NBA Cobwebs

lucky butt shot! I was too young for this season or to remember watching these players

However, I *do* appreciate the sheer SIZE of the player name letters on the back of the Blazers’ jerseys. Aesthetically pure

Magic!!

Timeline cleanse

December 5, 2000: This play by Philadelphia's Allen Iverson (27 PTS) at Los Angeles.

Lakers 96, 76ers 85.

December 5, 1999: Vince Carter crosses up the Spurs' Chucky Brown, then dunks on David Robinson during Toronto's 98-92 win.

Carter finished with 39 PTS (15-25 FG) and Tracy McGrady scored 16 PTS off the bench for the Raptors. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 PTS/13 REB.

December 5, 1987: Cleveland's Ty Corbin tips in the game-winner at the buzzer against the Lakers.

Corbin finished with 16 PTS and Phil Hubbard scored 19 PTS in the Cavaliers' 97-95 victory. Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson each scored 19 PTS for Los Angeles.

December 5, 2004: Amar'e Stoudemire with a two-handed slam off the half-court lob pass from Steve Nash during a 121-99 Phoenix win over the Trail Blazers in Portland.

Stoudemire had 19 PTS, Nash had 11 AST and Quentin Richardson scored 37 PTS for the Suns, who improved to 14-3.

December 5, 1990: With 16 seconds left and the game tied at 108, Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins blocks David Robinson at the rim.

Then, with 2.1 seconds to go, Doc Rivers (who led the Hawks with 25 PTS) hits the game-winner in San Antonio.

Hawks 110, Spurs 108.

December 5, 2000: Kobe Bryant of the Lakers slams home the back door lob pass from Brian Shaw during a 96-85 victory over Philadelphia.

Bryant finished with 36 PTS (15-28 FG) and Shaquille O'Neal added 27 PTS/20 REB for Los Angeles. Allen Iverson scored 27 PTS to lead the 76ers.

December 5, 1979: Darryl Dawkins shatters his second backboard in 22 days, delaying the game between the 76ers and Spurs in Philadelphia by 74 minutes.

Dawkins finished with 20 PTS and Julius Erving had 28 PTS/10 AST/5 BLK/5 STL in the Sixers' 132-120 win. San Antonio's George Gervin scored 42 PTS.

December 4, 1984: Detroit's Isiah Thomas with a putback slam during a 104-99 win over the Celtics.

Thomas finished with 23 PTS/10 AST and Vinnie Johnson had a team-high 24 PTS for the Pistons. Boston's Dennis Johnson scored a game-high 25 PTS and Larry Bird added 23 PTS/17 REB.

December 4, 2003: Karl Malone of the Lakers elbows the Mavericks’ Steve Nash in the face.

Malone was suspended for one game. In his 19th and final NBA season, he’d previously missed just 10 career games (6 for injury, 4 for suspension). Nash scored 30 PTS in Dallas’ 114-103 win.

December 4, 1993: Sacramento's Lionel Simmons scores two of his 13 first quarter points on a two-handed slam dunk against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Simmons finished with 22 PTS. Patrick Ewing had 31 PTS (13-21 FG)/10 REB in New York's 123-101 win over the Kings.

December 4, 2005: Portland's Ruben Patterson with a putback dunk.

Patterson finished with 19 PTS off the bench but Utah defeated the Trail Blazers, 98-93. Mehmet Okur led the Jazz with 28 PTS/8 REB, and teammate Matt Harpring added 20 PTS.

📺 NBA Action

December 4, 1985: The Lakers' Maurice Lucas drills a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to force overtime in Utah.

Lucas scored 21 PTS off the bench and Magic Johnson finished with 29 PTS/9 REB/8 AST in Los Angeles’ 131-127 overtime win. Adrian Dantley had 36 PTS/11 REB for the Jazz.

December 4, 2004: The Top 5 NBA plays of the night, courtesy of

5. Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons
4. Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks
3. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Desmond Mason of the Milwaukee Bucks
1. Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets

December 4, 1994: Portland's Clyde Drexler banks in the game-winner at the buzzer.

