. The 1992 Finals would prove the Blazers' last Finals appearance . In the next three seasons, the Blazers rebuilt the team, hiring general manager Bob Whitsitt in 1994 and lost the core of their 1992 Finals

pos: 2007–08 Boston Celtics season the best record in the NBA with 66–16 in the regular season, their path to their first championship since was far from easy. They ended up playing the most games a team had ever played in a postseason, with 26, surpassing the 1994 New York Knicks, whom Celtics coach Doc Rivers played for, and the 2005 Detroit Pistons, each of whom played 25, but lost their respective finals in seven games . This record was set in Game 6 of the Finals, where they won the championship. <nowiki>*</nowiki>"Totals for season (incl. games with Los Angeles Clippers)." 2007–08 Boston Celtics season

pos: 1994–95 New York Knicks season 1994–95 New York Knicks season The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association. The Knicks entered the seasons as runner-ups of the 1994 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games. During the offseason, the Knicks acquired Doug Christie from the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Christie would play only twelve games because of an ankle injury. Early into the season, the team released Doc Rivers, who later signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks posted a 55–27 record in the Atlantic

pos: Dave Checketts youngest chief executive in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. He then spent a year as the general manager of NBA International, where he worked to increase the league's presence around the world. He became president of the New York Knicks in March 1991, and in his four seasons as president, the team made it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times and went to the NBA Finals in 1994. The team set records for attendance, television ratings and revenue during his tenure, but the club failed to win the NBA Finals. He went on to become president and chief executive

pos: 1994 NBA Finals in Game 5. Tim Duncan would later set the record for most blocks in a Finals series (2003) with 32 blocks in six games while Dwight Howard would set the record for most blocked shots in a Finals game with 9 blocked shots in Game 4 of the 2009 Finals while with the Orlando Magic. During the series, the Houston Rockets played seven low-scoring, defensive games against the New York Knicks. After splitting the first two games in Houston, the Knicks won two out of three games at Madison Square Garden, which also hosted the Rangers first Stanley Cup celebration

neg: Ray Castoldi and Rangers in the same season.) Castoldi has played the organ at the 1994 NBA Finals, 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, 1994 NHL All-Star Game, 1998 NBA All-Star Game, and the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals all of which were played at Madison Square Garden. He also played during the 2000 World Series, played at Shea Stadium, and the 2013 MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field. He was also a music director for the ice hockey competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He has also played for many other events such as several Pro Bowls, several NHL All-Star Games,

neg: Michael Jordan statue All-NBA Team first team selection, NBA All-Defensive Team first team selection, and the NBA Finals MVP. After Jordan retired following the 1992–93 NBA season, Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf sought a sculptor to honor Jordan and requested that Chicago Bulls Vice President Steve Schanwald seek proposals from artists. Twelve artists made proposals. In January 1994, Schanwald hired Omri and Julie Rotblatt-Amrany of Highland Park, Illinois, who erected a statue at the Bulls' new home for the 1994–95 NBA season, the United Center. Until 1994 when they both moved, the Bulls and Blackhawks had played at Chicago Stadium. While the sculpture

neg: Steve Kerr the Orlando Magic. In 1993, he signed with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls made the playoffs in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, but without Michael Jordan's presence for all of 1994 and much of 1995, the team could not advance to the Finals. However, with Jordan back full-time for the 1995–96 season, the Bulls set a then NBA-record of 72–10 and defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals. Kerr played a major part of the Bulls' championship victory in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. In the final seconds of Game 6 with the score tied

neg: Steve Nash major influence in Phoenix's choice was assistant coach Donnie Nelson, who met Nash back in high school as he was coached by Nelson's friend Ken Shields, and would eventually befriend the player as he played in Santa Clara. During his first two seasons in the NBA, Nash played a supporting role behind NBA star point guards Kevin Johnson, Sam Cassell, and later, Jason Kidd. Both Johnson and Cassell had NBA Finals experience, while Kidd was the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft and already an All-Star when he arrived at Phoenix. In his rookie season, Nash only managed

neg: 1994 NBA Finals would surpass it during their championship season of 2008 when they played 26. The Rockets beat the Knicks in Game 7, 90–84, enabling the city of Houston to not only celebrate its first NBA and fifth professional sports championship (first in an existing league), but also deny New York from having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year (Chicago had suffered this fate two years earlier in 1992, with the Bulls winning their second NBA championship and the Blackhawks losing in the Stanley Cup Finals). For his efforts Olajuwon was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. For the

