NBA 2014/15

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NBA.svg National Basketball Association
◄ previous 2014/15 season next ►
Duration October 2014 - June 2015
Number of teams 30th
Regular season
Best record United StatesUnited States Golden State Warriors
Season MVP United StatesUnited States Stephen Curry
Top scorer United StatesUnited States Russell Westbrook
Playoffs
Eastern - Champion Cleveland Cavaliers
  Runner-up team      Atlanta Hawks
Western - Champion Golden State Warriors
  Runner-up team      Houston Rockets
Finals
NBA champions Golden State Warriors
   Runner-up      Cleveland Cavaliers
Finals MVP Andre Iguodala

The NBA season 2014/15 was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association . Masters were the Golden State Warriors , who were able to prevail in the final against the Cleveland Cavaliers .

A season is divided into four phases. It begins with the off-season , in which the franchise management teams prepare for the new season . This is followed by the preseason , in which the teams start playing again. In the subsequent regular season , the teams determine the qualifications for the post season , in which the championship of a current season is played.

Off season

Al Jefferson in the jersey of the relaunched Hornets

In addition to the names of the new trainers and managers, the headlines of the 2014 off-season shaped the renaming of a franchise and the sale of another. The first highlight of the preparatory phase was the Entry Draft , which takes place every year at the end of June . In two drafts, the 30 NBA teams were able to secure the rights to 60 young players from home and abroad. In addition to the automatically registered players, players could also register for the draft themselves under certain conditions. A few days later, the draft was followed by the start of the Free Agency . In this year's offseason also found the basketball world championships of ladies and gentlemen instead. The US national teams were able to defend their titles in both competitions .

Name change

  • Michael Jordan , owner of a North Carolina- based NBA team, announced the successful renaming of his franchise in late May 2014 . The Charlotte Bobcats changed their name to Charlotte Hornets . This became possible after the New Orleans Hornets , originally from Charlotte, dropped the addition "Hornets" the year before and renamed themselves "Pelicans". Through a deal with the Pelicans and the NBA, the Hornets also adapted all rights and records of the original Hornets. The fans, who voted in favor of the name change in a survey conducted by the club management in advance, promised the return of the success of the former "hornets" who played in Charlotte until 2002. Thus, the unloved "Bobcats", which in the lockdown year 2011/12 with a win rate of 10.6% (7 wins from 66 games) achieved the worst result of a team since the NBA was founded, were history.

Change of ownership

  • Steve Ballmer was the highest bidder for the Los Angeles Clippers up for sale. For a record sum of 2 billion US dollars, the former Microsoft manager took over the team from previous owner Donald Sterling , who had been banned from the NBA for life after a racist incident and thus forced to sell the team. The sale became final on August 12, 2014 with the approval of the NBA. Ballmer beat opponents such as Magic Johnson , about whom Sterling expressed himself negatively on several occasions, Yao Ming and other interested parties, and thus made the most valuable purchase of an NBA franchise.

Change of coach

Nine coaching positions were filled at the beginning of this year's season. The Brooklyn Nets signed Lionel Hollins , the Utah Jazz Quin Snyder and the Detroit Pistons Stan Van Gundy . With the signing of Becky Hammon , the San Antonio Spurs announced the first franchise in the history of the NBA to have a female assistant coach in an official capacity. The former WNBA player was already part of the coaching staff last season, but exercised this function unpaid in the form of an internship. In addition to these events, the most discussed coaching signings were:

  • Derek Fisher ended his 18-year playing career in the summer and signed a five-year contract as the new head coach of the New York Knicks . His first coaching position was made possible by his former coach at the Los Angeles Lakers and current Knicks President, Phil Jackson . Fisher replaced Mike Woodson , who had already been dismissed after failing in the playoffs last season. Fisher's contract is valued at $ 25 million.
  • Steve Kerr is another newcomer to the post of head coach. After the Golden State Warriors failed in the first round of the playoffs at the Los Angeles Clippers , the club management separated from coach Mark Jackson and just a few days later presented Steve Kerr as his successor for the new season. This change caused some astonishment among parts of the team and fans. Among other things, the team's captain, Stephen Curry , reported that he was not fundamentally surprised about a change in coach, but that he was surprised at how quickly it was carried out. Rumor has it that the New York Knicks were also interested in Kerr, which led the Warriors' club leadership to act quickly.
  • Byron Scott has been announced as the new head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. For Scott, who was already on the hunt for the Lakers title with Magic Johnson as a player , a personal dream came true. The Coach of the Year 2008 succeeded Mike D'Antoni and signed for four years. His contract is worth $ 17 million.
  • Flip Saunders was the name of the new and old coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves . After he had already trained the "Wolves" between 1995 and 2005, he returned to the coaching bench to build on his old successes. Among other things, the team reached the conference finals in 2004 under his leadership.
  • David Blatt wrote American sports history. He is the first head coach of an NBA franchise who was previously neither an assistant coach nor a player in this league. Blatt, who has both Israeli and American citizenship, most recently trained Maccabi Tel Aviv . With this team he won the Triple Crown . Other stations as a trainer for the current Euro League winner included Aris Saloniki , Dynamo Moscow and Benetton Treviso . He also coached the senior national teams of Israel and Russia. Blatt, who is known for being more attacking, was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the new season. With the also newly signed star player LeBron James , who is one of the best active basketball players, the Israeli should lead the "Cavs" back into the playoffs.

