San Antonio 21 21 22 25 7 96

The Pacers, despite all their obstacles, put up a tough challenge, but in Game 6, it became apparent that Miller's storied career was over. Richard Hamilton, with 15 points, was the high scorer for the Pistons, who fell just short of winning back to back championships. In this game also, as was previously observed in Game 3, the Pistons dominated the Spurs. The NBA decided to track the noise levels at the stadium. Nevertheless, several Pistons free throws were necessary in the final moments of the game to put a win out of reach for the Spurs. In addition, the league attempted to qualify this series as the best ever. Detroit thus won its fifth consecutive game facing elimination. This led to infrequent opportunities to score, and combined with an uncharacteristic scoring slump, the Spurs were only able to manage 71 points. Contrary to this, the Spurs went up 3-0, and after the Suns staved off elimination one game, even with all the fans in Phoenix in Game 5 wanting a repeat of the Boston Red Sox comeback, the Spurs rose to bring the inevitable to pass. From the opening tip, Game 2 was all San Antonio as the Spurs got out to a quick lead and never looked back. The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards ended long playoff droughts in 2005, meeting each other in the first round. 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. Magic Johnson once stated, at the height of the Lakers-Celtics Rivalry, that upon landing in Boston he was immediately surrounded by zealous fans that hated him. 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. They defeated the Nuggets 4-1 to open the playoffs. In that series, after trailing 1-0 after a home upset, they won four straight. Momentum was on Detroit's side, but the Spurs had home-court advantage. All dates and times are given in local time. 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. Manu Ginobili 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 noise levels were expectedly very loud. League leaders for the 2005-06 NBA season. Many fans discussed the NBA Finals on the NBA forums, and the league also sent many reporters and other officers to return the favour.

He also reports that Bird received similar attention in Los Angeles.

San Antonio (West) 84 97 79 71 96 86 81 4 Effectif des Pistons de Détroit 2004-2005 1 Chauncey Billups • 3 Ben Wallace • 5 Horace Jenkins • 8 Darvin Ham • 10 Lindsey Hunter • 12 Ronald Dupree • 20 Carlos Delfino • 22 Tayshaun Prince • 24 Antonio McDyess • 30 Carlos Arroyo • 31 Darko Miličić • 32 Richard Hamilton • … Detroit 21 20 29 26 96 Antonio McDyess was the high scorer for Detroit, scoring 15 points off the bench. Such "battleline-crossing" fans often receive abuse everywhere they travel, especially if they can be identified by team uniforms or other gear. The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season.The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Spurs took advantage of Detroit's uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, which included missing 9 shots from inside four feet from the basket. The Pistons were then left 'in the dust', the NBA website reported. Game 2 - June 12, Sunday @San Antonio 8:00 CDT San Antonio 97, Detroit 76: San Antonio leads series 2-0 In that series, the Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rivalry was in full swing, and the Celtics and Lakers were able to come to a rubber match after each having won one Finals series from the other in 1984 and 1985. The NBA also reported numerous Pistons fans who went into the SBC Center in games one and two. San Antonio 23 24 20 19 86 Detroit 21 20 29 26 96 February 19, 2005 - 19 year old Josh Smith paid homage to Atlanta Hawks great Dominique Wilkins en route to taking home the 2005 NBA Slam Dunk Contest title.