2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 1,230-game regular season (82 games for each of the 30 teams) began on October 27, 2009, and ended on April 14, 2010. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Boston Celtics four games to three to win their second consecutive NBA championship in the 2010 NBA Finals.
| 2009–10 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 27, 2009 – April 14, 2010 April 17 – May 29, 2010 (Playoffs) June 3 – 17, 2010 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBA TV |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Blake Griffin (did not play regular season games until the 2010–11 season) |
| Picked by | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Season MVP | LeBron James (Cleveland) |
| Top scorer | Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Orlando Magic |
| Western champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Phoenix Suns |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Runners-up | Boston Celtics |
| Finals MVP | Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers) |
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, and Blake Griffin was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Dallas Mavericks hosted the 59th Annual All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 14, 2010.
For the second time in NBA history, all eight Western Conference playoff teams won at least 50 games, and only 7 wins separated the Western Conference No. 1 seed from No. 8 seed. Both of these events first occurred in 2008.
Cleveland's league-leading 61 wins was the lowest win total to lead the league since the Indiana Pacers won 61 games in 2003–04.
The New Jersey Nets became the fifth team in NBA history to lose 70 games in a season.