As we push into May, we’re in the same spot as on March 12 — unsure of when or whether the NBA season will resume. As we remain patient, NBA TV continues its rewind of some of the best performances and most exciting games in league history.
This week’s schedule features the best of Charles Barkley and Chris Paul, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet reliving the highlight of their young NBA careers, and some big Game 7s. The new month also brings us a new feature. With “This Day in History,” NBA TV will air one of the best games from that date at 6 p.m. ET.
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Monday: The Best of Sir Charles
Monday is time to celebrate the career of Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, with some of his best and favorite games throughout the day, and chronicling his best plays with a special edition of High Tops at 8:30 p.m. ET.
6 p.m. ET: This Day in History: Suns at Warriors, May 4, 1994
Did you know that Barkley’s career high came in a playoff game? He never scored 50 points in the regular season, but dropped 56 on the Warriors as the Suns completed a three-game sweep of their first-round series in 1994. He made 23 of his 31 shots, adding 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
9 p.m. ET: Sonics at Suns, June 1, 1993 (Pop Up Edition)
As he led the Suns to The Finals in 1993, one of Barkley’s best performances came in a pivotal Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. He registered one of his four career postseason triple-doubles, scoring 43 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. The Suns pulled off a late comeback (featuring a huge tip dunk from Barkley) to take a 3-2 series lead.
Tuesday: Playoff Moments and a Raptors Rewind
The Tuesday schedule will include a few Game 7s from the conference semifinals, including a pair of Houston-Phoenix games (1994 and 1995) at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. ET.
6 p.m. ET: This Day in History: Jazz at Rockets, May 5, 1995
The defending-champion and sixth-seeded Rockets faced elimination five times in the first two rounds of the 1995 playoffs. The first of those elimination games was Game 4 of their first-round series against the Jazz. They got 40-point performances from both Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon to stay alive and force a deciding Game 5 in Utah.
9 p.m. ET: Siakam and VanVleet: Raptors at Warriors, June 13, 2019 (Film Room)
Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet join the broadcast to relive the night they won their first championship. The pair combined for 48 points in Game 6 and made two of the biggest shots of the game. VanVleet gave the Raptors the lead with a step-back 3 with less than four minutes to go, and Siakam put them up three with a floater in the final minute.
11 p.m. ET: Mavs at Spurs, May 22, 2006 (Pop Up Edition)
On their way to The Finals for the first time in franchise history, the Mavs faced a Game 7 on the road and a three-point deficit with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation. Dirk Nowitzki (37 points, 15 rebounds) saved them with a 3-point play and his teammates put the series away in overtime. Tim Duncan had 41 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocks for the defending-champion Spurs.
Wednesday: Happy birthday, CP3!
On Wednesday, we celebrate the 35th birthday of one of the best point guards in NBA history. The day will feature some of Chris Paul’s best playoff performances and will be capped by a special Pop Up Edition of one of the best moments of his career.
9 p.m. ET: Spurs at Clippers, May 2, 2015 (Pop Up Edition)
In Game 7 of the first round against the team that had eliminated him from the postseason twice in the past, Paul made one of the more incredible game-winners of the last 10 years, an off-balance bank shot over Tim Duncan with one second left on the clock.
Thursday: Series-Deciding Thrillers
During the day, the NBA TV schedule will feature one-hour cuts of some of the best second-round playoff performances of the past 10 years, highlighted by last year’s Raptors-Sixers Game 7 at 5 p.m. ET.
6 p.m. ET: This Day in History: Nuggets at Sonics, May 7, 1994
The first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in NBA history had to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a five-game series. The Nuggets won Games 3 and 4 at home and then returned to Seattle. This is a special Pop Up Edition of Game 5, which went to overtime and ended with the iconic image of Dikembe Mutombo lying on his back and holding the game ball in exultation.
9 p.m. ET: Cavs at Celtics, May 18, 2008 (Pop Up Edition)
The second of two Game 7s that the Celtics played on their way to the 2008 championship was both a nail-biter and one of the best one-on-one duals in recent postseason memory. LeBron James scored 45 points, but the Celtics got 41 from Paul Pierce, who came up with a huge jump ball in the final minute to help the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
Friday: Here Comes Willis, Open Court and T-Mac
The daytime schedule on Friday will be a Dunk Contest marathon, with Vince Carter at 7:30 a.m. and Gordon vs. LaVine at 3:30 p.m. ET. Then, in the evening, we get back to postseason memories.
6 p.m. ET: This Day in History: Lakers at Knicks, May 8, 1970
Game 7 of the 1970 Finals is best known for Willis Reed walking out of the Madison Square Garden tunnel with a torn muscle in his leg to inspire the Knicks and the New York crowd. But it was Clyde Frazier’s 36 points, 19 assists and seven rebounds that propelled the Knicks to their first championship.
9 p.m. ET: Rockets at Mavs, Apr. 25, 2005 (Pop Up Edition)
In Game 2 of the 4-5 series in the West, Yao Ming led the Rockets with 33 points on 13-for-14 shooting. But Tracy McGrady was the star as the Rockets took a 2-0 series lead, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. McGrady’s night featured an iconic dunk over Shawn Bradley and the game-winning jumper with 2.2 seconds left.
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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