Remove ads
The 1988 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987–88 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. James Worthy was named NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions, a feat that coach Pat Riley guaranteed the previous offseason.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 28–June 21, 1988 |
| Season | 1987–88 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (11th title) |
| Runner-up | Detroit Pistons |
| Semifinalists | |
.jpg)
.JPG)
This marked the first time since 1983 that the Celtics did not represent the East in the NBA Finals, but they did win one of the most memorable games of the 1988 playoffs, beating the Hawks 118–116 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston Garden. Larry Bird scored 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help Boston overcome the 47 points scored by Dominique Wilkins.[1]
The Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to the Western Conference Finals, losing in 7 to the Lakers. They would not advance that far again until 2003, and would not face the Lakers again until 2011.
The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 1984. They remained regulars until 2001, which included NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999. On the other hand, the Washington Bullets did not return until 1997, and would not win a playoff game again until 2005 as the Wizards.
In the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Jordan scored 50 or more points twice—50 points in Game 1, and 55 points in Game 2—becoming the first player to do so in the same series.[2]
This was the first time in NBA history that a game other than a Finals game was played during the month of June.
Game 4 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series was the last NBA game played at The MECCA. The next season, the Bucks moved to the Bradley Center, where they would play for the next thirty seasons.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the last NBA game ever played at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons moved full-time to the Palace of Auburn Hills in the fall and would play there until moving to Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit in 2017.
This was the last NBA postseason to have back-to-backs in the conference finals (they would still occur in the conference semifinals until 2000).
These playoffs had four playoff series where the home team was undefeated in the series in a single year, an active NBA playoff record. Only 1990 has had more than two playoff series where the home team went undefeated in a single year.
Remove ads
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | New York | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Milwaukee | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Cleveland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | San Antonio | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Houston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Seattle | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
Remove ads
Eastern Conference first round
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) New York Knicks
April 29 |
| New York Knicks 92, Boston Celtics 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 22–27, 24–29, 17–30 | ||
| Pts: Gerald Wilkins 24 Rebs: Ewing, Green 11 each Asts: Mark Jackson 9 |
Pts: McHale, Bird 29 each Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Dennis Johnson 9 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 |
| New York Knicks 102, Boston Celtics 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 23–34, 24–28, 30–37 | ||
| Pts: Gerald Wilkins 24 Rebs: Patrick Ewing 10 Asts: Mark Jackson 7 |
Pts: Larry Bird 36 Rebs: Kevin McHale 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 9 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Boston Celtics 100, New York Knicks 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 24–23, 25–28, 30–36 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 11 Asts: Larry Bird 12 |
Pts: Johnny Newman 34 Rebs: Patrick Ewing 10 Asts: Mark Jackson 14 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 |
| Boston Celtics 102, New York Knicks 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 24–25, 19–24, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 12 |
Pts: Mark Jackson 28 Rebs: Patrick Ewing 20 Asts: Mark Jackson 9 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 | ||
| Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first 11 meetings.
| Boston leads 6–5 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Washington Bullets
April 28 |
| Washington Bullets 87, Detroit Pistons 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–20, 21–18, 19–29, 26–29 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone 33 Rebs: Moses Malone 13 Asts: John Williams 9 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 34 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 12 Asts: Joe Dumars 6 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 |
| Washington Bullets 101, Detroit Pistons 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 23–23, 36–25, 19–26 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone 31 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Jeff Malone 4 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 30 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 11 Asts: Joe Dumars 5 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 2 |
| Detroit Pistons 106, Washington Bullets 114 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 26–23, 24–28, 23–18, Overtime: 8–16 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 29 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 8 Asts: Isiah Thomas 8 |
Pts: Jeff Malone 35 Rebs: Moses Malone 9 Asts: Steve Colter 6 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 4 |
| Detroit Pistons 103, Washington Bullets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–27, 21–26, 28–25, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Dantley, Rodman 23 each Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 10 |
Pts: Jeff Malone 25 Rebs: Moses Malone 8 Asts: Darrell Walker 5 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 8 |
| Washington Bullets 78, Detroit Pistons 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 18–23, 20–23, 18–26 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King 18 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Joe Dumars 20 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 11 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 | |
| Detroit wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Detroit won 3–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting.
