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1949

Larry Steele is born in Greencastle, Indiana. A superstar at Bainbridge High School, he was inducted into the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

1963

Willis Reed, Don Kojis, and AAU legend Jerry Shipp lead the way for the United States, who defeats host Brazil 78-66 to clinch the Pan American Games gold medal in São Paulo. The Americans finished with a perfect 6-0 record, winning all six of their games by an average margin of 29.7 points.

1970

LaPhonso Ellis is born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He led Lincoln High School to back-to-back Illinois state titles in 1987 and 1988.

1971

Harold Miner is born in Compton, California. His “Baby Jordan” nickname was granted to him while he was a star player and pre-eminent dunker at Inglewood High School.

1974

WNBA All-Star Sheri Sam is born in Lafayette, Louisiana.

1981

In his first ever NBA Finals game, Larry Bird makes “the greatest play” Red Auerbach has ever seen: catching his own rebound, switching hands mid-air, then flipping in a circus trick style shot. Bird finished the game with 18 points, 21 rebounds, and nine assists, as the Celtics rally late for a 98-95 victory over the Rockets.

1985

Anthony “P.J.” Tucker is born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was named North Carolina Player of the Year in 2003, while starring for Enloe High School.

Vinnie Johnson heats up off the bench, scoring 34 points as the Pistons erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to stun the Celtics 102-99 in game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The win evens the series at 2-2 but Boston goes on to win games five and six to advance.

1989

A Derrick McKey buzzer beater gives the SuperSonics a 98-96 victory over the Rockets in game four of the Western Conference first round, clinching the series.

1990

Hersey Hawkins goes off for 39 points to lead the 76ers to a 113-97 victory over the Cavaliers in the winner-take-all game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The #2 seed Sixers narrowly avoid the first round upset but are subsequently eliminated in the Conference Semifinals by Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

1991

The #2 seed Celtics hold off a first round upset attempt from the Pacers with a 124-121 victory in the winner-take-all game five at the Boston Garden. An ailing, aging Larry Bird puts on a vintage performance, with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

1993

Alonzo Mourning hits a game winning jumper with less than a second left to give the Hornets a 104-103 victory over the Celtics, clinching their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series in game four. It’s the first playoff series victory in Hornets franchise history and marks the end of the storied career of Kevin McHale, who retires in the subsequent off-season.

1995

The Celtics play their final home game at the legendary Boston Garden, a 95-92 loss to the Magic in game four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

1996

The Hawks finish off a first round upset of the Pacers with an 89-87 victory in a winner-take-all game five in Indianapolis. Reggie Miller, who had missed the first four games of the series with an eye injury, makes a surprise return and scores 29 points but also misses a potential game tying shot at the buzzer.

1997

Larry Brown is named head coach of the 76ers, replacing the fired Johnny Davis. Brown had spent the previous four seasons coaching the Pacers and his six seasons at the helm in Philadelphia would eventually include a Coach of the Year award and an NBA Finals appearance in ’00-’01.

1998

Isaiah Hartenstein is born in Eugene, Oregon. His father Florian was a long-time basketball player and coach in the German Bundesliga.

Dikembe Mutombo of the Hawks is named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the ’97-’98 season, becoming the first player to win the award three times.

1999

The Bulls lose their final game of the regular season to the Magic to finish with a 13-37 record, becoming the first and only defending defending champion to finish with the worst record in their conference in the subsequent season. Before the game, a ceremony is held recognizing former coach Phil Jackson, who is awarded his 1998 championship ring and has a banner raised in his honor.

2000

Karl Malone leads the Jazz with 27 points in a 96-93 victory over the SuperSonics in a winner-take-all game five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Trailing by three in the final seconds, Seattle’s last shot is taken by Chuck Person, his first field goal attempt of the series, and he just misses on a tying three-pointer. This would ultimately prove to be the final playoff series victory in the Malone and John Stockton era for Utah.

2002

Dejan Bodiroga is named Final Four MVP, as he leads Panthianaikos to a 89-83 victory over Kinder Bologna in the EuroLeague Final in Bologna, Italy. In his last game with Kinder Bologna before joining the Spurs, Manu Ginobili leads all scorers with 27 points.

2006

LeBron James finishes with 32 points and Damon Jones hits the overtime game winner (his only field goal attempt of the game) for the Cavaliers, who defeat the Wizards 114-113 in game six to clinch the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It’s Cleveland’s first playoff series victory in 13 years.

2009

Former Pistons superstar Dave Bing is elected as the 74th mayor of Detroit in a special election called after the resignation (and subsequent arrest) of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

2010

In protest of a controversial immigration bill passed into law in Arizona, the Suns take the court for their game two victory over the Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals with jerseys emblazoned with “Los Suns”.

2012

The defending champion Mavericks bow out of the playoffs early, losing 103-97 to the Thunder in game four of their Western Conference Quarterfinals series to finish off a sweep.

2013

LeBron James is named NBA league MVP for the fourth time, earning the award in near unanimous voting. James received 120 of the 121 possible first place votes, with one voter opting for Carmelo Anthony, who finished third in overall voting behind Kevin Durant in second. James becomes only the second player to earn league MVP four times in a five-year stretch (joining Bill Russell) and only the second to earn it in back-to-back seasons twice (joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

2018

LeBron James hits a buzzer beating floating jumper to give the Cavaliers a 105-103 victory over the Raptors in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. James finishes the game with 38 points as the Cavs take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Cleveland would finish the series in a sweep two days later, eliminating Toronto from the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

2024

Donovan Mitchell leads the way with 39 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers defeat the Magic 106-94 in a winner-take-all game seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It marks the first time since 1993 that Cleveland wins a playoff series without LeBron James on the roster.

2025

Two Conference Semifinals game one upsets happen on the same night, and both in stunning fashion. The Knicks defeat the Celtics 103-100 in overtime, as Boston shoot 15-of-60 from three-point range, setting the NBA record for missed three-pointers in a single game. Later that evening, the Nuggets overcome a nine-point deficit in the final seven minutes to upset the Thunder 121-119. Nikola Jokic leads the way with 44 points and 22 rebounds, while Aaron Gordon hits the game-winning shot.

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