2015–16 NBA season
70th NBA season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2015–16 NBA season was the 70th season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 27, 2015, at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls, with their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 14, 2016. The regular season ended on April 13, 2016. Golden State's Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in league history.[1] The playoffs started on April 16, 2016, and ended with the 2016 NBA Finals on June 19, 2016, with the Cleveland Cavaliers becoming NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Golden State Warriors in seven games. This would also be the final season for All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
2015–16 NBA season | |
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League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | October 27, 2015 – April 13, 2016 April 16, 2016 – May 30, 2016 (Playoffs) June 2, 2016 – June 19, 2016 (Finals) |
Number of games | 82 |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Karl-Anthony Towns |
Picked by | Minnesota Timberwolves |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Golden State Warriors |
Season MVP | Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) |
Top scorer | Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Eastern runners-up | Toronto Raptors |
Western champions | Golden State Warriors |
Western runners-up | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Finals | |
Champions | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Runners-up | Golden State Warriors |
Finals MVP | LeBron James (Cleveland) |
NBA seasons | |
Retirement
- On June 18, 2015, Shawn Marion officially announced his retirement after playing 16 seasons, winning an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.[2]
- On June 23, 2015, Andrei Kirilenko officially announced his retirement after playing 13 seasons in the NBA.[3]
- On July 2, 2015, Kenyon Martin officially announced his retirement after playing 15 seasons in the NBA.[4]
- On July 22, 2015, Stephen Jackson officially announced his retirement after playing 14 seasons, winning an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.[5]
- On August 11, 2015, Elton Brand officially announced his retirement after playing 16 seasons in the NBA.[6] On January 4, 2016, he returned to play for Philadelphia 76ers.[7]
- On August 12, 2015, Mengke Bateer officially announced his retirement from professional basketball. Bateer played for three NBA teams during his 17-year playing career, winning an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.[8]
- On September 23, 2015, Jason Richardson officially announced his retirement after playing 14 seasons in the NBA.[9]
- On November 13, 2015, Hedo Türkoğlu officially announced his retirement after playing 15 seasons in the NBA.[10]
- On November 29, 2015, Kobe Bryant officially announced that the 2015–16 season would be his last after playing 20 seasons, winning five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.[11] Bryant ended his career with a season-high 60 points in his final career game against the Utah Jazz.[12]
Free agency
Free agency negotiations began on July 1, 2015, while players would begin to sign starting on July 7, after the July moratorium ended.
Coaching changes
Off-season | ||
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Team | 2014–15 season | 2015–16 season |
Oklahoma City Thunder | Scott Brooks | Billy Donovan |
New Orleans Pelicans | Monty Williams | Alvin Gentry |
Chicago Bulls | Tom Thibodeau | Fred Hoiberg |
Orlando Magic | James Borrego (interim) | Scott Skiles |
Denver Nuggets | Melvin Hunt (interim) | Michael Malone |
Minnesota Timberwolves | Flip Saunders (died) | Sam Mitchell |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Houston Rockets | Kevin McHale | J. B. Bickerstaff (interim) |
Brooklyn Nets | Lionel Hollins | Tony Brown (interim) |
Cleveland Cavaliers | David Blatt | Tyronn Lue |
Phoenix Suns | Jeff Hornacek | Earl Watson |
New York Knicks | Derek Fisher | Kurt Rambis (interim) |
Off-season
- On April 22, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder fired head coach Scott Brooks after seven years with the team.[13]
- On April 30, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder hired Billy Donovan as head coach.[14]
- On May 12, 2015, the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Monty Williams after five years with the team.[15]
