June 22, 1994: The Rockets Make Houston Clutch City

June 22, 1994: Game 7 of the NBA Finals, at The Summit in Houston. The New York Knicks can still make it a title double for New York City, and for Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for them, John Starks turned The Summit into a brick house.

The Houston Oilers had won the AFL Championship in 1960 and 1961, but had lost the Championship Game in 1962 and 1967, the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979, and the biggest blown lead in NFL Playoff history in 1993.

The Houston Aeros had won the World Hockey Association title in 1974 and 1975, but lost the Final in 1976, and folded in 1978, and the NHL has never put a team in Houston. The Housotn Astros had won the National League Western Division title in 1980 and 1986, but had lost the NL Championship Series both times. And the Houston Rockets had reached the NBA Finals in 1981 and 1986, but lost to the Boston Celtics both times.

Not that Texas' other major city, Dallas, had much sports success. But the Dallas Cowboys had won 2 Super Bowls in the 1970s, and, at this time, had just won the last 2. In contrast, Houston had become known as "Choke City."

But with head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, a former star player for the Rockets, and center Hakeem Olajuwon leading the way, the Rockets reached the Finals again in 1994. They had to get past the Utah Jazz, with their 2 big stars, forward Karl Malone and guard John Stockton. Malone was nicknamed "The Mailman," because he always seemed to "deliver." But Game 7 of their series was at The Summit on a Sunday, and a fan held up a sign saying, "There's no mail on Sunday!" (Unless you're in the British newspaper business.)

With Michael Jordan taking time off, the Knicks were finally able to get past the Chicago Bulls, after losing to them in the Playoffs in 1992 and 1993. It took them 7 games, but they did it. Then they beat Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks took a 3-games-to-2 lead in the Finals, but Games 6 and 7 would be at The Summit. And the Rockets came through in Game 6, winning 86-84. The entire series was close: The Rockets won Game 1 by 7 points, Game 3 by 4, and Game 6 by 2; while the Knicks won Game 2 by 8, Game 4 by 9, and Game 5 by 7.

Game 7. The biggest game in Rockets history, and the biggest game for the Knicks in 21 years. The Rockets led 22-21 after the 1st quarter, 45-43 at the half, and 63-60 after 3 quarters. They never quite pulled away, but won, 90-84, for their 1st NBA Championship.

Olajuwon scored 25 points, and Vernon Maxwell added 21. Derek Harper led the Knicks with 23. The stat that really stands out, though, belonged to John Starks: He made 2 out of 18 shots from the field, including taking 11 3-point shots and missing all of them. He was 4-for-4 on free throws, for a total of 8 points. So maybe it wasn't so much that the Rockets were finally clutch, as Starks went the other way, putting up the most infamous "bricklayer" performance in basketball history.

Houston had so often known as "Choke City" for its sports performances. The Rockets printed up signs reading "CLUTCH CITY," for the fans to hold up. They lived up to it.

The following year, the Rockets acquired Portland Trail Blazers star Clyde "the Glide" Drexler, Olajuwon's teammate at the University of Houston. They got back to the Finals, and swept the Orlando Magic in 4 straight. During Game 4, a fan held up a sign saying, "Hey, Clyde: What's your ring size?" He had made 2 NBA Finals with the Blazers, losing both of them. Now, Clyde the Glide and Hakeem the Dream had won an NBA Championship together.

It's easy to forget now, just how good the 1994 and '95 Houston Rockets were. Don't assume that, just because Michael Jordan wasn't there that year, the Chicago Bulls would have beaten them.

Olajuwon, Drexler and Ewing were named to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

UPDATE: The Rockets do not have a team Hall of Fame, but they do retire numbers. From their 1981 NBA Western Conference title, they have retired 23, for guard Calvin Murphy; 24, for center Moses Malone; 44, for forward Elvin Hayes; and 45, for forward Rudy Tomjanovich. From their 1986 Western Conference title: 34, for center Hakeem Olajuwon.

From their 1994 and 1995 NBA Champions: Tomjanovich, by then the head coach; Olajuwon; and 22, for guard Clyde Drexler. From since then, 11, for 2000s center Yao Ming. They have also raised a banner for longtime general manager Carroll Dawson.

