2001 Nba Playoffs

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

2001 NBA Playoffs: Blazers at Lakers, Gm 1 part 1/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Lakers at Spurs, Gm 1 part 1/11

2001 NBA Playoffs: Spurs at Lakers, Gm 4 part 1/11

2001 NBA Playoffs: Kings at Lakers, Gm 1 part 2/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Kings at Lakers, Gm 1 part 1/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Spurs at Lakers, Gm 3 part 5/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks Game 5 4th Quarter Part 1

2001 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks Game 5 4th Quarter Part 3

2001 NBA Playoffs: Spurs at Lakers, Gm 3 part 1/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Lakers at Kings, Gm 4 part 1/12

2001 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks Game 5 4th Quarter Part 2

2001 NBA Playoffs: Lakers at Blazers, Gm 3 part 9/9

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California
California (pronounced ⁱ/kælɨˈfɔrnjə/) is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.
California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.

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Dallas
Dallas ( /ˈdæləs/) is the third-largest city in the state of Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Divided between Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties, the city had a population of 1,197,816 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.
The city is the largest economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area (the DFW MSA) that according to the March 2010 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of 6,371,773. The metroplex economy is the sixth largest in the United States, with a 2010 gross metropolitan product of $374 billion.
Dallas was founded in 1841 and was formally incorporated as a city in February 1856. The city's economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, healthcare and medical research, transportation and logistics. The city is home to the third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation. Located in North Texas and a major city in the American South, Dallas is the main core of the largest inland metropolitan area in the United States that lacks any navigable link to the sea.

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Los Angeles
Los Angeles (ⁱ/lɒs ˈændʒələs/ loss-AN-jə-ləs; Spanish: [los ˈaŋxeles], which is written Los Ángeles; British pronounciation /lɒs ˈændʒəliːz/ loss-AN-jə-leez) with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in the state of California, and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of 468.67 square miles (1,213.8 km²), and is located in Southern California. Often known by its initials L.A., the city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area and Greater Los Angeles Area region, which contain 12,828,837 and nearly 18 million people respectively as of 2010, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in the United States. Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States, while the entire Los Angeles area itself has been recognized as the most diverse of the nation's largest cities. The city's inhabitants are referred to as "Angelenos".

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Minneapolis
Minneapolis (pronunciation: ⁱ/ˌmɪniːˈæpəlɪs/), nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City", is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States. Its name is attributed to the city's first schoolteacher, who combined mni, the Dakota word for water, and polis, the Greek word for city.
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city of Minneapolis is 382,578. Minneapolis lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities, Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with approximately 3.3 million residents. The city is abundantly rich in water, with over twenty lakes and wetlands, the Mississippi river, creeks and waterfalls, many connected by parkways in the Chain of Lakes and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway. Among cities of similar densities, Minneapolis has the most dedicated parkland. It was once the world's flour milling capital and a hub for timber, and today is the primary business center between Chicago and Seattle, with Minneapolis proper containing the fifth highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies. It has cultural organizations that draw creative people and audiences to the city for theater, visual art, writing, and music. The community's diverse population has a long tradition of charitable support through progressive public social programs and VOLAGs, as well as private and corporate philanthropy.

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Minnesota
Minnesota (ⁱ/mɪnɨˈsoʊtə/) is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the state's name comes from a Dakota word for "sky-tinted water". Those waters, together with forests, parks, and wilderness areas, offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Minnesota is the 12th most extensive and the 21st most populous of the U.S. states. Nearly 60% of its residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area (known as the "Twin Cities"), the center of transportation, business, industry and education and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now cleared, farmed and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation.

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Oregon
Oregon (ⁱ/ˈɔrɨɡən/ ORR-ə-gən) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern boundaries, respectively. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers, and settlers who formed an autonomous government in Oregon Country in 1843. The Oregon Territory was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.
Oregon is the 9th most extensive and the 27th most populous of the 50 United States. Salem is the state's capital and third-most-populous city; Portland is the most populous. Portland is the 29th-largest U.S. city, with a population of 583,776 (2010 US Census) and a metro population of 2,241,841 (2009 estimate), the 23rd-largest U.S. metro area. The valley of the Willamette River in western Oregon is the state's most densely populated area and is home to eight of the ten most populous cities.

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Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,145,905. Salt Lake City is further situated in a larger urban area known as the Wasatch Front, which has a population of 2,328,299. It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin (the other being Reno, Nevada), and the largest in the Intermountain West.
The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868. Although Salt Lake City is still home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), less than half the population of Salt Lake City proper are members of the LDS Church today.

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San Antonio
San Antonio ( /ˌsænænˈtoʊni.oʊ/) is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.3 million. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000-2010, and the second from 1990-2000. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. San Antonio has characteristics of other western urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas and a low density rate outside of the city limits. The city is one of the two principal municipalities of the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area, the other being New Braunfels. Commonly referred to as Greater San Antonio, the metropolitan area has a population of 2.2 million based on the 2011 U.S. Census estimate, making it the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the United States and third-largest in the state of Texas.
The city was named for San Antonio de Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. Famous for Spanish missions, the Alamo, the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, Marriage Island and host to SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme parks, the city is visited by approximately 26 million tourists per year according to the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city is home to the four-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest in the country.

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Texas
Texas (ⁱ/ˈtɛksəs/) (Alibamu: Teksi ) is the second most populous and the second most extensive of the 50 United States, and the most extensive state of the 48 contiguous United States. The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas. Located in the South Central United States, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south, and borders the US states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km²), and a growing population of 25.7 million residents.
During the Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas: La Provincia de Texas. Antonio Margil de Jesús was known to be the first person to use the name in a letter to the Viceroy of Mexico in July 20, 1716. The name was not popularly used in daily speech but often appeared in legal documents until the end of the 1800s.

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Utah
Utah (/ˈjuːtɔː/ or ⁱ/ˈjuːtɑː/) (Arapaho: Wo'tééneihí' ) is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th-most extensive, the 34th-most populous, and the 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,817,222 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the name of the Ute tribe and means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.
Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. It is home to the Salt Lake Temple, and approximately 60% of Utahns are reported to be members of LDS Church which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life.

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Arvydas Sabonis
Arvydas Romas Sabonis (born December 19, 1964 in Kaunas, Lithuania SSR, USSR) is a Lithuanian retired professional basketball player and a businessman. He was an eight-time European Player of the Year, winning the Euroscar Award six times, and the Mr. Europa Award twice, as the best European player and played in a variety of leagues, including seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. Sabonis played the center position and also won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea for the Soviet Union, and later earned bronze medals at the 1992 and 1996 games while playing for Lithuania. He retired from professional basketball in 2005.
Sabonis is considered one of the best big man passers as well as one of the best overall centers in the history of the game. Bill Walton once called Sabonis a 7'3" Larry Bird due to his unique court vision, shooting range, rugged in-game mentality, and versatility.
On August 20, 2010, Sabonis was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his great play in international competition. On April 4, 2011, Sabonis was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was inducted on August 12, 2011. Sabonis has the distinction of being the tallest player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. On 24 October 2011, Sabonis was voted to be the next president of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation.

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Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while leading the Bruins to two Division I national titles. He then went on to have a prominent career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) where he was a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won two NBA championships. His professional career was significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries. Walton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 10, 1993 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year. He is the father of current Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luke Walton.
Walton was born in La Mesa, California, the son of Gloria Anne (née Hickey) and William Theodore "Ted" Walton. His listed adult playing height was 6 feet 11 inches; it has been reported that Walton was actually taller (7 feet 2 inches, or more), but did not like being categorized as a seven-footer.

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Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster, on the air for NBC Sports television since the early 1980s.
Bob Costas was born in Queens, New York as a son of Jayne (née Quinlan), of Irish descent, and John George Costas, of Greek descent and an electrical engineer. In Ken Burns' Baseball, Costas indicated that he had a very poor relationship with his father, but did not go into specifics. He grew up in Commack, New York, graduating from Commack High School South. Following high school, he majored in Communications & Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University where he dropped out of school. Later, he received an honorary degree from S. I. Newhouse School of Communications.
His sportscasting career started while attending Syracuse University, as an announcer for the Syracuse Blazers minor-league hockey team playing in the Eastern Hockey League and North American Hockey League.
Costas' career as a professional began at KMOX radio in St. Louis, where he served as a play-by-play announcer for the Spirits of St. Louis of the American Basketball Association. He also called Missouri Tigers basketball for KMOX, and co-hosted the station's Open Line call-in program.

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Bryon Russell
Bryon Demetrise Russell (born December 31, 1970 in San Bernardino, California) is an American basketball player. During an NBA career that spanned from 1993 to 2006, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers and was a key member of the Utah Jazz, helping them reach back-to-back NBA finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. He was also a part of the Seattle SuperSonics roster for a brief time but never appeared in a game for them. Russell had his best season with the Jazz in the 1999–2000 season, when he averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. From 1997 to 2000, he played in every regular season game.
Russell's alma mater, Long Beach State University, retired his jersey in 2010.
Russell is best remembered for guarding Michael Jordan at the end of Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Jordan made the game-winning shot over Russell, although many fans believe Jordan pushed off Russell during the play. The referees did not call a foul on the play, and Russell later remarked, "Whether he pushed off or not, he was making that shot." He and Jordan were teammates when they played for the Washington Wizards during the 2002-2003 NBA season, which was Jordan's last.

