SUCCESS IN THE NBA: IS TOP TALENT WORTH TOP DOLLAR?

By Alicia M. DelCupp

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements Of the Degree of Master in Sports Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio May, 2013

-ABSTRACTIn the National Basketball Association, it is becoming more common to see top player contracts worth considerably larger amounts of money than the rest of their teammates. For the 2011- 2012 season, the per team salary cap in the National Basketball Association was $58.044 million, and teams have to make decisions on which players are most valuable to their organization. In some instances, teams are willing to pay a luxury tax for exceeding the salary cap tax level in order to keep certain players on their rosters. Often players who are considered to be top talent are paid significantly more than their teammates, but they do not always produce better results. This research will collect data for team payrolls, regular season records, post season appearances and club valuations each of the 2002- 2012 seasons. This data will then be analyzed in an attempt to discover any relevant correlations that suggest paying for top talent is necessary to achieve success in the NBA.

SUCCESS IN THE NBA: IS TOP TALENT WORTH TOP DOLLAR?

By Alicia M. DelCupp

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements Of the Degree of Master in Sports Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio May, 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

PAGE INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM.. 1 INTRODUCTION PURPOSE OF THE STUDY PROBLEM SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY DEFINITIONS REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.. 6 INTRODUCTION COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT TEAM COMPOSITION PLAYER SALARIES METHODOLOGY. 12 PURPOSE OF STUDY SETTING AND POPULATION DATA COLLECTION DATA COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS SUMMARY REFERENCES. 15 APPENDICES 16

II.

III.

ii

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

-INTRODUCTIONThe National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946 and is widely considered to be the top basketball league in the world. The NBA is currently made up of 30 franchised member clubs that are divided into two conferences: western and eastern. Team rosters average 12- 15 players, and the number of players in the league at any given time is approximately 360-450. These players are represented by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). The NBPA and NBA negotiate a contract called the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement approximately every 5- 10 years, which governs how the league operates. Among other things, this contract defines minimum and maximum player salaries, limits what teams can spend and lists penalties for spending too much. Each year the NBA becomes more competitive, and teams must make difficult decisions about which players they think will help make their organization successful. Large player contracts have become more common as teams try to secure the best talent. The NBA currently has a salary cap which sets a league standard on the amount of money each team can spend on player contracts, and is meant to keep competitive balance in the league. For the 2011- 2012 season, the salary cap was $58.044 million. Teams are willing to pay penalties to exceed the cap,
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and in the last season six teams (Lakers, Celtics, Heat, Mavericks, Spurs and Hawks) ended up paying a luxury tax for exceeding the salary cap tax level. Of those teams, all six played into the postseason, with the Heat winning the national championship. The amount spent on team payrolls raises the question of whether or not its worth it to pay for the top talent. It is impossible for a team to be absolutely certain they are making the right personnel decisions for the future, but the general assumption is a player that costs more is worth more to the team. If this assumption is correct, then it would make sense that a team with a higher payroll must have some of the top talent in the league and should be able to achieve success in terms of wins more easily than others. While some teams appear to be more successful with big name players on their roster, others seem to still fail. In order to determine whether or not spending more on payroll is beneficial, exploration of team success will be conducted through research of data from team, league, and NBA Collective bargaining agreement websites. Once collected, this data will be compiled and analyzed to discover any relevant correlations that would suggest success in the NBA can be achieved by securing the most expensive talent available.

-PURPOSE OF STUDYThe purpose of this study is to examine team payrolls, overall records, and postseason appearances, and attempt to discover whether or not there is a correlation between the amount a team spends on payroll and how successful they are in league play. This data will also be compared to team valuations to analyze the relationship between higher payroll and the success of the organization from a business standpoint.
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-PROBLEMIs success in the NBA relative to how much a club is willing to spend on their team payroll?

-SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDYThis study is significant in the following ways: The data and findings can be utilized by a number of organizations within the NBA, from team financial departments to league wide organizations, when making personnel decisions Findings could assist agents when negotiating contact deals for their clients Findings will provide NBA teams with evidence that shows whether or not higher payrolls are necessary for success, which may aid in their future financial decisions Findings can be evaluated when negotiating team salary caps in the CBA

-ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDYThis study assumes the following: Players with larger contracts have more talent and are considered to be more valuable to an NBA organization Player salaries, team payrolls and team records have been accurately recorded each of the past 10 seasons Each team is bound to the rules and guidelines regarding salaries and payrolls found in the NBA CBA
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-LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study is limited to available data from the 2002- 2012 NBA seasons The study is limited to one sport and one league The data does not take into consideration any outside factors that may affect team payrolls, such as paying a player no longer on the team The data does not take into consideration any outside factors that may affect a players ability to compete (i.e.: injuries or demanding a trade), which in turn may affect the success of the team

-DEFINITIONSNational Basketball Association (NBA): Mens professional basketball league in the United States consisting of 30 franchised member clubs. National Basketball Players Association (NBPA): A labor union that represents players in the NBA and protects their rights and interests. Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): A contract between the NBA and the NBPA that dictates the rules in a variety of categories such as: player contracts, trades, revenue distribution, the NBA draft and the league salary cap. Competitive Balance: The concept of a level playing field in the NBA set by rules in the CBA that helps smaller clubs with less resources compete with larger clubs. Salary Cap: The limit to the amount of money each team in the NBA can pay their players, as defined in the CBA.

Luxury Tax: A surcharge put on a teams payroll that proportionately reflects the amount to which that team exceeds the predetermined payroll limit stated in the CBA. NBA Postseason: Best- of- seven elimination tournament consisting of 16 teams to determine the national champion each season. Success in The NBA: For the purpose of this study success in the NBA is generally defined by a teams regular season record, and whether or not a team made it into the postseason each year, as those are the only teams with an opportunity to achieve the ultimate success: national champion.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

-INTRODUCTIONThe review of literature for this study was done by researching a variety of sports business databases online for journals and studies related to the NBA, their CBA, and player salaries. The first review of literature focuses on the CBA and how it regulates spending in the NBA. The review examines how the CBA addresses competitive balance and the reasoning for specific rules related to payroll. These points are important because they regulate the distribution of billions of dollars among NBA clubs. The second review of literature focuses on how owners compose their teams. The review explores how success is defined and what factors are taken into consideration when making decisions on how to build a successful squad. The third review of literature focuses on player salaries and how the CBA has influenced the amount of money they can make. The review analyzes how paying for top talent effects the rest of the league.

-COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTThe Collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a contract between the NBA and NBPA that governs how the league operates. This agreement is renegotiated approximately every 5- 10 years. If the two sides are unable to agree on specific changes, a lockout can arise and threaten the NBA season. In addition to the most recent NBA lockout in 2011, the league also dealt with a lockout during the 1998-99 season (Berri, 2012). Among other issues, one of the most important addressed by the CBA is competitive balance in the league. The NBA has been, and continues to be, the most competitively imbalanced among North American sports leagues. Of the 32 possible NBA titles since 1980 only nine different teams have won it (Berri, 2012), and since the inception of the NBA 65 years ago, the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics have won a combined 33 titles (Schouten, 2012). In comparison, since 1980 in the NHL and NFL, 15 different teams have won their national championship, and in the MLB there have been 20 (Berri, 2012). According to the NBA, the biggest issue regarding competitive balance in the league is the difference between large markets and small markets and their ability to spend money. The NBAs solution to improve the balance within the league was a pay cut for players, imposing better salary caps and higher luxury taxes, and reducing the financial differences between large and small markets through revenue sharing (Shouten, 2012). With the most recent CBA agreement, the league stressed that if players took less money smaller markets would be able to field more competitive teams. A study done by Schmidt and Berri (2011), however, failed to find that institutions such as a luxury tax, salary cap, or payroll cap would impact competitive balance. In fact, Berri (2012) found that LeBron James taking a pay cut in 2010 to play for the

Heat indicated that a small market teams ability to pay big name players isnt whats holding them back; it is the willingness of the star to play there. With the 2011 CBA, the league payroll cap was reduced from 57% to 50% of basketball related income, while the team payroll cap remained at $58 million (NBA, 2011). The luxury tax, which is a penalty payment for spending over the team payroll tax cap, is based on the amount over the cap that a team spends (NBA, 2010). Although the NBA claims that the luxury tax aids in achieving competitive balance, it still favors teams in larger markets who can afford to pay the tax. One major difference in the new CBA is the way revenues are shared among teams. Prior to the 2011 agreement, the most a team could receive was $5.8 million. With the new system to be fully implemented in the 2013-14 season, a team can receive up to $16 million, or more than 25% of its salary cap, from other teams (Berri, 2012). Ironically, shortly after the new CBA that was supposed to help small market teams keep their top talent was approved the star of the New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul, was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. As expected, losing their best player made the small market Hornets worse and the large market Clippers better (Berri, 2012).

-TEAM COMPOSITIONOwners take into consideration a number of factors when determining which players they want on their team. Among these factors is the influence of player personnel selections on the business strategy of the team (Sale, Hunter & Nourayi, 2009). Player salaries are obviously the largest operating cost to a team, and finding ways to maximize talent with the money available is crucial to the success of the organization. Rules outlined in the CBA regulate how
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much an owner can spend on securing talent, so it is important for them to find a balance between cost and talent in order to keep their team competitive in the league. When organizations are determining what they are willing to pay for a player, point production is the biggest factor in determining salary (Schmidt, 2006). Point production, however, does not necessarily reflect how efficient the player is when scoring. Data compiled by Schmidt shows that NBA players are paid to score, not to efficiently score. Style seems to count more than substance, and teams are willing to distribute more money to players that have style in hopes that the entertainment value of the player will positively impact their revenue (Schmidt, 2006). Based on a measure of productivity that analyzes a players individual statistics to more accurately access their value to the team, Schmidt found that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony can all be considered productive scorers, averaging at least 26.5 ppg. James and Wade, however, were above average in shooting efficiency while Anthony was below. James and Wade also made other contributions to their team success and were above average for their position in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game. Anthony, on the other hand, was below average for his position in these categories. Statistically James and Wade would appear to be of more value to an organization, but owners in the league want style and when all three were eligible to receive contract extensions, Anthony was able to secure a deal worth the maximum salary the NBA can offer. The cost of keeping top paid athletes, however, does not always generate enough revenue to cover the higher salary costs and may not provide an adequate return on investments for the owners. Hunter and Sale (2009) concluded in their study that player salary
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cost is negatively related to operating income. In 2005, the new bargaining agreement instituted a luxury tax that required teams to pay a 100% tax for payroll over a certain limit. This had an impact on player salaries and club revenues league wide. In 2010, when negotiations began for the new CBA, club owners stated that the escalation in player salaries was unsustainable and not reflective of the growth in revenue (Hill & Jolly, 2012). They wanted exceptions to the luxury tax removed so it was more of a hard cap rather than soft with the hopes of improving competitive balance league wide, and ultimately generating more club revenue. Changes made to the most recent NBA CBA include higher penalties for exceeding the salary cap tax level and increased revenue sharing among the league (NBA, 2011). These changes benefitted league owners as a whole, and especially owners of smaller market teams.

-PLAYER SALARIESOne of the key issues discussed for the most current CBA was player salaries. During negotiations the NBA made it clear that players needed to give up more money to make the league better. The gap is becoming larger between the NBAs 1% and 99%, and changes to the most recent CBA are helping to widen this gap. Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves said, Having a few players making substantial money and a plethora of players making essentially the league minimum would create unrest in any locker room (Bucher, 2011, p. 62). Owners are creating potential problems with team chemistry by paying a player substantially more if that player is not producing up to the level of their pay. Simmons and Berri (2011) suggest in their study the concept of justified inequality where players might accept the notion that some players are better than others and should be
10

paid accordingly and the idea that widening of salary structures can motivate players to put forth greater individual effort. A study done by Schouten (2012) found that the best amount of salary dispersion for a NBA club is the maximum amount of dispersion possible given the salary constraints a team faces. This concept, however, can ultimately help in increasing competitive imbalance in the league instead of decreasing it because it favors the larger market clubs that can afford to pay more for top talent (Shouten, 2012). In 2008, players under rookie contracts accounted for 25% of the league but only 12% of total league salaries, while the top 5% of players accounted for 18% of total league salaries (Hill & Jolly, 2012). Structuring within the NBA CBA continues to widen this gap between player salaries, while giving players less and less of basketball related income. The wide variety of parties invested in NBA CBA negotiations makes it difficult to determine if players are getting the best deal possible, or if the owners are benefiting from what the players are being forced to give up.

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

-PURPOSE OF STUDYThe purpose of this study is to examine team payrolls, overall records, and postseason appearances, and attempt to discover whether or not there is a correlation between the amount a team spends on payroll and how successful they are in league play. This data will also be compared to team valuations to analyze the relationship between higher payroll and the success of the organization from a business standpoint.

-SETTING AND POPULATIONThe National Basketball League (NBA) is a professional league in North America consisting of 30 nationwide franchised member clubs. The league is split into two conferences: eastern and western. Every year each team plays 82 regular season games, as regulated by the league. The NBA post season consists of 16 teams playing in best-of-seven tournaments to determine the National Champion each season. At any given time, there are approximately 360-450 players actively employed with the member clubs. The population of this study will be NBA players and member clubs actively participating in the NBA from 2002- 2012. The population considers team payrolls as a whole
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any may consist of a limited number of players, either no longer a member of that team or no longer in the league, who are still on payroll.

-DATA COLLECTIONOnline resources will be used to collecting data for this study. USA Today online publications USA Today Sports and Hoops World will be utilized to obtain team payroll information from 2002-2012. A comprehensive list of the websites is available in Appendix A. To find club valuations for each of the 10 years, Forbes online publications will be utilized. Each year Forbes releases a list valuing each of the NBA clubs using information available from each club. A comprehensive list of the websites is available in Appendix B. To obtain team records for each of the 10 years, the NBAs website will be utilized. This website will provide information on overall regular season records, playoff information, and championship team for each season. A comprehensive list of the websites is available in Appendix C.

-DATA COMPILATION AND ANALYSISOnce the data have been collected, it will be compiled into spreadsheets based on the information being compared. The comparisons that will take place are as follows (per season): Team payrolls vs. regular season records Team payrolls vs. post-season appearances Team payrolls vs. club valuations Comprehensive team payrolls from 2002-2012 vs. overall post-season appearances from 2002-2012 vs. average team valuation from 2002-2012
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The team payrolls in each comparison will be ranked from highest to lowest and assigned a value from 1- 30. The second part of the comparison (records/ appearances/ valuations) will also be ranked from most to least. That information will be assigned a value from 1-30. Post season appearances will be assigned a value of 1 for each round of the playoffs in which the team played. There are 4 rounds in the NBA playoffs, so a championship team would be assigned a value of 5 (4 rounds + winning the championship), while a team that lost in the first round would be assigned a value of 1. This information will again be ranked most to least and given a value from 1-30. Pearsons Correlation Coefficient Calculator will be used with the values in each comparison category to discover any relevant relationship between the data.

-SUMMARYThe goal of this study is to determine if there is any relevant relationship between what a NBA club spends on payroll and the success they have during the season in terms of wins and playoff appearances. This study utilizes information from credible resources to collect the data necessary to conduct this study. The data used will be relevant to the NBA seasons from 20022012. The data will be analyzed to determine if statistically there is a relevant relationship suggesting that the more an NBA team spends on payroll, the more successful they are in season play.

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REFERENCES Berri, D.J. (2012). Did the Players Give Up Money to Make The NBA Better? Exploring the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement in the National Basketball Association. International Journal of Sport Finance, 7 (2), 158-175. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.nocdbproxy.xavier.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9b58 79e2-aae5-41ad-bcbd-1b469554d153%40sessionmgr13&vid=4&hid=11 Bucher, R. (2011). Bad Medicine: NBA Owners are Feeding Players a Bitter Pill. ESPN The Magazine, 11/28/2011, 62. Hill, J.R. & Jolly, N.A. (2012). Salary Distribution and Collective Bargaining Agreements: A Case Study of the NBA. Industrial Relations, 51 (2), 342-363. Retrieved from:
http://web.ebscohost.com.nocdbproxy.xavier.edu/bsi/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a5390bff-db0845df-8a8a-d8f91fc2862b%40sessionmgr11&vid=4&hid=21

Hunter, D.R. & Sale, M.L. (2009). NBA Player: Money Tree or Money Pit. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 8, 81- 86. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.nocdbproxy.xavier.edu/bsi/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ea46a3 62-0885-4dae-bd53-e6fb73a4be23%40sessionmgr14&vid=7&hid=27 National Basketball Association (2010). Highlights of the Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the NBA and NBPA. NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Retrieved from: http://www.nba.com/.element/mp3/2.0/sect/podcastmp3/PDF/CBA101.pdf National Basketball Association (2011). Summary of Principal Deal Terms. NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Retrieved from: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_JqVMjKAfLYNzU3YzVlNDAtMDBlOS00Y2UwLWE5ZTIt M2RkZTdjN2FmMzI4/edit?pli=1 Schmidt, M. (2006). Money Often Turns Substance Over Style Logic on its Head. Street & Smiths Sports Business Journal, 9. Retrieved from: http://xavier.illiad.oclc.org/illiad/illiad.dll?Action=10&Form=75&Value=24682 Schouten, D. (2012). Economics of Salary Dispersion in the National Basketball Association. Honors Projects, paper 116. Retrieved from: http://journals.ohiolink.edu.nocdbproxy.xavier.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Simmons_R.pdf?issn=092 75371&issue=v18i0003&article=381_mtpatppitnba Simmons, R. & Berri, D.J. (2011). Mixing the princes and the paupers: Pay and performance in the National Basketball Association. Labour Economics, 18, 381-388. Retrieved from: http://journals.ohiolink.edu.nocdbproxy.xavier.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Simmons_R.pdf?issn=092 75371&issue=v18i0003&article=381_mtpatppitnba

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APPENDICIES

Appendix A
NBA Club Payrolls 2002- 2012

2002- 2003
TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL Portland Trail Blazers $91,000,860 New York Knicks $76,504,165 Dallas Mavericks $70,780,199 Sacramento Kings $70,416,596 Los Angeles Lakers $62,577,317 Milwaukee Bucks $59,979,330 Minnesota Timberwolves $59,549,520 Miami Heat $57,640,868 Philadelphia 76ers $56,571,572 Atlanta Hawks $56,426,301 Brooklyn Nets $56,012,919 Phoenix Suns $55,225,080 Boston Celtics $53,767,553 Indiana Pacers $53,472,323 San Antonio Spurs $52,817,688 Utah Jazz $50,516,753 Toronto Raptors $49,679,365 Detroit Pistons $47,392,093 Golden State Warriors $47,380,387 Houston Rockets $47,269,865 Memphis Grizzlies $45,746,014 New Orleans Hornets $45,193,882 Orlando Magic $43,936,968 Chicago Bulls $42,706,133 Denver Nuggets $38,985,480 Washington Wizards $36,532,342 Los Angeles Clippers $36,027,564 Cleveland Cavaliers $33,783,084

