2006–07 NBA season

The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the champions after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

2006–07 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 31, 2006 – April 18, 2007 April 21 – June 2, 2007 (Playoffs) June 7 – 14, 2007 (Finals)
Number of games	82
Number of teams	30
TV partner(s)	ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV
Draft
Top draft pick	Andrea Bargnani
Picked by	Toronto Raptors
Regular season
Top seed	Dallas Mavericks
Season MVP	Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
Top scorer	Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)[1]
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Cleveland Cavaliers
Eastern runners-up	Detroit Pistons
Western champions	San Antonio Spurs
Western runners-up	Utah Jazz
Finals
Venue	AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Champions	San Antonio Spurs
Runners-up	Cleveland Cavaliers
Finals MVP	Tony Parker (San Antonio)

Notable occurrences

• The first NBA draft under the new CBA rules was conducted, where draftees must be at least a year removed from high school graduation and are at least 19 years old to be eligible. Andrea Bargnani of Italy was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the No. 1 pick, becoming the second foreign player without U.S. collegiate basketball background to be selected No. 1. Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy was named Rookie of the Year.
• A new design for the official NBA game ball was revealed on June 28, 2006, at the NBA draft. Amid complaints by players and coaches, the league switched back to the previous ball on January 1, 2007.
• The 2007 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 18, 2007, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, the first time the event was held in a non-NBA city. The West defeated the East 153–132, with Kobe Bryant winning the game's MVP award.^[2]
• For the second straight year, the Hornets played a split home schedule between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, due to Hurricane Katrina.
• The Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks entered into a brawl near the end of a December 16 match up. All ten players on the court at the time, including Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony (the league's leading scorer at the time), were ejected. Seven players were suspended as a result of the incident, the most notable of which was Carmelo Anthony's 15-game suspension.
• After 11 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, All-Star guard Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets with rookie Ivan McFarlin for Andre Miller and Joe Smith.^[3]
• After the 2006 Playoff controversy, the format of team seeds changed. Each division winner may be seeded no lower than 4th, but the top non-division-winning playoff team may seed higher than a divisional champ if they have a better win–loss record. Home court advantage is given to the team with the better record, regardless of seeding.
• The Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks notched multiple 12+ game win-streaks during the course of the regular season. The Suns rattled off streaks of 15 and 17 games straight (tied for fifth longest in NBA history), while the Mavericks' streaks stretched to 12, 13, and 17 games straight.^[4] The San Antonio Spurs joined these two teams by notching a 13-game winning streak.
• Kobe Bryant notched four consecutive 50+ point games against the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets; his streak ranks fourth behind streaks by Wilt Chamberlain.^[5] He also changed number from 8 to 24 this season.
• Jason Kidd and Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets become only the tenth pair of teammates in NBA history to record triple doubles in the same game. Nearly 20 years had passed since the last tandem, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, performed this feat.
• The Toronto Raptors won their first division title in the franchise's twelve-year history. It also marked the first time a Canadian-based NBA team had won a division title.^[6]
• The Golden State Warriors, who had not qualified for the playoffs since 1994, became the first 8 seed to defeat a 1 seed in a best-of-seven playoff series, defeating the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in 6 games.^[7]
• Dirk Nowitzki won the NBA MVP Award and Tony Parker won the NBA Finals MVP Award,^[8] the first time either award was won by a European-born player.
• Long-time Boston Celtics coach and executive Red Auerbach died on October 28 of heart attack at age 89. Reeling with the loss of their patriarch, and being down two key contributors in Paul Pierce and Tony Allen, the Celtics finished the season with the second-worst record in the NBA, at 24–58, which included a franchise record 18–game losing streak. Another Celtics legend, Dennis Johnson, died on February 22, 2007, of the same ailment at age 52. This led to them acquiring both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the following season, to turn their franchise around to a 42–game improvement that followed suit for the next five seasons for the three players.
• The 2007 NBA Finals, won by the San Antonio Spurs 4–0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers, was the least-watched Finals series in NBA History until the 2020 NBA Finals, with a rating of 6.2.
• Adidas became the official outfitter of the NBA they remained for the next ten years until Nike became the official outfitter in 2017.

