‘Changed the Game’: Former NBA Champion Picks Allen Iverson Over Michael Jordan in Notable NBA Moments

The NBA has given the world several dates to cherish for a lifetime. Be it Kobe Bryant’s 60-point game on April 13 (2016), LeBron James’ The Decision on July 8 (2010), or the iconic nights that made Michael Jordan an unquestionable GOAT, there have been quite a few memorable dates.

However, a particular date, May 7, goes down as a date that beats all other days of a calendar year for generating unforgettable nights. So, what all happened on this day and which one’s everyone’s favorite?

When Michael Jordan bombarded the Cavaliers

Back in 1989, on May 7, a young MJ pulled ‘The Shot’ to show the Cavaliers the exit door in EC’s first-round playoff series. The last-minute of the game saw six lead changes and made the viewers lose their nails.

With 3 seconds remaining on the clock, a driving layup by Craig Ehlo had the Cavs leading 100-99. When everyone mistakenly thought that it was all over for the Bulls, an inbound pass to MJ resulted in one of the greatest clutch jumpers, sending the Cavs packing.

When the underdogs in Nuggets upset the scary Sonics

With Michael Jordan out of the league after an unforeseen early retirement, the Bulls were finally not a contending team. So just as the Knicks took capitalized in 1994-95 from the EC, the SuperSonics (WC) were almost sure of making it to the NBA Finals. However, the #8 seed Nuggets had other plans as they shunned the Sonics 3-2 in the first round itself.

They had bounced back from a 0-2 deficit to take that series and made the impossible possible.

Read Also – Reggie Miller Explains How He Got a Michael Jordan Jersey Signed Despite Their Rivalry

When Reggie Miller had a magical night

Reggie Miller had almost become a villain for the city of New York in 1995. In the EC Semis, the Pacers had knocked out the Knicks, thanks to the Game 1 heroics of Reggie.

On that May 7, just as the Pacers were trailing 99-105 in the final minute, the Knick Killer scored a crazy 8 points (two 3s, two FTs) in under 9 seconds to help the Pacers win the game. 

Read Also – Allen Iverson Has Hilarious Response to Why He Was Missing From the 1996 Draft Class Photograph

When Allen Iverson made popular the ‘practice’ rant

Arguably the most entertaining memory of all was the Sixers’ Allen Iverson and his media outburst in 2002. The 76ers had freshly lost their first-round postseason series to the Celtics, when AI did a press conference and became world-famous (as if he already wasn’t).

In that one interview, he uttered the word “practice” a total of 22 times. Many plots running in hindsight led to that roar from the legendary player.

One, it was because of his infamous relation with the team’s head coach Larry Brown. Two, it was a result of all the trade rumors on his name, and three, he was still overcoming the murder of his best friend. It all clubbed to form a speech that many claim was a drunken dose. 

In a recent interview, just as Rachel Nichols called it “a work of art”, former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins had his own understanding. The 36-YO expressed, “he changed the game. Not only did he make it cool, baggy, white tees… a fitting cap. But guess what, he changed the game for practices in all sport. Since his interview, he made a great point there… you want it now or you want it in the game? I’m playing 40+ minutes, give me something.”

So, which one’s your favorite memory out of these four? Help us know in the comments.

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