2000–01 NBA season

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 55th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1 in the 2001 NBA Finals.^[1]

2000–01 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 31, 2000 – April 18, 2001 April 21 – June 3, 2001 (Playoffs) June 6 – 15, 2001 (Finals)
Number of teams	29
TV partner(s)	NBC, TBS, TNT
Draft
Top draft pick	Kenyon Martin
Picked by	New Jersey Nets
Regular season
Top seed	San Antonio Spurs
Season MVP	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
Top scorer	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Philadelphia 76ers
Eastern runners-up	Milwaukee Bucks
Western champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Western runners-up	San Antonio Spurs
Finals
Champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Runners-up	Philadelphia 76ers
Finals MVP	Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers)
NBA seasons
← 1999–2000 2001–02 →

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	1999–2000 coach	2000–01 coach
Atlanta Hawks	Lenny Wilkens	Lon Kruger
Golden State Warriors	Garry St. Jean	Dave Cowens
Indiana Pacers	Larry Bird	Isiah Thomas
Los Angeles Clippers	Jim Todd	Alvin Gentry
New Jersey Nets	Don Casey	Byron Scott
Toronto Raptors	Butch Carter	Lenny Wilkens
Vancouver Grizzlies	Lionel Hollins	Sidney Lowe
Washington Wizards	Darrell Walker	Leonard Hamilton
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Boston Celtics	Rick Pitino	Jim O'Brien
Seattle SuperSonics	Paul Westphal	Nate McMillan

• The NBA All-Star Game was held at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.. The East won 111–110, with Philadelphia's Allen Iverson being named the game's Most Valuable Player. The game is noted for the Eastern Conference's 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter.
• The Grizzlies play their final season in Vancouver, British Columbia before relocating to Memphis, Tennessee for the following season leaving the Toronto Raptors as the only Canadian team left in the NBA.
• Rick Pitino resigned as head coach and president of the Boston Celtics, ending a three-plus-year tenure filled with turmoil, disappointment and three consecutive below .500, non-playoff seasons.^[2]
• The Dallas Mavericks played their final season at Reunion Arena. They also made the playoffs for the first time since the 1989–90 season. They also made it past the first round for the first time since the 1987–88 season.
• The Los Angeles Lakers win their second straight title by going 15–1 in the playoffs, then the best playoff winning percentage in NBA history (later surpassed by the 2017 Golden State Warriors).
• The Toronto Raptors advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in franchise history, defeating the New York Knicks three games to two. The Raptors would eventually lose in the second round to the Philadelphia 76ers four games to three.
• Prior to the season, Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning announced that he suffered a kidney disorder and missed the first five months of the season. Mourning would receive a kidney transplant two years later.
• This was the last time a team with the best regular season record did not win 60 or more games in a full 82-game season until 2023. The San Antonio Spurs finished with the league's best record at 58–24. Though the 2011–12 Chicago Bulls and the 2011–12 San Antonio Spurs each won 50 games and the top conference seeds, they did so during a 66-game lockout-shortened regular season.
• Effective of this season, the league now permitted players to wear knee-length shorts by default, although players like John Stockton opted to continue wearing short shorts during the season. This would be the case for other players in the future as players like Chris Douglas-Roberts in the 2014–15 season and LeBron James for some of the 2015–16 season would opt to wear short shorts.
• Three teams in the Western Conference who missed the playoffs won 40 or more games. The ninth-placed Houston Rockets finished the season with a 45–37 record, the tenth-placed Seattle SuperSonics finished with a 44–38 record, and the eleventh-placed Denver Nuggets ended the season with a 40–42 record.

2000–01 NBA changes

• The Los Angeles Clippers changed their uniforms, added side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
• The New Jersey Nets slightly changed their alternate uniforms.
• The Orlando Magic changed their logo.
• The Philadelphia 76ers slightly changed their uniforms.
• The Phoenix Suns changed their logo and uniforms, added side panels to their jerseys and shorts, adding grey to their color scheme.
• The Vancouver Grizzlies changed their home uniforms, while the alternate uniforms became their primary road jersey.

