1999–2000 NBA season

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. This would also be Charles Barkley’s final season in the NBA.

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.

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)

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 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. 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.
  • Both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers played their first games at Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena). 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 season at Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena).
  • The Indiana Pacers played their first season at Conseco Fieldhouse (now Gainbridge Fieldhouse).
  • The Indiana Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
  • The Atlanta Hawks played their first season at Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena).
  • The Miami Heat started the season playing their home games at Miami Arena. In January, they played their first game at the American Airlines Arena (now Miami-Dade Arena).
  • The Toronto Raptors played their first full season at Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena). 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 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. 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. Phills would have his jersey retired during the season after news of his unexpected death was announced, while Sealy would have his jersey retired after this season concluded.
  • 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 four-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.

1999–2000 NBA changes

Final standings

By division

By conference

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
            
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

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per gameShaquille O'NealLos Angeles Lakers29.7
Rebounds per gameDikembe MutomboAtlanta Hawks14.1
Assists per gameJason KiddPhoenix Suns10.1
Steals per gameEddie JonesCharlotte Hornets2.67
Blocks per gameAlonzo MourningMiami Heat3.72
FG%Shaquille O'NealLos Angeles Lakers.574
FT%Jeff HornacekUtah Jazz.950
3FG%Hubert DavisDallas Mavericks.491

NBA awards

Players of the month

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

Month Player
October – November Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)
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)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.

Month Player
October – November Adrian Griffin (Boston Celtics)
Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Clippers)
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)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month Coach
October – November Mike Dunleavy (Portland Trail Blazers)
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

  1. Entered the NBA as Ron Artest before changing his name in 2011.

References

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