2004/2005 Season in Review

Bluesky · by **Andrew** on Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:56 pm

Before we head too far into the offseason, I thought it might be nice to go back and take a look at the season just gone.

As I've made sure to brag about at any opportunity, I was able to watch games live this year for the first time in a long time; my apologies to my fellow Australians who don't have pay TV. Needless to say, it's much more enjoyable to watch the games as they happen than it is to read the boxscores and see them a couple of days later...or not at all.

My favourite part of this season was of course Chicago's return from the NBA basement. Before the season, I cautiously optimistic about 30+ wins. When they started 0-9, I was readying myself for another lottery bound season. Sometimes it's nice to proven wrong. I wish I could have seen more of their games (hopefully ESPN Australia will pick up more of them next season) but it was a lot of fun "seeing" them win 5 in a row, then twice hold the league's longest active winning streak with the 7 game winning streak then later the 9 game streak. It may have been a tough six years for Bulls fans, but our favourite team gave us a treat this year. It's exciting to think even better years may be ahead.

Now that I've gone and jinxed the Bulls, I'd like to reflect on some other events of the 2004/2005 season.

This season saw the retirement of another 90s guy and one of the greatest clutch performers in league history, Reggie Miller. Through all the turmoil and hardship the Pacers' endured this year, Reggie managed quite a few vintage performances and leaves the game suggesting he could go another couple of seasons. Some of my favourite Reggie Miller moments from this season include the game against the Lakers back in March and anytime the ESPN halftime crew showed clips of his heroics against the Knicks during the mid 90s...and Greg Anthony's reaction.

The Pacers of course were shaken up by the ugly brawl in Detroit back in November. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I still feel Indiana wasn't treated fairly when punishments were being handed out. I thought Ben Wallace should have received a much more severe punishment considering his behaviour, immediately after Artest's foul and then as both teams crowded around the scorers' table. Having said that, it was one ugly incident and while the initial reaction of it permanently scarring the NBA and leaving a black eye may have been blown out of proportion at times, it was nothing to be proud of and it marred an otherwise good game of basketball. I'm not keen to see anything like that happen again soon.

The Shaq/Kobe story continued all season long, even with a whole lot of America seperating them. So far Shaq's had the upper hand since the duo was disbanded, with the Heat winning both regular season matchups, the Eastern All-Stars prevailing and a trip to the Conference Finals while the Lakers slumped to 11th in the West. Yet another historically significant event there, the Lakers missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

In fact there's quite a few things that are historically noteworthy that transpired this season. For the first time in history, a rookie won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Not only did a point guard win the Most Valuable Player award, he did so averaging fewer than 16 points per game. Then of course there's the 0-2 comebacks in the playoffs and Detroit forcing a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, something else that hadn't happened in more than a decade.

This year's Slam Dunk Contest was one of the most exciting in recent times, probably the best one since the contest was trimmed to four players. The judging could have been better but the contestants themselves put on a great show...with the notable exception of Chris Andersen.

There was the emergence of players who appear destined to be the stars of the league for years to come. LeBron, Wade, Amare to name but three. The class of 2004 also showed a lot of promise for the future, from Gordon's Sixth Man performances to the Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor, the high wire act of Josh Smith and players who we could be talking about a lot more in the near future, players such as Sebastian Telfair, Trevor Ariza, Shaun Livingston, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni...and the list goes on.

2004/2005 continued the trend of mass player movement and a wave of coaching changes. As it stands today, a third of the teams have made a coaching change in less than 12 months, the Nuggets changing coaches twice with Michael Cooper serving as interim head coach until George Karl's appointment. The Vince Carter trade headlined the blockbusters while Malik Rose for Nazr Mohammed might have been this year's "Rasheed Wallace to Detroit" deal.

The end of the regular season saw some exciting playoff runs with the 8th spot in the East decided on the final day of the season; both conferences saw teams with winning records miss out on the postseason. There was the fall of the Cavaliers, the unlikely rise of the Nets after last offseason's dismantling and the bewildering collapse of 2004 Western Conference Finalist Minnesota Timberwolves. And of course, Chicago's amazing comeback from an 0-9 start to the fourth seed in the East.

Looking back at our predictions, many of us were right in our playoff picks with quite a few people even getting the correct series length in many cases. Yet, the playoffs were hardly boring. The Houston/Dallas series saw both teams lose two straight at home before dueling it out in Games 5, 6 and 7. Detroit were down in three consecutive series but prevailed twice and didn't go quietly into the night in Game 7 of the Finals. The Bulls won their first two playoff games in seven years though the Wizards ultimately prevailed winning four straight to advance. Phoenix stormed through the playoffs but met their match in San Antonio.

I was one of the people who was wary of the Finals being an ugly series, not because I don't have an appreciation for defense or good basketball, but I feared there would be some ugly moments. The first four games weren't the best for the neutral fan with one team playing great and the other team poorly, but the last three games - especially game five - really made up for that.

