During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships and established themselves as the league's first dynasty.

The Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki ( the eventual NBA Finals MVP ), took the series in six games.

The word " percentage " is often a misnomer in the context of sports statistics, when the referenced number is expressed as a decimal proportion, not a percentage: " The Phoenix Suns ' Shaquille O ' Neal led the NBA with a. 609 field goal percentage ( FG %) during the 2008-09 season.

The Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority eventually endorsed a group led by NBA Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham and former sports agent ( and lifelong friend of Cunningham's ) Lewis Schaffel, who received their financial backing from Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison, who would be majority owner.

The rough playing led to fierce competition throughout the series, sparking the beginning of one of the most vicious rivalries in NBA history.

In the 1995 – 96 season, the Magic again were near the top of the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division with a 60 – 22 record, led by O ' Neal and Hardaway ; however, the Magic were seeded number two, behind the NBA all-time best 72 – 10 record of the Chicago Bulls.

Anderson, combined with newly acquired free agent Bo Outlaw, led the team to a 41 – 41 record, just out of reach of the NBA playoffs.

In addition, the Magic announced the following day that Brian Hill, the coach who led the Magic to the NBA Finals under O ' Neal and Hardaway, would return as head coach.

They traded Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickaël Piétrus to Phoenix for Hedo Türkoğlu ( who led them into the 2009 NBA Finals when they lost 4 – 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers ), Jason Richardson and Earl Clark.

In 1955, the Nationals ( led by forward Dolph Schayes ) won the NBA championship.

Wilt Chamberlain joined the Sixers in 1965, and in his third season ( 1967 ), he led the team to the NBA title.

There, they defeated the Houston Rockets, led by future 76er Moses Malone, in six games to advance to the NBA Finals.

That led to the 1977 – 78 motto of " We owe you one ", which would ultimately backfire when they lost in the playoffs that season to the Washington Bullets, who went on to win the NBA championship.

The Hornets finished their inaugural season with a record of 20 wins and 62 losses, and led the NBA in attendance ( a feat they would achieve seven more times in Charlotte ).

Coached by Chicagoan and former NBA star Johnny " Red " Kerr, and led by former NBA assist leader Guy Rodgers and forward Bob Boozer, the Bulls qualified for the playoffs.

However, the team has also had a number of dubious distinctions, such as former owner Ted Stepien's tenure, which led the NBA to create a rule regulating the trading of draft picks (" The Stepien Rule "), and a 26 game losing streak in 2010 – 11, which tied the record for the longest losing streak in major American professional sports.

The result of Stepien's questionable trading acumen was the loss of several of the team's first-round draft picks, which led to a rule change in the NBA prohibiting teams from trading away first-round draft picks in consecutive years.

In the 1994 NBA Playoffs, the last of which Daugherty and Nance played in, the Cavaliers yet again met the Chicago Bulls in the first round, led by Scottie Pippen in the wake of Jordan's first retirement.

James ' status as both an area star ( having played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron ) and as one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history has led many to view his selection as a turning point in the franchise's history.

DeBusschere became the key player that then led the Knicks to two NBA titles.

After winning 22 games in 1984 – 85 and 26 games in 1985 – 86, Jack Ramsay replaced George Irvine as coach and led the Pacers to a 41 – 41 record in 1986 – 87 and only their second playoff appearance as an NBA team.

Chuck Person, nicknamed " The Rifleman " for his renowned long-range shooting, led the team in scoring as a rookie and won NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

Inspired by the tough playoff defeat, the Rockets stormed all the way to the 1994 NBA Finals, where Olajuwon led them to the franchise's first championship against his rival Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks.

Prior to the beginning of training camps, however, the NBA owners, led by commissioner David Stern, locked out the players in order to force a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association ( NBPA ).

Johnson and Mourning again led the team in points-per-game, while also leading the club in rebounding.

Kukoc led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, but the team won only 13 of 50 games.

In the season, Mikan led the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14. 4 rebounds per game ( rpg ), and was named MVP of the 1953 NBA All-Star Game.

Chamberlain averaged a career-low 14. 8 points but led the league in rebounding at 19. 2 a game.

Wilt Chamberlain, playing in his final season, again led the league in rebounding and set the still standing NBA record for field-goal percentage at 72. 7 %.

Duncan led the 1996 – 97 NCAA Division I in rebounding, was 10th in blocked shots ( 3. 3 bpg ) and 28th in scoring ( 20. 8 ppg ).

Further, 1996 was the year where he led the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots, becoming the first player in conference history to lead all four of those categories.

He averaged career highs in scoring ( 25. 5 points per game, including a league-leading 764 field goals and 560 attempted free throws ) and rebounding ( 12. 7 boards per game, and his accumulated 1042 boards again led the league ), and also averaged 3. 7 assists and 2. 5 blocks per game, both career highs.

He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists.

All area basketball star Rob Sanford lead the tigers in 1999-2001 led all area and state in scoring and rebounding.

After posting career-bests in scoring ( 15. 1 ppg ), rebounding ( 11. 0 rpg ) and assists ( 3. 4 apg ), he left the Bulls as a free agent and joined the Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O ' Neal and Penny Hardaway.

By the end of the 1996 – 97 season, Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring on 33 occasions, rebounding on 23 occasions.

By the end of the 1996 – 97 season, Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring on 33 occasions, rebounding on 23 occasions.

In his ninth season, Malone led the Jazz in scoring ( 25. 2 ), rebounding ( 11. 5 ), and blocked shots ( 126 ), made 49. 7 % of field goal attempts, and played 3, 329 minutes, the second-most that season in the league behind Latrell Sprewell's 3, 533.

In the 66 game 2011-12 NBA season, Marion led Dallas in rebounding with 7. 4 rebounds per game.

Cook ultimately played 132 games in four years at the University of Illinois, most of them under coach Bill Self, and led the Illini in rebounding in each season.

Remarkably, he still led the NBA in total offensive rebounds ( 380 ) and finished second in rebounding average ( 15. 0 rpg ) behind Leonard " Truck " Robinson ( 15. 7 ).

Having gained 15 pounds in the offseason to weigh in at a robust 235, he led the league in rebounding and established the NBA's all-time record for offensive rebounds in a season, with 587.

The perennial All-Star led the league in rebounding for a second straight season and finished runner-up to George Gervin ( 32. 3 ppg ) for the league's scoring title.

Now in his seventh season of professional basketball ( fifth in the NBA ), Malone led the league in rebounding ( 15. 3 rpg ) for a third consecutive year.

In the 1983 – 84 season Malone led the league in rebounding for a fourth straight season and fifth overall, finishing with 13. 4 per game.

The 14-year veteran led the NBA in offensive rebounds, with 364, and tied for eighth in rebounding average.

He led the Hawks in scoring 20 times and in rebounding 41 times.