2008–09 NBA season

2008–09 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 28, 2008 – April 15, 2009
TV partner(s)	ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV
Playoffs
Finals

The 2008–09 NBA season is the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association. It is the first NBA season since 1966–67 without a Seattle franchise, the SuperSonics having moved to Oklahoma City in July 2008, becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Phoenix Suns hosted the 58th Annual All-Star Game on February 15, 2009. In addition, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Chicago Bulls on March 13, 2009, but not at their regular home, the Wachovia Center. Instead, the game was played at the Wachovia Spectrum, which will close in the fall of 2009. The Sixers left following the 1995-96 season to move to the former John F. Kennedy Stadium site.

Transactions

2008–09 NBA transactions

Notable occurrences

July

• On July 2, 2008, the city of Seattle and the Seattle SuperSonics reached a settlement that allowed the team to relocate to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, retain the SuperSonics' players, coaches, and contracts, and "share" the SuperSonics' franchise history with a hypothetical future Seattle team. However, the SuperSonics name, colors, and logo will remain reserved for a future Seattle club. The team was named the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 3, 2008.

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	2007–08 coach	2008–09 coach
Charlotte Bobcats	Sam Vincent	Larry Brown
Chicago Bulls	Jim Boylan	Vinny Del Negro
Milwaukee Bucks	Larry Krystkowiak	Scott Skiles
Miami Heat	Pat Riley	Erik Spoelstra
New York Knicks	Isiah Thomas	Mike D'Antoni
Dallas Mavericks	Avery Johnson	Rick Carlisle
Detroit Pistons	Flip Saunders	Michael Curry
Phoenix Suns	Mike D'Antoni	Terry Porter
In-season
Team	Coach	Interim coach
Oklahoma City Thunder	P. J. Carlesimo	Scott Brooks
Washington Wizards	Eddie Jordan	Ed Tapscott
Toronto Raptors	Sam Mitchell	Jay Triano
Minnesota Timberwolves	Randy Wittman	Kevin McHale
Philadelphia 76ers	Maurice Cheeks	Tony DiLeo
Sacramento Kings	Reggie Theus	Kenny Natt
Memphis Grizzlies	Marc Iavaroni	Lionel Hollins
Phoenix Suns	Terry Porter	Alvin Gentry

• On July 23, 2008, restricted free agent Josh Childress signed with Euroleague club Olympiacos for three years and $20 million net (the biggest signing in Euroleague history), marking the first departure of an American-born player to Europe in the prime of his career.

October

• On October 3, 2008, Shaun Livingston, who hasn't played since February 26, 2007, signs a two-year deal with the Miami Heat in attempt to make comeback from a serious injury to his left knee.
• The NBA Board of Governors (owners) on October 23 approved expanded use of instant replays for this season to determine if players who have made baskets would be worth two or three points, and to award either two or three free throws on shooting fouls.

November

• On November 21, 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder fired head coach P. J. Carlesimo and assistant coach Paul Westhead after a 1-12 start. Scott Brooks was named interim head coach for the rest of the season.
• On November 24, 2008, the Washington Wizards fired head coach Eddie Jordan after a 1–10 start. Ed Tapscott took over for the remainder of the season.

December

• On December 3, 2008, the Toronto Raptors fired head coach Sam Mitchell, one day after the team lost by 39 points against the Denver Nuggets. Jay Triano was named the team's interim head coach.
• On December 8, 2008, the Minnesota Timberwolves fired head coach Randy Wittman after a 4-15 start to the season. Kevin McHale was announced as his replacement.
• On December 10, 2008, Carmelo Anthony scored 33 of his season high 45 points in the third quarter in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, breaking the franchise record and equalling the league record for most points in a quarter.
• On December 11, 2008, Cuttino Mobley retired from the NBA because of a severe case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart disease.
• On December 13, 2008, the Philadelphia 76ers fired head coach Maurice Cheeks after a 9-14 start. Assistant general manager Tony DiLeo was appointed interim head coach for the rest of the season.
• On December 15, 2008, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Reggie Theus after a 6-18 start to the season. Assistant coach Kenny Natt was appointed interim head coach.
• On December 17, 2008, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets broke the 22-year record for consecutive games with a steal (105), previously held by Alvin Robertson, in a game against Robertson's former team, the San Antonio Spurs.
• On December 23, 2008, the Boston Celtics recorded the best start in NBA history (27-2), in a 110-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. They also broke a franchise record for the longest winning streak (18) with their 19th consecutive win. Their 19th winning streak came to an end after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