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Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976, in Denver, Colorado) is an American professional basketball guard for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A star at the University of Colorado, he was chosen third overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.
A 5 time NBA All-Star and a 3 time All-NBA selection, Billups has played for the Celtics, the Toronto Raptors, the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons, the New York Knicks, the Clippers, and Team USA. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" for making late-game shots with Detroit.
In 2004 he was honored by the University of Colorado as the fifth player to have his jersey (number 4) retired.
Billups attended Denver's George Washington High School, where he was a four-time All-State first team pick, Colorado Mr. Basketball three times, and Colorado Player of the Year as a sophomore and as a junior. He was selected to the 1995 McDonald's All-American Team but did not play due to a shoulder injury, an injury that he would have a problem with off and on throughout his early career.

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Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee. As a collegiate athlete, he was an NCAA Men's Basketball first team All-American and led the University of Michigan Wolverines' 1991 incoming freshman class known as the Fab Five that reached the 1992 & 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as freshmen and sophomores. However, Webber was indicted by a federal grand jury and stripped of his All-American honors by the NCAA as a result of his direct involvement in the Ed Martin scandal. He is also a former National High School Basketball Player of the Year who led his high school Detroit Country Day to three Michigan State High School Basketball Championships.
Webber attended Detroit Country Day School and at the time was the most recruited Michigan high school basketball player since Magic Johnson. Webber led Country Day to three MHSAA State championships. As a senior in high school Webber averaged 29.4 points and 13 rebounds per game. He was named Michigan's Mr. Basketball and the 1990–1991 National High School player of the year. He was named MVP in both the McDonald's and Dapper Dan All-Star games.

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Damon Stoudamire
Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born September 3, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team. The 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 171 lb (78 kg; 12.2 st) point guard was selected with the 7th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 NBA Draft and won the 1995–96 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He played collegiately at the University of Arizona, and professionally for the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. He is the cousin of former Arizona Wildcats standout Salim Stoudamire and current Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball player Terrence Jones.
Stoudamire was born to Willie Stoudamire and Liz Washington in Portland, Oregon; he was the only child, with three stepsisters; his parents never married. Willie Stoudamire moved away to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to work in a brewery when Damon was seven years old. Stoudamire was raised by his mother, Liz, and his grandmother, Wanda Stoudamire-Matthews.

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Danny Ainge
Daniel Ray "Danny" Ainge (born March 17, 1959) is an American basketball manager and retired professional basketball and baseball player, currently serving as President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics.
Ainge was a standout high school athlete, the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball. He then attended Brigham Young University, where he was named the national collegiate player of the year by the NABC and won the John R. Wooden Award. Following college, he played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays and then was drafted in the National Basketball Association where he completed 14 seasons. He went on to coach the NBA's Phoenix Suns for three seasons before joining management of the Boston Celtics.
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Ainge starred in high school on his football team and led North Eugene High School to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1976 and 1977, earning all-state honors both years; he was considered one of the top prep football recruits in the state of Oregon. As a junior, he was named to the 1977 Parade magazine High School All-America team. Danny Ainge is the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball.

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Danny Ferry
Daniel John Willard "Danny" Ferry (born October 17, 1966) is a retired American professional basketball player and the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Considered one of the best high school basketball athletes in the country from the class of 1985, Danny Ferry was Parade Magazine's prep Player of the Year and one of the most highly recruited high school seniors in the nation before committing to Duke University. Known for his superb outside shooting, strong rebounding abilities and full-court vision while in college, Ferry's talents on the court likened him to that of a younger Larry Bird during his career with the three-time Final Four-bound Duke Blue Devils. The consensus All-American standout left Duke setting many school records while earning several national player of the year awards as one of the country's most celebrated college basketball athlete during his senior year. Drafted into the NBA in 1989 as the second overall pick in the draft, Ferry would go on to spend the majority of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he became the team's all-time leader in games played (723 games) until Žydrūnas Ilgauskas surpassed his record on December 2, 2009. Danny Ferry is ranked among the top 50 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men's basketball players of all-time as well as one of Duke's top basketball players in the school's history.

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Dick Bavetta
Richard T. "Dick" Bavetta (born December 10, 1939) is an American professional basketball referee for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since starting in 1975, he has never missed an assigned game. By the start of the 2006–07 NBA season, he had worked 2,164 regular season and 228 playoff games, including 24 NBA Finals games. He currently holds the league record for most officiated games. On December 29, 2011 he officiated his 2,500 consecutive game. He wears uniform number 27.
Bavetta was born in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on December 10, 1939. His father was an officer for the New York Police Department, and his mother was a homemaker. Bavetta attended Power Memorial Academy in New York City (the same school future NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attended) and is a 1962 graduate of St. Francis College in New York and played on the schools' basketball teams. He began officiating after his brother, Joe, who officiated for the American Basketball Association, convinced him that it would be an interesting career. A Wall Street broker for Salomon Brothers with an MBA in finance from the New York Institute of Finance, Bavetta began officiating games between fellow brokers in the Wall Street League, played at New York's Downtown Athletic Club, and later worked high school games. For ten years, he officiated Public and Catholic High School leagues in New York and later nine years in the Eastern Professional Basketball League, which later became the Continental Basketball Association.

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Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton (born Richard Stokvis on October 12, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.
Stockton attended Syracuse University, where he received his degree in political science in 1964. In 1965, he began his sportscasting career at local radio and television stations in Philadelphia. He became sports director at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh in 1967, and moved to WBZ-TV and WBZ radio in Boston in 1971. Three years later, he began calling Boston Celtics telecasts for WBZ, and the following year he became the lead announcer for Boston Red Sox games on WSBK-TV. Stockton was part of the broadcast crew for NBC Sports' coverage of the 1975 World Series, and called, on TV, Carlton Fisk's famous, game-winning home run in Game 6 of that series. In 2001, he was inducted as a broadcaster into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Stockton has been named as one of the top 50 network sportscasters of all time.

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Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (German pronunciation: [ˈdɪʁk ˈvɛʁnɐ noˈvɪtski]) (born June 19, 1978) is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An alumnus of Röntgen Gymnasium and DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was drafted ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1998 NBA Draft, and was immediately traded to the Mavericks, where he has played ever since. Standing 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Nowitzki plays the power forward position but also has the athleticism and shooting ability to play the other frontcourt positions, center and small forward.
Nowitzki has led the Mavericks to 12 consecutive NBA Playoffs (2000–01–2011–12), including an NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and the franchise's first championship in 2011, making him one of only 5 players in NBA history to win a championship while being the only NBA All-Star on the team. He is an 11-time All-Star and 12-time member of the All-NBA Teams, and the first European-born player in NBA history to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He is the first Maverick ever to be voted into an All-NBA Team and also holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records. Only Nowitzki and three other players have ever averaged more than 25 points and 10 rebounds in the NBA playoffs, and only Nowitzki and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have managed 4 consecutive 30-point, 15-rebound games in the playoffs. Additionally, Nowitzki is the only player in NBA history to get 100 blocks and 150 3-pointers in a single season.

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Donyell Marshall
Donyell Lamar Marshall (born May 18, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball player, forward. During his NBA career, he played with eight different teams. Since 2011, Marshall has been an assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws.
Born on May 18, 1973 in Reading, Pennsylvania, Marshall graduated from Reading High School.
He then attended the University of Connecticut, and was a star player in the university's basketball program, being a unanimous pick as Big East Player of the Year in 1993–94.
Marshall left college early for the 1994 NBA Draft. He was selected after his junior year at the University of Connecticut by the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the fourth overall pick. He was traded 40 games into his rookie season to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for power forward Tom Gugliotta, on February 18, 1995.
Marshall played with the Warriors until 2000, when he was traded to the Utah Jazz as part of a four-team deal. After joining Utah, Marshall played alongside future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton as a role player.

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Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown (born September 25, 1933 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, USA) is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Brown moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey at the age of 3 and was raised there, graduating from St. Mary of the Assumption High School in 1951.
Hubie Brown played college basketball at Niagara University, graduating in 1955 with a degree in education. After leaving Niagara, Brown joined the U.S. Army where he joined the Army's basketball team. After being honorably discharged in 1958, Brown briefly played for the Rochester Colonels of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (the forerunner to the Continental Basketball Association) before they folded after just eight games. He averaged 13.8 points per game in his brief stint as a pro and was an excellent defender as a player.

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Jake Tsakalidis
Iakovos "Jake" Tsakalidis (Greek: Ιάκωβος Τσακαλίδης, born June 10, 1979 in Rustavi, Soviet Georgia) is a retired Georgian, naturalized Greek professional basketball player.
Tsakalidis, a 7 ft 2¹⁄₂ in (2.20 m), 290 lb (130 kg) center, holds dual citizenship in Georgia, where he was born, and in Greece, where he was raised and became famous.
Tsakalidis began his professional career in 1996 at the age of 17 with the Greek League club AEK Athens. With AEK, he was a 2-time Greek Cup finalist (1998, 1999), a Saporta Cup winner (2000) and a Greek Cup winner (2000). In those years with AEK, Tsakalidis played at a great level, especially in the painted zone area, where he complemented his fellow teammates Michalis Kakiouzis and Dimosthenis Dikoudis in that area.
In the year 2000, Tsakalidis left Greece and moved to the United States. He began his NBA career that year when he signed with the Phoenix Suns. He would spend the next 7 seasons playing with various NBA teams. In 2007, he returned to Greece after leaving the NBA club the Houston Rockets. He joined the Greek Euroleague club Olympiacos. He is now a free agent.

