It began on November 2, 2004, and ended on June 23, 2005.
The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending-champion Detroit Pistons, 4–3, in the NBA Finals.
Notes Teams in bold advanced to the next round.
Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season win-loss record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.