2003- 2004
AVG SALARY TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL $6,066,724 New York Knicks $ 84,523,891 $5,100,277 Dallas Mavericks $ 79,099,293 $4,718,679 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 72,385,947 $4,694,439 Sacramento Kings $ 69,567,889 $4,813,639 Portland Trail Blazers $ 69,362,778 $4,613,794 Los Angeles Lakers $ 65,510,147 $3,969,968 Phoenix Suns $ 65,176,684 $3,842,724 Atlanta Hawks $ 63,536,207 $3,771,438 Boston Celtics $ 59,112,919 $3,761,753 Philadelphia 76ers $ 57,763,301 $3,734,194 Indiana Pacers $ 57,548,489 $3,944,648 Toronto Raptors $ 53,980,176 $3,840,539 Detroit Pistons $ 52,942,639 $3,819,451 Chicago Bulls $ 52,150,699 $4,062,899 Memphis Grizzlies $ 52,046,351 $3,367,783 Golden State Warriors $ 51,804,638 $3,311,957 Houston Rockets $ 50,041,437 $3,159,472 Brooklyn Nets $ 48,579,883 $3,948,365 New Orleans Hornets $ 48,125,452 $3,376,418 Orlando Magic $ 47,696,731 $3,049,734 San Antonio Spurs $ 46,879,322 $3,228,134 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 46,513,187 $3,138,354 Washington Wizards $ 45,681,942 $2,847,075 Miami Heat $ 45,529,862 $3,248,790 Milwaukee Bucks $ 42,452,361 $2,435,489 Los Angeles Clippers $ 37,547,054 $2,401,837 Denver Nuggets $ 36,004,731 $3,071,189 Utah Jazz $ 28,320,329 AVG SALARY $ 5,634,926 $ 5,649,949 $ 5,170,424 $ 4,969,134 $ 5,335,598 $ 4,367,343 $ 4,655,477 $ 4,235,747 $ 3,940,861 $ 3,850,886 $ 3,836,565 $ 3,598,678 $ 3,781,617 $ 3,476,713 $ 3,469,756 $ 3,453,642 $ 3,336,095 $ 3,238,658 $ 3,208,363 $ 3,179,782 $ 3,125,288 $ 3,100,879 $ 3,262,995 $ 3,035,324 $ 3,265,566 $ 2,503,136 $ 2,400,315 $ 2,022,880

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2002 http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2003

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2004- 2005
TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL Dallas Mavericks $ 95,987,088 New York Knicks $ 94,659,993 Portland Trail Blazers $ 78,687,727 Indiana Pacers $ 75,432,752 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 70,123,371 Orlando Magic $ 67,390,203 Los Angeles Lakers $ 65,138,976 Philadelphia 76ers $ 64,225,539 Memphis Grizzlies $ 59,075,657 Houston Rockets $ 58,332,783 Sacramento Kings $ 57,886,869 Miami Heat $ 57,876,947 Boston Celtics $ 57,812,177 Toronto Raptors $ 53,051,390 Detroit Pistons $ 52,634,889 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 50,338,880 Washington Wizards $ 48,797,362 San Antonio Spurs $ 47,526,392 Denver Nuggets $ 46,883,814 Los Angeles Clippers $ 46,518,542 Brooklyn Nets $ 44,713,384 Golden State Warriors $ 44,225,165 Chicago Bulls $ 41,322,190 Utah Jazz $ 38,795,714 Phoenix Suns $ 36,369,533 Milwaukee Bucks $ 34,557,522 New Orleans Hornets $ 32,386,856 Atlanta Hawks $ 29,183,440 Charlotte Bobcats $ 17,086,511

2005- 2006
AVG SALARY TEAM $ 6,399,139 New York Knicks $ 7,888,332 San Antonio Spurs $ 5,620,551 Dallas Mavericks $ 4,437,220 Indiana Pacers $ 5,394,105 Memphis Grizzlies $ 4,813,585 Brooklyn Nets $ 4,342,598 Sacramento Kings $ 4,281,702 Philadelphia 76ers $ 3,938,377 Phoenix Suns $ 3,888,852 Miami Heat $ 4,452,836 Utah Jazz $ 3,858,463 Golden State Warriors $ 4,817,681 Milwaukee Bucks $ 3,789,385 Detroit Pistons $ 3,759,634 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 3,146,180 Los Angeles Lakers $ 3,253,157 Denver Nuggets $ 3,168,426 Orlando Magic $ 3,125,587 Boston Celtics $ 3,101,236 Houston Rockets $ 3,439,491 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 3,685,430 Los Angeles Clippers $ 2,951,585 Portland Trail Blazers $ 2,984,285 Washington Wizards $ 3,306,321 New Orleans Hornets $ 2,658,270 Chicago Bulls $ 2,491,296 Atlanta Hawks $ 2,244,880 Toronto Raptors $ 1,314,347 Charlotte Bobcats TOTAL PAYROLL $ 185,808,208 $ 159,269,716 $ 136,542,804 $ 133,133,540 $ 129,239,540 $ 123,195,800 $ 121,055,700 $ 119,493,262 $ 119,390,840 $ 119,302,936 $ 115,512,572 $ 114,915,048 $ 112,980,494 $ 112,821,758 $ 108,517,312 $ 108,431,668 $ 107,688,920 $ 105,847,784 $ 105,190,044 $ 104,704,026 $ 103,637,144 $ 102,565,580 $ 102,184,376 $ 100,487,962 $ 87,233,490 $ 75,315,544 $ 73,264,898 $ 69,119,992 $ 60,627,290 AVG SALARY $ 6,193,606 $ 5,688,204 $ 4,551,426 $ 5,120,520 $ 4,307,984 $ 4,738,300 $ 4,323,417 $ 4,595,894 $ 4,263,958 $ 3,976,764 $ 3,850,419 $ 4,104,108 $ 3,766,016 $ 4,029,348 $ 3,875,618 $ 3,614,388 $ 3,589,630 $ 3,528,259 $ 3,756,787 $ 3,490,134 $ 3,454,571 $ 3,418,852 $ 3,649,442 $ 3,349,598 $ 2,907,783 $ 2,510,518 $ 2,817,880 $ 2,468,571 $ 2,165,260

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2004 http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2005

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2006- 2007
TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL Phoenix Suns $ 82,440,784 New York Knicks $ 81,672,615 Miami Heat $ 78,203,790 Detroit Pistons $ 75,517,622 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 66,734,452 San Antonio Spurs $ 65,645,095 Denver Nuggets $ 65,000,230 Brooklyn Nets $ 64,870,209 Dallas Mavericks $ 64,821,094 Portland Trail Blazers $ 64,751,726 Houston Rockets $ 62,627,349 Golden State Warriors $ 62,120,690 Washington Wizards $ 61,853,822 Indiana Pacers $ 61,526,247 Sacramento Kings $ 61,065,219 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 61,030,472 Los Angeles Lakers $ 60,631,869 Orlando Magic $ 60,527,557 Utah Jazz $ 60,325,348 Los Angeles Clippers $ 58,202,032 Chicago Bulls $ 54,699,276 Milwaukee Bucks $ 54,633,510 Boston Celtics $ 53,620,490 New Orleans Hornets $ 53,171,676 Atlanta Hawks $ 47,812,036 Memphis Grizzlies $ 47,055,458 Philadelphia 76ers $ 44,407,250 Toronto Raptors $ 42,223,168 Charlotte Bobcats $ 41,961,743

