Only A True 90s Kid Can Get 100% On This NBA Quiz

Ask any true hoop head basketball fan when the best era of the NBA was and they are guaranteed to say whatever era they grew up watching. "Players back then were real men!" they'll say. They'll go on to nitpick every instance of modern NBA players acting soft. When they see a player clothesline someone driving to the hoop, sending them crashing to the floor in a bloody heap with exposed bone, they will proclaim loudly that "that would not have been a foul 15 years ago!" And then they will spend 20 minutes explaining to you why that is supposed to be a good thing.

Those old time fans are all wrong. Unless they are referring to the NBA of the 90s. Yes, today's players are faster, longer, more athletic, and able to slide from position to position creating a beautifully flowing version of the game of basketball, unlike anything that we have ever seen before. But the 90s were better. Why? Shut up. That's why. It has been scientifically proven, time and time again, by the best basketball scientists in the world, that NBA hoops played from roughly 1991 until 2001 was the most hard hitting, ugliest, prettiest, most fun and entertaining thing that anyone has watched in the history of watching things. If you weren't there, you just don't know. If you were there, prove it by passing this quiz! Sucker.

Question 1

From 1990 until 1999, four teams won the NBA title: Detroit, Chicago, Houston, and who?

The 1990s were a time for dynasties in sports. In the NBA only a few teams went to the top, and they stayed there for multiple years. The same went for the NFL and MLB. Some fans point to star players staying loyal to a franchise or the fans of a certain city. But truth be told, it probably has more to do with the free agency system of each major league sport being in its infancy. When it became easier for players to move, they did.

Question 2

What 90s NBA player was the number one pick in the '84 draft?

Yeah yeah, I know, this is a quiz about the 90s NBA. But do you know when a lot of 90s NBA players got drafted? That's right, the 80s! So suck on that, fool. The NBA draft can be a tricky proposition. There is no such thing as a sure thing. For every can't miss prospect that hits its target, there are plenty that actually miss. That being said, the 1984 had a lot of "can't miss, didn't miss" prospects.

Question 3

What 90s NBA player was the number two pick in the '84 draft?

Okay, we are going to stick with this draft for another question. What do you mean why? Because I want to, that's why! There were so many great players, players that became champions, Olympic gold medalists, hall of famers, that come into the NBA in this draft. When the NBA released a book of its 50 greatest players of all time, several came from this draft class. But, conversely this draft can also be talked about as having some of the biggest busts ever.

Question 4

From 95 - 99, two players won the MVP award. Michael Jordan and who?

To say that Michael Jordan dominated the NBA during the 1990s is quite an understatement. Jordan was all over 90s NBA like Oprah all over bread. Michael Jordan won multiple MVP awards and six NBA championships. He had the opportunity to possibly go to the finals for the two years between those reigns, but was caught gambling on his own games and was forced to serve a secret two year suspension and embarrass himself with baseball. Had he not retired, the world would have seen the Rockets sweep the Bulls in the finals two years in a row.

Question 5

What NBA superstar put Fila on the map in the 90s?

Just as Michael Jordan dominated the NBA landscape of the 90s (even though those Rockets teams were better) his signature line of shoes, Air Jordan, dominated the sneaker market. Nike had Jordan, so therefore, Nike had basketball. But when a young player out of Duke university showed up on the Detroit Pistons and was talked about as "The Next Jordan" he shocked the sneaker head world by aligning himself with Fila. Before this dude, Fila stuck to tennis, but these basketball sneakers were straight fire.

Question 6

What event interrupted game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Rockets and the Knick?

The 94 NBA Finals were a classic affair. After coming so close, but never being able to get over the hump, the Knickerbockers of New York were finally able to reach the NBA Finals with Michael Jordan serving his two years suspension for gambling. The Houston Rockets had been on an unstoppable path, hitched behind one of the NBA's greatest of all time, Hakeem Olajuwan. But then, in the middle of game 5, NBC cut away. What event caused this.

Question 7

Who were the Bull's opponent in "The Shrug Game"?

When Michael Jordan first came to the NBA he was a great player on a bad team. He was a bit of a novelty act, a dude with a bad attitude that could jump really high and stuck out his tongue a lot. Eventually they surrounded him with some capable role players and an overrated but competent coach in Phil Jackson and the Bulls became a contender. They couldn't beat Detroit, but eventually the Pistons got older and started to retire, allowing Jordan to win some titles. This was from his second championship.

Question 8

Who were the Bull's opponent for "The Flu Game"?

Michael Jordan has had quite a few "The ____ Game" games. During his reigns at the top of the NBA, he has had "The Shrug Game" and "The Flu Game" and "The Game Against The Monstars". That is quite a few high stakes basketball games to go through. This game occurred during the 1997 Finals. Jordan went out gambling and drinking the night before and arrived at the arena severely hung over. The announcer's all winked and said he had the flu.

Question 9

How many regular season games did teams play in the 1998-1999 season?

