The 2011–12 NBA season was the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA's players.
The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout. With the new deal in place, the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66, because of nearly two months of inactivity. This was the league's first season since 1991–92 without Shaquille O'Neal, who announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, via social media. A 4-time champion, O'Neal played 19 years for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. The season began on Christmas Day 2011, and ended on April 26, 2012. The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series, 121–106, winning the Finals, 4–1 and to capture the franchise's second NBA title. LeBron James was named both the season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. The NBA regular season would not begin again in December until the 2020–21 NBA season.
2011–12 NBA season | |
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League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | December 25, 2011 – April 26, 2012 April 28 – June 9, 2012 (Playoffs) June 12 – 21, 2012 (Finals) |
Number of games | 66 |
Number of teams | 30 |
TV partner(s) | ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Kyrie Irving |
Picked by | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Chicago Bulls |
Season MVP | LeBron James (Miami) |
Top scorer | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Miami Heat |
Eastern runners-up | Boston Celtics |
Western champions | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Western runners-up | San Antonio Spurs |
Finals | |
Champions | Miami Heat |
Runners-up | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Finals MVP | LeBron James (Miami) |
Free agency started on December 9, 2011.
Off-season | ||
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Team | 2010–11 coach | 2011–12 coach |
Los Angeles Lakers | Phil Jackson | Mike Brown |
Houston Rockets | Rick Adelman | Kevin McHale |
Golden State Warriors | Keith Smart | Mark Jackson |
Toronto Raptors | Jay Triano | Dwane Casey |
Detroit Pistons | John Kuester | Lawrence Frank |
Minnesota Timberwolves | Kurt Rambis | Rick Adelman |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Sacramento Kings | Paul Westphal | Keith Smart |
Washington Wizards | Flip Saunders | Randy Wittman |
New York Knicks | Mike D'Antoni | Mike Woodson |
Portland Trail Blazers | Nate McMillan | Kaleb Canales |
The lockout was the fourth work stoppage in the history of the NBA. It began at UTC (12:01 am EDT) on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players were revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap. During the lockout, teams could not trade, sign or contact players and players couldn't access NBA team facilities, trainers, or staff members. All preseason games (scheduled to begin October 9) and the first six weeks of the regular season (scheduled to begin November 1, through December 15) were canceled. Some players signed contracts to play in other countries, and most had the option to return to the NBA as soon as the lockout ended. On November 26, 2011, after 15 hours of talks, a tentative deal was reached; once officially ratified, the NBA started a revised 2011–12 season. Owners allowed players to have voluntary workouts at team sites starting December 1. On December 8, 2011, the lockout ended when the owners and players ratified a new CBA agreement.
Training camp began on December 9. A revised two-game preseason schedule took place.
A revised 66-game regular season began on December 25, 2011, with five Christmas Day games, two more than the original schedule. The league built a new schedule from scratch based on available arena dates. In October, the league allowed arenas in Los Angeles and Chicago to reassign NBA dates for other events. The number of games between conferences was affected as was the case in the 1999 lockout, when each team played only five or six interconference games in a 50-game schedule. Normally, each team plays teams in the other conference twice each. Teams played 48 conference games and 18 non-conference games in a 66-game schedule, compared to 52 conference games and 30 non-conference games in a normal 82-game season. Teams played on average two more games per month and also were required to play three-consecutive games at least once in the season. In total, the league had 42 sets of back-to-back-to-back games throughout the season, with 11 teams playing two such sets. The exception was the then champion Dallas Mavericks, who never had a set of 3 consecutive back to backs. The three-game set, or "triple", also occurred during the shortened 1998–99 season, which featured 64 triples and sloppier play due to tired players. Before that, the last occurrence was two decades earlier. On 29 occasions during the season, teams played a stretch of five games in six days. With fewer off days during the season, the level of play was lower due to fatigue, and some older players rested to avoid burnout and recuperate from injuries. When the San Antonio Spurs rested Tim Duncan for a game in March at the end of a back-to-back-to-back, coach Gregg Popovich submitted the description of Duncan's injury as "Old".
