2005 NBA Finals

2005 basketball championship series February 2024 NBA Finals 05.png NBA 2005 Detroit Pistons Larry Brown 3 San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich 4 June 9–23 Tim Duncan(San Antonio Spurs) Spurs:Tim Duncan (2020)Manu Ginóbili (2022)Tony Parker (2023)Pistons:Chauncey Billups (2024)Ben Wallace (2021)Coaches:Larry Brown (2002)Gregg Popovich (2023)Officials:Dick Bavetta (2015)Danny Crawford (2025) Pistons defeated Heat, 4–3 Spurs defeated Suns, 4–1 The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2004–05 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs played the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons for the title,https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2005-nba-finals-pistons-vs-spurs.html 2005 NBA Finals - Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs Basketball-Reference.com en May 13, 2019 with the Spurs holding home court advantage and the Pistons as defending champions. The series was played under a best-of-seven format (unlike the previous three rounds, the team with home court advantage hosted games one, two, six, and seven if all were necessary). It also marked the Pistons' first NBA Finals loss since 1988. The Spurs won the series four games to three in the first NBA Finals to go to a Game 7 since 1994. The games were broadcast on ABC, with Al Michaels, and Hubie Brown commentating. National radio coverage was provided by ESPN Radio through announcers Jim Durham, and Dr. Jack Ramsay. Background This series was not only the first matchup of the previous two NBA champions since the 1987 Finals (Lakers d. Celtics, 4–2), it was a match up of the two premier defensive teams of that era: from the 2002–03 season to the 2004–05 season, the Spurs and Pistons routinely finished in the top three in Points Allowed: in 2003, Detroit was #1, and San Antonio #3; in 2004, the teams finished in a tie for the #1 spot; in 2005, the Spurs were #1 and the Pistons were #2. The Spurs were considered capable of playing at a faster pace, as evidenced by their convincing win against the high-scoring Phoenix Suns during the Western Conference finals. However, both teams performed exceptionally well when scoring over 100 points (Detroit was 22–3, San Antonio was 28–2). Going into the 2005 Finals, the Spurs had won two championships (1999 and 2003), while Detroit had three (1989, 1990, and 2004). The 2004 Championship was considered a major upset by some sportswriters because of the Lakers' big name talent. Others saw the result as fully legitimate, pointing out that Detroit's defense outplayed the Lakers' offense. Further, the balanced Detroit offense proved especially difficult to deal with when Karl Malone's injured knee left the Lakers without a reliable presence to slow down the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace. Many thought that a contributing factor to the Lakers' loss was the well-publicized tension between superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Both the Spurs and the Pistons were ranked number two in their respective conferences, with the Phoenix Suns ranked number one in the West and the Miami Heat ranked number one in the East. Sportswriters all across the country generally considered this one of the few too-close-to-call series to occur. Most picked the series to go to six or seven games. The Spurs breezed through the playoffs with relative ease, compared to the Pistons. They defeated the Nuggets 4–1 to open the playoffs, winning four straight after losing the home opener. They then defeated the SuperSonics within six games the following series. Phoenix was expected by many to put up a challenge, but the Spurs won the series easily, four games to one. The Pistons had a slightly tougher road back to the Finals. The opening round was a fairly easy five-game victory over Philadelphia. Next, the Pistons faced the Indiana Pacers, one of the NBA's most resilient teams. Indiana was expected by most experts to falter and miss the playoffs after the Pacers–Pistons brawl; however, led by retiring Pacers legend Reggie Miller, the Pacers still made the playoffs and unexpectedly won their first-round series against the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics. The Pacers mounted a formidable challenge but after a Game Six loss, Reggie Miller's storied 18-year career was over. Detroit's next opponent was the East #1 