This Day In NBA Sports History: June 20, 1993-2013
The best of this day in NBA sports history. June 20. LeBron, MVP of two consecutive Finals, John Paxson’s game-winning shot. What happened on this day in NBA history? Let’s delve deep into this day in history and why it was so pivotal to the NBA’s growth.
LeBron, MVP of Two Consecutive Finals
LeBron James and the Miami Heat won their second consecutive NBA championship, following an epic 4-3 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 in Game 7. James scored 37 points and 12 rebounds, made five three-pointers, and defended Tony Parker when necessary.
LeBron was named Finals MVP for the second consecutive year. It was the third consecutive Finals appearance for the Heat and their trio of stars: LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. They became the first team to repeat as champions since the Lakers in 2009-10 and the first team to beat the Spurs in the Finals. “It took everything we had as a team,” said Dwayne Wade, “credit to the San Antonio Spurs and their incredible team and incredible franchise.
“Duncan had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but missed a jumper and the follow-up shot with 50 seconds left and the Cavaliers up by two points. James immediately sank a jumper to make it 92-88 and then made a steal and two free throws to increase the lead to 6 points. Wade had 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and 16 rebounds, Ginobili had 18 points, but Parker had a rough night with just 10 points for the Spurs.
John Paxson’s Game-Winning Shot
John Paxson’s career-high three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left and Horace Grant’s last-second block of Kevin Johnson’s jumper gave Chicago a 99-98 victory over host Phoenix in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, securing the Bulls’ third consecutive NBA championship.
Chicago became the third NBA franchise (along with Boston, from 1959 to 1966, and Minneapolis, from 1952 to 1954) to win three consecutive titles. Chicago’s Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year after averaging a record 41.0 points per game, along with 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
Magic Johnson is the only other player in NBA history to win at least three Finals MVP awards.
Watch the last minute of the game here.
Final Thoughts: This Day in NBA Sports History
These are two of the most exciting and intense moments that can be experienced in the NBA Finals, the moments in which things are decided, the last 5 minutes of action. This is where the key players can demonstrate their worth as well as the complementary players, which balances the scales.
Although the superstar of the team can do it all, it is also a team game, and when everything complements each other, it is when the teams become champions. If you missed the last article entitled This Day In NBA Sports History, you can read about it here on June 19.
