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NBA 2003-04 Season

Summary
Standings
League Leaders
Awards
Playoff Results
Other Resources

Summary

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the best record in the Western Conference with 58 wins, finishing one game ahead of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the Midwest Division, while the Los Angeles Lakers led the Pacific Division with 56 victories.

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, who had joined the team right of high school in 1995, was named the league's MVP. He was the first player to lead the NBA in both total points and total rebounds since Bob McAdoo in 1974-75. The previous season's MVP, Tim Duncan, finished a distant second in the balloting, as Garnett received 120 of the 123 first-place votes.

The Indiana Pacers led the league and the Eastern Conference with 61 wins, 7 games ahead of the Detroits Pistons in the Central Division. The New Jersey Nets led the Atlantic Divison with just 47 victories.

Despite Indiana's record, NBA analysts generally agreed that the league champion would come from the west. The Lakers were especially favored by many of them. Los Angeles had loaded up by signing two aging stars, forward Karl Malone and guard Gary Payton in what figured to be a last attempt to win a championship with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who was due to become a free agent when the season ended.

Sure enough, the Lakers blew by the Houston Rockets in five games, beat the Spurs in six games, the won another six-game series over Minesota to reach the finals, while the Pacers were defeated by the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Pistons then shocked the basketball world by winning the first game of the championship series at Los Angeles. As the series went on, each Detroit win became less shocking. Using ferocious team defense and a well-balanced offense, Detroit won four out of five against to the Lakers to win the NBA title for the first time since 1990.

Point guard Chauncey Billups of Detroit was named MVP of the finals, though several analysts thought the trophy could well have gone to the entire team. The bottom line: Detroit had five players who averaged double figures in the playoffs, while the Lakers had only two, O'Neal and Bryant.

Standings

Eastern Conference - Atlantic Division

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
New Jersey	47	35	.573	--
Miami	42	40	.512	5.0
New York	39	43	.476	8.0
Boston	36	46	.439	11.0
Philadelphia	33	49	.402	14.0
Washington	25	57	.305	22.0
Orlando	21	61	.256	26.0

Eastern Conference - Central Division

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Indiana	61	21	.744	--
Detroit	54	28	.659	7.0
New Orleans	41	41	.500	20.0
Milwaukee	41	41	.500	20.0
Cleveland	35	47	.427	26.0
Toronto	33	49	.402	28.0
Atlanta	28	54	.341	33.0
Chicago	23	59	.280	38.0

Western Conference - Midwest Division

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Minnesota	58	24	.707	--
San Antonio	57	25	.695	1.0
Dallas	52	30	.634	6.0
Memphis	50	32	.610	8.0
Houston	45	37	.549	13.0
Denver	43	39	.524	15.0
Utah	42	40	.512	16.0

Western Conference - Pacific Division

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
L.A. Lakers	56	26	.683	--
Sacramento	55	27	.671	1.0
Portland	41	41	.500	15.0
Golden State	37	45	.451	19.0
Seattle	37	45	.451	19.0
Phoenix	29	53	.354	27.0
L.A. Clippers	28	54	.341	28.0

League Leaders

Scoring

Player, Team	G	FG	FT	Pts	Ave.
Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic	67	653	398	1,878	28.0
Predrag Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	81	665	394	1,964	24.2
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	82	804	368	1,987	24.2
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers	65	516	454	1,557	24.0
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics	80	602	517	1,836	23.0
Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets	67	554	237	1,532	22.9
Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors	73	608	336	1,645	22.5
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs	69	592	352	1,538	22.3
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks	77	605	371	1,680	21.8
Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks	82	633	383	1,776	21.7
Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers	67	554	331	1,439	21.5
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets	82	624	408	1,725	21.0
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers	79	622	347	1,654	20.9
Corey Maggette, Los Angeles Clippers	73	453	526	1,508	20.7
Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks	81	598	356	1,639	20.2
Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers	78	608	348	1,566	20.1
Zach Randolph, Portland Trail Blazers	81	663	299	1,626	20.1
Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves	81	620	289	1,603	19.8
Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns	79	590	228	1,498	19.0
Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors	78	563	258	1,461	18.7
Michael Finley, Dallas Mavericks	72	514	164	1,342	18.6
Richard Jefferson, New Jersey Nets	82	555	357	1,515	18.5
Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings	82	527	304	1,506	18.4
Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers	73	468	322	1,333	18.3
Stephen Jackson, Atlanta Hawks	80	536	233	1,450	18.1

Rebounds

Player, Team	G	Off	Def	Reb	Ave.
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	82	3.0	10.9	1,139	13.9
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs	69	3.3	9.2	859	12.4
Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons	81	4.0	8.4	1,006	12.4
Erick Dampier, Golden State Warriors	74	4.6	7.3	887	12.0
Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers	75	3.1	8.4	857	11.4
Zach Randolph, Portland Trail Blazers	81	3.0	7.5	851	10.5
Jamaal Magloire, New Orleans Hornets	82	3.3	7.1	847	10.3
Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings	72	2.7	7.7	743	10.3
Kenny Thomas, Philadelphia 76ers	74	3.5	6.6	750	10.1
Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets	72	2.9	7.2	727	10.1
Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers	78	2.5	7.5	778	10.0
Donyell Marshall, Toronto Raptors	82	2.6	7.3	808	9.9
Lamar Odom, Miami Heat	80	2.0	7.7	776	9.7
Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns	79	2.7	6.6	737	9.3
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets	82	2.4	6.6	735	9.0
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks	77	1.2	7.5	670	8.7
P.J. Brown, New Orleans Hornets	80	3.0	5.7	690	8.6
Joe Smith, Milwaukee Bucks	76	3.0	5.4	643	8.5
Antonio Davis, Chicago Bulls	80	2.6	5.8	671	8.4
Antoine Walker, Dallas Mavericks	82	2.4	5.9	684	8.3
Kurt Thomas, New York Knicks	80	1.8	6.5	662	8.3
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz	78	2.9	5.2	629	8.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers	81	3.4	4.6	653	8.1
Radoslav Nesterovic, San Antonio Spurs	82	3.1	4.6	633	7.7
Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies	78	2.6	5.1	600	7.7

Assists

Player, Team	G	Ast	Ave.
Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets	67	618	9.2
Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks	81	719	8.9
Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks	78	687	8.8
Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets	67	501	7.5
Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves	81	592	7.3
Eric Snow, Philadelphia 76ers	82	563	6.9
Jason Williams, Memphis Grizzlies	72	492	6.8
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls	76	517	6.8
Steve Francis, Houston Rockets	79	493	6.2
Jeff McInnis, Cleveland Cavaliers	70	430	6.1
Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets	82	501	6.1
Damon Stoudamire, Portland Trail Blazers	82	500	6.1
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers	79	465	5.9
Damon Jones, Milwaukee Bucks	82	478	5.8
Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons	78	446	5.7
Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs	75	411	5.5
Gary Payton, Los Angeles Lakers	82	449	5.5
Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings	82	444	5.4
Jason Terry, Atlanta Hawks	81	437	5.4
Vlade Divac, Sacramento Kings	81	432	5.3
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics	80	410	5.1
Jamal Crawford, Chicago Bulls	80	405	5.1
Carlos Arroyo, Utah Jazz	71	355	5.0
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	82	409	5.0
Earl Watson, Memphis Grizzlies	81	402	5.0

Field Goal Percentage

Player, Team	FGM	FGA	Pct.
Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers	554	948	.584
Mark Blount, Boston Celtics	342	604	.566
Erick Dampier, Golden State Warriors	348	650	.535
Antawn Jamison, Dallas Mavericks	488	913	.535
Nenê, Denver Nuggets	334	630	.530
Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers	471	900	.523
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets	535	1,025	.522
Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings	373	731	.510
Corliss Williamson, Detroit Pistons	304	602	.505
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs	592	1,181	.501
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	804	1,611	.499
Richard Jefferson, New Jersey Nets	555	1,115	.498
Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls	417	840	.496
Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers	484	982	.493
Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves	620	1,270	.488
Kenyon Martin, New Jersey Nets	439	900	.488
Darius Miles, Portland Trail Blazers	365	753	.485
Zach Randolph, Portland Trail Blazers	663	1,368	.485
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers	466	965	.483
Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies	506	1,049	.482
Predrag Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	665	1,386	.480
Maurice Taylor, Houston Rockets	367	765	.480
James Posey, Memphis Grizzlies	368	770	.478
P.J. Brown, New Orleans Hornets	339	712	.476
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Portland Trail Blazers	501	1,054	.475
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns	411	865	.475