seed Miami, led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. After winning Game One, the Pistons fell 2–1 after three games and 3–2 after five games. By winning Game Six on their home court, the Pistons forced a Game Seven. In Game Seven, Detroit overcame the odds to beat the Heat at American Airlines Arena, and thus advanced to the NBA Finals for the second straight year. Road to the Finals 2005 NBA playoffs San Antonio Spurs (Western Conference champion) Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference champion)SAS2nd seed in the West, 2nd best league recordRegular seasonDET2nd seed in the East, 5th best league recordDefeated the (7) Denver Nuggets, 4–1First roundDefeated the (7) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–1Defeated the (3) Seattle SuperSonics, 4–2Conference semifinalsDefeated the (6) Indiana Pacers, 4–2Defeated the (1) Phoenix Suns, 4–1Conference finalsDefeated the (1) Miami Heat, 4–3 Regular season series Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team: #fff December 3, 2004 Detroit Pistons 77 San Antonio Spurs 80 SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas March 20, 2005 San Antonio Spurs 101 Detroit Pistons 110 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Rosters San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs 2004–05 17 Brent Barry SG 6 6 185 Oregon State 1971–12–31 12 Bruce Bowen SF 6 7 185 Cal State Fullerton 1971–06–14 23 Devin Brown SG 6 5 220 UTSA 1978–12–30 21 Tim Duncan PF 6 11 250 Wake Forest 1976–04–25 20 Manu Ginóbili SG 6 6 205 Argentina 1977–07–28 5 Robert Horry PF 6 9 220 Alabama 1970–08–25 43 Linton Johnson SF 6 8 205 Tulane 1980–06–13 4 Sean Marks PF 6 10 250 California 1975–08–23 34 Tony Massenburg PF 6 9 220 Maryland 1967–07–31 2 Nazr Mohammed C 6 10 221 Kentucky 1977–09–05 8 Radoslav Nesterović C 7 0 248 Slovenia 1976–05–30 9 Tony Parker PG 6 2 185 France 1982–05–17 3 Glenn Robinson SF 6 7 225 Purdue 1973–01–10 14 Beno Udrih PG 6 3 205 Slovenia 1982–05–03 11 Mike Wilks basketball PG 5 10 185 Rice 1979–05–07 Gregg Popovich Brett Brown Mike Budenholzer P. J. Carlesimo Don Newman (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons 2004–05 30 Carlos Arroyo PG 6 2 202 FIU 1979–07–30 1 Chauncey Billups PG 6 3 202 Colorado 1976–09–25 41 Elden Campbell C 6 11 215 Clemson 1968–07–23 20 Carlos Delfino SG 6 6 230 Argentina 1982–08–29 12 Ronald Dupree SF 6 7 209 LSU 1981–01–26 8 Darvin Ham SF 6 7 220 Texas Tech 1973–07–23 32 Richard Hamilton basketball SG 6 6 185 Connecticut 1978–02–14 10 Lindsey Hunter SG 6 2 170 Jackson State 1970–12–03 5 Horace Jenkins PG 6 1 180 William Paterson 1974–10–14 24 Antonio McDyess PF 6 9 220 Alabama 1974–09–07 31 Darko Miličić C 7 0 250 Serbia 1985–06–20 22 Tayshaun Prince SF 6 9 212 Kentucky 1980–02–28 3 Ben Wallace basketball C 6 9 240 Virginia Union 1974–09–10 36 Rasheed Wallace PF 6 10 225 North Carolina 1974–09–17 Larry Brown Phil Ford Dave Hanners Gar Heard Igor Kokoškov Pat Sullivan (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate Series summary Game Date Road team Result Home team Game 1 June 9 Detroit Pistons 69–84 (0–1) San Antonio Spurs Game 2 June 12 Detroit Pistons 76–97 (0–2) San Antonio Spurs Game 3 June 14 San Antonio Spurs 79–96 (2–1) Detroit Pistons Game 4 June 16 San Antonio Spurs 71–102 (2–2) Detroit Pistons Game 5 June 19 San Antonio Spurs 96–95 (OT) (3–2) Detroit Pistons Game 6 June 21 Detroit Pistons 95–86 (3–3) San Antonio Spurs Game 7 June 23 Detroit Pistons 74–81 (4–3) San Antonio Spurs Features This was the first NBA Finals to have the sticker version of the Larry O'Brien Trophy adorn the center court (team logo still visible in the middle), with the NBA Finals wordmark logo on opposite ends of the court. This remained in effect until the 2009 NBA Finals; the position of the O'Brien trophy was modified for the 2007 NBA Finals. Game summaries All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4). If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given. Game 1 #eee June 9 9:00 pm (8:00 pm CDT) SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ABC Detroit Pistons 69 San Antonio Spurs 84 https://web.archive.org/web/20090316033034/http://www.nba.com/games/20050609/DETSAS/recap.html March 16, 2009 Recap 20–17 17–18 14–20 18–29 Chauncey Billups 25 Manu Ginóbili 26 Ben Wallace 8 Tim Duncan 17 Chauncey Billups 6 Horry, Parker 3 each 18,797 No. 29 Steve Javie No. 