neg: 1995 NBA Finals Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, who would go on to win the NBA championship after registering a league-record 72 wins (and the next two championships after that, for their second three-peat). The following offseason, Shaquille O'Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and went on to win NBA titles with the team in 2000, 2001 and 2002 (he would also win one with the Miami Heat in 2006). The Magic would not make it back to the finals until 2009, which they lost in five games. 1995 NBA Finals The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95

neg: 1996 NBA Finals in the previous Finals. The Warriors (with the addition of Kevin Durant, who had played for the Sonics in their final season in Seattle and for the Thunder until he became a free agent in 2016) and Cavaliers met for the third consecutive time in the 2017 NBA Finals, which the Warriors won in five games. 1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls

neg: 1994 NBA Finals a meeting of the two great centers who had previously played for a championship in college. In 1984 while Olajuwon was with the University of Houston and Ewing was with Georgetown University, Georgetown had beaten Houston 84–75 in the 1984 NCAA Championship game. In this series, however, Olajuwon outperformed Ewing, outscoring him in every game of the series and posting numbers of 26.9 ppg on 50.0% shooting compared to Ewing's 18.9 ppg on 36.3% shooting. However, Ewing set an NBA finals record in the series with a total of 30 blocks, and he tied the single-game record of 8 blocks

neg: National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies who, despite being a large market (and Houston being the USA's fourth most populous city), being one of the best teams in the early-to-mid-1990s, winning the title in 1994 and 1995, and featuring a superstar in Hakeem Olajuwon, were not featured on NBC at the level of the other three teams, felt as if they were being snubbed. From to (NBC's run of covering the NBA), the Bulls, Lakers, and Knicks played in six, four and two NBA Finals respectively, every Finals featuring one or more of those teams except 1995, when the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic to win

neg: NBA on NBC 1993 NBA Finals. In 1994, Mike Fratello left the booth (in order to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers) and was replaced with Matt Guokas. Albert and Guokas broadcast the 1994 NBA Finals and were joined for the 1995 NBA Finals by Bill Walton. Albert, Guokas and Walton, while not working regular season games together (Walton usually worked games with Steve Jones and play-by-play announcers Dick Enberg, Tom Hammond or Greg Gumbel), broadcast the next two Finals (1996 and 1997) together in a three-man booth. 1997 was the last time Marv Albert would call the NBA Finals for

neg: 1994 NBA Playoffs in Game 7 to the Rockets at The Summit in the NBA Finals, which meant New York was denied NBA and NHL titles. Game 4 of the Finals took place at the Garden a day after the New York Rangers won their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Knicks coach Pat Riley made history by becoming the first (and to this date, the only) person in NBA history to have coached a Game 7 in the NBA Finals for two teams, having been with the Lakers in and . However, he

neg: 1994 NBA Finals was Patrick Ewing's first NBA Finals appearance. The Rockets came in with strong determination to win not only the franchise's first NBA championship, but the city's first championship in a league that still existed, while the Knicks were looking to add a third NBA championship trophy, as the Knicks' last trophy came from the 1973 NBA Finals. The Knicks also hoped to impress their new owners Viacom, who had just bought Paramount Communications (formerly Gulf+Western), their longtime owners (after the series however, Viacom sold the Knicks and the rest of the Madison Square Garden properties). The series was hailed as

neg: 1961 NBA Finals who last played in the NBA Finals in 1951. "Celtics win series 4–1" 1961 NBA Finals The 1961 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1961 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1960–61 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. This was the fourth and final World Championship Series meeting between the two teams. It was also Celtics' fifth straight trip to the championship series, and they won the series against the Hawks, 4–1. , this remains the Hawks franchise’s

neg: 1994–95 Orlando Magic season Meeting: Not available (first playoff series) (1) Orlando Magic vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: "Magic win series 4-3" Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Eastern Conference First Round (Indiana won 3-0) Although both centers played well, Olajuwon is generally considered to have outplayed O'Neal. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game of the series and became one of the few players in NBA history to score at least 30 points in every game of an NBA Finals series: "Rockets win series 4-0" "Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average" 1994–95 Orlando

