2015 NBA draft
Highlights from the draft include the first Dominican to be the first overall pick (Karl-Anthony Towns), the highest number of Kentucky Wildcats selected in the draft lottery (four with Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, and Devin Booker), which tied the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2005 for most players selected in the lottery by one school; the tied record for most Kentucky players selected in the draft (six with Towns, Cauley-Stein, Lyles, Booker, Andrew Harrison, and Dakari Johnson), the second Latvian to have been drafted in the first round (Kristaps Porziņģis), the first former high school player to have skipped college to play in China that was selected in the draft (Emmanuel Mudiay), and the first Indian to have been selected in the NBA (Satnam Singh Bhamara), who was also the first player since 2005 to have been drafted directly from high school (albeit as a postgraduate).


2015 NBA draft
Other noteworthy announcements that came out of the draft included the official announcement of the passing of the last pioneer of the original NBA, Harvey Pollack, around the third pick and the resignation of the league's president of basketball operations Rod Thorn that became official in August after the end of the first round.


2015 NBA draft, Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 2015 NBA draft, but have appeared in at least one regular-season or playoff game in the NBA.


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants
The draft was conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's new 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players union. The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes. Since the 2011 CBA, the basic eligibility rules have been:


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
Player who are not automatically eligible must declare their eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2015 draft, this date fell on April 26. After this date, "early entry" players may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. Under the CBA, a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft.


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
Under NCAA rules at that time, players only had until April 16 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their college eligibility. In January 2016, the NCAA changed its draft withdrawal date to 10 days after the end of the annual NBA Draft Combine in May, with the 2016 draft the first to be held under the new rule.


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
A player who has hired an agent will forfeit his remaining college eligibility, regardless of whether he is drafted. Also, while the CBA allows a player to withdraw from the draft twice, the NCAA then mandated that a player who declared twice lost his college eligibility. The aforementioned 2016 NCAA rule change also allowed players to declare for more than one draft without losing college eligibility.


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
This year, a total of 48 collegiate players and 43 international players declared as early entry candidates before the April 26 deadline. On June 15, the withdrawal deadline, 34 early entry candidates withdrew from the draft and one early entry candidate is added, leaving 47 collegiate players and 11 international players as the early entry candidates for the draft.


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


2015 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Based on the eligibility rules, every college seniors who have completed their college eligibility and every "international" players who were born on or before December 31, 1993, are automatically eligible for the draft. However, there are other players who became automatically eligible even though they have not completed their four-year college eligibility.


2015 NBA draft, Combine
The invitation-only NBA Draft Combine was scheduled to occur in Chicago from May 12 to 17. The on-court element of the combine was scheduled for May 14 and 15.


2015 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The NBA conducted an annual draft lottery to determine the draft order for the teams that did not make the playoffs in the preceding season. Every NBA team that missed the NBA playoffs had a chance at winning a top three pick, but teams with worse records had a better chance at winning a top three pick. After the lottery selected the teams that receive a top three pick, the other teams received an NBA draft pick based on their winning percentage from the prior season. The table below shows each non-playoff team's chances (based on their record at the end of the NBA season) of receiving picks 1–14.


2015 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The 2015 NBA lottery was held on May 19. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the worst record in the NBA and the highest chance to win the lottery at 25%, won the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers moved from the fourth spot to second, while the Philadelphia 76ers got the third pick. The only team that moved down from their original draft position altogether was the New York Knicks, who moved from the projected second pick to the fourth pick.


2015 NBA draft, Draft ceremony
In the first round of the NBA draft, each team has up to five minutes to decide which player they would like to select. The team can also propose a trade with another team before making their selection. The NBA commissioner will announce the selection and the player, wearing a basketball cap sporting the team's logo, comes up to the stage to be congratulated and presented to the audience. In the second round, each team has up to two minutes to make their picks while the deputy commissioner assumes the commissioner's role.


2015 NBA draft, Draft ceremony
The NBA annually invites around 15–20 players to sit in the "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony, sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted.


2015 NBA draft, Draft ceremony
The 19 players who accepted invitations to attend the draft were Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein, Sam Dekker, Jerian Grant, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky, Kevon Looney, Trey Lyles, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor, Kelly Oubre Jr., Cameron Payne, Bobby Portis, Kristaps Porziņģis, D'Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Myles Turner, and Justise Winslow. International prospect Mario Hezonja did not attend because he was still involved with his then-team FC Barcelona at the time. Three other players, R.J. Hunter, Tyus Jones, and Delon Wright all had invitations as well, but they declined their invitations for undisclosed reasons.


2015 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Pre-draft trades
Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.


2015 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Draft-day trades
The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.


2015 NBA playoffs
The 2015 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2014–15 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Andre Iguodala was named NBA Finals MVP.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
For the first time since 2005–06, all teams from a particular division made the playoffs (in this case, all five teams from the Southwest Division).


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The San Antonio Spurs made their 18th straight playoff appearance, while the Atlanta Hawks (eighth straight playoff appearance) and the Golden State Warriors (third straight playoff appearance) entered the playoffs as the first seeds of their respective conferences. The Warriors and Hawks advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1976 and 1970, respectively.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first postseason appearance since 2010, the final season of LeBron James' first stint with the Cavaliers. They also made their first Conference Finals appearance since 2009, where they lost 4–2 to the Orlando Magic, and their first Finals appearance since 2007, when they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. On the other hand, James' former team, the Miami Heat, missed the playoffs after making the previous year's Finals, becoming the first team to do so since the 2005 Lakers. Miami had qualified for the playoffs for six consecutive seasons before missing this year, also reaching the NBA Finals four consecutive times. The Heat and their in-state rivals, the Orlando Magic, both missed the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 1993.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers were conference finalists a year ago but failed to make the playoffs. Oklahoma City and Indiana were tied with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets with 45 and 38 wins, respectively, but missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
Despite starting their respective seasons in a rebuilding mode, both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Bucks head coach Jason Kidd became the first head coach to lead two teams to the playoffs in his first two seasons, having led the Nets to the playoffs the previous season.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The first round of the playoffs saw a record six teams take a 3–0 lead in their respective series, the first time it had happened since the first round expanded to a best-of-seven series in 2003.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The fifth seed defeated the fourth seed in both conferences for the third straight year.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
Game 7 between the Clippers and Spurs ensured a 16th straight postseason in which at least one Game 7 was played; 1999 was the last postseason to not feature a Game 7.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The San Antonio Spurs became the first defending champions to be eliminated in the first round since the 2011–12 Dallas Mavericks. This was only the second time it had happened since 2000.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
With the Spurs being eliminated in the first round, none of the eight teams remaining at the beginning of the Conference Semifinals had previously won an NBA championship in the 21st century. After the first round of the playoffs, of the teams who had previously won an NBA championship, the Chicago Bulls had the shortest drought at 17 years, having most recently won an NBA championship in 1998, while the Atlanta Hawks had the longest overall drought at 57 years, having won their only previous championship in 1958 when the franchise was based in St. Louis.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
For the first time since 1970, the Hawks made the Conference Finals (then called the Division Finals). Since 1970, they had lost all 15 Division or Conference Semifinal series they participated in. The Warriors made their first conference finals appearance since 1976, and the Houston Rockets made their first conference finals appearance since 1997. These three were the NBA teams which had been waiting for the longest time for a return to the conference finals.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
For the second straight year, the No. 1 seed faced the No. 2 seed in the Conference Finals, and for the fourth time since 2000.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
In the second round, all teams that held a 2–1 series lead within the first three games of their respective series had gone on to lose that series.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
The Rockets became only the second franchise to twice come back from 3–1 series deficits to win the series  by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the Semifinals. They had first achieved that goal 20 years ago against the Phoenix Suns. The Boston Celtics are the only other franchise to twice make this comeback, doing it in 1968 and 1981. Overall, eleven teams have achieved the feat, with the Warriors doing it in the Conference Finals and Cavaliers doing it in the NBA Finals the year after.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
For the first time in NBA playoff history, both conference finals teams, the Warriors of the West and the Cavaliers of the East, held commanding 3–0 series leads. Cleveland went on to the finals, sweeping the Atlanta Hawks 4–0 while Golden State won their series 4–1 defeating the Houston Rockets.


2015 NBA playoffs, Overview
For the first time since the inaugural Basketball Association of America season in 1946–47, two rookie coaches, David Blatt of the Cavaliers and Steve Kerr of the Warriors, met each other in the NBA finals.