NBA draft

The 2014 NBA Draft took place on June 26, 2014 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn , New York . The draft, which has been regarded as the strongest year since 2003, was dominated in advance by the names Wiggins , Parker and Embiid , which were traded as the most promising candidates for the first pick. The event was led by the new commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver . Eleven players from Europe were among the 60 picks. Of the five registered German players, however, none was taken into account.

Player change

Club changes within the NBA begin with the trading phase, in which teams are allowed to swap players and rights to players. It is followed by the Free Agency, which began this season on July 1, 2014. Players who did not extend existing contracts, or who did not get them extended by the teams, were able to sign a new contract with changed conditions with their previous club or from July 10th with another franchise from this date. Players who cannot find a new employer within the NBA end their career or continue it in the D-League or in a foreign league. In return, NBA teams also sign players from the D-League and abroad. The most discussed player changes included:

  • LeBron James left the Miami Heat after losing the 2014 finals and signed a new contract with his old club, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for which he played between 2003 and 2010. With Kyrie Irving , who was voted the most valuable player of the past World Cup and who signed a new contract for five years, James now formed the attack of the Cavs.
  • Pau Gasol turned down an offer to extend his contract from the Los Angeles Lakers in order to face a new challenge at the end of his career. The 34-year-old found this with the Chicago Bulls , with whom he signed a contract for several years. For the Spaniard, the Bulls represent the third station as a player in the NBA.
  • Tyson Chandler played for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 and won the first and so far only title for the "Mavs" together with Dirk Nowitzki . His path led him on to the New York Knicks, where he was awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in his first year . For the 2014/15 season he returned to his old place of work. There he was supposed to stabilize the Mavericks' vulnerable defensive again.
  • Bojan Bogdanović was chosen by the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Draft in Round 2 as the 31st pick. The Heat traded him to the Timberwolves that same evening . This also traded his rights to the New Jersey Nets on the same evening. Since the Nets club leadership was of the opinion that Bogdanović was not yet ready for the NBA, they recommended him to gain more experience in Europe. The Croat then moved to the Turkish first division club Fenerbahçe Ülker , where he played for the next three years and was able to develop his style of play. In the summer of 2014 he the offered the Nets , which are now in the New York district of Brooklyn is home, a contract offer over three years.
  • Paul Pierce , ten-time NBA All-Star, joined the Washington Wizards after just a year with the Brooklyn Nets . Pierce, who turned 37 in October, was supposed to replace the emigrated Trevor Ariza at the capital club, who had previously moved to Houston. The NBA champion and MVP of the 2008 Finals signed a two-year deal that should bring him $ 11 million. The second year includes a player option that allows Pierce to leave the club as an unrestricted free agent or to fulfill his contract in Washington.

End of career

Among others, the following active players ended their careers in the summer of 2014: Derek Fisher , Shane Battier , Quentin Richardson , Joel Przybilla , Chauncey Billups , Darko Miličić and Earl Watson .

Pre Season

The preparatory games for the regular season began on October 4, 2014 and ended on October 24, 2014. Each team played seven to eight games against other league franchises . The Toronto Raptors , who celebrated seven wins in their eight games , were particularly convincing . The Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors also drew attention to themselves, shining with six wins from eight games. The teams from the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons had a ratio of five wins in seven games played.

NBA Global Games

As part of the NBA Global Games 2014, which consisted of seven games, five of which were played in the preseason, the San Antonio Spurs , reigning champions of the NBA, played two games in Europe . The Spurs were guests in Germany for the opening game. In the O 2 World Berlin they met the German cup winner Alba Berlin on October 8, 2014 . The Berliners defeated the North American team with a buzzerbeater from Jamel McLean with 94:93 points and thus celebrated the first victory of a German team against a team from the NBA. The Spurs' best thrower was Tony Parker , who received the FIBA Europe Player Of The Year Award for the first time before the game . Parker earned 28 points. McLean threw most of the baskets for the "Albatrosses". He got a total of 18 points.

In their second and last guest appearance in Europe on October 11, 2014, the Texas- based Spurs met Turkish champions Fenerbahçe Ülker , whom they defeated with 96:90 points. The Spurs' best thrower was Tim Duncan with 23 points , Tony Parker got 22 points. On the Turkish side, newcomer Andrew Goudelock was particularly convincing . With 30 points, the American, who already played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, was the best thrower of the game.

Another highlight of the Global Games was the clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat . During a guest appearance at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , LeBrown James met his former colleagues of the Heat, also on October 11, 2014, whom he had previously led to the playoff finals four times in four years. James came up with seven points in 21 minutes and also put on eight assists. The "Cavs" defeated last year's runner-up with 122: 119 points in overtime (extra time). Player of the game was Kevin Love , who got 25 points, 7 rebounds , 1 steal and 1 assist . On the Heat side, Shabazz Napier knew how to convince. The newcomer had 16 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. The best thrower of the losing team was Chris Bosh with 19 points.

The NBA was also a guest in Asia . The two teams of the club owners Vivek Ranadivé ( Sacramento Kings ) and Michail Prokhorov (Brooklyn Nets), who were not born in the USA , met in two guest appearances in the People's Republic of China . The first game took place on October 12, 2014 in the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai . The Nets won the game with 97:95 points. The New Yorker's best player was Brook Lopez with 18 points and 6 rebounds. With 18 points and 3 rebounds, Ramon Sessions was convincing on the Kings side.