neg: 1994 NBA Playoffs had the distinction to have become the first (and , only) coach to lose a Game 7 in the NBA Finals on two teams, as his Lakers lost to the Celtics in 1984. It also denied him the distinction of becoming the first coach to win a Game 7 in the NBA Finals with two teams, as his Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons in 1988. In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors made their last playoff appearance until 2007. Game 3 of the Bulls-Cavaliers series was the last game ever played at the Richfield Coliseum. Game 6 of the

neg: Danny Young (basketball) Danny Young (basketball) Danny Richardson Young (born July 26, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6' 3" guard who attended Wake Forest University, he played ten seasons (1984–1993; 1994–1995) in the NBA, spending time with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks. Young was a key reserve on the 1992 Blazers team that reached the NBA Finals, and he retired with 2,622 NBA career points and 1,674 assists. At the end of his time in Seattle, Young was low in the rotation, behind several other backup guards. Seattle attempted to

neg: 1994 NBA Playoffs Bulls-Knicks series was the last game ever played at Chicago Stadium. Game 5 of the Nuggets-Sonics series was the last to be played at Seattle Center Coliseum before the renovations and renaming into KeyArena two years later. The Sonics played the intervening 1994–95 NBA season at Tacoma Dome in nearby Tacoma, Washington. The Clock Incident happened in the last moments of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Rockets and Jazz. Tom Chambers inbounded the ball to Jeff Hornacek with 13.5 seconds left and Utah down 2. As play resumed, the Jazz timekeeper didn't start the clock as

neg: Anthony Johnson (basketball) Orlando. In two seasons with the Magic, he played in 111 games, starting 12, and participated in the 2009 NBA Finals. His contract expired at the conclusion of the 2009-10 NBA season, making him a free agent. Anthony Johnson (basketball) Anthony Mark Johnson (born October 2, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the Orlando Magic of the NBA. At 6'3" (1.91 m), he played the point guard position. He found success in pro basketball, becoming the first NBA D-League player to participate in an NBA Finals. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Johnson played

neg: Patrick Ewing to deal with no championships, despite the fact that the Knicks had the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference at 60–22 and had the second best record in the NBA, behind the Phoenix Suns, who were 62–20. With Jordan out of the league, 1993–94 was considered a wide open year in the NBA, and Ewing had declared that 1994 would be the Knicks' year. He was a main contributor to the Knicks' run to the 1994 NBA Finals, in which the Knicks—in the finals for the first time since 1973—lost in the final seconds of Games 6 and

neg: 1993 NBA Finals went on to win both the 1994 and 1995 NBA Finals. , this remains the Suns' last Finals appearance. In a last-ditch attempt to win a championship, Barkley was soon traded to the Rockets in 1996 for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry and Chucky Brown. Despite forming a "Big Three" with Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets failed to make the NBA Finals in Barkley's four seasons. The 1993 Finals was the only appearance of Charles Barkley's Hall of Fame career. 1993 NBA Finals The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992–93 NBA season, featuring the Chicago

neg: 2002 NBA Finals 2002 NBA Finals The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s championship series for the 2001–02 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also two-time defending NBA champions), and the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets. The Lakers swept the Nets four games to none to win the franchise's 14th NBA championship. The 56th edition of the championship series was played between June 5 and June 12 and was broadcast on NBC — the last NBA games broadcast on the network to date. Shaquille O'Neal, who averaged 36 points

neg: Aaron McKie as a senior. As a junior, he was the 1993 Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year, after averaging 20.6 points per game. McKie was selected in the first round (17th overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He has since played for the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 2000–01 NBA season, McKie was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the first Sixers player since Bobby Jones in 1983 to win that honor. McKie played an important role in the NBA Finals-bound team, serving as backup to

neg: Dennis Johnson clutch in decisive moments, such as scoring 32 points for his team in a Game 4 overtime victory in the 1979 NBA Finals, playing smothering defense on Magic Johnson in the 1984 NBA Finals, and converting a last-second layup in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals after a Larry Bird steal. Furthermore, Johnson is lauded by the NBA as a versatile all-around weapon who played with "contagious competitiveness" and was known for his durability: in 14 NBA seasons, he played in 1,100 of a possible 1,148 games and participated in 180 playoff games, the latter figure the 11th

