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The 1984 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983–84 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP.
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 17–June 12, 1984 |
| Season | 1983–84 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics (15th title) |
| Runner-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Semifinalists | |
This was the first postseason allowing 16 teams to qualify, a format still in use. The first round format was also changed from best-of-3 to best-of 5.
It was the first NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since 1969; they met 7 times in the Finals from 1959 to 1969, with Boston coming out on top each year. Going into the 1984 playoffs, the Lakers had already won 2 titles in the 1980s and the Celtics 1, making the revival of the Celtics–Lakers rivalry arguably inevitable and certainly highly anticipated.
Two teams made their playoff debuts and won their first playoff series: the Utah Jazz (who joined the NBA for the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz) and Dallas Mavericks, a 1980 expansion team. The Jazz did not miss the playoffs again until 2004.
The Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 1977, starting a string of nine consecutive appearances that included five straight Conference Finals appearances (1987–1991), three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (1988, 1989, and 1990) and two NBA Championships. They did not miss the playoffs again until 1993.
The New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time in their NBA history, upsetting the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in 5. This was also the only time the road team won every game in a five-game playoff series. The Nets would not win a playoff series again until 2002.
This was the final postseason appearance for the Kansas City Kings, as the team moved to Sacramento, California two seasons later. Kemper Arena hosted its final NBA playoff game.
The Kingdome also hosted its final NBA playoff game, as the Seattle SuperSonics moved back full-time to the Seattle Center Coliseum two years later. However, the Kingdome continued to host Sonics regular season games on occasion until 1994.
The 1984 playoffs also involved two of the hottest games in NBA history. Game 5 of the First Round between the Knicks and Pistons was played at Joe Louis Arena, as the Pontiac Silverdome was unavailable, with temperatures reaching as high as 120°. Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers at Boston Garden reached temperatures as high as 100°, as the Garden lacked air-conditioning, coupled with the sweltering outdoors conditions in Boston.
This is the last postseason of using the 2-2-1-1-1 format of the NBA Finals until 2014; the 1985 NBA Finals was changed to the 2-3-2 format the next season.
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| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Washington | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New Jersey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New Jersey | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Atlanta | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Kansas City | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Seattle | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Utah* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Utah* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Denver | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
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Eastern Conference first round
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Washington Bullets
April 17 |
| Washington Bullets 83, Boston Celtics 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 12–19, 20–22, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Ricky Sobers 24 Rebs: Rick Mahorn 14 Asts: Jeff Ruland 10 |
Pts: Larry Bird 23 Rebs: Robert Parish 14 Asts: Larry Bird 12 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 |
| Washington Bullets 85, Boston Celtics 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 18–30, 21–20, 17–19 | ||
| Pts: Greg Ballard 20 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 10 Asts: Jeff Ruland 8 |
Pts: Larry Bird 23 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Larry Bird 6 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 21 |
| Boston Celtics 108, Washington Bullets 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–24, 17–29, 32–21, Overtime: 10–13 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Bird, Johnson 6 each |
Pts: Jeff Ruland 33 Rebs: Rick Mahorn 15 Asts: Ricky Sobers 11 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
- Robert Parish hits the game-tying jumper with 21 seconds left to force OT.
April 24 |
| Boston Celtics 99, Washington Bullets 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 31–17, 18–24, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish 20 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Larry Bird 7 |
Pts: Jeff Ruland 30 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 15 Asts: Jeff Ruland 8 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 13,853 Referees: John Vanak, Hue Hollins, Wally Rooney (alternate) |
| Boston won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks
April 17 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 16–25, 21–30, 28–20 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 21 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 10 Asts: Johnny Davis 7 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief 19 Rebs: Paul Mokeski 9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 |
| Atlanta Hawks 87, Milwaukee Bucks 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–24, 27–29, 26–24, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 22 Rebs: Roundfield, Rollins 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson 8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson 27 Rebs: Alton Lister 10 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 21 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 94, Atlanta Hawks 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 26–22, 19–31, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 28 Rebs: M. Johnson, Lanier 10 each Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Dan Roundfield 25 Rebs: Roundfield, Brown 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 97, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 23–24, 30–23, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Junior Bridgeman 20 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 13 Asts: Mike Dunleavy 6 |
Pts: Wilkins, Rivers 19 each Rebs: Dan Roundfield 13 Asts: Johnny Davis 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 26 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 21–32, 23–31, 27–33 | ||
| Pts: Doc Rivers 21 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins 13 Asts: Doc Rivers 6 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief 20 Rebs: Bob Lanier 11 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 8 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Bucks.[2]
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
April 18 |
| New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–29, 25–27, 22–19, 30–26 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams 25 Rebs: Buck Williams 16 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 |
Pts: Andrew Toney 24 Rebs: Moses Malone 11 Asts: Julius Erving 8 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 35–21, 22–23, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson 32 Rebs: Buck Williams 9 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 |
Pts: Moses Malone 25 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: Toney, Richardson 4 each | |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 22 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 108, New Jersey Nets 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 26–24, 27–23, 30–24 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Erving, Cheeks 5 each |
Pts: Buck Williams 21 Rebs: Buck Williams 17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 11 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–1 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 12,399 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Lee Jones |
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 110, New Jersey Nets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 18–22, 28–25, 30–33 | ||
| Pts: Malone, Erving 22 each Rebs: Moses Malone 15 Asts: Julius Erving 8 |
Pts: Albert King 20 Rebs: Buck Williams 18 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 20,149 Referees: Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis |
April 26 |
| New Jersey Nets 101, Philadelphia 76ers 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 19–28, 26–23, 25–22 | ||
| Pts: Richardson, Birdsong 24 each Rebs: Buck Williams 16 Asts: Richardson, Birdsong 6 each |
Pts: Andrew Toney 22 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 | |
| New Jersey wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting.
| Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) New York Knicks
April 17 |
| New York Knicks 94, Detroit Pistons 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–31, 23–22, 24–23, 30–17 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 36 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 11 Asts: Darrell Walker 7 |
Pts: Kelly Tripucka 26 Rebs: Kent Benson 14 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 |
| New York Knicks 105, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–38, 30–30, 21–24, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 46 Rebs: Truck Robinson 11 Asts: Ray Williams 9 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer 31 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 15 Asts: Isiah Thomas 13 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Detroit Pistons 113, New York Knicks 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 20–28, 36–32, 41–34 | ||
| Pts: Kelly Tripucka 40 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 5 |
Pts: Bernard King 46 Rebs: Bernard King 10 Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 | |
| New York leads series, 2–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 16,354 Referees: Jess Kersey, Hue Hollins, Dick Bavetta (alternate) |
April 25 |
| Detroit Pistons 119, New York Knicks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35-34, 30–33, 24–21, 30–24 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 22 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 16 |
Pts: Bernard King 41 Rebs: Truck Robinson 12 Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 27 |
| New York Knicks 127, Detroit Pistons 123 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 28–25, 26–18, 29–35, Overtime: 13–9 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 44 Rebs: Bernard King 12 Asts: Ray Williams 12 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 35 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 17 Asts: Isiah Thomas 12 | |
| New York wins series, 3–2 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 21,208 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom, Ed Middleton (alternate) |
- Bernard King/Isiah Thomas Duel. King put up 44 points while having the flu and both middle fingers dislocated, while Thomas scored 16 points in the last 93 seconds of regulation to force OT.
| Detroit won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Knicks.[4]
Western Conference first round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Kansas City Kings
April 18 |
| Kansas City Kings 105, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 18–27, 20–32, 41–27 | ||
| Pts: Eddie Johnson 25 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson 7 Asts: Larry Drew 7 |
Pts: Magic Johnson 26 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Kansas City Kings 102, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 18–26, 32–25, 29–28 | ||
| Pts: LaSalle Thompson 23 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson 14 Asts: Reggie Theus 6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 22 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Kansas City Kings 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–24, 24–19, 25–29, 24–30 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Rebs: M. Johnson, Worthy 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Theus, Woodson 22 each Rebs: Larry Micheaux 10 Asts: Reggie Theus 7 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 3–0 | ||
| Los Angeles won 5–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first six meetings. All previous series took place while the Lakers franchise were in Minneapolis and the Royals/Kings franchise in Rochester.
| Los Angeles/ Minneapolis leads 5–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Utah Jazz vs. (7) Denver Nuggets
April 17 |
| Denver Nuggets 121, Utah Jazz 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 28–28, 28–41, 38–25 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 33 Rebs: Dan Issel 10 Asts: Rob Williams 8 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 9 Asts: Rickey Green 12 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 |
| Denver Nuggets 132, Utah Jazz 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–29, 32–32, 32–26, 30–29 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel 33 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 10 Asts: Rob Williams 5 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 27 Rebs: Dantley, Wilkins 6 each Asts: Rickey Green 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Utah Jazz 117, Denver Nuggets 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–25, 28–35, 24–30, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 29 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 11 Asts: Rickey Green 12 |
Pts: Alex English 29 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 10 Asts: Alex English 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 14,681 Referees: Paul Mihalak, Joe Crawford, Tommy Nunez (alternate) |
April 24 |
| Utah Jazz 129, Denver Nuggets 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 36–37, 26–29, 32–24 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 39 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 8 Asts: Adrian Dantley 7 |
Pts: Dan Issel 32 Rebs: Alex English 10 Asts: Alex English 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 16,108 Referees: Hugh Evans, Bill Oakes, Bruce Alexander (alternate) |
April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 111, Utah Jazz 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–41, 31–31, 29–31, 24–34 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel 25 Rebs: Alex English 11 Asts: Alex English 9 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 12 Asts: Rickey Green 16 | |
| Utah wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Jazz.[6]
(3) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
April 18 |
| Phoenix Suns 113, Portland Trail Blazers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–30, 29–26, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: James Edwards 23 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Walter Davis 13 |
Pts: Kenny Carr 24 Rebs: Calvin Natt 9 Asts: Thompson, Valentine 6 each | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 116, Portland Trail Blazers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–34, 21–30, 25–39, 33–19 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 25 Rebs: Lucas, Davis 5 each Asts: Alvan Adams 5 |
Pts: Jim Paxson 27 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 13 Asts: Darnell Valentine 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 103, Phoenix Suns 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 32–26, 26–20, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Darnell Valentine 29 Rebs: Thompson, Carr 8 each Asts: Darnell Valentine 10 |
Pts: Walter Davis 27 Rebs: Nance, Lucas 10 each Asts: Walter Davis 10 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 113, Phoenix Suns 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–26, 24–26, 29–32, 28–26 | ||
| Pts: Calvin Natt 30 Rebs: Calvin Natt 8 Asts: Darnell Valentine 13 |
Pts: Walter Davis 29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 10 Asts: Davis, Macy 7 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 26 |
| Phoenix Suns 117, Portland Trail Blazers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–25, 23–33, 25–17, 34–30 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 12 Asts: Walter Davis 10 |
Pts: Jim Paxson 24 Rebs: Natt, Drexler 10 each Asts: Darnell Valentine 5 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Portland won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.
| Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Seattle SuperSonics
April 17 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 86, Dallas Mavericks 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–23, 18–20, 21–26, 14–19 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 37 Rebs: Danny Vranes 8 Asts: Gus Williams 8 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre 20 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 11 Asts: Brad Davis 10 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 95, Dallas Mavericks 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 29–26, 20–22, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Gus Williams 11 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman 28 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 17 Asts: Rolando Blackman 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
- Gus Williams banks in the game-winning 3 at the buzzer.
April 21 |
| Dallas Mavericks 94, Seattle SuperSonics 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 32–28, 16–31, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 27 Rebs: Jay Vincent 10 Asts: Rolando Blackman 5 |
Pts: Jack Sikma 23 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: Gus Williams 15 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24 |
| Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle SuperSonics 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 22–23, 30–22, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 29 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 11 each Asts: Brad Davis 8 |
Pts: Jack Sikma 27 Rebs: Jack Sikma 14 Asts: Gus Williams 9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 26 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 104, Dallas Mavericks 105 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 27–23, 22–23, 24–23, Overtime: 9–10 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 27 Rebs: Danny Vranes 11 Asts: Gus Williams 14 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman 29 Rebs: Jay Vincent 10 Asts: Rolando Blackman 8 | |
| Dallas wins series, 3–2 | ||
- Game 5 was not played at Reunion Arena because it was booked for a World Championship Tennis event.
| Seattle won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the SuperSonics.[8]
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Eastern Conference semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) New York Knicks
April 29 |
| New York Knicks 92, Boston Celtics 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 22–33, 24–28, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 26 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Rory Sparrow 6 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Larry Bird 12 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 |
| New York Knicks 102, Boston Celtics 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 30–32, 21–25, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Bill Cartwright 25 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 11 Asts: Rory Sparrow 5 |
Pts: Larry Bird 37 Rebs: Bird, Parish 11 each Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Boston Celtics 92, New York Knicks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 27–17, 18–27, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 24 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 4 |
Pts: Bill Cartwright 25 Rebs: King, Robinson 9 each Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 |
| Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 30–30, 28–21, 30–31 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 29 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 |
Pts: Bernard King 43 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Ray Williams 9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 9 |
| New York Knicks 99, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–32, 25–34, 31–22, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 30 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 10 Asts: Ray Williams 10 |
Pts: Larry Bird 26 Rebs: Robert Parish 10 Asts: Larry Bird 10 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 11 |
| Boston Celtics 104, New York Knicks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 23–29, 24–23, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 35 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Gerald Henderson 8 |
Pts: Bernard King 44 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 14 Asts: Rory Sparrow 11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 13 |
| New York Knicks 104, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 26–31, 23–29, 29–25 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 24 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Ray Williams 7 |
Pts: Larry Bird 39 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Larry Bird 10 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning five series apiece.