| Detroit leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers
April 28 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Chicago Bulls 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 19–30, 28–20, 17–31 | ||
| Pts: Craig Ehlo 21 Rebs: Larry Nance 8 Asts: Mark Price 12 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 50 Rebs: Charles Oakley 15 Asts: John Paxson 7 | |
| Chicago leads series, 1–0 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 18,676 Referees: Jack Madden, Hue Hollins, Bruce Alexander |
May 1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 101, Chicago Bulls 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–23, 19–28, 24–28, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Larry Nance 27 Rebs: Brad Daugherty 13 Asts: Larry Nance 8 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 55 Rebs: Charles Oakley 12 Asts: Sam Vincent 14 | |
| Chicago leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 3 |
| Chicago Bulls 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–35, 28–24, 24–30, 28–21 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 38 Rebs: Charles Oakley 9 Asts: Michael Jordan 9 |
Pts: Mark Price 31 Rebs: Brad Daugherty 10 Asts: Mark Price 6 | |
| Chicago leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Chicago Bulls 91, Cleveland Cavaliers 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 24–28, 25–21, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 44 Rebs: Charles Oakley 10 Asts: Sam Vincent 5 |
Pts: Ron Harper 30 Rebs: Brad Daugherty 9 Asts: Mark Price 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 8 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 101, Chicago Bulls 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–23, 21–28, 21–29, 24–27 | ||
| Pts: Mark Price 25 Rebs: Brad Daugherty 10 Asts: Mark Price 7 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 39 Rebs: Charles Oakley 20 Asts: Rory Sparrow 7 | |
| Chicago wins series, 3–2 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 18,008 Referees: Hugh Evans, Earl Strom, Tommy Nunez (alternate) |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Cavaliers.[5]
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks
April 29 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 107, Atlanta Hawks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 32–23, 16–36, 31–26 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pressey 21 Rebs: Jack Sikma 12 Asts: Paul Pressey 7 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 26 Rebs: Kevin Willis 9 Asts: Doc Rivers 6 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 97, Atlanta Hawks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 25–28, 22–24, 21–26 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 22 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: Paul Pressey 9 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 43 Rebs: Kevin Willis 10 Asts: Doc Rivers 8 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Atlanta Hawks 115, Milwaukee Bucks 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 28–23, 27–35, 31–34 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 22 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins 14 Asts: Randy Wittman 8 |
Pts: Terry Cummings 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 16 Asts: Paul Pressey 6 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 |
| Atlanta Hawks 99, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 20–28, 28–28, 24–29 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 31 Rebs: Kevin Willis 8 Asts: Doc Rivers 9 |
Pts: Terry Cummings 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 8 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 111, Atlanta Hawks 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 25–32, 23–31, 41–32 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings 28 Rebs: Larry Krystkowiak 10 Asts: Moncrief, Pressey 6 each |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 33 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins 10 Asts: Doc Rivers 15 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.
| Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference first round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) San Antonio Spurs
April 29 |
| San Antonio Spurs 110, Los Angeles Lakers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 21–34, 31–30, 30–32 | ||
| Pts: Alvin Robertson 34 Rebs: Anderson, Berry 8 each Asts: Robertson, Brickowski 5 each |
Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 18 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis, Blane Reichelt |
May 1 |
| San Antonio Spurs 112, Los Angeles Lakers 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–25, 26–35, 23–33, 31–37 | ||
| Pts: Alvin Robertson 28 Rebs: Frank Brickowski 12 Asts: Alvin Robertson 12 |
Pts: Mychal Thompson 29 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 16 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
May 3 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 109, San Antonio Spurs 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–36, 28–29, 22–26, 20–16 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 25 Rebs: James Worthy 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
Pts: Frank Brickowski 27 Rebs: Greg Anderson 8 Asts: Alvin Robertson 11 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 3–0 | ||
| Los Angeles won 5–0 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 |
|---|
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics
April 29 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 123, Denver Nuggets 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 39–28, 28–28, 29–42 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers 29 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel 10 Asts: McDaniel, McMillan 8 each |
Pts: Alex English 28 Rebs: Fat Lever 11 Asts: Fat Lever 8 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 17,022 Referees: Jack Nies, Bill Oakes, Jake O'Donnell |
May 1 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 111, Denver Nuggets 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 32–19, 25–23, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis 24 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel 17 Asts: Nate McMillan 6 |
Pts: English, Evans 16 each Rebs: Fat Lever 12 Asts: Michael Adams 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 3 |
| Denver Nuggets 124, Seattle SuperSonics 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–34, 24–24, 35–30, 27–26 | ||
| Pts: Blair Rasmussen 28 Rebs: Blair Rasmussen 12 Asts: Adams, Lever 7 each |
Pts: Tom Chambers 34 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel 12 Asts: Nate McMillan 9 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,250 Referees: Darell Garretson, Paul Mihalak |
May 5 |
| Denver Nuggets 117, Seattle SuperSonics 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–35, 27–30, 30–32, 24–30 | ||
| Pts: Jay Vincent 28 Rebs: Danny Schayes 8 Asts: English, Evans 5 each |
Pts: Xavier McDaniel 27 Rebs: Derrick McKey 7 Asts: Danny Young 8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 7 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 96, Denver Nuggets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 26–37, 20–32, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers 23 Rebs: Alton Lister 8 Asts: Xavier McDaniel 5 |
Pts: Alex English 23 Rebs: Jay Vincent 7 Asts: Alex English 7 | |
| Denver wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Denver won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
| Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Houston Rockets
April 28 |
| Houston Rockets 110, Dallas Mavericks 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 17–32, 27–16, 37–43 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 34 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 14 Asts: Sleepy Floyd 11 |
Pts: Roy Tarpley 24 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 9 Asts: Derek Harper 8 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 |
| Houston Rockets 119, Dallas Mavericks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–28, 28–34, 29–27, 30–19 | ||
| Pts: Sleepy Floyd 42 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 26 Asts: Sleepy Floyd 9 |
Pts: Roy Tarpley 23 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 13 Asts: Derek Harper 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007 Referees: Jack Madden, Dick Bavetta, Bennett Salvatore |
May 3 |
| Dallas Mavericks 93, Houston Rockets 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 28–22, 20–32, 20–15 | ||
| Pts: Roy Tarpley 17 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 13 Asts: Rolando Blackman 7 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 35 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 12 Asts: Sleepy Floyd 5 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Dallas Mavericks 107, Houston Rockets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 32–21, 37–32, 24–21 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 38 Rebs: James Donaldson 10 Asts: Rolando Blackman 10 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 40 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 15 Asts: Sleepy Floyd 9 | |
| Dallas wins series, 3–1 | ||
- Cedric Maxwell's final NBA game.
