" However, Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena under construction that would seat almost 24, 000 spectators – the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team.

However, for his efforts, Jordan was named NBA Most Valuable Player, an award he would win four more times over his career.

However, the team has also had a number of dubious distinctions, such as former owner Ted Stepien's tenure, which led the NBA to create a rule regulating the trading of draft picks (" The Stepien Rule "), and a 26 game losing streak in 2010 – 11, which tied the record for the longest losing streak in major American professional sports.

However, the Pistons won the series in dominating fashion, defeating Los Angeles in five games for the team's third NBA Championship.

However, the Colonels were shut out because the Chicago Bulls owned the NBA rights to the Colonels ' best player, Artis Gilmore, and wouldn't have allowed the merger to go through unless the Colonels were left out.

However, this was one of the few bright spots of the Pacers ' first 13 years in the NBA.

However, the Mavericks eliminated the Nuggets in the second round of the 1988 NBA Playoffs.

However, the Spurs would turn it around, as they ended December on 13-game winning streak and quickly climbed back to the top of the NBA standings.

However with a chance to close things out back at home in Game 6, the Spurs would lose 95 – 86, setting up the first NBA Finals Game 7 in 11 years.

However, Orlando Woolridge quietly ushered the dunk into the NBA contest a decade prior.

However, both Josh Smith and Ricky Davis have both botched the dunk in NBA games, though Davis has managed to successfully complete the dunk in-game.

However, the season was good enough to earn Maravich his first-ever appearance in the NBA All-Star Game, and also All-NBA Second Team honors.

However, the Bulls opened the 2003-04 NBA season in sloppy and uninspired form, and Paxson opted to begin reshaping the character of the team by trading leading scorer Jalen Rose for Antonio Davis and firing friend and former teammate coach Bill Cartwright, replacing him with Scott Skiles.

However, it was the release of NBA Jam that brought mainstream success to the genre.

However, as the 1997 – 98 season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA.

However, arch-rivals Los Angeles Lakers defeated San Antonio in five games in the Conference Finals, and the Spurs once again failed to capture back-to-back NBA championships.

However, after playing in only ten minutes against the Hornets on November 22, 1994, Bol suffered what proved to be a career-ending injury, and never played in the NBA again.

However, Brown led them to their first two finishes better than two games over. 500, as well as their first division title as an NBA team.

However, the relationship between Auerbach and Cousy improved when the coach saw that the " Houdini of the Hardwood "-- as the spectacular dribbler and flashy passer Cousy was lovingly called —- became the first great playmaker of the fledgling NBA.

However, many NBA players at the time were looking at jumping to the ABA for more lucrative contracts.

However, Denver Nuggets and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke arranged a verbal agreement to book Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers on the same date prior to the Nuggets actually earning a slot in the playoffs.

However, Riles & Co., the corporate entity of National Basketball Association ( NBA ) coach Pat Riley, submitted in November 1988 a trademark application for the use of three-peat on shirts, jackets and hats.

However, he had the unfortunate distinction of having become the first ( and to date, the only ) coach to lose an NBA Finals Game 7 with two different teams, having lost to the Celtics in 1984.

However, unlike Stojaković, Bodiroga declined the offer to play in the NBA, choosing instead to remain in Europe.

However, he performed very well in the playoffs, notably when he scored a hat trick in game seven of the Campbell Conference Finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

However, in the Conference Finals against the third-seeded New Jersey Devils, the Rangers lost the series opener at home in double overtime, but won the next two games before the Devils defeated them 3 – 1 and 4 – 1.

However, and just as the year before, Colorado lost in the Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars in a seven games after beating the Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings in five games.

However after leading 2 – 0 to the Miami Heat, they lost the Finals ' next four games, though some point to biased refereeing and others argue it was the result of the " Curse of the Crease ".

However, the Oilers won the next three games to earn a rematch of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals with Boston.

However, the team failed to record a winning season in the six years following their Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

However, premiership success did not follow, and the club contested only three Grand Finals for just one premiership during this period, and endured the longest premiership drought ( 23 years ) in the club's history.

However, the Red Wings fell short of their ultimate goal, losing in six games to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.

However, in 2005, the team brought Sacramento its third championship in a professional sport ( The Sacramento Knights won an indoor soccer Championship in 1999 and the Sacramento Surge won the WLAF World Bowl in 1992 ), winning the WNBA Finals for the first and only time.

However, there have been exceptions such as in Ulster, where in 2004 and 2005 the Ulster Football Finals were played in Croke Park, due to the fact that the anticipated attendance was likely to far exceed the capacity of the traditional venue of St Tiernach's Park, Clones.

However, in the Eastern Finals the Nationals would be beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard fought 5-game series losing the finale by just 2 points.

However, in the Eastern Finals the Nats would fall to the New York Knickerbockers again dropping the series in 4 games.

However, in the Eastern Finals the Nats would be knocked off by the Boston Celtics in 5 games.

However, needing a win to advance to the Eastern Finals again the Nationals would lose 2 straight dropping the decisive 5th game at home in overtime 131 – 127.

However, in the 1993 – 94 season, Brodeur gained recognition when he won the Calder Trophy, an annual award for the best rookie in the NHL, after leading the Devils to the second-best record in the league and the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games.

However, in the first round of the Finals series, they lost 22: 24 at home to the Canberra Raiders and were knocked out in the second round when they lost 34: 12 to the Sydney Roosters.

However, in 1919, due to a flu epidemic, a Stanley Cup match was not arranged, and in 1921 and 1922, they were defeated by the Ottawa Senators and Toronto St. Pats in back-to-back Cup Finals, respectively.

However, the two of them piled into Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson, causing Roloson to be injured for the remainder of the Finals.

However, Brind ' Amour would return for the 2008-09 NHL Season, playing in 80 games while recording 16 goals and 35 assists as the Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

) However, in the 1984 NBA Finals, the Celtics and Lakers met for the first time since 1969, and again, from Bird's performance, the Celtics toppled the Lakers 4 – 3.