10 Ron Garretson No. 24 Mike Callahan San Antonio leads series, 1–0 Manu Ginóbili was the star of Game 1, turning in a virtuoso performance in the fourth quarter to lead the Spurs to victory. Ginobili scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to complement a huge game by Tim Duncan (24 points, 17 rebounds). Ginobili, who in the previous summer led Argentina in points and assists en route to Olympic gold, took 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 opened the game in lackluster fashion – in the first eight minutes the Spurs trailed 19–7 – but were able to fight back and stabilize the game. It may have happened that Detroit's more recent play led to fourth quarter fatigue which enabled the Spurs' strong fourth quarter; in any case, the Spurs prevailed in the first contest. Game 2 #eee June 12 9:00 pm (8:00 pm CDT) SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ABC Detroit Pistons 76 San Antonio Spurs 97 https://web.archive.org/web/20090219211107/http://www.nba.com/games/20050612/DETSAS/recap.html February 19, 2009 Recap 19–30 23–28 21–21 13–18 Antonio McDyess 15 Manu Ginóbili 27 Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace 8 each Tim Duncan 11 Rasheed Wallace 4 Manu Ginóbili 7 18,797 No. 7 Bernie Fryer No. 43 Dan Crawford No. 35 Jack Nies San Antonio leads series, 2–0 The resilient Detroit Pistons were expected to bounce back from their fourth-quarter letdown in Game 1. Exactly the opposite occurred. 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 nine shots from inside four feet from the basket. While the Pistons went cold (0–6) from behind the three-point line, the Spurs made 11 3-pointers, including four each by Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen, who did not score a point in Game 1. Ginobili again led the Spurs with a 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 was a big advantage for San Antonio. In the history of the NBA, the team with home-court advantage started a series with a 2–0 lead 153 times. On just seven occasions, the trailing team rebounded to win the series. Game 3 #eee June 14 9:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC San Antonio Spurs 79 Detroit Pistons 96 https://web.archive.org/web/20090316032045/http://www.nba.com/games/20050614/SASDET/recap.html March 16, 2009 Recap 27–21 15–20 23–29 14–26 Tony Parker 21 Richard Hamilton 24 Tim Duncan 10 Ben Wallace 11 Duncan, Parker 4 each Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 No. 15 Bennett Salvatore No. 26 Bob Delaney No. 17 Joe Crawford San Antonio leads series, 2–1 In NBA history, only two teams 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, just one year later the Miami Heat would accomplish this feat against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. With that task looming ahead, the Pistons responded in tremendous fashion. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton combined for 44 points, while Ben Wallace (15 pts, 11 reb, 5 blk, 3 stl) together with Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess harassed Tim Duncan into a 5–15 shooting night. The Pistons dominated the second half, outscoring the Spurs 55–37. The Pistons became the first team to score more than 90 points in a Finals game against the Spurs during this game. Game 4 #eee June 16 9:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC San Antonio Spurs 71 Detroit Pistons 102 https://web.archive.org/web/20090316032050/http://www.nba.com/games/20050616/SASDET/recap.html March 16, 2009 Recap 17–23 19–28 21–23 14–28 Tim Duncan 16 Billups, Hunter 17 each Tim Duncan 16 Ben Wallace 13 Bowen, Parker 4 each Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 32 Eddie F. Rush No. 14 Joe DeRosa Series tied, 2–2 The pattern of the first two games held up in games 3 and 4: home team wins big in the first one and even bigger in the second. And Game 4 was the most lopsided of all during the 2005 NBA Finals; the Pistons' 102 points were the only time either team reached triple digits in the series. Seven Pistons scored in double figures, especially efficient bench performances by Lindsey Hunter and Antonio McDyess. In 22 minutes, Hunter scored 17 points and dished out 5 assists; McDyess scored 13 and grabbed 7 rebounds in just 19 minutes. Conversely, only three Spurs scored in double figures (Ginobili, Duncan, Parker), and among all Spurs attempting five or more field goals, only