- On May 28, 2015, the Chicago Bulls fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after five years with the team.[16]
- On May 29, 2015, the Orlando Magic hired Scott Skiles as head coach.[17]
- On May 30, 2015, the New Orleans Pelicans hired Alvin Gentry as head coach.[18]
- On June 2, 2015, the Chicago Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg as head coach.[19]
- On June 15, 2015, the Denver Nuggets hired Michael Malone as head coach.[20]
- On September 10, 2015, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that assistant coach Sam Mitchell would take on the interim head coach role while Flip Saunders battled Hodgkin's lymphoma.[21] Saunders died on October 25, thus making Mitchell the new, full-term head coach for the season afterwards.[22]
- On October 1, 2015, the Golden State Warriors announced that assistant coach Luke Walton would take on the interim head coach role while Steve Kerr recovers from back pain issues that he had throughout the summer.[23]
In-season
- On November 18, 2015, the Houston Rockets fired head coach Kevin McHale after five years with the team. Their assistant coach J. B. Bickerstaff would take on the interim head coach.[24]
- On December 23, 2015, the Milwaukee Bucks announced that assistant coach Joe Prunty would take on the interim head coach role while Jason Kidd recovers after taking an indefinite leave to have hip surgery.[25]
- On January 10, 2016, the Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Lionel Hollins after two years with the team. Assistant coach Tony Brown was named as interim head coach.[26]
- On January 22, 2016, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr returned after complications following back surgery, taking over from Luke Walton, who led the Warriors to a 39–4 record. Walton returns as an assistant coach for Kerr.[27]
- On January 22, 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired head coach David Blatt after one-and-a-half seasons with the team. Assistant coach Tyronn Lue was named the new head coach after signing a three-year deal with the Cavaliers.[28]
- On January 26, 2016, Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd returned after complications following right hip surgery taking over from Joe Prunty who led the Bucks to an 8–9 record.[29]
- On February 1, 2016, the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Jeff Hornacek after two and a half seasons with the team. Suns' assistant coach Earl Watson was named as interim head coach.[30][31] On April 19, the Suns decided to promote Watson as their full-time coach for the next three years.
- On February 8, 2016, the New York Knicks fired head coach Derek Fisher after one-and-a-half seasons with the team. Knicks assistant coach Kurt Rambis was named interim head coach for the rest of the season.[32]
The preseason began on October 2, 2015, and ended on October 23, 2015.
The regular season began on October 27, 2015, at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls, who hosted a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8:00 p.m. EDT, then the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Detroit Pistons at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Finally, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors hosted the New Orleans Pelicans at 10:30 p.m. EDT at the Oracle Arena. Christmas Day games were played on December 25, 2015. The regular season ended on April 13, 2016. The schedule was released at 6:00 p.m. EDT on August 12, 2015.[33]
Standings
By division
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By conference
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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
- * – Division leader
Tiebreakers
- Eastern Conference
- Miami won the Southeast Division over Atlanta and Charlotte, by having the best record of the three teams in games against each other (5–3 record vs. ATL & CHA).
- By winning its division, Miami automatically won the tie-breaker against Boston.
- Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte were seeded based on record in games against each other (ATL: 6–2 | BOS: 3–4 | CHA: 2–5).
- Western Conference
- Dallas clinched #6 seed over Memphis based on head-to-head record (3–1).
- Sacramento finished ahead of Denver based on head-to-head record (3–0).
The 2016 NBA playoffs began on April 16, 2016, and ended with the 2016 NBA Finals which began on June 2, 2016, and ended on June 19, 2016, on ABC. ESPN broadcast the Eastern Conference Finals and TNT broadcast the Western Conference Finals. ABC broadcast the NBA Finals.
