When the year 2005 rolled around, there were a lot of things happening in China. The government was tightening up on media and human rights groups to ensure that it would not get out of control or spread too far outside its borders. In other words, many people thought 2004’s events had been an anomaly that wouldn’t happen again.
There were a lot of doubts when Steve Nash earned MVP in 2006. LeBron James and the Cavaliers had a fantastic season, winning 50 games. Given how badly Nash beat LeBron, it’s surprising the vote wasn’t closer. But there was one striking statistic that set Nash apart from the pack.
Kobe Bryant was the league’s leading scorer, but Dirk Nowitzki had the most win shares. The Pistons won a league-leading 64 games thanks to Chauncey Billups. Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, missed the top five in voting but won the Finals MVP, which is arguably the award that everyone wanted to win regardless.
Special Mention
87 points – Dwyane Wade
27.2 points per game, 5.7 points per game, 6.7 points per game, 1.9 points per game, 0.8 points per game
When the voting was over, Wade didn’t earn a single first-place vote. Elton Brand, who came in seventh place, won one first-place vote, but Wade had enough points to finish sixth. It’s not like Wade had a bad season, which is why he didn’t get any votes from the voters. After all, with 52 victories, the Heat earned the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed.
Wade and Shaquille O’Neal’s combination propelled the Heat to the NBA Finals, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks. Wade had an outstanding NBA Finals performance, leading the Heat to their first victory and winning Finals MVP. While finishing sixth in the regular season vote was disappointing at the time, Wade is the only player on our list to win a ring this year.
430 points for Chauncey Billups.
18.5 points per game, 3.1 points per game, 8.6 points per game, 0.9 points per game, 0.1 points per game
Billups was the key guy spearheading the push for the Pistons, who were still in the midst of their dynasty. Despite the fact that the Pistons won a league-high 64 games, Billups finished sixth in the vote. That was most likely due to the Pistons’ well-rounded nature. Although Billups was the team’s finest player, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Ben Wallace also contributed significantly to the team’s success.
Billups also didn’t rank well in terms of statistics. His stats were poorer, as he only had a 41% field goal percentage. The Pistons were most likely seen as an entire team by the voters, rather than a single individual who led them to such a high victory total.
483 points – Kobe Bryant
35.4 points per game, 5.3 points per game, 4.5 points per game, 4.5 points per game, 1.8 points per game, 0.4 points per game
When you look at Bryant’s scoring figures, you have to wonder why he came in fourth. How can a guy who averaged 35 points per game just get fourth in the MVP voting? Especially when Bryant was in charge of the Lakers in the absence of Shaq. There are a number of causes behind this.
For starts, with a 45-37 record, the Lakers finished third in the division. Next, anybody who wants to make a point about what James Harden accomplished in 2018 should take a deep breath. Harden led the Rockets to 65 victories, eight more than Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant’s Warriors club. Bryant led the Lakers to an eight-game winning streak. Still, scoring 35 points or more each night is really difficult, so credit to Bryant. Bryant got the second-highest number of first-place votes, with 22.
Dirk Nowitzki is in third place with 544 points.
26.6 points per game, 9.0 points per game, 2.8 points per game, 0.7 points per game, and 1.0 points per game
Three teams won 60 games or more throughout the season due to the abundance of talent. Normally, winning 60 games or more qualifies you for the No. 1 seed. The Spurs nixed that by winning 63 games to the Mavericks’ 60. Having saying that, it was the Mavericks who advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to the Heat.
With 17.7 winning shares throughout the regular season, Nowitzki topped the league. Nowitzki may have won the MVP if he had shot the ball 2% better. By shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from three-point range, and 90.1 percent from the free-throw line, Nowitzki came close to joining the 50-40-90 club. Making that club is a rare occurrence, but two guys came close to doing so in the 2005-2006 season.
LeBron James is in second place with 688 points.
31.4 points per game, 7.0 points per game, 6.6 points per game, 1.6 points per game, 0.8 points per game
Given what LeBron achieved with the Cavaliers, the almost 300-point gap between Nash and LeBron seems to be rather large. For starters, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes were the team’s second-highest scorers. Tony Parker, Jason Terry, and Rip Hamilton were not on the court with LeBron. He guided a club with much less talent to 50 victories and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron had the second-highest point total and the greatest replacement player value (9.4). Bryant, Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Wade all scored better. Steve Nash was not even in the top five. In some ways, it seems like LeBron was cheated out of the MVP award, particularly since the Suns only won four games more than the Cavaliers.
Steve Nash (924 points) is number one.
18.8 points per game, 4.2 points per game, 10.5 points per game, 0.8 points per game, 0.2 points per game
Nash’s strongest case for MVP was that he was a member of the 50-40-90 club. Nash made 51.2 percent of his field goals, 43.9 percent of his three-point attempts, and 92.1 percent of his free throw attempts. The Suns scored 108.1 points per game as a team, over six points more than the second-best club. In addition to assists, free throw percentage, and true shooting %, Nash topped the league.
When it came to other factors, Nash had the lowest overall victory shares of anybody on the list, at 12.4. Nash had four more assists per game than LeBron, but he scored 13 less points, had fewer rebounds, and LeBron had twice as many steals. In contrast to LeBron, Nash garnered 57 first-place votes to LeBron’s 16. Nash earned his second consecutive MVP award, but this is a game that will be remembered for years to come.
Next
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was 2005 famous for?
A: 2005 was the year of Hurricane Katrina, and it also marked the beginning of a global economic recession.
What happen in the year 2005?
A: In 2005, the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was released.
What bad event happened in 2005?
A: The tragic death of Anna Nicole Smith on September 8, 2005.
