The series was played under a best-of-seven format (unlike the previous three rounds, the team with home court advantage hosted games one, two, six, and seven if all were necessary).

This series was not only the first matchup of the previous two NBA champions since the 1987 Finals (Lakers d. Celtics, 4–2), it was a match up of the two premier defensive teams of that era: from the 2002–03 season to the 2004–05 season, the Spurs and Pistons routinely finished in the top three in Points Allowed: in 2003, Detroit was #1 and San Antonio #3; in 2004, the teams finished in a tie for the #1 spot; in 2005, the Spurs were #1 and the Pistons were #2.

The Spurs were considered more capable of playing at a faster pace, as evidenced by their convincing win against the high-scoring Phoenix Suns during the Western Conference finals.

Further, the balanced Detroit offense proved especially difficult to deal with when Karl Malone's injured knee left the Lakers without a reliable presence to slow down the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace.

Many thought that a contributing factor to the Lakers' loss was the well-publicized tension between superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

In Game Seven, Detroit overcame the odds to beat the Heat at American Airlines Arena, and thus advanced to the NBA Finals for the second straight year.

Manu Ginóbili was the star of Game 1, turning in a virtuoso performance in the fourth quarter to lead the Spurs to victory.

Ginobili, who in the previous summer led Argentina in points and assists en route to Olympic gold, took over in the final period.

He scored eight points in a decisive 12–2 surge that gave the Spurs a 67–55 lead, then throttled a push by the Pistons with a swooping dunk, 3-pointer and running hook for an 81–67 advantage with less than two minutes to go.

The Spurs took advantage of Detroit's uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, which included missing nine shots from inside four feet from the basket.

While the Pistons went cold (0–6) from behind the three-point line, the Spurs made 11 3-pointers, including four each by Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen, who did not score a point in Game 1.

And Game 4 was the most lopsided of all during the 2005 NBA Finals; the Pistons' 102 points were the only time either team reached triple digits in the series.

However, a missed layup by Chauncey Billups with Detroit ahead 95–93 with nine seconds remaining left San Antonio with a chance.

Horry was already famous for nailing last-second shots in the playoffs, including Game Four of the 2002 Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings.

He carried the team in the fourth quarter and overtime as his teammates struggled with the weight of a must-win game on the road against an accomplished adversary.

In addition to the game-winning three-pointer, late in overtime Horry made a spectacular left-handed dunk while being fouled as the shot clock wound down.

NBA history was heavily in favor of the Spurs, who were looking to celebrate a title at the SBC Center for the second time in three years.

Though Tim Duncan was for much of the series unable to shoot for a high percentage against Detroit's front line, he led the Spurs out of that nine-point hole.

Behind clutch plays from Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili, the Spurs took control of the fourth quarter to earn an 81–74 victory, clinching the franchise's third Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Richard Hamilton, with 15 points, was the high scorer for the Pistons, who fell just short of winning back-to-back championships.

[5] The 2005 Finals would be Michaels' last major NBA assignment with ABC, though he remained with the network until after Super Bowl XL in February 2006.

Shortly after ABC's NFL TV contract ended, Michaels moved to NBC Sports to become the lead voice of Sunday Night Football.

However, for the third time they were unable to win consecutive championships, bowing to their Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in Game 7 of the Conference semifinals.

The Pistons, guided by new coach Flip Saunders, won a franchise-record 64 games and seemed primed to regain the NBA title.

Franchise centerpiece Ben Wallace abruptly left for the Chicago Bulls, yet the Pistons still made the conference finals the next two seasons, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively.