2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.[1] Chicago's Derrick Rose was named the 2010–11 NBA MVP.[2]
2010–11 NBA season
October 26, 2010 – April 13, 2011
April 16 – May 26, 2011 (Playoffs)
May 31 – June 12, 2011 (Finals)
82
30
Derrick Rose (Chicago)
Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder
Dallas Mavericks
Miami Heat
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
On May 21, the hired Doug Collins as head coach,[3] replacing Eddie Jordan who was fired on April 15.[4]
Philadelphia 76ers
On June 7, the hired Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams as head coach,[5] replacing interim head coach Jeff Bower who returned to his original position as general manager.[6]
New Orleans Hornets
On June 10, the hired Avery Johnson as head coach,[7] replacing interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe whose contract expired at the end of the 2009–2010 season.[8]
New Jersey Nets
On June 13, the promoted assistant coach Larry Drew,[9] replacing head coach Mike Woodson whose contract expired at the end of the 2009–10 season.[10]
Atlanta Hawks
On June 23, the hired Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau as head coach,[11] replacing Vinny Del Negro who was fired on May 4.[12]
Chicago Bulls
On July 1, the hired Byron Scott as head coach,[13] replacing Mike Brown who was fired on May 24.[14]
Cleveland Cavaliers
On July 7, the hired Vinny Del Negro as head coach,[15] replacing interim head coach Kim Hughes who was fired on April 15.[16]
Los Angeles Clippers
On September 27, the promoted assistant coach Keith Smart to head coach, replacing Don Nelson who resigned after his contract was bought out.[17]
Golden State Warriors
– added new logo and new uniforms, replacing wine and darker gold with dark navy blue with remained wine and dark navy blue added lighter gold to their color scheme, removed the side panels to their jerseys and shorts and changed their wordmark to their jerseys.
Cleveland Cavaliers
– added new logo and new uniforms, brought back original gold and blue colors replacing dark navy blue, orange and gold, added side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Golden State Warriors
– added new logo and new uniforms, remained with red, white and blue to their color scheme and removed the side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Los Angeles Clippers
– added new black road alternate uniforms with grey side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Minnesota Timberwolves
– added new logo, changed their wordmark on their primary logo, added new black road alternate uniforms with pinstripes and blue side panels to their jerseys and shorts and moved into their new arena the Amway Center.
Orlando Magic
– added new blue road alternate uniforms with red side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Philadelphia 76ers
– added new logo and uniforms, replacing dark navy blue, light blue, and purple with remained dark navy blue, added green, gold and yellow to their color scheme and added side panels to their jerseys and shorts.
Utah Jazz
Preseason[edit]
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.[39]
z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
y – Clinched division title
x – Clinched playoff spot
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.[43]
Adidas
The 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 served as the interim home for the team while the Barclays Center was being constructed in Brooklyn, New York.[44]
New Jersey Nets
The 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.[45]
Orlando Magic
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.
Golden State Warriors
The fines accounted for were doubled in an effort to reduce excessive complaining.
technical fouls
A record 84 international players made the opening day rosters for 30 NBA teams, including rookies of Venezuela and Kevin Seraphin of France. This includes players born in insular areas of the United States, such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (with the most notable example being Tim Duncan, a USVI native), but does not include U.S.-born players who represent other national teams (such as Kosta Koufos, born and raised in Ohio but representing his parents' homeland of Greece).
Greivis Vásquez
The were sold by owner George Shinn to the NBA, becoming the first team to be owned by the league.
New Orleans Hornets
suffers another season-ending stress fracture injury. He only appeared in 5 games this season.
Yao Ming
The lost All-Star forward LeBron James to the Miami Heat via free agency. After having the league's best record for two straight seasons, they lost an NBA record 26 straight games, furthering their turnaround from one of the league's best to one of the league's worst.
Cleveland Cavaliers
head coach Jerry Sloan resigned, ending a 23-year coaching tenure, the longest in any of the four American major professional sports leagues. Two weeks later, the Jazz traded Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and 2 first-round picks.[47]
Utah Jazz
guard Ray Allen broke the record for most career 3-point field goals previously held by Reggie Miller the record remained for ten years until Stephen Curry breaks his record during the 2021–22 season.