Standings

By division

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division v t e W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-Philadelphia 76ers 56 26 .683 – 29–12 27–14 18–6 x-Miami Heat 50 32 .610 6 29–12 21–20 15–10 x-New York Knicks 48 34 .585 8 30–11 18–23 16–9 x-Orlando Magic 43 39 .524 13 26–15 17–24 14–10 Boston Celtics 36 46 .439 20 20–21 16–25 11–13 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 30 18–23 8–33 8–16 Washington Wizards 19 63 .232 37 12–29 7–34 3–21 Central Division v t e W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-Milwaukee Bucks 52 30 .634 – 31–10 21–20 19–9 x-Toronto Raptors 47 35 .573 5 27–14 20–21 18–10 x-Charlotte Hornets 46 36 .561 6 28–13 18–23 20–8 x-Indiana Pacers 41 41 .500 11 26–15 15–26 15–13 Detroit Pistons 32 50 .390 20 18-23 14–27 16–12 Cleveland Cavaliers 30 52 .366 22 20–21 10–31 11–17 Atlanta Hawks 25 57 .305 27 18–23 7–34 9–19 Chicago Bulls 15 67 .183 37 10–31 5–36 4–24

Western Conference Midwest Division v t e W L PCT GB Home Road Div z-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 – 33–8 25–16 19–5 x-Utah Jazz 53 29 .646 5 28–13 25–16 14–10 x-Dallas Mavericks 53 29 .646 5 28–13 25–16 14–10 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 47 35 .573 11 30–11 17–24 11–13 Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 13 24–17 21–20 11–13 Denver Nuggets 40 42 .488 18 29–12 11–30 13–11 Vancouver Grizzlies 23 59 .280 35 15–26 8–33 2–22 Pacific Division v t e W L PCT GB Home Road Div y-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 – 31–10 25–16 14–10 x-Sacramento Kings 55 27 .671 1 33–8 22–19 16–8 x-Phoenix Suns 51 31 .622 5 31–10 20–21 12–12 x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 6 28–13 22–19 12–12 Seattle SuperSonics 44 38 .537 12 26–15 18–23 17–7 Los Angeles Clippers 31 51 378 25 22–19 9–32 9–15 Golden State Warriors 17 65 .207 39 11–30 6–35 4–20

By conference

Eastern Conference v t e # Team W L PCT GB 1 c-Philadelphia 76ers 56 26 .683 – 2 y-Milwaukee Bucks 52 30 .634 4 3 x-Miami Heat 50 32 .610 6 4 x-New York Knicks 48 34 .585 8 5 x-Toronto Raptors 47 35 .573 9 6 x-Charlotte Hornets 46 36 .561 10 7 x-Orlando Magic 43 39 .524 13 8 x-Indiana Pacers 41 41 .500 15 9 Boston Celtics 36 46 .439 20 10 Detroit Pistons 32 50 .390 24 11 Cleveland Cavaliers 30 52 .366 26 12 New Jersey Nets 26 56 .317 30 13 Atlanta Hawks 25 57 .305 31 14 Washington Wizards 19 63 .232 37 15 Chicago Bulls 15 67 .183 42

Western Conference v t e # Team W L PCT GB 1 z-San Antonio Spurs 58 24 .707 – 2 y-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 2 3 x-Sacramento Kings 55 27 .671 3 4 x-Utah Jazz 53 29 .646 5 5 x-Dallas Mavericks 53 29 .646 5 6 x-Phoenix Suns 51 31 .622 7 7 x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 8 8 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 47 35 .573 11 9 Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 13 10 Seattle SuperSonics 44 38 .537 14 11 Denver Nuggets 40 42 .488 18 12 Los Angeles Clippers 31 51 .378 27 13 Vancouver Grizzlies 23 59 .280 35 14 Golden State Warriors 17 65 .207 41

Notes

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
• y – Clinched division title
• x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Main article: 2001 NBA 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

Philadelphia*

3

E8

Indiana

1

E1

Philadelphia*

4

E5

Toronto

3

E4

New York

2

E5

Toronto

3

E1

Philadelphia*

4

Eastern Conference

E2

Milwaukee*

3

E3

Miami

0

E6

Charlotte

3

E6

Charlotte

3

E2

Milwaukee*

4

E2

Milwaukee*

3

E7

Orlando

1

E1

Philadelphia*

1

W2

LA Lakers*

4

W1

San Antonio*

3

W8

Minnesota

1

W1

San Antonio*

4

W5

Dallas

1

W4

Utah

2

W5

Dallas

3

W1

San Antonio*

0

Western Conference

W2

LA Lakers*

4

W3

Sacramento

3

W6

Phoenix

1

W3

Sacramento

0

W2

LA Lakers*

4

W2

LA Lakers*

3

W7

Portland

0

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

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	31.1
Rebounds per game	Dikembe Mutombo	Atlanta Hawks Philadelphia 76ers	13.5
Assists per game	Jason Kidd	Phoenix Suns	9.8
Steals per game	Allen Iverson	Philadelphia 76ers	2.51
Blocks per game	Theo Ratliff	Philadelphia 76ers	3.74
FG%	Shaquille O'Neal	Los Angeles Lakers	.572
FT%	Reggie Miller	Indiana Pacers	.928
3FG%	Brent Barry	Seattle SuperSonics	.472

Awards

Yearly awards

Source:^[3]

• Most Valuable Player: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
• Rookie of the Year: Mike Miller, Orlando Magic
• Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers/Atlanta Hawks
• Sixth Man of the Year: Aaron McKie, Philadelphia 76ers
• Most Improved Player: Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic
• Coach of the Year: Larry Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
• Executive of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings
• Sportsmanship Award: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA First Team: F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs F – Chris Webber, Sacramento Kings C – Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers G – Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers G – Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

All-NBA Second Team: F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves F – Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors C – Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers G – Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

All-NBA Third Team: F – Karl Malone, Utah Jazz F – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks C – David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs G – Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics G – Ray Allen, Milwaukee Bucks

NBA All-Defensive First Team: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers Gary Payton, Seattle SuperSonics Jason Kidd, Phoenix Suns

All-Defensive Second Team: Bruce Bowen, Miami Heat P. J. Brown, Charlotte Hornets Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Doug Christie, Sacramento Kings

NBA All-Rookie First Team: Mike Miller, Orlando Magic Kenyon Martin, New Jersey Nets Marc Jackson, Golden State Warriors Morris Peterson, Toronto Raptors Darius Miles, Los Angeles Clippers

All-Rookie Second Team: Hedo Türkoğlu, Sacramento Kings Desmond Mason, Seattle SuperSonics Courtney Alexander, Washington Wizards Marcus Fizer, Chicago Bulls Chris Mihm, Cleveland Cavaliers

Players of the month

The following players were named the Players of the Month.

Month	Player
October – November	Karl Malone (Utah Jazz)
December	Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
January	Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers)
February	Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic)
March	Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
April	Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)

Rookies of the month

The following players were named the Rookies of the Month.

Month	Player
October – November	Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets)
December	Marc Jackson (Golden State Warriors)
January	Marc Jackson (Golden State Warriors)
February	Mike Miller (Orlando Magic)
March	Kenyon Martin (New Jersey Nets) Mike Miller (Orlando Magic)
April	Courtney Alexander (Dallas Mavericks)

Coaches of the month

The following coaches were named Coaches of the Month.

Month	Coach
October – November	Larry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers)
December	Pat Riley (Miami Heat)
January	Flip Saunders (Minnesota Timberwolves)
February	Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
March	Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
April	Isiah Thomas (Indiana Pacers)

Notes

See also

• List of NBA regular season records

References

1. "Season Review: 2000-01". NBA.com. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
2. "On this day: Rick Pitino resigns as coach, president; Parish gets 13k boards". Celtics Wire. January 8, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
3. "Season Review: 2000-01". NBA.com. Retrieved September 27, 2023.