On This Day in Sports History: June 16th

In this June 16th edition of OTD, basketball fans are reminded about the Bulls perfect finish to their historic ’95-96 season, which occurred exactly 24 years ago. Four years after that, the Los Angeles Lakers hired one of the greatest HCs in the history of the association, who led the franchise to its first 3-peat. These astonishing anniversaries just scratch the surface of the numerous significant sports events that continue to affect the future outlook of pro sports.

Historic '95-96 Season

YEAR: 1996 – NBA Finals Game 6

SIGNIFICANCE: MJ set the record for most Finals MVPs (4) to cap off historic 72-win season

Guided by the trio of Michael Jordan (22 points), Scottie Pippen (17 Points, 4 steals), and Dennis Rodman (19 rebounds), the Bulls knocked off the Sonics in an 87-75 victory. Finishing the ’96 Finals series in six games, Chicago secured their fourth Championship in six seasons. MJ also managed to cap off a historic regular-season campaign (72-10) by taking the Bulls to their second straight NBA Title and receiving his fourth Finals MVP, setting the all-time league record. Jordan and company completed their second three-peat by winning the Title the following year. ‘His Airness’ currently sits comfortably at the top of the Most NBA Finals MVP Award Winners with six.

Lakers Trade for Kareem

YEAR: 1975

SIGNIFICANCE: Lakers land future NBA legend in a heavily-lopsided trade with the Bucks

According to ESPN, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is considered the best big-man in NBA history. Before he became the all-time scoring leader (38,387 points), Kareem was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers 45 years ago today. The exchange sent Elmore Smith, David Myers, Brian Winters, and Junior Bridgeman to the Bucks, but the players’ collective careers don’t even match up to Kareem’s long-lasting legacy. Clearly a lopsided transaction, the Big ‘A’ went on to become a 4x Blocks Champ, 19x All Star, 6x MVP, 6x NBA Champ, and a 2x Finals MVP, as one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport.

Warriors Win 1st Championship

YEAR: 2015 – NBA Finals Game 6

SIGNIFICANCE: Warriors won their 1st NBA Championship since 1975

The 2015 NBA Finals is still fresh in people’s minds five years later. While many may dislike the Warriors dynasty now, they started out as one of the most entertaining teams to watch in recent history. Five years later, they’re considered the best sport franchise of the 2010s with their three Championships and five consecutive Western Conference Championships.

Five years ago today, Golden State defeated the LBJ-led Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6, obtaining their first NBA Championship in 40 years. PG Steph Curry (26 PPG, 6.3 APG) and SG Klay Thompson (16 PPG) played exceedingly well in the Playoffs, but it was SF Andre Iguodala who secured the Finals MVP award and the Title victory by hitting 40% of his 3s and scoring 25 in the final game of the series. The 3-D prodigy earned his first career Finals MVP award, largely thanks to his defense on LeBron James (under 40% FG).

It should be noted that All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love missed this series (Kyrie played in Game 1 before an injury in OT), leaving Timofey Mozgov as Cleveland’s second-leading scorer behind the King. Cleveland would get their revenge a year later by coming back 3-1 in the NBA Finals series.

Lakers Hire Phil Jackson

YEAR: 1999

SIGNIFICANCE: Phil Jackson became the new HC for the LA Lakers, sparking a dynasty

Phil Jackson was the HC of the Chicago Bulls for nine seasons (1989-97), generating the franchise’s only six Championships in its history. After taking one year off following his Chicago tenure, the Los Angeles Lakers officially hired Jackson as their new HC. In his first three years in LA, Jackson conducted his third career 3-peat as he took the Lakers to three straight Finals, winning all of them.

Over his 11 years with the Lake Show (.676 win percentage), Jackson added five more rings to his collection. He still tops all HCs ever with the most NBA titles in history (11). No active Head Coach has even half as many rings. Of course, they didn’t have Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Scottie Pippen either…

MJ Drops 55 in NBA Finals

YEAR: 1993

SIGNIFICANCE: MJ records 2nd ever 50+ point performance in NBA Finals history

It is exceptionally difficult to identify Michael Jordan’s greatest performances, as he has dozens of them sprinkled across his prestigious career. On this day 27 years ago, Jordan exploded for 55 points in the 111-105 Game 4 victory of the ’93 Finals against the Phoenix Suns. Even though MJ has scored 50 or more points an astonishing 38 times in his career, this particular performance was his first ever in the NBA Finals (2nd ever in league history after Rick Barry). Jordan would go on to lead Chicago’s defeat over Phoenix and his life-long friend Charles Barkley in six games, securing the Bulls’ first three-peat.