2006–07 NBA season

The NBA season 2006/07 was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ended on April 18, 2007. 30 teams, each completed 82 games, took part. The eight best each conference qualified for the NBA playoffs, which began on 21 April 2007, and were completed by the NBA Finals on June 14.

The San Antonio Spurs won for the fourth time in club history the NBA championship. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0.

The German Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks was chosen as the first European player in NBA history to the Most Valuable Player ( best player of the season).

Season notes

• For the second year in a row, the New Orleans Hornets wore their home games in two cities of New Orleans and Oklahoma City.
• Joined Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, after ten years with the number 8 back to the 24th
• On June 28, 2006, the day of the NBA Draft, a new ball was introduced. After complaints from players and coaches, the league leaders led to 1 January 2007 back to the previously used throw.
• The 161:157 victory for the Phoenix Suns against the New Jersey Nets on 7 December 2006 was the fourth- highest score in an NBA game.
• In the game the Denver Nuggets against the New York Knicks (December 16 ), there was a few minutes before the game ends in a mass brawl of the players. All ten players who were at that time in the game, were dismissed. Seven of them (including Carmelo Anthony and Nate Robinson) were subsequently blocked for a total of 47 games.
• After 11 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Allen Iverson was getraded to the Denver Nuggets.
• The NBA All- Star Game 2007 took place on February 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. For this season highlight was first held on a college campus ( University of Nevada ), and in a city which does not represent a NBA team. The West defeated the East selection with 153:132. Kobe Bryant was voted MVP after he was able to achieve 31 points.
• Kobe Bryant scored in March four consecutive 50 -point games ( against the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets ). Throughout the season he was ten Games List, in which he made at least 50 points.
• After it came last season to inconsistencies in the seedings for the NBA playoffs, this has been slightly modified. Thus, now the best team that does not win its own division, standing in front of Division winners if they have a better record. This prevents that the two best teams in a Conference can meet prior to the Conference Finals.
• The NBA finished the regular season 2006/ 07 with the highest number of audience of all time ( 21.84148 million, 17 757 spectators per game).

End figures

W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = percentage share of victory, P = behind Division leaders

In parentheses are the rankings in the seedings of the respective Conference playoffs are listed.

Leading the Player Statistics

Honors

• Most Valuable Player: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
• Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
• Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers
• Sixth Man of the Year: Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns
• Most Improved Player: Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors
• Coach of the Year: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors
• All- NBA First Team: F - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
• F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
• C - Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
• G - Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
• G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

• F - LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• F - Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
• C - Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
• G - Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
• G - Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets

• F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
• F - Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
• C - Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
• G - Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
• G - Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons

• F - Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs
• F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
• C - Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
• G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
• G - Raja Bell, Phoenix Suns

• F - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
• F - Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistons
• C - Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls
• G - Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
• G - Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets

• Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers
• Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
• Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
• Jorge Garbajosa, Toronto Raptors
• LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers

• Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz
• Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats
• Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls
• Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
• Wálter Herrmann, Charlotte Bobcats
• Marcus Williams, New Jersey Nets

Play-offs

All play-off rounds will be played in best- of-seven - mode.

* Division Winner

Play-off Notes

• The Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls have had in the first round each of the home-field advantage, even though they were set lower than their respective opponents. Both teams had a better record this season, but played against divisional champion.
• The biggest surprise in the first play-off round certainly succeeded the Golden State Warriors. They threw the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 out of the race and beat the first team in a best - of-seven series ( and third team ever), which was set to position 8, the first place winners.
• As the Miami Heat were eliminated, both last year's finalists were already eliminated in the first round.
• In the first round, Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets was a triple -double recorded in section. He made in six games against the Toronto Raptors on average 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 13.2 assists. He succeeded for the second time in his career ( according to the 2002 Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics ). Before him, managed only to Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson more than once in their career a triple-double in a play-off series.
• The Conference semifinal series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns was one of the most hotly contested in the recent past. She was marked by hard use, culminating in a bleeding nose of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire for match suspensions and Boris Diaw in Game 5 as well as for Robert Horry in Game 5 and 6. The Spurs won the series 4-2, though the Suns had the home field advantage.
• On 30 May, the Spurs qualified as first Finals participants after they were 4-1 defeat in the Conference Finals the Utah Jazz. They stood thus for the fourth time in the club's history in the NBA Finals.
• On 3 June, the Cleveland Cavaliers qualified for the first time in their history for the NBA Finals. They won the sixth game against the Detroit Pistons at 98:82. Particularly important in this series was the fifth and penultimate game the Cleveland to double extension with 109:107 decided for themselves. LeBron James scored in this game, a franchise playoff record of 48 points.

NBA Finals 2007

• The 2007 NBA Finals began on June 7 and went on June 14 after only four games to end. This was the first " sweep " in the NBA Finals for the Spurs, who won their fourth NBA title after 1999, 2003 and 2005. So far, only three other clubs at least four times champion (Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls) were.
• Tony Parker of the Spurs was selected to the NBA Finals MVP. This was the Frenchman became the first European player in NBA history this award. In the four games against the Cavaliers Parker scored an average of 24.5 points per game, where he had a hit rate of 56.8 percent ( 42 of 74 litters ).
• Robert Horry won his seventh overall NBA championship. He is therefore the only non- Celtics player of NBA history to ever win as many titles.
• Of the 22 finals that have the San Antonio Spurs played so far, they could win 16. The 72.7 - percent winning rate is the highest in NBA Finals history.