Tony Parker (6–13, 46.2% shooting) managed to surpass the 45% mark. Collectively, the Spurs shot 37% and committed 17 turnovers to the Pistons' NBA Finals-record four. Hunter's and Billups' 17 points were the fewest to lead an NBA Finals game since George Yardley of the Fort Wayne Pistons led all scorers with 16 points in the fifth game of the 1955 NBA Finals.Syracuse Nationals at Fort Wayne Pistons Box Score, April 7, 1955 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/195504070FTW.html Basketball-Reference.com Sports Reference June 14, 2018 en Game 5 #eee June 19 9:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC San Antonio Spurs 96 Detroit Pistons 95 OT https://web.archive.org/web/20090311012623/http://www.nba.com/games/20050619/SASDET/recap.html March 11, 2009 Recap 21–23 21–19 22–21 25–26 7–6 Tim Duncan 26 Chauncey Billups 34 Tim Duncan 19 Ben Wallace 12 Manu Ginóbili 9 Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 No. 24 Mike Callahan No. 10 Ron Garretson No. 29 Steve Javie San Antonio leads series, 3–2 With the first four games of the 2005 Finals being blowouts by the home team, Game 5 was a widely anticipated close game, and became a memorable game in Finals history. The game was closely contested by 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 layup by Chauncey Billups with Detroit ahead 95–93 with nine seconds remaining left San Antonio with a chance. On the Spurs' next possession, Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Ginobili, who headed for the left corner and dished it right back to Horry. Rasheed Wallace had left Horry to double-team Ginobili, and Horry was left alone to sink the game-winning basket with 5.8 seconds remaining in the OT. Horry was already famous for nailing last-second shots in the playoffs, including Game Four of the 2002 Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Horry went 5 for 6 from beyond the arc, including the game-winner, and scored 21 points coming off the bench. He hadn't scored a point until the final play of the 3rd quarter. He carried the team in the fourth quarter and overtime as his teammates struggled with the weight of a must-win game on the road against an accomplished adversary. In addition to the game-winning three-pointer, late in overtime Horry made a spectacular left-handed dunk while being fouled as the shot clock wound down. 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. To date, this is the most recent NBA Finals game played in Metro Detroit. Game 6 #eee June 21 9:00 pm (8:00 pm CDT) SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ABC Detroit Pistons 95 San Antonio Spurs 86 https://web.archive.org/web/20090316032055/http://www.nba.com/games/20050621/DETSAS/recap.html March 16, 2009 Recap 23–23 23–24 25–20 24–19 Richard Hamilton 23 Duncan, Ginóbili 21 each Ben Wallace 9 Tim Duncan 15 Chauncey Billups 6 Tony Parker 5 18,797 No. 15 Bennett Salvatore No. 7 Bernie Fryer No. 43 Dan Crawford 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 his mistake, 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. Game 7 #eee June 23 9:00 pm (8:00 pm CDT) SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ABC Detroit Pistons 74 San Antonio Spurs 81 https://web.archive.org/web/20090219212308/http://www.nba.com/games/20050623/DETSAS/recap.html February 19, 2009 Recap 16–18 23–20 18–19 17–24 Richard Hamilton 15 Tim Duncan 25 Ben Wallace 11 Tim Duncan 11 Chauncey Billups 8 Manu Ginóbili 4 18,797 No. 27 Dick Bavetta No. 32 Eddie F. Rush No. 17 Joe Crawford San Antonio wins NBA Finals, 4–3 3ig9xiu5VOU Full game broadcast by ABC For the first time in eleven years, the NBA Finals came down to a decisive Game 7, the longest span between Game 7s in NBA history.NBA Finals in NBA history that went the distance. https://www.nba.com/news/all-time-nba-finals-game-7s NBA 21 June 2025 en 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 two games on the road after being down 3–2. NBA history was heavily in favor of the Spurs, who were looking to celebrate a title at the SBC Center for the second time in three years. NBA teams are 74–17 all-time at home in Game 7, and 9-0 when leading 3–2 going home. Entering this game, the Pistons tied the 1994 New York Knicks for most games played in a single postseason, with 25. The Boston Celtics broke this record during their 2008 championship season.https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/sports/basketball/17nba.html