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2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves Season
The 2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 15th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season is one of the most memorable in Timberwolves history. During the offseason, the Timberwolves acquired 4-time All-Star guard Latrell Sprewell. The arrival was seen as controversial as Sprewell was known for his choking incident with then-Golden State Warriors head coach P. J. Carlesimo, though also known for helping the 8th-seeded New York Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999. Sam Cassell, who was known for winning two championships with the Houston Rockets, and his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he helped guide the Bucks to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001, also was acquired to join Garnett, forming a "Big 3". The Timberwolves also signed free agents - former Number 1 Overall pick (in the 1998 draft) Michael Olowakandi and Trenton Hassell. With a Western Conference-best 58-24 finish, the Wolves set the franchise record for wins, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flip Saunders
Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders (February 23, 1955 – October 25, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards. High school and college player Saunders was born in Cleveland, Ohio in February 1955. He was an All-state basketball player at Cuyahoga Heights High School in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio, suburban Cleveland. In his senior season, 1973, he was named Ohio's Class A High School Basketball Player of the Year, leading the state in scoring average with 32.0 points per game. At the University of Minnesota, he started 101 of his 103 career contests and as a senior, teamed with Ray Williams (basketball), Ray Williams, Mychal Thompson, Kevin McHale (basketball), Kevin McHale, and Osborne Lockhart. Coaching career College Saunders began his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran College where he compiled a 92–13 record, including a perfect 56–0 mark at home, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and play home games at Fiserv Forum. Former United States Senate, U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was the long-time owner of the team, but on April 16, 2014, a group led by billionaire hedge fund managers Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agreed to purchase a majority interest in the team from Kohl, a sale which was approved by the owners of the NBA and its Board of Governors one month later on May 16. The team is managed by Jon Horst, the team's former director of basketball operations, who took over for John Hammond (basketball), John Hammond. The Bucks have won two league championships (1971 NBA Finals, 1971, 2021 NBA Finals, 2021), three conference titles (Western: 1971 NBA Finals, 1971, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, where he holds franchise records in assists and steals and led them to an NBA Finals 1996 NBA Finals, appearance. He also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat. Payton won an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006. Nicknamed "the Glove" for his defensive abilities, Payton was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. In October 2021, Payton was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Payton is the first point guard to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, and the only point guard winner in the award's first 39 years, until Marcus Smart was selected in 2022. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA Finals, NBA championships and was an 18-time NBA All-Star, All-Star, four-time NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player, All-Star MVP, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), two-time Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Finals MVP, and two-time List of NBA annual scoring leaders, scoring champion. He ranks fourth in List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders, league all-time regular season and List of NBA career p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a four-time List of NBA champions, NBA champion. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. After playing college basketball for the LSU Tigers men's basketball, LSU Tigers, O'Neal was selected by the Orlando Magic with the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning NBA Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 NBA season, 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won Three-peat, three consecutive c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2002–03 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets, 4 games to 2, in the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time. Overview The 2003 Playoffs were notable for several reasons. * This postseason featured the most series decided by six games in NBA playoff history. (Coincidentally, the Spurs won every single playoff series in six games en route to the championship.) * For the first time since 1974, all series were conducted in a best-of-seven format. From 1984 to 2002, the first-round series were best of five. It is also notable as the only time the first round did not include any series sweeps. * This is the first postseason that the NBA Playoffs carried more games on cable television than regular broadcast television, and marks the debut for the NBA Playof ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002–03 NBA Season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The Hornets relocate from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana. At the time, the New Orleans Hornets were a continuation of the Charlotte Hornets franchise, but this was changed in 2014 after the second incarnation of the Hornets (originally the Charlotte Bobcats starting in 2004) purchased the records and history of the Hornets franchise from 1988 to 2002. As such, this was the first of two seasons in which the Charlotte NBA franchise "suspended operations" while the New Orleans NBA franchise was retconned as an expansion team. *At halftime of the Hornets' first game in New Orleans, the team retired Pete Maravich's jersey number against their former tenants, the Utah Jazz. Though Maravich never played for the Hornets, he had been a star player with L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003–04 Sacramento Kings Season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the Kings' 55th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 19th season in Sacramento. During the off-season, the Kings acquired Brad Miller from the Indiana Pacers and signed free agent Anthony Peeler. Superstar forward Chris Webber, who spent most of the season recovering from microfracture knee surgery, then serving a suspension due to the Ed Martin scandal, returned for the final 23 games of the season in which they played mediocre basketball the rest of the way. Still, the Kings finished the season second in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record. Miller and Peja Stojaković were both selected for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. In the first round of the playoffs, the Kings defeated their archrivals the Dallas Mavericks in five games, before falling to league MVP Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round as Webber missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in Game 7. This ended the Kings' attempt at a champio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003–04 Denver Nuggets Season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 28th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 37th season as a franchise. The season saw the team draft future All-Star Carmelo Anthony with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. During the offseason, the team signed free agent Andre Miller, and re-signed former Nuggets guard Voshon Lenard. Coming off with the worst record of 17–65 the previous season, Anthony led the Nuggets to a fast start winning 13 of their first 19 games. However, the team struggled down the stretch posting losing records in February and March. The Nuggets finished sixth in the Midwest Division with a 43–39 record, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Anthony had a stellar rookie season averaging 21.0 points per game, and being selected to the All-Rookie First Team. He also finished second behind LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Rookie of The Year voting. However, in the first round of the playoffs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in the NBA Finals. Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. Overview The 2004 playoffs was the first appearance for the Memphis Grizzlies in their nine-year history which began in Vancouver. However, they failed to win a single game in their first 3 playoff appearances (2004, 2005, 2006), before earning their first playoff game and series victories in 2011. The Minnesota Timberwolves, entered their eighth consecutive post season. The Denver Nuggets made the playoffs for the first time since 1995. The New Orleans Hornets made their final postseason appearance as a member of the East. They would not make the playoffs again until 2008, as a member of the West (the result of a realignment with the addition of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
The NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jordan Trophy, named after the five-time MVP. Prior to 2021, the winner received the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which was named in honor of the first commissioner (then president) of the NBA, who served from 1946 until 1963. With the switch to the Michael Jordan Trophy, his name was moved to a new Maurice Podoloff Trophy given to the team with the best regular season record. Until the , the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the , the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Each member of the voting panel casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time, known for his intensity, versatility, and defensive ability. As of 2024, he is one of five NBA players to have won both the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and a national player of the year award winner. He entered the 1995 NBA draft, where he was selected with the fifth 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, he led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