neg: Houston Rockets all-time roster during his time in Houston, and he led the Rockets to the conference finals in his first year with the team. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics. In 1984, the Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon, who led them to the 1986 Finals in his second year, where they lost again to Boston. In the next seven seasons, they lost in the first round of the playoffs five times. They won their first NBA championship in 1994, led by Olajuwon, who won Finals MVP. They repeated

neg: NBA on CBS McGuire with Gary Bender (who was subsequently "promoted" to a play-by-play position on CBS' newly acquired college basketball package), Rick Barry and Bill Russell, Stockton became the voice of the NBA. Working with Tom Heinsohn (who was criticized by the media and viewers for being too biased to the Boston Celtics, a team he once played for and later coached) from 1983 to 1987, Stockton called some of the most memorable NBA Finals in league history. In 1984, 1985 and 1987, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics played each other in the NBA Finals, and Stockton's broadcasts became the

neg: 1967 NBA Finals 1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Francisco Warriors and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. This was the first championship series in 11 years without the Boston Celtics, who were defeated in the Division Finals by Philadelphia. Despite dominating the regular season with a 68–13 record (the most regular season wins in NBA history at the time) the 76ers did not have an easy time

neg: 1994–95 NBA season instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics. "Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com" The following is a list of players of note who played their first NBA game in 1994–95, listed with their first team: The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NBA in 1994–95, listed with their last team: 1994–95 NBA season The 1994–95 NBA season was the 49th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Houston

neg: Knicks–Pacers rivalry to the Spurs. The defeat in 1994 denied New York the distinction of having both NBA and NHL championships in the same year, as Madison Square Garden hosted the New York Rangers first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years following their win over the Canucks in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals while the series was in New York. (The Rockets had home court advantage during the 1994 Finals.) The Pacers finally reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Knicks in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, eventually losing to the Lakers in 6 games. The playoff battles between

neg: Heat–Knicks rivalry season. He turned New York into contenders in a short time, culminating with an Eastern Conference championship in 1994 before losing to Houston in the 1994 NBA Finals, which denied New York from having NBA and NHL championships in the same year, as the Rangers won Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals over the Canucks during the Finals. Unable to repeat a trip to the Finals in 1995, Riley stepped down as the Knicks' head coach. At the time, many speculated either that he thought the Knicks were no longer a title threat and wanted to move on,

neg: Jason Kidd as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Kidd played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA draft. He was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Mavericks. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. In the middle of the 2007–08 season, Kidd was traded back

neg: Oracle Arena Warriors playoff games in 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. It hosted the 2015, 2016, 2017, and the 2018 NBA Finals, where the Warriors won in 2015, 2017, and 2018. The 2015 victory was the first time since 1975 the Warriors won the title; however, Games 2 and 3 of the 1975 NBA Finals were played in the Cow Palace as the Coliseum was unavailable. The 2017 victory was the first time that a San Francisco Bay Area team won a title in their home venue since the

neg: 1960 NBA Finals the last time the NBA Finals would be played in the month of March. "Boston Celtics win series 4–3" 1960 NBA Finals The 1960 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1960 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1959–60 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. It was Boston's fourth trip to the NBA Finals and St. Louis' third. The Celtics beat the Hawks 4–3. The Finals featured Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey, Sam Jones,

neg: 2008 NBA Playoffs and the Lakers and Celtics' revitalization of their franchises, most especially after key trades during the preseason and regular season. The Celtics ended up playing 26 playoff games (2 games short of a full length postseason of 28), breaking the 25 game record of the 1994 Knicks and 2005 Pistons by 1 game for the most playoff games in a single season played by 1 NBA team. The Knicks, however, only played a Best-of-5 First Round, and so had 2 fewer games to accomplish that feat. Also, the top seeds from each Conference met in the NBA Finals for the

neg: 2010 NBA Finals 2010 NBA Finals The 2010 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s championship series for the 2009–10 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also defending NBA champions), and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Lakers defeated the Celtics, four games to three, to win the franchise's 16th NBA championship. The 64th edition of the championship series was played between June 3 and June 17, was broadcast on ABC, and was watched by an average of 18.1 million people. The Celtics earned their berth into the playoffs by winning

