| 2005 Detroit Shock season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Bill Laimbeer |
| Arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Attendance | 9,374 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 16–18 (.471) |
| Place | 4th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost First Round (2-0) to Connecticut Sun |
The 2005 WNBA season was the eighth for the Detroit Shock. Although they played mediocre basketball, the Shock barely made the playoffs, as they eventually made a quick exit from the playoffs, losing in a sweep by the Connecticut Sun.
Offseason
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 7 | Kara Braxton (F) | 
United States |
Georgia |
| 1 | 13 | Dionnah Jackson (F) |
United States |
Oklahoma |
| 2 | 20 | Nikita Bell (F/G) |
United States |
North Carolina |
| 3 | 33 | Jenni Lingor (G) |
United States |
Southwest Missouri State |
Regular season
Season standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Sun x | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 13–7 |
| Indiana Fever x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 5.0 | 14–3 | 7–10 | 14–6 |
| New York Liberty x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 8.0 | 10–7 | 8–9 | 9–11 |
| Detroit Shock x | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 12–5 | 4–13 | 11–9 |
| Washington Mystics o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 10.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 9–11 |
| Charlotte Sting o | 6 | 28 | .176 | 20.0 | 5–12 | 1–16 | 4–16 |
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
| May 21 | Connecticut | 78-67 | Win | 1-0 |
| May 22 | @ New York | 78-71 | Win | 2-0 |
| May 24 | San Antonio | 74-65 | Win | 3-0 |
| June 3 | New York | 68-66 (OT) | Win | 4-0 |
| June 8 | Seattle | 61-76 | Loss | 4-1 |
| June 10 | Charlotte | 69-55 | Win | 5-1 |
| June 12 | @ New York | 69-72 | Loss | 5-2 |
| June 15 | @ Indiana | 79-84 (OT) | Loss | 5-3 |
| June 18 | @ Connecticut | 63-73 | Loss | 5-4 |
| June 24 | Washington | 55-69 | Loss | 5-5 |
| June 26 | Los Angeles | 79-73 | Win | 6-5 |
| July 1 | Sacramento | 63-80 | Loss | 6-6 |
| July 5 | Houston | 66-75 | Loss | 6-7 |
| July 7 | @ Washington | 76-62 | Win | 7-7 |
| July 13 | @ Minnesota | 61-71 | Loss | 7-8 |
| July 15 | @ Indiana | 57-62 | Loss | 7-9 |
| July 17 | Indiana | 58-59 | Loss | 7-10 |
| July 20 | Connecticut | 66-57 | Win | 8-10 |
| July 23 | @ Seattle | 71-74 | Loss | 8-11 |
| July 24 | @ Sacramento | 51-91 | Loss | 8-12 |
| July 30 | @ Connecticut | 75-66 | Win | 9-12 |
| July 31 | Phoenix | 66-63 | Win | 10-12 |
| August 2 | @ Houston | 61-62 | Loss | 10-13 |
| August 6 | @ Charlotte | 73-82 (2OT) | Loss | 10-14 |
| August 7 | New York | 72-67 | Win | 11-14 |
| August 9 | Charlotte | 71-64 | Win | 12-14 |
| August 11 | Minnesota | 72-66 (OT) | Win | 13-14 |
| August 13 | @ San Antonio | 60-59 | Win | 14-14 |
| August 16 | @ Phoenix | 51-58 | Loss | 14-15 |
| August 19 | @ Los Angeles | 67-74 | Loss | 14-16 |
| August 21 | Washington | 66-52 | Win | 15-16 |
| August 23 | @ Charlotte | 49-56 | Loss | 15-17 |
| August 25 | Indiana | 55-40 | Win | 16-17 |
| August 27 | @ Washington | 67-76 | Loss | 16-18 |
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
| Eastern Conference Semifinals | |||||
| 1 | August 31 | Connecticut | 62-73 | Loss | 0-1 |
| 2 | September 2 | @ Connecticut | 67-75 | Loss | 0-2 |
Player stats
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
| Deanna Nolan | 33 | 156 | 121 | 55 | 14 | 524 |
| Cheryl Ford | 33 | 322 | 26 | 33 | 46 | 313 |
| Ruth Riley | 33 | 156 | 39 | 23 | 46 | 251 |
| Kara Braxton | 33 | 100 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 227 |
| Plenette Pierson | 23 | 62 | 21 | 14 | 6 | 178 |
| Elaine Powell | 29 | 80 | 77 | 29 | 4 | 163 |
| Chandi Jones | 21 | 31 | 23 | 13 | 2 | 125 |
| Katie Smith | 13 | 28 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 124 |
| Swin Cash | 21 | 88 | 43 | 12 | 6 | 119 |
| Barbara Farris | 34 | 84 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 83 |
| Ayana Walker | 12 | 47 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 59 |
| Sheila Lambert | 12 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 33 |
| Andrea Stinson | 18 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 22 |
| Niele Ivey | 12 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Stacey Thomas | 17 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 12 |