2015 NBA playoffs, Format
Within each conference, the three division winners and the five non-division winners with the most wins qualified for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record; however, a division winner is guaranteed to be ranked at least fourth, regardless of record.


2015 NBA playoffs, Format
Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the team that has four wins advances to the next round. As stated above, all rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. Home court advantage in any round does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead to the team with the better regular season record. If two teams with the same record meet in a round, standard tiebreaker rules are used. The rule for determining home court advantage in the NBA Finals is winning percentage, then head to head record, followed by record vs. opposite conference.


2015 NBA playoffs, Format, Tiebreaker rules
If there are more than two teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams were "re-broken" from the first step until all ties were resolved. Since the three division winners were guaranteed a spot in the top four, ties to determine the division winners had to be broken before any other ties.


2015 NBA playoffs, Format, Possible future changes
As the 2014–15 regular season proceeded into February 2015, the ninth-place team in the Western Conference had a better record than the eighth-place team in the East. This led NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to suggest changing the playoff format, where the top 16 teams throughout the entire league would qualify, regardless of division or conference. Silver then stated that the league might not be able to implement such changes until the 2016–17 season at the earliest.


2015 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying
On March 3, the Atlanta Hawks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. This was the earliest a team had clinched a playoff spot since the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls clinched on March 2. The Golden State Warriors became the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 16.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (8) Brooklyn Nets
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Hawks and Nets.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
During the final minute of the game, Derrick Rose drove inside then passed to Pau Gasol who laid it in as he was fouled. Gasol would then make the free throw and tie the game at 90. Then, when Rose tried to win the series for Chicago, he crossed but then was stripped by Khris Middleton. He then attempted a half court shot, which was blocked by Jimmy Butler when timeout was called. With 1.3 seconds left, Jared Dudley found the lead pass for Jerryd Bayless, due to a defensive breakdown by  Rose, who then hit the game-winning lay-up at the buzzer, allowing the Bucks to stave off elimination for at least one more game.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning two out of the first three meeting.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (4) Toronto Raptors vs. (5) Washington Wizards
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Wizards.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) New Orleans Pelicans
After Anthony Davis split a pair of free throws, Curry missed an attempted game-tying three, but Marreese Speights grabbed the offensive rebound and Curry hit another three to tie the game at 108. The Warriors would win in OT.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) New Orleans Pelicans
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Pelicans.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning both previous meetings.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
In Game 1, the Clippers had a dominant game. It was close in the first half, but the Clippers pulled away in the second half. Chris Paul scored 32 points, while Blake Griffin scored 27 points. This helped the Clippers win 107–92.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
Game 2 was much closer, requiring overtime. The Spurs won 111–107 in the Staples Center, tying the series 1–1, lead by Tim Duncan's 27 points.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
In Game 3, the Spurs completely controlled the offense, and never trailed. They won 100–73 with Kawhi Leonard scoring 32 points. In Game 4, the Clippers won 114–105. Chris Paul scored 34 points and 7 assists.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
It was a tight game in Game 5 in the Staples Center, especially in the 4th quarter. At the end of the game, DeAndre Jordan tipped the ball in; however, the refs called goaltending. The Spurs prevailed 111–107, lead by Tim Duncan's 24 points and 11 rebounds.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
In Game 6, Spurs Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard along with Clippers Chris Paul and Blake Griffin struggled offensively. The Spurs gave up a 10-point lead, allowing the Clippers to win 102–96.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
Game 7 was a very tight game, featuring 31 lead changes and 19 ties. In the first half, Chris Paul injured his hamstring, but returned in the third quarter, concluding that quarter with a buzzer beater 3-pointer, giving them a 79–78 lead. The fourth quarter was a nail-biter, with the Spurs leading in the beginning and the Clippers at the end. With 1 second left in the game, Chris Paul hit the game winner, and the Clippers moved on to the second round by a meager two-point margin. The final score was 111–109.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (6) San Antonio Spurs
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the only meeting.


2015 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Blazers and Grizzlies.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Washington Wizards
The Hawks rallied from a 19-point deficit heading into the final period to tie the score at 101 with a basket. On the ensuing possession, Paul Pierce, who was double-teamed, hit a fadeaway jumper off the backboard at the buzzer to give the Wizards a 103–101 victory and a 2–1 lead in the series. After the game, when ESPN analyst Chris Broussard asked Pierce if he called bank on that shot, he responded, "I called game!"


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Washington Wizards
With 8.3 seconds left, Kyle Korver inbounded the ball to Dennis Schroder, who drives for the layup that was blocked by John Wall, then Al Horford gets the offensive rebound and hits the game-winning layup with 1.9 seconds left. John Wall then misses the half-court buzzer beater, and the Hawks take the 3–2 series lead.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Washington Wizards
The Hawks were up by 3, with 6.4 seconds to go. Bradley Beal's inbound pass went to John Wall, who tried to get open with time running down, then he passed to Paul Pierce who hit an off-balanced game-tying 3. But when officials reviewed the play, the clock reached 0:00 before Pierce released the ball and therefore the shot did not count. The Hawks won the series and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1970.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Washington Wizards
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Wizards (formerly known as the Bullets) winning three out of the first four meetings.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
The Bulls led wire to wire to go up 1–0 in the series, leading by as many as 16 points in the second quarter. The Cavs rallied to tie the game early in the third quarter. However, the Bulls went on a 15–0 run in the third quarter to regain control before holding off the Cavs late in the 4th quarter.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Facing the possibility of going down 2–0 heading to Chicago, the Cavaliers blew out the Bulls in Game 2, leading wire to wire as they evened the series 1–1. The Cavs outscored the Bulls by 20 points in the first quarter and never looked back. The Bulls got no closer than 11 for the rest of the game. LeBron led the Cavs with 33 points on 13/29 shooting while Irving chipped in 21 points.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
J.R. Smith returned to the lineup after missing the first two games due to suspension. This was a very competitive game that saw neither team lead by more than 8 points. Trailing 94–93, LeBron James missed a go-ahead layup with under 24 seconds to play. Taj Gibson was fouled and made two free throws to make it 96–93 Bulls. James found Smith, who hit the game tying three to make it 96–96. The Bulls called timeout on their final possession of regulation.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Rose shot a deep three that went off the backboard and into the basket, giving the Bulls a 99–96 win and a 2–1 series lead. Rose led the Bulls with 30 points. LeBron led the Cavs with 27, but he continued to struggle with his shot and Jimmy Butler's defense, going 8/25 for the game and 1/7 on threes.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Looking to go up 3–1 and take complete control of the series, the Bulls went up 37–29 early in the second quarter. However, the Cavs scored 16 unanswered points to go up 45–37 before settling for a 49–45 halftime lead. The Bulls dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 23–12. They led by as many as 11 points before settling for a 68–61 lead heading into the 4th quarter. Led by J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov, the Cavs would rally, opening the 4th quarter on a 19–5 run to take an 80–73 lead with just under 5 minutes to play.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
With just under 40 seconds to play, LeBron hit two consecutive free throws to put the Cavs up 84–79. Butler hit a three on the Bulls' next possession, cutting the deficit to 84–82. The Cavs were forced to burn three consecutive timeouts as they were unable to inbound the ball. Once they inbounded the ball, James tried to burn the clock down as he was double teamed by Rose and Dunleavy. However, James swung his arm at Dunleavy and committed an offensive foul, giving the ball back to the Bulls with 14 seconds remaining.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Rose tied the game with a layup to even the game at 84–84 with 8 seconds remaining. James rushed down the court and tried to score the go-ahead layup but was blocked. The ball went out of bounds with 1.5 seconds remaining. On the Cavs' final possession, Matthew Dellavedova inbounded the ball to James. James fired a jumper over Butler that went through the hoop as the buzzer sounded, giving the Cavs an 86–84 win. The Cavs regained homecourt advantage as they evened up the series at 2–2. James led the team with 25 points (10/30 shooting) while Rose led the Bulls with 31 points on 11/23 shooting.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
This game was particularly controversial due to a timeout that wasn't called late in the game. After Rose made the layup to tie the game at 84–84, Cavaliers head coach, David Blatt, attempted to call timeout. However, the Cavs were out of timeouts. Calling a timeout without having one would have resulted in a technical foul and possession of the ball would go to the Bulls. Tyron Lue held back Blatt and prevented him from getting that timeout. None of the officials noticed Blatt signaling timeout as James ran up the court for what would eventually lead to his game winning buzzer beater.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Following the game, the NBA officiating report revealed that Blatt should have been charged with a timeout that would have drawn a technical and Cavs turnover.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
The Bulls scored the first 8 points of the contest and led 18–8 early in the first quarter. However, the Cavs closed the first quarter on a 17–6 run to take a 25–24 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Cavs' momentum carried over into the 2nd quarter as they built a 54–44 halftime lead. James, who had struggled mightily with his shooting throughout the series, scored 24 points on 10/12 shooting in the first half. The Cavaliers controlled the third quarter and led by 9 after three quarters.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
Early in the 4th quarter, Dellavedova fell down, and Gibson's legs got tangled up with his. Gibson, attempting to break free, kicked Dellavedova. Gibson was charged with a flagrant 2 and ejected. The Cavs went up by as many as 17 points in the 4th quarter and led 97–82 with just over 6 minutes to play. However, the Bulls would rally, going on a 17–4 run to make it 101–99 Cavs with just over one minute to play. Trailing by 2, Butler attempted a three that would have given the Bulls to lead. However, he missed.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
James ran the clock down and missed a shot on the Cavs' next possession. However, Shumpert grabbed the offensive rebound. With 20 seconds remaining, and trailing by 2, the Bulls were forced to foul. However, the Cavs made their free throws and closed the game out, winning 106–101 and taking a 3–2 series lead. James led the Cavaliers with 38 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Butler led the Bulls with 29 points. Rose scored 12 points in the first quarter on 5/9 shooting. He had only 5 points on 2/15 shooting in the final three quarters, including 0 made baskets in the second half.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
After three consecutive contests came down to the final minute, the Cavaliers finally finished off the Bulls, eliminating them 94–73 at the United Center to win the series 4–2. The Bulls led 40–38 halfway through the second quarter. However, the Cavs closed the half on a 20–4 run, leading by 14 at halftime. The Cavs never relinquished control, leading by double digits for the entire second half and going up by as many as 27 points in the 4th quarter. Irving was forced out of the game after suffering an injury in the second quarter.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
However, Dellavedova led the way, scoring a playoff career high and season high 19 points to lead the Cavaliers. James had 15–9–11, one rebound shy of a triple double. Butler led the Bulls with 20 points. The Bulls scored 31 points in the 1st quarter. However, they were held to 42 points in the final three quarters, including 29 in the second half.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
It was the 4th time in the last 6 seasons that the Bulls were eliminated by a team with LeBron James on its roster.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning five out of the first six meetings.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Conference Semifinals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Grizzlies.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Conference Semifinals, (2) Houston Rockets vs. (3) Los Angeles Clippers
The Rockets recover from a 3–1 deficit for the first time since 1995. Game 6 was one for the books as the Rockets overcome a 19–point deficit, going on an incredible 49–18 run including a 40-15 run in the 4th quarter to end the game. The Clippers missed 14 straight shots as Josh Smith and Corey Brewer dominated much of the 4th quarter combining for 29 points. The 4th quarter spark led Houston to a decisive Game 7, and they completed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history. This was the ninth time in NBA history a team has come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a series.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Conference Semifinals, (2) Houston Rockets vs. (3) Los Angeles Clippers
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the only previous meeting.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 97–89, stealing homecourt advantage and taking a 1–0 series lead. LeBron led the team with 31 points while J.R. Smith chipped in 28 points, going 8/12 on threes and setting a Cavaliers franchise record for made threes in a playoff game. The game was tied 63–63 in the 3rd quarter. However, the Cavs, led by Smith's hot shooting, went on a 22–4 run (including an 11–0 run to start the fourth quarter) as they went up 85–67 and seized control.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Hawks would attempt to mount a rally, cutting an 18-point deficit down to 4 with under 50 seconds remaining. However, James drove through the lane and made a dunk to put the Cavs up 6. After Paul Millsap missed a three that would have made it a one possession game with 23 seconds remaining, the Cavs made their free throws to close it out.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
With Irving sitting out due to injury, the Hawks were in a great position to even up the series. However, the Cavaliers blew out the Hawks and took a commanding 2–0 series lead, winning 94–82. The Cavs led 54–49 at halftime. Coming out of halftime, the Cavs seized control, outscoring the Hawks 30–17 in the third quarter, leading by as many as 20 before settling for an 84–66 lead heading into the 4th quarter.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs scored only 10 points in the final period, but the Hawks trailed by double digits for the entire quarter and failed to make a significant run, managing 16 points. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs, scoring 30 points while having 11 assists and 9 rebounds. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks in scoring with 13 points off the bench. It was the first time this season that the Hawks had lost consecutive home games.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The game was memorable when Hawks' 3-point specialist Kyle Korver sprained his right ankle after the Cavs' Matthew Dellavedova fell on his right leg while attempting to dive for a loose ball. This injury kept Korver out for the rest of the postseason and would require surgery in the off-season along with an injured elbow that bothered him for most of the season.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
In a pivotal Game 3, LeBron James got off to an awful start, going 0/9 in the first quarter as the Hawks led 24–21. Near the end of the second quarter, Al Horford and Matthew Dellavedova got tangled up on the floor. Horford, who had scored 15 points on 7/10 shooting in the first half, swung his elbow at Dellavedova. He received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. The Hawks led 49–48 at halftime. However, the Cavs would dominate the third quarter again, outscoring the Hawks 33–27 to take a 5-point lead into the 4th quarter.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs led by as many 10 in the 4th quarter, leading 88–78. However, the Hawks, led by Jeff Teague, would go on a 26–12 run, taking a four-point lead with just under 1:45 to play. The Cavs scored the final four points of regulation to tie up the game. The Hawks had the final possession of regulation. However, Teague's potential game winning three missed at the buzzer, and the game went into overtime. With just under one minute to play in overtime, the Hawks trailed 109–108. Teague hit a three pointer over Thompson to put the Hawks up 111–109.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
On the Cavs' next possession, James attempted a jumper that rimmed out. However, Thompson grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it back to James. James went behind the three point line and shot a three that went down, putting the Cavs back ahead 112–111. Out of the timeout, the Hawks turned it over on their next possession. On the Cavs' next possession, James ran the shot clock down before driving into the paint and making a layup to put the Cavs up 114–111.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Hawks had two chances to tie the game and potentially force a second overtime, but Shelvin Mack missed both game tying three point attempts, sending the Hawks to their third straight loss as the Cavs went up 3–0 in the series. James recorded his 51st career triple-double (12th of the postseason) with 37 points, 18 rebounds, and 13 assists. Teague led the Hawks with 30 points.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
After missing the last two games against the Hawks, Irving made his return to the lineup. The Cavaliers routed the Hawks by 30 points, dominating from start to finish. The Cavs led 32–20 after the first quarter and never looked back. After leading by 17 at halftime, the Cavs controlled the entire second half. The Cavs led 85–60 heading into the fourth quarter, a quarter where very few starters logged minutes.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers went on to win 118–88 as the franchise clinched their second Eastern Conference Championship in franchise history and returned to the Finals for the first time since 2007. The Atlanta Hawks became the first #1 seed to be swept in the Conference Finals since the Nets swept the Pistons in the 2003 Conference Finals. LeBron James and James Jones also became the first non-Celtics to appear in five consecutive NBA Finals series.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the only prior meeting.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (2) Houston Rockets
In Game 5, James Harden set an NBA playoff record for turnovers, with 12. The record was previously held by John Williamson of the New Jersey Nets with 11 in 1979.


2015 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (2) Houston Rockets
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Rockets.


2015 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (W1) Golden State Warriors vs. (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers
This was the first meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers.


2015 NBA playoffs, Media coverage, Television
ESPN, TNT, ABC, and NBA TV broadcast the NBA Playoffs nationally. In the first round the regional sports networks affiliated with the teams can also broadcast the games. Throughout the first two rounds, TNT televises games Saturday through Thursday, ESPN televises games on Friday and Sunday, and ABC televises select games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV televises select games in the first round. TNT televises the Eastern Conference Finals and ESPN the Western Conference Finals. ABC televises the NBA Finals for the 13th consecutive year.


