Last Finals of this Decade

[trelvis tha thrilla]

Some of it is below, rest of it is here...

http://angrytrey.blogspot.com/2009/06/nba-finalsa-decade-in-review.html


Who would you say dominated the 2000's more, Spurs or Lakers? Is it Lakers hands down since they went to more Finals than the Spurs? I think it is kind of cool to look back.




With the NBA Finals coming, fans should be aware that this is the last one of the decade. So leading into the 2009 NBA Finals, reflect back and ask, what will the 2000s NBA Finals be remembered for?
The NBA Finals Decade in Review





2000 - Lakers over Pacers 4-2




Phil Jackson's first season as Lakers coach ended like six of his seasons as Bulls coach - with an NBA title. Jackson took over a talented team and was able to mesh stars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal with some stellar role players at the tail end of their careers (Ron Harper, Glen Rice, Brian Shaw, A.C. Green). Perhaps the most memorable achievement of this Lakers team was not winning the NBA Finals. It was winning Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, when they faced a 15-point fourth quarter deficit against the Blazers. In the Finals, the Lakers were led by Shaquille O'Neal. He had 43 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1 and averaged 38.0 points per game (on 61.1% shooting) and 16.7 rebounds per game for the series. Pacers coach Larry Bird tried the "Hack-a-Shaq" approach in Game 2, which led to 39 free throw attempts for O'Neal. But this was Shaq at his best and he finished Game 2 with 40 points and 24 rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-0 series lead. Also memorable was Game 4, as Kobe Bryant had 28 points and took over the game in overtime after Shaquille O'Neal fouled out. It was Bryant's coming out party as the Lakers won Game 4 120-118 in OT.

2001 - Lakers over 76ers 4-1







The Lakers were 11-0 in the 2001 postseason headed into the Finals. They had swept the Blazers, Kings and Spurs. The 76ers stood in their way of having the greatest single postseason in NBA history. The 1983 76ers finished 12-1 behind Moses Malone's famous proclamation of "Fo, Fo, Fo." Philadelphia wasn't given much of a chance, but came out fighting. Game 1 was most memorable as regular season MVP Allen Iverson had 48 points for the 76ers and Shaquille O'Neal had 44 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers. It was only the second time in NBA Finals history that opponents had each had 40+ point scoring games. The 76ers won Game 1 107-101 in OT in Los Angeles. One lasting image was Iverson making a jumper as Tyronn Lue, then stepping over Lue as he ran back down the court. Iverson averaged 35.6 points per game in the series, but the Lakers were too powerful, winning the next four games and finishing 15-1 in the 2001 postseason, setting a new NBA record for highest win percentage (.93 in a single postseason. O'Neal again won Finals MVP honors, averaging 33.0 points per game and 15.8 rebounds per game.







2002 - Lakers over Nets 4-0







This proved to be the last Lakers title in the Shaq-Kobe era and they did it in style after a controversial Conference Finals against the Kings. It was the seventh sweep in Finals history. Phil Jackson won his ninth NBA title, tying Red Auerbach for most titles by a coach. Shaquille O'Neal was named Finals MVP for the third time in a row, averaging 36.3 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game in the series. The only other players who have won at least three Finals MVPs are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan.







2003 - Spurs over Nets 4-2







The Nets made their second straight Finals appearance, but lost again. San Antonio's Tim Duncan averaged a ridiculous 24.2 points per game, 17.0 rebounds per game, 5.3 assists per game and 5.3 blocks per game to win Finals MVP. Perhaps this series is most memorable for being the final game of David Robinson, who was the face of the Spurs franchise for so long. The Spurs were a veteran-laden team with Robinson, Kevin Willis, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry and Steve Smith. But the star was Duncan, who also won the regular season MVP. In fact, Duncan nearly had a quadruple-double in the series-clinching game with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. In his final game, Robinson had 13 points and 17 rebounds.










2004 - Pistons over Lakers 4-1







It was pretty much a given that the Lakers would win the championship. In the offseason, Los Angeles added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to a team that already had Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. But Malone was injured and Payton was ineffective as the Pistons pulled off one of the most improbable upsets in Finals history. Larry Brown became the first coach to win an NCAA title (1988 Kansas) and an NBA title. Detroit Executive Joe Dumars added the final piece to the puzzle at the trade deadline, acquiring Rasheed Wallace. Chauncey Billups won Finals MVP honors as he averaged 21.0 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. This was the tipping point for the Lakers. It was the final series for Karl Malone. Shaquille O'Neal was traded in the offseason. Phil Jackson also left the team.

