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Do not fill this in! ===Lakers' and Spurs' dynasties (1998β2014)=== [[File:Tim Duncan.jpg|thumb|[[Tim Duncan]] led the [[San Antonio Spurs]] to five NBA championships between 1999 and 2014.]] In 1998, the [[List of NBA team owners|NBA owners]] began a [[1998β99 NBA lockout|lockout]] that suspended all league business until a new labor agreement could be reached, which led to the season being shortened in half.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/30/sports/basketball-it-s-their-ball-and-nba-owners-call-for-lockout.html |title=BASKETBALL; It's Their Ball, and N.B.A. Owners Call for Lockout |last=Wise |first=Mike |date=June 30, 1998 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 9, 2019 |issn=0362-4331 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127115018/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/30/sports/basketball-it-s-their-ball-and-nba-owners-call-for-lockout.html |archive-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/06/reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-the-nba-lockout/241273/ |title=Reasons to Be Optimistic About the NBA Lockout |last=Johnson |first=Martin |date=June 30, 2011 |website=The Atlantic |access-date=April 9, 2019 }}</ref> The [[San Antonio Spurs]] won the championship at the end of the 1998β99 season, becoming the first former ABA team to win the NBA championship.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/article/Today-in-San-Antonio-history-The-Spurs-won-their-13023872.php |title=On this day in San Antonio history: The Spurs won their first NBA Championship 19 years ago |last=Mendoza |first=Madalyn |date=June 25, 2018 |newspaper=Mysa|access-date=April 9, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109010439/https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/article/Today-in-San-Antonio-history-The-Spurs-won-their-13023872.php |archive-date=November 9, 2020}}</ref> After the breakup of the [[Chicago Bulls]] championship roster in the summer of 1998, the [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]] dominated much of the next two decades. The [[Los Angeles Lakers]], coached by [[Phil Jackson]], and the [[San Antonio Spurs]], coached by [[Gregg Popovich]], combined to make 13 Finals in 16 seasons, with 10 titles. [[Tim Duncan]] and [[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]] won the [[1999 NBA Finals|1999 championship]] with the [[1998β99 San Antonio Spurs season|Spurs]], and [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and [[Kobe Bryant]] started the 2000s with three consecutive championships for the Lakers. The Spurs reclaimed the title in [[2003 NBA Finals|2003]] against the [[New Jersey Nets|Nets]]. In 2004, the Lakers returned to the [[2004 NBA Finals|Finals]], only to lose in five games to the [[Detroit Pistons]]. The league's image was marred by a [[The Malice at the Palace|violent incident between players and fans]] in a November 2004 game between the [[Indiana Pacers]] and [[Detroit Pistons]].<ref name="prunty">{{cite book |last= Prunty|first= Brendan|author-link= |date=February 2017 |title= Basketball's Game Changers: Icons, Record Breakers, Rivalries, Scandals, and More|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eZRwDQAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=[[Lyons Press]] |pages= 187β189|isbn=9781493026999}}</ref> In response, players were suspended for a total of 146 games with $11 million total lost in salary, and the league tightened security and limited the sale of alcohol.<ref name="prunty"/> On May 19, 2005, Commissioner Stern testified before the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]' Committee on Government Reform about the NBA's actions to combat the use of [[Anabolic steroid|steroids]] and other performance-enhancing drugs. The NBA started its drug-testing program in 1983 and substantially improved it in 1999. In the 1999β2000 season, all players were randomly tested during training camp, and all rookies were additionally tested three more times during the regular season. Of the nearly 4,200 tests for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs conducted over six seasons, only three players were confirmed positive for NBA's drug program, all were immediately suspended, and as of the time of the testimony, none were playing in the NBA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/documents/20050519101929-30269.pdf |title=Testimony of David J. Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association and Richard W. Buchanan, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, National Basketball Association, Before the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives |last1=Stern |first1=David J. |last2=Buchanan |first2=Richard W. |date=May 19, 2005 |website=oversight.house.gov |publisher=United States House of Representatives |access-date=January 17, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118035824/https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/documents/20050519101929-30269.pdf |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |quote=The NBA has conducted almost 4,200 tests for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in the six seasons since these substances were banned by our drug program, and have had a total of 23 initial laboratory positives β approximately Β½ of 1 percent. Of the 23 initial laboratory positives in the NBA's program, only three satisfied the additional criteria that must be met for a sample to be confirmed as "positive" under the NBA's drug program (i.e., a laboratory positive on the "B" sample conducted at a different laboratory, and review and confirmation by the Medical Review Officer). Several initial laboratory positives involved players that were terminated from employment prior to confirmation of their test results; others were found by the Medical Review Officer to be subject to a reasonable medical explanation. Each of the 3 players with a confirmed positive test result was immediately suspended. None of these players are currently playing in the NBA.