2010–11 NBA season

2010–11 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 26, 2010 – April 13, 2011
TV partner(s)	ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV
Draft
Top draft pick	John Wall
Picked by	Washington Wizards
Regular season
Playoffs
Finals

The 2010–11 NBA season is the 65th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2011 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Transactions

Main article: List of 2010–11 NBA season transactions

Coaching changes

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	2009–10 coach	2010–11 coach
Philadelphia 76ers	Eddie Jordan	Doug Collins
New Orleans Hornets	Jeff Bower	Monty Williams
New Jersey Nets	Kiki Vandeweghe	Avery Johnson
Atlanta Hawks	Mike Woodson	Larry Drew
Chicago Bulls	Vinny Del Negro	Tom Thibodeau
Cleveland Cavaliers	Mike Brown	Byron Scott
Los Angeles Clippers	Kim Hughes	Vinny Del Negro
Golden State Warriors	Don Nelson	Keith Smart

Offseason

• On May 21, the Philadelphia 76ers hired Doug Collins as head coach, replacing Eddie Jordan who was fired on May 15.
• On June 7, the New Orleans Hornets hired Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams as head coach, replacing interim head coach Jeff Bower who returned to his original position as general manager.
• On June 10, the New Jersey Nets hired Avery Johnson as head coach, replacing interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe whose contract expired at the end of the 2009–2010 season.
• On June 13, the Atlanta Hawks promoted assistant coach Larry Drew, replacing head coach Mike Woodson whose contract expired at the end of the 2009–2010 season.
• On June 23, the Chicago Bulls hired Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau as head coach, replacing Vinny Del Negro who was fired on May 4.
• On July 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Byron Scott as head coach, replacing Mike Brown who was fired on May 24.
• On July 7, the Los Angeles Clippers hired Vinny Del Negro as head coach, replacing interim head coach Kim Hughes who was fired on April 15.
• On September 27, the Golden State Warriors promoted assistant coach Keith Smart to head coach, replacing Don Nelson who resigned after his contract was bought out.

Free agency

The 2010 off-season had one of the most talented free agent pools in recent NBA history. The list of free agents included All-Stars LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Amar'e Stoudemire, as well as other veteran players such as Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce. Below are the major free agency signings, including the sign and trade agreements, that occurred during the off-season.

• Joe Johnson re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks.
• Paul Pierce and Ray Allen re-signed with the Boston Celtics, while Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal signed with the Celtics.
• Carlos Boozer signed with the Chicago Bulls.
• David Lee signed and traded to the Golden State Warriors.
• Dirk Nowitzki re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
• Ben Wallace re-signed with the Detroit Pistons, while Tracy McGrady signed with the Pistons.
• Luis Scola re-signed with the Houston Rockets.
• Rudy Gay re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.
• Dwyane Wade re-signed with the Miami Heat, while Chris Bosh and LeBron James signed and traded to the Heat.
• Amar'e Stoudemire signed and traded to the New York Knicks.

Preseason

NBA Europe Live 2010 was played October 3, 2010 – October 7, 2010 featuring the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and teams from Europe (Armani Jeans Milano and Regal FC Barcelona) The Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns played in Indian Wells, California on October 9 for their outdoor special. The Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets played in the fifth annual NBA China Games on October 13 in Beijing, and October 16 at Guangzhou. The preseason schedule was released in August.

Regular season

The regular season began on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 and will end on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. The Opening Day schedule on TNT had the Miami Heat face the Boston Celtics, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers' championship ring and banner ceremony and their game against the Houston Rockets. The opener began at 7:30 p.m. ET. On Christmas Day, ABC and ESPN will have a five-game set, with ABC broadcasting the game between the Celtics and the Orlando Magic, and the Heat against the Lakers, starting at 2:00 p.m. ET. On Martin Luther King Day, ESPN will air the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Memphis Grizzlies at 1:00 p.m. ET, while NBA TV will air the Sacramento Kings-Atlanta Hawks matchup at 4:00 p.m. ET. TNT will cap off the holiday with a doubleheader, beginning with the Magic facing the Celtics, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder facing the Denver Nuggets, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The full schedule was released on Tuesday, August 10, 2010.

