2016 NBA playoffs
NBA postseason tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2016 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2015–16 season. The tournament ended with the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors 4 games to 3 after the Warriors led the series 3 games to 1. In the NBA Finals, LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 16–June 19, 2016 |
| Season | 2015–16 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Cleveland Cavaliers (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Golden State Warriors |
| Semifinalists | |
The Cavaliers swept their first two series and won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Raptors to become the fourth team in NBA history to open a post-season with 10 straight victories. They matched the 2012 San Antonio Spurs, though the 1989 and 2001 Western Conference Los Angeles Lakers had won their first eleven games en route to sweeping the first three rounds of those playoffs. Cleveland wound up repeating this feat the next year when they swept the conference opening round, semifinal round, and winning the first 2 conference final games; this feat would be surpassed in those same 2017 NBA playoffs, when the Golden State Warriors won 15 straight games.
Western Conference
- The Golden State Warriors entered the playoffs with the best regular-season record in NBA history. The Warriors won 73 games, breaking the previous record of 72 wins set by the Chicago Bulls in the 1995–96 season. Golden State appeared in their fourth consecutive postseason for the first time since making six straight appearances from 1947–52. However, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
- The Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the postseason after a one season absence.
- The San Antonio Spurs finished just six games behind the Warriors for the best record in the NBA, entering their 19th consecutive postseason, having just one home loss in the regular season, setting a new single-season franchise record for wins. The Spurs' 40–1 home record equaled the feat set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics. However, they lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Eastern Conference
- The Toronto Raptors also finished with a franchise record for single-season victories, winning 56 games. They finished one game shy of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals.
- The Detroit Pistons qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
- The Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers returned to the playoffs after a one-season absence.
- For the first time since 1999, all teams from the Eastern Conference finished with a better record against at least one team from the Western Conference. In addition, all Eastern Conference teams finished with records over .500 for the first time since 2012.
First Round
- Game 4 between the Cavaliers and the Pistons was the last playoff game played at the Palace of Auburn Hills, as well as the last major league postseason game played in Oakland County. The Pistons missed the playoffs the next year and moved to their new arena for the 2017–18 season.
- Game 7 between the Raptors and Pacers and the Heat and Hornets ensured a 17th straight postseason in which at least one Game 7 was played; 1999 was the last postseason to not feature a Game 7.
- With their Game 7 win over the Pacers, the Raptors won their first playoff series since 2001.
Conference Semifinals
- With their Conference Semifinals victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the fifth team (since the first round was extended to a best–of–seven series in 2003) to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and the first to do it twice; they first did so in 2009. This also marked the sixth consecutive year that LeBron James played in the Eastern Conference finals. James played in the Conference finals with the Miami Heat from 2011–14, and with the Cavaliers in 2015.
- With their Game 6 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder made the Western Conference Finals for the third time in five seasons. As of 2023, this remains the most recent Thunder series victory.
- Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat marked the first time since 2001 that two teams that played a Game 7 in the previous round of the playoffs faced off against each other in another Game 7 in the next round.
- With their Game 7 win over the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in their history. This meant they also became the first Canadian–based and non–U.S. team to do so.
Conference Finals
- For the first time since 2010, no Texas team was represented in the Western Conference finals.
- Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers was Toronto's first ever Eastern Conference finals win.
- Game 4 of the Western Conference finals marked the first time that the Golden State Warriors had lost consecutive games during the season.
- With their Eastern Conference Finals victory over the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to go 8–0 in the first two rounds, and qualify to play in the NBA Finals. This also marked the sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for LeBron James. He became the first player since the 1960s to accomplish this feat.
- The Western Conference finals went to a Game 7 for the first time since 2002, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in overtime.
- With their 96–88 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors became the tenth team in NBA History to come back from a 3–1 series deficit in the playoffs. As a result, this marked the second consecutive season an NBA team rallied from a 3–1 series deficit to win the series. The Warriors also became the first team to accomplish this feat in the Conference finals since the 1981 Boston Celtics.
NBA Finals
- With their 104–89 and 110–77 wins over Cleveland in Game 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors posted the highest winning margin in the first two games in the NBA Finals with an +48 point differential.
- Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 120–90 Game 3 victory, the Golden State Warriors lost every Game 3 of their 2016 playoff run.
- Draymond Green became the first NBA player to be suspended for an NBA Finals game since Jerry Stackhouse in 2006. He was suspended for Game 5, due to incurring excessive flagrant foul points in Game 4 (in which the Warriors won 108–97).
- In Game 5, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first pair to each record 40+ points in a single NBA Finals game in history, helping the Cavaliers win 112–97.
- In Game 6, Stephen Curry, the unanimous MVP of the regular season, was ejected for throwing a mouthpiece in the fourth quarter. His Golden State Warriors would go on to lose 101–115.
- The NBA Finals went to a Game 7 for the first time since 2013, when the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95–88.
Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals
- Game 7 of the NBA Finals was extremely notable for The Block (basketball), in which LeBron James blocked a layup by Andre Iguodala to keep the score tied at 89. This block, along with Kyrie Irving’s title winning three pointer would seal the win for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- With the win, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road since the 1978 Washington Bullets accomplished the feat against the Seattle SuperSonics. They also became the first team overall to win a Game 7 on the road since the Brooklyn Nets (which was also decided on a game-winning block).
- With the loss, the Golden State Warriors became the first team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit and blow a 3–1 series lead in the same playoffs. They also became the first team in NBA History to win 70+ regular season games and fail to win the NBA Championship.
- The Cavaliers became the 11th team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit and the first to do so in the NBA Finals. It is also the first time in playoff history two NBA teams rallied from a 3–1 deficit in the same year. They also clinched Cleveland’s first major sports title since 1964, effectively ending the Cleveland sports curse.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team since the 2006 Miami Heat to win an NBA Championship despite a midseason coaching change and despite trailing 2–0 (they became the fourth team overall to win the NBA Finals despite losing the first two games).
- The title the Cleveland Cavaliers won was clinched on Father's Day for the fourth time in NBA history (the previous occurrences were in 1996, 2003, and 2014). It also marked the first time since 2014 that when both teams made back-to-back Finals appearances, the team that lost in the Finals the year before won the title the next year.
Within each conference, the eight teams with the most wins qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record.
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. 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.
Seeding
On September 8, 2015, the NBA announced changes to how playoff teams were seeded. Previously, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed, while the team with the second-best record in the conference was guaranteed no worse than the second seed even if it wasn't a division champion. Starting with the 2016 playoffs, the eight playoff qualifiers in each conference will be seeded solely based on regular-season record. If two teams finish with identical records, the team that wins the regular-season series will get the higher seed. If the regular-season series is tied and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion will get the higher seed.[1] If three or more teams finish with identical records and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion will get the higher seed.[2]
On February 27, 2016, the Golden State Warriors became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.[3] This was the earliest a team had clinched a playoff spot in February since the 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers.[4] The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 18, 2016.
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 57–25 | March 18 | March 21[5] | April 11 | — |
| 2 | Toronto Raptors | 56–26 | March 23 | March 31[6] | — | — |
| 3 | Miami Heat[lower-alpha 1] | 48–34 | April 2 | April 13 | — | — |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks[lower-alpha 1] | 48–34 | March 29 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Boston Celtics[lower-alpha 1] | 48–34 | April 3 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Charlotte Hornets[lower-alpha 1] | 48–34 | April 2 | — | — | — |
| 7 | Indiana Pacers | 45–37 | April 10 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 44–38 | April 8 | — | — | — |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 73–9 | February 27[7] | March 13[8] | April 7 | April 7 |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 67–15 | March 2[9] | March 12 | — | — |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 55–27 | March 18 | March 20 | — | — |
| 4 | Los Angeles Clippers | 53–29 | March 27 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Portland Trail Blazers | 44–38 | April 6 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks[lower-alpha 2] | 42–40 | April 11 | — | — | — |
| 7 | Memphis Grizzlies[lower-alpha 2] | 42–40 | April 7 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Houston Rockets | 41–41 | April 13 | — | — | — |
- Notes
- Miami won the Southeast Division over Atlanta and Charlotte, and therefore clinched the #3 seed, by having the best record of the three teams in games against each other (5–3 record vs. Atlanta & Charlotte).