neg: Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award but is considered an "international" player by the NBA because he was not born in one of the fifty states or Washington, D.C. Parker and Nowitzki are the only winners to have been trained totally outside the U.S.; Olajuwon played college basketball at Houston and Duncan at Wake Forest. Cedric Maxwell is the only Finals MVP winner eligible for the Hall of Fame who has not been voted in. On February 14, 2009, during the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the award would be renamed the "Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player

neg: 1967 NBA Finals of it against the Warriors. Ultimately, the 76ers won the series over the Warriors, 4–2. "76ers win series 4–2" "* denotes overtime" 1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion San Francisco Warriors and the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. This was the first championship series in 11 years without the Boston Celtics, who were defeated in the Division Finals by Philadelphia. Despite dominating the regular season with

neg: 1971 NBA Finals 2-3-2 format. It was also the last NBA Championship Series completed before May 1. The series was broadcast by ABC with Chris Schenkel and Jack Twyman providing the commentary. As both the Bucks and Washington Wizards (the Bullets' successors) now play in the Eastern Conference, a rematch of this Finals is not possible. "Bucks win series 4–0" 1971 NBA Finals The 1971 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 25th anniversary season of 1970–71. The Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were founded just three years earlier, swept the

neg: 1986 NBA Finals last until 2008. Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP. On another note, this series marked the first time the "NBA Finals" branding was officially used, as they dropped the "NBA World Championship Series" branding which had been in use since the beginning of the league, though it had been unofficially called the "NBA Finals" for years. Until the 2011 series, this was the last time the NBA Finals had started before June. Since game three, all NBA Finals games have been played in June. Starting with the following year, the NBA Finals would be held exclusively in the month

neg: 1994 NBA Finals in 54 years during the series. In Game 6, however, Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon blocked a last-second championship-winning shot attempt by John Starks, giving the Rockets an 86–84 victory and forcing a Game 7, which made Knicks Coach Pat Riley the first (and to this date, the only) coach in a Game 7 NBA Finals on two teams, having been with the Los Angeles Lakers in and . In addition, the Knicks set a record for most playoff games played in one season, with 25. The Detroit Pistons tied this record in . The Boston Celtics, coached by Doc Rivers,

neg: NBA Finals 1950 to 1982, as well as a brief stint as the Showdown, before settling on NBA Finals in 1986. The NBA Finals was initially structured to harbor a 2-2-1-1-1 format. In 1985, it was changed to a 2–3–2 format to ease the amount of cross country travel until 2013, where the first two and last two games of the series were played at the arena of the team who earned home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. In 2014, the 2–2–1–1–1 format was restored. The first two are played at home for the higher-seeded team, and

neg: 1994–95 Indiana Pacers season 1994–95 Indiana Pacers season The 1994–95 NBA season was the Pacers' 19th season in the National Basketball Association, and 28th season as a franchise. After appearing in their first Conference Finals, the Pacers improved their fortunes by adding Mark Jackson, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers. The move would pay off as the Pacers won their first Division title since joining the NBA. The Pacers finished the season with a 52–30 record, as Rik Smits had a career year as he averaged 17.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Reggie Miller was selected for the 1995 NBA All-Star

neg: 2009 NBA Finals 2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s championship series for the 2008–09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were also the defending Western Conference champions), and the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic. The Lakers defeated the Magic, four games to one, to win the franchise's 15th NBA championship. The 63rd edition of the championship series was played between June 4 and June 14 and was broadcast on U.S. television on ABC. The Lakers earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the Pacific Division. The

neg: 1991 NBA Finals announced his retirement due to the HIV virus. He did, however, play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game and eventually with the Dream Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics. The Lakers would decline in the years following Magic's retirement, being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs two straight years (1992 - 1993) before missing the playoffs entirely in 1994. It would be nine years before the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals; by then they had moved to the new Staples Center, marking the 1991 Finals the last to be held at the Forum. 1991 NBA Finals The

neg: 2016 NBA Finals 2016 NBA Finals The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors 4–3 in a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals. It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the first Finals since 2008 in which the number one seed in each conference met. It was the second straight rematch in back-to-back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other

neg: 1993 NBA Playoffs 1993 NBA Playoffs The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992–93 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. This was the Suns' second Western Conference title; they made their first NBA Finals appearance since 1976, losing to the Boston Celtics. The Knicks–Pacers rivalry started in their first-round encounter, which New York won, 3–1. But it wasn't until the next two meetings (1994 and

