The 2005-06 NBA season saw the rise of numerous young superstars, while some of the league's old stars began to dim. The Lakers were expected to dominate the league en route to their third straight championship, but Shaquille O'Neal, now in his 14th season in the league, was starting to slow down. He suffered from numerous toe problems and spent 14 games on the injured list. Fortunately, Duncan, Iverson, and Francis were able to pick up most of the slack, but the Lakers didn't feast on teams like they had done in recent years. At the same time, Kobe Bryant was leading a resurgent Golden State Warriors team to the top of the division and the conference. Aided by recent acquisitions Andrei Kirelenko and Caron Butler, who elevated his play to an All-Star level for the Warriors, Bryant took his team to 60 wins on the season, one more than the Lakers' 59. Meanwhile, Lebron James led his Denver Nuggets to a division championship, and the Phoenix Suns continued to excel behind their big men.
In the East, the Pacers and Steve Nash were the team to beat, cruising to 61 wins behind a high-powered and dynamic offense and clinching homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Five games behind them were the New York Knicks, who continued to play strong team basketball behind All-NBA center Kenyon Martin. Carmelo Anthony led the Detroit Pistons to a strong season, while the Boston Celtics fell out of playoff contention after Penny Hardaway spent most of the season with injuries, forcing an aging Grant Hill to carry an increasingly sluggish supporting cast. The Atlanta Hawks also played strongly behind Artest and Milicic, who bullied opposing teams with their tough defense. The Hawks would win 50 games, though they'd still end up with the #5 seed in the conference.
Playoffs:
First Round:
Eastern Conference:
(1) Indiana Pacers over (8) Chicago Bulls, 4 to 0
The 41-41 Bulls were simply outmatched, and for the second straight year, were swept out of the playoffs by the Pacers in the first round. Steve Nash had an outstanding series, but seemed to be a bit gassed by Game 4, after averaging 15 assists in the four game series.
(5) Atlanta Hawks over (4) Orlando Magic, 4 to 3
Another rematch from last year's playoffs, and once again, the Hawks prevailed in one of the best first round series in recent memory. Milicic and Gasol had a duel for the ages at center, while Artest was put on Nowitzki, guarding him to great effect. Atlanta had a deeper bench, and that was the key to victory for them in a tough Game 7 that the Hawks won 96-91.
(3) Detroit Pistons over (6) Charlotte Hornets, 4 to 1
The Pistons and Carmelo Anthony triumphed over the fierce but ultimately outmatched Hornets in a five game series that didn't have too many exciting moments. Peja Stojakovic kept things interesting in Games 3 and 4 with his three point shooting (including his game winner in Game 3), but ultimately the Hornets couldn't keep up with the Pistons and their young superstar.
(7) Cleveland Cavaliers over (2) New York Knicks, 4 to 3
The shock of the first round saw the Cavs taking out the heavily favored Knicks, thanks to their one-two punch of Dwyane Wade and LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge, the Rookie of the Year in a narrow race over Chris Paul, handled the boards, handled scoring, and handled Kenyon Martin, and the Cavs did the rest with their scrappy play to advance to the second round.
Western Conference:
(1) Golden State Warriors over (8) Utah Jazz, 4 to 2
The Warriors handled the Jazz, but things didn't go completely smoothly: the Jazz won game 4 and then stunned the Warriors in a Game 5 overtime victory to head back to Salt Lake City with momentum. However, Kobe's 42 point performance in Game 6 clinched the series in a 107-80 rout, and the Warriors moved on.
(4) Denver Nuggets over (5) Minnesota Timberwolves, 4 to 2
Lebron James and the Nuggets triumphed, but the Timberwolves and their tough backcourt managed to give them some hell first. Tony Parker was sensational for the Wolves, but Lebron was even moreso for Denver, and the Nuggets moved on, giving the NBA its much anticipated Kobe vs. Lebron matchup in the second round.
(3) Phoenix Suns over (6) Seattle Supersonics, 4 to 1
The Suns were just too much for the Sonics, who got to the playoffs on the back of their sensational rookie point guard and #1 overall pick Chris Paul. Paul was good, but Ming and Stoudamire were better, combining for more than 50 points a game to lead the Suns to victory and back to a hopeful rematch with the Lakers.
(2) Los Angeles Lakers over (7) Dallas Mavericks, 4 to 0
The Lake Show continues as the Lakers sweep the Mavs, who wouldn't score a first round upset this year. Shaq was back, his toes weren't bothering him, and he dominated the outmatched Mavericks in every possible way.
Second Round:
Eastern Conference:
(5) Atlanta Hawks over (1) Indiana Pacers, 4 to 2
Artest's Hawks prevailed in this revenge rematch that saw Atlanta's fierce defensive and aggressive playstyle give the Pacers fits that they couldn't overcome. The Hawks won Games 3 and 4 at home to take a 3-1 series lead, and while the Pacers took Game 5 at home, they couldn't save their season in Atlanta. The Hawks take the win to become the upset darlings of the playoffs, and head to their second straight Eastern Conference Finals.
(3) Detroit Pistons over (7) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4 to 0
The Pistons once again dominated their playoff opponents, beating the upset-minded Cavs in an easy four game sweep. Dwayne Wade was no match for Carmelo, while Aldridge made many rookie mistakes, fouling out in three games and averaging seven turnovers throughout the series. As good as the Cavaliers had been against the Knicks, they just didn't show up in the second round, leaving many wondering if they'd left it all on the floor in New York City. The 3-seeded Pistons advance and would have home court advantage for the Eastern Conference Finals.
Western Conference:
(1) Golden State Warriors over (4) Denver Nuggets, 4 to 2
Lebron vs. Kobe was everything it was hyped up to be, with the two dueling on both offense and defense all the way up the floor. The problem of course was that Lebron's supporting cast was completely outmatched, and despite a Herculean effort from King James, it was the veteran Kobe who came out on top. However, there would no doubt be other days for young Lebron...
(2) Los Angeles Lakers over (3) Phoenix Suns, 4 to 3
The rivalry between the Lakers and the Suns continued with another epic clash pitting these teams' awesome frontcourts, and while Yao and Amare gave it everything they could, it wasn't enough to overcome the Lakers' all-around playstyle. Five of the games were settled by six points or less, with three games coming down to the last possession (though Game 7 was a bit anticlimactic, with the Lakers winning by 15). It was a fun series, and no doubt these two teams would continue to meet.
Conference Finals:
(5) Atlanta Hawks over (3) Detroit Pistons, 4 to 2
For the third straight series, the Atlanta Hawks overcame the opposing team's home court advantage by playing tough, holding serve at home, and stealing games on the road. Ron Artest was the hero of the series, averaging 27 points and 5.2 steals per game, frustrating Carmelo and nearly causing a fight between the two during a hotly contested Game 5. The Hawks and their 50 win team would head to the Finals, where they hoped to pull off the ultimate upset.
(2) Los Angeles Lakers over (1) Golden State Warriors, 4 to 1
It was Shaq vs. Kobe once again in the Western Conference Finals, in what had become one of the league's fiercest rivalries of all time. The Warriors had beaten the Lakers on this stage before, but this year Shaq wouldn't be denied, and the Lakers crushed the Warriors en route to yet another NBA championship. The Lakers would head to the Finals, where they hoped to complete the threepeat.
2006 NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers over Atlanta Hawks, 4 to 3
The Atlanta Hawks came in with a big chip on their shoulder and nobody giving them the chance to overcome the Lakers. The sports world seemed to be rooting against them, but they gave the Lakers everything they could handle, with Artest frustrating Iverson and Francis and Milicic holding his own against Shaq, whose toe problems returned at the worst possible time. The Hawks went into the last quarter of Game 7 clinging to a two point lead and the hopes of taking home the Johnson-Bird Trophy, but Tim Duncan performed like a true leader, calming his team and dominating Milicic in the last minutes of the game to propel the Lakers to a 102-94 victory and their third straight NBA Championship. Duncan would win Finals MVP for his performance.
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Thanks to the NBA not yet adopting the "no high school players" rule as of 2006, the 2006 draft was even more stacked than 2005, with players like Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Thaddeus Young passing up high school to come into the NBA. The New Jersey Nets, who'd been abysmal in the 2005-06 season, had the #1 pick, and they took Greg Oden, hoping he could anchor them at center for years to come. The Sacramento Kings surprised many when they passed up on Durant and instead took Brandon Roy, who'd had some injury concerns but who seemed more pro ready. Durant fell to the Miami Heat at #3, while the St. Louis Arches grabbed Thaddeus Young at #4, and the Milwaukee Bucks picked up Gonzaga's Adam Morrison at #5. Down at #13, the Boston Celtics, sensing that they might need a successor for Penny Hardaway, traded up three spots to take Mike Conley, who had played high school ball with Greg Oden. They had to give up their second round pick and a key role player off the bench, but they hoped Conley could be the future of their franchise in a way that Hardaway couldn't.
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The 2006 World Cup saw Brazil hoping to defend their 2002 title, while Germany, the host country and the 2002 runner up, was looking for revenge. Other top contenders included France, Portugal, Argentina, and England, while the United States, which had taken the bronze in 2002, was hoping to avoid a regression and shock the world by winning it all.
The group stages featured little in the way of surprises, though France and Argentina ended up in the year's Group of Death which also contained Japan and Mexico. Meanwhile, England and the United States got fairly easy draws, and were expected to easily advance into the knockouts. Germany and Brazil were seeded into competitive groups, but were hardly challenged by any of their fellow teams, and both went to the knockout rounds with 9 and 7 points respectively. England did as it was expected to, taking 9 points, but the United States got bogged down, and went into the last day of group play needing a win against a scrappy Iran team. Instead, the United States lost in a shocking way: an own goal at the 88-minute mark, knocking them out of the World Cup entirely.
The first round of knockout play looked like this:
Germany vs. Honduras
Italy vs. Switzerland
Cameroon vs. Argentina
Netherlands vs. Ecuador
England vs. Russia
Brazil vs. Iran
France vs. Spain
Portugal vs. Belgium
Germany had no trouble beating Honduras, and Switzerland handled Italy surprisingly easily as well. Cameroon, who were the winners of the USA's group, gave Argentina some trouble early on, with both teams scoreless after 51 minutes. However, Argentina soon overwhelmed their opponents and ended up with a 1-0 victory. Netherlands and Ecuador went to penalty kicks, but Netherlands, who'd won 1998's World Cup, advanced as well. England and Brazil handled their first round opponents with ease, while France knocked out Spain in a surprising upset. Portugal went through Belgium in a 4-1 rout, advancing to the second round as well.
In the second round, Germany had a tough match against the scrappy Switzerland team, but came out on top, 2-1. Argentina beat the Netherlands in a 2-0 win. Brazil and England was surprisingly competitive: England was fielding its best World Cup team in years, with young Wayne Rooney playing out of his mind. His heroics in England's 3-2 defeat were easily visible, and though England lost, it was one of the best games of the World Cup. France took down Portugal 3-1, advancing to face Brazil in Zinedine Zidane's last World Cup campaign.
Germany faced Argentina and was the favorite to come out on top and advance to the finals for a possible rematch with Brazil, but Argentina had come to play, and took a 2-0 lead in the first 30 minutes. Germany toughened up and held on, and eventually closed the gap, making it 2-1 at the 81-minute mark, but their hopes were dashed four minutes later when Argentina sealed it with their third goal.
In the other semifinal, Brazil and France played an extremely competitive game that ended at 1-1 after regulation and would go to penalty kicks. France and Brazil each made their first five kicks, necessitating sudden death: a sudden death that would last for 14 more kicks before Brazil finally broke the tie. It was one of the closest games in World Cup history, and though the legendary Zidane lost, he went out on his shield as Brazil advanced to their second straight World Cup final against their South American rivals.
Brazil and Argentina played a high scoring, competitive final, but in the end, it was Brazil that won by a score of 3-2. Brazil had won its second World Cup in a row, and were the early favorites to take their third in 2010.
