• The 2005 Finals saw the Detroit Pistons defend the NBA Championship against the San Antonio Spurs
• Tim Duncan was awarded Finals MVP after the Spurs won the series 4-3
• Pistons’ point guard Chauncey Billups thought Manu Ginobili deserved that prize
The 2005 NBA Finals saw the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs battle to see which team could become champions once again. The Pistons were the defending champs, while the Spurs had won the title in 2003, making it a highly-anticipated matchup.
The Spurs won a closely-matched series in seven games, with Tim Duncan being awarded the Finals MVP. Pistons’ point guard Chauncey Billups disagreed with the decision, advocating for Manu Ginobili to get the honor instead.
“’05 NBA Finals, Pistons vs. Spurs. I lost a lot of sleep because of Manu Ginobili. To me, I thought he was excellent in the series and he probably deserved to get MVP. He was just dominant and we prided ourselves on trying to stop people and agitate people. We couldn’t do that with Manu, he was just that good of a player.”
[Chauncey Billups] Manu Ginóbili deserved to get Finals MVP in 2005. I lost a lot of sleep because of him. He was just dominant. We prided ourselves on agitating and stopping people. We couldn’t do it with Manu. He was just that great of a player.
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Ginobili averaged 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in the Finals meanwhile, Duncan averaged 20.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks. Due to Duncan’s profound defensive impact, his winning the award was completely plausible. But Ginobili did do a great job and deserved the praise Billups showered on him.
The 2005 Finals Was A War
The 2005 Finals was one of the toughest battles we’ve seen in the Finals, as both teams put on defensive masterclasses to contain the other. Either team scored over 100 points just once, which the Pistons did in Game 4 in a 30-point win.
Billups put his all on the line in the series and averaged 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Unfortunately, Billups failed to carry the Pistons in Game 7 as the team slumped to a seven-point loss, with Billups scoring just 13 points. Duncan dominated, scoring 25 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
This title was integral to the Spurs’ dynasty and essentially ended the Pistons’ run of contention, as they haven’t made the Finals since. The Spurs, on the other hand, went on to win titles in 2007 and 2014 and have a bright future ahead of them, with Victor Wembanyama on the roster.
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