2007- 2008
AVG SALARY TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL $ 5,888,627 New York Knicks $ 92,817,398 $ 5,444,841 Dallas Mavericks $ 87,825,870 $ 5,213,586 Denver Nuggets $ 81,177,202 $ 5,034,508 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 79,043,364 $ 4,766,746 Houston Rockets $ 77,637,117 $ 4,376,339 Miami Heat $ 74,736,115 $ 5,000,017 Golden State Warriors $ 74,239,480 $ 4,054,388 Boston Celtics $ 73,812,248 $ 4,630,078 San Antonio Spurs $ 72,459,350 $ 4,625,123 Phoenix Suns $ 71,227,313 $ 4,175,156 Los Angeles Lakers $ 69,978,984 $ 4,437,192 Indiana Pacers $ 66,879,374 $ 4,123,588 Brooklyn Nets $ 66,609,387 $ 4,101,749 Detroit Pistons $ 66,561,030 $ 4,697,324 Toronto Raptors $ 63,762,305 $ 4,359,319 Los Angeles Clippers $ 63,202,582 $ 4,330,847 Chicago Bulls $ 62,413,599 $ 4,035,170 Milwaukee Bucks $ 62,317,859 $ 4,640,411 Orlando Magic $ 61,841,463 $ 3,880,135 Washington Wizards $ 61,133,847 $ 3,646,618 New Orleans Hornets $ 60,331,047 $ 3,642,234 Atlanta Hawks $ 58,531,493 $ 3,574,699 Philadelphia 76ers $ 57,777,929 $ 3,544,778 Portland Trail Blazers $ 57,200,851 $ 3,187,469 Utah Jazz $ 54,683,522 $ 3,137,030 Memphis Grizzlies $ 54,472,106 $ 3,415,942 Charlotte Bobcats $ 51,725,077 $ 2,814,877 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 51,128,758 $ 2,797,449 Sacramento Kings $ 50,531,216 AVG SALARY $ 5,801,087 $ 4,622,414 $ 5,411,813 $ 5,269,557 $ 4,086,164 $ 4,671,007 $ 4,124,415 $ 5,272,303 $ 5,175,667 $ 5,087,665 $ 4,998,498 $ 4,179,960 $ 5,123,799 $ 4,754,359 $ 3,985,144 $ 3,717,798 $ 3,900,849 $ 4,154,523 $ 4,122,764 $ 5,094,487 $ 3,770,690 $ 3,902,099 $ 3,398,701 $ 3,813,390 $ 4,206,424 $ 3,890,864 $ 3,232,817 $ 3,007,574 $ 3,158,201

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2006 http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2007

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2008- 2009
TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL New York Knicks $ 97,085,751 Toronto Raptors $ 95,358,923 Dallas Mavericks $ 92,503,500 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 90,794,387 Los Angeles Lakers $ 80,745,793 Boston Celtics $ 78,738,973 Detroit Pistons $ 77,046,985 Phoenix Suns $ 75,449,279 Philadelphia 76ers $ 72,861,445 Chicago Bulls $ 71,400,091 Sacramento Kings $ 71,075,103 Milwaukee Bucks $ 70,220,238 Indiana Pacers $ 69,623,798 Houston Rockets $ 69,577,785 Washington Wizards $ 69,176,589 Orlando Magic $ 69,117,198 Atlanta Hawks $ 68,607,953 San Antonio Spurs $ 68,403,480 Charlotte Bobcats $ 68,004,277 Denver Nuggets $ 67,068,631 New Orleans Hornets $ 67,017,804 Memphis Grizzlies $ 66,460,021 Utah Jazz $ 66,266,407 Golden State Warriors $ 64,549,630 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 63,525,735 Brooklyn Nets $ 62,425,445 Los Angeles Clippers $ 61,883,344 Oklahoma City Thunder $ 61,567,564 Portland Trail Blazers $ 56,154,803 Miami Heat $ 54,346,083

2009- 2010
AVG SALARY TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL $ 6,472,383 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 116,902,727 $ 5,609,348 New York Knicks $ 114,338,560 $ 6,166,900 Houston Rockets $ 92,713,977 $ 6,052,959 Dallas Mavericks $ 88,312,340 $ 5,383,052 Boston Celtics $ 84,815,811 $ 6,056,844 Portland Trail Blazers $ 84,469,848 $ 5,926,691 Memphis Grizzlies $ 83,230,241 $ 5,389,234 Orlando Magic $ 82,329,491 $ 5,204,388 Phoenix Suns $ 79,428,800 $ 4,760,006 Chicago Bulls $ 78,469,779 $ 4,738,340 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 77,455,197 $ 4,681,349 San Antonio Spurs $ 77,276,044 $ 4,351,487 Los Angeles Lakers $ 77,203,679 $ 4,638,519 Miami Heat $ 77,135,159 $ 4,941,184 Milwaukee Bucks $ 76,227,006 $ 4,936,942 Toronto Raptors $ 75,601,958 $ 4,287,997 Denver Nuggets $ 75,580,222 $ 3,800,193 Utah Jazz $ 75,213,100 $ 4,250,267 New Orleans Hornets $ 74,250,064 $ 5,159,125 Charlotte Bobcats $ 73,084,292 $ 4,786,986 Golden State Warriors $ 70,639,719 $ 4,430,668 Indiana Pacers $ 70,516,057 $ 4,417,760 Atlanta Hawks $ 70,198,210 $ 3,227,481 Philadelphia 76ers $ 69,926,347 $ 3,970,358 Brooklyn Nets $ 66,383,879 $ 3,901,590 Oklahoma City Thunder $ 66,171,801 $ 3,437,963 Washington Wizards $ 63,456,429 $ 3,240,398 Detroit Pistons $ 62,757,140 $ 3,743,653 Sacramento Kings $ 61,120,985 $ 3,019,226 Los Angeles Clippers $ 32,158,856 AVG SALARY $ 5,082,727 $ 5,716,928 $ 3,863,082 $ 5,887,489 $ 4,989,165 $ 3,839,538 $ 4,623,902 $ 5,880,677 $ 4,412,711 $ 3,566,808 $ 3,367,617 $ 3,359,828 $ 5,938,744 $ 4,059,745 $ 3,811,350 $ 3,600,093 $ 4,723,763 $ 5,014,206 $ 4,950,004 $ 3,846,541 $ 2,716,912 $ 3,917,558 $ 4,129,306 $ 4,113,314 $ 3,493,888 $ 2,450,807 $ 3,339,812 $ 3,922,321 $ 3,216,893 $ 2,473,758

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2008 http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2009