| Dallas won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Rockets.[9]
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Utah Jazz
April 28 |
| Utah Jazz 96, Portland Trail Blazers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–33, 18–27, 24–26, 24–22 | ||
| Pts: Thurl Bailey 31 Rebs: Karl Malone 13 Asts: John Stockton 9 |
Pts: Clyde Drexler 26 Rebs: Clyde Drexler 13 Asts: Terry Porter 12 | |
| Portland leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 |
| Utah Jazz 114, Portland Trail Blazers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–23, 22–30, 21–20, 35–32 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone 37 Rebs: Karl Malone 16 Asts: John Stockton 13 |
Pts: Clyde Drexler 25 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 14 Asts: Terry Porter 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 4 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Utah Jazz 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 24–24, 34–32, 33–32 | ||
| Pts: Jerome Kersey 23 Rebs: Kevin Duckworth 16 Asts: Drexler, Porter 4 each |
Pts: Karl Malone 35 Rebs: Karl Malone 9 Asts: John Stockton 16 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 96, Utah Jazz 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 31–26, 27–31, 16–29 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Duckworth 33 Rebs: Kersey, Duckworth 10 each Asts: Clyde Drexler 6 |
Pts: Karl Malone 38 Rebs: Mark Eaton 11 Asts: John Stockton 10 | |
| Utah wins series, 3–1 | ||
| Utah won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Trail Blazers and the Jazz.[10]
Remove ads
Eastern Conference semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
May 11 |
| Atlanta Hawks 101, Boston Celtics 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–38, 25–16, 20–28, 33–28 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 25 Rebs: Doc Rivers 9 Asts: three players 5 each |
Pts: Larry Bird 38 Rebs: Robert Parish 14 Asts: Danny Ainge 12 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 13 |
| Atlanta Hawks 97, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 9–25, 30–20, 32–30, 26–33 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 22 Rebs: Tree Rollins 9 Asts: Doc Rivers 6 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 32 Rebs: Robert Parish 14 Asts: Dennis Johnson 9 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 15 |
| Boston Celtics 92, Atlanta Hawks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 23–28, 23–30, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 22 Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Larry Bird 8 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 25 Rebs: Kevin Willis 13 Asts: Spud Webb 13 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 16 |
| Boston Celtics 109, Atlanta Hawks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–32, 21–34, 24–29, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Kevin McHale 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 40 Rebs: Tree Rollins 12 Asts: Doc Rivers 22 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 18 |
| Atlanta Hawks 112, Boston Celtics 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 20–24, 26–29, 43–27 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Willis 27 Rebs: Kevin Willis 14 Asts: Doc Rivers 7 |
Pts: Robert Parish 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 20 |
| Boston Celtics 102, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–30, 26–27, 25–21, 19–22 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 26 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Danny Ainge 14 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins 35 Rebs: Willis, Rollins 11 each Asts: Spud Webb 7 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 22 |
| Atlanta Hawks 116, Boston Celtics 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 28–31, 24–25, 34–34 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 47 Rebs: Kevin Willis 11 Asts: Doc Rivers 18 |
Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Kevin McHale 13 Asts: Danny Ainge 10 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Boston won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning seven of the first eight meetings.
| Boston leads 7–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Chicago Bulls
May 10 |
| Chicago Bulls 82, Detroit Pistons 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 24–25, 20–19, 16–18 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 29 Rebs: Charles Oakley 13 Asts: Michael Jordan 6 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 23 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 14 Asts: Isiah Thomas 8 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 12 |
| Chicago Bulls 105, Detroit Pistons 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 30–20, 26–22, 24–33 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 36 Rebs: Charles Oakley 12 Asts: Vincent, Pippen 5 each |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 25 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 14 Asts: Isiah Thomas 13 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 14 |
| Detroit Pistons 101, Chicago Bulls 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 25–23, 21–20, 28–21 | ||
| Pts: Vinnie Johnson 23 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 24 Rebs: Charles Oakley 12 Asts: Sam Vincent 6 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 15 |
| Detroit Pistons 96, Chicago Bulls 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 21–15, 25–21, 25–22 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 24 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 23 Rebs: Charles Oakley 10 Asts: Michael Jordan 5 | |
| Detroit leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 18 |
| Chicago Bulls 95, Detroit Pistons 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 22–23, 23–20, 24–29 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 25 Rebs: Charles Oakley 15 Asts: Jordan, Paxson 8 each |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 25 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 | |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Detroit won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.
| Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Utah Jazz
May 8 |
| Utah Jazz 91, Los Angeles Lakers 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 8–24, 23–31, 31–30, 29–25 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone 29 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 8 Asts: John Stockton 16 |
Pts: James Worthy 23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 9 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
May 10 |
| Utah Jazz 101, Los Angeles Lakers 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 30–21, 20–23, 27–31 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone 29 Rebs: Mark Eaton 12 Asts: John Stockton 13 |
Pts: Byron Scott 26 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 12 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 13 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 89, Utah Jazz 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 19–25, 27–25, 20–15 | ||
| Pts: Byron Scott 29 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 12 Asts: Magic Johnson 6 |
Pts: Karl Malone 29 Rebs: Mark Eaton 14 Asts: John Stockton 12 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 15 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 113, Utah Jazz 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 24–23, 31–22, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 9 |
Pts: Karl Malone 29 Rebs: Karl Malone 11 Asts: John Stockton 13 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 17 |
| Utah Jazz 109, Los Angeles Lakers 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–37, 27–22, 19–27, 31–25 | ||
| Pts: Thurl Bailey 28 Rebs: Karl Malone 16 Asts: John Stockton 24 |
Pts: James Worthy 27 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
- Michael Cooper hits the game-winner with 7 seconds left; John Stockton ties the NBA playoff record for 24 assists.
