The 1995 San Francisco 49ers were coming off a breakthrough Super Bowl championship for quarterback Steve Young. Big personnel losses and an injury to Young represented some significant adversity, but the 49ers reached the season’s stretch drive in prime position to repeat. But disappointing losses ended those hopes and ushered in an era where the […]
The 1975 AL MVP vote was historic—the award went to Boston Red Sox centerfielder Fred Lynn in a landslide, but that wasn’t the historic part. Lynn also became the first rookie in either league to win the MVP. And, nearly a half-century later at this writing, he remains the last. Here’s a look at the […]
A trip to the conference finals in 2002 started a run of four straight playoff years for the Celtics during an otherwise dry period of professional basketball in Boston. But the Celts had been progressively moving backward—a second-round loss in 2003, and then first-round exits in 2004 and 2005. The 2006 Boston Celtics continued the […]
The 2006 NBA MVP award went to Steve Nash. It marked the second consecutive year the dynamic point guard from the Phoenix Suns brought home the honor. Who were the other contenders? Did the voters get it right? Here’s a look at the seasons produced by Nash, the rest of the top 5, and some […]
Change had come to the desert in 2005. The Suns signed point guard Steve Nash as a free agent. They hired Mike D’Antoni as a head coach. The creative point guard and the coach who believed in a fast-tempo offense made a perfect match. Nash won the MVP award, and Phoenix reached the conference finals. […]
The 2006 Dallas Mavericks were a team on the ascent. After drafting Dirk Nowitzki in 1999, the Mavericks had made the playoffs for five straight years. Head coach Don Nelson stepped down and handed the reins over to Avery Johnson. Dallas reached what was then their greatest heights, reaching the NBA Finals. Dirk had a […]
The 2006 Detroit Pistons came into the season as the power of the Eastern Conference. They had won the NBA title in 2004 and reached Game 7 of the Finals a year earlier. They had another fantastic season in ’06. But this was also the start of a three-year stretch where they consistently looked like […]
Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Riley had each been parts of dynasty runs with the Los Angeles Lakers. The center and the head coach got together for another championship run with the 2006 Miami Heat, but they needed young, fresh legs if they were to make it over the top and it was Dwayne Wade who lifted Shaq & Riles to another championship and the first in franchise history for the Miami Heat.
The Buffalo Braves moved west in 1977 and renamed themselves the Clippers. For three decades, and from San Diego to Los Angeles, they were marked by futility. They only made the playoffs three times and never advanced. The 2006 Los Angeles Clippers were the team that finally broke the drought. Los Angeles was built around […]
A new era in NBA history began in the summer of 2003 when LeBron James was drafted first overall out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In LeBron’s rookie year, the Cavs jumped from 17 wins to 35. In 2005, they went 42-40 and barely missed the playoffs. The franchise hired a new coach […]
The 2006 Los Angeles Lakers were in rebuilding mode. After an epic run from 2000-04 where the franchise made four NBA Finals and won three championships, Shaquille O’Neal left for Miami and Phil Jackson retired. In 2005, the Lakers made the playoffs. It was enough to get Phil out of retirement. With Kobe Bryant still […]
Sacramento had been gradually declining since effectively being robbed of the NBA title in 2002. The Kings lost in the second of the playoffs in both 2003 and 2004, and then made a first-round exit in 2005. The 2006 Sacramento Kings continued the pattern—another first-round loss ended a period of success that went back to […]