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP | |
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y-Boston Celtics | 39 | 27 | .591 | – | 24–9 | 15–18 | 8–6 | 66 |
x-New York Knicks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 3 | 22–11 | 14–19 | 8–6 | 66 |
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 35 | 31 | .530 | 4 | 19–14 | 16–17 | 7–6 | 66 |
Toronto Raptors | 23 | 43 | .348 | 16 | 13–20 | 10–23 | 7–8 | 66 |
New Jersey Nets | 22 | 44 | .333 | 17 | 9–24 | 13–20 | 5–9 | 66 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP | |
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z-Chicago Bulls | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 26–7 | 24–9 | 13–1 | 66 |
x-Indiana Pacers | 42 | 24 | .636 | 8 | 23–10 | 19–14 | 9–4 | 66 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 35 | .470 | 19 | 17–16 | 14–19 | 7–8 | 66 |
Detroit Pistons | 25 | 41 | .379 | 25 | 18–15 | 7–26 | 4–11 | 66 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29 | 11–22 | 10–23 | 3–12 | 66 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP | |
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y-Miami Heat | 46 | 20 | .697 | – | 28–5 | 18–15 | 9–5 | 66 |
x-Atlanta Hawks | 40 | 26 | .606 | 6 | 23–10 | 17–16 | 11–3 | 66 |
x-Orlando Magic | 37 | 29 | .561 | 9 | 21–12 | 16–17 | 8–7 | 66 |
Washington Wizards | 20 | 46 | .303 | 26 | 11–22 | 9–24 | 7–7 | 66 |
Charlotte Bobcats | 7 | 59 | .106 | 39 | 4–29 | 3–30 | 1–14 | 66 |
Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
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y-Oklahoma City Thunder | 47 | 19 | .712 | – | 26–7 | 21–12 | 10–3 | 66 |
x-Denver Nuggets | 38 | 28 | .576 | 9.0 | 20–13 | 18–15 | 6–7 | 66 |
x-Utah Jazz | 36 | 30 | .545 | 11.0 | 25–8 | 11–22 | 9–4 | 66 |
Portland Trail Blazers | 28 | 38 | .424 | 19.0 | 20–13 | 8–25 | 4–10 | 66 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 26 | 40 | .394 | 21.0 | 13–20 | 13–20 | 4–9 | 66 |
Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
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y-Los Angeles Lakers | 41 | 25 | .621 | – | 26–7 | 15–18 | 9–5 | 66 |
x-Los Angeles Clippers | 40 | 26 | .606 | 1.0 | 24–9 | 16–17 | 7–7 | 66 |
Phoenix Suns | 33 | 33 | .500 | 8.0 | 19–14 | 14–19 | 9–5 | 66 |
Golden State Warriors | 23 | 43 | .348 | 18.0 | 12–21 | 11–22 | 7–8 | 66 |
Sacramento Kings | 22 | 44 | .333 | 19.0 | 16–17 | 6–27 | 3–10 | 66 |
Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
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c-San Antonio Spurs | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 28–5 | 22–11 | 12–4 | 66 |
x-Memphis Grizzlies | 41 | 25 | .621 | 9.0 | 26–7 | 15–18 | 7–8 | 66 |
x-Dallas Mavericks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 14.0 | 23–10 | 13–20 | 8–5 | 66 |
Houston Rockets | 34 | 32 | .515 | 16.0 | 22–11 | 12–21 | 6–8 | 66 |
New Orleans Hornets | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29.0 | 11–22 | 10–23 | 3–11 | 66 |
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Notes
The 2012 NBA playoffs began on April 28, and concluded on June 21, 2012, when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Chicago Bulls were eliminated after losing Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to injuries, and the New York Knicks lost to the Miami Heat while losing Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert to knee injuries. The Heat were not immune, losing Chris Bosh for most of the playoffs en route to their championship. Commissioner David Stern initially said there was no connection between the injuries and the 66-game schedule compressed into 124 days; however, he backed off those comments a week later, saying more research was needed.