Atlanta, Boston, and Charlotte were seeded based on record in games against each other (Atlanta: 6–2, Boston: 3–4, Charlotte: 2–5).
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Teams with home court advantage are shown in Italics.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Boston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Toronto* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Charlotte | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Miami* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Toronto* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Toronto* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Indiana | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Golden State* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Houston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | LA Clippers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Golden State* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Oklahoma City* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | San Antonio* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Memphis | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italics Team with home-court advantage
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00)
Eastern Conference first round
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
April 17 3:00 PM |
| Detroit Pistons 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 33–26, 20–23, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 21 Rebs: Andre Drummond 11 Asts: Reggie Jackson 7 |
Pts: Kyrie Irving 31 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: LeBron James 11 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Leroy Richardson, Zach Zarba |
April 20 8:00 PM |
| Detroit Pistons 90, Cleveland Cavaliers 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 25–32, 15–27, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: Andre Drummond 20 Rebs: Caldwell-Pope, Harris 8 each Asts: Reggie Jackson 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Kevin Love 10 Asts: Matthew Dellavedova 9 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Ken Mauer, Kane Fitzgerald, Brian Forte |
April 22 7:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 101, Detroit Pistons 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 30–26, 25–20, 22–18 | ||
| Pts: Kyrie Irving 26 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 18 Rebs: Drummond, Harris 7 each Asts: Reggie Jackson 12 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–0 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 21,584 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Michael Smih |
April 24 8:30 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 100, Detroit Pistons 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 28–24, 28–26, 19–20 | ||
| Pts: Kyrie Irving 31 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Marcus Morris 24 Rebs: Tobias Harris 13 Asts: Reggie Jackson 12 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–0 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 21,584 Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland |
In Game 3, Kyrie Irving hit the tough corner 3 late in the 4th quarter, with only 0.7 seconds remaining on the shot clock. In Game 4, Irving also hit a three to give the Cavaliers a 4-point lead with less than a minute left. Reggie Jackson would then drive and dunk the ball to cut the lead to 2. As Irving attempted another clutch 3, it went short and the players scrambled for the ball until the Pistons came up with it. As they looked for a 3 to force Game 5, or a 2 to send it to overtime, they look to Reggie Jackson. He took a 3 over Irving, but that went short as well, and the Cavaliers move on to the second round. Game 4 was also the last playoff game ever played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
| Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning two out of the first three meetings.
| Cleveland leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers
The Raptors won their first playoff series since the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
April 16 12:30 PM |
| Indiana Pacers 100, Toronto Raptors 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 24–21, 27–22, 30–23 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 39 Rebs: Lavoy Allen 12 Asts: Paul George 6 |
Pts: Cory Joseph 18 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 19 Asts: Kyle Lowry 7 | |
| Indiana leads series, 1–0 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 19,800 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Josh Tiven |
April 18 7:00 PM |
| Indiana Pacers 87, Toronto Raptors 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 32–26, 18–21, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 28 Rebs: Solomon Hill 6 Asts: Ellis, Lawson 3 each |
Pts: Jonas Valančiūnas 23 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 15 Asts: Kyle Lowry 9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 19,800 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, Jason Phillips |
April 21 7:30 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 101, Indiana Pacers 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 29–19, 18–23, 30–26 | ||
| Pts: DeRozan, Lowry 21 each Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 14 Asts: Kyle Lowry 8 |
Pts: Paul George 25 Rebs: Paul George 10 Asts: Paul George 6 | |
| Toronto leads series, 2–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: James Capers, Bennie Adams, Rodney Mott |