Bracket
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Boston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E2 | Toronto* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Charlotte | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Miami* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Toronto* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Toronto* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Indiana | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Golden State* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Houston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | LA Clippers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W3 | Oklahoma City* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | San Antonio* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Memphis | 0 |
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italics Team with home-court advantage
Individual statistic leaders
Category | Player | Team | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 30.1 |
Rebounds per game | Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons | 14.8 |
Assists per game | Rajon Rondo | Sacramento Kings | 11.7 |
Steals per game | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 2.14 |
Blocks per game | Hassan Whiteside | Miami Heat | 3.68 |
Turnovers per game | James Harden | Houston Rockets | 4.6 |
Fouls per game | DeMarcus Cousins | Sacramento Kings | 3.6 |
Minutes per game | James Harden | Houston Rockets | 38.1 |
FG% | DeAndre Jordan | Los Angeles Clippers | 70.3% |
FT% | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 90.8% |
3FG% | JJ Redick | Los Angeles Clippers | 47.5% |
Efficiency per game | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 31.56 |
Double-doubles | Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons | 66 |
Triple-doubles | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 18 |
Individual game highs
Category | Player | Team | Statistics |
---|---|---|---|
Points | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 60 |
Rebounds | Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons | 29 |
Assists | Rajon Rondo | Sacramento Kings | 20 |
Steals | Robert Covington | Philadelphia 76ers | 8 |
Ricky Rubio | Minnesota Timberwolves | ||
Pablo Prigioni | Los Angeles Clippers | ||
James Harden | Houston Rockets | ||
Blocks | Hassan Whiteside | Miami Heat | 11 |
Three Pointers | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | 12 |
Team statistic leaders
Category | Team | Statistics |
---|---|---|
Points per game | Golden State Warriors | 114.9 |
Rebounds per game | Oklahoma City Thunder | 48.6 |
Assists per game | Golden State Warriors | 28.9 |
Steals per game | Houston Rockets | 10.0 |
Blocks per game | Miami Heat | 6.5 |
Turnovers per game | Phoenix Suns | 16.6 |
FG% | Golden State Warriors | 48.7% |
FT% | New York Knicks | 80.5% |
3FG% | Golden State Warriors | 41.6% |
+/− | Golden State Warriors | 10.8 |
Yearly Awards
- Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors[34]
- Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs[35]
- Rookie of the Year: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves[36]
- Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers[37]
- Most Improved Player: CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers[38]
- Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors[39]
- Executive of the Year: R. C. Buford, San Antonio Spurs[40]
- Sportsmanship Award: Mike Conley Jr., Memphis Grizzlies[41]
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award: Wayne Ellington, Brooklyn Nets[42]
- Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award: Vince Carter, Memphis Grizzlies[43]
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Players of the Week
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.
Players of the Month
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
October/November | Paul George (Indiana Pacers) (1/1) | Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) (1/2) | [69] |
December | John Wall (Washington Wizards) (1/1) | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) (1/2) Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) (1/2) |
[70] |
January | Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) |
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) (2/2) | [71] |
February | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/3) | Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) (2/2) | [72] |
March | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (2/3) | Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) (2/2) | [73] |
April | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (3/3) | James Harden (Houston Rockets) (1/1) | [74] |
Rookies of the Month
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
October/November | Kristaps Porziņģis (New York Knicks) (1/3) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/6) | [75] |
December | Kristaps Porziņģis (New York Knicks) (2/3) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (2/6) | [76] |
January | Kristaps Porziņģis (New York Knicks) (3/3) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (3/6) | [77] |
February | Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers) (1/1) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (4/6) | [78] |
March | Josh Richardson (Miami Heat) (1/1) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (5/6) | [79] |
April | Norman Powell (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) | Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) (6/6) | [80] |
Coaches of the Month
The following coaches were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
October/November | David Blatt (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/1) | Luke Walton (Golden State Warriors) (1/1) | [81] |
December | Scott Skiles (Orlando Magic) (1/1) | Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1) | [82] |
January | Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) | Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers) (1/2) | [83] |
February | Brad Stevens (Boston Celtics) (1/1) | Terry Stotts (Portland Trail Blazers) (1/1) | [84] |
March | Steve Clifford (Charlotte Hornets) (1/1) | Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) (1/1) | [85] |
April | Nate McMillan (Indiana Pacers) (1/1) | Doc Rivers (Los Angeles Clippers) (2/2) | [86] |
This was the eighth and final year of the TV contracts with ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV before the new nine-year contracts began in 2016.
ABC announced that they would be adding games on Saturday nights followed by NBA Sunday Showcase as well as continuing their games on Sunday afternoons. The first Saturday night game was on January 23, 2016, with the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Chicago Bulls.[87]