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1999–2000 NBA season

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1999–2000 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
Duration
  • November 2, 1999 – April 19, 2000
  • April 22 – June 4, 2000 (Playoffs)
  • June 7 – 19, 2000 (Finals)
Number of teams29
TV partner(s)NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pickElton Brand
Picked byChicago Bulls
Regular season
Top seedLos Angeles Lakers
Season MVPShaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
Top scorerShaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
Playoffs
Eastern championsIndiana Pacers
  Eastern runners-upNew York Knicks
Western championsLos Angeles Lakers
  Western runners-upPortland Trail Blazers
Finals
ChampionsLos Angeles Lakers
  Runners-upIndiana Pacers
Finals MVPShaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
NBA seasons

The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. The season began on November 2, 1999, and ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2 in the 2000 NBA Finals.

Players warming up prior to an April 2000 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the season's eventual Eastern Conference champions Indiana Pacers at the Charlotte Coliseum.

Notable occurrences

[edit]
Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1998–99 coach 1999–2000 coach
Cleveland Cavaliers Mike Fratello Randy Wittman
Denver Nuggets Mike D'Antoni Dan Issel
Los Angeles Lakers Kurt Rambis Phil Jackson
Orlando Magic Chuck Daly Doc Rivers
Washington Wizards Jim Brovelli Gar Heard
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Detroit Pistons Alvin Gentry George Irvine
Golden State Warriors P.J. Carlesimo Garry St. Jean
Los Angeles Clippers Chris Ford Jim Todd
Phoenix Suns Danny Ainge Scott Skiles
Vancouver Grizzlies Brian Hill Lionel Hollins
Washington Wizards Gar Heard Darrell Walker
  • Effective this season, the first game of the NBA regular season begins on either the first Tuesday of November or the last Tuesday of October, and the last game on the third Wednesday of April. The NBA playoffs begin on the third Saturday of April.
  • Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain died on October 12, 1999, at 63.[1] Wilt's former teams, the Lakers, Sixers, and Warriors honored him by sporting black patches for the rest of the season.
  • The Boston Celtics officially retired their trademark parquet floor on December 22, 1999, after 54 years. The floor would be replaced by a replica combining elements of the old floor and new wooden sections.[2]
  • Two active players were killed in automobile accidents within four months of each other.
    • On January 12, Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was killed as a result of reckless driving while racing against teammate David Wesley.[3] Phills would have his jersey retired during the season after news of his unexpected death was announced.[4]
    • On May 20, Malik Sealy of the Minnesota Timberwolves was driving home from a birthday party being held for Kevin Garnett when his SUV was struck by a drunk driver who had been driving on the wrong side of the road.[5] Sealy would have his jersey retired on November 4, 2000.[6]
  • The Lakers would also go on to win 19 consecutive games between February 4, 2000, and March 16, 2000, the sixth-longest winning streak in NBA history.[7]
  • The 2000 NBA All-Star Game was held in Oakland, California. The West won 137–126. Tim Duncan from the San Antonio Spurs and Shaquille O'Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers shared the game's MVP honors.[8] The Slam Dunk Contest returned after a two-year absence, with Vince Carter winning the title in what is considered to be the best Dunk Contest performance of all time.[9]
  • San Antonio Spurs forward Sean Elliott was sidelined for most of the season while undergoing kidney transplant operations. He successfully returned on March 13, becoming the first player to return following kidney transplant.[10]
  • Staples Center's first season saw its tenants at two opposite ends of the league: the Lakers finished with a best regular season record of 67–15 and the NBA title, while the Clippers finished 15–67, the worst of the season.[11]
  • The Toronto Raptors also made the playoffs for the first time, becoming the first Canadian team to do so.
  • 36-year-old Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley suffered a devastating injury early in the season but returned for a final game before retiring.[12]
  • The season marked Patrick Ewing's last in a New York Knicks uniform. He was traded during the 2000 offseason to the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team deal.[13]
  • Doc Rivers became the first recipient of the NBA Coach of the Year Award to have not led his team to the playoffs. He coached the Orlando Magic to a respectable 41–41 (.500) record, good enough for the 9th seed in the East.[14]
  • During Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Portland Trail Blazers held a 75–60 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers with 10:28 left to play. During the fourth quarter, the Blazers would miss thirteen consecutive shots, allowing the Lakers to claw back and take the game, 89–84. The game was capped off with a famous alley-oop to Shaquille O'Neal from Kobe Bryant.[15]
  • The Indiana Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.[16]
  • Kevin Johnson returned from retirement to replace the injured Jason Kidd of the Phoenix Suns in this season's playoffs, but the Suns fell to the Lakers in the second round and Johnson would retire again.