The 1990s saw several labor disputes in all of the major sports leagues. The NFL had an ugly work stoppage as did Major League Baseball. People say there was a strike in the NHL as well, but the NHL is hockey and no one cares about hockey, so that doesn't count. The NBA had a lockout, which means the owners changed the locks on all the arenas so when the players tried to come to work, they couldn't open the doors.

Question 10

What was David Robinson's nickname?

David Robinson was one of the greatest centers in a decade stacked with great centers. Robinson was a 10 time NBA All Star, a two time Olympic gold medal winner, and was almost a three time NBA champion if not for an unfortunate MVP award that caused him to be thoroughly embarrassed by Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. And prior to David Robinson's NBA career, he served in the United States Navy. What was the nickname that Robinson was known by?

Question 11

What members of the 1992 pre-Charles Barkley Phoenix Suns made the All Star team?

The Phoenix Suns were one of the hottest NBA franchises of the 1990s. They played an exciting brand of basketball and they had super flashy purple uniforms! Who doesn't love purple uniforms? If you were going to school in the 90s, elementary, junior high, high school, or even college, you had to have worn a Phoenix Suns away jersey over a crisp white t-shirt at least once. The Suns made it deep into the playoffs, but couldn't get to the finals until they added Barkley.

Question 12

Who did the voice of Penny Hardaway's buddy, Lil Penny?

This is going to be a little hard to comprehend if you were not watching the NBA throughout the 90s, but Penny Hardaway was a basketball god. Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway was the future of the NBA and his and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic were going to win at least 11 titles in a row. And then the Rockets happened. And then injuries happened. Penny was still great, but that player that had transcended the game was gone. At least we have Lil Penny.

Question 13

Who was the lone college player on the 1992 Dream Team

Way back in the olden days, about 100 years ago, in the 1980s, the United States of America would send college athletes to compete in basketball at the olympics. Then somebody paid attention to the NBA for half a second and realized that the US should actually tap into our greatest natural resource, NBA players, and dominate the world at our own game! And yes, I realize that James Naismith was Canadian, but he invented the sport in America.

Question 14

What NBA player was Grandmama?

Okay, I will be the first to admit that the 1990s were weird. While the NBA was filled to the brim with crazy characters and eccentric personalities, some of their endorsement deal campaigns went over the freaking top. There was Lil Penny, Air Jordan, the Loony Tunes, and sitting at the top of the endorsement heap, was Grandmama. The gist of the commercials were, if you are playing a game of pickup ball and a giant dude dressed as an old woman wearing Converse shows up, you'll lose.

Question 15

Who was nicknamed The Mailman?

The 1990s were a great time for nicknames in the NBA. You had The Glide, The Dream, The Glove, The Rain Man, His Royal Airness, Chunky Magoo, Beaver McGee, Stinky Weezleteets, and The Mailman. The Mailman was called the The Mailman because he always delivered. And I'm not talking about delivering packages, although I'm not completely sure what he did in his free time, I assume it didn't involve that. No, this dude delivered on the court and is the NBA's second leading scorer of all time.

Question 16

What was Gary Payton's nickname?

Holy moly, those 90s Seattle Supersonics teams were absolute fire. It is no wonder that Seattle fans got all whiney and sad when they lost the franchise to Oklahoma City in a deal that was completely fair and square. Those Sonics teams are some of the best and most talented teams to never win a title. And Gary Payton, with his incredible handles, creative passing, and hard nosed, lockdown defense was the catalyst that got those teams going. What was his nickname?

Question 17

What "Knicks-Killer" would famously jaw with Spike Lee during the playoffs?

New York has a very weird breed of basketball fan. They won a title in the 70s and had some decent teams here and there, but they act as if they are the end all be all, basketball mecca of the universe. Halfway decent Knicks teams get mythologized into these heroic legendary teams that that simply did not exist. In the 90s they surrounded Patrick Ewing with a couple of dudes that liked to hurt people and prolific chucker John Starks and actually made it to the finals.

Question 18

Before 2003, how many games were in an NBA first round playoff series?

The NBA has proven time and time again to be at the forefront of being willing to experiment in order to present a better product. If there is something that fans, players, coaches, or owners (Especially owners! Dear God, won't somebody please think of the owners) are not particular fans of, the NBA is always more than willing to take a look and see what they can do to improve. That is precisely what they did to first round playoff series.

Question 19

What was the name of Ray Allen's character in He Got Game?

Oh snap! Do ya'll remember the movie He Got Game? That thing was just so freaking quintessentially 90s. Spike Lee directed this basketball movie. It starred the legendary Denzel Washington as a guy with really cool hair. Denzel was in prison for killing his wife (in the movie, not in real life) and his kid, played by Ray Allen, is a top ranked high school player. The warden releases Denzel for a week to so he can make his son go to that dudes alma mater.

Question 20

What number was Tracy McGrady chosen in the 1997 NBA Draft?