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	2005–06 coach	2006–07 coach
Golden State Warriors	Mike Montgomery	Don Nelson
New York Knicks	Larry Brown	Isiah Thomas
Sacramento Kings	Rick Adelman	Eric Musselman
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Memphis Grizzlies	Mike Fratello	Tony Barone
Milwaukee Bucks	Terry Stotts	Larry Krystkowiak
Minnesota Timberwolves	Dwane Casey	Randy Wittman

2006–07 NBA changes

• Boston Celtics – slightly changed their uniforms added their alternate logo of a cloverleaf above the jersey.
• Milwaukee Bucks – added new logo and new uniforms, replacing dark green, purple, grey and silver with remained dark green, grey and silver, added red to their color scheme added side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
• New Jersey Nets – added new red road alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
• New York Knicks – added new green road alternate uniforms with black side panels to their jerseys and shorts for St. Patrick's day only.
• Utah Jazz – added new light blue road alternate uniforms with dark navy blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
• Toronto Raptors – red road alternate uniforms they wore for the past three seasons became their primary road jersey.
• Washington Wizards – added new gold and black road alternate uniforms with stars to their jerseys and shorts.

Final standings

By division

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Toronto Raptors	47	35	.573	-	30–11	17–24	11–5
x-New Jersey Nets	41	41	.500	6	24–17	17–24	10–6
Philadelphia 76ers	35	47	.427	12	21–20	14–27	9–7
New York Knicks	33	49	.402	14	19–22	14–27	3–13
Boston Celtics	24	58	.293	23	12–29	12–29	7–9

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	53	29	.646	-	26–15	27–14	9–7
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	50	32	.610	3	30–11	20–21	10–6
x-Chicago Bulls	49	33	.598	4	31–10	18–23	12–4
Indiana Pacers	35	47	.427	18	22–19	13–28	8–8
Milwaukee Bucks	28	54	.341	25	18–23	10–31	1–15

Southeast Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	44	38	.537	-	27–14	17–24	9–7
x-Washington Wizards	41	41	.500	3	26–15	15–26	8–8
x-Orlando Magic	40	42	.488	4	25–16	15–26	9–7
Charlotte Bobcats	33	49	.402	11	20–21	13–28	9–7
Atlanta Hawks	30	52	.366	14	18–23	12–29	5–11

Western Conference

Northwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Utah Jazz	51	31	.634	-	31–10	20–21	10–6
x-Denver Nuggets	45	37	.549	6	23–18	22–19	9–7
Portland Trail Blazers	32	50	.390	19	18–23	14–27	7–9
Minnesota Timberwolves	32	50	.390	19	20–21	12–29	6–10
Seattle SuperSonics	31	51	.378	20	20–21	11–30	8–8

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Phoenix Suns	61	21	.744	-	33–8	28–13	11–5
x-Los Angeles Lakers	42	40	.512	19	25–16	17–24	10–6
x-Golden State Warriors	42	40	.512	19	30–11	12–29	6–10
Los Angeles Clippers	40	42	.488	21	25–16	15–26	8–8
Sacramento Kings	33	49	.402	28	20–21	13–28	5–11

Southwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
z-Dallas Mavericks	67	15	.817	-	36–5	31–10	14–2
x-San Antonio Spurs	58	24	.707	9	31–10	27–14	10–6
x-Houston Rockets	52	30	.634	15	28–13	24–17	8–8
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets	39	43	.476	28	24–17	15–26	6–10
Memphis Grizzlies	22	60	.268	45	14–27	8–33	2–14

By conference

# Eastern Conference v t e Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Detroit Pistons 53 29 .646 – 2 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 50 32 .610 3 3 y-Toronto Raptors 47 35 .573 6 4 y-Miami Heat 44 38 .537 9 5 x-Chicago Bulls 49 33 .598 4 6 x-New Jersey Nets 41 41 .500 12 7 x-Washington Wizards 41 41 .500 12 8 x-Orlando Magic 40 42 .488 13 9 Philadelphia 76ers 35 47 .427 18 10 Indiana Pacers 35 47 .427 18 11 New York Knicks 33 49 .402 20 12 Charlotte Bobcats 33 49 .402 20 13 Atlanta Hawks 30 52 .366 23 14 Milwaukee Bucks 28 54 .341 25 15 Boston Celtics 24 58 .293 29

# Western Conference v t e Team W L PCT GB 1 z-Dallas Mavericks 67 15 .817 - 2 y-Phoenix Suns 61 21 .744 6 3 x-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 9 4 y-Utah Jazz 51 31 .622 16 5 x-Houston Rockets 52 30 .634 15 6 x-Denver Nuggets 45 37 .549 22 7 x-Los Angeles Lakers 42 40 .512 25 8 x-Golden State Warriors 42 40 .512 25 9 Los Angeles Clippers 40 42 .488 27 10 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 39 43 .476 28 11 Sacramento Kings 33 49 .402 34 12 Portland Trail Blazers 32 50 .390 35 13 Minnesota Timberwolves 32 50 .390 35 14 Seattle SuperSonics 31 51 .378 36 15 Memphis Grizzlies 22 60 .268 45

Playoffs

Main article: 2007 NBA playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics

First Round

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

NBA Finals

E1

Detroit*

4

E8

Orlando

0

E1

Detroit*

4

E5

Chicago

2

E4

Miami*

0

E5

Chicago

4

E1

Detroit*

2

Eastern Conference

E2

Cleveland

4

E3

Toronto*

2

E6

New Jersey

4

E6

New Jersey

2

E2

Cleveland

4

E2

Cleveland

4

E7

Washington

0

E2

Cleveland

0

W3

San Antonio

4

W1

Dallas*

2

W8

Golden State

4

W8

Golden State

1

W4

Utah*

4

W4

Utah*

4

W5

Houston

3

W4

Utah*

1

Western Conference

W3

San Antonio

4

W3

San Antonio

4

W6

Denver

1

W3

San Antonio

4

W2

Phoenix*

2

W2

Phoenix*

4

W7

LA Lakers

1

• * Division winner
• Bold Series winner
• Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Kobe Bryant	Los Angeles Lakers	31.6
Rebounds per game	Kevin Garnett	Minnesota Timberwolves	12.8
Assists per game	Steve Nash	Phoenix Suns	11.6
Steals per game	Baron Davis	Golden State Warriors	2.14
Blocks per game	Marcus Camby	Denver Nuggets	3.30
Field goal percentage	Mikki Moore	New Jersey Nets	.608
Free throw percentage	Kyle Korver	Philadelphia 76ers	.914
Three-point field goal percentage	Jason Kapono	Miami Heat	.514

Awards

Yearly awards

• Most Valuable Player: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks^[9]
• Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets^[10]
• Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers^[11]
• Sixth Man of the Year: Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns^[12]
• Most Improved Player: Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors^[13]
• Coach of the Year: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors^[14]
• Executive of the Year: Bryan Colangelo, Toronto Raptors^[15]
• Sportsmanship Award: Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls^[16]

All-NBA First Team:[17] F Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks F Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs C Amar'e Stoudemire – Phoenix Suns G Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns G Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers NBA All-Defensive First Team:[18] F Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs F Bruce Bowen – San Antonio Spurs C Marcus Camby – Denver Nuggets G Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers G Raja Bell – Phoenix Suns NBA All-Rookie First Team:[11] Brandon Roy – Portland Trail Blazers Andrea Bargnani – Toronto Raptors Randy Foye – Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gay – Memphis Grizzlies Jorge Garbajosa – Toronto Raptors (tie) LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland Trail Blazers (tie)

All-NBA Second Team:[17] F LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers F Chris Bosh – Toronto Raptors C Yao Ming – Houston Rockets G Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards G Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets NBA All-Defensive Second Team:[18] F Kevin Garnett – Minnesota Timberwolves F Tayshaun Prince – Detroit Pistons C Ben Wallace – Chicago Bulls G Kirk Hinrich – Chicago Bulls G Jason Kidd – New Jersey Nets[18] All-NBA Rookie Second Team:[11] Paul Millsap – Utah Jazz Adam Morrison – Charlotte Bobcats Tyrus Thomas – Chicago Bulls Craig Smith – Minnesota Timberwolves Rajon Rondo – Boston Celtics (tie) Walter Herrmann – Charlotte Bobcats (tie) Marcus Williams – New Jersey Nets (tie)

All-NBA Third Team:[17] F Kevin Garnett – Minnesota Timberwolves F Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets C Dwight Howard – Orlando Magic G Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat G Chauncey Billups – Detroit Pistons

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	Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) (1/1)	Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
December	Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards) (1/1)	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/3)
January	Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) (1/1)	Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
February	Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)	Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) (1/1)
March	LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/1)	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (2/3)
April	Vince Carter (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (3/3)

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	Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats) (1/1)	Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/1)	[19]
December	Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto Raptors) (1/1)	Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1)	[20]
January	Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors) (1/2)	Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers) (1/3)	[21]
February	Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors) (2/2)	Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers) (2/3)	[22]
March	Wálter Herrmann (Charlotte Bobcats) (1/1)	Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers) (3/3)	[23]
April	Shelden Williams (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)	Tarence Kinsey (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/1)	[24]

See also

• 2007 NBA All-Star Game
• 2007 NBA playoffs
• 2007 NBA Finals
• List of NBA regular season records