May 19 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 80, Utah Jazz 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–31, 29–25, 18–25, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: Byron Scott 16 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 9 |
Pts: Karl Malone 27 Rebs: Karl Malone 11 Asts: John Stockton 17 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 21 |
| Utah Jazz 98, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 24–25, 24–30, 23–22 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone 31 Rebs: Karl Malone 15 Asts: John Stockton 20 |
Pts: Byron Scott 29 Rebs: Magic Johnson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 16 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–3 | ||
| Los Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Jazz.[13]
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks
May 10 |
| Dallas Mavericks 115, Denver Nuggets 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–34, 15–25, 28–35, 40–32 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 26 Rebs: James Donaldson 13 Asts: Derek Harper 5 |
Pts: Fat Lever 30 Rebs: Fat Lever 11 Asts: Lever, English 8 each | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 12 |
| Dallas Mavericks 112, Denver Nuggets 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 22–18, 30–23, 32–34 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 31 Rebs: James Donaldson 13 Asts: Derek Harper 8 |
Pts: Lever, English 22 each Rebs: Danny Schayes 12 Asts: Michael Adams 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 14 |
| Denver Nuggets 107, Dallas Mavericks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 29–30, 25–26, 29–18 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 23 Rebs: Fat Lever 11 Asts: Fat Lever 12 |
Pts: Sam Perkins 17 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 15 Asts: Mark Aguirre 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 15 |
| Denver Nuggets 103, Dallas Mavericks 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 24–34, 23–32, 32–29 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 24 Rebs: Wayne Cooper 10 Asts: Michael Adams 9 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre 34 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 13 Asts: Derek Harper 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 17 |
| Dallas Mavericks 110, Denver Nuggets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 30–28, 23–27, 32–28 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 25 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 16 Asts: Derek Harper 6 |
Pts: Danny Schayes 33 Rebs: Danny Schayes 13 Asts: Adams, English 6 each | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 19 |
| Denver Nuggets 95, Dallas Mavericks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 26–33, 27–24, 15–26 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 34 Rebs: Danny Schayes 9 Asts: Michael Adams 8 |
Pts: Perkins, Blackman 23 each Rebs: Roy Tarpley 19 Asts: Derek Harper 9 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Nuggets.[14]
Remove ads
Eastern Conference finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Detroit Pistons
May 25 |
| Detroit Pistons 104, Boston Celtics 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 22–25, 23–20, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 35 Rebs: Rick Mahorn 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 12 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 31 Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 26 |
| Detroit Pistons 115, Boston Celtics 119 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 17–25, 32–28, 24–21, Overtime: 7–7, 6–10 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 24 Rebs: John Salley 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 |
Pts: Robert Parish 26 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
- Adrian Dantley hits a game-tying free throw with 10 seconds left in regulation to force OT; Kevin McHale hits the game-tying 3 pointer with 5 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.
May 28 |
| Boston Celtics 94, Detroit Pistons 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 21–29, 21–26, 23–14 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 32 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Larry Bird 8 |
Pts: Joe Dumars 29 Rebs: John Salley 9 Asts: Isiah Thomas 6 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 30 |
| Boston Celtics 79, Detroit Pistons 78 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–10, 30–26, 14–32, 19–10 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 20 Rebs: Larry Bird 10 Asts: D. Johnson, Bird 6 each |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer 29 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Isiah Thomas 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 1 |
| Detroit Pistons 102, Boston Celtics 96 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 14–25, 25–16, 27–22, Overtime: 10–4 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 35 Rebs: John Salley 9 Asts: Dumars, Thomas 5 each |
Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Larry Bird 17 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 | |
| Detroit leads series, 3–2 | ||
- Fred Roberts hits the game-tying jumper with 1:05 left in regulation to force OT.