At the end of the Preseason Global Games, the teams met again in Beijing , the capital of China. In the MasterCard Center , the decision was not made until overtime (extension). Again the Nets were able to prevail and finished their opponent with 129: 117 points. World champion Rudy Gay was the best player in the Kings with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. The Sacramento Kings' best thrower was Ben McLemore with 22 points and 3 rebounds . The player of the encounter and the best thrower of the Brooklyn Nets was Mirza Teletovic with 22 points and 4 rebounds and one steal, block and assist .

Regular season

The main round of the current season began on October 28, 2014. In the opening game at the AT&T Center , the reigning title holder, the San Antonio Spurs , met the Dallas Mavericks . The game won the Spurs with 101: 100 points. The first matchday was completed by the encounter of the Orlando Magic, who made a guest appearance at the New Orleans Pelicans and were defeated by them with 84: 114 points, as well as the game of the Houston Rockets against the Los Angeles Lakers, which they won with 108: 90 points.

For the regular season 2014/15, the NBA was able to book a new attendance record. The teams sold around 21.9 million tickets. This meant an average of 17,826 spectators per game. There were 700 sold out lots.

Final results

DR = division ranking , CR = conference ranking , S = wins, N = defeats, PCT = percentage of wins

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 4th Toronto Raptors wordmark 2015-current.png Toronto Raptors 49 33 0.598
2 7th CelticsWordmark.svg Boston Celtics 40 42 0.488
3 8th Brooklyn Nets newlogo.svg Brooklyn Nets 38 44 0.464
4th 14th Philadelphia 76ers Logo.svg Philadelphia 76ers 18th 64 0.220
5 15th New York Knicks Logo (1995) .svg New York Knicks 17th 65 0.207
Central Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 2 Cleveland Cavaliers wordmark.png Cleveland Cavaliers 53 29 0.646
2 3 Chicago Bulls wordmark.gif Chicago Bulls 50 32 0.610
3 6th Milwaukee Bucks wordmark 2015-current.png Milwaukee Bucks 41 41 0.500
4th 9 Indiana Pacers logo.svg Indiana Pacers 38 44 0.463
5 12 Detroit Pistons logo.svg Detroit Pistons 32 50 0.390
Southeast Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 1 Atlanta hawks wordmark.png Atlanta Hawks 60 22nd 0.732
2 5 Washington Wizards Logo 2011.svg Washington Wizards 46 36 0.561
3 10 Miami Heat logo.svg Miami Heat 37 45 0.451
4th 11 Charlotte hornets-wordmark.png Charlotte Hornets 33 49 0.402
5 13 Orlando Magic.svg Orlando Magic 25th 57 0.305
Western Conference
Northwest Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 4th Portland Trail Blazers logo.svg Portland Trail Blazers 51 31 0.622
2 9 Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg Oklahoma City Thunder 45 37 0.549
3 11 Utah Jazz Logo 2010.svg Utah Jazz 38 44 0.463
4th 12 Denver Nuggets Logo 2008.svg Denver nuggets 30th 52 0.366
5 15th Minnesota Timberwolves wordmark.gif Minnesota Timberwolves 16 66 0.195
Pacific Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 1 Golden State Warriors.svg Golden State Warriors 67 15th 0.817
2 3 Loas angeles clippers logo.svg Los Angeles Clippers 56 26th 0.683
3 10 Phoenix Suns logo.svg Phoenix Suns 39 43 0.476
4th 13 Sacramento Kings logo.svg Sacramento Kings 29 53 0.354
5 14th LA Lakers logo.svg Los Angeles Lakers 21st 61 0.256
Southwest Division
DR CR team S. N PCT
1 2 Houston Rockets 56 26th 0.683
2 5 Memphis grizzlies wordmark.gif Memphis grizzlies 55 27 0.671
3 6th San Antonio Spurs logo.svg San Antonio Spurs 55 27 0.671
4th 7th Dallas mavericks wordmark.gif Dallas Mavericks 50 32 0.610
5 8th New orleans pelicans-wordmark.png New Orleans Pelicans 45 37 0.549

The winner of a division is guaranteed at least fourth place on the seeding list that is decisive for the play-offs , even if more than three teams have achieved a higher number of wins. If the percentage of wins is the same, (1) division win, (2) win share in direct comparison, (3) win share in games within the conference, (4) win share in games against the play-off teams of their own conference, (5) win share in Playing against the play-off teams of the other conference, (6) net points (points scored minus points allowed) in all games.

Eastern Conference

The tendencies of the preseason were also reflected in the first phase of the regular season. The Toronto Raptors in particular dominated the Eastern Conference , with eleven wins after 13 games and taking first place. They were followed by the Wizards (9-3) in second and the Bulls (8-5) in third. These teams also led their respective divisions in first place. The Knicks, however, started the new season with seven defeats in a row. In the eighth game, they were able to temporarily stop their downward trend by beating the Nuggets. In Madison Square Garden, the guests from Colorado were defeated by the New Yorkers with 93: 109 points. The most unsuccessful team were the 76ers from Philadelphia who only celebrated their first win of the season in their 18th game. Thus, the team avoided setting the negative record set by the Nets in 2009 for the most consecutive defeats at the start of the season.