Hayes, Tomjanovich, Olajuwon, Drexler and Dawson have been elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. 

*

June 22, 1994 was a Wednesday. Football was out of season. The hockey season ended 8 days earlier, when, to my dismay, the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup. And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-2 at Yankee Stadium. Scott Kamieniecki was the winning pitcher. Paul O'Neill hit a home run. Don Mattingly went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

* The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-2 at Atlanta-Fulton Stadium.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-2 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken Jr. went 1-for-3.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Barry Bonds and Matt Williams hit home runs for the Giants. As far as I know, neither was using steroids yet.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-6 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers, 4-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Wilson Álvarez pitched 8 innings of 2-hit shutout ball, and Paul Assenmacher struck out the side in the 9th.

* The Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros, 14-5 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-6 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 2-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the California Angels, 12-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

* And the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.

June 19, 1984: The Portland Trail Blazers Draft Sam Bowie -- Not Michael Jordan

June 19, 1984: The NBA Draft is held, at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Houston Rockets had the 1st pick, and they took University of Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon. It worked out pretty well for them, as he helped them reach 3 NBA Finals and win 2 NBA Championships.

The Portland Trail Blazers had the 2nd pick, and they took University of Kentucky center Sam Bowie. Bowie has built a nice career for himself in Kentucky's other major sports industry, breeding racehorses. But due to recurring injuries, through no fault of his own, and through no fault of the Blazers', his pro basketball career was a failure.

The Chicago Bulls had the 3rd pick, and they took University of North Carolina guard Michael Jordan. He led the Bulls to 6 NBA Championships, including in 1992 over the Blazers, and is called by more people than any other the greatest basketball player of all time.

Meanwhile, the Blazers haven't won an NBA Championship since 1977, or reached the Finals since 1992.

How dumb were the Blazers? With nearly 40 years' worth of hindsight, maybe not as dumb as they look. From 2005 to 2007, ESPN did a series titled Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Blame…, and one of their episodes looked at the '84 Draft. Here were their Top 5 reasons the Blazers shouldn't be blamed for choosing Bowie instead of Jordan:

5. "The Draft is a crapshoot." It sure is: Some teams make mistakes seemingly every year. As someone who used to root for the New Jersey Nets, and continues to observe them locally as the Brooklyn Nets, I write from painful experience.

4. Sam Bowie: At the time, he seemed like a good pick, having just led Kentucky to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

3. Bill Walton: Had he stayed healthy after leading the Blazers to that 1977 title, they still would have had that big, great center that they hoped Bowie would become. In other words, they wouldn't have drafted Bowie, because they wouldn't have had to.

Bill Walton (left), by then with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Bowie

2. Michael Jordan -- as he was at the time: You may remember the old joke: "Who's the only man who can hold Michael Jordan to under 20 points? Dean Smith." The Tar Heel coach's "Four Corners" offense was team-oriented, and held down Jordan's scoring, while still winning. It was clear he would be a great player, but nobody, not even Dean or Nike, thought he would become the sports, advertising and pop-culture colossus that he became.

1. Clyde Drexler: The Blazers already had an All-Pro guard in Clyde the Glide. From a strategic standpoint, getting the 1984 version of Michael Jordan didn't make sense. And the Blazers did go on to win Western Conference Titles in 1990 and '92, although they didn’t win the NBA Championship either time.

It's also worth pointing out that the Rockets also passed on Jordan, and the only Championships they won during Jordan's career were in 1994 and 1995, during his "hiatus." Would they have beaten the Bulls in the '94 and '95 Finals? Robert Horry, who played on those Rocket teams, is convinced that they would have, calling Olajuwon the one player Jordan feared.

We'll never know for sure. But what we do know is that nobody says the Rockets were dumb for choosing Olajuwon over Jordan.

But at least the Blazers are still in Portland, and drawing well, unlike their fellow Pacific Northwest teams, the Seattle SuperSonics and, later, the Vancouver Grizzlies.

*

June 19, 1984 was a Tuesday. Actor Paul Dano was born.

The NBA Championship was won a week earlier, when the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the Finals. The Stanley Cup was won a month earlier, when the Edmonton Oilers beat the New York Islanders, ending one dynasty and starting another. The United States Football League was in its 2nd season, but no games were played on this day.

