The 2001–02 NBA season was the Pacers' 26th season in the National Basketball Association, at midseason, the team traded Jalen Rose along with Travis Best to the Chicago Bulls for Ron Artest, before legally changing his name in September of which year, to Metta World Peace?
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2001–02 Indiana Pacers season The 2001–02 NBA season was the Pacers' 26th season in the National Basketball Association, and 35th season as a franchise. The Pacers would win six of their first eight games, but then played around .500 for most of the first half of the season. At midseason, the team traded Jalen Rose along with Travis Best to the Chicago Bulls for Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer. With a 37–40 record in mid April, the Pacers would win their final five games of the season, and sneak into the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference, finishing fourth in the Central Division with a 42–40 record. Jermaine O'Neal was named Most Improved Player of the season averaging 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He was also selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. Rookie Jamaal Tinsley was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team. However, in the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers would lose in five games to the top-seeded New Jersey Nets, including a double overtime loss in Game 5, which the Nets won 120–109.
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Metta World Peace Metta World Peace (born Ronald William Artest Jr. on November 13, 1979) is an American professional basketball player. He is currently a member of the New Orleans Gators, a team competing in the Global Mixed Gender Basketball (GMGB) League. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name in September 2011.
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Theron Smith Theron (tee-ron) Augustus Smith (born October 3, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association and FIBA. He currently resides in Panama City Beach. He is a certified personal trainer with the International Sports Sciences Association.
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2005 NBA Finals 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, 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 to a team other than the Lakers since 1988.
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Paul Juntunen Paul Juntunen (also known as Paul Jayson; February 13, 1921 – October 16, 2004) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League for the Detroit Gems and Detroit Vagabond Kings and averaged 4.0 points per game. Later in his life, Paul changed his last name from Juntunen to Jayson.
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2006–07 Philadelphia 76ers season The 2006–07 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 68th season of the franchise, 58th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Sixers finished with a record of 35–47. The 2006–07 Sixers season also marked the end of Allen Iverson's tenure with the Sixers, after a blockbuster trade sent Allen Iverson to Denver in return for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round draft picks in the 2007 NBA draft. Despite the trade, and after having a record of 5–18 before the Iverson trade, the Sixers finished 30–29 for the remainder of the season.
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1998–99 Los Angeles Lakers season The 1998–99 NBA season was the Lakers' 51st season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th in the city of Los Angeles. It was the Lakers' final season at the Great Western Forum. During the offseason, the Lakers signed free agent Derek Harper. In his first season as a starter, Kobe Bryant finished second on the team in scoring with 19.9 points per game. At midseason, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell were both traded to the Charlotte Hornets for All-Star forward Glen Rice, J.R. Reid and B.J. Armstrong, who was released and signed with the Orlando Magic. The Lakers move continued midway through the season, signing free agent and rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, who was well known for winning championships with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. However, after 23 games, Rodman was released by the team.
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Antawn Jamison Antawn Cortez Jamison ( ; born June 12, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, being named national player of the year in 1998. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft, then traded to the Golden State Warriors for former Tar Heel teammate Vince Carter.
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2004–05 Detroit Pistons season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 64th season for the Pistons, the 57th in the National Basketball Association, and the 48th in the Detroit area. During the offseason, the Pistons signed free agent Antonio McDyess. Coming off their upset victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Pistons began the season playing around .500. However, things would get worse on November 19 in a game against the Indiana Pacers, when a brawl erupted between Pacers players and Pistons fans after Ben Wallace and Ron Artest got into a shoving match. As the season progressed, the Pistons would post an 11-game winning streak near the end of the season, and would eventually finished first overall in the Central Division, and second overall in the Eastern Conference with a 54–28 record. Ben Wallace was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time, and was selected for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game.
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Dennis Awtrey Dennis Wade Awtrey (born February 22, 1948) is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'10" center from Santa Clara University, Awtrey was drafted by the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers in 1970. He played in the league for twelve seasons, spending time with the 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, and Portland Trail Blazers. Awtrey had his finest season in 1974-1975, when he averaged 9.9 points and 8.6 rebounds as a member of the Suns. Awtrey was also known for once having punched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the jaw. In 2012, Awtrey moved to Manzanita, Oregon, where he now operates a bed-and-breakfast.