Free Throw Percentage

Player, Team	FTM	FTA	Pct.
Predrag Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	394	425	.927
Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks	230	251	.916
Allan Houston, New York Knicks	157	172	.913
Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics	245	271	.904
Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers	146	165	.885
Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons	404	460	.878
Brian Cardinal, Golden State Warriors	238	271	.878
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks	371	423	.877
Earl Boykins, Denver Nuggets	142	162	.877
Damon Stoudamire, Portland Trail Blazers	127	145	.876
Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves	289	331	.873
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Portland Trail Blazers	373	429	.869
Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks	383	441	.868
Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons	297	342	.868
Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings	148	172	.860
Joe Smith, Milwaukee Bucks	207	241	.859
Keith Van Horn, Milwaukee Bucks	249	290	.859
Gordan Giricek, Utah Jazz	135	158	.854
P.J. Brown, New Orleans Hornets	158	185	.854
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers	454	533	.852
Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns	228	268	.851
Michael Finley, Dallas Mavericks	164	193	.850
Corey Maggette, Los Angeles Clippers	526	620	.848
Antonio Daniels, Seattle SuperSonics	155	184	.842
Kevin Ollie, Cleveland Cavaliers	147	176	.835
Eddie Jones, Miami Heat	278	333	.835

3-Point Percentage

Player, Team	3FGM	3FGA	Pct.
Anthony Peeler, Sacramento Kings	68	141	.482
Brent Barry, Seattle SuperSonics	114	252	.452
Brian Cardinal, Golden State Warriors	55	124	.444
Fred Hoiberg, Minnesota Timberwolves	76	172	.442
Aaron McKie, Philadelphia 76ers	75	172	.436
Predrag Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	240	554	.433
Allan Houston, New York Knicks	87	202	.431
Hidayet Turkoglu, San Antonio Spurs	101	241	.419
Casey Jacobsen, Phoenix Suns	75	180	.417
Charlie Ward, San Antonio Spurs	84	206	.408
Michael Finley, Dallas Mavericks	150	370	.405
Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks	104	257	.405
Donyell Marshall, Toronto Raptors	131	325	.403
Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers	134	334	.401
Jim Jackson, Houston Rockets	162	405	.400
Keith Van Horn, Milwaukee Bucks	93	233	.399
Wesley Person, Atlanta Hawks	55	138	.399
Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves	74	186	.398
Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns	83	210	.395
Gordan Giricek, Utah Jazz	60	152	.395
Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics	148	378	.392
Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings	148	378	.392
Kyle Korver, Philadelphia 76ers	81	207	.391
Cuttino Mobley, Houston Rockets	164	420	.390
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls	144	369	.390

Steals

Player, Team	G	Stl	Ave.
Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets	67	158	2.36
Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns	79	167	2.11
Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers	73	152	2.08
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz	78	150	1.92
Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings	82	151	1.84
Stephen Jackson, Atlanta Hawks	80	142	1.78
Emanuel Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs	77	136	1.77
Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons	81	143	1.77
Steve Francis, Houston Rockets	79	139	1.76
Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets	82	142	1.73
Darrell Armstrong, New Orleans Hornets	79	133	1.68
James Posey, Memphis Grizzlies	82	137	1.67
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers	79	130	1.65
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics	80	131	1.64
Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks	81	129	1.59
Jason Terry, Atlanta Hawks	81	124	1.53
Kerry Kittles, New Jersey Nets	82	125	1.52
Nenê, Denver Nuggets	77	116	1.51
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	82	120	1.46
Rafer Alston, Miami Heat	82	114	1.39
Jamal Crawford, Chicago Bulls	80	111	1.39
Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings	82	112	1.37
Cuttino Mobley, Houston Rockets	80	107	1.34
Predrag Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings	81	108	1.33
Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls	76	101	1.33
Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns	70	93	1.33

Blocked Shots

Player, Team	G	Blk	Ave..
Theo Ratliff, Portland Trail Blazers	85	307	3.61
Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons	81	246	3.04
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz	78	215	2.76
Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs	69	185	2.68
Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets	72	187	2.60
Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers	78	199	2.55
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers	81	201	2.48
Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers	67	166	2.48
Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia 76ers	82	189	2.30
Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers	69	154	2.23
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves	82	178	2.17
Radoslav Nesterovic, San Antonio Spurs	82	165	2.01
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets	82	156	1.90
Dikembe Mutombo, New York Knicks	65	123	1.89
Erick Dampier, Golden State Warriors	74	137	1.85
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons	68	122	1.79
Greg Ostertag, Utah Jazz	78	139	1.78
Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies	78	132	1.69
Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets	71	114	1.61
Etan Thomas, Washington Wizards	79	123	1.56
Stromile Swift, Memphis Grizzlies	77	118	1.53
Donyell Marshall, Toronto Raptors	82	124	1.51
Calvin Booth, Seattle SuperSonics	71	101	1.42
Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors	75	106	1.41
Dan Gadzuric, Milwaukee Bucks	75	105	1.40

Awards

All-NBA Team

FIRST TEAM
Tim Duncan, San Antonio
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
Shaquille O'Neal, L.A. Lakers
Jason Kidd, New Jersey
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