Boston Celtics
: Kobe Bryant joins Bob Pettit as the only four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP awardees; Blake Griffin became the first rookie since Yao Ming to play in the All-Star Game. LeBron James became only the second player to have an All-Star Game triple-double. Amar'e Stoudemire became the first Knick to start in an All-Star Game since Patrick Ewing in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game.
2011 NBA All-Star Game
The agreed to a blockbuster 13-player deal with the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves which brought Carmelo Anthony to New York on February 22. The Knicks sent Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, 1 first-round pick and 2 second-round picks to the Nuggets in exchange for Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter. The Timberwolves sent Kosta Koufos to Denver, Corey Brewer to New York, and received Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph from New York and a second-round pick from Denver.[48]
New York Knicks
In their February 25 loss against the , the Detroit Pistons played only six players. Tracy McGrady, Chris Wilcox, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, Rodney Stuckey, Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko, and Terrico White did not play in the game. Jerebko and White were injured, while the others sat out in protest of head coach John Kuester. Kuester called the situation "an internal matter."[49]
Philadelphia 76ers
On April 1, the retired the #10 jersey number in honor of Dennis Rodman in a ceremony held during halftime of a game against the Chicago Bulls at the Palace of Auburn Hills.[50]
Detroit Pistons
2010–11 marked 's last pro season, as the 15-time All-Star, who played with the Boston Celtics this season, announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, one day after one of his former coaches, Mike Brown, was introduced by one of his former teams, the Los Angeles Lakers.[51]
Shaquille O'Neal
The earned the top overall seed for the first time since the 1996–97 season. The Bulls lost to the Miami Heat 4–1 in the conference finals.
Chicago Bulls
The won their first NBA championship by defeating the Miami Heat 4–2 in the NBA Finals.
Dallas Mavericks
announced his retirement as head coach after the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were swept 4–0 by the eventual champion Mavericks in the conference semifinals. This marked the first time that Jackson had been on the wrong side of a playoff sweep.
Phil Jackson
The won the franchise's first playoff game and series in a 4–2 victory over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round. They became the fourth team (and second in the seven-game first round era) to topple the top seed in the first round of the playoffs.
Memphis Grizzlies
October 29: 1,100 coaching wins. head coach Phil Jackson won his 1,100th game in the Lakers' 114–106 victory over the Phoenix Suns.[52]
Los Angeles Lakers
November 3: 36th player in history to 20,000 points. forward Paul Pierce scored his 20,000th career point in a 105–102 overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Pierce became the third Celtic to reach the mark after Larry Bird and John Havlicek.[53]
Boston Celtics
November 11: Youngest player to 26,000 points. Los Angeles Lakers guard 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.[54]
Kobe Bryant
November 12: Minnesota Timberwolves franchise record; most rebounds in a game. forward Kevin Love scored 31 points and grabbed a franchise record 31 rebounds in the Wolves' 112–103 win over the New York Knicks. The last player to have a 30–30 game was Moses Malone on February 11, 1982.[55]
Minnesota Timberwolves
November 12: Second player in history to 11,000 assists. guard Jason Kidd reached the 11,000th assist mark in the Mavericks' 99–90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Kidd became only the second player to achieve the mark after John Stockton.[56]
Dallas Mavericks
November 19: San Antonio Spurs franchise records; career points and games played. 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. Duncan played in his 988th game, surpassing Robinson's 987 career games, while also surpassing Robinson's career total of 20,790 points.[57]
San Antonio Spurs
November 20: Charlotte Bobcats franchise record; first triple-double. 's Stephen Jackson recorded the franchise's first triple-double in a 123–105 victory over the Phoenix Suns. It was also Jackson's second career triple-double.[58]
Charlotte Bobcats
November 27: Golden State Warriors franchise record; most three-pointers in a game. In a 104–94 road victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, guard Dorell Wright set a franchise record with nine three-point field goals made, surpassing Jason Richardson's record of eight three-pointers set on March 29, 2007.[59]
Golden State Warriors
November 30: 34th player in history to 10,000 rebounds. In a 79–90 loss at the Orlando Magic, center Ben Wallace became the 34th player in NBA history to surpass the 10,000 rebound mark for his career.