All in all, I'd have to say this was a great season, plenty of excitement and certainly a lot to talk about. It may not rank among my all-time favourites - those would be the Bulls championship seasons - but for me it's been the most enjoyable since 1998.

by **NNpF** on Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:19 pm

This season started out as one of the worst for me, with the dismantling of the New Jersey Nets.

But later on in the season they aquired Vince Carter for the Raptors. Even though I was a bit skeptic at first it turned out for the better.

I don't really know what else to say, I really enjoyed this season despite what happened to my team. Lets hope next season is even better.

by **cyanide** on Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:46 pm

Gotta mention the surprising Suns and Sonics, who exceeded critics' expectations. And the Heat, for having an excellent season. The season was a good one, with great teams, great matchups, great playoffs, it's exciting as basketball could be. The only thing that made it from great, was the poor moves the Raptors made, and the bastard known as Vince Carter, who kept the Raptors in the bottom of the cellar. I also didn't like the lengthy suspension of Artest, who definitely would've made a contribution in the playoffs, but then again, he did react in a way that he shouldn't have. All in all, though, great season, and I'm looking forward to the next one, especially with all those rookies, sophmores, and rising stars (LeBron, Amare, and Wade).

by **Drex** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:01 am

Great season overall. For the team that I root, the Sixers, it's probably the start of a very promising team for the future. The AI's, Sam, Kyle, and, of course, Webber (

) managed a 12-9 record when playing together. Allen was having a fantastic season, averagin his best numbers of his career in his return to PG duties. The Sixers only made it to the First Round, but I'm confident thath they'll be back stronger and could take the Atlantic Division.

by **air gordon** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:06 am

good read. i thought there was a thread like this before hehe

by **FendeR`** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:19 am

For me, this season was alright. I'm with Drex as a Sixers fan, so we had our highs and our lows. The excitement of having Andre Iguodala throw down some pretty nasty dunks at surprising times to pump us up, Allen scoring and dishing the ball very well, the Chris Webber trade (we got to dream of AI/CWebb success for a few days). I would have said this season all around was good if the few times that I really watched intently at Sixers games we hadn't lost at the end due to gut-wrenching plays by both sides. But with some pretty exciting playoff series and a game 7 in the NBA Finals (even though I didn't watch most of it), the season wasn't too bad for me.

by **Dreadnight** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 9:22 am

It was great, Rockets and Bulls back on top 8-)

by **Fresh8** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:22 pm

IMO, this has been one of the better seasons of the decade so far... (Y)

for the remaing half of the decade! We're in for a great ride with all the new talent who will take over the roles of legends who have come and gone and those great players who will leave in the next 5 or 6 years, the next decade of 2010-2020 should have the talent base that the NBA's young players have to support the League.

by **AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:46 pm

This season saw the retirement of another 90s guy and one of the greatest clutch performers in league history, Reggie Miller.

If you're going to mention retired players this year, please do not leave out The Mailman. He may not have played this season, but officially retired during it. He also may not have gone out blazing like Reggie, but his overall numbers and dominant longevity in th eleague rate him even higher than Miller, in my honest and humble opinion. So farewell to Karl Malone, as well.

As for the season, it was a great one. There was drama, unbelievable events ( The Brawl ), A great Finals series, my favorite Spurs winning it all and some new Superstars emerging. I do believe that this season will prove to be th ebeginning of a new era in American Basketball, what with the new CBA and farm-system being implemented. Don't know if you all agree, but at least I had a great deal of fun... (Y)

Bluesky · by **Andrew** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:55 pm

D-Wolverine 99027 wrote:If you're going to mention retired players this year, please do not leave out The Mailman. He may not have played this season, but officially retired during it. He also may not have gone out blazing like Reggie, but his overall numbers and dominant longevity in th eleague rate him even higher than Miller, in my honest and humble opinion. So farewell to Karl Malone, as well.

Indeed.

The Mailman slipped my mind seeing as though his retirement was much more low-key and anti-climactic than Reggie's, but it was still a significant event this season. That's two legends that were farewelled this year.

by **Jugs** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:09 pm

Scottie Pippen retired at the start of the season, don't you love the Bulls and you forgot him?!

But it was a Great Review and it was great to see a great season 8-)

Bluesky · by **Andrew** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:12 pm

True, though he was all but retired at the end of last season.

by **Nel** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:48 pm

TMAC's 13 in 35. The whole season was great. (Y)

by **COOLmac©** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 5:42 pm

the rockets were great and were looking like the big surprised western champs not until Tmac got jinxed again...that was a hell ugly of a game 7 i have seen in my entire life :shock:

and my second team the suns did pretty well but soon lost its FACE , literally....oh well the game has surely evolved and the nba is back to boiling points. this is by far a great season compared to last year in my books 8-)

by **bullsfan009** on Fri Jul 01, 2005 10:24 pm

I thought this was a really good season. The Phoenix Suns showed the league that a great offense can take you far, but the Spurs once again showed the defense wins championships. (that's why the Suns got Kurt Thomas btw).