This season also marked the final time that Kobe Bryant appeared in the playoffs, as an Achilles injury the following season prevented him from joining the Lakers for the 2013 first round.
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Chicago* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Atlanta | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Indiana | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Orlando | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Indiana | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Oklahoma City* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Utah | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | LA Clippers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Memphis | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | LA Clippers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | San Antonio* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Denver | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | LA Lakers* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | Dallas | 0 |
Category | Player | Team | Statistics |
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Points per game | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | 28.0 |
Rebounds per game | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 14.5 |
Assists per game | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 11.7 |
Steals per game | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | 2.53 |
Blocks per game | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder | 3.65 |
Turnovers per game | Deron Williams | New Jersey Nets | 4.0 |
Fouls per game | DeMarcus Cousins | Sacramento Kings | 4.0 |
Minutes per game | Luol Deng | Chicago Bulls | 39.4 |
Efficiency per game | LeBron James | Miami Heat | 29.9 |
FG% | Tyson Chandler | New York Knicks | 67.9% |
FT% | Jamal Crawford | Portland Trail Blazers | 92.7% |
3FG% | Steve Novak | New York Knicks | 47.2% |
Double-Doubles | Kevin Love | Minnesota Timberwolves | 48 |
Triple-Doubles | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 6 |
Category | Player | Team | Statistics |
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Points | Deron Williams | New Jersey Nets | 57 |
Rebounds | Andrew Bynum | Los Angeles Lakers | 30 |
Assists | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 20 |
Deron Williams | New Jersey Nets | ||
Steals | Ty Lawson | Denver Nuggets | 8 |
Paul Millsap | Utah Jazz | ||
Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers | ||
Tony Allen | Memphis Grizzlies | ||
Blocks | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder | 11 |
Three Pointers | Nicolas Batum | Portland Trail Blazers | 9 |
Jason Richardson | Orlando Magic | ||
Ben Gordon | Detroit Pistons |
Category | Team | Statistics |
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Points per game | Denver Nuggets | 108.7 |
Rebounds per game | Chicago Bulls | 46.7 |
Assists per game | Denver Nuggets | 24.0 |
Steals per game | Memphis Grizzlies | 10.3 |
Blocks per game | Oklahoma City Thunder | 8.2 |
Turnovers per game | Oklahoma City Thunder | 16.4 |
Fouls per game | Toronto Raptors | 23.2 |
FG% | San Antonio Spurs | 47.8% |
FT% | Oklahoma City Thunder | 80.6% |
3FG% | San Antonio Spurs | 39.3% |
+/- | Chicago Bulls | 8.2 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012) |
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The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
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December – January | LeBron James (Miami Heat) (1/2) | Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1) | |
February | LeBron James (Miami Heat) (2/2) | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) (1/2) | |
March | Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) (1/1) | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) (2/2) | |
April | Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) (1/1) | Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) (1/1) |
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
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December – January | Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/3) | Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves) (1/1) | |
February | Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) (2/3) | Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings) (1/2) | |
March | Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) (3/3) | Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings) (2/2) | |
April | Ivan Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1) | Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets) (1/1) |
The following coaches were named the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month.
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Ref. |
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December – January | Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls) (1/2) | Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder) (1/1) | |
February | Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) (1/1) | Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (1/2) | |
March | Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls) (2/2) | Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) (2/2) | |
April | Frank Vogel (Indiana Pacers) (1/1) | Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies) (1/1) |
The following players won the Community Assist Award.
Month | Player | Ref. |
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February | Wesley Matthews (Portland Trail Blazers) | |
March | Gerald Henderson Jr. (Charlotte Bobcats) | |
April | Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) | |
May | Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) |
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