2003-04 NBA season

The 2003-04 NBA season is the 58th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons upseting the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the 2004 NBA Finals.

[edit] Notable occurrences

• The Houston Rockets play their first game at the Toyota Center.
• The All-Star Game was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The West won 136-132 with local hero Shaquille O'Neal winning the game's MVP award.

[edit] Storylines

• The dominance of the Minnesota Timberwolves: Behind their "Big Three" of Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, and Sam Cassell, the Timberwolves amassed the best record in the west, and were expected to finally win a first round playoff series. They won two playoff series before losing the the Lakers.
• The Lakers' four Hall of Famers: Prior the season, Karl Malone and Gary Payton took major paycuts to leave their teams and join Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on the Lakers for a chance at winning the NBA Title that had eluded them for their whole careers. However, the Lakers had problems meshing their players together, and failed to win the NBA Title.
• The decreased scoring: Scoring in the league reached its lowest point in league history. Many teams recorded their franchise low for scoring in a quarter, half, or game during the season.
• The draft class of 2003: Star players Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, among others, came into the league. However, among the highly touted rookies, only Dwyane Wade made it past the first round of the playoffs.

[edit] Final standings

[edit] Eastern Conference

[edit] Western Conference

C NBA Champions

[edit] NBA awards

• Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers
• Sixth Man of the Year: Antawn Jamison, Dallas Mavericks
• Most Improved Player: Zach Randolph, Portland Trail Blazers
• Coach of the Year: Hubie Brown, Memphis Grizzlies
• All-NBA First Team:
  • F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
  • F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
  • C - Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
  • G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
  • G - Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
• All-NBA Second Team:
  • F - Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers
  • F - Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings
  • C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
  • G - Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves
  • G - Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic
• All-NBA Third Team
  • F - Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers
  • F - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
  • C - Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
  • G - Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets
  • G - Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks
• All-NBA Defensive First Team
  • F - Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers
  • F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
  • C - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
  • G - Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs
  • G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
• All-NBA Defensive Second Team
  • F - Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz
  • F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
  • C - Theo Ratliff, Portland Trail Blazers
  • G - Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings
  • G - Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
• All-Rookie First Team:
  • LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
  • Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
  • Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
  • Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls

[edit] See also

• 2004 NBA Finals
• 2004 NBA Draft