April 23 3:00 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 83, Indiana Pacers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 26–29, 16–16, 25–27 | ||
| Pts: Jonas Valančiūnas 16 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 9 Asts: Kyle Lowry 5 |
Pts: Hill, Mahinmi 22 each Rebs: Ian Mahinmi 10 Asts: Ian Mahinmi 5 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner |
April 26 6:00 PM |
| Indiana Pacers 99, Toronto Raptors 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–20, 26–32, 29–25, 9–25 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 39 Rebs: George, Turner 8 each Asts: Paul George 8 |
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 34 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 16 Asts: Kyle Lowry 5 | |
| Toronto leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 29 7:30 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 83, Indiana Pacers 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 22–20, 20–31, 19–30 | ||
| Pts: Carroll, Joseph 15 each Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 10 Asts: Kyle Lowry 10 |
Pts: Paul George 21 Rebs: Paul George 11 Asts: Paul George 6 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald, John Goble |
May 1 8:00 PM |
| Indiana Pacers 84, Toronto Raptors 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 21–22, 20–28, 20–11 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 26 Rebs: Paul George 12 Asts: Monta Ellis 7 |
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 30 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 15 Asts: Kyle Lowry 9 | |
| Toronto wins series, 4–3 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,669 Referees: Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner |
| Toronto won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Pacers.[11]
(3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets
April 17 5:30 PM |
| Charlotte Hornets 91, Miami Heat 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–41, 28–26, 24–30, 17–26 | ||
| Pts: Nicolas Batum 24 Rebs: Cody Zeller 7 Asts: Jeremy Lin 3 |
Pts: Luol Deng 31 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 11 Asts: Goran Dragić 10 | |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 7:00 PM |
| Charlotte Hornets 103, Miami Heat 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 31–43, 18–19, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: Kemba Walker 29 Rebs: Nicolas Batum 7 Asts: Batum, Walker 3 each |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 13 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 19,650 Referees: Marc Davis, Courtney Kirkland, Bill Spooner |
April 23 5:30 PM |
| Miami Heat 80, Charlotte Hornets 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 16–20, 14–26, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Luol Deng 19 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 18 Asts: Goran Dragić 4 |
Pts: Jeremy Lin 18 Rebs: Marvin Williams 14 Asts: Kemba Walker 7 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 | ||
Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 19,604 Referees: Mike Callahan, James Williams, Sean Wright |
April 25 7:00 PM |
| Miami Heat 85, Charlotte Hornets 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–19, 13–29, 22–21, 24–20 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 16 Rebs: four players 7 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 |
Pts: Kemba Walker 34 Rebs: Spencer Hawes 8 Asts: Jefferson, Lin 3 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 19,156 Referees: Danny Crawford, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson |
April 27 8:00 PM |
| Charlotte Hornets 90, Miami Heat 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 21–22, 16–24, 25–17 | ||
| Pts: Marvin Williams 17 Rebs: Marvin Williams 8 Asts: Jeremy Lin 7 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 25 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 12 Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 | |
| Charlotte leads series, 3–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 19,685 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Jason Phillips |
April 29 8:00 PM |
| Miami Heat 97, Charlotte Hornets 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 32–26, 16–20, 22–20 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 |
Pts: Kemba Walker 37 Rebs: Al Jefferson 9 Asts: Kemba Walker 5 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 19,636 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Tom Washington |
May 1 1:00 PM |
| Charlotte Hornets 73, Miami Heat 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 24–25, 11–29, 20–23 | ||
| Pts: Frank Kaminsky 12 Rebs: Cody Zeller 7 Asts: Kemba Walker 6 |
Pts: Goran Dragić 25 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 12 Asts: three players 4 each | |
| Miami wins series, 4–3 | ||
With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 was a close one. After Kemba Walker misses a stepback jumper over Hassan Whiteside, Courtney Lee gets the offensive rebound and hits a clutch 3 with 25.2 seconds left. The Hornets then block 2 shots to seal it. It was their first playoff road win since game 4 of the 2002 playoffs against the Orlando Magic. By then, Charlotte was on the verge of an upset, but in Game 6, Dwyane Wade wouldn't let his team down. Although he hasn't hit a three since December 2015, he hits 2 clutch shots including a three with less than a minute to go, as the series goes back to Miami for a Game 7. There, the Heat closed out the series and advance to the second round, to face the Toronto Raptors, who also moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001.