2015 NBA playoffs, Media coverage, Radio
ESPN Radio has exclusive national radio rights to broadcast the playoffs in the United States. They broadcast mostly ABC games during the first two rounds, all of the conference finals, and the NBA Finals.


2015 NBB All-Star Game
The 2015 NBB All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on March 7, 2015 at Ginásio Pedrocão in Franca, São Paulo, home of Franca Basquetebol Clube. This game was the 7th edition of the NBB All-Star Game and was played during the 2014–15 NBB season. Frnaca was awarded for the third time to host the All-Star Game in an announcement by president Cássio Roque on February 6, 2015.


2015 NBB All-Star Game
The teams were formed by Brazilian players, called NBB Brasil (NBB Brazil), and by foreign players, called NBB Mundo (NBB World). The twelve players of each team were selected by the trade press, the teams' captains and coaches. Starters for the game were selected by the fans, who could select one guard, two forwards and two centers for each team.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Coaches
Demétrius Ferraciú, coach of Minas, and Paco García, coach of the Mogi das Cruzes, were selected as the NBB Brasil and NBB Mundo head coach, respectively. Guerrinha, from Bauru, was selected as the NBB Brasil assistant coach; while Dedé Barbosa, from Limeira, was selected as the NBB Mundo assistant coach.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Game
Ricardo Fischer set a game-high in points, with 26 points, and assists, with 13 assists. Those numbers granted him a number of 42 in efficiency and the NBB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
In the 7th edition of NBB All-Star Game, it was the second time that the Shooting Stars Competition of Brazilian basketball was disputed. Four teams were formed, each of them containing one NBB's player, one retired male player and one female player. For the edition, LNB selected the players who were Liga de Basquete Feminino (LBF).


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Shooting Stars Competition
The mechanics of dispute Shooting Stars Competition. Each group of three players has to transform seven shots from different positions of the court, the last of them being half-court. The maximum time for each triplet closed the circuit for two minutes. The two fastest times qualified for the decision of the competition.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge
The Skills Challenge, which was played for the fourth time, had the presence of three times champion Nezinho, from Limeira, the forward Léo Meindl, from the host team Franca, and seven more competitors which was determined by the LNB Technical Department.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Three-Point Tournament
The tournament had six competitors for the title. The champion of previous season Marcelinho Machado, from Flamengo, and Marcos Mata, from the host city team, had already been secured in the dispute and its six rivals, with four of this five players being the four greatest three-point shooters. The veteran forward won his second title in a row after setting a number of 20 three-pointers in the first round and matching in the final his own and tournament history record of 23 three-pointers, so defeating the guard Eric Tatu, from Rio Claro Basquete. He also became the most winner of the tournament, alongside the forward Fernando Fischer, who won his two titles while he was playing for Bauru.


2015 NBB All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Dunk Tournament
For Dunk Tournament, the host team, Franca, was represented by the center André Coimbra. The other challengers to the title was defined after being evaluated by a jury of personalities from basketball. As a result of the partnership between Liga Nacional de Basquete and National Basketball Association, the greatest basketball league in the world, one of the jurors was the former forward/center Horace Grant, three times NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls and once NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers.


2015 NBL Canada Finals
The 2015 NBL Canada Finals was the championship series of the 2014–15 National Basketball League of Canada season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Central Conference champions Windsor Express controversially won the title after Atlantic Conference champions Halifax Rainmen forfeited Game 7. The Finals began on April 15, and ended on April 30. The Express claimed their second straight title, and Kirk Williams was named Finals MVP.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Series, Game 1
The Express defeated the Rainmen 113–104, taking the 1–0 lead in the series. The Express got off to a strong start, holding a 28–22 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. The Rainmen, who had not played a game in 16 days, greatly struggled with fouls throughout the game. Point guard Cliff Clinkscales committed three in his first 12 minutes on the court. With nearly six minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Express led by as much as 15 points.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Series, Game 1
However, following a free throw from Jermaine Dailey, the Rainmen went on a 33–20 run, taking a one-point lead in the middle of the third quarter. A three-pointer from Chris Commons with four minutes left in the third helped the Express regain their momentum and keep the game tight. At the start of the fourth quarter, the Rainmen were still only down by 3 points, and a field goal from Cliff Clinkscales tied the game with only a few minutes left in regulation. Despite the fouling out of DeAndre Thomas, the Express capped the rest of the game off by outscoring their opponents by 9 points.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Series, Game 1
Midway through the final quarter, the Rainmen's Liam McMorrow fell hard on his left shoulder and his neck snapped back. He had to be taken off the court on a stretcher and would undergo a CT scan and an MRI because he felt tingling in the injured area. Halifax, as a team, greatly struggled with fouls throughout the game. Cliff Clinkscales committed three in his first 12 minutes on the court, and every player that appeared in the game was called for more than two penalties. The Rainmen recorded a total of 48 fouls, allowing the Express to make 43 of their 55 free throw attempts. Windsor took over 10 more free throws than field goals.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
The deciding Game 7 of the 2015 Finals was originally scheduled to be played on April 30, 2015. The Windsor Express's shootaround was set to take place before the Halifax Rainmen's, and the Rainmen were supposed to arrive for warm-ups at approximately 1:00 PM. However, they came far too early and began warming up before their awaiting opponents had left. Express assistant coach Gerry Brumpton said, "We were here in the dark, I opened up the curtain and I looked in and there they were. They were still here working out. So they had been here for a while."


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
Later, Windsor head coach Bill Jones entered the Halifax locker room to retrieve a ball from one of the players, but he refused to hand the ball over. Express point guard Tony Bennett was with Jones at the time. They also asked the other team to leave the building, but they were not willing to, and an altercation ensued. According to reports, the teams hurled chairs and threw punches at each other. At around 10:40 AM, the Windsor police received a call reporting the fight, but it was already over by the time they arrived on the scene.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
The Rainmen did not show up at the deciding game, and in turn, forfeited the championship. The team's front office declared that they did not feel safe taking part in the showdown after the day's events. Halifax did not respond to e-mails and messages that were sent to them. The game was officially cancelled 40 minutes before it was scheduled, and the Express organization gave refunds to fans who had paid for tickets. Bennett said, "I was told [Halifax] players refused to come and play. They didn't like the situation and what was said about some of their players.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
It's a black eye not just for the leagues, but for basketball, this is not supposed to happened [sic] in professional basketball." In spite of their controversial victory, hundreds of Windsor fans attended a rally on May 3, 2015. One fan said, "[The Express] were going to win it regardless. What happened was unfortunate but definitely well-deserved." Coach Jones commented, "We were there ready to play and they ended up forfeiting by the league rules."


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
When the Rainmen were taking their bus back to the airport, they were stopped by Vito Frijia, a member of the NBL Canada executive committee and the owner of the London Lightning, who was on his way to the WFCU Centre. He tried to convince them to play the game, but they did not listen to his demands. Frijia said, "The coach and the players decided unilaterally they were going to protest by not playing, which is totally unprofessional, and detrimental to the league, detrimental to our growing the league."


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
When the Rainmen returned to Halifax, they discovered that they had been kicked out of their apartments, were booked for flights to outside the city, and weren't given their paychecks. Owner Andre Levingston later said in a statement, "Today is truly a black eye for our league, when the games is not safe for players to compete there is a problem. We have to do a better job of governing our league and putting principles in place where there are strict consequences."


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
On May 2, 2015, the Rainmen held a press conference, in which they shared the reasons for their decision to forfeit. Point guard Cliff Clinkscales claimed that the opponents played excessively physical throughout the series. He said, "There's a difference between playing physical and dirty and hurting people. We had two players in the finals that missed games because they had concussions. You understand that, concussions. I was playing with hurt ribs."


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
Teammate Kevin Young said that he was told by some players on the Express that head coach Jones wanted them to intentionally injure particular members of the Rainmen and "take them out". Owner Levingston tried to persuade the players into ignoring the coaches, but they declined. In addition, some of Halifax's personnel said that the team packed up his belongings following the forfeit.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Game 7 brawl
On May 12, 2015, Halifax player Forrest Fisher provided a more detailed account of the incident to the media through e-mail. According to him, the brawl began because Windsor coach Jones tackled Fisher's teammate Liam McMorrow. Tony Bennett then responded by throwing a chair at McMorrow, and the violence escalated. However, Jones said before he tackled the Rainman, he tried to swipe the ball from him, but the player pushed him back and "'flinched' at him as if he was going to throw a punch." Only then did he attempt to tackle him.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Charges
The NBL Canada fined those involved in the brawl a total of $90,000, saying in a statement the following day, "The league takes this incident very seriously and we are working to address the matter to ensure it never happens in the future, and so that those who were responsible are held accountable." The Halifax Rainmen, as an organization, were fined $20,000, while its head coach Josep Clarós faced a $10,000 fine and was banned for life from coaching in the league. He was named NBLC Coach of the Year weeks before.