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Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. In the middle of the 2007–2008 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas. Along with his three NBA Finals appearances including a championship win in 2011, Kidd won two Olympic gold medals with the US national team in 2000 and 2008.
He led his former team, the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) before winning in 2011 with Dallas. His on-court versatility also makes him a regular triple-double threat, and he is in third place all-time for regular season triple-doubles in the NBA with a career total of 107 and second in playoffs triple-doubles with a career total of 11.

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John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is a former American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. John Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by considerable margins. Stockton is a former All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Stockton was born in Spokane, Washington to Clementine Frei and Jack Stockton and had Irish and Swiss German ancestry. He attended grade school at St. Aloysius and moved on to high school at Gonzaga Prep, graduating in 1980. He then played college basketball for Gonzaga University in his hometown where he averaged 20.9 points per game while shooting 57% from the field in his senior year. His grandfather, Houston Stockton had also been a well known athlete at Gonzaga University. John Stockton was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 16th overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.

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Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was the best known player in the ABA when the ABA-NBA merger joined it with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.
Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets, and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history, with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). He was well known for slam dunking from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests and was the only player to have been voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA.
Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. Many consider him among the most spectacular basketballers ever, and one of the best dunkers of all time. While players such as Connie Hawkins, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Elgin Baylor, and Gus Johnson were performing spectacular dunks before Erving's time, "Dr. J" is usually the one most people credit with bringing the practice into the mainstream. His signature dunk was the "slam" dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game, in the same manner as the "cross-over" dribble and the "no look" pass.

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Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat is Howard's eighth different NBA team. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. A former All-Star and All-NBA power forward, he also starred as an All-American on the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team as part of the Fab Five recruiting class of 1991 (along with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson) and, earlier, at Chicago Vocational Career Academy where he was an All-American center as well as an honors student. At age 39, Howard is the third oldest active player in the league.
The Fab Five reached the finals of the 1992 and 1993 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championship while starting a combined 304 of a possible 350 games during their collective freshman and sophomore years. Howard is the last member of the Fab Five who remains active as a professional basketball player. Despite the sanctions and forfeited accomplishments from 1992 to 1998 by the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, Howard's 1993–94 All-American season continues to be recognized.

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Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963), nicknamed "The Mailman," is a retired American professional basketball power forward. In his basketball career, Malone spent his first 18 seasons (1985–2003) with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. He played his final season (2003–04) with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Malone grew up in rural Summerfield, Louisiana and played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University. In his three seasons with Louisiana Tech, he helped the Bulldogs basketball team to its first-ever NCAA tournament in 1984 and to first place in the Southland Conference in 1985. The Jazz drafted Malone in 1985 with the 13th overall pick in the first round.
Having scored 36,298 points in his career, the second most career points in NBA history, and holding the record for most free throws both attempted and made, Malone is generally considered one of the greatest NBA power forwards. In 1997 and 1999, Malone won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Malone appeared in the playoffs every season in his career, including three NBA Finals: in 1997 and 1998 with the Jazz and in 2004 with the Lakers. Internationally, Malone competed with the United States national team in the Summer Olympic games of 1992 and 1996; in both years he won gold medals. After retiring from the NBA, Malone joined the staff of the Louisiana Tech basketball team in 2007 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Kenny Smith
Kenneth (Kenny) "The Jet" Smith (born March 8, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He currently works as a TV basketball analyst, primarily for Inside the NBA on TNT.
Smith was born in Queens, New York, and attended Archbishop Molloy High School. He then played basketball at the University of North Carolina.
Smith was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the sixth pick of the 1987 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets. In his professional career, Smith scored 9,397 points and recorded 4,073 assists. He won two NBA championships with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995. In the first game of the 1995 Finals against the Orlando Magic, Smith made seven three-pointers, including a game-tying shot which sent the game into overtime. The Rockets won the game 120–118.
Smith joined Turner Sports in 1998. He has teamed with Ernie Johnson, Jr. and Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA, a winner of the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Show. Smith has been described as a "straight man" to Barkley, known for his offbeat antics. He occasionally appears on NBA TV as an analyst. He also served as an analyst during the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments.

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Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett (born May 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award. Garnett entered the 1995 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.
Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading them to eight-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, Garnett led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2003–04 season. Since his second season in the NBA, Garnett has been named to 14 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2003, and is currently tied for 3rd-most All-Star selections in NBA history. He was awarded the regular season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 2007–08 season and has been a nine-time member of the All-NBA Teams selection and a twelve-time member of the All-Defensive Teams selection. Garnett currently holds several all-time Timberwolves franchise records.

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Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan (born June 21, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT. Until 2008, Harlan was the voice of Westwood One Radio's Final Four coverage, which is heard on hundreds of radio stations nationwide. In 2009, he began serving as Westwood One's lead announcer for Monday Night Football He serves as TNT's #2 announcer
Harlan's broadcasting career began in 1982, when he became the TV and radio voice of the NBA's Kansas City Kings (now the Sacramento Kings). He then was a basketball announcer for his alma mater, the University of Kansas, for one year, then went on to call games for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs from 1985–93. Harlan also split time with the University of Missouri (1986–89) calling football and basketball games, and worked as the play-by-play voice of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for nine seasons (1989–98). On the network level, Harlan called NFL football for NBC in 1991, college football for ESPN in 1992–93, NFL for Fox from 1994–97, and joined Turner Sports in 1996 to cover NBA playoff games (he would begin calling games throughout the entire season in 1997, which he continues to do to this day). He began working for CBS in 1998.

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Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.

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Marv Albert
Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."
Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called the play-by-play of six Super Bowls, NBA Finals and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He has also called the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT with Jim Courier and Mary Carillo. He also worked as a co-host and reporter for two World Series (1986 and 1988).
Albert currently works for TNT and CBS. He is TNT's lead NBA voice, calls NFL games for CBS, and also calls NCAA tournament action for CBS and Turner Sports.
Albert was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, where he went to Abraham Lincoln High School. While growing up, members of Albert's family owned a grocery store on Brighton Beach Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets known as Aufrichtig's. He then attended Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications from 1960 through 1963. He then graduated from New York University in 1965.

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Matt Guokas
Matthew George "Matt" Guokas, Jr. (born February 25, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; last name pronounced /ˈɡuːkəs/) is a former American professional basketball player and coach.
Guokas played college basketball for hometown Saint Joseph's University, where he set many school records in assists and steals. After SJU, Guokas played on the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers team, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham, that ended the eight-year championship streak of the Boston Celtics. He also played with the Buffalo Braves, Chicago Bulls, Cincinnati Royals, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings, all of the NBA. In the 1972-73 season, Guokas finished second (to Chamberlain) in the NBA in field goal percentage with a .570 clip during that season.
Guokas later coached the Sixers and was the first coach of the Orlando Magic, compiling a combined 230-305 career record. He currently works as a TV color commentator and sports analyst for the Magic on FS Florida and Sun Sports cable channels, teaming with veteran NBA and college sportscaster David Steele. He has also served as a color commentator for NBA on NBC broadcasts during the 1990s and was a color commentator for the Cleveland Cavaliers for Fox Sports Ohio cable channel for a number of years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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Michael Finley
Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is a retired American professional basketball player. He won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.
Finley attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, graduating in 1991. In Finley's senior season, Proviso East won the 1991 IHSA class AA boys basketball tournament, and Finley was named to the all-tournament team. Finley's teammates, known collectively as the "Three Amigos", included future NBA draftees Sherrell Ford and Donnie Boyce.
In 2007, Finley was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament," recognizing his superior performance in his appearances in the tournament.
The 6' 7" shooting guard/small forward was originally drafted out of University of Wisconsin–Madison by the Phoenix Suns as the 21st overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. Finley held the all-time scoring record at Wisconsin for eleven years, but was passed by Alando Tucker on March 10, 2007.
Finley had an impressive rookie season, being named to the 1995–96 NBA All-Rookie First Team, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging fifteen points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He became only the third rookie in Suns history to score over 1,000 points in a season. Despite his solid play, he was traded by the Suns on December 26, 1996 to the Dallas Mavericks along with Sam Cassell, A. C. Green and a second-round draft pick for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas and Loren Meyer.

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Mike Breen
Michael "Mikael" Breen (born May 22, 1961) is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG network. He also works NBA games for ESPN, and was formerly a play-by-play announcer for New York Giants preseason games, as well as for regular season NFL games on both Fox and NBC.
Breen, a 1983 graduate of Fordham University, is currently in his 19th season as an NBA broadcaster, with some of those 19 taking place while Breen worked for NBC up until 2002, the network's last year as both an NBA and WNBA broadcaster. He is also the main voice for New York Knicks games on MSG Network. He first worked with the Knicks as a radio announcer for WFAN from 1992 to 1997, when he was promoted to television play-by-play upon Marv Albert's firing following his infamous sex scandal. He later became Albert's backup upon his return in 1999, before finally becoming the lead play-by-play upon Albert's second dismissal in 2004. On February 8, 2006, with the departure of Al Michaels from the network, ABC announced that Breen would take over as the lead broadcaster for the NBA, including the NBA Finals. His broadcasting career started doing play-by-play for the Marist College Red Foxes basketball team in 1985. Other than his role as ABC's main play-by-play on Sundays, Breen usually works for ESPN on Fridays, and occasionally on Wednesdays, with the rest of his schedule reserved for MSG.