The 1997 NBA Draft was one of the more stacked drafts in basketball history. There were several players drafted that year that ended up completely altering the course of a couple of franchises. 1997 will forever be known as the Tim Duncan draft, but there were multiple stars that year. Don't sleep on Chauncey Billups or Keith Van Horn. And the most enigmatic player of the draft had to be T-Mac, one of the best pure players ever. He was a better player than Kobe Bryant, but fate would have him be not as well remembered.

Question 21

What eighth seed upset the number one seeded Supersonics in the 94 playoffs?

As has been previously stated in this here quiz, the 90s Supersonics were pretty freaking super. Also, everything said in this quiz should be taken as gospel and stone cold facts. The Sonics came into the 94 playoffs as the number one seed in the west and with championship aspirations. That changed pretty quickly as they were ambushed and defeated in a fast first round series. It is way more difficult for an eight to beat a one today with a best of seven first round.

Question 22

What shot blocking big man was famous for his finger wag?

Many many years ago, in basketball's olden days, there were actual positions and players that played those positions and stuck to them. There was none of that fancy 'positionless player' bull crap with wings on the blocks or stretch fours. One of those positions was center and the 90s had the best players at that noble position. There were scoring centers and rebounding centers, blocking centers and defensive specialist centers. The best of the best could simply do it all.

Question 23

In 1995, what brand new franchise drafted "Big Country" Bryant Reeves?

In the mid 90s, the exact middle of the 90s, 95 to be exact, the NBA decided they wanted to try to dilute the talent pool of stars and make the league less competitive in the future and they made up two new franchises. These franchises pulled stars from existing teams that were made available in the expansion draft, and then drafted college athletes in the regular draft. Of course they wanted someone marketable. I guess Reeves was kind of that.

Question 24

In the 95-96 season when the Bulls set the record for best winning percentage, what was their win-loss record?

When the 95-96 season came around, it was a wild time in the NBA. Michael Jordan had just come back from hiding from the peak Houston Rockets, and from serving his two year secret probation for gambling and having an illicit affair with David Stern. The Bulls went out and caught fire early in the season. They had such a great record right out of the gate, that other teams would let them win out of respect for Jordan's gambling problem and mafia ties.

Question 25

What was the name of NBA Legend Hakeem Olajuwon's patented, go-to move?

Hakeem Olajuwon is an amazing man. He once stopped a speeding train by spitting on it. He bought a shack 20 years ago and just sold it for a billion dollars. The name of that shack? Bitcoin. He is also one of the top three players in NBA history as well as the best player of the 90s. He's not as obsessed with image as Michael Jordan, so he kindly allowed him to win more titles. Hakeem could join the Pistons right now, and they'd beat the Warriors in the finals.

Question 26

In 97 Latrell Sprewell of the Warriors was suspended for strangling what coach?

The Golden State Warriors have had a long history of choking. In fact, most teams out of California do. But in 1997, one Warriors player took choking a little too literally and assaulted his head coach. Spewell was an amazing talent and always had very cool hair. This coach was a mediocre talent and had pretty lame hair. I hate to say it, but I have to award this match up to Latrell. He just seems to have wanted it more.

Question 27

What was Allen Iverson's nickname?

Allen Iverson may be the most quintessentially 90s NBA player ever. The dude came into the league in 1996, crossed over Jordan enough to make him look silly, and then continued to build his legend through this very day. He bridged the NBA of Jordan to the NBA of today. After Jordan retired, the NBA had Iverson and Duncan as its best players until LeBron came of age. Oh, I almost forgot about those legendary Lakers Shaq and Pau Gasol.

Question 28

In Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals between New York and Indianapolis, how many points did Reggie Miller score in 9 seconds?

Hey bro, do you recognized the legend of Reggie Miller? I know if you were not around to watch him at his prime in the 90s, chucking up threes with wild abandon and talking smack to palyers and fans, you probably don't realize how great of a player he actually was. Let me put it to you this way: he was jus as good as a player as how bad he is as a broadcaster. Think about that, then take a lap and go to bed.

Question 29

Who missed two late game free throws in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals, earning himself the nickname "The Brick"?

The 1995 Finals were an amazing series of games. The Houston Rockets had surrounded Hakeem Olajuwon with the perfect team to cater to his skillset and had won the title the previous year. They didn't play great so they traded for Hakeem's Phi Slamma Jamm alum, Clyde Drexler and stormed to the finals to repeat. Michael Jordan was serving a suspension for mafia activities and was scared of getting swept by the Rockets so he retired. Orlando stepped up to take the Bulls place.

Question 30

What was Charles Barkley's nickname?

Charles Barkley will, without any doubt whatsoever, go down as one of the greatest basketball players to ever pick up a smaller man in a bar and throw him out of a window and never win an NBA title. He always played well beyond his size. Other power forwards of the day would tower over him, but Barkley more than made up for his lack of height with his tenacity and fatness. He made it to the finals once, with the Phoenix Suns.

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