June 3 |
| Boston Celtics 90, Detroit Pistons 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 21–27, 17–27, 27–20 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 33 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Dennis Johnson 9 |
Pts: Vinnie Johnson 24 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 9 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 | |
| Detroit wins series, 4–2 | ||
- Artis Gilmore's final NBA game.
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings.
| Boston leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks
May 23 |
| Dallas Mavericks 98, Los Angeles Lakers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 21–19, 20–28, 29–33 | ||
| Pts: three players 18 each Rebs: Roy Tarpley 20 Asts: Derek Harper 7 |
Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson 12 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
May 25 |
| Dallas Mavericks 101, Los Angeles Lakers 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 18–27, 22–30, 31–34 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 28 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 13 Asts: Derek Harper 8 |
Pts: Byron Scott 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7 Asts: Magic Johnson 19 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
May 27 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 94, Dallas Mavericks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 26–26, 25–23, 18–31 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 19 Rebs: Magic Johnson 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre 23 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 20 Asts: Brad Davis 6 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
May 29 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 104, Dallas Mavericks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 32–33, 26–33, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 28 Rebs: A.C. Green 12 Asts: Magic Johnson 12 |
Pts: Derek Harper 35 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 13 Asts: Rolando Blackman 11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 31 |
| Dallas Mavericks 102, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 20–31, 24–28, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 31 Rebs: Roy Tarpley 11 Asts: Derek Harper 6 |
Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: A.C. Green 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 20 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
June 2 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Dallas Mavericks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 24–28, 30–29, 23–23 | ||
| Pts: Worthy, Scott 27 Rebs: James Worthy 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 12 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre 23 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 13 Asts: Derek Harper 10 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
June 4 |
| Dallas Mavericks 102, Los Angeles Lakers 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 24–25, 26–33, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 24 Rebs: James Donaldson 14 Asts: Derek Harper 11 |
Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: Magic Johnson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–3 | ||
| Los Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Remove ads
June 7 |
| Detroit Pistons 105, Los Angeles Lakers 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 35–19, 23–28, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 34 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 7 Asts: Isiah Thomas 12 |
Pts: Magic Johnson 28 Rebs: A.C. Green 12 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
June 9 |
| Detroit Pistons 96, Los Angeles Lakers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 19–24, 30–27, 27–32 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 19 Rebs: Laimbeer, Mahorn 9 each Asts: Thomas, Dumars 7 each |
Pts: James Worthy 26 Rebs: A.C. Green 13 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
June 12 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Detroit Pistons 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 24–25, 31–18, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 24 Rebs: James Worthy 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 14 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 28 Rebs: Dennis Rodman 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
June 14 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 86, Detroit Pistons 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 22–26, 14–25, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 23 Rebs: A.C. Green 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 6 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 27 Rebs: Isiah Thomas 9 Asts: Isiah Thomas 12 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
June 16 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 94, Detroit Pistons 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 20–32, 25–22, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson 17 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 25 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 11 Asts: Isiah Thomas 8 | |
| Detroit leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 19 |
| Detroit Pistons 102, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 20–33, 35–26, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 43 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 9 Asts: Joe Dumars 10 |
Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: A.C. Green 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 19 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
- Isiah Thomas scores a Finals record 25 points in the 3rd quarter, despite having a severely sprained ankle; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds left.
June 21 |
| Detroit Pistons 105, Los Angeles Lakers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 29–26, 21–36, 32–25 | ||
| Pts: Joe Dumars 25 Rebs: John Salley 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 7 |
Pts: James Worthy 36 Rebs: James Worthy 16 Asts: Magic Johnson 14 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–3 | ||
| Los Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first nine meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 8–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Remove ads
Remove ads
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads