2005 NBA Finals

Team Coach Wins San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich 4 Detroit Pistons Larry Brown 3
Dates	June 9–23
MVP	Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Hall of Famers	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)
Eastern Finals	Pistons defeated Heat, 4–3
Western Finals	Spurs defeated Suns, 4–1
← 2004 NBA Finals 2006 →

The 2005 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 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,^[1] 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 more 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

Regular season series

Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

Rosters

San Antonio Spurs