January

• On January 13, 2009, the Orlando Magic scored an NBA record 23 three-pointers against the Sacramento Kings. Nine of the twelve Magic players who played that night scored at least one three pointer.
• On January 22, 2009, Alonzo Mourning retires from the NBA after 15 seasons. On the same day, the Memphis Grizzlies fired head coach Marc Iavaroni. Assistant coach Johnny Davis was appointed interim head coach, and three days later, Lionel Hollins took over as head coach.

February

• On February 2, 2009, Kobe Bryant set a Madison Square Garden record for points (61), besting the 59 points set by Bernard King.
• On February 5, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers break another Celtic win-streak, joining a short list of teams to break two 12+ game win-streaks in a season.
• On February 7, 2009, LeBron James's 52-point triple-double against the New York Knicks on February 4 was negated by subtracting a rebound from his total. The negated rebound was given to Ben Wallace. James would've been the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 to have a 50-point triple-double.
• On February 8, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers ended the Cleveland Cavaliers 23 home game win streak. The Lakers also become the first team in NBA history to win 2 consecutive road games versus .800+ teams at least 40 games into the season, having defeated the Boston Celtics 3 nights earlier.

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NBA All-Star Break
The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was played at the US Airways Center, home of the Phoenix Suns, on February 15, 2009 with the West winning 146-119 and Phoenix Suns' Shaquille O'Neal and Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant both being named the Co-MVPs. During the NBA All-Star Weekend, Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks won the Sprite Slam Dunk competition; Kevin Durant, who won the Rookie Challenge MVP, won the H.O.R.S.E competition and Miami's Daequan Cook beat Rashard Lewis in a tiebreaker to win the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout.

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• On February 16, 2009, the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Terry Porter. He was replaced by Alvin Gentry.
• On February 20, 2009, Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller died from complications of diabetes at the age of 64.
• On February 20, 2009, the Phoenix Suns became the first team since the 1996 Portland Trail Blazers to have three consecutive games of scoring 140 points or more.
• On February 26, 2009, Chicago Bulls legends Norm Van Lier and Johnny "Red" Kerr died at the ages of 61 and 76, respectively.
• On February 27, 2009, Stephon Marbury signed with the Boston Celtics after the New York Knicks waived him on February 24; Marbury wears the jersey number 8.

March

• March 3, 2009: Kicking off the NBA's third annual Noche Latina event — a program that recognizes the NBA's fans and players from across Latin America and U.S. Hispanic communities — the Los Angeles Lakers wore celebratory jerseys (with the wording Los Lakers) in their 99–89 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Noche Latina celebrations will take place in eight of the top 10 American Hispanic markets in the NBA this season (up from four in 2007-08): Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Houston and New York.
• On March 10, 2009, the Utah Jazz won 12 straight games in a row. That was the 4th longest win-streak in franchise history and the longest since 1999. It was later broken by a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
• On March 13, 2009, Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson died at the age of 86.
• On March 15, 2009, the Phoenix Suns scored the third highest amount of points in a regulation game — without overtime — in a 154–130 win against the Golden State Warriors. They also scored 56 fast-break points, the highest recorded since the league began tracking the stat in 1997. The win also included 2 40+ point quarters, 42 in the first and 46 in the third.