These Major League Baseball games were:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 7-6 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ron Guidry ran out of gas in the bottom of the 8th inning, and the Tigers scored 4 runs. The Yankees only got 2 back in the top of the 9th. Lance Parrish hit a home run for the Tigers. Don Mattingly went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 3-for-4 with a walk.

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 at Shea Stadium. Former Met Jerry Koosman outpitched Ed Lynch. Mike Schmidt hit his 404th career home run. Ron Gardenhire and Hubie Brooks homered for the Mets.

* The Montreal Expos beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Pete Rose, during his brief time north of the border, went 1-for-4.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. The O's scored 4 runs in the 8th and 4 more in the 9th to win it. Eddie Murray went 2-for-5 with a home run and 6 RBIs. Cal Ripken went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 11-6 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Robin Yount went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Paul Molitor was injured and did not play.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-4 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-4 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 2-0 at the Astrodome in Houston. Eric Show pitched a 2-hit shutout. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-3.

* The Texas Rangers beat the California Angels, 4-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Reggie Jackson hit his 489th career home run. Rod Carew went 0-for-1 with 2 walks before being removed from the game.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. George Brett went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jorge Orta went 3-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Rickey Henderson went 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base and 2 RBIs.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-2 at the Kingdome in Seattle.

April 2, 1984: The Redemption of Georgetown

Fred Brown (left) hugged by John Thompson

April 2, 1984: Georgetown beat the University of Houston, 84-75 at the Kingdome in Seattle, and win the NCAA basketball tournament. The Hoyas become the 1st team in the Chesapeake region to win the National Championship. John Thompson becomes the 1st black head coach to win it.

As soon as the clock runs out, instead of hugging his best player, Patrick Ewing, he hugs Fred Brown, whose mistake helped cost Georgetown the title game 2 years earlier.
 

For the 3rd straight year, Houston's "Phi Slama Jama" of Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon and Clyde "the Glide" Drexler made the Final Four, but didn't win it. Over those 3 years, the Cougars went 88-16, including 71-12 in the regular season.

It must have been especially frustrating for head coach Guy Lewis, who had coached Houston to the Final Four in 1967 and 1968, with Elvin Hayes as his star. Now, he was 0-for-5 in Final Fours. He coached the Cougars from 1956 to 1986, and died in 2015. UH did not return to the Final Four until 2021.

(UPDATE: In 2025, they got back to the NCAA Final, but lost to Florida, making them 0-for-7 in Final Fours and 0-4 in Finals. No other team has been to 4 NCAA Tournament Finals without winning any.)

Georgetown would return to the title game in 1985, but lost to Villanova in one of the greatest games and greatest upsets in basketball history. Over Ewing's 4 years, the Hoyas went 121-23, including 69-6 in their last 2 years, which included a 29-game winning streak from February 25, 1984 to January 23, 1985. It was one of the best 4-year stretches in college basketball history, including 3 title games, but only 1 title.

In 1994, Olajuwon would lead the Houston Rockets to the NBA title, beating Ewing's New York Knicks. The following year, Drexler, after a Hall of Fame career with the Portland Trail Blazers, joined Olajuwon on the Rockets, and they won another title. Ewing never won one.

*

April 2, 1984 was a Monday. This was the Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season, and 3 games were played:

* The New York Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 8-1 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Mario Soto outpitched Mike Torrez.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Since Baltimore was then the closest MLB city to Washington, D.C., President Ronald Reagan attended, and revived the Presidential tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first ball. Previously, Presidents did so from "the Presidential box" in Washington. Reagan wore an Orioles jacket over a bulletproof vest, and threw the first ball from the mound, which had never been done by a President before, but has been done by them since.

Cal Ripken Jr. hit a home run. Eddie Murray went 1-for-4 with the Orioles' other RBI.

* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rod Carew went 2-for-4. Reggie Jackson did not play.

One game was played in the United States Football League (USFL): The Birmingham Stallions beat the New Orleans Breakers, 31-17 at Legion Field in Birmingham.

The NHL was between its regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There were 2 games played in the NBA. The New York Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls, 115-113 at Madison Square Garden. Quintin Dailey scored 44 in defeat for the Bulls. And the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 111-100 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Adrian Dantley scored 37 for the Jazz.

