2004–05 San Antonio Spurs season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachGregg Popovich
OwnersPeter Holt
ArenaSBC Center
Results
Record59–23 (.720)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Southwest)
Conference: 2nd (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated Pistons 4–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFSN Southwest, KENS, KRRT
RadioKLEY

The 2004–05 season was the Spurs' 29th season in the National Basketball Association, the 32nd in San Antonio, and 38th season as a franchise.[1] During the offseason, the Spurs signed free agent Brent Barry. The Spurs got off to a solid start, winning 16 of their first 20 games, entering the New Year with a 25–6 record. In February 2005, the Spurs traded longtime Spur Malik Rose and two draft choices to the New York Knicks for Jamison Brewer and center Nazr Mohammed.[2] Late in the season, the team signed free agent forward Glenn Robinson. The Spurs finished first place in the Southwest Division, and second in the Western Conference with a 59–23 record. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were both voted to play in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game, which was hosted in Denver. This was Ginobili's first All-Star appearance.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Spurs lost Game 1 at home to the Denver Nuggets 93–87, but would beat them in five games. In the semifinals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in six games, then upset the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, which featured regular season MVP Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion in five games in the Western Conference Finals. In the Finals, the Spurs would win their third NBA championship, defeating the 2004 NBA champions, the Detroit Pistons, in a seven-game series.[3] Following the season, Glenn Robinson retired.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
128Beno UdrihG Slovenia
252Romain SatoG/F Central African RepublicXavier
257Sergei KaraulovC Russia

Roster

2004–05 San Antonio Spurs roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
SG 17 Barry, Brent 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1971-12-31 Oregon State
SF 12 Bowen, Bruce 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1971-06-14 Cal State Fullerton
SG 23 Brown, Devin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1978-12-30 Texas–San Antonio
F/C 21 Duncan, Tim (C) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976-04-25 Wake Forest
SG 20 Ginóbili, Manu 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1977-07-28 Argentina
PF 5 Horry, Robert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970-08-25 Alabama
SF 43 Johnson, Linton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1980-06-13 Tulane
PF 4 Marks, Sean 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1975-08-23 California
PF 34 Massenburg, Tony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1967-07-31 Maryland
C 2 Mohammed, Nazr 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 1977-09-05 Kentucky
C 8 Nesterović, Rasho 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976-05-30 Slovenia
PG 9 Parker, Tony 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1982-05-17 France
SF 3 Robinson, Glenn 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1973-01-10 Purdue
PG 14 Udrih, Beno 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1982-07-05 Slovenia
PG 11 Wilks, Mike 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1979-05-07 Rice
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: April 4, 2005

Regular season

Overview

After their disappointing second round collapse to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs looked to regain the NBA crown. They would get off to a quick start, posting a 12-3 record in November. The Spurs would stay hot through December as they established a 25-6 record entering the New Year. The Spurs would be near the top in the Western Conference all season battling the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the NBA. Just as it appeared the Spurs would cruise toward the playoffs, their season suddenly hit a bump in the road when Tim Duncan went down in a March 20 loss to the Detroit Pistons with a sprained ankle. The rest of the way, the Spurs would limp home winning 9 of their last 17 as they held on to the Southwest Division by just 1 game with a 59-23 record. The Spurs leading scorer during the season was Tim Duncan with 20.3 PPG.

Standings

Southwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 5923.720–38–321–2010–6
x-Dallas Mavericks 5824.707129–1229–1211–5
x-Houston Rockets 5131.622826–1525–1610–6
x-Memphis Grizzlies 4537.5491426–1519–227–9
New Orleans Hornets 1864.2204111–307–342–14
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Phoenix Suns6220.756—
2 y-San Antonio Spurs5923.7203
3 y-Seattle SuperSonics5230.63410
4 x-Dallas Mavericks5824.7074
5 x-Houston Rockets5131.62211
6 x-Sacramento Kings5032.61012
7 x-Denver Nuggets4933.59813
8 x-Memphis Grizzlies4537.54917
9 Minnesota Timberwolves4438.53718
10 Los Angeles Clippers3745.45125
11 Los Angeles Lakers3448.41528
12 Golden State Warriors3448.41528
13 Portland Trail Blazers2755.32935
14 Utah Jazz2656.31736
15 New Orleans Hornets1864.22044

