The Miami Heat were a franchise back on the ascent in 2005. After a string of playoff seasons under Pat Riley (1996-2001), the Heat had slipped in 2002-03. Riley moved up to the front office, Stan Van Gundy became the head coach and Miami got in position to draft Dwayne Wade out of Marquette. In […]
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 […]
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 […]
Memphis made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2004. In ’04, and then again in 2005, the Grizzlies lost in the first round of what was then a ruthlessly deep and competitive Western Conference. The 2006 Memphis Grizzlies were hoping to take the next step, and they improved on their regular […]
The Nets had been in decline since Jason Kidd led them to consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. They lost in the second round in 2004, and then in the first round of 2005. The 2006 New Jersey Nets bounced back with an improved season and successful advancement in the playoffs. Kidd was still […]