This Day in NBA Sports History: May 25, 1975-2019

The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 25. Raptors to the finals, postseason all-time scoring title, the biggest comeback in the playoffs, Reggie vs Mike, Charles Barkley wins MVP, Danny Biasone dies, and a Golden State sweep in the finals. What happened on this day in NBA history?

May 25, 2019

The Toronto Raptors secured their first Finals appearance. Thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s 27 points and 17 rebounds, they defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Raptors fueled the series-clinching comeback with a 26-3 run that turned the game around late in the third quarter.

May 25, 2017

LeBron James earned the title of all-time postseason scoring leader with a deep three-pointer from the left wing in Game 5 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. James accomplished the feat, and the Cavs won 135-102 to reach their third consecutive NBA Finals. James’ shot lifted him to 5,989 playoff points, surpassing Michael Jordan (5,987), who held the record for 19 years. In that game, James had 35 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving had 24 points and 7 assists.

May 25, 2002

Paul Pierce outscored the New Jersey Nets 19-16 in the fourth quarter to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 21-point deficit in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Pierce finished with 28 points, 19 in the fourth quarter, while Jason Kidd had 12 points and 11 assists, but they couldn’t hold off the Celtics’ final push at the end of the game. The 94-90 victory remains the largest comeback in NBA Playoff history. Watch it here.

May 25, 1998

This game-winning shot by Reggie Miller is an NBA classic. With a skillful off-ball play, he broke free and took the pass from the wing to launch a wide-open three-pointer over Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls with just 0.4 seconds left. This shot gave the Indiana Pacers a 96-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Watch that iconic play here.

May 25, 1993

Averaging 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 76 games, Charles Barkley was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Barkley helped the Phoenix Suns achieve a franchise- and NBA-best 62-20 record during the 1992-93 season. Barkley was signed by the Phoenix Suns in June 1992.

May 25, 1992

Danny Biasone died in Syracuse at the age of 83. Credited with introducing the 24-second shot clock in the NBA for the 1954-55 season, Biasone determined the 24 seconds by dividing the total seconds of play (2,880) by the approximate number of shots he calculated two teams took in a game (120).

May 25, 1975

Golden State defeated the Washington Bullets 96-95 to complete an NBA Finals sweep, one of their six consecutive wins. The others were Boston (1959), Milwaukee (1971), Philadelphia (1983), Detroit (1989), and the Los Angeles Lakers (2002).