2015 NBL Canada Finals, Charges
Assistant coach Pedro Monteiro and eleven of his players also faced fines of $5,000. Monteiro was barred from the NBL Canada as well as Clarós, and the players were suspended indefinitely from playing there while an investigation took place. In the following days, the assistant was fined an additional $4,000 dollars, because of "conduct detrimental to the league," but claimed the punishment was "unfair" and "the investigation was not thorough." He said, "I have not been contacted during any supposed investigation into the events on the morning of Game 7."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl
The 2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl was an altercation that occurred prior to Game 7 of the year's National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) Finals, between the Windsor Express and Halifax Rainmen on April 30, 2015. It led to the Rainmen's forfeit of the deciding game and allowed the Express to win the championship by default. Windsor's guard Tony Bennett, who participated in the brawl, said, "It's a black eye not just for the league, but for basketball."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl
After the Rainmen reached the site of the game hours early and began warming up, they were discovered by Express assistant coach Gerry Brumpton. Windsor head coach Bill Jones later entered the room to retrieve a ball and violence erupted between him and Halifax center Liam McMorrow. This sparked a brawl between both the teams as a whole, causing police to arrive. The Rainmen eventually left the stadium and chose to not compete in Game 7 because of safety concerns.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl
The incident resulted in mass fines and several suspensions, most notably the lifetime ban of Rainmen coaches Josep Clarós and Pedro Monteiro from coaching in the NBL Canada. The league also fined the entire Halifax Rainmen organization, with charges totaling $90,000. Tony Bennett was the sole Express player to be fined and suspended. Many players, including Bennett, were reinstated into the league in the following season.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Background
Both teams had previously appeared in the NBL Canada Finals, with the Windsor Express defeating the Island Storm in seven games in the previous season. The Halifax Rainmen appeared in the 2012 Finals, which was played in a best-of-five format, but dropped three games and lost to the London Lightning. Halifax finished the 2014–15 regular season as the Atlantic Division champions and had the second-best record in the league, behind only the Central Division winners, the Express. The Rainmen reached the 2015 finals via wins over the Moncton Miracles and Island Storm, 3–1 and 4–1 respectively; Windsor's route was through victories over Mississauga Power, by 3–1, and the Brampton A's, by 4–3.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
The Rainmen entered the Finals series without playing a single game in 16 days and were defeated by Windsor in Game 1, 113-104. Chris Commons led the Express with 33 points and 8 rebounds and Tony Bennett added 25 points. Halifax struggled with fouls in the first quarter, and point guard Cliff Clinkscales most notably committed three fouls in the first 12 minutes of the game. He would finish the contest with six penalties.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
By the end of the game, seven Rainmen players had committed over three personal fouls and the team totaled for 48, allowing Windsor to get 55 free throw attempts. The Express, on the other hand, finished with 32 personal fouls. In the fourth quarter, Halifax's Liam McMorrow took a hard fall to his shoulder and was taken off the court with a stretcher. He would undergo a CT scan and MRI after feeling tingling in the injured area.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
Halifax rallied in Game 2, winning a road game at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. The Rainmen committed 37 personal fouls in the entire game, but their opponents allowed them to attempt 44 free throws despite committing only 31.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
The Rainmen followed up by ousting the Express in Game 3 at the Scotiabank Centre, their home arena. They were strongly benefited by their accurate free throw shooting, going 28 of 33 from the line; previously, Halifax shot at about .600 on free throws.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
However, Windsor tied the series back up with a 109–105 road win in a foul-filled Game 4. A total of 71 fouls were called throughout the contest, and Seiya Ando, Kevin Young, and Liam McMorrow were fouled out for the Rainmen in the final quarter. In turn, both teams often exchanged trash-talk and officials were forced to separate members of the opposing sides on multiple occasions.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
Halifax started off Game 5 at home on a low note, with Liam McMorrow committing four personal fouls in the first three minutes. Nevertheless, Halifax pulled away with the 125–91 victory, putting them one win away from the title. Rainmen forward Forrest Fisher complained about Windsor, "They're playing very physical, and at times a little bit dirty with sucker punches, and we started playing into their game (Friday) and that's not us.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
A couple of us can play like that, myself included, and we came out tonight and I told them 'hey, let me take the hits, I'm used to that. You guys play your normal game.' We play the way we play, and it doesn't matter how they play." According to The Chronicle Herald, "the game featured several incidents that threatened to escalate into a full-scale brawl." The teams' coaches would frequently have to break up skirmishes and confront officials for what they felt were bad calls.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
In Game 6 of the series, the Express led by four points by the end of the first quarter, but the Rainmen responded with a 21–9 run and led by 12 points at halftime. Windsor, however, entered the fourth quarter with a score of 85–85 after dominating the third. In the third quarter, they shot 21 free throws. The Express kept it close in the final minutes of the game and held Halifax off to win the contest, 119–112, forcing a decisive Game 7. Quinnel Brown led the way for Windsor with 30 points, 16 of them off free throws.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Series
After the game, Rainmen head coach Josep Clarós expressed his unhappiness with the calls made by the referees against his team. Clarós said that rather than protesting to the league, he would "send film to FIBA." He commented on the officiating, "It's ridiculous for a final of a professional league in Canada." An anonymous referee later denounced the league's policy regarding player fines and suspensions. He said, "So you could have a guy punch a guy in the face in Game 1, get kicked out, and be playing in Game 2."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Altercation
The deciding Game 7 of the 2015 Finals was scheduled to be played at 7:00 pm on April 30, 2015 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The Express shootaround was set to take place before that of the Rainmen. The road team was supposed to arrive for warm-ups at approximately 1:00 pm, but entered the stadium approximately two hours earlier. Express assistant coach Gerry Brumpton recounted, "They snuck in here before they even had the light on. We were here in the dark, I opened up the curtain and I looked in and there they were.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Altercation
They were still here working out. So they had been here for a while." The Express told their opponents to leave the arena, but they refused, with one Rainmen player dunking a basketball instead. Windsor's Bill Jones then attempted to take a ball from Halifax center Liam McMorrow, but the player "flinched," pretending to throw a punch. According to Rainmen player Forrest Fisher, Jones tackled McMorrow to the ground and Express guard Tony Bennett followed up by hitting McMorrow with a chair.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Altercation
Referring to the Rainmen, Jones said, "A couple of them kicked me and tried to take swings at me. And my players were there and they came to my rescue to be able to get me up." Soon the violence escalated, with staff members and players from both teams involved. At around 10:40 am, Windsor police received a phone call "that between 15 to 20 men were involved in an altercation." By the time they arrived at the WFCU Centre, however, the fighting was over and the Rainmen players had already reached their team bus.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Forfeit
After leaving the stadium, the Rainmen drove to the airport. Part way there, they crossed paths with Vito Frijia, London Lightning owner and a member of the NBL Canada executive committee, who persuaded Levingston to have the bus pulled over. Despite Frijia spending a good hour attempting to convince the Rainmen's coaches to return to the WFCU Centre and play the game, they refused. According to Frijia:


