Founded in 1946, the NBA is known as the leading professional basketball league in the world. The 30-team league has showcased loads of remarkable moments and top-class athletic performances over many decades. Of course, some of the sport’s most exciting achievements have come during the regular season. Let’s now have a look at some of the best NBA games ever played.
NBA Finals, Game 5 – Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz
When: June 11, 1997
This game has forever been celebrated in basketball history as Michael Jordan’s famous “Flu Game.” Before the contest, doctors diagnosed Jordan with food poisoning, it was thought to be a pizza he’d eaten before Game 5. This was terrible news for the Bulls.
MJ was not fit to start the match but slowly got back up to speed as the action continued. Utah Jazz were ahead for most of the contest with Michael relegated to the bench. In the fourth quarter, he came on and scored 15 points to reduce the deficit. With 46 seconds remaining, MJ hit a massive three-pointer to give his team the 88-85 lead.
NBA Finals, Game 6 – Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs
When: June 18, 2013
The Miami Heat—led by Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade would advance to the NBA Finals. Late in Game 6, the Spurs were up to three games to Miami’s two in the series. LeBron fired a 20-7 Heat run, giving his team a three-point advantage with only two minutes remaining on the clock.
After a LeBron James turnover, San Antonio was up 94-89. LeBron soon came down to take the last shot, but his jumper was short. Chris Bosh found the ball in the lane for the rebound. He then redirected the ball to Ray Allen who pushed the contest to overtime. Miami made it in OT, pulling ahead 103-100 and forcing Game 7.
NBA Finals, Game 5 – Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
When: June 4, 1976
Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals is generally considered as “the greatest game ever played.” The contest between these two teams required three overtimes before declaring a winner. There were some poor refereeing decisions with the first one taking place in the fourth quarter when Boston’s Paul Silas tried to call for a break.
When the clock expired, the score remained tied sending them into OT. The ref favoured the Celtics most of the game, which led to another overtime. As time expired, Boston hit a jumper and forced a one-point lead. With two seconds left to play, Phoenix’s Gar Heard threw the ball from out of bounds from half-court. At the end of the third overtime, Celtics managed to escape with a dramatic victory.
Conclusion
NBA fans have enjoyed many exciting matches over the years. Did you know that the game has also gone virtual in recent years? If you want to practice your skills on the court, the casino site Aspers.com has got you covered with Basketball Star. This game doesn’t require you to be in great physical shape. As long as you can click your mouse, you could shoot some hoops with the greats like LeBron James and others. Have a whale of a good time!