1999–2000 NBA changes

[edit]

Teams

[edit]
1999-2000 National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Atlantic Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts FleetCenter 19,156
Miami Heat Miami, Florida Miami Arena
American Airlines Arena
15,200
19,500
New Jersey Nets East Rutherford, New Jersey Continental Airlines Arena 20,049
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 19,812
Orlando Magic Orlando, Florida TD Waterhouse Centre 17,283
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First Union Center 20,338
Washington Wizards Washington, District of Columbia MCI Center 20,356
Central Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, Georgia Philips Arena 20,233
Charlotte Hornets Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte Coliseum 24,042
Chicago Bulls Chicago, Illinois United Center 21,711
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland, Ohio Gund Arena 19,432
Detroit Pistons Auburn Hills, Michigan The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076
Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, Indiana Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bradley Center 18,717
Toronto Raptors Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre 19,800
Western Conference
Midwest Dallas Mavericks Dallas, Texas Reunion Arena 18,293
Denver Nuggets Denver, Colorado Pepsi Center 19,099
Houston Rockets Houston, Texas Compaq Center 16,285
Minnesota Timberwolves Minneapolis, Minnesota Target Center 18,798
San Antonio Spurs San Antonio, Texas Alamodome 20,557
Utah Jazz Salt Lake City, Utah Delta Center 18,306
Vancouver Grizzlies Vancouver, British Columbia General Motors Place 19,193
Pacific Golden State Warriors Oakland, California The Arena in Oakland 19,596
Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles, California Staples Center 19,079
Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles, California Staples Center 19,079
Phoenix Suns Phoenix, Arizona America West Arena 19,023
Portland Trail Blazers Portland, Oregon Rose Garden 21,401
Sacramento Kings Sacramento, California ARCO Arena 17,317
Seattle SuperSonics Seattle, Washington Key Arena 17,072

Map of teams

[edit]
Atlantic Division Central Division Midwest Division Pacific Division

Final standings

[edit]

By division

[edit]
Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Miami Heat 52 30 .634 33–8 19–22 18–6
x-New York Knicks 50 32 .610 2 33–8 17–24 14–10
x-Philadelphia 76ers 49 33 .598 3 29–12 20–21 13–11
Orlando Magic 41 41 .500 11 26–15 15–26 12–13
Boston Celtics 35 47 .427 17 26–15 9–32 12–12
New Jersey Nets 31 51 .378 21 22–19 9–32 9–16
Washington Wizards 29 53 .354 23 17–24 12–29 7–17
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Indiana Pacers 56 26 .683 36–5 20–21 20–8
x-Charlotte Hornets 49 33 .598 7 30–11 19–22 20–8
x-Toronto Raptors 45 37 .549 11 26–15 19–22 16–12
x-Detroit Pistons 42 40 .512 14 27–14 15–26 16–12
x-Milwaukee Bucks 42 40 .512 14 23–18 19–22 16–12
Cleveland Cavaliers 32 50 .390 24 22–19 10–31 8–20
Atlanta Hawks 28 54 .341 28 21–20 7–34 11–17
Chicago Bulls 17 65 .207 39 12–29 5–36 5–23
Western Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 55 27 .671 31–10 24–17 14–10
x-San Antonio Spurs 53 29 .646 2 31–10 22–19 16–8
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 50 32 .610 5 26–15 24–17 18–6
Dallas Mavericks 40 42 .488 15 22–19 18–23 12–12
Denver Nuggets 35 47 .427 20 25–16 10–31 10–14
Houston Rockets 34 48 .415 21 22–19 12–29 8–16
Vancouver Grizzlies 22 60 .268 33 12–29 10–31 6–18
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 67 15 .817 36–5 31–10 20–4
x-Portland Trail Blazers 59 23 .720 8 30–11 29–12 21–3
x-Phoenix Suns 53 29 .646 14 32–9 21–20 15–9
x-Seattle SuperSonics 45 37 .549 22 24–17 21–20 12–12
x-Sacramento Kings 44 38 .537 23 30–11 14–27 9–15
Golden State Warriors 19 63 .232 48 12–29 7–34 2–22
Los Angeles Clippers 15 67 .183 52 10–31 5–36 5–19

By conference

[edit]

Notes

  • z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
  • c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
  • y – Clinched division title
  • x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