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Forfeit
"They didn't think about the future of the league, it was almost like the players were brainwashed. They weren't logical comments, the majority of them. ' We think there's going to be a brawl if we go there. We think they're going to undercut us. They're going to intentionally hurt us. We don't feel safe.' Some of the players weren't even on the bus, some of the players had already left."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Incident, Forfeit
The start time of Game 7 of the series was postponed from 8:00 to 8:30 pm AST, but it was cancelled once the Express were informed that the Rainmen had left the city. By the end of the night, Windsor were declared the NBL Canada champions. Shortly before the scheduled start time, the Rainmen said in an official statement, "Due to a physical altercation between the Halifax Rainmen and the Windsor Express, the game has been cancelled citing safety concerns." At around 9:00 pm, the Express were awarded the championship trophy and conducted their post-game celebrations.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
In the weeks after the forfeit, Rainmen guard Joey Haywood recounted that the team had been approached by an unknown man at their hotel following the brawl. Haywood said, "He was pacing around the lobby on his phone eyeing us. He then went to the ATM but didn't actually do anything. He went and sat in a parked car out front. We thought something was going to go down, like he was scouting us out." The Rainmen promptly left on the team bus, and it was considered a motive for forfeiting the game.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
On the morning of May 2, two days after the brawl, Rainmen guard Forrest Fisher wrote on Twitter that he had been kicked out of his apartment without warning. He said, "We were in Toronto Friday morning, and I get a message from the landlord at the apartment I stay at, telling me that my bags have been packed and all of my stuff has been moved to storage." The team management, who were responsible for players' living arrangements, were largely blamed for the affair. The players also claimed that they had not been paid in more than two weeks.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
Members from the Rainmen profusely criticized the brutality of the Express throughout the series as well. Kevin Young was told by some of the Windsor players that their coach had told them to "take out" him, Liam McMorrow and Fisher. Cliff Clinkscales said, "There's a difference between playing physical and dirty and hurting people." Halifax entered Game 7 with two players out with concussions they suffered in the series itself. Clinkscales also played with injured ribs. Despite this, Levingston attempted to convince the players to play without their coaches, who favored forfeiting it.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
He also offered the Rainmen new coaches, a raised salary, and $1,000, but to no avail. Haywood said, "How could we play without coach, bringing another coach in? And do what? Coach us? He doesn't even know us." Levingston, on the other hand, slammed Clarós, saying that "instead of leading our team to the championship, he led a group of talented players to broken contracts and a lifetime of controversy." The owner claimed that he felt cheated and that the players were misled by their coaches. He took full responsibility for leading the Rainmen into the WFCU Centre ahead of schedule but believed that the two teams could have negotiated to avoid conflict.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
Eric Crookshank, who had his jersey retired while playing for Halifax, said that the prospect of having the organization fold was "sad." He also said, "If what these players are saying is true it’s very hurtful to me. It sickening to my stomach that the players say they didn't get paid or they got kicked out of their living arrangements." Joey Haywood criticized the league for not having a players' union or commissioner, with "owners acting like commissioners." He also condemned Levingston for not standing up for his players.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Reaction
On May 7, Clarós issued an open letter to the City of Halifax and the fans of the Rainmen. In a paragraph about the forfeit, he wrote, "At this time, we don't know what the future holds. But there is one thing we know for sure. That when a group of good people unite to take a stand in the name of safety, good values, people’s rights and strong principles, that this will rise above any rules or even winning."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Investigation and charges
In the day after the forfeit, the NBL Canada announced, "The league takes this incident very seriously and we are working to address the matter to ensure it never happens in the future, and so that those who were responsible are held accountable." On May 5, 2015, Dave Magley, head coach and general manager of the Brampton A's during the season, was appointed by the league's Board of Governors to lead the investigation. He had already conducted interviews and spoken to representatives from both teams involved in the brawl. Magley also said that he would consider assuming the position of commissioner if he was approached, succeeding Paul Riley, who was fired in January 2015. Vito Frijia was named league spokesman during the investigation.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Investigation and charges
On May 1, 2015, the league's Board unanimously approved of several charges for players and coaches from the Rainmen. The organization as a whole was fined $20,000 per league rules, head coach Josep Clarós was fined $10,000 and assistant coach Pedro Monteiro was fined $5,000. Both coaches received lifetime bans from the NBL Canada as well. A $5,000 fine was imposed on every player on the team's roster, excluding Douglas Appiah, Jr. who was injured at the time of the brawl. They were also suspended indefinitely during the investigation.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Investigation and charges
Later on, the league allowed the Rainmen's players to apply for reinstatement into the league, although the coaches remained banned for life. Halifax's fines totaled $90,000. The Rainmen were not notified of their fines and suspensions through e-mail or a phone call. Instead they learned of it through Twitter. Clarós officially received his termination letter on May 5, after his contract had already been renewed for one more month. In an effort to give the players and coaches their final paychecks, he contacted the Canadian labour board. After one month, Clarós won the decision, but Levingston declared bankruptcy on July 6, the following day. According to bankruptcy documents, the Rainmen were about $700,000 in debt.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Investigation and charges
Later in the investigation, an additional $4,000 fine was imposed on Monteiro. The coach had a salary of only about $1,500 per month during the eight months he spent with the Rainmen. He was unable to contact team owner Andre Levingston, who did not assist or help him. Monteiro responded to the charges by claiming that they were unfair. In a statement on May 11, he said, "I am looking for help to fight these unjust sanctions and fines so I can continue to work and be able to support my family. The investigation was not full. The truth of what happened is being ignored. I have not been contacted by any league representative."


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Investigation and charges
For the Express, head coach Bill Jones faced a one-year suspension that would bar him from directing his team in the 2015–16 season. He also received a $4,000 fine with Monteiro. The coach accepted responsibility for his role in the incident. Windsor guard Tony Bennett faced an indefinite suspension from the league during the investigation. Frijia said, "It was a very, very big decision to suspend Jones for a year." However, Express owner Dartis Willis claimed that the investigation was "botched," because Magley was an NBL Canada coach that had faced Jones in previous games.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Aftermath
By late August 2015, it became a strong possibility that a new NBL Canada team would be created in Halifax for the 2015–16 season. A new ownership group, led by former Rainmen advisor and CEO of Corporate Research Associates in Don Mills, soon confirmed that the defunct team's reincarnation would compete for the next season. Mills expected a group of 25 shareholders to help start up the organization, many of whom personally paid for the Rainmen's flights and hotels in the last season.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Aftermath
He chose to not include Levingston in the ownership group but allowed him to assume the position as the team's general manager. Mills said, "There would not be a new team in Halifax without Andre. We decided that the only way we would go forward to raise the money was if Andre was part of the solution." Despite this, he preferred to break ties with the Rainmen franchise. It was not disclosed who paid for the $250,000 fee required for a team to register in the NBL Canada.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Aftermath
On October 20, 2015, the team was announced as the Halifax Hurricanes. Mills commented, "We think it's kind of an appropriate name from where we're located and from a sports team's point of view. What it really says is energy and power, so some of the descriptions of hurricanes sort of suit the kind of team that we want as well." The Hurricanes also signed Cliff Clinkscales and Mike Glover as its first players and hired Hugo López as head coach. Mills aimed for lower ticket prices at the team's games.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Aftermath
For the Express, head coach Bill Jones was replaced by his brother Tony Jones, who assumed the position of interim head coach until February 20, 2016. At this time, Bill was reinstated into the NBL Canada, with Tony remaining with Windsor as an assistant coach. Bill said, "What happened in that Game 7 was not Bill Jones. It happened in the heat of the moment and is something I'll probably regret for the rest of my life." Magley said that his concern with the future of the Express organization helped him make the decision to reinstate Jones, who he believed would help the team's fan support grow.


2015 NBL Canada Finals brawl, Aftermath
At the beginning of the new season on December 31, 2015, Clinkscales and Tony Benett were both reinstated after applying to return to the league. The two players received unanimous support from the NBL Canada Board of Governors. Bennett was only suspended for two games and received a $500 fine, while Clinkscales still had a $5,000 fine. On March 11, 2016, Rainmen player Tyrone Watson was also reinstated to the league after paying his $5,000 fine and receiving a unanimous vote. Joey Haywood would also return in the following season.


2015 NBL Canada draft
The 2015 NBL Canada draft was held on November 28, 2015 at the Athlete Institute in Mono, Ontario. During the event, National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players. The new expansion team, the Niagara River Lions, were awarded the first overall pick and selected Erik Copes, a power forward from George Mason in the NCAA Division I. The eighth overall pick in the draft was defunct, due to the folding of the Mississauga Power team during the offseason. Both the River Lions and the Halifax Hurricanes made their first draft picks in franchise history. Matt McLean, out of Bishop's University, was the sole Canadian to be selected. The rest of the field was made up of Americans.


2015 NBL Finals
The 2015 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 2014–15 NBL season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The New Zealand Breakers defeated the Cairns Taipans in two games (2–0) to claim their fourth NBL championship.


2015 NBL Finals, Format
The 2014–15 National Basketball League Finals will be played in February and March 2015 between the top four teams of the regular season, consisting of two best-of-three semi-final and final series, where the higher seed hosts the first and third games.


