2005 NBA Playoffs
Encyclopedia
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

's 2004–05 season.

The San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

, 4-3 in the NBA Finals
2005 NBA Finals
The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2004-05 National Basketball Association season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference faced the Detroit Pistons of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The series was played under a...

. The Spurs' Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP.

The NBA Finals marked the first time since 1987
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...

 that the two previous champions met in the Finals (the Spurs won in 2003, the Pistons in 2004). For the Spurs it was their third championship (they also won in the strike-shortened season of 1999
1999 NBA Playoffs
The 1999 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs by defeating the eighth-seeded Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks four games to one...

).

The Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

 and Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

 both ended long playoff droughts in 2005 (and drew each other as a first-round matchup). For Washington it was their first playoff appearance since 1997
1997 NBA Playoffs
The 1997 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning the NBA championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazzfour games to two...

 (and even more ironic their opponents for that postseason appearance were the Bulls who swept them 3-0 on their way to the NBA Title), and only their third since 1988
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...

. Their 4-2 series victory over the Bulls marked the Wizards' first playoff series win since 1982
1982 NBA Playoffs
The 1982 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1981-1982 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers, four games to two in the NBA Finals...

, a drought of 23 years.

The Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

 became the first team to go 8-0 through the first two rounds of the playoffs (the first round having been made into a best-of-seven in the 2003 NBA Playoffs
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....

). The 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2010 Orlando Magic would follow suit. No team, however, has made the finals after going 8-0 in the first two playoff rounds, let alone winning 12 straight playoff games going to the finals.

It was the Bulls' first post-Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...

 playoff appearance, as their last playoff game had been the winning game of the NBA Finals in 1998
1998 NBA Finals
The 1998 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. The Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference played against the Utah Jazz of the Western Conference, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage with the first 2 games in Salt Lake City...

. In the years between, the Bulls had consistently placed at or near the bottom of the Central Division, but their 47-35 season in 2005 marked a 24-game improvement from the previous year.

For the 3rd straight year (5th overall) the Indiana Pacers met the Boston Celtics in the first round. Boston prevailed in 2003 in six games, while Indiana swept Boston in 2004. It would be Boston's last postseason appearance before their 2008 title-winning season
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....

.

For the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, it marked the first time in eleven seasons (dating back to 1994) and the fifth time in NBA history that they were not included in the playoffs.

This was the last time that the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

 would be in the playoffs as the SuperSonics before they had relocated to Oklahoma to become the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....

.

Format

Beginning with the 2004–05 season, with the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...

, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference now has three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top three playoff seed, regardless of whether the team had one of the top eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home court advantage; a division-leading team with a poor record could be ranked number three but face a sixth seed with a better record, which would then have the home court advantage. This has since been rectified by the NBA.

Bracket

Best record in conference

The Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

 clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
  1. Miami Heat
    Miami Heat
    The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

     (59-23) (clinched Southeast division)
  2. Detroit Pistons
    Detroit Pistons
    The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

     (54-28) (clinched Central division)
  3. Boston Celtics
    Boston Celtics
    The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

     (45-37) (clinched Atlantic division)
  4. Chicago Bulls
    Chicago Bulls
    The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

     (47-35)
  5. Washington Wizards
    Washington Wizards
    The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

     (45-37)
  6. Indiana Pacers
    Indiana Pacers
    The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

     (44-38)
  7. Philadelphia 76ers
    Philadelphia 76ers
    The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

     (43-39)
  8. New Jersey Nets
    New Jersey Nets
    The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

     (42-40)

Best record in NBA

The Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when Phoenix lost to the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

 in the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
  1. Phoenix Suns
    Phoenix Suns
    The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

     (62-20) (clinched Pacific division)
  2. San Antonio Spurs
    San Antonio Spurs
    The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

     (59-23) (clinched Southwest division)
  3. Seattle SuperSonics
    Seattle SuperSonics
    The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

     (52-30) (clinched Northwest division)
  4. Dallas Mavericks
    Dallas Mavericks
    The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

     (58-24)
  5. Houston Rockets
    Houston Rockets
    The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

     (51-31)
  6. Sacramento Kings
    Sacramento Kings
    The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

     (50-32)
  7. Denver Nuggets
    Denver Nuggets
    The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

     (49-33)
  8. Memphis Grizzlies
    Memphis Grizzlies
    The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...

     (45-37)

(1) Miami Heat vs. (8) New Jersey Nets

Regular season series:
Miami won 3–0 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: Not available (first playoffs meeting)

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

Regular season series:
Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 2003 Eastern Conference Semifinals
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....

 (Detroit won 4–2)

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

Regular season series:
Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference First Round
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...

 (Indiana won 4–0)

(4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Regular season series:
Washington won 2–1 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 1997 Eastern Conference First Round
1997 NBA Playoffs
The 1997 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning the NBA championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazzfour games to two...

 (Chicago won 3–0)

(1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Previous Playoffs meeting: Not available (first playoff encounter).

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference Finals
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...

 (Detroit won 4–2)

Conference Finals: (1) Miami Heat vs. (2) Detroit Pistons

The Pistons beat the Heat in this series 4-3 due much to the comeback mounted in the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference by Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...

. Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

 also missed Game 6 of the series due to a rib injury.

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2000 Eastern Conference First Round
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...

 (Miami won 3–0)

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Regular season series:
Both teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: Not available (first playoffs meeting)

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets

Regular season series:
Both teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 1995 Western Conference First Round
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...

 (San Antonio won 3–0)

(3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Sacramento Kings

Regular season series:
Seattle won 4–0 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 1996 Western Conference First Round
1996 NBA Playoffs
The 1996 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995-1996 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship in three years by defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle...

 (Seattle won 3–1)

(4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Houston Rockets

Regular season series:
Both teams were tied 2–2 in the regular-season series:
Previous Playoffs meeting: 1988 Western Conference First Round
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...

 (Dallas won 3–1)

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

Previous Playoffs meeting: Not available (first playoffs meeting).

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

  • Tim Duncan
    Tim Duncan
    Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...

     made the series-winning shot with .5 seconds remaining in game 6.

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2002 Western Conference First Round
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...

 (San Antonio won 3–2)

Conference Finals: (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2003 Western Conference First Round
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....

 (San Antonio won 4–2)

NBA Finals: (W2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

 (UTC−4)

  • Robert Horry
    Robert Horry
    Robert Keith Horry Jr. is a retired American basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association , winning seven championships, the most of any player not to have played on the 1960s Boston Celtics...

     made the game-winning shot with 5.9 seconds left in game 5 to give the Spurs a 3-2 series lead.


The Finals were broadcast in the United States on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 and in Canada on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...

. For a list of international broadcasters see the NBA international TV site.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...

's "Get Right
Get Right
"Get Right" is a song recorded by American recording artist and actress Jennifer Lopez, taken from her fourth studio album, Rebirth...

" music video became the anthem song for the playoffs and the conclusion song at the end of the regular season.

External links

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