2005 NBA playoffs
| 2005 NBA playoffs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2004–05 | ||||
| Teams | 16 | ||||
| Champions | San Antonio Spurs (3rd title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Detroit Pistons (7th finals appearance) | ||||
| Semifinalists | |||||
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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 2 previous champions met in the Finals (the Spurs won in 2003, the Pistons in 2004). For the Spurs, it was their 3rd title (they also won in the lockout-shortened season of 1999).
The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards ended long playoff droughts in 2005 (and met each other in the first round). For Washington it was their first playoff appearance since 1997 (and even more ironic their opponents for that postseason appearance were the Bulls who swept them on their way to their fifth NBA title), and only their third 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 2 rounds (the first round having been made into a best-of-7 in the 2003 NBA Playoffs). The 2009 Cavs, 2010 Magic, the 2012 Spurs, and the 2016 Cavs followed suit. No team (until 2016) 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.
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