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Mike Fratello
Michael Robert "Mike" Fratello (born February 24, 1947) is an American color analyst and a professional basketball coach. He previously coached the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, and is currently the head coach of the Ukraine national basketball team. Mike Fratello is among the winningest head coaches in NBA history, ranking 18th in both all-time regular season wins (667) and games coached (1,215).
Fratello was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and he graduated from Hackensack High School, where he was captain of the basketball, baseball, football and field hockey teams. He was named to the Bergen "All County" Football team as a center in his senior year. He then went on to Montclair State College in Montclair, New Jersey to play football. Upon graduation he returned to Hackensack H.S. as an assistant for both the basketball and football teams. Fratello then went on to the University of Rhode Island as a graduate assistant assigned to head coach Tom Carmody, also coaching the U.R.I. freshman basketball team. He had been a college basketball assistant at James Madison University under Lou Campanelli and served as an assistant for Rollie Massimino at Villanova before going to the NBA as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks during Hubie Brown's tenure.

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Monty McCutchen
Monty McCutchen (born February 14, 1966) is a professional basketball referee who has worked in the National Basketball Association. His first season was in 1993. He wears the uniform number 13. He was one of the officials for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

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Moses Malone
Moses Eugene Malone (born March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia) is a retired American Hall of Fame basketball player who starred in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. A three-time NBA MVP and one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, Malone was the most successful prep-to-pro player of his era, going straight from Petersburg High to a 21-year career in professional basketball. By the time Malone retired after 19 seasons in the NBA he was the last former ABA player active and held numerous distinctions in both leagues, including a championship ring and NBA finals trophy won with the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers.
Right after graduating from Petersburg High School, Malone signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Maryland. However, Malone was drafted by the ABA's Utah Stars in 1974 and became one of the first basketball players to jump straight from high school into the professional leagues.
Malone began his professional career with the Utah Stars. He later played for the ABA's Spirits of St. Louis. In two seasons in the ABA, Malone averaged 17.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. Malone's ABA career ended with the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976, when Malone moved to the NBA.

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Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before joining the NBA.
Originally selected by the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) as the fourth pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, Wallace was named to the All-Rookie second team following his first season. He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers after the season. With Portland he was a key member of the Blazers team that made it to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, and was an NBA All-Star in 2000 and 2001. Wallace averaged a career best 19.4 points per game in 2002 for the Blazers.
During the 2003–04 season Portland traded him to the Atlanta Hawks where he played one game before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons he won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost the NBA Finals the following season, and individually he was an All-Star in 2006 and 2008. After the 2008–09 season he left Detroit as a free agent and signed with the Boston Celtics.

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Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller (born August 24, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in clutch situations and most notably against the New York Knicks for which he earned the nickname "Knick Killer". When he retired, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made. He is currently second on the list behind Ray Allen. A five-time All-Star selection, he led the league in free throw accuracy five times and won a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Miller is one of five Pacers to have his jersey (#31) retired by the team (the others are Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, Bobby "Slick" Leonard and George McGinnis). Miller was also selected for the Pacers' 40th anniversary team in 2007. Currently, he works as an NBA commentator for TNT. Miller has been announced as a 2012 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and will formally enter the Hall on September 7.

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Reggie Theus
Reginald Wayne Theus (born October 13, 1957) is an American retired basketball player and the former head coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
He was born in Inglewood, California. Prior to taking over as the Kings' coach Theus coached New Mexico State University's men's basketball team. On March 31, 2005, NMSU hired the 13-year NBA veteran. In just his second year as head coach, Theus led NMSU to their 17th NCAA Tournament, their first tournament appearance since 1999, and coached NMSU to its 14th conference tournament title which earned them an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. He was also previously an assistant coach for the University of Louisville under Rick Pitino.
In his first season, Theus turned the Aggies from a 6-24 squad in 2004-05 to a 16-14 team in the 2005-06 season – matching the fifth best turn-around for a Division-I men's basketball team. Theus was briefly recruited to be the head coach at Creighton University when coach Dana Altman left for the University of Arkansas. However, Altman decided to return to Creighton after several days at Arkansas.

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Scot Pollard
Scot L. Pollard (born February 12, 1975) is a retired American professional basketball player. In an eleven-year NBA career, he played for five teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. Pollard was known both for his defensive play and his unique hairstyles.
Pollard was born in Murray, Utah, and grew up in San Diego and Kennewick, Washington. He attended the University of Kansas and was the 19th pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, selected by the Detroit Pistons. For every season except his first and last, Pollard appeared in the NBA Playoffs including in the 2007 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won a championship in his final season (2007–08) with the Boston Celtics.
Pollard was one of six children in a devout Mormon family, but Pollard never practiced the religion. His father, Pearl Pollard, played basketball at the University of Utah and died when Scot was 16. For three years, he played high school basketball at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego before moving to Kennewick, Washington to play for Kamiakin High School most of his senior year.Parade magazine named Pollard a high school All-American in 1993. He eventually graduated from Torrey Pines and attended the University of Kansas, where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in education. While playing NCAA basketball, Pollard finished sixth in Jayhawks history among free throw shooters with 358, fourth in rebounds with 850, and second in blocked shots with 218.

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Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen (born September 25, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in 6 NBA titles and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins. Pippen, along with Michael Jordan, played an important role in transforming the Bulls team into a vehicle for popularizing the NBA around the world during the 1990s.
Considered one of the best small forwards of all time, Pippen was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 8 straight times and the All-NBA First Team three times. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1994. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the 1996–97 season, and is one of four players to have his jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls (the others being Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, and Michael Jordan). During his seventeen-year career, he played twelve seasons with the Bulls, one with the Houston Rockets and four with the Portland Trail Blazers, making the postseason sixteen straight times. Pippen is also the only person to have won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice (1992, 1996). Pippen was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.

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Shawn Bradley
Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a retired American and German (dual citizen) basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. At 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) tall, Bradley was one of the tallest players in NBA history. Though born in Landstuhl, West Germany, Bradley grew up in Castle Dale, Utah.
Bradley played for Emery High School from 1987 to 1990. He was one of the most successful basketball players in Utah high school history, finishing with career averages of 20.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.4 blocked shots per game. During his time at the school, Emery racked up a 68-4 record and won two state championships. Bradley was named All-State three times and twice earned the season MVP award. In his senior year, he averaged 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 blocks per contest. He was named All-American by several national publications, including Dick Vitale's, McDonald's, Parade Magazine, Street and Smith, USA Today, and others. He also turned in a strong performance at the McDonald's All-American Game (12 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks), earning the Most Valuable Player award for the West team. As of 2011, Bradley still holds Utah state records for blocked shots in a single game (17), season (208), and career (506).

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Shawn Marion
Shawn Dwayne Marion (born May 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion attended the junior college Vincennes University for two years. In 1999, the Phoenix Suns drafted Marion, who was the ninth overall pick and would remain with the Suns until midway through the 2007-2008 season. The Suns traded Marion to the Miami Heat, and Marion joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2008-2009 season. Marion joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2009 and was the team's starting small forward when the Mavericks won the NBA Championship in June, 2011.
Nicknamed "The Matrix" by TNT analyst Kenny Smith during the pre-season of his rookie year for his seemingly bionic athleticism, he is widely regarded as one of the most versatile players in the league thanks to his athleticism and ability to play and defend many positions.

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Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC (born 7 February 1974) is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara University. In his four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three NCAA Tournament appearances, and Nash was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
After graduating from Santa Clara as the team's all-time leader in assists, Nash entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected as the 15th pick by the Phoenix Suns. He made a minimal impact, and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his third season with the Mavericks, he was voted into his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. However, he became a free agent after the 2003–04 season and returned to the Phoenix Suns.

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Terrell Brandon
Thomas Terrell Brandon (born (1970-05-20)May 20, 1970) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Terrell was known throughout his 10-year career for his passing ability and stealing skills.
Brandon was born in Portland, Oregon, United States and attended Grant High School, where he led his team to the 1988 Class AAA Oregon high-school basketball championship. As a child, he suffered from chronic foot deformation.
He attended the University of Oregon and was selected 11th overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brandon spent the first six years of his career in Cleveland, and was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game in 1996 and 1997. Many regarded Brandon as one of the better point guards in the NBA during the mid-1990s; among them Sports Illustrated, who labeled him "The Best Point Guard in the NBA" in a 1997 issue. He was also awarded the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1997.
After playing for the Cavaliers, Brandon played two years for the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, he was often plagued by injuries and on February 13, 2002, he was placed on the injury list by the Timberwolves, from which he did not return.

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Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg)power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. The Spurs' team captain, he is a 13 time NBA All-Star and the only player in NBA history to be selected to both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.
Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on his home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He soon became a standout for St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School, and had an illustrious college career with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards in his final year. Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick. His list of accomplishments, remarkable consistency, and leadership in the Spurs' NBA championship runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

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Tom Gugliotta
Thomas James Gugliotta (born December 19, 1969) is a former American professional basketball player.
The youngest of seven children, Gugliotta attended Walt Whitman High School His two older brothers, Frank Jr. and Charlie, both enjoyed limited collegiate success on the hardwood and played professionally in Europe. His father called an old friend, Jim Valvano at North Carolina State University during his senior season and told Valvano that his youngest son was going to be a special basketball player. Valvano took a chance on Gugliotta and brought him to Raleigh.^{[citation needed]}
During his freshman season, "Googs" was limited by a knee injury. However, he emerged in the second half of the ACC season as a member of the rotation for the Wolfpack and appeared in 28 games, averaging two points and 1.3 rebounds per game. During the offseason, Valvano began telling crowds at Wolfpack Club meetings that Gugliotta was beginning to blossom. Emerging as a taller, heavier sophomore, Gugliotta averaged 11.1 points and seven rebounds a game. As a junior, Gugliotta began to show his star potential, averaging more than 15 points and nine rebounds per game. As a senior, Gugliotta averaged more than 22 points and almost 10 rebounds per game and drew favorable comparisons from announcers to Larry Bird.^{[citation needed]}

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Tony Delk
Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. After college, he played for seven NBA teams over ten seasons.
Delk attended Haywood Junior High School and Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. During his 1992 senior year of high school, Delk was named "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Tennessee (TSSAA Class 3A Mr.Basketball 1992) and also to the Parade and McDonald's All-American Teams.
As a sophomore at Kentucky, Delk was voted All-SEC 2nd Team by the coaches and All-SEC 3rd Team by the Associated Press, while also making the All-SEC Tournament Team for his outstanding play. Delk was named to the All-SEC 1st and All-NCAA Regional teams during the 1994-95 season. In the 1995-96 season, Delk was named to the All-American and All-SEC first teams and was named NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He also received SEC Player of the Year honors during the season. Delk joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity while at Kentucky.

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Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks. He is a shooting guard who can also play small forward.
A high school McDonald's All-American, Carter played three years at the University of North Carolina, where he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors. He won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star Game the following season. That summer, he represented the United States in the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal.
He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning him nicknames such as "Vinsanity," "Air Canada," and "Half-Man, Half-Amazing."
He led the Raptors to their first three playoff appearances. In 2004, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and he helped lead them to three playoff berths. In July 2009, Carter was traded to the Orlando Magic, helping them to advance to the Eastern Conference finals before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in December, 2010.

wn.com/Vince_Carter
Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac (Serbian: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ʋlǎːde dǐːʋats]) (born February 3, 1968 in Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At 7 ft 1 in, he played center and was known for his passing skills. Divac was among the first group of European basketball players to transfer to the NBA in the late 1980s and was named as one of the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors. Divac is one of six players in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Hakeem Olajuwon. (The NBA hasn't always kept track of blocked shots, so some other players, such as Bill Russell, probably also had similar career achievements.) Divac is also the only NBA player born and trained outside of the United States to play in over 1,000 games in the NBA. On August 20, 2010, Divac was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in recognition of his play in international competition.

wn.com/Vlade_Divac
Wally Szczerbiak
Walter Robert "Wally" Szczerbiak ( /ˈsɜrbi.æk/ SUR-bee-ak; born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.
Szczerbiak was born in Madrid, Spain, while his father Walter (a former ABA player) was playing for Real Madrid, and spent much of his childhood in Europe during his father's playing career. When Walter retired, he moved his family back to his native Long Island, New York, where Wally attended high school in Cold Spring Harbor. Szczerbiak competed for the Long Island team in the 1994 Empire State Games.
In college, Szczerbiak played for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He graduated from the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University where he studied marketing. At Miami he led his team to the Sweet 16 in the 1999 NCAA Tournament as a #10 seed. Szczerbiak scored a career high 43 points in a first round win over #7 seed University of Washington. He followed that up with a 24-point performance in the second round against #2 seed Utah, leading the Redhawks to the Sweet 16, where they would eventually lose to Kentucky 58-43, despite Szczerbiak's 23-point performance.

wn.com/Wally_Szczerbiak

2001 NBA Playoffs: Blazers at Lakers, Gm 1 part 1/12

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2001 NBA Playoffs: Kings at Lakers, Gm 1 part 2/12

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The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000-01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.

This was the 76ers' first appearance in the Finals since Moses Malone and Julius Erving led the 1983 squad to the NBA title (coincidently, last defeating the Lakers) in the famous "fo', fo', fo'" year (it ended up being "fo', fi', fo'", as Philadelphia lost one second-round game that year).

However, this was the Lakers' turn to put together the most dominant postseason in league history, finishing 15–1 with their only loss coming in OT to the Sixers in Game 1 of the Finals. The Lakers set many playoff records, including going undefeated in regulation and on the road (finishing 8–0 in the latter category). They were the second NBA champion to defeat four 50-win or better teams on their way to the title as the Rockets did it first in 1995.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a surprise, winning a playoff series for the first time since 1989 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1986. As of 2012, however, they have been unable to duplicate this feat.

The Dallas Mavericks also ended years of futility, making the playoffs for the first time since 1990. Along the way they did have many abysmal seasons, including back-to-back years with 11 and 13 wins. By beating Utah in the first round, the Mavericks won their first playoff series since 1988. Reunion Arena, the Mavs' home court for 21 years, hosted its last game (Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs); the Mavs moved to American Airlines Center in 2001.

The Sacramento Kings won their first playoff series since 1981 (when they were known as the Kansas City Kings) and first since the franchise moved to Sacramento.

The Toronto Raptors won their first playoff series in franchise history with a 3–2 series win over the New York Knicks, but fell in 7 to the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. For the first time since 1991, the Knicks failed to win a first-round playoff series.

1 Bracket
2 Playoff qualifying
- 2.1 Western Conference
  - 2.1.1 Best record in NBA
  - 2.1.2 Clinched a playoff berth
- 2.2 Eastern Conference
  - 2.2.1 Best record in conference
  - 2.2.2 Clinched a playoff berth
3 Western Conference
4 Eastern Conference
5 External links

Bracket [link]

First Round			Conference Semifinals			Conference Finals			NBA Finals

1	San Antonio	3
8	Minnesota	1
			1	San Antonio	4

			5	Dallas	1
4	Utah	2

5	Dallas	3
						1	San Antonio	0
Western Conference
						2	L.A. Lakers	4
3	Sacramento	3

6	Phoenix	1
			3	Sacramento	0

			2	L.A. Lakers	4
2	L.A. Lakers	3

7	Portland	0
									W2	L.A. Lakers	4

									E1	Philadelphia	1
1	Philadelphia	3

8	Indiana	1
			1	Philadelphia	4

			5	Toronto	3
4	New York	2

5	Toronto	3
						1	Philadelphia	4
Eastern Conference
						2	Milwaukee	3
3	Miami	0

6	Charlotte	3
			6	Charlotte	3

			2	Milwaukee	4
2	Milwaukee	3

7	Orlando	1

Playoff qualifying [link]

Western Conference [link]

Best record in NBA [link]

The San Antonio Spurs clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when San Antonio lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals. San Antonio's 58 games remains the lowest record for a team with home court advantage throughout the playoffs, being 3 games fewer than Indiana's 61 games in the 2003-04 season and the Cavaliers in the 2009-10 season.

Clinched a playoff berth [link]

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

San Antonio Spurs (clinched Midwest division)
Los Angeles Lakers (clinched Pacific division)
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Minnesota Timberwolves

Eastern Conference [link]

Best record in conference [link]

The Philadelphia 76ers clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth [link]

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

Philadelphia 76ers (clinched Atlantic division)
Milwaukee Bucks (clinched Central division)
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors
Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic
Indiana Pacers

Western Conference [link]

Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

First Round [link]

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves [link]

April 21 5:30 pm	[1]	Minnesota Timberwolves 82, San Antonio Spurs 87		Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 33,983 Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies	NBC Costas Guokas
		Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 13–26, 28–12, 17-24
		Pts: Kevin Garnett 25 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Terrell Brandon 8	Pts: Tim Duncan 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Duncan, Ferry 4 each

April 23 9:30 pm	[2]	Minnesota Timberwolves 69, San Antonio Spurs 86		Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 31,759 Referees: Luis Grillo, Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins	TNT Harlan, Thompson & Ainge
		Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 20–30, 15–24, 18–12
		Pts: Kevin Garnett 18 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Billups, Brandon, Garnett, Mitchell, Nesterovic, Szczerbiak 2 each	Pts: Tim Duncan 18 Rebs: Duncan, Robinson 11 each Asts: Duncan, Porter 4 each

April 28 5:30 pm	[3]	San Antonio Spurs 84, Minnesota Timberwolves 93		Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 17,676 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Tim Donaghy	NBC Costas Guokas
		Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 23–23, 24–21, 18-25
		Pts: David Robinson 22 Rebs: David Robinson 17 Asts: Derek Anderson 4	Pts: Kevin Garnett 22 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 8 Asts: Terrell Brandon 9

April 30 8:30 pm	[4]	San Antonio Spurs 97, Minnesota Timberwolves 84		Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Attendance: 16,336 Referees: Bill Spooner, Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford	TNT Stockton & Brown
		Scoring by quarter: 19-19, 25-24, 27-20, 26-21
		Pts: Tim Duncan 24 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Derek Anderson 6	Pts: Wally Szczerbiak 20 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 15 Asts: Terrell Brandon 6
		San Antonio wins series, 3-1

Last Playoff Meeting: 1999 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 3-1)

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers [link]

April 22 5:30 pm	[5]	Portland Trail Blazers 93, Los Angeles Lakers 106		Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Don Vaden, Bernie Fryer, Bill Spooner	NBC Albert Collins
		Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 29-21, 24–23, 21-32
		Pts: Rasheed Wallace 24 Rebs: Arvydas Sabonis 9 Asts: Pippen, Sabonis, Stoudamire 4 each	Pts: Kobe Bryant 28 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 20 Asts: Kobe Bryant 7

