NBA

This Week in NBA History (Dec. 9-15): Tracy McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds plus more

Author Photo
Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in the final 35 seconds on December 9, 2004.

There have been countless moments in the 74-year history of the NBA that stand the test of the time; performances and achievements that will never be forgotten.

Throughout the season, we'll take you back in time to relive some of the best moments from the past.

This week in NBA history for the week of December 9-15:

December 9, 2004: Tracy McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds

With 44.2 seconds to go, the San Antonio Spurs were leading 76-68. The game should be in the bag, right? 

Tracy McGrady had other ideas.

It remains one of the most astonishing finishes in NBA history.

December 9, 1988: Utah Jazz hire Jerry Sloan

On this date in 1988, the Utah Jazz hired Jerry Sloan and the rest, as they say, is history. 

He went on to coach until 2011, which was a record for most seasons coaching a single franchise in NBA history (23) until Gregg Popovich broke the record this season. 

During his 23-year run in Utah, Sloan led the Jazz to the postseason 19 times which included his first 15 years with the team from 1988 to 2003. Sloan led the Jazz to the NBA Finals in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998, the only Finals appearances in franchise history.

He finished as the most illustrious coach in Jazz history, recording 1127 wins in 1809 regular-season games for a winning percentage of 62.3%. 

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame while still coaching the Jazz in 2003.

December 10, 1995: Lakers retire James Worthy's #42

On this date in 1995, the Los Angeles Lakers retired #42, the jersey number of James Worthy. 

At the time, he was the sixth Laker to have his number retired. That number has since increased to nine after Kobe Bryant' #8 and #24 joined these in the rafters.

James Worthy

Worthy was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1982 NBA Draft and played a pivotal role in three of the five championships that the franchise won that decade including a key performance in 1987 when he was named Finals MVP. 

He played all of his 926 regular-season and 143 playoffs games for the Lakers. At the end of his career, he had seven All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections to show for. 

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. 

December 13, 1983: Highest scoring game in NBA history

A triple-overtime game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets in 1983 went down in the record books as the highest-scoring games in NBA history.

The game still holds the record for most points scored in a game, one team (Detroit-186) and combined (370); most field goals, one team (Detroit-74) and combined (142); and combined assists (93).

For the victorious Pistons, three players scored 35 or more - Isiah Thomas (47p/17a), John Long (41), and Kelly Tripucka (35). For the Nuggets, Kiki Vandeweghe recorded a near triple-double with 51 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists while Alex English was the other major contributor - 47 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.

December 14, 1988: Miami Heat win first game in franchise history

After joining the league in 1988, the new franchise - Miami Heat - lost its first 17 games and finally won a game on Dec. 14, 1988, when they defeated the LA Clippers 89-88. 

Their 17 consecutive losses to start the season was an NBA record tied 11 years later by the Clippers. 

December 14, 2011: Chris Paul traded to the LA Clippers

Chris Paul is introduced as a member of the LA Clippers.

A couple of days after Chris Paul's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was vetoed by Commissioner David Stern, he was traded to the other Los Angeles franchise - the Clippers. 

As part of the trade, the Clippers also received two future second-round picks in exchange for sending Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the New Orleans Hornets.

During his time in LA, the franchise won more than 60% of its regular-season games and went to the playoffs each year. On the other hand, the Hornets got the No. 1 pick in the following draft lottery with which they drafted Anthony Davis.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

Author(s)