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1968

Bill Sharman is hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA. The former Warriors coach is a huge coup for the young league, adding legitimacy and bringing an innovative approach that included inventing the now ubiquitous morning shoot-around. He eventually led the Stars to the ABA title in 1971 (following a franchise relocation to Utah).

1970

Game three of the NBA Finals features a half-court buzzer beater from Jerry West to force overtime but the Knicks ultimately prevail 111-108 over the Lakers to take a 2-1 series lead. West finishes the game with 34 points and nine assists while Willis Reed leads the Knicks with 38 points and 17 rebounds.

1973

Walt Frazier leads the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks finish off an Eastern Conference Finals upset of the Celtics with a 94-78 victory in the deciding game seven. It’s the first game seven loss in franchise history for Boston, who was previously 11-0 in winner-take-all contests.

1976

God Shammgod is born in New York, New York. At La Salle Academy in Manhattan, he was teammates with Ron Artest.

Fans storm the court in Cleveland as the Cavaliers finish off the “Miracle at Richfield,” a stunning Eastern Conference Semifinals upset over the Bullets, with an 87-85 victory in game seven. Dick Snyder leads the Cavs with 23 points.

1979

The top seeded Bullets hold off a Conference Semifinals upset attempt from the Hawks, with a 100-94 victory in the winner-take-all game seven. Elvin Hayes dominates for Washington with 39 points and 15 rebounds.

1981

The Celtics score the final eight points of the fourth quarter to stun the 76ers 111-109 in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s the first of three consecutive Celtics wins to erase a 3-1 series deficit and advance to the NBA Finals.

The Rockets advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history by defeating the Kansas City Kings 97-88 in game five of the Western Conference Finals. Moses Malone finishes with 36 points and 11 rebounds as the Rockets continue their incredible postseason run with a third consecutive series win over a higher seeded team.

1983

David Lee is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He is naturally left-handed but became ambidextrous after breaking his left arm in childhood.

1987

Bullets legend Gus Johnson passes away at age 48 from brain cancer. He would eventually be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010.

1990

A 104-100 Lakers victory in game two of their first round series against the Rockets marks Pat Riley’s 100th career postseason coaching win, breaking Red Auerbach’s all-time record. Riley eventually finishes his career with 171 playoff wins but is now second all-time behind Phil Jackson. The game is also notable for Hakeem Olajuwon blocking 10 shots for the Rockets, tying Mark Eaton’s all-time NBA postseason single game record.

1992

Michael Jordan drops 56 points to lead the Bulls to a 119-114 victory over the Heat in game three, closing out an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals sweep. It was a swift ending to Miami’s first ever playoff appearance.

1993

The Hornets make their NBA playoffs debut, losing 112-101 to the Celtics in game one of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Muggsy Bogues finishes the game with 15 assists, setting a single game franchise playoffs record that still stands. Charlotte went on to win the series in four games.

1996

Kobe Bryant officially declares for the 1996 NBA Draft, opting to forgo all four years of college eligibility. Winner of both the Naismith and Gatorade High School Player of the Year awards while starring at Lower Merion in Philadelphia, Bryant reportedly turned down scholarship offers from Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, and Michigan.

2000

WNBA All-Star Rhyne Howard is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

2004

Doc Rivers is hired as head coach of the Celtics, replacing John Carroll, who had taken over on an interim basis during the ’03-’04 season for the resigning Jim O’Brien. Rivers himself had been fired as head coach of the Magic early in the ’03-’04 season and was working as a broadcaster for ABC/ESPN when the Celtics hired him.

2009

The Nuggets clinch a playoff series for the first time in 15 years by defeating the Hornets 107-86 in game five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Carmelo Anthony finishes with 34 points for Denver.

2012

Andrew Bynum ties Mark Eaton and Hakeem Olajuwon’s record for most blocks in an NBA playoff game, with 10 for the Lakers in a 103-88 victory over the Nuggets in game one of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

2014

Clippers owner Donald Sterling is banned indefinitely from the NBA and fined $2.5 million dollars by commissioner Adam Silver, over racist remarks that were caught on tape and leaked to the press.

For the first time in NBA history, a playoff series features four consecutive overtime games, as the Grizzlies defeat the Thunder 100-99 in overtime in game five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Games two, three, and four had also reached the extra period. The Grizzlies take a 3-2 series lead but the Thunder came back to win in seven and advance.

2018

During game seven of an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals win over the Pacers, the Cavaliers’ LeBron James surpasses Scottie Pippen as the all-time NBA postseason career leader with his 396th steal.

2021

Five days ahead of his 21st birthday, Kevin Porter, Jr. becomes the second youngest NBA player ever (behind LeBron James) to record a 50-point double-double, finishing with 50 points and 11 assists in a 143-136 Rockets win over the Bucks.

2025

A first round series between the Pacers and Bucks comes to a stunning end, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting the game winning lay-up with 1.1 seconds left in a 119-118 Indiana victory to clinch the series in five games. Haliburton’s basket capped off a stunning Pacers comeback from seven points down with 45 seconds remaining in overtime. They had already previously erased a four-point lead in the final minute of regulation. It overshadows an incredible performance from Giannis Antentokounmpo, who becomes just the fourth player in NBA playoffs history to finish a game with 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 10+ assists.

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