April 26 10:30 pm	[6]	Portland Trail Blazers 88, Los Angeles Lakers 106		Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Ronnie Nunn	TNT Harlan, Thompson & Ainge
		Scoring by quarter: 29-25, 17–30, 19–25, 23-26
		Pts: Scottie Pippen 21 Rebs: Scottie Pippen 8 Asts: Damon Stoudamire 5	Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 32 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 7

April 29 5:30 pm	[7]	Los Angeles Lakers 99, Portland Trail Blazers 86		Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon	NBC Albert Collins
		Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 31–21, 25-25, 20-14
		Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 25 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 15 Asts: Kobe Bryant 9	Pts: Stoudamire, Smith 25 each Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 13 Asts: Stoudamire, Wallace 4 each
		Los Angeles wins series, 3-0

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4-3)

(3) Sacramento Kings vs. (6) Phoenix Suns [link]

April 22 3:00 pm	[8]	Phoenix Suns 86, Sacramento Kings 83		ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Mike Mathis, Monty McCutchen	NBC Costas Guokas
		Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 10–19, 28–22, 20-17
		Pts: Shawn Marion 21 Rebs: Jake Tsakalidis 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 14	Pts: Chris Webber 27 Rebs: Chris Webber 15 Asts: Christie, Williams 5 each

April 25 10:30 pm	[9]	Phoenix Suns 90, Sacramento Kings 116		ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Don Vaden, Bernie Fryer, Ted Bernhardt	TNT Harlan, Thompson & Ainge
		Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 21–32, 20–32, 27–21
		Pts: Tony Delk 14 Rebs: Tom Gugliotta 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 9	Pts: Predrag Stojakovic 22 Rebs: Webber, Jackson 9 each Asts: Chris Webber 5

April 29 3:00 pm	[10]	Sacramento Kings 104, Phoenix Suns 96		America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 19,023 Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Ronnie Nunn	NBC Costas Guokas
		Scoring by quarter: 19–36, 34–19, 22–18, 29-23
		Pts: Chris Webber 23 Rebs: Vlade Divac 12 Asts: Doug Christie 4	Pts: Jason Kidd 19 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 16

May 2 10:30 pm	[11]	Sacramento Kings 89, Phoenix Suns 82		America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,836 Referees: Scott Foster, Jack Nies, Hue Hollins	TNT Harlan, Thompson & Ainge
		Pts: Predrag Stojakovic 37 Rebs: Scot Pollard 13 Asts: Bobby Jackson 5	Pts: Clifford Robinson 24 Rebs: Jake Tsakalidis 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 14
		Sacramento wins series, 3-1

Last Playoff Meeting: 1981 Western Conference Semifinals (Kings won 4-3, then in Kansas City, Missouri)

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks [link]

April 21 3:00 pm	[12]	Dallas Mavericks 86, Utah Jazz 88		Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,100 Referees: Luis Grillo, Joe Crawford, Hue Hollins	NBC Albert Collins
		Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 22–18, 23–21, 24-27
		Pts: Michael Finley 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Steve Nash 7	Pts: Karl Malone 26 Rebs: Bryon Russell 12 Asts: John Stockton 18

April 24 10:30 pm	[13]	Dallas Mavericks 98, Utah Jazz 109		Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Mike Mathis, Monty McCutchen	TBS Neal Theus
		Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 22–25, 27–31, 30–25
		Pts: Michael Finley 32 Rebs: Bradley, Finley 8 each Asts: Steve Nash 6	Pts: Karl Malone 34 Rebs: Bryon Russell 8 Asts: John Stockton 9

April 28 3:00 pm	[14]	Utah Jazz 91, Dallas Mavericks 94		Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 18,187 Referees: Scott Foster, Eddie F. Rush, Dan Crawford	NBC Breen Walton
		Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 21–20, 22–21, 26-22
		Pts: Karl Malone 29 Rebs: Karl Malone 13 Asts: John Stockton 10	Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33 Rebs: Juwan Howard 11 Asts: Steve Nash 7

May 1 9:30 pm	[15]	Utah Jazz 77, Dallas Mavericks 107		Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 18,300 Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Steve Javie, Bernie Fryer	TBS Harlan, Thompson & Ainge
		Scoring by quarter: 24-17, 18-28, 21-36, 14-26
		Pts: Karl Malone 25 Rebs: Donyell Marshall 9 Asts: John Stockton 9	Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33 Rebs: Michael Finley 12 Asts: Steve Nash 7

May 3 8:30 pm	[16]	Dallas Mavericks 84, Utah Jazz 83		Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Hugh Evans, Bob Delaney, Joe Forte	TNT Neal Theus
		Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 17–28, 24–23, 27-12
		Pts: Michael Finley 33 Rebs: Juwan Howard 8 Asts: Steve Nash 7	Pts: Karl Malone 24 Rebs: Karl Malone 10 Asts: John Stockton 11
		Dallas wins series, 3-2

Last Playoff Meeting: 1986 Western Conference First Round (Dallas won 3-1)

Conference Semifinals [link]

[edit] (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Spurs and Mavericks.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (SA-DAL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 5	Dallas	78	San Antonio	94	1-0	Alamodome, San Antonio	NBC 6:30et	[17]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
2	May 7	Dallas	86	San Antonio	100	2-0	Alamodome, San Antonio	TNT 8:30et	[18]	Bob Neal & Hubie Brown
3	May 9	San Antonio	104	Dallas	90	3-0	Reunion Arena, Dallas	TNT 9:30et	[19]	Bob Neal & Kenny Smith
4	May 12	San Antonio	108	Dallas	112	3-1	Reunion Arena, Dallas	NBC 3:30et	[20]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
5	May 14	Dallas	87	San Antonio	105	4-1	Alamodome, San Antonio	TNT 8:30et	[21]	Bob Neal & Hubie Brown
San Antonio wins series 4–1

[edit] (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Sacramento Kings

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-2)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (LAL-SAC)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 6	Sacramento	105	Los Angeles	108	1-0	Staples Center, Los Angeles	NBC 3:00et	[22]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
2	May 8	Sacramento	90	Los Angeles	96	2-0	Staples Center, Los Angeles	TBS 10:30et	[23]	Kevin Harlan, John Thompson & Danny Ainge
3	May 11	Los Angeles	103	Sacramento	81	3-0	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	TNT 10:30et	[24]	Kevin Harlan, John Thompson & Danny Ainge
4	May 13	Los Angeles	119	Sacramento	113	4-0	ARCO Arena, Sacramento	NBC 5:30et	[25]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
Los Angeles wins series 4–0

Conference Finals [link]

[edit] (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1999 Western Conference Semifinals (San Antonio won 4-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (SA-LAL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 19	Los Angeles	104	San Antonio	90	0–1	Alamodome, San Antonio	NBC 6:30et	[26]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
2	May 21	Los Angeles	88	San Antonio	81	0–2	Alamodome, San Antonio	TNT 8:30et	[27]	Kevin Harlan, John Thompson & Danny Ainge
3	May 25	San Antonio	72	Los Angeles	111	0–3	Staples Center, Los Angeles	NBC 9:00et	[28]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
4	May 27	San Antonio	82	Los Angeles	111	0–4	Staples Center, Los Angeles	NBC 5:30et	[29]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
Los Angeles wins Western Conference Championship series 4–0

Eastern Conference [link]

Champion: Philadelphia 76ers

First Round [link]

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Indiana won 4-2)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-IND)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	April 21	Indiana	79	Philadelphia	78	0–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 12:30et	[30]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
2	April 24	Indiana	98	Philadelphia	116	1–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TBS 8:00et	[31]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
3	April 28	Philadelphia	92	Indiana	87	2-1	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	NBC 12:30et	[32]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
4	May 2	Philadelphia	88	Indiana	85	3-1	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis	TBS 7:00et	[33]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
Philadelphia wins series 3–1

In game 1, Reggie Miller hit the game-winning 3 with 2.9 seconds left.

[edit] (4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Eastern Conference First Round (New York won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NYK-TOR)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	April 22	Toronto	85	New York	92	1-0	Madison Square Garden, New York	NBC 12:30et	[34]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
2	April 26	Toronto	94	New York	74	1–1	Madison Square Garden, New York	TNT 8:00et	[35]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	April 29	New York	97	Toronto	89	2-1	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	NBC 12:30et	[36]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
4	May 2	New York	93	Toronto	100	2–2	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	TNT 8:00et	[37]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
5	May 4	Toronto	93	New York	89	2–3	Madison Square Garden, New York	TNT 8:00et	[38]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
Toronto wins series 3–2

[edit] (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Orlando Magic

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Bucks and Magic.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (MIL-ORL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	April 22	Orlando	90	Milwaukee	103	1-0	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TNT 8:30et	[39]	Bob Neal & Reggie Theus
2	April 25	Orlando	96	Milwaukee	103	2-0	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TNT 8:00et	[40]	Bob Neal & Reggie Theus
3	April 28	Milwaukee	116	Orlando	121	2-1	TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando	TNT 8:30et	[41]	Bob Neal & Reggie Theus
4	May 1	Milwaukee	112	Orlando	104	3-1	TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando	TBS 7:00et	[42]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
Milwaukee wins series 3–1

[edit] (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Heat and Hornets.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (MIA-CHA)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	April 21	Charlotte	106	Miami	80	0–1	American Airlines Arena, Miami	TNT 8:30et	[43]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
2	April 23	Charlotte	102	Miami	76	0–2	American Airlines Arena, Miami	TNT 7:00et	[44]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	April 27	Miami	79	Charlotte	94	0–3	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte	TNT 8:30et	[45]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
Charlotte wins series 3–0

Conference Semifinals [link]

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the 76ers and Raptors.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-TOR)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 6	Toronto	96	Philadelphia	93	0–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 5:30et	[46]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
2	May 9	Toronto	92	Philadelphia	97	1–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 7:00et	[47]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	May 11	Philadelphia	78	Toronto	102	1–2	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	TNT 8:00et	[48]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
4	May 13	Philadelphia	84	Toronto	79	2–2	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	NBC 3:00et	[49]	Mike Breen & Bill Walton
5	May 16	Toronto	88	Philadelphia	121	3–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et	[50]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
6	May 18	Philadelphia	89	Toronto	101	3–3	Air Canada Centre, Toronto	TNT 8:00et	[51]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
7	May 20	Toronto	87	Philadelphia	88	4–3	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 5:30et	[52]	Mike Breen, Doug Collins & Bill Walton
Philadelphia wins series 4–3

Iverson-Carter duel
76ers ended the 16-year drought by advancing to the conference finals when Vince Carter's long jumper at the buzzer bounced cleanly off the rim.