February 9, 1997: The NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players

February 9, 1997: The NBA hosts its All-Star Game at the Gund Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland. The East beat the West, 132-120. Glen Rice, then with the Charlotte Hornets, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

But the game was secondary to the halftime entertainment. Although the names had already been announced a few weeks earlier, to coincide with the NBA's actual 50th Anniversary -- the 1st game was played on November 1, 1946 -- the 50 Greatest Players, as chosen by a special panel (including, as it turned out, some of the players in question) were introduced.

Of the 50, 49 were still alive at the time. The only one who had died was Pete Maravich, who suffered a heart attack in 1988, only 40 years old. He was represented at the ceremony by his sons, Jaeson and Josh.

Of the 49 living players, 47 were on hand. The two who weren't? One had a good excuse: Jerry West, the legendary guard and executive of the Los Angeles Lakers, was in a hospital, recovering from surgery. (He did recover, and was still alive to be selected to the 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players.)

The other player who didn't show up did not have a good excuse. It was Shaquille O'Neal. He'd played 4 seasons, thrilling fans with ferocious dunks, and leading the Orlando Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals. This was his 1st season with the Lakers, and there were people who said his worthiness as a selection as an all-time great was premature. (That turned out to be true.)

But it wasn't humility, a belief that he didn't yet belong, that kept him away. No, it was an injury. He decided that, if he couldn't play in the game, he wouldn't show up. So he didn't. And so, when his name was announced, the crowd in Cleveland -- a city which had absolutely no reason to dislike him, or the Lakers, or even the Magic -- booed him hard.

Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets was selected, for both the All-Star Game and the 50 Greatest Players. So was Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks. Like Shaq, both of these men were injured, and unable to play in the game. But both of them showed up, anyway, wearing suits instead of their uniforms. And each of them was solidly cheered by a crowd in a city for which he had never played.

The members of the 50 Greatest Players who were still active, and selected for the games, wore their East or West uniforms. All the others wore suits. All of them were given special leather jackets, with the NBA 50th Anniversary logo, white sleeves, and torsos in the solid color of the team with which they were the most identified.

Only 4 of the NBA's 1st 50 Championship teams were not represented: The 1947 Philadelphia Warriors, the 1948 Baltimore Bullets, the 1951 Rochester Royals, and the 1979 Seattle SuperSonics, although their head coach, Lenny Wilkens, was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players.

Here they were, in (roughly) chronological order:

* From the Minneapolis Lakers' dynasty of the 1950s: George Mikan.

* From the Syracuse Nationals' 1955 NBA Champions: Dolph Schayes.

* From the Philadelphia Warriors' 1956 NBA Champions: Paul Arizin.

* From the St. Louis Hawks' 1958 NBA Champions: Bob Pettit.

* From the Boston Celtics' dynasty of the 1950s and '60s: Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, John Havlicek.

* From the Philadelphia 76ers' 1967 NBA Champions: Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham.

* From the New York Knicks' 1970 NBA Champions: Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Dave DeBusschere. From their 1973 Champions: Those 3, plus Jerry Lucas and Earl "the Pearl" Monroe. But not, interestingly, Bill Bradley.

* From the Milwaukee Bucks' 1971 NBA Champions: Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

* From the Los Angeles Lakers' 1972 NBA Champions: Chamberlain and Jerry West.

* From the Celtics' Champions of 1974 and '76: Havlicek and Dave Cowens.

* From the Golden State Warriors' 1975 NBA Champions: Rick Barry.

* From the Portland Trail Blazers' 1977 NBA Champions: Bill Walton.

* From the Washington Bullets' 1978 NBA Champions: Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes.

* From the Lakers' dynasty of the 1980s: Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and James Worthy.

* From the Celtics' dynasty of the 1980s: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Nate "Tiny" Archibald was selected, and played on their 1981 title team. Walton was selected, and played on their 1986 title team.

* From the 76ers' 1983 NBA Champions: Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Moses Malone.

* From the Detroit Pistons' back-to-back titlists of 1989 and '90: Isiah Thomas.

* From the Chicago Bulls' dynasty of the 1990s: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

* From the Houston Rockets' 1994 NBA Champions: Hakeem Olajuwon. From their 1995 Champions: Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

* From a sort-of dynasty yet to begin, that of the San Antonio Spurs of 1999-2007: David Robinson. Tim Duncan was still in college at this point.

* From a dynasty yet to begin, that of the Lakers in the early 2000s: Shaquille O'Neal. Kobe Bryant was a rookie, but was selected for the All-Star Game, and led all scorers with 31 points.

* Selected, but never won a title, though they did reach the NBA Finals at least once: Elgin Baylor, 1959 Minneapolis Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers of 1962, '63, '65, '66, '68, '69 and '70; Lenny Wilkens, 1961 St. Louis Hawks; Nate Thurmond, 1964 and '67 San Francisco Warriors; Charles Barkley, 1993 Phoenix Suns; Patrick Ewing, 1994 and '99 Knicks; and Karl Malone and John Stockton, both 1997 and '98 Utah Jazz.

* Selected, but never even made the NBA Finals: Dave Bing, 1970s Pistons; Pete Maravich, 1970s Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Jazz; and George Gervin, 1970s and '80s Spurs.

Every one of these players has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, including those who were still active at the time. Shaq was the last one still active, in 2011.

And every one of these players was also re-selected in 2021 for the 75 Greatest Players. No one was demoted. One player already retired in 1997 who was not selected for the 50, but was promoted to the 75, was Bob McAdoo, who played on the Lakers' 1982 and '85 Champions. And Dominique Wilkens, still playing in 1997 (with the Spurs) but close to the end of the line, whatever legacy he had already secure (and, as a 1980s Atlanta Hawk, his dunking got him nicknamed "The Human Highlight Reel"), was not selected for the 50, but was selected for the 75.

One final note: In the locker room, waiting for the ceremony to begin, Michael Jordan was holding court, smoking a cigar, and telling anyone who would listen that he was the greatest basketball player of all time.

Wilt Chamberlain heard this. He'd been hearing for a few years that Jordan was the greatest, and not just from Jordan himself. He decided to put an end to this. He walked over, towering over the seated Jordan, and said, "Michael, my man, when you played, they changed the rules to make it easier for you. When I played, they changed the rules to make it harder for me. And it didn't work."

And he walked off. Dead silence in the room. Talk about "dropping the Mike."

It didn't put an end to it: There are still people who consider Jordan the greatest ever. LeBron James was then 12 years old, and now, some people think he was greater than either of them. But neither Jordan nor LeBron can ever touch Wilt.

UPDATE: Added for the 75th Anniversary, in addition to McAdoo and Wilkins, were: Dennis Rodman, who won the titled with the 1989 and '90 Pistons, and the 1996, '97 and '98 Bulls; Tim Duncan, 1999, 2003, '05, '07 and '14 Spurs; Kobe Bryant, 2000, '01, '02, '09 and '10 Lakers; Gary Payton and Dwyane Wade, 2006 Miami Heat; Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, 2008 Celtics; Ray Allen, 2008 Celtics and 2012 and '13 Heat; Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki, 2011 Dallas Mavericks; LeBron James, 2012 and '13 Heat, 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, 2020 Lakers; Kawhi Leonard, 2014 Spurs and 2019 Toronto Raptors; Steph Curry, 2015, '17, '18 and '22 Warriors; Kevin Durant, 2017 and '18 Warriors; Anthony Davis, 2020 Lakers; Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2021 Bucks; Reggie Miller, who reached the Finals on the 2000 Indiana Pacers; Allen Iverson, who reached the Finals on the 2001 76ers; Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who reached the Finals with Durant on the 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder; Chris Paul, who reached the Finals on the 2021 Suns; and never-finalists Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and, so far, Damian Lillard.

*

February 9, 1997 was a Sunday. There were no other NBA games played that day. Baseball and football were out of season. But there were 5 NHL games played:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers, 4-3 at the Miami Arena.

* The Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-1 at the Marine Midland Arena (now the KeyBank Center) in Buffalo.

* The Dallas Stars beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Reunion Arena in Dallas. Neal Broten scored the winning goal with 44 seconds left in overtime.

* The Calgary Flames beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 6-1 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* And the Edmonton Oilers beat the Washington Capitals, 4-1 at the Edmonton Coliseum (as the Northlands Coliseum was known at the time).

And football star Saquon Barkley was born on this day.