2015 NBL Finals, Qualification, Seedings
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win-loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.


2015 NBL Finals, Semi-finals series, (1) Cairns Taipans vs (4) Perth Wildcats
Tied 2–2 in the regular season series; 303-291 points differential to Cairns:


2015 NBL Finals, Semi-finals series, (2) New Zealand Breakers vs (3) Adelaide 36ers
Tied 2–2 in the regular season series; 356-340 points differential to New Zealand:


2015 NBP National Challenge Cup
2015 National Football Challenge Cup was the 25th edition of Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup, the main domestic cup in Pakistani football. The tournament was held in Lahore, with the tournament commencing from 15 April 2015 and concluding on 28 April 2015. The season was called NBP National Challenge Cup as it was sponsored by National Bank of Pakistan.


2015 NBPA Players Awards
The 2015 NBPA Players Awards was the inaugural presentation of the NBPA Players Awards. Organized and administered by the National Basketball Players Association, the awards presentation was presented on Sunday, 19 July 2015. It was recorded for broadcast by BET Networks and an edited presentation was broadcast on Tuesday, 21 July 2015 at 8pm in the Eastern time zone by the BET and Centric cable networks. Both networks were controlled by BET Networks.


2015 NBPA Players Awards
In addition to a number of NBA players, several entertainers appeared on the broadcast including Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Jason Derulo, Fifth Harmony, Monica, Kid Ink, DJ Khaled and comedian Gary Owen. The awards presentation was hosted by comedian Jay Pharoah of Saturday Night Live.


2015 NBPA Players Awards, Methodology
On 15 April 2015, Michèle Roberts, the Executive Director of the NBPA issued a statement announcing the categories and methodology by which players would be voted upon. Ms. Roberts pointed out that candidates were recommended in eight of ten categories with players having the option to write in a name in those eight categories. The vote for MVP was a write-in vote. Every active NBA player during the 2014-15 season voted privately by paper ballot which was sealed and submitted to the American Arbitration Association for tabulation before the end of the regular season.


2015 NBPA Players Awards, Methodology
In subsequent press releases, "top vote getters" were listed alphabetically.


2015 NBPA Players Awards, Honorees
In addition to the awards voted upon, three additional honorees were announced during the awards broadcast.


2015 NC State Wolfpack baseball team
The 2015 NC State Wolfpack baseball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wolfpack played their home games at Doak Field as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by head coach Elliott Avent, in his 19th season at NC State.


2015 NC State Wolfpack baseball team, Previous Season
In 2014, the Wolfpack finished the season 5th in the ACC's Atlantic Division with a record of 32–23, 13–17 in conference play. They qualified for the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, and were eliminated in the play-in round. They failed to qualify for the 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2015 NC State Wolfpack baseball team, Season, February
The Wolfpack opened the season on February 13 with a game against Villanova, as part of a three-day tournament at home at Doak Field. However, the games on February 15 were cancelled due to impending weather, including NC State's game with Appalachian State. Against Villanova, the Wolfpack jumped out to a 10–0 lead after two innings, 13–0 lead after six, and eventually went on to win by a score of 14–5. In the second game of the weekend, the Wolfpack faced Davidson. Preston Palmiero went 5-for-5 from the plate and the Wolfpack defeated the Wildcats, 8–3. The Wolfpack had a game scheduled for February 17 against UNC Wilmington, but it was cancelled due to impending weather.


2015 NC State Wolfpack football team
The 2015 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was their third season under head coach Dave Doeren. They were a member of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in ACC play to finish in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Belk Bowl where they lost to Mississippi State.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament began on Friday, May 29, 2015, as part of the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2015 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which began on June 13 and ended on June 24 with the Virginia Cavaliers upsetting the defending champion Vanderbilt Commodores 4–2 in the decisive Game 3 and thereby avenging their CWS Finals loss to Vanderbilt the previous year.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 64 participating NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of an eligible 298 teams. Thirty-one teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conferences, and 33 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
Teams were divided into 16 regionals of four teams, which conducted a double-elimination tournament. Regional champions then faced each other in Super Regionals, a best-of-three series to determine the eight participants of the College World Series.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia split the first two games of the best-of-three championship series before Virginia won Game 3, 4–2, to win their first national championship in baseball. The two teams previously met in the championship series in 2014, which Vanderbilt won.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, National seeds
With the exception of Missouri State, these teams would automatically host a super regional if they advanced that far. Missouri State was not able to host because of a venue scheduling conflict.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, National seeds
Bold indicates College World Series participant† indicates teams that were eliminated in the Regional Tournament‡ indicates teams that were eliminated in the Super Regional Tournament


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Regionals and Super Regionals
Bold indicates winner. Seeds for regional tournaments indicate seeds within regional. Seeds for super regional tournaments indicate national seeds only.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Regionals and Super Regionals, Charlottesville Super Regional
†UC Santa Barbara was unable to host at their home stadium, Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, due to inadequate facilities according to NCAA regional hosting guidelines.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Regionals and Super Regionals, Fayetteville Super Regional
Hosted by Arkansas at Baum Stadium, due to a scheduling conflict with the Springfield Cardinals, who also play at Missouri State's Hammons Field.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, College World Series
The College World Series was held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, College World Series, All-Tournament Team
The following players were members of the College World Series All-Tournament Team.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Record by conference
The columns RF, SR, WS, NS, CS, and NC respectively stand for the Regional Finals, Super Regionals, College World Series, National Semifinals, Championship Series, and National Champion.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Media coverage, Radio
NRG Media provided nationwide radio coverage of the College World Series through its Omaha station KOZN, in association with Westwood One. It was streamed at   and on . Kevin Kugler and John Bishop called all games leading up to the Championship Series with Gary Sharp acting as the field reporter. The Championship Series was called by Kugler and Scott Graham with Sharp acting as the field reporter.


2015 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Media coverage, Television
ESPN carried every game from the Regionals, Super Regionals, and College World Series across the ESPN Networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, LHN, and ESPN3). ESPN also provided "Bases Loaded" coverage for the Regionals. Bases Loaded was hosted by Brendan Fitzgerald and Matt Schick with Kyle Peterson and Ben McDonald providing analysis. "Bases Loaded" aired Friday-Sunday from 1 p.m.–midnight EDT and Monday from 6 p.m.–midnight EDT on ESPN3. ESPN2 and ESPNU aired "Bases Loaded" in between games and throughout other select times during the tournament.


2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
The 2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were the 77th NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship and the 35th NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship to determine the national champions of men's and women's NCAA Division I collegiate cross country running. It was held at E. P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky and was hosted by the University of Louisville on November 21, 2015. Four different championships were contested: men's and women's individual and team championships.


2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
Syracuse won the men's team championship, their first since 1951. Oregon's Edward Cheserek won the men's individual event, his third consecutive championship. Cheserek joined Gerry Lindgren, Steve Prefontaine, and Henry Rono as the event's only three-time champions.


2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
New Mexico won the women's team championship, their first. It was UNM's first women's team national championship in any sport. Notre Dame's Molly Seidel won the individual event.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Two human polls and a committee's selections comprised the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. One additional poll is released midway through the season; the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings are released after the eighth week.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
This was the second season of the four-team College Football Playoff system which replaced the previous Bowl Championship Series system. At the conclusion of the regular season, on Sunday, December 6, 2015, the final CFP rankings will determine who will play in the two bowl games designated as semifinals for the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 11, 2016, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 3, 2015 and ended on December 12, 2015. The postseason concluded on January 11, 2016 with Alabama defeating Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. This was the second season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) championship system.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Rule changes
The following rule changes have been made by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2015 season:


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Rule changes
A proposed rule to change the ineligible downfield rule from three yards to one yard past the line of scrimmage was tabled and not voted on; however it will be a point of emphasis for the season.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Rule changes
The use of advanced technology in games (e.g., wireless communication between on-field players and the bench, use of tablets by coaches for non-medical reasons, helmet cameras for players) is being studied by a committee for possible future implementation.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Conference realignment, Membership changes
Charlotte transitioned from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and played its first season in FBS as a provisional member, becoming a football-sponsoring member of Conference USA after joining as a non-football member in 2013.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Conference realignment, Membership changes
UAB controversially shut down its football program following the 2014 season, after school administrators claimed that rising monetary costs made fielding an FBS team unfeasible. Following public outcry and fundraising efforts, the school announced less than six months later that the football team would be reinstated. UAB football returned to FBS and Conference USA for the 2017 season.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Regular season top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that fail to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets, Jacksonville State at Auburn game
On September 12, Auburn avoided a defeat that would have ranked with the biggest upsets in college football history with an overtime touchdown run to a 27–20 win over FCS foe Jacksonville State. Auburn had to score a touchdown in the final minute of regulation just to tie the game and then had to convert another touchdown in Auburn's first possession in overtime to win. No FCS team has defeated a ranked FBS team since August 31, 2013, when Eastern Washington beat Oregon State 49–46. An Auburn loss would have compared with Michigan's loss to Appalachian State on September 3, 2007. Jacksonville State, 41-point underdogs entering Saturday's game, nearly became just the second FCS team to defeat an AP Top 10 FBS opponent.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets, Upsets involving officiating, Miami vs. Duke
On October 31, Miami beat Duke 30–27 on a game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown that included eight laterals. However, the Atlantic Coast Conference acknowledged the next day that the kickoff return touchdown should not have counted as officials made four major errors during the play:


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets, Upsets involving officiating, Nebraska vs. Michigan State
On November 7, Nebraska defeated Michigan State by a score of 39–38. Nebraska ran a 91-yard scoring drive in 38 seconds, capped by Tommy Armstrong Jr.'s 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Reilly, leaving 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Before the catch, Reilly went out of bounds on his route, making him an ineligible receiver. Replay officials determined that Michigan State cornerback Jermaine Edmondson had forced him out of bounds, although replay footage seemed to show that Reilly had gone out of bounds on his own accord. The ruling on the field stood, upholding Nebraska's game-winning touchdown.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets, Upsets involving officiating, Nebraska vs. Michigan State
After the game Bill Carollo, the Big Ten's coordinator of officials, said in a statement via ESPN: "They can't review whether it was a force out/contact on the play. They can only review if there was clear evidence of no contact and he (Reilly) re-established himself in the field of play. If he goes out of bounds on his own with no contact, it's an illegal touch. Therefore, the call stood."


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Updated stadiums
No FBS programs opened new stadiums for the 2015 season. However, one school played its first season in FBS, and several other programs expanded or renovated their stadiums:


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Conference summaries
Rankings reflect the Week 14 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Postseason, Bowl selections
Since the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games have hosted two semi-final playoff games on a rotating basis. For this season, the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl Classic will host the semi-final games, with the winners advancing to the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Postseason, Bowl selections, Bowl ineligible teams
Note: Teams with Asterisk(*) qualified for bowls based on Academic Progress Rate, despite not having a bowl eligible record


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Awards and honors, Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Coaching changes
This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2015. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2015, see 2014 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.


2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Television viewers and ratings, Most watched regular season games
All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll before (11/3) and the CFP Rankings thereafter.


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
Two human polls comprise the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), college football's governing body, the NCAA, bestows the national championship title through a 24-team tournament. The following weekly polls determine the top 25 teams at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football for the 2015 season. The STATS poll is voted by media members while the Coaches' Poll is determined by coaches at the FCS level. STATS LLC acquired The Sports Network, which previously sponsored the media poll, in early 2015.


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on August 29, 2015, and concluded with the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game played on January 9, 2016, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Conference changes and new programs
One team left the FCS to transition to FBS while two schools added football at the FCS level, all moves officially taking effect on July 1, 2015.


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Updated stadiums
No FCS schools opened new stadiums for the 2015 season, however two new programs debuted in the season:


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Conference summaries, Other conference winners
Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.


2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Coaching changes, Preseason and in-season
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2015. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2015, see 2014 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.


2015 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship
The 2015 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship was the 35th women's collegiate field hockey tournament organized by the NCAA, to determine the top Division I college field hockey team in the United States. The semifinals and championship match were played at the Ocker Field Hockey Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan from November 20 to 22, 2015. This was the first time Michigan hosted the tournament finals.


2015 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship
Syracuse defeated North Carolina, 4–2, to win their first national title.


2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
The 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2014 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 10, 2015, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. EST, and was the culminating game of the 2014 FCS Playoffs. With sponsorship by Northwestern Mutual, the game was officially known as the NCAA FCS Championship presented by Northwestern Mutual.


2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, Teams
The participants of the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game were the finalists of the 2014 FCS Playoffs, which began with a 24-team bracket. No. 2 seed North Dakota State and No. 5 seed Illinois State qualified for the final by winning their semifinal games.


2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, Teams, North Dakota State Bison
Led by first-year head coach Chris Klieman, the Bison finished the regular season 11–1, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with Illinois State) and the No. 2 seed in the FCS Playoffs. North Dakota State defeated unseeded South Dakota State, No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina, and unseeded Sam Houston State to reach the final. The Bison entered the Championship game with a 3–0 record in previous FCS Championships, having won the last three straight.


2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, Teams, Illinois State Redbirds
Led by sixth-year head coach Brock Spack, the Redbirds finished the regular season 10–1, 7–1 in MVFC play, to earn a conference co-championship (shared with North Dakota State) and the No. 5 seed in the FCS Playoffs. Illinois State defeated unseeded Northern Iowa, No. 4 seed Eastern Washington, and No. 1 seed New Hampshire to reach their first-ever final.


2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
The 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships was the 51st NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 34th NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas near the campus of the host school, the University of Arkansas. In total, thirty-two different men's and women's indoor track and field events were contested from March 13 to March 14, 2015.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
The 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game was the final game of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, determining the national champion for the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played on April 6, 2015, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana between the 2015 South regional champions, first-seeded Duke and the 2015 West regional champions, first-seeded Wisconsin.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
The first half of the national championship game was tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than six points. At halftime, the score was tied at 31. Wisconsin scored first in the second half, and slowly built the lead as high as nine points. However, Duke fought back, and tied the score at 54 with 7 minutes to go. Duke took the lead for the first time in the second half with 5:30 remaining, but the game remained tight.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
With 3:30 remaining, Duke held a one-point lead, when Jahlil Okafor re-entered the game after sitting most of the second half in foul trouble. He scored on back to back possessions, giving Duke a 63–58 lead. After that, the closest Wisconsin got was 66–63 with 45 seconds left. Duke hit two foul shots and Wisconsin did not score again for a 68–63 final margin. The win gave Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski his fifth title, putting him in second place all-time for Division I Men's Basketball Titles.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Overview
The 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game was played on April 6, 2015, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It featured the 2015 South regional champions, the first-seeded Duke Blue Devils, and the 2015 West regional champions, the first-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. This marked the first time since 2008 that the national title game was played between two #1 seeded teams. That year, Kansas defeated Memphis 75–68 in overtime. (Memphis' participation in the tournament was later officially vacated.)


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Overview
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made his ninth title game appearance and was seeking his fifth Division I Championship. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan made his first Division I Championship Game appearance. He previously won four Division III titles with UW–Platteville.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Overview
The game was the first Championship Game appearance for the Badgers since they won the 1941 Championship in Kansas City. The Blue Devils last made the Finals in 2010, which they won in Indianapolis. Early in the 2014–15 season, Duke played Wisconsin in the 2014 ACC–Big Ten Challenge. Duke won the game 80–70 in a battle of big men between Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, Wisconsin
After a 28–3 regular season, Wisconsin beat Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State en route to the Big Ten Tournament Championship. They were rewarded with the top seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament.


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, Wisconsin
Frank Kaminsky's double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds, Sam Dekker's 20 points and Nigel Hayes' 15 points helped Wisconsin beat 16th seeded Coastal Carolina 86–72 in the second round (i.e., round of 64) of the NCAA Tournament. In the third round (i.e., round of 32), Dekker's 17 points and Kaminsky's 16 points helped Wisconsin pull away from 8th seeded Oregon for a 72–65 victory to advance to the Sweet 16 (i.e., the West regional semifinals).


2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, Wisconsin
In the Sweet 16, Wisconsin used a 19–7 run to come back from a 53–46 deficit with 11 minutes remaining and take a 65–60 lead with five minutes remaining. Wisconsin used late free throws to deny 4th seeded North Carolina's upset bid and earn a 79–72 victory. They were led by Dekker's career high 23 points and 10 rebounds, and 19 points from Kaminsky.