2007–08 NBA season

The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association. The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131–92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals, four games to two. The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007 and Greg Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he missed the entire season due to knee surgery.[1]

2007–08 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 30, 2007 – April 16, 2008
April 19 – May 30, 2008 (Playoffs)
June 5 – 17, 2008 (Finals)
Number of games82
Number of teams30
TV partner(s)ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV
Draft
Top draft pickGreg Oden (did not play until 2008–09 season)
Picked byPortland Trail Blazers
Regular season
Top seedBoston Celtics
Season MVPKobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers)
Top scorerLeBron James (Cleveland)
Playoffs
Eastern championsBoston Celtics
  Eastern runners-upDetroit Pistons
Western championsLos Angeles Lakers
  Western runners-upSan Antonio Spurs
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upLos Angeles Lakers
Finals MVPPaul Pierce (Boston)

This season was notable for being one of the most competitive Western Conference playoff races in NBA history. Up until April 4, 2008, not a single Western Conference team had secured a playoff spot, and the 8th-seeded team was a mere 6.5 games behind the 1st seed. Additionally, the quality of the teams ensured that the Golden State Warriors finished with the highest winning percentage of any non-playoff team in NBA history since the switch to the eight-team playoff format, beating out the 2000–01 Houston Rockets. This was later tied by the 2013–14 Phoenix Suns. The all-time record is held by the 1971–72 Phoenix Suns (49–33), which was during the four-team playoff era.

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team 2006–07 coach 2007–08 coach
Charlotte Bobcats Bernie Bickerstaff Sam Vincent
Houston Rockets Jeff Van Gundy Rick Adelman
Indiana Pacers Rick Carlisle Jim O'Brien
Memphis Grizzlies Tony Barone Marc Iavaroni
Orlando Magic Brian Hill Stan Van Gundy
Sacramento Kings Eric Musselman Reggie Theus
Seattle SuperSonics Bob Hill P.J. Carlesimo
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Chicago Bulls Scott Skiles Pete Myers
Pete Myers Jim Boylan

Final standings

By division

By conference

Notes

  • z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
  • c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
  • x – Clinched playoff spot
  • y – Clinched division title
  • w – Clinched NBA 2008 title
  • r – Clinched NBA 2008 runners up title

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 Boston* 4  
E8 Atlanta 3  
  E1 Boston* 4  
  E4 Cleveland 3  
E4 Cleveland 4
E5 Washington 2  
  E1 Boston* 4  
Eastern Conference
  E2 Detroit* 2  
E3 Orlando* 4  
E6 Toronto 1  
  E3 Orlando* 1
  E2 Detroit* 4  
E2 Detroit* 4
E7 Philadelphia 2  
  E1 Boston* 4
  W1 LA Lakers* 2
W1 LA Lakers* 4  
W8 Denver 0  
  W1 LA Lakers* 4
  W4 Utah* 2  
W4 Utah* 4
W5 Houston 2  
  W1 LA Lakers* 4
Western Conference
  W3 San Antonio 1  
W3 San Antonio 4  
W6 Phoenix 1  
  W3 San Antonio 4
  W2 New Orleans* 3  
W2 New Orleans* 4
W7 Dallas 1  


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

Statistics leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per gameLeBron JamesCleveland Cavaliers30.0
Rebounds per gameDwight HowardOrlando Magic14.2
Assists per gameChris PaulNew Orleans Hornets11.6
Steals per gameChris PaulNew Orleans Hornets2.71
Blocks per gameMarcus CambyDenver Nuggets3.61
Field goal percentageAndris BiedriņšGolden State Warriors.626
Free throw percentagePeja StojakovićNew Orleans Hornets.929
Three-point field goal percentageJason KaponoToronto Raptors.483

NBA awards

Yearly awards

Players of the week

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.

Week Eastern Conference Western Conference Ref.
Oct. 30 – Nov. 4 Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers) (1/1) Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) (1/2)
Nov. 5 – Nov. 11 Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) (1/3) Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
Nov. 12 – Nov. 18 Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) (1/2) Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets) (1/3)
Nov. 19 – Nov. 25 LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/3) Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
Nov. 26 – Dec. 2 Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) (2/2) Stephen Jackson (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
Dec. 3 – Dec. 9 Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1) Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers) (1/2)
Dec. 10 – Dec. 16 Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (1/2) Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers) (2/2)
Dec. 17 – Dec. 23 Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/2) Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) (1/2)
Dec. 24 – Dec. 30 Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (2/2) Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) (1/2)
Dec. 31 – Jan. 6 LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (2/3) Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets) (2/3)
Jan. 7 – Jan. 13 Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/3)
Jan. 14 – Jan. 20 Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats) (1/1) Baron Davis (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
Jan. 21 – Jan. 27 Hedo Türkoğlu (Orlando Magic) (1/2) Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1)
Jan. 28 – Feb. 3 Hedo Türkoğlu (Orlando Magic) (2/2) Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings) (1/1)
Feb. 4 – Feb. 10 Andre Miller (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/2) Amar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) (1/2)
Feb. 19 – Feb. 24 LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (3/3) Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
Feb. 25 – Mar. 2 Andre Miller (Philadelphia 76ers) (2/2) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (2/3)
Mar. 3 – Mar. 9 Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats) (1/2) Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) (2/2)
Mar. 10 – Mar. 16 Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards) (1/1) Amar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) (2/2)
Mar. 17 – Mar. 23 Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) (2/3) Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) (2/2)
Mar. 24 – Mar. 30 Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats) (2/2) Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) (2/2)
Mar. 31 – Apr. 6 Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) (2/2) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (3/3)
Apr. 7 – Apr. 13 Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) (3/3) Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets) (3/3)