 

[DownByLaw]

What happened to 2005 & up? What better way to end this decade with the Lakers losing another championship

 

[ehh]

Damn the 2000's were one forgettable decade.

 

[M. Fresh]

Duncan nearly had a quadruple-double in the series-clinching game with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks.

greatness

 

[airjordan jb23]

Duncan nearly had a quadruple-double in the series-clinching game with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks
Wow

He torched us that game.

 

[k2theablam]

Lakers bringing 2000 back full circle.

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

Originally Posted by FIRST B0RN

What happened to 2005 & up?

Click the link. Its a long posting so I didnt want to paste the whole thing over here.

Only one game 7 this decade, that is disappointing

 

[ctdaprince]

Originally Posted by K2theAblaM

Lakers bringing 2000 back full circle.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by K2theAblaM

Lakers bringing 2000 back full circle.

it wouldve been nice if 3peated to end the decade...

 

[kb8sandiego]

I'd say the Spurs have to be the team of the Decade.

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

Originally Posted by KB8sandiego

I'd say the Spurs have to be the team of the Decade.

Even if the Lakers win this years?

 

[pr0phecy718]

2005 - Spurs over Pistons 4-3






It was a battle of the previous two NBA champions and it did not disappoint - atleast on paper. It was the first NBA Finals to go to a Game 7 since 1994. These teams ranked #1 (Spurs) and #2 (Pistons) during the regular season in pointsallowed. But it wasn't a pretty series. The Spurs jumped out to a 2-0 lead series, winning Game 1 by 15 points and Game 2 by 21 points. The Pistons wonGame 3 by 17 points and Game 4 by 31 points. The lasting image is Robert Horry's Game 5 three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left in overtime, which put SanAntonio up 3-2 in the series and turned the series back in favor of the Spurs. Tim Duncan won his third Finals MVP, averaging 20.1 points per game and 14.1rebounds per game.









2006 - Heat over Mavericks 4-2







The Mavericks led the Heat 2-0 in the series and by 13 points with 6:34 left inGame 3. But Miami outscored the Mavericks 22-7 the rest of the way to cut the series lead to 2-1, rather face a 3-0 deficit, which no team in NBA postseasonhistory has overcome. While it seemed that Shaquille O'Neal was aging before our eyes, another star emerged. Dwyane Wade had 42 points in that Game 3 and43 points in Game 5. He averaged 34.7 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 3.8 assists per game in the series as the Heat became only the third team inFinals history (1969 Celtics, 1977 Blazers) to overcome a 2-0 deficit to win the NBA Finals. It was the fourth NBA title for Shaquille O'Neal and fifth forcoach Pat Riley, who became coach during the season when Stan Van Gundy left the team. It was the second time that Riley took over a season midseason and wentonto win the NBA title (1982 Lakers).









2007 - Spurs over Cavaliers 4-0







This was an ugly series. In three of the four games, both teams scored 85 pointsor less. The Spurs won their fourth NBA title since 1999. This time, Tony Parker was named Finals MVP, averaging 24.5 points per game (on 56.8% shooting) and5.0 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers could not stop his from getting into the paint. Meanwhile, Cleveland's star, LeBron James, shot only 35.6% from thefield and was even worse on jump shots. This series featured many Cavaliers executives and coaches that were brought over from the Spurs, including generalmanager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown. San Antonio's Robert Horry won his seventh NBA title, the most by any player who did not play for the Celtics inthe 1960s.









2008 - Celtics over Lakers 4-2







The Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the offseason, but PaulPierce was the one who carried Boston to its 17th NBA title. This series will be remembered for Pierce's determination and big comebacks. After sufferingwhat looked like a major knee injury in Game 1, Pierce was put into a wheelchair and rolled back to the locker room. But, minutes later, he emerged, re-enteredthe game and soon hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to spark the Celtics to a 1-0 series lead. Pierce was named Finals MVP, averaging 21.8 pointsper game, 4.5 rebounds per game and 6.3 assists per game in the series. It was the 11th time that the Lakers faced the Celtics for the NBA title, a renewal ofthe greatest rivalry in NBA history. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers, but could not get them over the hump. The Lakers had a chance to tie the series in Game 4, butthe Celtics mounted a 24-point comeback to win the game, the largest Finals comeback on record.









2009 - ???

 

[acidicality]

After suffering what looked like a major knee injury in Game 1, Pierce was put into a wheelchair and rolled back to the locker room. But, minutes later, he emerged, re-entered the game and soon hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to spark the Celtics to a 1-0 series lead.