[edit] (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Bucks and Hornets.

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (MIL-CHA)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 6	Charlotte	92	Milwaukee	104	1-0	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 12:30et	[53]	Bob Costas & Matt Guokas
2	May 8	Charlotte	90	Milwaukee	91	2-0	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TBS 8:00et	[54]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
3	May 10	Milwaukee	92	Charlotte	102	2-1	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte	TNT 8:00et	[55]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
4	May 13	Milwaukee	78	Charlotte	85	2–2	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte	NBC 12:30et	[56]	Bob Costas, Matt Guokas & Steve Jones
5	May 15	Charlotte	94	Milwaukee	86	2–3	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	TBS 8:00et	[57]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
6	May 17	Milwaukee	104	Charlotte	97	3–3	Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte	TNT 8:00et	[58]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
7	May 20	Charlotte	95	Milwaukee	104	4-3	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 3:00et	[59]	Bob Costas, Matt Guokas & Steve Jones
Milwaukee wins series 4–3

Conference Finals [link]

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks

Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference First Round (Philadelphia won 3-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (PHI-MIL)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	May 22	Milwaukee	85	Philadelphia	93	1-0	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et	[60]	Marv Albert & Mike Fratello
2	May 24	Milwaukee	92	Philadelphia	78	1–1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	TNT 8:00et	[61]	Dick Stockton & Hubie Brown
3	May 26	Philadelphia	74	Milwaukee	80	1–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 5:30et	[62]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
4	May 28	Philadelphia	89	Milwaukee	83	2–2	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 5:30et	[63]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
5	May 30	Milwaukee	88	Philadelphia	89	3–2	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 9:00et	[64]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
6	June 1	Philadelphia	100	Milwaukee	110	3–3	Bradley Center, Milwaukee	NBC 9:00et	[65]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
7	June 3	Milwaukee	91	Philadelphia	108	4-3	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 7:30et	[66]	Mike Breen, Bill Walton & Steve Jones
Philadelphia wins Eastern Conference Finals series 4–3

NBA Finals [link]

Main article: 2001 NBA Finals

[edit] Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Last Playoff Meeting: 1983 NBA Finals (Philadelphia won 4-0)

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (LAL-PHI)	Venue	TV Time	Recap	TV Commentators
1	June 6	Philadelphia	107	Los Angeles	101	0-1	Staples Center, Los Angeles	NBC 9:00et	[67]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
2	June 8	Philadelphia	89	Los Angeles	98	1–1	Staples Center, Los Angeles		[68]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
3	June 10	Los Angeles	96	Philadelphia	91	2-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 8:30et	[69]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
4	June 13	Los Angeles	100	Philadelphia	86	3-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 8:30et	[70]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
5	June 15	Los Angeles	108	Philadelphia	96	4-1	First Union Center, Philadelphia	NBC 8:30et	[71]	Marv Albert & Doug Collins
Los Angeles wins NBA Championship series 4–1

External links [link]

NBA.com's 2001 Playoffs coverage

NBA Playoffs

Conference Finals • Finals • 60 Greatest Playoff Moments • Game sevens • Streaks • Droughts • WNBA Playoffs

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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_NBA_Playoffs

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For more details on the 2012 post-season tournament, see 2012 NBA Playoffs.

File:NBA 2007 Playoffs logo.png

2007 NBA Playoff logo

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference (called Divisions, pre-1970), ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.

1 Format
2 History
- 2.1 2006 NBA Playoffs controversy
- 2.2 Timeline
3 Records and statistics
4 References
5 External links

Format [link]

The NBA announced the current revised playoff seeding system on August 3, 2006. Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs and are seeded one to eight.

The team that has the best record in each of the three divisions in each conference is declared division champion. The three champions, and another team in the conference with the best record, are seeded one through four by their records. This guarantees that the division champions will be no lower than fourth seed, and also ensures that a conference's two best teams (by record) are ranked as the top two. However, because the NBA does not re-seed its teams and because home court advantage goes to the team with the better record, not the better seeding, division winners are guaranteed no better than a de-facto five seed, as their 4th seeding does not guarantee home court advantage in the first round, and after the first round the 4 vs 5 winner will play the same teams as the loser would have played had they won the first round. This will continue throughout the remainder of the playoffs and to the finals until the 4 vs 5 winner loses a playoff round or wins the championship. Of the remaining eleven conference teams, the four with the best records are seeded fifth through eighth based on their record.

In the event two or more teams are tied in the standings, a series of tiebreakers are applied to determine which team receives the higher seeding.

Two-Team Tiebreaker:

Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
Better record in head-to-head games
Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)
Higher winning percentage in conference games
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference (including tied teams)

Three-Team Tiebreaker:

Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
Best head-to-head winning percentage among all teams tied
Highest winning percentage within division (if all tied teams are in the same division)
Highest winning percentage in conference games
Highest winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
Highest point differential between points scored and points allowed

These seedings are used to create a bracket that determines the match-ups throughout the playoffs. Once the playoffs start, the bracket is fixed; teams are never "reseeded", unlike in the NHL where the strongest remaining clubs face the weakest clubs in subsequent rounds. The first round of the NBA playoffs, or Conference Quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference based on the seedings (1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5). The four winners advance to the second round, or Conference Semifinals, with a match-up between the 1-8 and 4-5 winners and a match-up between the 2-7 and 3-6 winners. The two winners advance to the third round, or Conference Finals.

Each round is a best-of-seven series. Series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5-7 being played if needed. The NBA Finals are played in a 2-3-2 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 6 and 7, and their opponent hosts games 3, 4 and 5. The home-court advantage is determined in all rounds by record regardless of seed.

First Round
Best-of-7

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

E4*

Eastern Conference

E3*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

W3*

The most common criticism of the current structure is related to parity of conferences. On numerous occasions, Eastern Conference teams with losing records qualified for the playoffs, while Western Conference teams with significantly better records ended up missing them.

History [link]

From the first season, 1947, of the NBA (called the BAA until the merger with the NBL in 1949) the top three teams from the Eastern and Western divisions were invited to the playoffs. The two division champions played a Semifinal best-of-seven series for entry into the finals. The other four teams played two rounds of best-of-three playoffs to face the winner of the Semifinal match. That year, the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Chicago Stags four games to one in the first ever BAA Championship.

In the 1949 playoffs, an additional team from each Division was added, eliminating the byes, and two rounds of best-of-three series were played, followed by a best-of-seven championship. In 1950 the Minneapolis Lakers became the first champions of the newly named NBA, knocking off the Syracuse Nationals in six games.

The 1951 through 1953 playoffs changed the Division Finals into a best-of-five playoff. In 1954, the year the Indianapolis Olympians folded, the NBA Playoffs used a Round Robin for the only time in its history. Then, from 1955 to 1966 year, the league returned to the original six-team format, expanding the Division Finals to a best-of-seven in 1958 and the Semifinals to a best-of-five in 1961.

In 1967 the field was again expanded to eight teams, filling out the three-round bracket. A year later, the Division Semifinals were changed to best-of-seven playoff. Then, in 1975 and 1977, respectively, a fifth and sixth team were added to each Division, necessitating an additional First Round of best-of-three series.

Finally in 1984, the tournament expanded to its present 16-team format and the now-complete First Round was changed to a best-of-five playoff. In 2003 the first round was changed to also be best-of-seven.

Beginning with the 2004 season, with the addition of the thirtieth NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. The result was that each conference would have three divisions of five teams each, and the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed. This would change slightly after the 2005-06 season; while division winners still receive automatic playoff berths, they are guaranteed a top-four seed, as described above.

2006 NBA Playoffs controversy [link]

The previous playoff format, in place for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 NBA Playoffs, after the NBA was re-aligned into six divisions, created controversy during the 2005–06 season and playoffs, and would be changed prior to the 2006–07 NBA season.^[1]

NBA division winners were seeded higher than any other playoff participants, regardless of their record. Prior to 2004, when the NBA was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, the top two seeds in each conference were reserved for the division winners. This meant that top two teams in a conference (by record) would be seeded either first and second (if they were in opposite divisions) or first and third (if they were in the same division). Because of the NBA playoffs' preset matchups in the second round, this meant that the top two teams in a conference could never meet until the Conference Finals, assuming they both made it to that round.