Record vs. opponents

2004-05 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta —1–31–30–40–41–10–21–30–21–10–30–21–10–20–41–21–10–31–11–31–31–30–20–20–20–20–21–20–20–4
Boston 3–1—4–02–21–20–20–21–31–11–11–22–01–11–11–23–11–11–32–03–13–01–31–11–10–20–22–03–12–03–1
Charlotte 3–10–4—0–40–40–21–12–10–22–00–30–20–20–21–30–41–10–41–11–33–10–30–20–21–10–20–21–21–10–4
Chicago 4–02–24–0—2–21–11–12–21–10–22–20–21–12–01–32–22–00–41–14–03–02–10–22–01–10–21–13–02–01–2
Cleveland 4–02–14–02–2—1–11–12–22–00–21–31–11–12–00–32–21–11–32–01–33–10–31–12–00–20–20–23–12–01–2
Dallas 1–12–02–01–11–1—2–11–13–12–21–11–22–24–02–02–02–22–04–02–01–11–11–24–03–11–33–12–03–02–0
Denver 2–02–01–11–11–11–2—1–12–21–22–02–12–24–01–12–02–21–14–01–11–11–10–43–11–22–22–22–02–22–0
Detroit 3–13–11–22–22–21–11–1—2–02–02–22–02–00–22–12–21–12–12–03–03–13–11–11–11–11–11–13–11–14–0
Golden State 2–01–12–01–10–21–32–20–2—1–21–10–41–31–30–22–01–20–22–21–11–11–12–22–23–10–32–21–12–11–1
Houston 1–11–10–22–02–02–22–10–22–1—1–13–02–23–11–11–11–22–03–11–12–02–02–24–02–22–23–11–12–21–1
Indiana 3–02–13–02–23–11–10–22–21–11–1—0–21–12–03–12–22–02–21–12–21–30–41–12–00–21–10–22–12–02–2
L.A. Clippers 2–00–22–02–01–12–11–20–24–00–32–0—2–21–31–11–11–31–13–11–11–11–10–42–20–40–42–11–12–21–1
L.A. Lakers 1–11–12–01–11–12–22–20–23–12–21–12–2—0–30–22–02–11–13–01–11–10–20–42–11–30–41–31–11–30–2
Memphis 2–01–12–00–20–20–40–42–03–11–30–23–13–0—1–12–03–12–03–11–11–12–02–23–10–33–10–32–03–00–2
Miami 4–02–13–13–13–00–21–11–22–01–11–31–12–01–1—4–01–13–02–04–04–02–21–11–12–01–10–23–12–04–0
Milwaukee 2–11–34–02–22–20–20–22–20–21–12–21–10–20–20–4—1–12–11–12–12–10–40–20–20–20–21–12–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–11–11–10–21–12–22–21–12–12–10–23–11–21–31–11–1—2–04–01–11–12–01–34–03–11–21–30–23–11–1
New Jersey 3–03–14–04–03–10–21–11–22–00–22–21–11–10–20–31–20–2—2–03–11–33–10–21–11–10–20–22–22–01–3
New Orleans 1–10–21–11–10–20–40–40–22–21–31–11–30–31–30–21–10–40–2—1–10–21–10–42–11–20–40–30–22–21–1
New York 3–11–33–10–43–10–21–10–31–11–12–21–11–11–10–41–21–11–31–1—1–23–10–21–10–21–10–21–32–02–1
Orlando 3–10–31–30–31–31–11–11–31–10–23–11–11–11–10–41–21–13–12–02–1—2–20–21–11–11–11–12–22–02–2
Philadelphia 3–13–13–01–23–01–11–11–31–10–24–01–12–00–22–24–00–21–31–11–32–2—0–21–10–20–21–13–11–12–1
Phoenix 2–01–12–02–01–12–14–01–12–22–21–14–04–02–21–12–03–12–04–02–02–02–0—3–02–21–22–12–03–11–1
Portland 2–01–12–00–20–20–41–31–12–20–40–22–21–21–31–12–00–41–11–21–11–11–10–3—1–31–21–31–12–20–2
Sacramento 2–02–01–11–12–01–32–11–11–32–22–04–03–13–00–22–01–31–12–12–01–12–02–23–1—1–31–31–12–12–0
San Antonio 2–02–02–02–02–03–12–21–13–02–21–14–04–01–31–12–02–12–04–01–11–12–02–12–13–1—2–21–12–21–1
Seattle 2–00–22–01–12–01–32–21–12–21–32–01–23–13–02–01–13–12–03–02–01–11–11–23–13–12–2—2–03–10–2
Toronto 2–11–32–10–31–30–20–21–31–11–11–21–11–10–21–32–22–02–22–03–12–21–30–21–11–11–10–2—2–01–3
Utah 2–00–21–10–20–20–32–21–11–22–20–22–23–10–30–21–11–30–22–20–20–21–11–32–21–22–21–30–2—0–2
Washington 4–01–34–02–12–10–20–20–41–11–12–21–12–02–00–43–11–13–11–11–22–21–21–12–00–21–12–03–12–0—