Detroit Pistons
December 10: Seventh coach in history to 1,000 wins. Denver Nuggets head coach became the seventh head coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games in the Nuggets' 123–116 road victory over the Toronto Raptors.[60]
George Karl
December 12: 94th player in history to 1,000 games. San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan played in the 1,000th regular season game of his career, becoming the 94th player in NBA history to play in one thousand games.
December 12: New York Knicks franchise record; consecutive 30 point games. In a 129–125 home victory against the Denver Nuggets, forward Amar'e Stoudemire set a franchise record with eight consecutive 30 point games, surpassing Willie Naulls's record of seven set from February 22 to March 4, 1962. He would end up with nine straight 30-point games.
New York Knicks
December 22: 95th player in history to 1,000 games. center Ben Wallace played in the 1,000th regular season game of his career, becoming the 95th player in NBA history to play in one thousand games.
Detroit Pistons
December 22: 3rd coach in history to win 1,211 games. head coach Jerry Sloan has won his 1,211 games in his career of coaching after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the victory Jerry surpasses Pat Riley for the third all-time in career wins.
Utah Jazz
December 25: 4th Christmas Day triple double. In a 96–80 win over the , Miami Heat forward LeBron James became the 4th player in NBA history to achieve a triple double on Christmas Day and the 1st in 40 years, other players are Billy Cunningham, John Havlicek, and Oscar Robertson.
Los Angeles Lakers
December 29: Los Angeles Clippers franchise record; consecutive double-double games. In a 95–103 home loss against the Utah Jazz, forward Blake Griffin set a franchise record with 20 consecutive double-double games, surpassing Michael Cage's record of 19 set from December 10, 1986, to January 16, 1987. He would end up with 27 straight double-double games.
Los Angeles Clippers
January 16: 37th player in history to 20,000 points. guard Vince Carter scored his 20,000th career points in a win over the New York Knicks. Carter finished the game with 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds.[61]
Phoenix Suns
February 8: Minnesota Timberwolves franchise record; consecutive double-double games. In a 112–108 home win against the Houston Rockets, forward Kevin Love set a franchise record with 38 consecutive double-double games, surpassing Kevin Garnett's record of 37.[62]
Minnesota Timberwolves
February 10: Most three-pointers made in a career. In a 92–86 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics guard surpassed Reggie Miller as the all-time leader in three-point shots made with 2,562. Allen did this in three fewer seasons and with 300 fewer games.[63]
Ray Allen
February 15: 96th player in history to 1,000 games. center Kurt Thomas played in the 1,000th regular season game of his career, becoming the 96th player in NBA history to play in one thousand games.
Chicago Bulls
March 9: NBA record; consecutive double-double games. power forward Kevin Love set the NBA record for most consecutive games with a double-double since the NBA-ABA merger, besting Moses Malone's record of 51. He recorded his 52nd consecutive double-double in a 101–75 win over the Indiana Pacers.[64]
Minnesota Timberwolves
April 6: Golden State Warriors franchise record; most three-pointers in a season Golden State Warriors guard Dorell Wright made a Warriors franchise record of 3 pt shots made in a season with 184 in a home win versus the , beating Jason Richardson with the previous record of 183 in the 2005–06 season.
Los Angeles Lakers
May 17: NBA record; Most free throws made in a game made 24 free throws without misses.
Dirk Nowitzki
NBA All-Star break[edit]
The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. This game was the 61st edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s annual basketball festivities, and was also the fifth All-Star Game held in Los Angeles; the city previously hosted in 1963, 1972, 1983 and 2004. As with the 2004 event, it was jointly hosted by the Lakers and the Clippers. The Western Conference All-Stars defeated the Eastern Conference 148–143, with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant named as MVP for the fourth time, tying the record of Bob Pettit.