[edit]

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
            
E1 Indiana* 3
E8 Milwaukee 2
E1 Indiana* 4
E5 Philadelphia 2
E4 Charlotte 1
E5 Philadelphia 3
E1 Indiana* 4
Eastern Conference
E3 New York 2
E3 New York 3
E6 Toronto 0
E3 New York 4
E2 Miami* 3
E2 Miami* 3
E7 Detroit 0
E1 Indiana* 2
W1 LA Lakers* 4
W1 LA Lakers* 3
W8 Sacramento 2
W1 LA Lakers* 4
W5 Phoenix 1
W4 San Antonio 1
W5 Phoenix 3
W1 LA Lakers* 4
Western Conference
W3 Portland 3
W3 Portland 3
W6 Minnesota 1
W3 Portland 4
W2 Utah* 1
W2 Utah* 3
W7 Seattle 2
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

[edit]
Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers 29.7
Rebounds per game Dikembe Mutombo Atlanta Hawks 14.1
Assists per game Jason Kidd Phoenix Suns 10.1
Steals per game Eddie Jones Charlotte Hornets 2.67
Blocks per game Alonzo Mourning Miami Heat 3.72
FG% Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers .574
FT% Jeff Hornacek Utah Jazz .950
3FG% Hubert Davis Dallas Mavericks .491

NBA awards

[edit]

Players of the month

[edit]

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

Month Player Ref.
October – November Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) [22]
December Alonzo Mourning (Miami Heat)
January Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves)
February Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
March Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
April Gary Payton (Seattle SuperSonics) [23]

Rookies of the month

[edit]

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.

Month Player Ref.
October – November Adrian Griffin (Boston Celtics)
Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Clippers)
[22]
December Steve Francis (Houston Rockets)
January Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls)
February Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls)
March Steve Francis (Houston Rockets)
April Elton Brand (Chicago Bulls)
Steve Francis (Houston Rockets)
[24]

Coaches of the month

[edit]

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month Coach Ref.
October – November Mike Dunleavy (Portland Trail Blazers) [22]
December Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
January Flip Saunders (Minnesota Timberwolves)
February Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
March Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
April Paul Silas (Charlotte Hornets)

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Entered the NBA as Ron Artest before changing his name in 2011.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Litsky, Frank (October 12, 1999). "Wilt Chamberlain Is Dead at 63". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "ESPN.com - NBA - Celtics to officially replace parquet floor". www.espn.com. November 22, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  3. ^ "ESPN.com - NBA - Hornets' Phills, 30, killed in car crash". a.espncdn.com. January 16, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "Hornets Retire Phills' No. 13". www.nba.com. February 7, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "ESPN.com - NBA - Sealy dies in collision with pickup truck". www.espn.com. May 22, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Timberwolves, Minnesota. "Timberwolves History - Wolves Transactions". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Fromal, Adam (March 22, 2013). "Ranking Most Impressive Stretches of Kobe Bryant's Career". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "2000 NBA All-Star recap". NBA.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Zarum, Dave. "The oral history of Vince Carter's dunk contest win". sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Rayford, Meg (November 10, 2014). "National Kidney Foundation's Michele Anthony and Wizards Alumni Association Executive Director Bob Dandridge on the 34th Annual Kidney Ball | WashingtonExec". Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Treat, Jeremy (April 15, 2016). "A Mini History of the L.A. Clippers". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Alexander, Rachel (December 9, 1999). "Washingtonpost.com: Barkley's Career Ends on Injury". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "Legends profile: Patrick Ewing". NBA.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Ferguson, Mike (April 26, 2020). "20-year Orlandoversary: Magic's Doc Rivers named NBA Coach of the Year". Orlando Pinstriped Post. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Beck, Howard (June 4, 2020). "'Bryant...to Shaq!'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Michael, J. (June 5, 2020). "20 years later, Pacers reflect on only NBA Finals trip: 'You always wonder what could've been.'". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Historical Timeline: Heritage Hall". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "Pepsi Center". InsideArenas.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "20 Years of Fieldhouse Memories with Many More to Come". www.nba.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ "A behind-the-scenes look at the center of NBA star power". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "Kaseya Center: These Are All the Names the Miami-Dade Arena Has Had in Over 20 Years". NBC 6 South Florida. April 6, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c "League Honors". The Ledger. April 5, 2000. pp. C8. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Payton NBA player of the month - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  24. ^ "ESPN.com - NBA - Francis, Brand tie in rookie voting". www.espn.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.