Game log

November

Record: 12–3; Home: 6–0; Road: 6–3

  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red background indicates loss.
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
13 November 2004Kings101-85SpursNATim Duncan (30)1–0
25 November 2004Spurs105–96LakersNATim Duncan (26)2–0
37 November 2004Spurs94–113SuperSonicsNATwo-way tie (21)2–1
410 November 2004Warriors91-71SpursNATim Duncan (23)3–1
512 November 2004Heat93-84SpursNAManu Ginóbili (29)4–1
613 November 2004Spurs103–88HawksNATim Duncan (26)5–1
716 November 2004Knicks99-81SpursNATony Parker (18)6–1
818 November 2004Spurs88–8076ersNATim Duncan (34)7–1
919 November 2004Spurs92–84CelticsNATim Duncan (26)8–1
1021 November 2004Spurs91–96RaptorsNATim Duncan (26)8–2
1122 November 2004Spurs90–93GrizzliesNATim Duncan (26)8–3
1224 November 2004Mavericks94-80SpursNATim Duncan (27)9–3
1326 November 2004Spurs89–75NuggetsNATim Duncan (23)10–3
1427 November 2004Jazz109-76SpursNAMalik Rose (16)11–3
1530 November 2004Spurs107–89MavericksNATim Duncan (20)12–3

December

Record: 13–3; Home: 8–1; Road: 5–2

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
161 December 200476ers105-72SpursNATwo-way tie (24)13–3
173 December 2004Pistons80-77SpursNATony Parker (20)14–3
184 December 2004Spurs104–83BucksNATim Duncan (20)15–3
196 December 2004Spurs91–75BullsNATony Parker (17)16–3
208 December 2004SuperSonics96-102SpursNATim Duncan (39)16–4
219 December 2004Spurs80–81RocketsNATim Duncan (26)16–5
2211 December 2004Cavaliers116-97SpursNATim Duncan (34)17–5
2315 December 2004Magic94-91SpursNATim Duncan (24)18–5
2417 December 2004Spurs83–67HornetsNATim Duncan (19)19–5
2518 December 2004Warriors104-85SpursNATwo-way tie (21)20–5
2622 December 2004Spurs87–93MagicNATim Duncan (24)20–6
2723 December 2004Timberwolves94-82SpursNAManu Ginóbili (22)21–6
2826 December 2004Celtics107-90SpursNATony Parker (27)22–6
2928 December 2004Suns115-94SpursNATony Parker (29)23–6
3030 December 2004Spurs114–80Trail BlazersNATim Duncan (19)24–6
3131 December 2004Spurs98–79ClippersNATim Duncan (23)25–6