Celtics Remain Mindful Of a Missed Opportunity June 17, 2008 Howard Beck The New York Times D2 The Celtics, who were pushed to seven games by Atlanta and Cleveland, are about to break the NBA record by playing their 26th playoff game. (The 1994 Knicks and the 2005 Detroit Pistons each played 25 games; both teams lost the finals in seven games.) Like the previous two games of the series, Game 7 was closely contested throughout, but the Spurs fell into a nine-point deficit with 7:45 left in the third quarter. Though Tim Duncan was for much of the series unable to shoot for a high percentage against Detroit's front line, he led the Spurs out of that nine-point hole. In the final 7:45 of the third quarter, Duncan scored 10 of the teams' 18 final third quarter points and the game was tied to start the fourth. Behind clutch plays from Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili, the Spurs took control of the fourth quarter to earn an 81–74 victory, clinching 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 won his third 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. Sean Marks became the first New Zealander to win a championship ring. Player statistics San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs |- | align="left" | Brent Barry || 7 || 0 || 20.6 || .407 || .375 || .800 || 2.1 || 1.6 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 4.6 |- | align="left" | Bruce Bowen || 7 || 7 || 38.7 || .380 || .448 || .667 || 2.7 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 0.7 || 7.9 |- | align="left" | Devin Brown || 6 || 0 || 5.8 || .273 || .500 || .571 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.8 |-! style="background:#FDE910;" | align="left" | Tim Duncan || 7 || 7 || 40.7 || .419 || .000 || .667 || 14.1 || 2.1 || 0.4 || 2.1 || 20.6 |- | align="left" | Manu Ginóbili || 7 || 7 || 36.0 || .494 || .387 || .854 || 5.9 || 4.0 || 1.3 || 0.1 || 18.7 |- | align="left" | Robert Horry || 7 || 0 || 28.6 || .444 || .484 || .733 || 4.9 || 2.1 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 10.6 |- | align="left" | Tony Massenburg || 3 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | align="left" | Nazr Mohammed || 7 || 7 || 22.6 || .433 || .000 || .727 || 6.0 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.9 || 4.9 |- | align="left" | Radoslav Nesterović || 4 || 0 || 6.5 || .500 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.5 |- | align="left" | Tony Parker || 7 || 7 || 38.1 || .458 || .143 || .438 || 2.4 || 3.4 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 13.9 |- | align="left" | Glenn Robinson || 3 || 0 || 4.7 || .200 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.7 |- | align="left" | Beno Udrih || 5 || 0 || 8.8 || .364 || .500 || 1.000 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 2.4 Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons |- | align="left" | Carlos Arroyo || 5 || 0 || 6.0 || .500 || .000 || .500 || 0.2 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 2.2 |- | align="left" | Chauncey Billups || 7 || 7 || 40.1 || .434 || .297 || .909 || 5.0 || 6.3 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 20.4 |- | align="left" | Elden Campbell || 1 || 0 || 1.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | align="left" | Ronald Dupree || 5 || 0 || 1.6 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | align="left" | Darvin Ham || 5 || 0 || 2.2 || .500 || .000 || .000 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.4 |- | align="left" | Richard Hamilton basketball || 7 || 7 || 42.0 || .386 || .167 || .750 || 5.3 || 2.6 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 16.7 |- | align="left" | Lindsey Hunter || 7 || 0 || 19.7 || .381 || .000 || .875 || 1.9 || 2.7 || 1.3 || 0.1 || 5.6 |- | align="left" | Antonio McDyess || 7 || 0 || 21.9 || .508 || .000 || .556 || 7.3 || 1.0 || 0.9 || 1.1 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | Darko Miličić || 3 || 0 || 2.0 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 0.7 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.7 |- | align="left" | Tayshaun Prince || 7 || 7 || 39.1 || .382 || .111 || .857 || 4.9 || 2.6 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | Ben Wallace basketball || 7 || 7 || 40.0 || .569 || .000 || .429 || 10.3 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 3.0 || 10.7 |- | align="left" | Rasheed Wallace || 7 || 7 || 32.7 || .438 || .294 || .250 || 5.6 || 1.9 || 2.0 || 2.4 || 10.9 Broadcasting The games were broadcast exclusively on ABC in the United States (Locally, the games aired on ABC stations KSAT-TV in San Antonio and WXYZ-TV in Detroit). The featured song, aired throughout the playoffs, was Rob Thomas' "This Is How A Heart Breaks." Game 3 had a Nielsen rating percentage of only 7.2% of households and cumulating to a 7.1 average for the first three games, 32% lower than the average of the first three 2004 NBA Finals games.Heistand Michael ABC's ratings for NBA Finals among lowest in history https://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/playoffs/2005-06-16-finals-ratings_x.htm June 10, 2011 USA Today June 16, 2005 While all seven games were the top-rated shows of their nights, the average viewership of the 2005 Finals (11.5 million viewers, 7.6 rating/14 share) decreased from the average of the 2004 Finals (17.9 million, 11.5/20). The 2003 Finals averaged 9.8 million viewers and 6.5/12.Romano Allison ABC Rises on Falling NBA Ratings http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/157589-ABC_Rises_on_Falling_NBA_Ratings.php Broadcasting & Cable June 10, 2011 June 24, 2005 The 2005 Finals would be Michaels' last major NBA assignment with ABC, though he remained with ABC until after Super Bowl XL in February 2006. Shortly after ABC's NFL television contract ended, Michaels moved to NBC Sports to become the lead voice of Sunday Night Football. ABC's lead position was eventually filled by Mike Breen. Aftermath The Spurs won a franchise-record 63 victories to clinch the top seed in the West in the 2005–06 NBA season. However, for the third time they were unable to win consecutive championships, bowing to their Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in Game 7 of the Conference semifinals. The Mavs would go on to lose in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Spurs went on to win the 2007 NBA Finals the following year, their fourth as a franchise, and won again in 2014. 2025, this is the Pistons’ last appearance in the NBA Finals. Head coach Larry Brown sought and succeeded in buying out his contract as head coach after the season. He eventually ended up coaching for his hometown New York Knicks, but would only win 23 games in one season. Brown eventually left after the season, and two years later Brown resurfaced, this time coaching the Charlotte Bobcats, where he would lead them to the playoffs in his second year. The Pistons, guided by new coach Flip Saunders, won a franchise-record 64 games and seemed primed to regain the NBA title. However, Detroit fell in six games to the Miami Heat, who would go on and win the 2006 NBA title. Franchise centerpiece Ben Wallace abruptly left for the Chicago Bulls, yet the Pistons still made the conference finals the next two seasons, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively. Finally, the remaining core of the team was dismantled at the start of the 2008–09 NBA season when Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, along with Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb, was traded for Allen Iverson in November of that season.http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_10887199 Denver Post Benjamin Hochman Nuggets ship Iverson to Detroit for Billups November 3, 2008 This Finals series saw each participating team use a special court containing a decal of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy at center court and the NBA Finals wordmark near the free-throw lanes. These were used until 2009, and were brought back starting in 2026 but with the trophy and wordmarks now painted for safety purposes.June 6, 2024 Why did the NBA stop using trophy decals during the Finals? https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/nba-finals-trophy-decals-history/617264/ May 28, 2026 NBC Sports Boston References External links http://www.nba.com/finals2005/ Official website NBA.com May 17, 2008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20101203184109/http://www.nba.com/finals2005/ December 3, 2010 Category:NBA Finals Finals NBA Finals NBA Finals Category:21st century in San Antonio Category:2005 in Detroit Category:2005 in sports in Texas Category:Basketball competitions in Detroit Category:Basketball competitions in San Antonio Category:2005 in sports in Michigan