}}</ref> After the Spurs won the championship again in [[2005 NBA Finals|2005]], the [[2006 NBA Finals|2006 Finals]] featured two franchises making their inaugural Finals appearances. The [[Miami Heat]], led by their star shooting guard, [[Dwyane Wade]], and Shaquille O'Neal, who had been traded from the Lakers during summer 2004, won the series over the [[Dallas Mavericks]]. The Lakers/Spurs dominance continued in 2007 with a four-game sweep by the Spurs over the [[LeBron James]]-led [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]. The [[2008 NBA Finals|2008 Finals]] saw a rematch of the league's [[CelticsβLakers rivalry|highest profile rivalry]], the [[Boston Celtics]] and [[Los Angeles Lakers]], with the Celtics winning their 17th championship. The Lakers won back-to-back championships in [[2009 NBA Finals|2009]] and [[2010 NBA Finals|2010]], against the [[Orlando Magic]] and the Celtics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009061419&prov=ap |title=Redemption: Bryant leads Lakers to 15th NBA title|last1=Withers|first1=Tom|date=June 15, 2009|work=Yahoo! Sports|access-date=August 5, 2010}}</ref><ref name="game7">{{cite web |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010061713 |title=Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title |last1=Beacham |first1=Greg |date=June 18, 2010 |work=Yahoo! Sports |access-date=July 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805044734/http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010061713 |archive-date=August 5, 2011}}</ref> The [[2010 NBA All-Star Game]] was held at [[Cowboys Stadium]] in front of the largest crowd ever, 108,713.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/news/story?id=4914993 |title=Record crowd at All-Star Game |publisher=ESPN |first=Tim |last=MacMahon |date=February 15, 2010 |access-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref> A referee lockout began on September 1, 2009, when the contract between the NBA and its referees expired. The first preseason games were played on October 1, 2009, and replacement referees from the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] and [[NBA Development League]] were used, the first time replacement referees had been used since the beginning of the 1995β96 season. The NBA and the regular referees reached a deal on October 23, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 23, 2009|title=NBA, referees agree to two-year deal, ending lockout|publisher=National Basketball Association|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.nba.com/2009/news/10/23/ap.refs.agreement.ap/|access-date=June 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Sheridan|first=Chris|date=October 26, 2009|title=NBA refs to return for regular season|publisher=ESPN|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4590031|access-date=August 5, 2010}}</ref> At the start of the 2010β11 season, free agents LeBron James and [[Chris Bosh]] signed with the Miami Heat, joining Dwyane Wade to form the "[[Big Three (Miami Heat)|Big Three]]". The Heat dominated the league, reaching the Finals for four straight years. In [[2011 NBA Finals|2011]], they faced a re-match with the Dallas Mavericks but lost to the [[Dirk Nowitzki]]-led team. They won back-to-back titles in [[2012 NBA Finals|2012]] and [[2013 NBA Finals|2013]] against the [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] and the Spurs, and lost in a re-match with the Spurs in the [[2014 NBA Finals|2014 Finals]]. The 2011β12 season began with [[2011 NBA lockout|another lockout]], the league's fourth.<ref>{{cite news | first=Marc | last=Stein | author-link=Marc Stein (reporter) | title=NBA cancels first 2 weeks of season | date=October 11, 2011 | url=http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7085089/nba-labor-david-stern-cancels-first-two-weeks-nba-season | publisher=ESPN | access-date=October 12, 2011}}</ref> After the first few weeks of the season were canceled, the players and owners ratified a new collective bargaining agreement on December 8, 2011, setting up a shortened 66-game season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/basketball/nba-owners-and-players-ratify-labor-deal.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210004918/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/basketball/nba-owners-and-players-ratify-labor-deal.html |archive-date=2011-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=N.B.A. Owners and Players Ratify Labor Deal|date=December 9, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> On February 1, 2014, commissioner David Stern retired after 30 years in the position, and was succeeded by his deputy, [[Adam Silver]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=February 1, 2014 |title=Silver takes over as commissioner from Stern |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nba-stern-silver/silver-takes-over-as-commissioner-from-stern-idUSBREA100K020140201/ |work= [[Reuters]]|location= |access-date=March 12, 2024}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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