After the NBA realigned its two conferences into three divisions each, the seeding rules remained largely unchanged. The top three seeds would now be reserved for division winners. This meant that if the top two teams (by record) in a conference were in the same division, they would be ranked first and fourth, and would face each other in the Conference Semifinals, instead of the Conference Finals, if both teams won their first round series.

In the second year of this format, the 2005–06 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks of the Southwest Division did just that. This turn of events led to the playoff format being criticized by many. Critics claimed the matchup was not only unfair to the team that would lose earlier in the playoffs than it deserved, but also created an unfair advantage for teams in the 2-7/3-6 half of the Western Conference playoff bracket, which could advance to the conference finals without playing either of the two best teams in the conference.^[2]

The Phoenix Suns, winners of the Pacific Division and possessors of the third best record, were seeded second, and the Denver Nuggets, winners of the Northwest Division and tied for only the seventh-best record in the conference, were seeded third.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, after the top four seeds had been clinched. The two teams were already determined to be the fifth and sixth seeds, and had only to determine which rank higher. The fifth seed would likely need to defeat the best two teams in the conference without home-court advantage to advance to the conference finals, as it would face fourth seeded Dallas, and likely face first-seeded San Antonio if it managed to defeat Dallas. The sixth seed would play Denver in the first round and would have home-court advantage, and only have to play, at most, one of Dallas or San Antonio—in the conference finals.

This led to speculation about whether the Grizzlies or the Clippers would have much commitment to winning their match-up in the second-to-last game of the season, since it was clearly most advantageous to lose the game in order to obtain the 6th seed. The Clippers eventually lost to Memphis without much evidence to refute the speculation that the Clippers had lost intentionally.^[3] In the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets in five games, and Memphis was swept by Dallas. Ultimately, Dallas and San Antonio did meet in the second round, with Dallas winning in seven games, and advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.

Timeline [link]

1947: The playoffs were instituted with a three-stage tournament, similar to the Stanley Cup Playoffs of the 1930s; the two first-placed teams qualified directly to the semifinals where they played each other in a best-of-7 series. Teams finishing second & third qualified for the best-of-3 quarterfinals, where the two second-placed teams were paired in one quarterfinal, as were the two third-placed teams. The two winners in the quarterfinals played each other in the other semifinals, however, the second semi-final was only a best-of-3 series. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) best-of-7 Finals series.

Quarterfinals
Best-of-3

Semifinals
Best-of-3 (one series)

Best-of-7 (one series)

BAA Finals
Best-of-7

Chicago

1949: The playoffs were expanded to eight teams, thus the first-placed teams no longer received first round byes. The top four teams from each of the two divisions qualified. The quarterfinals and semifinals were renamed Division Semifinals and Division Finals, respectively, and both rounds were best-of-3. The best-of-7 final was unchanged.

Division Semifinals
Best-of-3

Division Finals
Best-of-3

BAA Finals
Best-of-7

Eastern Division

Western Division

Chicago

1950: The BAA was renamed as the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a three-division setup, 12 teams now qualified for the playoffs, with the top four teams from each division meeting in the best-of-3 Division Semifinals. The winners met in the best-of-3 Division Finals. With three teams remaining, the surviving team with the best regular season record qualified directly for the Finals while the other two teams met in a best-of-3 NBA Semifinals.

1951: With the NBA reverting to a two-division setup; the Division Semifinals reverted to its original 1949 format with only eight teams qualifying. The Division Finals was extended to a best-of-5 format.

Division Semifinals
Best-of-3

Division Finals
Best-of-5

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

Eastern Division

Western Division

1954: The number of playoff teams was cut down to six. The Division Semifinals was changed to a double round-robin format within the division, with the top three teams from each division qualifying (each team played four games). Following the round-robin games, the top two teams qualified for the best-of-three Division Finals, followed by the best-of-seven Finals.

1955: The number of playoff teams remained at six, however, the round-robin format was dropped after one year. First-placed teams received a bye to the best-of-five Division Finals. Teams which placed second and third played a best-of-three Division Semifinal.

1958: The Division Finals was extended to a best-of-seven format.

1961: The Division Semifinals were extended to a best-of-five format.

Division Semifinals
Best-of-3 (1955–1960),

Best-of-5 (1961–1966)

Division Finals
Best-of-5 (1955–1957),

Best-of-7 (1958–1966)

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

Eastern Division

Western Division

1967: The number of playoff teams was expanded to eight once more. The Division Semifinals now included the fourth-best team in each conference. The first-placed teams no longer received a bye. They were matched against the fourth-placed teams in the best-of-5 Division Semifinals.

1968: The Division Semifinals was extended to a best-of-seven format.

Division Semifinals
Best-of-5 (1967),

Best-of-7 (1968-1970)

Division Finals
Best-of-7 (1968-1970)

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

Eastern Division

Western Division

1970: With an increased number of teams, the divisions were upgraded into conferences, which were then split into two divisions. Eight teams still qualified, four from each conference. The two division winners were guaranteed at least a #2 seed, and the two best non-division winners from each conference qualified as third and fourth seeds. Hence, the Division Semifinals and Division Finals came to be known as Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals, respectively.

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

1975: The number of playoff teams was expanded from eight to ten. A first round was introduced which matched the fourth and fifth seeds in each conference in a best-of-3 first round series, while the top three seeds received a bye.

First Round
Best-of-3

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

1977: The number of playoff teams was expanded from 10 to 12. The first round now included the sixth best team in each conference, which was matched against the third seed. Only the division winners received byes to the next round.

First Round
Best-of-3

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

1984: The playoffs were expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams. All teams now participated in the first round, which was extended to a best-of-five series.

First Round
Best-of-5

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

2003: The first round was extended to a best-of-seven series. This change arguably benefitted the higher seeds as it reduced the likelihood of an upset by a lower seed. It also meant that a team that swept their series 4–0 might have to wait up to two weeks to play their next series against a team that had won 4–3.

First Round
Best-of-7

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

2005: Each conference was realigned into three divisions with each division winner qualifying for a top-three seed regardless of record. The next best five teams from each conference also qualified for the playoffs.

First Round
Best-of-7

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

Eastern Conference

E2*

E3*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

W3*

2007: To address the criticisms of having each division champion guaranteed a top-three seed, regardless of record, the rules were changed such that the division winners are now only guaranteed a top-four seed. The best second-placed team in the division now may be seeded as high as two depending on its regular season record. This avoids the scenario of possibly having the two best teams in the conference seeded 1 and 4 if they play in the same division, thus being forced to play each other in the second round (given no upsets).
- Note: In the example below, the East's #2 seed is not a division champion.

First Round
Best-of-7

Conference Semifinals
Best-of-7

Conference Finals
Best-of-7

NBA Finals
Best-of-7

E1*

E4*

Eastern Conference

E3*

W1*

Western Conference

W2*

W3*

Records and statistics [link]

Only five 8th seeded teams have managed to win a series versus the number 1 seeded team: The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 in 1994. The New York Knicks eliminated the Miami Heat 3–2 in 1999 (which was a lockout shortened season). The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the 2007 Western Conference First Round (becoming the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the best of 7 format). In 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 4–2 and in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 4–2 (in another lockout-shortened season).
The 1999 Knicks are the only 8th seeded team ever to reach the NBA Finals.
The 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers and the 1980-81 Houston Rockets are the only team with a losing record (33-39 and 40-42, respectively) to make it to the NBA Finals. The other 1981 Western Conference Finalist, the Kansas City Kings, also had a 40-42 record
The 1994–95 Houston Rockets, a sixth seed, 47-35, were the lowest seeded team to win the NBA Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic (57–25) in four games. In doing so, the Rockets defeated four teams that had won 50 or more games during the regular season (Utah Jazz 60-22, Phoenix Suns 59-23, San Antonio Spurs 62-20 and Orlando Magic 57-25), which had never been done before.
The San Antonio Spurs own the longest NBA Playoff winning streak for a single postseason with 12 straight wins in the 1999 Playoffs and a 15–2 finish overall. The Los Angeles Lakers own the most dominant post-season appearance with a 15–1 record in the 2001 Playoffs; they also have the second-longest playoff-game win streak with 11 in that season.
Of all the teams with multiple NBA Finals appearances, the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs are the only teams with perfect records at 6–0 and 4–0, respectively. (Note: these are the series records, not the individual game records)
The Boston Celtics possess the most overall NBA Finals series wins with an overall record of 17–4. The Los Angeles Lakers have played in the most NBA Finals series (31) with an overall record of 16–15.
The longest playoff appearance streak currently belongs to the San Antonio Spurs at 15 appearances, with the Dallas Mavericks next in line with 11. The longest ever streak of playoffs appearances in a row belongs to the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs 22 straight years from the 1949–50 season to the 1970–71 season, while the longest playoff appearance streak in one city belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, who made it for 21 straight years, from the 1982-83 to the 2002-03 seasons.

References [link]

External links [link]

NBA official website
Playoff Seeding Criteria NBA.com
NBA Playoffs InsideHoops.com Coverage
Basketball-Reference.com Index of NBA Playoffs seasons

NBA Playoffs

Conference Finals • Finals • 60 Greatest Playoff Moments • Game sevens • Streaks • Droughts • WNBA Playoffs

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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Playoffs

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Make changes yourself !

Contents

[edit] (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

[edit] (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Sacramento Kings

[edit] (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

[edit] (4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

[edit] (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Orlando Magic

[edit] (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

[edit] (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

[edit] (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks

[edit] Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Related pages:

Contents

Related pages: