2005 NBA playoffs


The 2005 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP.
The NBA Finals marked the first time since 1987 that the two previous champions met in the Finals. For the Spurs, it was their third title.
The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards ended long playoff droughts in 2005, meeting each other in the first round. For Washington it was their first playoff appearance since 1997, and only their second since 1988. Their 4–2 series victory over the Bulls was their first since 1982.
The Miami Heat became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds after the first round was made into a best-of-7 in the 2003 playoffs. The 2009 Cavaliers, 2010 Magic, 2012 Spurs, 2016 Cavaliers, 2017 Cavaliers and the 2017 Warriors followed suit. No team has made the finals after going 8–0 in the first two rounds, let alone win 12 straight games going to the NBA Finals, though the Spurs came close in 2012 when they won their first 10 playoff games, then lost their next four to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and make the NBA Finals. In 2017, the Golden State Warriors became the second team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and make the NBA Finals as well as going 16–1 in the playoffs, the best winning percentage in NBA postseason history.
It was the Bulls' first post-Michael Jordan playoff appearance, as their last playoff game was Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. They consistently placed at or near the bottom of the Central Division in between, but their 47–35 season in 2005 was a 24-game improvement from 2004.
For the 3rd straight year the Pacers met the Celtics in the first round. Boston won in 2003 4–2, while Indiana swept Boston in 2004. It would be Boston's last playoff appearance until 2008.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, it marked the first time in 11 seasons and the fifth time in NBA history that they missed the playoffs. This is also the most recent time when the playoffs were played entirely outside of Los Angeles.
This was the last time that the Seattle SuperSonics would be in the playoffs before they relocated to Oklahoma to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Phoenix Suns won their first playoff series since 2000 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1993, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Until 2019, this was the last NBA playoffs not to feature LeBron James as a player as his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, missed the playoffs.

Format

Beginning with the 2004–05 season, with the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference now has three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top three playoff seed, regardless of whether the team had one of the top eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home court advantage; a division-leading team with a poor record could be ranked number three but face a sixth seed with a better record, which would then have home court advantage. This has since been rectified by the NBA.

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Best record in conference

The Miami Heat clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
  1. Miami Heat
  2. Detroit Pistons
  3. Boston Celtics
  4. Chicago Bulls
  5. Washington Wizards
  6. Indiana Pacers
  7. Philadelphia 76ers
  8. New Jersey Nets

    Western Conference

Best record in NBA

The Phoenix Suns clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when Phoenix lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
  1. Phoenix Suns
  2. San Antonio Spurs
  3. Seattle SuperSonics
  4. Dallas Mavericks
  5. Houston Rockets
  6. Sacramento Kings
  7. Denver Nuggets
  8. Memphis Grizzlies

    Bracket

Eastern Conference

First Round

(1) Miami Heat vs. (8) New Jersey Nets

Miami won 3–0 in the regular-season series


This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Heat.

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series


This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. The first meeting took place while the Nationals/76ers franchise were in Syracuse and the Pistons franchise were in Fort Wayne.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series


This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the first four meetings.
Boston leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series

(4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Washington won 2–1 in the regular-season series


This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.
Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

Conference Semifinals

(1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Miami won 4–0 in the regular-season series


This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the Wizards.

(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series


This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first two meetings.
Detroit leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series


The Pistons beat the Heat in this series 4-3 due much to the comeback mounted in the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Finals by Chauncey Billups. Dwyane Wade also missed Game 6 of the series due to a rib injury.
Detroit won 2–1 in the regular-season series


This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.
Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

Western Conference

First Round

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series


This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Suns.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series


This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning three of the first four meetings.
San Antonio leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series

(3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Sacramento Kings

Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series


This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

(4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Houston Rockets

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series


This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first meeting.
Dallas leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

Conference Semifinals

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

Phoenix won 2–1 in the regular-season series


This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Suns.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series


This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first two meetings.
San Antonio leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series

Conference Finals: (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series


This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece.
Tied 3–3 in all-time playoff series

NBA Finals: (W2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons

Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series


This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Spurs.
The Finals were broadcast in the United States on ABC and in Canada on TSN. For a list of international broadcasters see .
Jennifer Lopez's "Get Right" music video became the anthem song for the playoffs and the conclusion song at the end of the regular season.