Drexler finished with 36 PTS/11 REB/9 AST and Harvey Grant added 24 PTS in the Blazers' 106-103 victory over Milwaukee. Glenn Robinson scored 25 PTS and Vin Baker had 19 PTS/11 REB for the Bucks.

December 4, 1988: Magic Johnson's half-court shot at the end of regulation ties the game and sends it to overtime.

The Lakers went on to defeat the Bullets in OT, 119-112. Magic had 29 PTS/17 AST/8 REB. James Worthy scored 26 PTS. Washington's Bernard King scored a game-high 37 PTS.

I haven’t found another instance of the Sonics wearing those, but it may have happened some other time.

December 3, 2003: Denver rookie Carmelo Anthony hits the double-clutch jumper and is fouled at Golden State.

Anthony finished with 26 PTS/2 BLK and Voshon Lenard scored a game-high 38 PTS (14-21 FG) in the Nuggets' 117-109 win. Speedy Claxton had 21 PTS/3 STL for the Warriors.

December 3, 2004: Manu Ginóbili goes around his back and scores on the San Antonio break during an 80-77 victory over the Pistons.

Ginóbili scored 18 PTS, Tony Parker scored 20 PTS and Tim Duncan had 18 PTS/18 REB for the Spurs. Detroit's Chauncey Billups had a team-high 18 PTS.

These Sonics uniforms were worn to commemorate the 20-year anniversary (to the day) of the Bullets' first game in Capital Centre.

Washington's opponent on December 2, 1973 was Seattle, so both teams wore replicas of what was worn when the two teams played 20 years earlier.

December 3, 2001: Latrell Sprewell scores 23 PTS and Allan Houston scores 22 PTS in the Knicks' 89-86 win over the Rockets.

Kenny Thomas and Glen Rice each scored 20 PTS for Houston. Marcus Camby had 10 PTS/14 REB for New York.

📺 CNN

December 3, 1992: College teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts face off for the first time in the NBA.

Ken Norman scored 33 PTS to lead the Clippers over the Magic, 122-104. O'Neal had 26 PTS/9 REB for Orlando and Roberts had 16 PTS/6 REB for Los Angeles.

📺 ESPN

December 2, 1994: This pass from Penny Hardaway to Anthony Bowie helps put Orlando ahead of New York by 31 points (and makes TNT’s Ron Thulin and Doug Collins lose their minds).

Magic 125, Knicks 100.

December 2, 1993: On the day after announcing his retirement, Bill Laimbeer sits courtside and (playfully) heckles Charles Barkley, who had 21 PTS/10 AST/9 REB in the Suns' 102-101 win at Detroit.

Terry Mills had 33 PTS and Isiah Thomas had 26 PTS/13 AST for the Pistons.

📺 CNN

December 2, 1999: The Clippers’ Maurice Taylor dunks on Kelvin Cato of Houston.

Taylor scored 18 PTS and teammate Derek Anderson scored a team-high 23 PTS in a 109-96 loss. Shandon Anderson had 27 PTS/6 REB/6 AST for the Rockets.

📺 NBA Action

December 2, 1993: Gary Payton lobs to Shawn Kemp on back-to-back trips down the floor for the SuperSonics at Washington.

Payton finished with 18 PTS/6 AST, Kemp scored 12 PTS, Kendall Gill scored 18 PTS and Detlef Schrempf added 17 PTS in Seattle's 105-95 win over the Bullets.

December 2, 1987: Philadelphia's Charles Barkley goes to the basket against the Clippers at the L.A. Sports Arena.

Barkley had 21 PTS/12 REB/3 BLK before fouling out. Quintin Dailey scored a team-high 16 PTS off the bench in Los Angeles' 88-85 victory.

📸 Andrew D. Bernstein

December 2, 1992: Larry Johnson finishes with 36 PTS/14 REB in a 111-110 Charlotte Hornets victory—the franchise’s first-ever win at Golden State.

Chris Mullin led the Warriors with 26 PTS (and made a 70-foot shot that didn't count, just after the first quarter buzzer).

📺 ESPN