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2010- 2011
TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL Los Angeles Lakers $ 90,025,159 Orlando Magic $ 89,037,684 Dallas Mavericks $ 86,376,376 Denver Nuggets $ 82,720,711 Utah Jazz $ 78,390,786 Boston Celtics $ 78,157,392 Houston Rockets $ 74,082,615 Philadelphia 76ers $ 72,431,609 Atlanta Hawks $ 70,466,181 Milwaukee Bucks $ 70,070,508 San Antonio Spurs $ 69,456,892 Portland Trail Blazers $ 68,806,480 Golden State Warriors $ 66,427,992 Toronto Raptors $ 66,363,636 Charlotte Bobcats $ 65,721,604 Detroit Pistons $ 65,616,821 Phoenix Suns $ 65,263,589 Miami Heat $ 65,043,643 New Orleans Hornets $ 63,969,188 Memphis Grizzlies $ 59,662,924 Washington Wizards $ 59,206,652 Indiana Pacers $ 58,917,821 Brooklyn Nets $ 58,794,297 New York Knicks $ 58,661,738 Oklahoma City Thunder $ 57,336,915 Chicago Bulls $ 56,820,182 Los Angeles Clippers $ 53,819,482 Cleveland Cavaliers $ 52,359,481 Minnesota Timberwolves $ 45,615,935 Sacramento Kings $ 44,043,590

2011- 2012
AVG SALARY TEAM TOTAL PAYROLL $ 6,925,012 L.A. Lakers $86,043,603 $ 6,359,834 Boston Celtics $79,532,939 $ 5,758,425 Miami HEAT $77,995,303 $ 5,908,622 Dallas Mavericks $74,281,411 $ 6,030,060 Atlanta Hawks $73,461,258 $ 5,210,492 San Antonio Spurs $72,920,549 $ 4,938,841 Memphis Grizzlies $70,103,026 $ 4,828,773 Chicago Bulls $69,589,855 $ 4,697,745 L.A. Clippers $69,413,292 $ 4,671,367 Orlando Magic $68,680,092 $ 5,342,837 Portland Trail Blazers $68,457,954 $ 4,587,098 Philadelphia 76ers $67,514,294 $ 4,428,532 Detroit Pistons $66,853,849 $ 4,424,242 Golden State Warriors $64,727,956 $ 4,381,440 New Orleans Hornets $64,319,303 $ 4,374,454 Phoenix Suns $64,027,070 $ 5,020,276 New York Knicks $63,899,161 $ 4,336,242 Houston Rockets $61,930,436 $ 4,569,227 Denver Nuggets $60,607,241 $ 4,589,455 Milwaukee Bucks $59,887,739 $ 3,947,110 Oklahoma City Thunder $59,355,606 $ 3,927,854 Washington Wizards $59,044,478 $ 3,919,619 Utah Jazz $58,164,233 $ 3,910,782 Charlotte Bobcats $57,902,044 $ 3,822,461 Brooklyn Nets $57,050,494 $ 4,058,584 Minnesota Timberwolves $56,844,339 $ 3,587,965 Cleveland Cavaliers $53,304,844 $ 3,490,632 Indiana Pacers $51,588,386 $ 3,041,062 Toronto Raptors $47,409,049 $ 3,145,970 Sacramento Kings $46,664,601

http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/nba/salaries/team/2010 http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-team-salary-totals

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Appendix B
Forbes Team Valuations 2002- 2012

2003
TEAM LOS ANGELES LAKERS NEW YORK KNICKS CHICAGO BULLS DALLAS MAVERICKS PHILADELPHIA 76ERS WASHINGTON WIZARDS BOSTON CELTICS PHOENIX SUNS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS SACRAMENTO KINGS DETROIT PISTONS HOUSTON ROCKETS MIAMI HEAT INDIANA PACERS SAN ANTONIO SPURS UTAH JAZZ CLEVELAND CAVALIERS NEW JERSEY NETS TORONTO RAPTORS MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES DENVER NUGGETS SEATTLE SUPERSONICS ATLANTA HAWKS LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES ORLANDO MAGIC GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS NEW ORLEANS HORNETS MILWAUKEE BUCKS VALUE ($MIL) 426 398 323 304 298 278 274 272 270 259 258 255 250 246 242 226 222 218 217 213 209 207 206 205 198 197 176 172 168

2004
TEAM LOS ANGELES LAKERS NEW YORK KNICKS CHICAGO BULLS DALLAS MAVERICKS PHILADELPHIA 76ERS BOSTON CELTICS DETROIT PISTONS SAN ANTONIO SPURS PHOENIX SUNS INDIANA PACERS HOUSTON ROCKETS SACRAMENTO KINGS WASHINGTON WIZARDS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS CLEVELAND CAVALIERS TORONTO RAPTORS NEW JERSEY NETS UTAH JAZZ MIAMI HEAT MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES DENVER NUGGETS NEW ORLEANS HORNETS LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS ATLANTA HAWKS ORLANDO MAGIC SEATTLE SUPERSONICS GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MILWAUKEE BUCKS VALUE ($MIL) 447 401 356 338 328 290 284 283 282 280 278 275 274 272 258 249 244 239 236 230 227 218 216 208 202 199 196 188 174

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0217/072tab.html http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0216/064tab.html

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2005
TEAM New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers Houston Rockets Chicago Bulls Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Miami Heat Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers San Antonio Spurs Sacramento Kings Indiana Pacers Washington Wizards Minnesota Timberwolves Charlotte Bobcats Memphis Grizzlies Denver Nuggets Toronto Raptors Utah Jazz New Jersey Nets Atlanta Hawks Los Angeles Clippers Orlando Magic Golden State Warriors Seattle SuperSonics Milwaukee Bucks Portland Trail Blazers New Orleans Hornets VALUE ($MIL) 543 529 422 409 403 402 395 362 356 353 351 350 345 324 318 303 300 294 283 278 274 271 262 248 247 243 234 231 227 225

2006
TEAM New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers Dallas Mavericks Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers Sacramento Kings Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics Indiana Pacers Washington Wizards New Jersey Nets Toronto Raptors Memphis Grizzlies Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Utah Jazz Los Angeles Clippers Orlando Magic Charlotte Bobcats Atlanta Hawks Seattle SuperSonics Golden State Warriors Milwaukee Bucks New Orleans Hornets Portland Trail Blazers VALUE ($MIL) 592 568 463 461 439 429 410 409 390 380 379 375 367 340 334 325 315 313 309 308 297 285 283 277 275 268 267 260 248 230

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/32/Income_1.html http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/32/biz_06nba_NBA-Team-Valuations_Rank.html

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2007
TEAM VALUE ($MIL) New York Knicks 608 Los Angeles Lakers 560 Chicago Bulls 500 Detroit Pistons 477 Houston Rockets 462 Dallas Mavericks 461 Cleveland Cavaliers 455 Phoenix Suns 449 Miami Heat 418 San Antonio Spurs 405 Boston Celtics 391 Sacramento Kings 385 Philadelphia 76ers 380 Toronto Raptors 373 Washington Wizards 348 Utah Jazz 342 New Jersey Nets 338 Indiana Pacers 333 Orlando Magic 322 Denver Nuggets 321 Golden State Warriors 309 Minnesota Timberwolves 308 Memphis Grizzlies 304 Los Angeles Clippers 294 Charlotte Bobcats 287 Atlanta Hawks 286 New Orleans Hornets 272 Seattle SuperSonics 269 Milwaukee Bucks 264 Portland Trail Blazers 253

2008
TEAM VALUE ($MIL) New York Knicks 613 Los Angeles Lakers 584 Chicago Bulls 504 Detroit Pistons 480 Cleveland Cavaliers 477 Houston Rockets 469 Dallas Mavericks 466 Phoenix Suns 452 Boston Celtics 447 San Antonio Spurs 415 Toronto Raptors 400 Miami Heat 393 Philadelphia 76ers 360 Utah Jazz 358 Washington Wizards 353 Sacramento Kings 350 Orlando Magic 349 Golden State Warriors 335 Denver Nuggets 329 Portland Trail Blazers 307 Atlanta Hawks 306 Indiana Pacers 303 Minnesota Timberwolves 301 Oklahoma City Thunder 300 Los Angeles Clippers 297 New Jersey Nets 295 Memphis Grizzlies 294 New Orleans Hornets 285 Charlotte Bobcats 284 Milwaukee Bucks 278

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/32/biz_07nba_NBA-Team-Valuations_Rank.html http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/32/nba08_NBA-Team-Valuations_Rank.html

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2009
TEAM VALUE ($MIL) Los Angeles Lakers 607 New York Knicks 586 Chicago Bulls 511 Detroit Pistons 479 Cleveland Cavaliers 476 Houston Rockets 470 Dallas Mavericks 446 Boston Celtics 433 Phoenix Suns 429 San Antonio Spurs 398 Toronto Raptors 386 Miami Heat 364 Orlando Magic 361 Philadelphia 76ers 344 Utah Jazz 343 Portland Trail Blazers 338 Denver Nuggets 321 Golden State Warriors 315 Washington Wizards 313 Oklahoma City Thunder 310 Atlanta Hawks 306 Sacramento Kings 305 Los Angeles Clippers 295 Indiana Pacers 281 Charlotte Bobcats 278 New Jersey Nets 269 Minnesota Timberwolves 268 New Orleans Hornets 267 Memphis Grizzlies 257 Milwaukee Bucks 254

2010
TEAM VALUE ($MIL) New York Knicks 655 Los Angeles Lakers 643 Chicago Bulls 511 Boston Celtics 452 Houston Rockets 443 Dallas Mavericks 438 Miami Heat 425 Phoenix Suns 411 San Antonio Spurs 404 Toronto Raptors 399 Orlando Magic 385 Golden State Warriors 363 Detroit Pistons 360 Portland Trailblazers 356 Cleveland Cavaliers 355 Utah Jazz 343 Philadelphia 76ers 330 Oklahoma City Thunder 329 Washington Wizards 322 Denver Nuggets 316 New Jersey Nets 312 Los Angeles Clippers 305 Atlanta Hawks 295 Sacramento Kings 293 Charlotte Bobcats 281 New Orleans Hornets 280 Indiana Pacers 269 Memphis Grizzlies 266 Minnesota Timberwolves 264 Milwaukee Bucks 258

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/32/basketball-values-09_NBA-Team-Valuations_Rank.html http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/32/basketball-valuations-11_New-York-Knicks_328815.html

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2011
Team New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Miami Heat Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs Toronto Raptors Orlando Magic Golden State Warriors Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers Cleveland Cavaliers Utah Jazz Philadelphia 76ers Oklahoma City Thunder Washington Wizards Denver Nuggets New Jersey Nets Los Angeles Clippers Atlanta Hawks Sacramento Kings Charlotte Bobcats New Orleans Hornets Indiana Pacers Memphis Grizzlies Minnesota Timberwolves Milwaukee Bucks Current Value ($mil) 655 643 511 452 443 438 425 411 404 399 385 363 360 356 355 343 330 329 322 316 312 305 295 293 281 280 269 266 264 258

2012
Team Current Value ($mil) Los Angeles Lakers 900 New York Knicks 780 Chicago Bulls 600 Dallas Mavericks 497 Boston Celtics 482 Miami Heat 457 Houston Rockets 453 Golden State Warriors 450 San Antonio Spurs 418 Phoenix Suns 395 Orlando Magic 385 Toronto Raptors 382 Portland Trailblazers 370 New Jersey Nets 357 Oklahoma City Thunder 348 Utah Jazz 335 Detroit Pistons 332 Cleveland Cavaliers 329 Washington Wizards 328 Los Angeles Clippers 324 Denver Nuggets 316 Philadelphia 76ers 314 Sacramento Kings 300 New Orleans Hornets 285 Indiana Pacers 283 Charlotte Bobcats 277 Minnesota Timberwolves 272 Atlanta Hawks 270 Memphis Grizzlies 269 Milwaukee Bucks 268

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/32/basketball-valuations-11_land.html http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mli45gmie/1-los-angeles-lakers/#content

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Appendix C
NBA Club regular season and playoff records 2002- 2012

Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Boston defeated Indiana (4-2) Detroit defeated Orlando (4-3) New Jersey defeated Milwaukee (4-2) Philadelphia defeated New Orleans (4-2) Eastern Conference semifinals Detroit defeated Philadelphia (4-2) New Jersey defeated Boston (4-0) Eastern Conference finals New Jersey defeated Detroit (4-0) NBA Finals San Antonio defeated New Jersey (4-2) Western Conference first round Dallas defeated Portland (4-3) L.A. Lakers defeated Minnesota (4-2) Sacramento defeated Utah (4-1) San Antonio defeated Phoenix (4-2) Western Conference semifinals Dallas defeated Sacramento (4-3) San Antonio defeated L.A. Lakers (4-2) Western Conference finals San Antonio defeated Dallas (4-2)

http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2002-2003/index.html 26

Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Detroit defeated Milwaukee (4-1) Indiana defeated Boston (4-0) Miami defeated New Orleans (4-3) New Jersey defeated New York (4-0) Eastern Conference semifinals Detroit defeated New Jersey (4-3) Indiana defeated Miami (4-2) Eastern Conference finals Detroit defeated Indiana (4-2) Western Conference first round L.A. Lakers defeated Houston (4-1) Minnesota defeated Denver (4-1) Sacramento defeated Dallas (4-1) San Antonio defeated Memphis (4-0) Western Conference semifinals L.A. Lakers defeated San Antonio (4-2) Minnesota defeated Sacramento (4-3) Western Conference finals L.A. Lakers defeated Minnesota (4-2)