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) (1/2) Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) (1/1)
December Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) (2/2) Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) (1/2)
January LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/2) Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
February LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) (2/2) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/2)
March Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1) Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) (2/2)
April Hedo Türkoğlu (Orlando Magic) (1/1) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (2/2)

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 Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) (1/3) Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) (1/5) [34]
December Yi Jianlian (Milwaukee Bucks) (1/1) Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) (2/5) [35]
January Jamario Moon (Toronto Raptors) (1/1) Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) (3/5) [36]
February Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) (2/3) Luis Scola (Houston Rockets) (1/1) [37]
March Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) (3/3) Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) (4/5) [38]
April Ramon Sessions (Milwaukee Bucks) (1/1) Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics) (5/5) [39]

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month.

Month Eastern Conference Western Conference Ref.
October – November Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics) (1/3) Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
December Flip Saunders (Detroit Pistons) (1/2) Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers) (1/1)
January Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/1) Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets) (1/1)
February Flip Saunders (Detroit Pistons) (2/2) Rick Adelman (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
March Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics) (2/3) Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) (1/1)
April Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics) (3/3) Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)

References

  1. Top draft pick Greg Oden to miss rookie season with Trail Blazers, Sports Illustrated.
  2. Jackson, Artest suspended following court pleas, ESPN.
  3. "Orlando OKs venues; big hurdle awaits". Archived from the original on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  4. "Sonics tell NBA of intent to move SuperSonics to Oklahoma City". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  5. "Kobe Bryant Reaches 20,000-Point Plateau". NBA. 2007-12-23. Archived from the original on 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  6. "Sports People: Chicago Bulls fire coach Scott Skiles". Chicago Tribune. 2007-12-24. Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  7. Heat, Hawks to replay final minute of Dec. 19 game later this year, ESPN.
  8. NBA Sets Guidelines for Heat-Hawks Replay, NBA.com
  9. In dire need of frontcourt help, Lakers acquire Gasol from Grizzlies, ESPN.
  10. Suns trade Marion and Banks for O'Neal to the Heat, NBA.
  11. "HAWKS: Hawks Acquire Mike Bibby From Sacramento". Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  12. Mavs acquire Kidd from Nets, NBA.
  13. Duncan receives help, Spurs trade Elson and Barry for Thomas, NBA.
  14. three-way trade deal for Chicago, Cleveland, and Seattle Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, NBA.
  15. Hornets acquire Wells and James/Jackson reunited with Adelman, NBA.
  16. James hits milestone but Cavaliers fall to Celtics 92-87, ESPN.
  17. Mark Murphy, C’s can do as they please - Stars sit, but team still clinches homecourt, Boston Herald, April 6, 2008.
  18. No Big Three, but Celts still get top seed, complete NBA's biggest turnaround, Associated Press, April 5, 2008.
  19. Lisa Brooks, Celtics: From Worst To First, ESPN.com, April 2, 2008.
  20. Hawks returning to NBA playoffs for first time in 9 years, Associated Press, April 14, 2008.
  21. Riley Steps Down, Spoelstra Named Head Coach, NBA, April 28, 2008, accessed April 28, 2008.
  22. Flip Saunders Not To Return As Pistons’ Coach, NBA, June 3, 2008, accessed June 3, 2008.
  23. Kobe Bryant Wins Most Valuable Player Award Archived 2010-09-01 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 6, 2008, accessed May 6, 2008.
  24. Kevin Durant Named Rookie of the Year Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 1, 2008, accessed May 1, 2008.
  25. Kevin Garnett Wins Kia Defensive Player of the Year Archived 2012-02-20 at WebCite, NBA, April 22, 2008, accessed April 22, 2008.
  26. Ginobili Wins 2007-08 Sixth Man of the Year Award Presented by Kia Motors Archived 2013-06-29 at WebCite, NBA, April 21, 2008, accessed April 21, 2008.
  27. Hedo Turkoglu Wins Most Improved Player Award Archived 2011-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, April 28, 2008, accessed April 28, 2008.
  28. Byron Scott wins 2007-08 NBA Coach of the Year award Archived 2010-11-18 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, April 29, 2008, accessed April 29, 2008.
  29. Boston’s Danny Ainge Named 2007-08 NBA Executive of the Year Archived 2010-12-23 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 14, 2008, accessed May 14, 2008.
  30. Suns’ Hill Wins 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award Archived 2012-03-28 at WebCite, NBA, April 25, 2008, accessed April 25, 2008.
  31. MVP Kobe Bryant highlights All-NBA First team Archived 2011-12-11 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 8, 2008, accessed May 8, 2008.
  32. Kobe, Garnett Headline All-Defensive Team Archived 2010-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 12, 2008, accessed May 12, 2008.
  33. Durant, Horford Headline T-Mobile All-Rookie Team Archived 2008-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, NBA, May 13, 2008, accessed May 13, 2008.
  34. "Horford, Durant Named Rookies of the Month". NBA. 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  35. "Yi, Durant Named Rookies of the Month". NBA. 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  36. "Yi, Durant Named Rookies of the Month". NBA. 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  37. "Al Horford, Luis Scola Named Rookies of the Month". NBA. 2010-03-03. Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  38. NBA Press Release (2008-04-01). "Horford, Durant Named T-Mobile Rookies of the Month". NBA. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  39. NBA Press Release (2008-04-17). "Sessions, Durant Named T-Mobile Rookies of the Month". NBA. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
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