January

Record: 12–4; Home: 9–0; Road: 3–4

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
322 January 2005Spurs81–86KingsNAManu Ginóbili (18)25–7
334 January 2005Lakers100-83SpursNABruce Bowen (24)26–7
346 January 2005Pacers111-98SpursNATim Duncan (27)27–7
358 January 2005Nuggets99-90SpursNAManu Ginóbili (22)28–7
3610 January 2005Spurs96–97JazzNATim Duncan (24)28–8
3712 January 2005Bucks94-79SpursNATim Duncan (21)29–8
3814 January 2005Mavericks98-95SpursNATim Duncan (25)30–8
3915 January 2005Spurs67–73RocketsNATony Parker (21)30–9
4017 January 2005Wizards101-73SpursNADevin Brown (24)31–9
4119 January 2005Clippers80-79SpursNATony Parker (25)32–9
4221 January 2005Spurs128–123Suns1Manu Ginóbili (48)33–9
4323 January 2005Spurs103–73KingsNATim Duncan (23)34–9
4424 January 2005Spurs99–107Trail BlazersNATim Duncan (24)34–10
4527 January 2005Kings90-80SpursNAManu Ginóbili (25)35–10
4629 January 2005Hornets93-83SpursNATony Parker (23)36–10
4731 January 2005Spurs103–84SuperSonicsNAManu Ginóbili (23)37–10

February

Record: 6–3; Home: 1–1; Road: 5–2

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
482 February 2005Spurs103–91LakersNATony Parker (22)38–10
498 February 2005Spurs104–85BobcatsNATony Parker (20)39–10
509 February 2005Spurs87–95WizardsNATony Parker (22)39–11
5111 February 2005Spurs101–91NetsNATony Parker (27)40–11
5213 February 2005Spurs92–96HeatNAManu Ginóbili (24)40–12
5316 February 2005Spurs101–78HornetsNATim Duncan (19)41-12
All-Star Break
5423 February 2005Rockets99-81SpursNATim Duncan (30)42-12
5526 February 2005Grizzlies82-84SpursNATim Duncan (27)42-13
5628 February 2005Spurs94–92CavaliersNATim Duncan (20)43-13

March

Record: 10-5; Home: 10-1; Road: 0-4

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
572 March 2005Raptors92-86SpursNAManu Ginóbili (17)44-13
584 March 2005Bulls102-99SpursNATim Duncan (31)45-13
596 March 2005Jazz101-94SpursNAManu Ginóbili (31)46-13
608 March 2005Nets90-74SpursNADevin Brown (22)47-13
619 March 2005Spurs101–107SunsNATony Parker (30)47-14
6212 March 2005Nuggets87-90SpursNATony Parker (25)47-15
6314 March 2005Hornets112-89SpursNABeno Udrih (25)48-15
6416 March 2005Timberwolves89-73SpursNATim Duncan (25)49-15
6518 March 2005Bobcats93-76SpursNATony Parker (24)50-15
6620 March 2005Spurs101–110PistonsNADevin Brown (18)50-16
6721 March 2005Spurs75–88KnicksNADevin Brown (22)50-17
6823 March 2005Spurs93–100PacersNABrent Barry (17)50-18
6925 March 2005Hawks111-95SpursNATwo-way tie (23)51-18
7027 March 2005Rockets83-70SpursNAManu Ginóbili (18)52-18
7130 March 2005SuperSonics89-76SpursNATony Parker (28)53-18

April

Record: 6-5; Home: 4-0; Road: 2-5

#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTLeading scorerRecord
721 April 2005Spurs84–102NuggetsNATony Parker (17)53-19
732 April 2005Lakers95-94SpursNABrent Barry (20)54-19
746 April 2005Clippers91-82SpursNAManu Ginóbili (16)55-19
757 April 2005Spurs68–104MavericksNABrent Barry (12)55-20
769 April 2005Spurs125–124Clippers2Manu Ginóbili (40)56-20
7710 April 2005Spurs136–134Warriors2Tony Parker (35)57-20
7812 April 2005Trail Blazers95-89SpursNAManu Ginóbili (30)58-20
7913 April 2005Spurs91–93JazzNAManu Ginóbili (21)58-21
8016 April 2005Grizzlies97-75SpursNABruce Bowen (15)59-21
8118 April 2005Spurs92–94GrizzliesNAGlenn Robinson (23)59-22
8220 April 2005Spurs73–95TimberwolvesNAGlenn Robinson (16)59-23