neg: 1979 NBA Finals 1979 NBA Finals The 1979 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1978–79 season. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, with the Bullets holding home-court advantage, due to a better regular season record. The SuperSonics defeated the Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Washington Bullets had won 4–3. Dennis Johnson of the SuperSonics was named as the NBA Finals MVP, while Gus Williams of the SuperSonics was the top scorer, averaging

neg: 2005 NBA Finals respectively. 2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage and the Pistons as defending champions. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. (Unlike the previous three rounds, the team with home court advantage hosted games one, two, six, and seven if all were necessary). It also marked the Pistons first NBA Finals loss

neg: 2005 NBA Finals 2005 NBA Finals The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage and the Pistons as defending champions. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. (Unlike the previous three rounds, the team with home court advantage hosted games one, two, six, and seven if all were necessary). It also marked the Pistons first NBA Finals loss to

neg: Target Center installed to face towards Target Field as a home run celebration sign. It hosted the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, the 1995 NCAA Women's Final Four and the 2000 NBA draft. In 2011, Target Center played host to its first championship event, the 2011 WNBA Finals. The Minnesota Lynx won their first two games on their home floor, and ultimately won the WNBA Championship, the first title won by a team that played in Target Center. Target Center hosted 6 neutral site NHL games during the 1993–94 NHL season. The International Hockey League's Minnesota Moose played several of their games at

neg: 1995 NBA Finals an NBA Finals game with seven. The more experienced Rockets went on to win in overtime and eventually swept the Magic, winning their second consecutive NBA Championship. In achieving this, they earned the distinction of being the only team to win both championships during Michael Jordan's first retirement (although Jordan did return in the closing months of the 1994–95 season), as well as the only one outside Chicago to win multiple championships in the 1990s. The season-ending documentary "Double Clutch" by Hal Douglas, was released by NBA Entertainment to coincide with the Rockets' championship season. The Rockets entered the 1994–95

neg: 1996 NBA Finals 1996 NBA Finals The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The teams' 136 combined regular season wins shattered the previous record of 125, set in 1985. The series was played under a best-of-seven format. This was the first championship in the Chicago Bulls second three-peat. Chicago won the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP. NBC Sports

neg: 1985 NBA Finals beat Boston for the first time ever in NBA Finals history. Also for the first time, the Finals went to a 2-3-2 format with Games 1 and 2 in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston, if required. This change of format came after David Stern had a conversation with Celtics legend Red Auerbach in 1984, who didn't like the frequent traveling between games. The 2-3-2 format would be used until the 2013 NBA Finals, after which the 2-2-1-1-1 format returned the following year. The

neg: 2007 NBA Finals 2002 NBA Finals, when the Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets. This series was the last sweep in the NBA Finals until 2018, where the losing team was once again the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Finals were played using the 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage. The NBA, after experimenting in the early years, restored this original format for the Finals in 1985. The other playoff series were played in the 2-2-1-1-1 format. The best-of-seven series began on June 7, 2007, with the Western Conference champion

neg: National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies the following about the series, particularly about his supervisor during the series, Tommy Nuñez: The 2007 NBA Finals are considered to have the lowest television ratings in NBA history, after the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many fans instead expected a Detroit Pistons rematch with Spurs the from the 2005 NBA Finals. Rasheed Wallace, who then played power forward for the Pistons following the 2006–07 NBA season, claimed that the league wanted to make more money by featuring LeBron James into the Finals instead of them, just to make more excitement rather than the boring matches like they

neg: 1998 NBA Finals traded Eisley to the Chicago Bulls, but the Bulls later waived Eisley before the 2006–07 season. Ostertag retired in 2006 after having played all but one season since the 1998 Finals with the Jazz; he played for the Sacramento Kings in 2004-05. In his second season with the team and final season of his career, Anderson won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. Like Eisley, Russell played his final NBA season with the Denver Nuggets in 2005–06; Russell played three years afterward with teams in the American Basketball Association and International Basketball League. 1998 NBA Finals The

