This Day in NBA Sports History: May 20, 1974-2021
The best of this day in NBA sports history. May 20. What happened on this day in NBA history? Wizards to playoffs, Warriors to their 5th straight finals, Spurs sweep the Clippers, Malik Sealy’s accident, Michael Jordan’s 4th MVP, Rockets overcome a 3-1 deficit, a win from the bench, and the trade of Pete Maravich.
This Day in NBA Sports History
Washington’s defense and offensive versatility allowed them to outscore Indiana by 13 points in the second quarter and another 17 points in the third to cruise to victory. Bradley Beal’s 25 points, Russell Westbrook’s 18 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, and Rui Hachimura’s 18 points helped the Washington Wizards defeat the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the State Farm NBA Play-In Tournament and secure the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
May 20, 2019
The Golden State Warriors, without Kevin Durant, who was injured, made a huge comeback to win in overtime, Damian Lillard took the last shot from the corner of the 3-point line to win the game but the ball hit the rim making a sweep for the Warriors against Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals. This victory 119-117 sends the Golden State Team to The Finals for a fifth straight postseason. They join the 1960s Boston Celtics as the only teams in NBA history to make the Finals in five consecutive seasons or more. The Celtics hold the all-time record for consecutive Finals berths, appearing in 10 championship series from 1957-67.
May 20, 2012
The San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, swept the Los Angeles Clippers, with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, 102-99, in the Western Conference semifinals. The game was close until the end, when Chris Paul lost the ball with less than 15 seconds on the clock; that was the Clippers’ only turnover in the second half. Paul had the chance to tie the game again but missed thanks to Dany Green’s great defense.
May 20, 2000
Malik Sealy of the Minnesota Timberwolves dies in an auto accident at the age of 30. The Indiana Pacers drafted Sealy with the 14th pick in the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, and he played with Indiana, the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit, and Minnesota in an eight-year NBA career. Sealy starred at Tolentine High School in the Bronx, leading the school to the mythical high school national championship in 1988. Later that year, he took his game to St. John’s, where he carved out a stellar career, putting together numbers bettered only by Chris Mullin.
May 20, 1996
Chicago’s Michael Jordan wins the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 1995-96 NBA Most Valuable Player, his fourth NBA MVP award. His MVP stats include 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.20 steals per game, earning him a record 96.5% of the media vote (109 out of 113).
May 20, 1995
With a three-pointer from Mario Elie with 7.1 seconds left in the game, the Houston Rockets won over Phoenix in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinal Round series at Phoenix’s home, America West Arena, 115-114. With the win, the Rockets became the first NBA team in 13 years (since the ’82 Sixers against Boston) to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-7 playoff series. Houston’s victory also ended the home team’s 20-game consecutive wins in the deciding Game 7 of a playoff series . Just 24 hours later, Indiana repeated that feat by the road team after downing host New York 97-95 in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Round series.
May 20, 1979
Washington reserve Larry Wright hit two clutch free throws with no time on the clock to give his club a 99-97 victory in the opening game of the NBA Finals against Seattle. Wright ended with 26 points in just 23 minutes and led the Bullets to their only victory of the five-game championship series. On this day in 1974, the Atlanta Hawks traded Pete Maravich to the New Orleans Jazz for two players and five future Draft picks. If you missed the last articles, on May 19, read about it here.