Player stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Brent Barry 81821.5.423.357.8372.32.2.48.257.4
Bruce Bowen 828232.0.420.403.6343.51.5.67.488.2
Devin Brown 67018.5.423.372.7922.61.4.58.187.4
Tim Duncan 666633.4.496.333.67011.12.7.682.6420.3
Manu Ginóbili 747429.6.471.376.8034.43.91.61.3616.0
Dion Glover 709.7.364.125.8001.6.6.43.433.6
Robert Horry 751618.6.419.370.7893.61.1.89.806.0
Linton Johnson III 207.5.000.000.0001.5.0.50.00.0
Sean Marks 23010.6.338.000.7862.4.3.13.483.3
Tony Massenburg 61611.5.407.000.7622.7.2.30.333.2
Nazr Mohammed* 23518.0.387.000.5716.4.3.221.436.2
Rasho Nesterović 707025.5.460.000.4676.61.0.441.675.9
Tony Parker 808034.2.482.276.6503.76.11.23.0516.6
Glenn Robinson 9017.4.442.333.8702.7.9.44.3310.0
Beno Udrih 80214.4.444.408.7531.01.9.51.135.9
Mike Wilks 4805.8.416.313.750.5.7.29.021.7

* Statistics include only games with the Spurs

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Brent Barry 23824.1.457.424.8102.41.9.65.176.1
Bruce Bowen 232335.4.359.433.6472.91.6.48.575.7
Devin Brown 1205.0.350.429.571.6.3.08.001.8
Tim Duncan 232337.8.464.200.71712.42.7.352.2623.6
Manu Ginóbili 231533.6.507.438.7955.84.21.22.2620.8
Robert Horry 23026.9.448.447.7325.42.0.91.879.3
Tony Massenburg 903.1.167.000.5001.2.0.00.00.3
Nazr Mohammed 232323.0.5281.000.6386.7.3.611.007.1
Rasho Nesterović 1507.6.417.000.0001.7.1.07.33.7
Tony Parker 232337.3.454.188.6322.94.3.74.0917.2
Glenn Robinson 1308.7.356.300.8821.6.1.23.543.8
Beno Udrih 21011.5.359.270.857.81.0.43.053.7

Playoffs

2005 playoff game log
First Round: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 24 Denver L 87–93 Manu Ginóbili (23) Nazr Mohammed (15) Tony Parker (6) SBC Center
18,797		 0–1
2 April 27 Denver W 104–76 Tim Duncan (24) Duncan, Horry (9) Tony Parker (6) SBC Center
18,797		 1–1
3 April 30 @ Denver W 86–78 Manu Ginóbili (32) Tim Duncan (11) Brent Barry (4) Pepsi Center
19,913		 2–1
4 May 2 @ Denver W 126–115 (OT) Tim Duncan (39) Tim Duncan (8) Tony Parker (7) Pepsi Center
19,776		 3–1
5 May 4 Denver W 99–89 Tony Parker (21) Nazr Mohammed (13) Tony Parker (7) SBC Center
18,797		 4–1
Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 8 Seattle W 103–81 Tony Parker (29) Tim Duncan (9) Tim Duncan (5) SBC Center
18,797		 1–0
2 May 10 Seattle W 108–91 Manu Ginóbili (28) Nazr Mohammed (10) Tony Parker (7) SBC Center
18,797		 2–0
3 May 12 @ Seattle L 91–92 Tim Duncan (23) Tim Duncan (11) Tony Parker (8) KeyArena
17,072		 2–1
4 May 15 @ Seattle L 89–101 Tim Duncan (35) Tim Duncan (10) Bowen, Parker (3) KeyArena
17,072		 2–2
5 May 17 Seattle W 103–90 Manu Ginóbili (39) Tim Duncan (14) Manu Ginóbili (6) SBC Center
18,797		 3–2
6 May 19 @ Seattle W 98–96 Tim Duncan (26) Tim Duncan (9) Manu Ginóbili (7) KeyArena
17,072		 4–2
Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 22 @ Phoenix W 121–114 Tony Parker (29) Tim Duncan (15) Manu Ginóbili (5) America West Arena
18,422		 1–0
2 May 24 @ Phoenix W 111–108 Tim Duncan (30) Duncan, Mohammed (8) Tony Parker (5) America West Arena
18,422		 2–0
3 May 28 Phoenix W 102–92 Tim Duncan (33) Tim Duncan (15) Tony Parker (7) SBC Center
18,797		 3–0
4 May 30 Phoenix L 106–111 Manu Ginóbili (28) Tim Duncan (16) Manu Ginóbili (7) SBC Center
18,797		 3–1
5 June 1 @ Phoenix W 101–95 Tim Duncan (31) Tim Duncan (15) Manu Ginóbili (6) America West Arena
18,422		 4–1
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 June 9 Detroit W 84–69 Manu Ginóbili (26) Tim Duncan (17) Horry, Parker (3) SBC Center
18,797		 1–0
2 June 12 Detroit W 97–76 Manu Ginóbili (27) Tim Duncan (11) Manu Ginóbili (7) SBC Center
18,797		 2–0
3 June 14 @ Detroit L 79–96 Tony Parker (21) Tim Duncan (10) Bowen, Parker (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 2–1
4 June 16 @ Detroit L 71–102 Tim Duncan (16) Tim Duncan (16) Bowen, Parker (4) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 2–2
5 June 19 @ Detroit W 96–95 (OT) Tim Duncan (26) Tim Duncan (19) Manu Ginóbili (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076		 3–2
6 June 21 Detroit L 86–95 Duncan, Ginóbili (21) Tim Duncan (15) Tony Parker (5) SBC Center
18,797		 3–3
7 June 23 Detroit W 81–74 Tim Duncan (25) Tim Duncan (11) Manu Ginóbili (4) SBC Center
18,797		 4–3
2005 schedule