SECOND TEAM
Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana
Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento
Ben Wallace, Detroit
Sam Cassell, Minnesota
Tracy McGrady, Orlando

THIRD TEAM
Ron Artest, Indiana
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Yao Ming, Houston
Baron Davis, New Orleans
Michael Redd, Milwaukee

Most Valuable Player

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota

Rookie of the Year

LeBron James, Cleveland

Defensive Player of the Year

Ron Artest, Indiana

Sixth Man Award

Antawn Jamison, Dallas

Coach of the Year

Hubie Brown, Memphis

Playoff Results

Eastern Conference	Western Conference
First Round
Indiana 4, Boston 0 at Indiana 104, Boston 88 at Indiana 103, Boston 90 Indiana 108, at Boston 85 Indiana 90, at Boston 75	Minnesota 4, Denver 1 at Minnesota 106, Denver 92 at Minnesota 95, Denver 81 at Denver 107, Minnesota 86 Minnesota 84, at Denver 82 at Minnesota 102, Denver 91
New Jersey 4, New York 0 at New Jersey 107, New York 83 at New Jersey 99, New York 81 New Jersey 81, at New York 78 New Jersey 100, at New York 94	LA Lakers 4, Houston 1 at LA Lakers 72, Houston 71 at LA Lakers 98, Houston 84 at Houston 102, LA Lakers 91 LA Lakers 92, at Houston 88 (OT) at LA Lakers 97, Houston 78
Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1 at Detroit 108, Milwaukee 82 Milwaukee 92, at Detroit 88 Detroit 95, at Milwaukee 85 Detroit 109, at Milwaukee 92 at Detroit 91, Milwaukee 77	San Antonio 4, Memphis 0 at San Antonio 98, Memphis 74 at San Antonio 87, Memphis 70 San Antonio 95, at Memphis 93 San Antonio 110, at Memphis 97
Miami 4, New Orleans 3 at Miami 81, New Orleans 79 at Miami 93, New Orleans 63 at New Orleans 77, Miami 71 at New Orleans 96, Miami 85 at Miami 87, New Orleans 83 at New Orleans 89, Miami 83 at Miami 85, New Orleans 77	Sacramento 4, Dallas 1 at Sacramento 116, Dallas 105 at Sacramento 83, Dallas 79 at Dallas 104, Sacramento 79 Sacramento 94, at Dallas 92 at Sacramento 119, Dallas 118
Conference Semifinals
Indiana 4, Miami 2 at Indiana 94, Miami 81 at Indiana 91, Miami 80 at Miami 94, Indiana 87 at Miami 100, Indiana 88 at Indiana 94, New Jersey 83 at Miami 70, Indiana 73	LA Lakers 4, San Antonio 2 at San Antonio 88, LA Lakers 78 at San Antonio 95, LA Lakers 85 at LA Lakers 105, San Antonio 81 at LA Lakers 98, San Antonio 90 at San Antonio 73, LA Lakers 74 at LA Lakers 88, San Antonio 76
Detroit 4, New Jersey 3 at Detroit 78, New Jersey 56 at Detroit 95, New Jersey 80 at New Jersey 82, Detroit 64 at New Jersey 94, Detroit 79 at Detroit 120, New Jersey 127 (3 OT) at New Jersey 75, Detroit 81 at Detroit 90, New Jersey 69	Minnesota 4, Sacramento 3 Sacramento 104, at Minnesota 98 at Minnesota 94, Sacramento 89 Minnesota 114, at Sacramento 113 (OT) at Sacramento 87, Minnesota 81 at Minnesota 86, Sacramento 74 at Sacramento 104, Minnesota 87 at Minnesota 83, Sacramento 80
Conference Finals
Detroit 4, Indiana 2 at Indiana 78, Detroit 74 at Indiana 67, Detroit 72 at Detroit 85, Indiana 78 at Detroit 68, Indiana 83 at Indiana 65, Detroit 83 at Detroit 69, Indiana 65	LA Lakers 4, Minnesota 2 at Minnesota 88, LA Lakers 97 at Minnesota 89, LA Lakers 71 at LA Lakers 100, Minnesota 89 at LA Lakers 92, Minnesota 85 at Minnesota 98, LA Lakers 96 at LA Lakers 96, Minnesota 90
Finals
Detroit 4, LA Lakers 1 at LA Lakers 75, Detroit 87 at LA Lakers 99, Detroit 91 (OT) at Detroit 88, LA Lakers 68 at Detroit 88, LA Lakers 80 at Detroit 100, LA Lakers 87

Other Resources

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2002-03 NBA season

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