The league's Eastern and Western Conferences simultaneously witnessed "black swan" upsets, an unprecedented event, heralding a potentially extraordinary path to the championship this year...
The top-ranked Mavericks in the West were upset, while the second-ranked Suns smoothly defeated the Lakers 4-1!
Kobe once again averaged a league-leading 31.6 points this season, but still couldn't break through the first round of the playoffs.
Fortunately, Kobe's focus wasn't on the Lakers; he was beyond complaining and simply told management he wouldn't continue to lose in such a stifling manner...
The third-ranked Spurs in the West faced the Nuggets, who boasted the "Golden Twin Cannons"!
This season, the Spurs remained low-key, far from the Mavericks' ostentatious display or the Suns' boundless energy. However, they played with the steadiest rhythm in the league, contributing the most rest days...
Meanwhile, the Nuggets had traded for Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers this season!
Iverson and Anthony formed the "Golden Twin Cannons," touted as the most potent offensive duo in the league!
In the first game on the Spurs' home court in San Antonio, both Iverson and Anthony unleashed a formidable 30+ offensive barrage, directly overturning the rock-solid Spurs!
Most of the league's media buzzed: The Spurs were past their prime, their strength waning...
However, in the subsequent four games, the Spurs swept the Nuggets with their "Golden Twin Cannons" 4-0, plunging the Denver fans, who had been full of hope for their team, into despair!
The Iverson + Anthony combination did not explode with the overwhelming competitiveness that fans had anticipated.
The primary reason was that both were players strong on offense and weak on defense. In the regular season, extreme offense might have compensated for defensive loopholes, giving fans the illusion that the Nuggets had ascended to the league's elite.
Once the playoffs arrived, the Nuggets' true colors were revealed.
After all, the former Philadelphia 76ers had surrounded Iverson with a cadre of excellent defensive players!
Mutombo, Snow, Ratliff...
In the current Nuggets lineup, at most, there was only one Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Marcus Camby!
Aside from Camby, Anthony's defense was self-explanatory. Steve Blake, J.R. Smith, N'aahla... among the rotation players, there were no individuals with particularly strong defensive capabilities.
There were plenty of players strong on offense, though! Like the streaky J.R. Smith.
Yet, with the Nuggets hoarding so many offensive players, the biggest problem ultimately became how to reasonably distribute shot attempts...
This was a predicament old coach George Karl likely never envisioned in his wildest dreams.
How to help Iverson integrate into this Nuggets team became George Karl's most perplexing challenge during the offseason.
The fourth-ranked Jazz in the West defeated the Rockets 4-1.
The Rockets, led by McGrady, had a shining season, but faced with Deron + Boozer, the new Utah twin towers, McGrady had no chance. This was because Yao Ming was not by his side.
Thus, the first round of the playoffs concluded.
The four teams advancing from the East were the Celtics, Pistons, Bulls, and Nets.
The four teams advancing from the West were the Warriors, Suns, Spurs, and Jazz.
Before the second round ignited, the league first needed to announce the regular season awards.
This year, the Celtics were plagued by injuries, so their players were largely absent from the major regular season awards.
This year's Regular Season MVP, the regular season/
He Xi Meng's reign as assist king for seven consecutive seasons was finally broken, with this season's award going to the Suns' Nash.
This season's block leader was the Nuggets' Marcus Camby, and the steals leader was the Warriors' captain, Baron Davis.
Following individual honors came team accolades.
This year, the Celtics' Big Three collectively missed out on the All-NBA First Team.
He Xi Meng did not play in the regular season at all, so he was not eligible for selection.
Yao Ming played just over half the season, so his inclusion in the All-NBA was reasonable, but a First Team selection was still a stretch.
Carter was eligible for the First Team, but the competition was fierce this year, and Carter ultimately landed on the Second Team.
The members of the All-NBA First Team were: Stoudemire, Duncan, Nowitzki, Kobe, and Nash.
The members of the All-NBA Second Team were: Yao Ming, Bosh, James, Carter, and McGrady.
The members of the All-NBA Third Team were: Howard, Anthony, Garnett, Billups, and Wade.
Following the All-Defensive teams, the only Celtics player to make the list was Tony Allen.
The members of the All-Defensive First Team were: Camby, Duncan, Raja Bell, Bowen, and Kobe.
The members of the All-Defensive Second Team were: Ben Wallace, Garnett, Prince, Tony Allen, and Kidd.
With the regular season's dust settled, the playoffs entered their fierce battles.
The Celtics' semifinal opponent would be the formidable Chicago Bulls this season!