Nowitzki joining the Indiana Pacers signaled the arrival of a new era.
Every superstar in the league began trying to band together against the Lakers! No one wanted to see the birth of the Lakers' second dynasty.
The Eastern Conference, meanwhile, had been thrown into complete chaos!
Just as when Jordan had been in the Eastern Conference, all the top players had rushed west.
Now that Kobe's run-and-gun dynasty had emerged in the Western Conference, many of the league's elite players were desperately trying to move east as well.
They did not want to face the Lakers too early in the playoffs, nor did they want to play the Lakers four times a year during the regular season.
As a result, heading to the Eastern Conference became the choice of many stars.
The Celtics went 68-14, finishing first in the Eastern Conference.
McGrady averaged 30.2 points per game this year! He trailed only Kobe and Iverson. If not for Nash's sudden emergence, this year's MVP might very well have been his.
Billups, Penny, and Rasheed Wallace formed three top-tier championship pieces, joined by tough players like Van Horn, Tony Allen, and Kendrick Perkins.
This Celtics team had both veterans and young players, and they were terrifyingly strong!
They swept through the Eastern Conference in the regular season.
The Indiana Pacers went 65-17, finishing second in the Eastern Conference.
Nowitzki had not joined the Pacers until the trade deadline, which was why their record did not match the Celtics'.
But over the latter half of the league schedule, the Pacers' dominance was no worse than that of any Eastern Conference team. At one point, they went 17-3.
The Heat went 57-25, finishing third in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat's veterans had switched into retirement mode during the regular season. Their record