Standings

Standings as of March 27, 2009, 11:04 a.m. UTC

By division

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	—	35–6	27–14	15–1
x-Philadelphia 76ers	41	41	.500	21	24–17	17–24	6–10
New Jersey Nets	34	48	.415	28	19–22	15–26	8–8
Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	29	18–23	15–26	6–10
New York Knicks	32	50	.390	30	20–21	12–29	5–11

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
z-Cleveland Cavaliers	66	16	.805	—	39–2	27–14	13–3	82
x-Chicago Bulls	41	41	.500	25	28–13	13–28	9–7	82
x-Detroit Pistons	39	43	.476	27	21–20	18–23	7–9	82
Indiana Pacers	36	46	.439	30	25–16	11–30	7–9	82
Milwaukee Bucks	34	48	.415	32	22–19	12–29	4–12	82

Southeast Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y-Orlando Magic	59	23	.720	—	32–9	27–14	14–2	82
x-Atlanta Hawks	47	35	.573	12	31–10	16–25	11–5	82
x-Miami Heat	43	39	.524	16	28–13	15–26	9–7	82
Charlotte Bobcats	35	47	.427	24	23–18	12–29	5–11	82
Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	40	13–28	6–35	1–15	82

Northwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y–Denver Nuggets	54	28	.659	—	33–8	21–20	12–4	82
x–Portland Trail Blazers	54	28	.659	—	34–7	20–21	11–5	82
x–Utah Jazz	48	34	.585	6	33–8	15–26	10–6	82
Minnesota Timberwolves	24	58	.293	30	11–30	13–28	3–13	82
Oklahoma City Thunder	23	59	.280	31	15–26	8–33	4–12	82

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
c-Los Angeles Lakers	65	17	.793	—	36–5	29–12	14–2	82
Phoenix Suns	46	36	.561	19	28–13	18–23	11–5	82
Golden State Warriors	29	53	.354	36	21–20	8–33	6–10	82
Los Angeles Clippers	19	63	.232	46	11–30	8–33	2–14	82
Sacramento Kings	17	65	.207	48	11–30	6–39	7–9	82

Southwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-San Antonio Spurs	54	28	.659	—	28–13	26–15	10–6
x-Houston Rockets	53	29	.646	1	33–8	20–21	9–7
x-Dallas Mavericks	50	32	.610	4	32–9	18–23	7–9
x-New Orleans Hornets	49	33	.598	5	28–13	21–20	9–7
Memphis Grizzlies	24	58	.284	30	16–25	8–33	5–11

x- clinched playoff berth
y- clinched division title
c- clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
z- clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
o- eliminated from playoff contention

By conference

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Cleveland Cavaliers	66	16	.805	—
2	y-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	4
3	y-Orlando Magic	59	23	.720	7
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	47	35	.573	19
5	x-Miami Heat	43	39	.524	23
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	41	41	.500	25
7	x-Chicago Bulls	41	41	.500	25
8	x-Detroit Pistons	39	43	.476	27
9	Indiana Pacers	36	46	.439	30
10	Charlotte Bobcats	35	47	.427	31
11	New Jersey Nets	34	48	.415	32
12	Milwaukee Bucks	34	48	.415	32
13	Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	33
14	New York Knicks	32	50	.390	34
15	Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	47

Statistic leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Dwyane Wade	Miami Heat	29.8
Rebounds per game	Dwight Howard	Orlando Magic	14.0
Assists per game	Chris Paul	New Orleans Hornets	10.9
Steals per game	Chris Paul	New Orleans Hornets	2.85
Blocks per game	Dwight Howard	Orlando Magic	3.00
Field goal percentage	Shaquille O'Neal	Phoenix Suns	.612
Free throw percentage	José Calderón	Toronto Raptors	.978
Three-point field goal percentage	Anthony Morrow	Golden State Warriors	.496
Turnovers per game	Stephen Jackson	Golden State Warriors	3.88
Personal fouls per game	Greg Oden	Portland Trail Blazers	3.94

Salary cap

The NBA announced that the salary cap for the season would be $58.680 million, immediately going into effect on July 9 as the league's "moratorium period" had ended and teams could begin signing free agents and making trades.

The tax level for the season was set at $71.150 million, with each team paying a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million. The mid-level exception was $5.585 million for the season and the minimum team salary, which was set at 75% of the salary cap, was $44.010 million.

For the 2007–08 season, the salary cap was set at $55.630 million ($3.05 million), the tax level was $67.865 million ($3.285 million) and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million ($229,000).