After a somewhat bumpy start to the season, “ King James ” celebrated their twelfth victory in their 19th game with the Cavaliers in early December in front of Prince William and his wife , who also attended an NBA game during a three-day stay in the USA in the Barclays Center the Nets could defeat with 110: 88 points. With this victory, the "Cavs" temporarily moved to fourth place on the conference table, which they were supposed to defend a day later, on December 9, 2014, when they met the leaders of the table, the Toronto Raptors, in the top game of the Eastern Conference. In the middle of the fourth quarter the "Cavs" were still behind with ten points, but ultimately defeated the Raptors with 105: 101 points. The Raptors were at the crucial stage of the game to note the absence of the injured DeMar DeRozan . On the side of the Cavalliers, especially James convinced with 35 points, Kevin Love with 17 points and Kyrie Irving with a double-double consisting of 13 points and 10 assists . The team from Toronto (16-6) continued to lead the table of the Conference despite defeat. They were followed by the Hawks around the Swiss Thabo Sefolosha and the German Dennis Schröder . With the 95:76 points win over the 76ers on December 10, 2014 and the eighth win in a row, the team from Atlanta (15-6) moved up to second place in the table and also took the lead in the division before the Wizards also had 15 wins from 21 games. The 76ers (2-19) remained the league's most unsuccessful team.

In the top game of the East on December 22nd, 2014, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Raptors from Toronto, who were still in first place. After the Raptors led with three points (83:80) before the beginning of the last quarter and another 37 hung up in the last quarter, they gave the victory to the Bulls, who in turn put up 49 points in the final quarter and the team from Canada with 129: 120 points conquered. The club's own record of the Bulls for the highest number of points in a quarter was made possible by double-digit point yields from seven of the nine players used. Above all, Derrick Rose knew how to convince with 29 points and Jimmy Butler with 27 points.

The Bulls ushered in the new year with another club record. In front of a home crowd, the team from Illinois defeated the Nuggets from Denver on January 1, 2015 with 106: 101 points. The 18 successful blocks, of which Pau Gasol provided nine, were the club's own best performance. Again, besides the Spaniard Gasol, Butler with 26 points and Rose with 17 points were able to convince. On the side of Denver, Kenneth Faried got a double-double consisting of 18 points and 19 rebounds. With this win, the Bulls (23-10) moved back into third place ahead of the Wizzards (22-9). The conference was held by the Atlanta Hawks (24-8) on January 2, 2015. With their 98:92 away win over the Utah Jazz and the simultaneous defeat of the Raptors against the Warriors, the team secured the first place in their conference for the first time, which they won a day later on January 3, 2015 by beating the Trail Blazers with 115: 107 points defended. Also on the same evening, the Bulls (24-10) caught up with the Raptors (24-9) by defeating the Celtics (11-20). Meanwhile, the Knicks set a club's own negative record. With the 91: 101 defeat on January 7, 2015, the New Yorkers recorded their 13th defeat in a row. In the entire history of the franchise, no New York selection has lost so many streaks. It was defeat number 14 a day later when the team lost to the Houston Rockets with 96: 120 points in front of their home crowd. That same evening, the three owners of the number one Hawks announced their intention to sell the Atlanta-based franchise. Experts estimated their value at around $ 1 billion. While the first groups of investors formed the corresponding offers just a few days later, the print media announced another franchise for sale. Mikhail Prokhorov, who holds 80% of the shares in Brooklyn Nets, has commissioned a company to examine appropriate offers for the team and to draw up appropriate contracts. Experts put the Russian's stake at around $ 1.3 billion. Meanwhile, the Knicks ended their series of losses after 16 defeats in a row. With the 99:92 win over the Pelicans on January 19, 2015, the team achieved their sixth win in their 42nd game of the current season. It was also the Pelicans that ended another series, the Atlanta Hawks. After 19 wins in series, which meant a new franchise record for the Atlanta- based team, the "Adler" lost on February 2, 2015 against the "Pelicans" with 100: 115 points.

After good performances at the end of the season, the Cavaliers managed to position themselves in front of the Bulls and overtook them first place in the division. The Bulls, for their part, inflicted the sixtieth loss of the season on the Knicks with their 111: 80 point win on March 28, 2015. The Knicks set a new club-own negative record. The New Yorkers also delivered a negative performance on April 11, 2015. In the game against Orlando Magic, the Knicks earned eight points in the second quarter, their opponents got seven. In total, both teams awarded 33 of their 39 litters, making them the lowest point yield in a quarter in the last 60 years. With 65 defeats, the Knicks ended their season as the worst team in the NBA.

Western Conference

The Western Conference was led by the Grizzlies with twelve wins from 14 games. They were followed by the Warriors (10-2), the Trail Blazers (10-3), the Rockets (10-3) and the Mavericks (10-4). The Lakers started the season with five losses. They celebrated their first victory in the sixth game, in which they won against the Hornets with 107: 92 points. After the first 14 games, the Californians could only show three wins and thus occupied the penultimate place in the west. The Oklahoma City Thunder showed a similar record. They were also in last place with three wins from 15 games. The Thunder suffered mainly from the injury-related failures of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook . With the loss of the Grizzlies to the Rockets on December 3, 2014 (96: 105), the Warriors (16-2) took the lead in the Conference and relegated Memphis (15-3) to second place. After the 105: 93 point win over the Rockets, the Warriors continued to expand their lead after their 14th consecutive win on December 10, 2014 and were the most successful team of the season with 19 wins from 21 games. Meanwhile the Thunder found their way back on track. After the return of their recovered leaders, they defeated the Cavaliers on December 11, 2014 with 103: 94 points, the best thrower for Oklahoma was Westbrook with 26 points, Durant got 19 points. The Thunder (9-13) were now in twelfth place. The Rockets shook off their previous defeat at the table leaders and defeated the Kings with 113: 109 points. Harden was able to impress on the part of the Rockets with 44 points. The Lakers (6-16) remained on the penultimate place and the Timberwolves (5-16) led by rookie Andrew Wiggins were at the bottom .