| Tied 5–5 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
April 29 |
| New Jersey Nets 106, Milwaukee Bucks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 23–22, 33–23, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 32 Rebs: Buck Williams 17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson 23 Rebs: Bob Lanier 10 Asts: Marques Johnson 8 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 |
| New Jersey Nets 94, Milwaukee Bucks 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 16–20, 27–24, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams 21 Rebs: Buck Williams 18 Asts: Williams, Richardson 5 each |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief 28 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 8 Asts: Johnson, Pressey 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 100, New Jersey Nets 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 25–20, 21–23, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 27 Rebs: Alton Lister 12 Asts: Moncrief, Johnson 4 each |
Pts: Darryl Dawkins 31 Rebs: Buck Williams 14 Asts: Richardson, Cook 6 each | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 99, New Jersey Nets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 34–29, 16–17, 19–35 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 26 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 9 Asts: Bob Lanier 7 |
Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson 24 Rebs: Buck Williams 10 Asts: Otis Birdsong 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 8 |
| New Jersey Nets 82, Milwaukee Bucks 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–30, 21–18, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 20 Rebs: Williams, Dawkins 8 each Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 6 |
Pts: Marques Johnson 22 Rebs: Lister, Lanier 10 each Asts: Paul Pressey 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 98, New Jersey Nets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 20–22, 30–21, 25–30 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 25 Rebs: Marques Johnson 13 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 7 |
Pts: Darryl Dawkins 29 Rebs: Buck Williams 12 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Milwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the Nets.[10]
Western Conference semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks
April 28 |
| Dallas Mavericks 91, Los Angeles Lakers 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 17–32, 28–31, 25–35 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 16 Rebs: Kurt Nimphius 10 Asts: Davis, Turner 4 each |
Pts: Mike McGee 25 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 |
| Dallas Mavericks 101, Los Angeles Lakers 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 26–25, 22–35, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 27 Rebs: Dale Ellis 8 Asts: Mark Aguirre 5 |
Pts: Magic Johnson 27 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Dallas Mavericks 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 23–33, 36–32, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 24 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 14 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman 31 Rebs: Pat Cummings 14 Asts: Davis, Harper 6 each | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 122, Dallas Mavericks 115 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–30, 27–23, 29–26, 18–29, Overtime: 14–7 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 11 each Asts: Magic Johnson 16 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre 34 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 7 each Asts: Blackman, Aguirre 6 each | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Ed Middleton, Hue Hollins (alternate) |
- Pat Cummings hits the game-tying layup with 31 seconds left before Derek Harper made a mistake by dribbling out the clock thinking Dallas was ahead by one, when the score was actually tied.
May 8 |
| Dallas Mavericks 99, Los Angeles Lakers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 25–29, 25–39, 30–14 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 25 Rebs: Dale Ellis 10 Asts: Brad Davis 6 |
Pts: Mike McGee 27 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson 15 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Dallas won 3–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Lakers.[11]
(2) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
April 29 |
| Phoenix Suns 95, Utah Jazz 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 30–30, 21–27, 23–19 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 21 Rebs: James Edwards 8 Asts: Walter Davis 7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 36 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 13 Asts: Rickey Green 16 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 |
| Phoenix Suns 102, Utah Jazz 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 35–26, 20–17, 22–24 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 28 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 15 Asts: Kyle Macy 7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 26 Rebs: Mark Eaton 9 Asts: Rickey Green 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 4 |
| Utah Jazz 94, Phoenix Suns 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–30, 18–33, 30–17 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 31 Rebs: Mark Eaton 11 Asts: Rickey Green 4 |
Pts: Walter Davis 30 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 14 Asts: Kyle Macy 7 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell |
May 6 |
| Utah Jazz 110, Phoenix Suns 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 22–22, 25–22, 27–26, Overtime: 7–8 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 37 Rebs: Mark Eaton 12 Asts: Darrell Griffith 8 |
Pts: Walter Davis 32 Rebs: Alvan Adams 15 Asts: Maurice Lucas 6 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Hugh Evans, Mike Mathis, Joe Crawford (alternate) |
- Walter Davis hits the game-tying 3 pointer with 3 seconds left to force OT.
May 8 |
| Phoenix Suns 106, Utah Jazz 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 29–35, 30–22, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Lucas 19 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 12 Asts: Macy, Westphal 6 each |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 46 Rebs: Mark Eaton 11 Asts: Rickey Green 14 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 |
| Utah Jazz 82, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 25–27, 24–26, 17–22 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 23 Rebs: Mark Eaton 10 Asts: Rickey Green 6 |
Pts: Walter Davis 21 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Macy, Davis 6 each | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Jess Kersey, Paul Mihalak |
| Utah won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Suns and the Jazz.[12]
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Eastern Conference finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks
May 15 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 96, Boston Celtics 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 25–32, 27–30, 27–35 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 18 Rebs: Bob Lanier 11 Asts: Marques Johnson 4 |
Pts: Larry Bird 24 Rebs: Kevin McHale 7 Asts: Gerald Henderson 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 17 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 110, Boston Celtics 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 27–35, 31–25, 31–33 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 29 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 7 Asts: three players 4 each |
Pts: Larry Bird 32 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Larry Bird 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 19 |
| Boston Celtics 109, Milwaukee Bucks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 23–34, 32–22, 27–15 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Larry Bird 6 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief 22 Rebs: Paul Mokeski 12 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 6 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 21 |
| Boston Celtics 113, Milwaukee Bucks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 17–31, 31–29, 36–32 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 32 Rebs: Larry Bird 10 Asts: Larry Bird 8 |
Pts: Paul Pressey 22 Rebs: Mokeski, Lister 9 each Asts: Bob Lanier 8 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 23 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 108, Boston Celtics 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 17–28, 27–30, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 24 Rebs: Moncrief, Lister 8 each Asts: Paul Pressey 4 |
Pts: Larry Bird 21 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Bird, Maxwell 4 each | |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 | ||
- Bob Lanier's final NBA game.
| Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
May 12 |
| Phoenix Suns 94, Los Angeles Lakers 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 20–28, 16–21, 26–32 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 24 Rebs: Larry Nance 15 Asts: Kyle Macy 10 |
Pts: Bob McAdoo 20 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Michael Cooper 10 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 15 |
| Phoenix Suns 102, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 18–30, 30–31, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: Larry Nance 29 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Walter Davis 8 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 24 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
- Magic Johnson's 24 assists sets an NBA playoff record for assists in a game.
May 18 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 127, Phoenix Suns 135 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–42, 33–20, 27–29, 28–28, Overtime: 8–16 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Walter Davis 34 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 17 Asts: Kyle Macy 6 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-tying sky-hook with 22 seconds left to force OT.
May 20 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 126, Phoenix Suns 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–36, 32–22, 30–29, 27–28 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
Pts: Larry Nance 27 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 10 Asts: Walter Davis 7 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 23 |
| Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 38–30, 29–26, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 27 Rebs: Larry Nance 13 Asts: Kyle Macy 12 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 25 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 22–30, 29–23, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Walter Davis 26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 13 Asts: Kyle Macy 8 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 | ||
- Paul Westphal's final NBA game.
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
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May 27 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 31–30, 27–36, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 5 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 31 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 121, Boston Celtics 124 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 33–25, 28–29, 26–23, Overtime: 8–11 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Magic Johnson 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Ainge, Henderson 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak (alternate) |
- Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass and made a layup to tie the game with 13 seconds left and eventually force OT; Scott Wedman hits the clutch shot with 14 seconds left in OT.
June 3 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Los Angeles Lakers 137 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 20–28, 33–47, 25–33 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 5 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 21 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
- Magic Johnson 21 assists sets an NBA Finals record for assists in a game.
June 6 |
| Boston Celtics 129, Los Angeles Lakers 125 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 26–35, 30–22, 25–23, Overtime: 16–12 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 29 Rebs: Larry Bird 21 Asts: Dennis Johnson 14 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 17 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Darell Garretson, Jess Kersey, Earl Strom (alternate) |
- Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis; Larry Bird hits the game-tying free throws with 16 seconds left in regulation to force OT, then hits the clutch jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds left in OT after Magic misses two clutch free throws that would give the Lakers the lead with 34 seconds left in OT; M. L. Carr steals James Worthy's inbound pass and dunks it with 6 seconds left in OT.
June 8 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 27–29, 24–33, 26–33 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Larry Bird 17 Asts: Gerald Henderson 9 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Hugh Evans, Earl Strom, John Vanak (alternate) |
- The Heat Game.
June 10 |
| Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 32–30, 22–24, 21–36 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 8 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
June 12 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 22–28, 26–33, 24–20 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 21 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
Pts: Cedric Maxwell 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom, Jake O'Donnell (alternate) |
| Los Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first seven meetings.
| Boston leads 7–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
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