Other much-anticipated games are as follows: on March 4–5, 2011, the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will face off in two regular season games held at London's O₂ Arena. Also, John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, debuts with the Washington Wizards as they visit the Magic on October 28, 2010 on TNT. And on December 2, LeBron James returns to Cleveland for the first time since the Decision as his Heat face the Cavaliers on TNT. The Celtics–Lakers rivalry renews on January 30, 2011 (at Los Angeles on ABC) and on February 10, 2011 (at Boston on TNT) in a rematch of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Standings

Through games played on November 20, 2010

By division

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	56	26	.683	–	33–8	23–18	13–3
x-New York Knicks	42	40	.512	14	23–18	19–22	10–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers	41	41	.500	15	26–15	15–26	9–7
New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	32	19–22	5–36	3–13
Toronto Raptors	22	60	.268	34	16–25	6–35	5–11

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
z-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–	36–5	26–15	15–1
x-Indiana Pacers	37	45	.451	25	24–17	13–28	9–7
Milwaukee Bucks	35	47	.427	27	22–19	13–28	6–10
Detroit Pistons	30	52	.366	32	21–20	9–32	7–9
Cleveland Cavaliers	19	63	.232	43	12–29	7–34	3–13

Southeast Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Miami Heat	58	24	.707	–	30–11	28–13	13–3
x-Orlando Magic	52	30	.634	6	29–12	23–18	11–5
x-Atlanta Hawks	44	38	.537	14	24–17	20–21	9–7
Charlotte Bobcats	34	48	.415	24	21–20	13–28	4–12
Washington Wizards	23	59	.280	35	20–21	3–38	3–13

Western Conference

Northwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Oklahoma City Thunder	55	27	.671	–	30–11	25–16	13–3
x-Denver Nuggets	50	32	.610	5	33–8	17–24	9–7
x-Portland Trail Blazers	48	34	.585	7	30–11	18–23	10–6
Utah Jazz	39	43	.476	16	21–20	18–23	7–9
Minnesota Timberwolves	17	65	.207	38	12–29	5–36	1–15

Pacific Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	57	25	.695	–	30–11	27–14	12–4
Phoenix Suns	40	42	.488	17	23–18	17–24	9–7
Golden State Warriors	36	46	.439	21	26–15	10–31	5–11
Los Angeles Clippers	32	50	.390	25	23–18	9–32	7–9
Sacramento Kings	24	58	.293	33	11–30	13–28	7–9

Southwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
c-San Antonio Spurs	61	21	.744	–	36–5	25–16	10–6
x-Dallas Mavericks	57	25	.695	4	29–12	28–13	8–8
x-New Orleans Hornets	46	36	.561	15	28–13	18–23	9–7
x-Memphis Grizzlies	46	36	.561	15	30–11	16–25	8–8
Houston Rockets	43	39	.524	18	25–16	18–23	5–11

By conference

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Chicago Bulls	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Miami Heat	58	24	.707	4
3	y-Boston Celtics	56	26	.683	6
4	x-Orlando Magic	52	30	.634	10
5	x-Atlanta Hawks	44	38	.537	18
6	x-New York Knicks	42	40	.512	20
7	x-Philadelphia 76ers	41	41	.500	21
8	x-Indiana Pacers	37	45	.451	25
9	Milwaukee Bucks	35	47	.427	27
10	Charlotte Bobcats	34	48	.415	28
11	Detroit Pistons	30	52	.366	32
12	New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	38
13	Washington Wizards	23	59	.280	39
14	Toronto Raptors	22	60	.268	40
15	Cleveland Cavaliers	19	63	.232	43

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-San Antonio Spurs	61	21	.744	–
2	y-Los Angeles Lakers	57	25	.695	4
3	x-Dallas Mavericks	57	25	.695	4
4	y-Oklahoma City Thunder	55	27	.671	6
5	x-Denver Nuggets	50	32	.610	11
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	48	34	.585	13
7	x-New Orleans Hornets	46	36	.561	15
8	x-Memphis Grizzlies	46	36	.561	15
9	Houston Rockets	43	39	.524	18
10	Phoenix Suns	40	42	.488	21
11	Utah Jazz	39	43	.476	22
12	Golden State Warriors	36	46	.439	25
13	Los Angeles Clippers	32	50	.390	29
14	Sacramento Kings	24	58	.293	37
15	Minnesota Timberwolves	17	65	.207	44

Note

• * – Division leaders

Notable occurrences

• Adidas introduced the Revolution 30 technology, to be used on all NBA team uniforms. The uniforms are 30% lighter than before and also enable moisture management.
• The New Jersey Nets played their first home regular season game at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on October 27, defeating the Detroit Pistons 104–101. Prudential Center serves as the interim home for the team while the Barclays Center is being constructed in Brooklyn, New York.
• The Orlando Magic played its first regular season game at Amway Center on October 28, defeating the Washington Wizards 112–83. Wizards guard John Wall made his NBA debut.
• Golden State Warriors guard Jeremy Lin became the first Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA when he debuted in the Warriors' 109–91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on October 29.
• The fines accounted for technical fouls were doubled in an effort to reduce excessive complaining.
• A record 84 international players made the opening day rosters for 30 NBA teams, including rookies Greivis Vasquez of Venezuela and Kevin Seraphin of France.
• Former Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Lucas dies of bladder cancer on October 31.