NBA Finals Detroit defeated L.A. Lakers (4-1) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2003-2004/index.html

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Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Detroit defeated Philadelphia (4-1) Indiana defeated Boston (4-3) Miami defeated New Jersey (4-0) Washington defeated Chicago (4-2) Eastern Conference semifinals Detroit defeated Indiana (4-2) Miami defeated Washington (4-0) Eastern Conference finals Detroit defeated Miami (4-3) Western Conference first round Dallas defeated Houston (4-3) Phoenix defeated Memphis (4-0) San Antonio defeated Denver (4-1) Seattle defeated Sacramento (4-1) Western Conference semifinals Phoenix defeated Dallas (4-2) San Antonio defeated Seattle (4-2) Western Conference finals San Antonio defeated Phoenix (4-1)

NBA Finals San Antonio defeated Detroit (4-3) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2004-2005/index.html

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Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Cleveland defeated Washington (4-2) Detroit defeated Milwaukee (4-1) Miami defeated Chicago (4-2) New Jersey defeated Indiana (4-2) Eastern Conference semifinals Detroit defeated Cleveland (4-3) Miami defeated New Jersey (4-1) Eastern Conference finals Miami defeated Detroit (4-2) Western Conference first round Dallas defeated Memphis (4-0) L.A. Clippers defeated Denver (4-1) Phoenix defeated L.A. Lakers (4-3) San Antonio defeated Sacramento (4-2) Western Conference semifinals Dallas defeated San Antonio (4-3) Phoenix defeated L.A. Clippers (4-3) Western Conference finals Dallas defeated Phoenix (4-2)

NBA Finals Miami defeated Dallas (4-2) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2005-2006/index.html

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Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Chicago defeated Miami (4-0) Cleveland defeated Washington (4-0) Detroit defeated Orlando (4-0) New Jersey defeated Toronto (4-2) Western Conference first round Golden State defeated Dallas (4-2) Phoenix defeated L.A. Lakers (4-1) San Antonio defeated Denver (4-1) Utah defeated Houston (4-3)

Eastern Conference semifinals Western Conference semifinals Cleveland defeated New Jersey (4-2) San Antonio defeated Phoenix (4-2) Detroit defeated Chicago (4-2) Utah defeated Golden State (4-1) Eastern Conference finals Cleveland defeated Detroit (4-2) Western Conference finals San Antonio defeated Utah (4-1)

NBA Finals San Antonio defeated Cleveland (4-0) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2006-2007/index.html

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Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Boston defeated Atlanta (4-3) Cleveland defeated Washington (4-2) Detroit defeated Philadelphia (4-2) Orlando defeated Toronto (4-1) Eastern Conference semifinals Boston defeated Cleveland (4-3) Detroit defeated Orlando (4-1) Eastern Conference finals Boston defeated Detroit (4-2) Western Conference first round L.A. Lakers defeated Denver (4-0) New Orleans defeated Dallas (4-1) San Antonio defeated Phoenix (4-1) Utah defeated Houston (4-2) Western Conference semifinals L.A. Lakers defeated Utah (4-2) San Antonio defeated New Orleans (4-3) Western Conference finals L.A. Lakers defeated San Antonio (4-1)

NBA Finals Boston defeated L.A. Lakers (4-2) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2007-2008/index.html

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Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Atlanta defeated Miami (4-3) Boston defeated Chicago (4-3) Cleveland defeated Detroit (4-0) Orlando defeated Philadelphia (4-2) Eastern Conference semifinals Cleveland defeated Atlanta (4-0) Orlando defeated Boston (4-3) Eastern Conference finals Orlando defeated Cleveland (4-2) NBA Finals L.A. Lakers defeated Orlando (4-1)
http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2008-2009/index.html 32

Western Conference first round Dallas defeated San Antonio (4-1) Denver defeated New Orleans (4-1) Houston defeated Portland (4-2) L.A. Lakers defeated Utah (4-1) Western Conference semifinals Denver defeated Dallas (4-1) L.A. Lakers defeated Houston (4-3) Western Conference finals L.A. Lakers defeated Denver (4-2)

Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Atlanta defeated Milwaukee (4-3) Boston defeated Miami (4-1) Cleveland defeated Chicago (4-1) Orlando defeated Charlotte (4-0) Eastern Conference semifinals Boston defeated Cleveland (4-2) Orlando defeated Atlanta (4-0) Eastern Conference finals Boston defeated Orlando (4-2) NBA Finals L.A. Lakers defeated Boston (4-3)
http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2009-2010/index.html 33

Western Conference first round L.A. Lakers defeated Oklahoma City (4-2) Phoenix defeated Portland (4-2) San Antonio defeated Dallas (4-2) Utah defeated Denver (4-2) Western Conference semifinals L.A. Lakers defeated Utah (4-0) Phoenix defeated San Antonio (4-0) Western Conference finals L.A. Lakers defeated Phoenix (4-2)

Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Atlanta defeated Orlando (4-2) Boston defeated New York (4-0) Chicago defeated Indiana (4-1) Miami defeated Philadelphia (4-1) Eastern Conference semifinals Chicago defeated Atlanta (4-2) Miami defeated Boston (4-1) Eastern Conference finals Miami defeated Chicago (4-1) NBA Finals Dallas defeated Miami (4-2)
http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2010-11/index.html 34

Western Conference first round Dallas defeated Portland (4-2) L.A. Lakers defeated New Orleans (4-2) Memphis defeated San Antonio (4-2) Oklahoma City defeated Denver (4-1) Western Conference semifinals Dallas defeated L.A. Lakers (4-0) Oklahoma City defeated Memphis (4-3) Western Conference finals Dallas defeated Oklahoma City (4-1)

Playoffs
Eastern Conference first round Boston defeated Atlanta (4-2) Indiana defeated Orlando (4-1) Miami defeated New York (4-1) Philadelphia defeated Chicago (4-2) Eastern Conference semifinals Boston defeated Philadelphia (4-3) Miami defeated Indiana (4-2) Eastern Conference finals Miami defeated Boston (4-3) Western Conference first round L.A. Clippers defeated Memphis (4-3) L.A. Lakers defeated Denver (4-3) Oklahoma City defeated Dallas (4-0) San Antonio defeated Utah (4-0) Western Conference semifinals Oklahoma City defeated L.A. Lakers (4-1) San Antonio defeated L.A. Clippers (4-0) Western Conference finals Oklahoma City defeated San Antonio (4-2)

NBA Finals Miami defeated Oklahoma City (4-1) http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/2011-12/index.html

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