NBA Finals

Game One

June 9, 2005
8:00 p.m. EST
Detroit Pistons 69, San Antonio Spurs 84
Pts: Billups 25; Hamilton 14; Prince 11
Rebs: B. Wallace 8; R. Wallace 7; McDyess 7
Asts: Billups 6; Prince 4
Blocks: R. Wallace 6		 Pts: Ginobili 26; Duncan 24; Parker 15
Rebs: Duncan 17; Ginobili 9; Mohammed 7
Asts: Parker 3; Horry 3; Bowen 2
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
SBC Center San Antonio
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Mike Callahan; Ron Garretson; Steve Javie

Manu Ginóbili was widely considered the star of the night, scoring in a virtuoso performance near the end of the game to lead the Spurs to victory. The Pistons were then left 'in the dust', the NBA website reported. Ginobili scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to complement a huge game by Tim Duncan.

Ginobili, a famous Argentine All-Star, already with championship rings from the NBA and Euroleague and an Olympic gold medal (the only player in history with all three), got to work on his second NBA title by taking over in the final period. He scored eight points in a decisive 12-2 surge that gave the Spurs a 67-55 lead, then throttled a push by the Pistons with a swooping dunk, 3-pointer and running hook for an 81-67 advantage with less than two minutes to go.

Having been idle for a week, the Spurs looked weak. With their defense, however, they were able to overcome adversity. Tim Duncan, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds, also contributed. Although the Pistons tend to suddenly come alive in the fourth quarter, the converse was true this game as San Antonio put together a big quarter to take a commanding lead in the game.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
Detroit 201714 1869
San Antonio 171820 2984

Game Two

June 12, 2005
8:00 p.m. EST
Detroit Pistons 76, San Antonio Spurs 97
Pts: McDyess 15; Hamilton 14; Billups 13
Rebs: B. Wallace 8; R. Wallace 8; Hamilton 7
Asts: R. Wallace 4; Three others at 3		 Pts: Ginobili 27; Duncan 18; Bowen 12
Rebs: Duncan 11; Horry 6; Mohammed 5
Asts: Ginobili- 7; Horry 5; Barry 5
Blocks: Duncan 4
San Antonio leads series, 2–0

Coming into the game, it seemed as if the resilient Pistons, who survived two elimination games against Miami in the Eastern Finals, would come out strong and give the Spurs a challenge. However, it was the Spurs who came out with a sense of urgency, as they did not want the Pistons to steal a game in San Antonio and take home court advantage away from them. From the opening tip, Game 2 was all San Antonio as the Spurs got out to a quick lead and never looked back.

The Spurs took advantage of Detroit's uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, which included missing 9 shots from inside four feet from the basket. While the Pistons went cold from behind the arc, not scoring a single 3-point basket, the Spurs made 11 3-pointers, including 4 each by Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen, who did not score a point in game 1. Ginobili finished the game with a game-high 27 points, while Tim Duncan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Antonio McDyess was the high scorer for Detroit, scoring 15 points off the bench.

The 2-0 lead proved a daunting challenge to Detroit, historically. In the history of the NBA, in the 153 times when a team with home court advantage was up 2-0 in a series, only seven times has the other team rebounded to win the series.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
Detroit 192321 1376
San Antonio 302821 1897

Game Three

June 14, 2005
9:00 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs 79, Detroit Pistons 96
Pts: Parker 21; Duncan 14; Bowen 13
Rebs: Duncan 10; Mohammed 7; Horry 5
Asts: Parker 4; Duncan 4; three others at 2		 Pts: Hamilton 24; Billups 20; B. Wallace 15
Rebs: B. Wallace 11; McDyess 9 R. Wallace 7
Asts: Billups 7; Prince 5
Blocks: B. Wallace 5
San Antonio leads series, 2–1

Going into this game, the Pistons were looking to rebound from the deficit.

In the past, only two teams in NBA history had ever won a Finals series after facing a 2-0 deficit — the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1977 NBA Finals — however, the Miami Heat would later accomplish this feat against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Despite the tough challenge, the Pistons pulled through, and came out with several key steals and two scoring runs in the third quarter, then netted many insurance points in the fourth to win a big game which was a de facto must-win. Ben Wallace was lauded and commended by many for stepping up to the challenge.

When the end of the game came, and the 96-79 final score flashed upon the screens, many Pistons fans, celebrating in jubilation, started filling the air with confetti and conducted other celebratory customs. That was the first time that the Spurs have given up more than 90 points in a Finals game.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
San Antonio 271523 1479
Detroit 212029 2696

Game Four

Thursday, June 16, 2005, 21:00, at The Palace.

June 16, 2005
9:00 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs 71, Detroit Pistons 102
Pts: Duncan 16; Parker 12; Ginobili 12
Rebs: Duncan 16; Mohammed 5; three others at 4
Asts: Parker 4; Bowen 4; Ginobili 3		 Pts: Billups 17; Hunter 17; R. Wallace -14
Rebs: B. Wallace 13; Hamilton 9; R. Wallace 8
Asts: Billups 7; McDyess 5
Note: 7 Pistons players in double point figures
Series tied, 2–2

In this game also, as was previously observed in Game 3, the Pistons dominated the Spurs. Reporters began to remark about the tendency in this series for the home team to produce a blowout. Thus far, no game had been decided by less than 15 points.

Seven Pistons scored in double figures, and big games were collected from Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, and all the other élite stars of the franchise.

The outcome was never really in doubt, and the Pistons committed a Finals-record low four turnovers, but even this is often deemed an underestimation of the Pistons' defensive power. The deciding factor appears to have been the lack of possession time for the Spurs. This led to infrequent opportunities to score, and combined with an uncharacteristic scoring slump, the Spurs were only able to manage 71 points. For the second straight game, the Pistons scored more than 90 points against the Spurs.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
San Antonio 171921 1471
Detroit 232823 28102

Game Five

June 19, 2005
9:00 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs 96, Detroit Pistons 95 (OT)
Pts: Duncan 26; Horry 21; Ginobili 15
Rebs: Duncan 19; Horry 7; Ginobili 6
Asts: Ginobili 9; Parker 3; Bowen 3;		 Pts: Billups 34; Hamilton 15; B. Wallace 13
Rebs: B. Wallace 12; Prince 9; McDyess 6
Asts: Billups 7; Prince 3
San Antonio leads series, 3–2

With the first four games of the 2005 Finals being blowouts by the home team, Game 5 was the close game everyone was waiting for, and it went down as one of the more memorable games in Finals history.

The game was closely contested by the two teams throughout the night as the lead changed 12 separate times, and the game was tied on 18 occasions. Regulation was not enough to settle this game, so the game went into overtime. The Pistons streaked out to a quick lead in the first few minutes of overtime, and seemed to have the game in hand. However, a missed opportunity with Detroit up 2 with 9 seconds to go opened the door for San Antonio. On the Spurs' next possession, Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Ginobili, who then gave it back to Horry, who was left wide open, to sink the game winning basket. Horry had previously already been famous for nailing the winning shot in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Kings.