Also I loved the resurgance of my Bulls- Ben Gordon is simply amazing, dominating games from the perimeter, and with Robert Horry-type clutchness.

Finally the player who's been my favorite since his triple-double game in the NCAA tournament for Marquette, Dwyane Wade, became a superstar in just his second year in the league. He's got class, and he's got game- what else do you want?

by **Jona** on Sat Jul 02, 2005 1:55 am

Great, GREAT read Andrew.
I wish you made more of these posts!!

It was a good season, not overly exciting, but good nonetheless.
The coming of Shaq proved me wrong, since I thought what we were building (Caron, Lamar, Dwayne) was going pretty well. But now I understand the huge impact that the Diesel makes when he goes to any team. :mrgreen:

by **Kemp** on Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:53 pm

I fell sorry for the mailman, he could have join the Spurs to win his first ever championship. Instead, he choose to retire. I always remember him as the greatest power foward ever to play the game. The MAILMAN deliver :!:

by **Cu/Clux/Clan** on Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:04 pm

it was great,man!Chicago and Sonics'were great!

by **Jackal_** on Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:47 pm

I really enjoyed this season in the NBA. Watched many Miami and Seattle games. I think Wade made me want to watch more and more, that kid has some serious talent. And some hops too! Anyways, I'm hoping Miami goes all the way next year and would like to see the Raptors make the playoffs...somehow..

by **Indy** on Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:19 am

Obviously this was a tough season to be a Pacers fan, but it was very humbling. We got to see a team that never had its starting lineup play ONE GAME, and run the entire season on heart alone. We got to watch a team that had 20 different starting lineups this year. We got to watch a team with guys like John Edwards, James Jones, Anthony Johnson, Britton Johnson, Tremaine Fowlkes, Marcus Haislip and Fred Jones carry the team until the regulars could return. Then we got to watch Reggie Miller carry an NBA franchise at 39 years old to the playoffs at the 6 seed. Then we got to watch a badly injured Jermaine O'Neal play soley on heart, Fred Jones playing injured, Anthony Johnson playing injured, Jamaal Tinsley coming back from an injury that no way should he have been playing on, Reggie's 39 year old body was running purley on heart and soul. We got to watch Jeff Foster take over 2 games against the Detroit Pistons. We got to watch this Pacers team that no way should have been in a position to even make the playoffs beat a division winner Boston Celtics in a series, and beat them by 27 points. I thank the Indiana Pacers for making this season great and making my love of the Pacers even greater, because no other team could have done what we did this year. Most GM's and coaches would have given up a long time ago. But not Donnie Walsh, not Larry Bird, not Rick Carlisle, not SJax, not Reggie not anybody. This season was better then great. This season was liberating.

by **AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy** on Thu Jul 07, 2005 1:18 am

Obviously this was a tough season to be a Pacers fan, but it was very humbling. We got to see a team that never had its starting lineup play ONE GAME, and run the entire season on heart alone. We got to watch a team that had 20 different starting lineups this year. We got to watch a team with guys like John Edwards, James Jones, Anthony Johnson, Britton Johnson, Tremaine Fowlkes, Marcus Haislip and Fred Jones carry the team until the regulars could return. Then we got to watch Reggie Miller carry an NBA franchise at 39 years old to the playoffs at the 6 seed. Then we got to watch a badly injured Jermaine O'Neal play soley on heart, Fred Jones playing injured, Anthony Johnson playing injured, Jamaal Tinsley coming back from an injury that no way should he have been playing on, Reggie's 39 year old body was running purley on heart and soul. We got to watch Jeff Foster take over 2 games against the Detroit Pistons. We got to watch this Pacers team that no way should have been in a position to even make the playoffs beat a division winner Boston Celtics in a series, and beat them by 27 points. I thank the Indiana Pacers for making this season great and making my love of the Pacers even greater, because no other team could have done what we did this year. Most GM's and coaches would have given up a long time ago. But not Donnie Walsh, not Larry Bird, not Rick Carlisle, not SJax, not Reggie not anybody. This season was better then great. This season was liberating.

Amistad II. Soon in theaters.

by **Indy** on Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:31 am

D-Wolverine 99027 wrote:Amistad II. Soon in theaters.

When I saw that you responded in here, I smiled, knowing it would be something funny. You let me down. :lol:

by **baller status** on Thu Jul 07, 2005 6:28 am

another great season for me and my city. Ive gone to the most games ever this year(4, 2 playoffs) and overall the spurs showed that they were once again champs. hopefully this year's good fortune will carry on into next years.

by **-BHZMAFIA-** on Thu Jul 07, 2005 6:46 am

It was a good season, it was very close to great to me though since the Finals were actually something good to watch this time after previous seasons. I think this years playoffs were one of the best with most of the series coming down to the wire and filled with great plays. The brawl was something tragic that happened this season, but it probably boosted the ratings up a little bit too :lol:

There were lots of surprises with the Suns, Sonics and Bulls exceeding expectations. So I will give this season a 9 out of 10.

2004/2005 Season in Review

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2004/2005 Season in Review

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