neg: 1994 NBA Playoffs were making their first playoff appearance in franchise history) in the first round, then eliminated the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 4–2 in the second round. The Pacers advanced within one game of the NBA Finals, but lost Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Knicks. This was the first time since the ABA–NBA merger prior to the 1976–77 season that all former ABA teams (Pacers, Nuggets, Spurs, and Nets) made the playoffs in the same year. The Chicago Bulls, who made the playoffs despite the retirement of Michael Jordan, swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round,

neg: 1973 NBA Finals Game 7 at home to the Knicks. Even rarer was the fact that this was lost on their home court. After losing the first game, the Knicks reeled off four straight wins to reclaim the NBA title. This is the Knicks' most recent NBA Championship to date. New York would not make it back to the NBA Finals until 1994. This would also be the last Finals appearance of the decade for the Lakers. Their next appearance would be in 1980, which would be the first of nine Finals appearances in 12 years for the Franchise. "Knicks win series 4-1"

neg: 2018 NBA Finals the Cavaliers were also the losing team. LeBron James, in his eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, suffered the second Finals sweeps of his career, having also played in the 2007 NBA Finals. Kevin Durant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year. The Warriors had home-court advantage in the series since they had a better regular season record of , compared to the Cavaliers . Entering the Finals matchup, the Warriors were also noted by various sports media outlets as one of the biggest NBA Finals favorites in recent history. This was the first time since 2012 that

neg: Patrick Ewing win the series 4 games to 3. As a result, Ewing saw Magic captain Dwight Howard set a new NBA Finals record, for most blocked shots in a single finals game, with 9 in Game 4 of the finals, surpassing the previous record of 8, which Ewing himself set in Game 5 of the 1994 Finals. In 2010, Ewing finally got the opportunity to coach his son Patrick Ewing Jr. in the 2010 summer league. Ewing Jr. played for the Magic. In 2013, Ewing became an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). On November 8, 2013, Ewing would

neg: 1962 NBA Finals NBA Finals again in 1987 and 2010, both times in California. 1962 NBA Finals The 1962 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1962 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1961–62 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers and Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. This was the Celtics' 6th straight trip to the Finals, and they won the best-of-seven series in Game 7, 110–107 in overtime. It was the second time in NBA history and the most recent Finals in which the series was decided by overtime

neg: 1957 NBA Finals Bill Russell set a rookie record for rebounds in a single NBA finals game with 32 in game 7, and averaged an NBA finals rookie record of 22.9 rebounds per game for the entire series. 1957 NBA Finals The 1957 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1956–57 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1957 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. This was the first trip to the Finals for each team, the first Finals in which

neg: 1992 NBA Playoffs first meeting. 1992 NBA Playoffs The 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-92 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year. The Blazers won their second Western Conference title in the past three years, third overall in franchise history, behind the leadership of Clyde Drexler. The Jazz made the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. They returned in 1994

neg: 1992 NBA Playoffs 1992 NBA Playoffs The 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-92 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year. The Blazers won their second Western Conference title in the past three years, third overall in franchise history, behind the leadership of Clyde Drexler. The Jazz made the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. They returned in 1994 and 1996

neg: 1998 NBA Finals 1998 NBA Finals The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1998 playoffs of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the 1997–98 NBA season. The Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls played against the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City. In a repeat of the previous year's Finals, the Bulls won the series 4 games to 2 for their third consecutive NBA title and their sixth in eight seasons. Michael Jordan was voted the NBA Finals MVP of the series (he also

neg: 1994 NBA Finals Knicks, Riley had the unfortunate distinction of having become the first (and to this date, the only) coach to lose a Game 7 NBA Finals on two teams, having lost to the Celtics in 1984. It also denied him the distinction of being the first coach to win a Game 7 NBA Finals with two teams, having defeated the Detroit Pistons in 1988. NBC Sports used Ahmad Rashād (Knicks sideline) and Hannah Storm (Rockets sideline). Hal Douglas narrated the season-ending documentary "Clutch City" for NBA Entertainment. The Rockets chose Hakeem Olajuwon as the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA

neg: NBA on CBS on tape delay. The 1981 NBA Finals set the standard for futility, with an average rating of 6.7, the lowest in NBA history until the 2003 NBA Finals averaged a 6.5 on ABC. With the rebirth of the Lakers–Celtics rivalry, ratings improved, especially in the three NBA Finals that the two teams played in. Between 1981 and 1983, ratings for CBS' NBA telecasts rose by 12%. CBS' highest-rated NBA game (and the only NBA game that scored more than 20 ratings points for the network) was Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons.

