2004–05 Denver Nuggets season
| 2004–05 Denver Nuggets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Jeff Bzdelik Michael Cooper George Karl |
| Owner(s) | Stan Kroenke |
| Arena | Pepsi Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 49–33 (.598) |
| Place |
Division: 2nd (Northwest) Conference: 7th (Western) |
| Playoff finish |
First Round (Eliminated 1-4) |
The 2004-05 Denver Nuggets season was the team's 39th in the NBA. They began the season hoping to improve upon their 43-39 output from the previous season. They bested it by six games, finishing 49-33, and qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season.[1] They were the fifth team in the Western Conference to ever qualify for the playoffs after starting the season 17–25, as they turned around the season by finishing 32–8.[2] The season was marked by coaching changes: Jeff Bzdelik was fired in December, replacing him with former Laker Michael Cooper and after the team 4-14 under Cooper, George Karl was named head coach for the rest of the season. Karl would later guide the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. The team drafted point guard Jameer Nelson with the 20th in the 2004 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Orlando Magic, though the Boston Celtics would trade Nelson back to the team that originally drafted him during the 2014-15 season. Nelson would later take the Magic to NBA Finals in 2009.
Entering the playoffs as the seventh seed, the Nuggets, for the second straight year, failed to make it out of the first round as they were unable to stop the San Antonio Spurs in five games. The Spurs were NBA Champions that season, their third in franchise history.
Draft Picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Jameer Nelson | PG |  United States | St. Joseph's |
Roster
| 2004–05 Denver Nuggets roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
Season standings
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle SuperSonics | 52 | 30 | .634 | -- |
| Denver Nuggets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 3 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 25 |
| Utah Jazz | 26 | 56 | .317 | 26 |
| # | Western Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Minnesota Timberwolves | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2 |
| 3 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1 |
| 4 | x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 |
| 5 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 |
| 7 | x-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 |
| 10 | Portland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 17 |
| 11 | Seattle SuperSonics | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 12 | Golden State Warriors | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns | 29 | 53 | .354 | 29 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Clippers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 30 |
Playoffs
West First Round
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets
April 24 7:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 98, San Antonio Spurs 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 29–25, 21–23, 20–12 | ||
| Pts: Andre Miller 31 Rebs: Marcus Camby 12 Asts: Andre Miller 5 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 23 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 15 Asts: Tony Parker 6 | |
April 27 7:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 76, San Antonio Spurs 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 14–34, 30–23, 14–18 | ||
| Pts: DeMarr Johnson 12 Rebs: Marcus Camby 12 Asts: Andre Miller 7 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 24 Rebs: Duncan, Horry 9 each Asts: Tony Parker 6 | |
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich, Steve Javie |
April 30 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 86, Denver Nuggets 78 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 26–21, 11–17, 25–20 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Brent Barry 4 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 19 Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Andre Miller 7 | |
May 2 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 126, Denver Nuggets 115 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 29–24, 30–29, 29–27, Overtime: 19–8 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 39 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
Pts: Earl Boykins 32 Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Anthony, Boykins 5 each | |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,776 Referees: Bennie Adams, Derrick Stafford, Dick Bavetta |
May 4 8:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 89, San Antonio Spurs 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 22–20, 24–26, 22–28 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25 Rebs: Marcus Camby 10 Asts: Andre Miller 6 |
Pts: Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 13 Asts: Tony Parker 7 | |
| San Antonio wins the series, 4–1 | ||
Last Playoffs meeting: 1995 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 3–0)
Player statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | ||
Awards and records
References
- ↑ 2004-05 Denver Nuggets
- ↑ Schuhmann, John (January 24, 2013). "L.A. Recovery Wouldn't Be Unprecedented". NBA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2013.