Records set

• Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson won his 1,100th game in the Lakers' 114–106 victory over the Phoenix Suns on October 29.
• In a 128–86 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 3, the Orlando Magic set a franchise record for most points in the first half with 78. On the other hand, the Timberwolves suffered their worst loss in franchise history.
• On November 9, the Indiana Pacers scored 54 points in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets, the most points scored by a team in a quarter since the 1990–91 season. The team was also one field goal short of recording a perfect third quarter.
• Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to score 26,000 points in a 118–112 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Bryant achieved the mark at the age of 32 years and 80 days, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain by 34 days.
• Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love scored 31 points and grabbed a franchise record 31 rebounds in the Wolves' 112–103 win over the New York Knicks on November 12. The last player to have a 30–30 game was Moses Malone in the 1981–82 season.
• Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd reached the 11,000th assist mark in the Mavericks' 99–90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on November 12. Kidd became only the second player to achieve the mark after John Stockton.
• In a 121–116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on November 14, the Phoenix Suns set a franchise record with 22 made three-point field goals in a game, one shy of the NBA record 23 in a game by the Orlando Magic on January 13, 2009.
• San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan became the Spurs' all-time leading scorer and all-time leader in games played, passing his former "Twin Towers" teammate David Robinson in the Spurs' 94-82 win over the Utah Jazz on November 19. Duncan played in his 988th game, surpassing Robinson's 987 career games, while also surpassing Robinson's career total of 20,790 points.
• Charlotte Bobcats's Stephen Jackson recorded the franchise's first triple-double in a 123–105 victory over the Phoenix Suns on November 20. It was also Jackson's second career triple-double.

Statistics leaders

Through games played on November 17, 2010

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points per game	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	28.4
Rebounds per game	Kevin Love	Minnesota Timberwolves	14.3
Assists per game	Rajon Rondo	Boston Celtics	15.1
Steals per game	John Wall	Washington Wizards	3.25
Blocks per game	Roy Hibbert	Indiana Pacers	3.0
Field goal percentage	Al Horford	Atlanta Hawks	.642
Three-point field goal percentage	Matt Bonner	San Antonio Spurs	.800
Free throw percentage	Raja Bell	Utah Jazz	.944

Awards

Players of The Week

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.

Week	Eastern Conference	Western Conference	Ref.
Oct. 26 – Oct. 31	Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) (1/1)	Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
Nov. 1 – Nov. 7	Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) (1/1)	Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) (1/1)
Nov. 8 – Nov. 14	Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) (1/1)	Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) (1/1)

NBA All-Star break

The 2011 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This game will be the 60th edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s annual basketball festivities. It will be the fifth All-Star Game held in Los Angeles; the city previously hosted in 1963, 1972, 1983 and 2004. Like in the 2004 event, it will be jointly hosted by the Lakers and the Clippers.

Postseason

Main article: 2011 NBA Playoffs

The 2011 NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday April 16, and will conclude on Monday May 30 (latest possible date for the Eastern Conference Finals). The NBA Finals will begin no later than Thursday June 2, and end no later than Thursday June 16 (unless both conference finals end in either 4 or 5 games, which would push the Finals start date to Tuesday May 31). TNT will air the Eastern Conference Finals while ESPN will air the Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals will be shown on ABC.

Salary cap

Main article: NBA Salary Cap

On July 7, the NBA announced that the salary cap for the 2010–11 season would be $58.044 million, an increase of $0.344 million from previous season's $57.70 million, and would go into effect on July 8 as the league's "moratorium period" had ended and teams could begin signing free agents and making trades. The increase came as a surprise as the league initially predicted a decrease in the salary cap. On March, before the playoffs, the league projected that the salary cap would be around $56.1 million. The tax level for the season was set at $70.307 million, with each team paying a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $70.307 million. The mid-level exception was $5.765 million for the season and the minimum team salary, which was set at 75% of the salary cap, was $43.533 million. The maximum salaries for players are set at $13.604 million for players with zero to six years of experience, $16.324 million for players with seven to nine years of experience, and $19.045 million for players with more than 10 years of experience.

References