neg: Portland Trail Blazers appearance, the Blazers recorded two songs: "Bust a Bucket" and "Rip City Rhapsody" (with music played and recorded by Josh Mellicker, "Rip City" being a reference to the city's nickname). The year in between their two finals appearances, the team posted a league-best 63–19 record before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. However, the team failed to win an NBA title, and failed to advance past the first round in 1993 and 1994. Adelman was fired after the 1994 season, and replaced with P. J. Carlesimo, which led to the resignation of executive vice-president Geoff

neg: Richard Hamilton (basketball) Richard Hamilton (basketball) Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hamilton is best known for his nine year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history (64–18 in 2005–06) and the 2004 NBA championship. Born and raised in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a suburb 40 miles west of Philadelphia, Hamilton played three years for the University of

neg: Richard Hamilton (basketball) card from 2003 to 2008. Richard Hamilton (basketball) Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hamilton is best known for his nine year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history (64–18 in 2005–06) and the 2004 NBA championship. Born and raised in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a suburb 40 miles west of Philadelphia, Hamilton played three

neg: 1962 NBA Finals 1962 NBA Finals The 1962 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1962 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1961–62 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers and Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. This was the Celtics' 6th straight trip to the Finals, and they won the best-of-seven series in Game 7, 110–107 in overtime. It was the second time in NBA history and the most recent Finals in which the series was decided by overtime in Game 7. The only other Finals series decided in overtime

neg: 2013 NBA Finals This marked the last NBA Finals played during the tenure of NBA commissioner David Stern. In addition, it also marked the last time the Finals used the 2–3–2 format, after which it reverted to the 2–2–1–1–1 format. The Spurs and Heat would both advance to the 2014 NBA Finals, where the Spurs won in five games. LeBron James and Tim Duncan previously faced off in the 2007 NBA Finals, when James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which saw the Spurs sweep the Cavaliers in four games, giving San Antonio their fourth NBA title. After the deciding game, Duncan sought out

neg: 1983 NBA Finals 1983 NBA Finals The 1983 NBA Finals, also known as Showdown '83, was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1982–83 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It was the last NBA Championship Series completed before June 1. The Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0. 76ers center Moses Malone was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). The 76ers lost their first two Finals meetings with the Lakers in and . While Julius Erving played superbly in both series, their frontcourt of Darryl Dawkins,

neg: 2015 NBA Finals 1–1 and stealing homecourt advantage heading into Cleveland. For the first time in NBA Finals history, the first two games were decided in overtime, with the Cavaliers winning their first Finals game in franchise history. LeBron James tallied his fifth Finals triple-double with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists while moving solely into second all-time in Finals triple-doubles behind Magic Johnson's 8. James, who shot 11-for-35 in the game, played 50 minutes and led all scorers. James either scored or assisted on 66 of Cleveland's 95 points, and his 83 points in the first two games of a Finals

neg: Sirius (instrumental) their run of six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998, and still currently serves as their introduction theme. "Sirius" was the opening number of the 2000 documentary "Michael Jordan to the Max". The piece has also been used by the NBA teams the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks to introduce their starting lineup during home games. The Utah Jazz used the instrumental piece to introduce their starting lineup for Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Since the 1994 season, "Sirius" has played before the Nebraska Cornhuskers' home football games as part of the pre-game tunnel walk. The Kansas

neg: 1999 NBA Finals in 2012 the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs would also be the first champions since 1986 to not go on to repeat as champions. From 1987 to 1998 every champion either repeated or three-peated. As of the 2014 NBA Finals, June 25 is the latest in the calendar that any NBA Finals game has ever been played. Had a Game 7 been required it would have been played on Tuesday, June 29. The Knicks and Spurs did not meet in the regular season. The Finals were played using a 2–3–2 site format, where the first two and

neg: Nate McMillan 25. McMillan played as the starting point guard position for the Sonics for most of his career. McMillan was known for his superb defense, leading the NBA in steals per game for the 1993–94 season and being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. McMillan was also known for his balanced play, which led to four career triple-doubles. In the 1995–96 season, McMillan helped the Sonics reach the NBA Finals against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The Sonics were the only team to beat the Bulls three times that season (once in the regular