1999–2000 NBA season

1999–2000 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	November 2, 1999 – April 19, 2000 April 22 – June 4, 2000 (Playoffs) June 7 – 19, 2000 (Finals)
Number of teams	29
TV partner(s)	NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pick	Elton Brand
Picked by	Chicago Bulls
Regular season
Top seed	Los Angeles Lakers
Season MVP	Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
Top scorer	Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Indiana Pacers
Eastern runners-up	New York Knicks
Western champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Western runners-up	Portland Trail Blazers
Finals
Champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Runners-up	Indiana Pacers
Finals MVP	Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)

The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. The season 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

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.
• The 2000 NBA All-Star Game 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. The Slam Dunk Contest returned after a two-year absence, with Vince Carter winning the title.
• Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers played their first games at the Staples Center. 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.
• 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.
• The Denver Nuggets played their first game at the Pepsi Center.
• The Indiana Pacers played their first game at the Conseco Fieldhouse (now Bankers Life Fieldhouse).
• The Indiana Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
• The Atlanta Hawks played their first game at the Philips Arena.
• The Miami Heat started the season playing their home games at Miami Arena. In January, they played their first game at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
• The Toronto Raptors played their first full season at the Air Canada Centre. They also made the playoffs for the first time becoming the first Canadian team to do so.
• 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.
• Two players were killed in automobile accidents within four months of each other. On January 12, Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was killed in reckless driving while racing against teammate David Wesley. On May 20, Malik Sealy of the Minnesota Timberwolves was driving home from a birthday party being held for Kevin Garnett, when a drunk-driver driving on the wrong side, struck his SUV.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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 three-team deal.
• Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain died on October 12, 1999 at 63. Wilt's former teams, the Lakers, Sixers, and Warriors honored him by sporting black patches for the rest of the season.
• Kevin Johnson returned from retirement to replace the injured Jason Kidd of Phoenix Suns in this season's playoffs, but the Suns fell to the Lakers in the second round and Johnson would retire again.
• 36-year-old Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley suffered a devastating injury early in the season but returned for a final game before retiring.

Final standings

By division

Atlantic Division	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

Central Division	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

Midwest Division	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

Pacific Division	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

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Indiana Pacers	56	26	.683	–
2	y-Miami Heat	52	30	.634	4
3	x-New York Knicks	50	32	.610	6
4	x-Charlotte Hornets	49	33	.598	7
5	x-Philadelphia 76ers	49	33	.598	7
6	x-Toronto Raptors	45	37	.549	11
7	x-Detroit Pistons	42	40	.512	14
8	x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	14
9	Orlando Magic	41	41	.500	15
10	Boston Celtics	35	47	.427	21
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	32	50	.390	24
12	New Jersey Nets	31	51	.378	25
13	Washington Wizards	29	53	.354	27
14	Atlanta Hawks	28	54	.341	28
15	Chicago Bulls	17	65	.207	39

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	67	15	.817	–
2	y-Utah Jazz	55	27	.671	12
3	x-Portland Trail Blazers	59	23	.720	8
4	x-San Antonio Spurs	53	29	.646	14
5	x-Phoenix Suns	53	29	.646	14
6	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	50	32	.610	17
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	45	37	.549	22
8	x-Sacramento Kings	44	38	.537	23
9	Dallas Mavericks	40	42	.488	27
10	Denver Nuggets	35	47	.427	32
11	Houston Rockets	34	48	.415	33
12	Vancouver Grizzlies	22	60	.268	45
13	Golden State Warriors	19	63	.232	48
14	Los Angeles Clippers	15	67	.183	52

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

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
	1	L.A. Lakers	3
	8	Sacramento	2
						1	L.A. Lakers	4
						5	Phoenix	1
	4	San Antonio	1
	5	Phoenix	3
											1	L.A. Lakers	4
	Western Conference
											3	Portland	3
	3	Portland	3
	6	Minnesota	1
						3	Portland	4
						2	Utah	1
	2	Utah	3
	7	Seattle	2
																W1	L.A. Lakers	4
																E1	Indiana	2
	1	Indiana	3
	8	Milwaukee	2
						1	Indiana	4
						5	Philadelphia	2
	4	Charlotte	1
	5	Philadelphia	3
											1	Indiana	4
	Eastern Conference
											3	New York	2
	3	New York	3
	6	Toronto	0
						3	New York	4
						2	Miami	3
	2	Miami	3
	7	Detroit	0

Statistics leaders

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

• Most Valuable Player: Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
• Co-Rookies of the Year: Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls; Steve Francis, Houston Rockets
• Defensive Player of the Year: Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
• Sixth Man of the Year: Rodney Rogers, Phoenix Suns
• Most Improved Player: Jalen Rose, Indiana Pacers
• Coach of the Year: Doc Rivers, Orlando Magic
• Executive of the Year: John Gabriel, Orlando Magic
• Sportsmanship Award: Eric Snow, Philadelphia 76ers

All-NBA First Team: F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves C – Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G – Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

All-NBA Second Team: F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F – Grant Hill, Detroit Pistons C – Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat G – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

All-NBA Third Team: F – Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings F – Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs G – Eddie Jones, Charlotte Hornets G – Stephon Marbury, New Jersey Nets

NBA All-Defensive First Team: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

All-Defensive Second Team: Scottie Pippen, Portland Trail Blazers Clifford Robinson, Phoenix Suns Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers Eddie Jones, Charlotte Hornets Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

NBA All-Rookie First Team: Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls Steve Francis, Houston Rockets Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Clippers Wally Szczerbiak, Minnesota Timberwolves Andre Miller, Cleveland Cavaliers

All-Rookie Second Team: Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns Ron Artest, Chicago Bulls James Posey, Denver Nuggets Jason Terry, Atlanta Hawks Chucky Atkins, Orlando Magic

Players of the month

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

Month	Player
1October – November	O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
2December	Mourning, AlonzoAlonzo Mourning (Miami Heat)
3January	Garnett, KevinKevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves)
4February	O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
5March	O'Neal, ShaquilleShaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
6April	Payton, GaryGary Payton (Seattle SuperSonics)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.

Month	Player
1October – November	Griffin, AdrianAdrian Griffin (Boston Celtics) Odom, LamarLamar Odom (Los Angeles Clippers)
2December	Francis, SteveSteve Francis (Houston Rockets)
3January	Brand, EltonElton Brand (Chicago Bulls)
4February	Brand, EltonElton Brand (Chicago Bulls)
5March	Francis, SteveSteve Francis (Houston Rockets)
6April	Brand, EltonElton Brand (Chicago Bulls) Francis, SteveSteve Francis (Houston Rockets)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month	Coach
1October – November	Dunleavy, MikeMike Dunleavy (Portland Trail Blazers)
2December	Jackson, PhilPhil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
3January	Saunders, FlipFlip Saunders (Minnesota Timberwolves)
4February	Jackson, PhilPhil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
5March	Sloan, JerryJerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
5April	Silas, PaulPaul Silas (Charlotte Hornets)

References