With the failure of their DeMarcus Cousins center due to illness , the Sacramento Kings lost eight of their last ten games. Since the club management saw the entry into the playoffs at risk, they fired their head coach Michael Malone on December 14, 2014 . This was the first coach dismissal of the current season. The Kings (11-13) occupied eleventh place in the table in the west at this time. The winning streak of the Warriors ended on December 16, 2014 with the away defeat against the Grizzlies. After 16 wins in a row, the leader of the West defeated his rival with 98: 105 points. The Warriors made a guest appearance at the Staples Center over the Christmas holidays. They met the Los Angeles Clippers on December 23, 2014 and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 25, 2014. The league leaders lost both games but continued to be number one in 2015. The Timberwolves, however, continued to lose in series. After 15 defeats in a row, they met the Indiana Pacers on January 13, 2015, which they defeated with 110: 101 points. With 52 points, Mo Williams not only ensured the victory of the "Wolves", but also set a personal career record. Williams services secured the Charlotte Hornets on February 10, 2015. Tyrone Corbin, who now led the Kings games, was released on February 12, 2015 after 21 defeats from 28 games. George Karl was to lead the team from now on and was thus the third coach of the Kings in the current season. Another coach dismissal reported the Denver Nuggets in early March 2015. After six bankruptcies in a row and with still hypothetical chances of the playoffs remaining, the Colorado- based franchise parted ways with coach Brian Shaw . Assistant coach Melvin Hunt should take over by the end of the season.

On March 12, 2015, the San Antonio Spurs, who were sixth in the Conference, received the Cleveland Cavaliers in the competition for the last remaining places eligible for participation in the playoffs. Last year's champions lost to the Cavs in overtime with 125: 128 points. In this game Irving came to 57 points, the highest point yield of a player in a game this season. Thus, the Spurs lost another game after six wins in a row. The Texans' defeat fed the hopes of the teams behind them, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was ninth at the time and kept eighth with a 110: 94 points win on March 13, 2015 over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In this victory, Russell Westbrook earned the sixth triple-double from the last eight games. With 29 points, twelve assists and ten rebounds, he was the top performer of his team. On the same evening, the Warriors, who were still in first place, suffered a 103-114 point defeat against the Denver Nuggets.

Player change

The most talked about player changes during the game were:

  • Andrei Kirilenko was transferred from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 11, 2014 along with Jorge Gutiérrez. In addition, the Nets received a second round pick for the 2020 draft . In order to regenerate space in the squad, Malcolm Lee, who had signed a contract with the 76ers on December 5, 2014, was fired. Lee switched back to the Delaware 87ers , the 76ers' farm team. Gutiérrez also followed him into the D-League. The new addition was fired from the 76ers on December 12, 2014 and signed with the Canton Charge on December 23, 2014 . The Nets received the power forward Brandon Davies for their two migrated players . Kirilenko was suspended by the 76ers on January 9, 2015 without pay for failing to report to his new team and start training after his move. At the end of February 2015, he announced his return to CSKA Moscow , officially ending his career in the NBA.
  • Rajon Rondo was transferred from the Celtics to the Mavericks on December 18, 2014 along with Center Dwight Powell. In return, Jameer Nelson , Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder moved to the east coast. In addition, the Bostonians received a first round pick for 2015 and a second round pick for 2016. With the transfer of Rondo, the "Mavs" promised to make their offensive even more variable, but they took the risk that their new point guard would become Could leave Dallas as a free agent at the end of the season. Rondo is considered a playmaker with an enormous game overview and is coveted by several teams in the NBA. Wright, however, was transferred to the Suns in Phoenix on January 9, 2015 in exchange for a future first round pick, alternatively two second round picks.
  • Josh Smith's release from the Detroit Pistons announced their coach and manager Stan Van Gundy on December 22, 2014. Smith had only been brought in as a free agent for the previous season and had a contract worth 54 million US dollars over the next four years. Since this amount was guaranteed, the franchise continued to pay the outstanding amount. Smith, who was back on the market as a free agent two days later, was courted by several teams. The Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, among others, were interested in him, but Smith chose the Houston Rockets, which will pay him an additional annual salary of $ 2.1 million.
  • Dion Waiters joined the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 5, 2015. For this the Cavaliers Iman Shumpert and JR Smith received from the New York Knicks as well as from the Thunder the rights of a first round pick of the following years. For this, Lou Amundson and Alex Kirk from Cleveland and Lance Thomas from Oklahoma moved to New York. In addition, the Knicks got the Cavaliers' rights to the second round pick of the 2019 NBA Draft .
  • Timofey Mozgov was supposed to stabilize the vulnerable defense of the Cleveland Cavaliers from January 7, 2015. For the Russian, the Denver Nuggets received the rights to two first-round picks. The Cavs had received one of these from the Oklahoma City Thunder just two days earlier.
  • Austin Rivers became the first player in NBA history to train and play under his father on January 15, 2015. With a three-team trade, the Celtics Rivers transferred to Los Angeles to the Clippers, who have been trained by Doc Rivers since 2013 . For this, Boston received Chris Douglas-Roberts , a second round pick for the 2017 NBA draft and an additional financial allowance. Also joining Shavlik Randolph from the Suns to the Celtics, which in turn Reggie Bullock received from the Clippers.

Monthly awards

This regular season's award winners included:

month
November
December
January
February
March
April
Rookie (EAST) Rookie (WEST) Player (EAST) Player (WEST) Coach (EAST) Coach (WEST)
Jabari Parker Andrew Wiggins Jimmy Butler Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors.svg Dwane Casey David Joerger
Nikola Mirotic Andrew Wiggins Kyle Lowry James Harden Mike Budenholzer Terry Stotts Portland Trail Blazers logo.svg
Elfrid Payton Orlando Magic logo.svg Andrew Wiggins Starting five of the Atlanta Hawks James Harden Mike Budenholzer Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors.svg
Marcus Smart CelticsWordmark.svg Andrew Wiggins LeBron James Russell Westbrook Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg Frank Vogel Indiana Pacers logo.svg Scott Brooks Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg
Nikola Mirotic Jordan Clarkson LA Lakers logo.svg LeBron James Russell Westbrook Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg David sheet Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors.svg
Bojan Bogdanović Brooklyn Nets newlogo.svg Rodney Hood Utah Jazz Logo 2010.svg DeMar DeRozan Russell Westbrook Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg Brad Stevens CelticsWordmark.svg Doc Rivers Loas angeles clippers logo.svg

Post Season (Playoffs)

The start of the playoffs is scheduled for April 18, 2015. All play-off rounds are played in best-of-seven mode.

  First round   Conference semifinals   Conference Finals   NBA finals
                                     
1 Atlanta Hawks 4th                  
8th Brooklyn Nets 2  
1 Atlanta Hawks 4th
  5 Washington Wizards 2  
4th Toronto Raptors 0
 
5 Washington Wizards 4th  
1 Atlanta Hawks 0
Eastern Conference
  2 Cleveland Cavaliers 4th  
2 Cleveland Cavaliers 4th      
 
7th Boston Celtics 0  
2 Cleveland Cavaliers 4th
  3 Chicago Bulls 2  
3 Chicago Bulls 4th
 
6th Milwaukee Bucks 2  
2 Cleveland Cavaliers 2
  1 Golden State Warriors 4th
1 Golden State Warriors 4th            
 
8th New Orleans Pelicans 0  
1 Golden State Warriors 4th
  5 Memphis grizzlies 2  
4th Portland Trail Blazers 1
 
5 Memphis grizzlies 4th  
1 Golden State Warriors 4th
Western Conference
  2 Houston Rockets 1  
2 Houston Rockets 4th      
 
7th Dallas Mavericks 1  
2 Houston Rockets 4th
  3 Los Angeles Clippers 3  
3 Los Angeles Clippers 4th
 
6th San Antonio Spurs 3  

Seasonal awards
Position of
the player
Forward
Forward
center
Guard
Guard
All-NBA
First Team 		All-NBA
Second Team 		All-NBA
Third Team 		NBA All-Defensive
First Team 		NBA All-Defensive Second Team All-NBA Rookie
First Team 		All-NBA Rookie Second Team
LeBron James LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trail Blazers logo.svg Blake Griffin Loas angeles clippers logo.svg Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs logo.svg Anthony Davis Nikola Mirotic Bojan Bogdanović Brooklyn Nets newlogo.svg
Anthony Davis DeMarcus cousins Sacramento Kings logo.svg Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs logo.svg Draymond Green Golden State Warriors.svg Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs logo.svg Andrew Wiggins Langston Galloway New york knicks logo 2011.png
Marc Gasol Pau Gasol DeAndre Jordan Loas angeles clippers logo.svg DeAndre Jordan Loas angeles clippers logo.svg Andrew Bogut Golden State Warriors.svg Nerlens Noel Philadelphia 76ers Logo.svg Jusuf Nurkić Denver Nuggets Logo 2008.svg
Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors.svg Russell Westbrook Logo OklahomaCityThunder.svg Kyrie Irving Chris Paul Loas angeles clippers logo.svg Jimmy Butler Elfrid Payton Orlando Magic logo.svg Zach LaVine
James Harden Chris Paul Loas angeles clippers logo.svg Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors.svg Tony Allen John Wall Washington Wizards Logo 2011.svg Jordan Clarkson LA Lakers logo.svg Marcus Smart CelticsWordmark.svg

All-Star Game

This year's All-Star Game took place on February 15, 2015 in Madison Square Garden in New York City and ended with 163: 158 points for the selection of the West. With 41 points, Russell Westbrook was named the MVP of the game.

Trivia

Serious injuries

  • Steve Nash completed only 15 of 82 league games played last season. A chronic back injury prevented the Canadian from further deployments. A few days before the start of the regular season, in late October, the Lakers announced that Nash would also be completely out of the current season. League experts suspect that this means the end of his career for the 40-year-old point guard , whose contract with the Lakers will expire at the end of the season. On March 21, Nash announced his retirement.
  • Julius Randle played his first NBA competitive game in the Los Angeles Lakers against the Houston Rockets in front of a home crowd on October 28, 2014. The 19-year-old power forward broke his shin in the final quarter of the game and is expected to be out for the remainder of the season. The Lakers lost the game by 90: 108 points.
  • Xavier Henry , also a Los Angeles Lakers player, tore his left foot with a torn Achilles tendon during training at the end of November. After only nine games that meant the end of the season for Henry.
  • Jabari Parker was injured in a game against the Phoenix Suns on December 15, 2014. The club's medical department initially suspected a knee sprain when the number two pick of this year's draft twisted his knee in the fight for the ball. The next day, however, a complete tear of the cruciate ligament was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. This diagnosis meant the provisional end of the season for the 19-year-old rookie, who averaged 12.3 points in 25 games.
  • Anderson Varejão tore his Achilles tendon on his left foot in a game against the Timberwolves on December 23, 2014, which the Cavaliers won with 125: 104 points. This is the fourth serious injury in the last five years that has forced him to end the season prematurely for the Brazilian, who extended it for another three years in the summer and will receive 30 million US dollars for it.
  • Alec Burks ' early season end announced the Utah Jazz to the public in late December. The shooting guard, who repeatedly injured his shoulder a few weeks earlier (an injury that has accompanied him since his college days), will undergo an operation, according to the medical management and in consultation with the club management of Jazz will no longer allow him to return to the floor this season.
  • Carmelo Anthony decided to have knee surgery in February 2015. This means a 4- to 6-month hiatus for the New York Knicks star. Throughout the season, Anthony had regular knee problems and sat out 13 games.
  • Chris Bosh had to end the season following the All-Star Game . The reason was a blood clot in the lungs. This means a break in play for the heat player at least six months.
  • Jared Sullinger's early season end was announced by the Boston Celtics in late February. The reason for this was a broken foot. Sullinger was one of the top performers for the Celtics that season.
  • Derrick Rose suffered a ruptured right knee meniscus in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 23 . He then had to undergo an operation. It was the second such injury in Rose - in November 2013 he was operated on on the right meniscus. At that time he had to take a break for about a year. Already in the 2011/12 season he suffered two injuries that made him sideline for a long time. Rose played for the first time after his injury on April 8th.
  • Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles tendon in the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 5 . The injury marked the end of the season prematurely for the Shooting Guard, who was one of the achievements of the Portland Trail Blazers.
  • Kevin Durant , the league's reigning MVP, suffered a metatarsal fracture prior to the season. He then played in just 27 games between early December and the second half of February. In late March, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced that Durant would undergo foot surgery, ending its season for good.

Records

  • Dirk Nowitzki was already in the top ten of the list of NBA players with the most points last season . On November 11, 2014, the Dallas Mavericks met the Sacramento Kings. The German was the best thrower in his team with 23 points. With a total of 26,953 points, “Dirk” improved to ninth place and overtook legend Hakeem Olajuwon . This makes the German the best thrower in the NBA who was not born in the USA. The forward improved to eighth position on December 26, 2014. With 14 points in the Mavericks' 102: 98 success over the Los Angeles Lakers, he got a total of 27,322 points, overtaking Elvin Hayes . He took seventh place on January 5, 2015. With 15 converted points in the 96:88 points win over the Brooklyn Nets, the forward now had a total of 27,412 points, leaving Moses Malone eighth with 27,409 points.
  • Tim Duncan exploited an assist from Tony Parker in the second quarter of the San Antonio Spurs game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 14, 2014 to lead the Texans 43:35 . This hook shot represented the total of 25,000 points in his NBA career. At that time, the American was the 19th player who managed to reach this mark in the NBA. The Spurs won in the Staples Center with 93:80 points. Duncan himself contributed 13 points.
  • Kevin Durant became the second youngest player to break the 15,000 mark in his NBA career. The 26-year-old contributed 26 points to the 104: 92 point win and stood at 15,023 points after the game. Durant accomplished this feat in his 550th competitive game and thus needed ten more games than the then 25-year-old LeBron James.
  • Klay Thompson set a new NBA record on January 24, 2015 when he scored 37 points in the third quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings . He hit all 13 field throws (including 9 threesomes) and both free throws. George Gervin and Carmelo Anthony held the previous record with 33 points in a quarter.
  • Stephen Curry set a new NBA record in the 2014/15 season - he hit 286 threesomes. He exceeded his own record from the 2012/13 season when he scored 272 times.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bobcats are now called Charlotte Hornets again
  2. ↑ Steve Ballmer
  3. ↑ Fisher takes over at the New York Knicks
  4. ^ Golden State on the next attempt
  5. ↑ Byron Scott is the coach of the LA Lakers
  6. ↑ Saunders again head coach of the Wolves
  7. ↑ Kidd moves to Milwaukee
  8. ^ Cavs sign Blatt as head coach
  9. ↑ LeBron James Returns To Cleveland
  10. ↑ Love announces move to Cleveland
  11. ↑ Pau Gasol moves to the Chicago Bulls
  12. ↑ Nowitzki's Mavericks bring Chandler and Felton from New York ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.handelsblatt.com
  13. ↑ Nets bring Bogdanovic into the NBA
  14. ↑ Papanikolaou switches to the NBA (Greek)
  15. ↑ Pierce goes to Washington
  16. ↑ Berlin beats NBA champion San Antonio
  17. ↑ Parker 'Europe's Basketballer of the Year' for the first time
  18. ↑ Spurs win in Istanbul
  19. ↑ A crazy reunion for LeBron
  20. ↑ Nets win tight box
  21. ↑ Next thriller! Nets defeat Kings
  22. ↑ NBA sets attendance record
  23. ↑ New York Knicks stop downward slide
  24. ↑ Philadelphia 76ers: Slapstick According to Plan
  25. ↑ James wins ahead of William & Kate
  26. ↑ Cavs comeback thanks to James
  27. ↑ Schröder's Hawks continue to win
  28. ↑ Box Score: TOR @ CHI
  29. ↑ Rose leads the Bulls to victory
  30. ↑ Schröder's Hawks at the helm
  31. ↑ Schröder wins the German duel
  32. ^ Next embarrassment for the Knicks
  33. ↑ Schröder's Hawks are sold
  34. ↑ Prokhorov wants to sell Brooklyn Nets. Süddeutsche Zeitung , January 14, 2015, accessed on August 27, 2020 .
  35. ↑ Hawks series tears against Pelicans
  36. ↑ Bulls inflict record bankruptcy on Knicks
  37. ↑ Knicks and Magic with horror quarter
  38. ↑ First win for the Lakers
  39. ↑ Box Score: MEM @ HOU
  40. ↑ Warriors roll over Rockets too
  41. ↑ 44 points! Harden shoots down Kings
  42. ↑ Kings fire trainer Malone
  43. ↑ Box Score: GSW @ MEM
  44. ↑ Williams sets a season record
  45. ↑ Corbin out, Karl takes over
  46. ↑ Denver dismisses coach Shaw
  47. ↑ 57 points! Irving kills the master
  48. ↑ Westbrook continues triple-double run
  49. ^ Jorge Gutierrez is returning to the Charge
  50. ↑ Nets are trading Kirilenko in Philadelphia
  51. ↑ Kirilenko ends NBA career
  52. ↑ Dallas Mavericks land transfer coup
  53. ↑ Timberwolves send Corey Brewer to Houston
  54. ↑ Houston catches up with Josh Smith
  55. ↑ Cavs trade waiters to OKC
  56. ↑ Cavs grab Mozgov
  57. ↑ Doc and Austin Rivers united at Clippers ( memento of the original from February 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.handelsblatt.com
  58. ↑ a b c d e The trade madness in the NBA: And suddenly everything is different. Spox.com, February 20, 2015, accessed February 20, 2015 .
  59. ↑ The Big Ticket Is Back in Town. NBA.com/Timberwolves, accessed February 24, 2015 .
  60. ↑ a b 2015 Trade Deadline Live Blog. NBA.com, accessed February 20, 2015 .
  61. ^ Kings sign Bhullar, NBA's first player of Indian descent. NBA.com, April 2, 2015, accessed April 2, 2015 .
  62. ↑ Curry is the MVP. May 4, 2015, accessed May 4, 2015 .
  63. ↑ Spurs' Kawhi Leonard named Kia Defensive Player of the Year Award. (No longer available online.) April 23, 2015, archived from the original on April 26, 2015 ; accessed on April 23, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nba.com
  64. ↑ Wolves' Andrew Wiggins named Kia Rookie of the Year. NBA.com, May 1, 2015, accessed May 1, 2015 .
  65. ↑ Raptors' Lou Williams wins 2014-15 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award. NBA.com, April 20, 2015, accessed April 21, 2015 .
  66. ↑ Bulls' Butler wins 2014-15 Kia Most Improved Player Award. NBA.com, May 7, 2015, accessed May 7, 2015 .
  67. ↑ Hawks' Budenholzer claims NBA's Coach of Year honors. NBA.com, April 21, 2015, accessed April 21, 2015 .
  68. ^ Season end for Steve Nash
  69. ^ Two-time MVP Steve Nash announces retirement. NBA.com, March 21, 2015, accessed March 26, 2015 .
  70. ^ Julius Randle likely out of the season . In: ESPN.com , October 29, 2014. 
  71. ^ Out of season for Xavier Henry
  72. ^ Torn cruciate ligament in rookie Parker
  73. ↑ End of the season for Anderson Varejao ( Memento of the original from December 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / crossover-online.de
  74. ↑ Alec Burks has to end the season
  75. ↑ Carmelo Anthony at the end of the season. Crossover-Online.de, February 19, 2015, accessed on February 23, 2015 .
  76. ↑ Blood clots: Season out for Chris Bosh. Crossover-Online.de, February 22, 2015, accessed on February 23, 2015 .
  77. ↑ Celtics' Sullinger (foot) will miss rest of season. NBA.com, February 22, 2015, accessed February 23, 2015 .
  78. ↑ Bulls' Rose to have surgery on torn meniscus. NBA.com, February 25, 2015, accessed February 25, 2015 .
  79. ↑ Fran Blinebury: Rose makes tentative return to lineup. NBA.com, April 8, 2015, accessed April 9, 2015 .
  80. ↑ Blazers' Matthews ruptures Achilles, out for season. NBA.com, March 6, 2015, accessed March 6, 2015 .
  81. ^ End of season for Kevin Durant. Crossover-Online.de, March 27, 2015, accessed on March 29, 2015 .
  82. ↑ Nowitzki grabs the next NBA record
  83. ↑ Nowitzki sets the next milestone
  84. ↑ Nowitzki with the next milestone
  85. ↑ Tim Duncan Passes 25,000 Career Point (English)
  86. ↑ Kobe overtakes Jordan
  87. ↑ Durant cracks 15,000 points
  88. ↑ Klay Thompson scores NBA record 37 points in 3rd quarter on nba.com, accessed February 5, 2015.
  89. ↑ Steve Kerr sets rookie coaching record as Warriors clinch home court. Sporting News, April 5, 2015, accessed April 6, 2015 .
  90. ↑ Stephen Curry broke his own record for made 3s in a season. Yahoo Sports, April 10, 2015, accessed April 16, 2015 .