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Walter Davis (basketball) Walter Pearl Davis (born September 9, 1954) is a retired American basketball player. A 6'6" forward/guard, Davis spent 15 years in the National Basketball Association, spending the bulk of those years with the Phoenix Suns.
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1981 NBA Finals The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the 40–42 Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. This series has the distinction of featuring for the third time in NBA history, and last to date, a team with a losing record in the Finals. The previous team was the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959. This Finals also has the biggest disparity between finalist records at 22 games (62–20 for the Celtics, 40–42 for the Rockets).
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1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to mark its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particular season featured what has since been acknowledged as one of the most talented rookie-classes, featuring the debuts of Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace and Stephon Marbury. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win the franchise's 5th championship.
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2000–01 Denver Nuggets season The 2000–01 NBA season was the Nuggets' 25th season in the National Basketball Association, and 34th season as a franchise. During the offseason, the Nuggets acquired Calbert Cheaney and former Nuggets guard Robert Pack from the Boston Celtics, who acquired Pack from the Dallas Mavericks, while acquiring Voshon Lenard from the Miami Heat. However, Cheaney only played just nine games due to a strained left hamstring. At midseason, the Nuggets traded Keon Clark to the Toronto Raptors for Kevin Willis. Antonio McDyess finally realized his potential averaging 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, while being selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. The Nuggets were a playoff contender posting a record of 26–18 as of January 27. However, they faded in February and March winning just nine of 28 games as they missed the playoffs with a 40–42 record, sixth in the Midwest Division. Following the season, Willis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, who then sent him back to the Houston Rockets, and Pack was released.
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Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is a professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and a French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago Bulls selected Noah with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Noah is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2014 when he also was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
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2000–01 Los Angeles Clippers season The 2000–01 NBA season was the Clippers' 31st season in the National Basketball Association, and their 17th season in Los Angeles. During the offseason, the Clippers acquired second-year guard Corey Maggette from the Orlando Magic, and Sean Rooks from the Dallas Mavericks. With the addition of Maggette along with rookies Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling, who was also acquired from the Magic, the Clippers were a young team. However, center Keith Closs was suspended for the entire season due to lack of physical conditioning. Under new head coach Alvin Gentry, the Clippers would struggle losing 7 of their first eleven games as Tyrone Nesby was traded to the Washington Wizards. However, they would play around .500 in the final three months of the season, as they doubled their previous season's win total finishing sixth in the Pacific Division with a 31–51 record. Second-year star Lamar Odom had a strong second season leading the team in scoring and rebounding.
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Jawann Oldham Jawann Oldham (born July 4, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd round (41st overall) of the 1980 NBA draft. A 7'0" center from Seattle University, Oldham played in 10 NBA seasons for 8 different teams. He played for the Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers.
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Tal Brody Tal Brody (Hebrew: טל ברודי; nicknamed Mr. Basketball; born August 30, 1943) is an American-Israeli former basketball player, and current Goodwill Ambassador of Israel, who lives in Israel. Brody was drafted # 12 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, but chose to pass up an NBA career to instead play basketball in Israel. He played on national basketball teams of both the United States and Israel, and served in the armies of both countries.
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1977 NBA draft The 1977 NBA draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1977, before the 1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Milwaukee Bucks won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New York Nets first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, six college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. Four former American Basketball Association (ABA) franchises who joined the NBA when both leagues merged, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the New York Nets and the San Antonio Spurs, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time. Prior to the start of the season, the Nets relocated to New Jersey and became the New Jersey Nets. The draft consisted of 8 rounds comprising the selection of 170 players.
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1982 NBA Finals The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1981–82 season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers face the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. It was a rematch of the 1980 NBA Finals. The Lakers won 4 games to 2.
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2000–01 Chicago Bulls season The 2000–01 NBA season was the Bulls' 35th season in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls continued to struggle losing 42 of their first 48 games at the All-Star break, as they finished 15–67, the worst record in the Central Division and the worst league record. Following the season, second-year star Elton Brand was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. (See "2000–01 Chicago Bulls season#Regular season")
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2001 NBA All-Star Game The 2001 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 11, 2001 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., home of the Washington Wizards. This game was the 50th edition of the North American National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game and was played during the 2000–01 NBA season.