Horry went 5 for 6 from beyond the arc, including the game-winner, and scored 21 points coming off the bench, after not scoring until the final play of the 3rd quarter. He carried the team in the latter stages of the game as his teammates struggled with nerves that came with the weight of a must-win game on the road against an accomplished adversary. In addition to the game winning three pointer Horry made a spectacular left-handed dunk as the shot clock was winding in one possession, that is one of the highlights of the series. Incidentally, Horry happened to have the most NBA championships of any active player five, and looked to extend that to six.

Tim Duncan, despite struggling from the free-throw line, finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Chauncey Billups was the high scorer for the Pistons, finishing with a game high 34 points in the losing effort.

Team 1 2 3 4 OT Tot.
San Antonio 212122 25796
Detroit 231921 26695

Game Six

June 21, 2005
8:00 p.m. EST
Detroit Pistons 95, San Antonio Spurs 86
Pts: Hamilton 23; Billups 21; R. Wallace 16
Rebs: B. Wallace 9; Prince 7; Billups 6
Asts: Billups 6; Prince 4		 Pts: Ginobili 21; Duncan 21; Parker 15
Rebs: Duncan 15; Ginobili 10; Mohammed 8
Asts: Parker 5; Ginobili 3
Series tied, 3–3

Game 6 was a close game all along, and the lead kept fluctuating between the two teams. Again, the leading stars on both teams played big games. Detroit pulled away early in the fourth for an 80-73 lead with five minutes to go, but the Spurs continued to threaten them. Soon, it was back to a one-point game.

Then, Rasheed Wallace planted a three-pointer to pull away, and even with a resilient game by the Spurs, the Pistons had clinched the victory.

Nevertheless, several Pistons free throws were necessary in the final moments of the game to put a win out of reach for the Spurs.

Rasheed Wallace had a big game to atone for the mistake he made for leaving Horry open in Game 5. Despite the fact that his mistake ultimately cost the Pistons the championship, Wallace was nonchalant about the play, even commenting incorrectly that he left Horry to guard Duncan.

Billups and Prince again led the Pistons with steady, unwavering defense, which is the key, as it is often said, to victory. Although Duncan and Ginobili finished with 21 points each, neither was able to seriously threaten the strong Pistons defense enough to win the game. Detroit thus won its fifth consecutive game facing elimination. The Pistons became the first road team to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
Detroit 232325 2495
San Antonio 232420 1986

Game Seven

June 23, 2005
8:00 p.m. EST
Detroit Pistons 74, San Antonio Spurs 81
Pts: Hamilton 15; Billups 13; B. Wallace 12
Rebs: B. Wallace 12; Hamilton 8; McDyess 7
Asts: Billups 8; McDyess 2		 Pts: Duncan 25; Ginobili 23; Horry 15
Rebs: Duncan 11; Mohammed 7; Ginobili 5
Asts: Ginobili 4; Duncan 3
San Antonio wins series, 4–3

For the first time in eleven years, the NBA Finals came down to a decisive game. Momentum was on Detroit's side, but the Spurs had home-court advantage. The Pistons were looking to become the first team to ever win the last 2 games on the road, after being down 3-2. The stats were, as expected, heavily in favor of the Spurs. NBA teams are 74-17 all-time at home in Game 7, and 9-0 when leading 3-2 going home.

The game, like the previous two games of the series, was closely contested for the first three quarters. But the Spurs took control in the fourth quarter and never looked back as for the second time in three years, the Spurs celebrated a championship on the SBC Center floor. The Spurs won Game Seven 81-74, winning the franchise's third Larry O'Brien Trophy. For the game, Tim Duncan finished with a game high 25 points and 11 rebounds, while teammate Manu Ginóbili pitched in with 23 points. Richard Hamilton, with 15 points, was the high scorer for the Pistons, who fell just short of winning back to back championships.

Tim Duncan averaged 20.6 PPG on his way to his 3rd NBA Finals MVP award. Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker, and Bruce Bowen each received their second championship ring, while Robert Horry became only the second player in NBA history (John Salley being the first) to play on championship teams for three different franchises.

Team 1 2 3 4 Tot.
Detroit 162318 1774
San Antonio 182019 2481

Award winners

References

  1. ↑ 2004–05 San Antonio Spurs
  2. ↑ "2004-05 San Antonio Spurs Transactions".
  3. ↑ "In Final Hour, Duncan Carries Spurs to Title". New York Times. June 24, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
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