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the most recent meeting in 2014.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics
April 16 7:00 PM |
| Boston Celtics 101, Atlanta Hawks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 15–21, 31–21, 36–30 | ||
| Pts: Isaiah Thomas 27 Rebs: Jae Crowder 10 Asts: Isaiah Thomas 8 |
Pts: Al Horford 24 Rebs: Al Horford 12 Asts: Jeff Teague 12 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 7:00 PM |
| Boston Celtics 72, Atlanta Hawks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 7–24, 21–19, 18–18, 26–28 | ||
| Pts: Isaiah Thomas 16 Rebs: Amir Johnson 8 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Horford, Korver 17 each Rebs: Kent Bazemore 9 Asts: Jeff Teague 6 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 22 8:00 PM |
| Atlanta Hawks 103, Boston Celtics 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–37, 25–20, 33–22, 25–32 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Teague 23 Rebs: Al Horford 13 Asts: Al Horford 6 |
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 42 Rebs: Jonas Jerebko 12 Asts: Evan Turner 7 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24 6:00 PM |
| Atlanta Hawks 95, Boston Celtics 104 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 27–22, 25–24, 19–22, Overtime: 3–12 | ||
| Pts: Paul Millsap 45 Rebs: Paul Millsap 13 Asts: Horford, Teague 5 each |
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 28 Rebs: Jonas Jerebko 10 Asts: Thomas, Turner 6 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 26 8:30 PM |
| Boston Celtics 83, Atlanta Hawks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 19–32, 23–42, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Evan Turner 15 Rebs: Jonas Jerebko 8 Asts: Terry Rozier 4 |
Pts: Mike Scott 17 Rebs: Horford, Millsap 8 each Asts: Millsap, Schröder 6 each | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 28 8:00 PM |
| Atlanta Hawks 104, Boston Celtics 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 21–16, 39–26, 24–33 | ||
| Pts: Paul Millsap 17 Rebs: Kyle Korver 9 Asts: Dennis Schröder 8 |
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 25 Rebs: Smart, Turner 7 each Asts: Isaiah Thomas 10 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Atlanta won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning ten of the first eleven meetings.
| Boston leads 10–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference first round
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets
April 16 3:30 PM |
| Houston Rockets 78, Golden State Warriors 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 18–27, 27–22, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: James Harden 17 Rebs: Clint Capela 12 Asts: Corey Brewer 6 |
Pts: Stephen Curry 24 Rebs: Draymond Green 10 Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 | |
| Golden State leads series, 1–0 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Mark Lindsay |
April 18 10:30 PM |
| Houston Rockets 106, Golden State Warriors 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–33, 28–33, 21–20, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: James Harden 28 Rebs: Dwight Howard 10 Asts: James Harden 11 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 34 Rebs: Draymond Green 14 Asts: Draymond Green 8 | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 21 9:30 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 96, Houston Rockets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–31, 30–24, 24–23, 24–19 | ||
| Pts: Marreese Speights 22 Rebs: Klay Thompson 8 Asts: Draymond Green 7 |
Pts: James Harden 35 Rebs: Howard, Motiejūnas 13 each Asts: James Harden 9 | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24 3:30 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 121, Houston Rockets 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 27–27, 41–20, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Klay Thompson 23 Rebs: Draymond Green 8 Asts: Shaun Livingston 9 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 19 Rebs: Dwight Howard 15 Asts: James Harden 10 | |
| Golden State leads series, 3–1 | ||
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,200 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Zach Zarba |
April 27 10:30 PM |
| Houston Rockets 81, Golden State Warriors 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–37, 17–22, 22–30, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: James Harden 35 Rebs: Dwight Howard 21 Asts: James Harden 6 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 27 Rebs: Draymond Green 9 Asts: Draymond Green 8 | |
| Golden State wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Warriors, after game 1, went through games 2 and 3 without Stephen Curry. He injured his ankle and would be lost until game 4. Game 4 saw him injure his knee, as he slipped on a wet spot on the floor at the Toyota Center in Houston.[14] Curry's Warriors teammates stepped up and blew out the Rockets by 27 points. They would close out the series by blowing the Rockets out again, by 33 points.
| Golden State won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the first meeting being in 2015, as Golden State defeated Houston 4–1 in the Western Conference finals.
| Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies
April 17 8:00 PM |
| Memphis Grizzlies 74, San Antonio Spurs 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–22, 24–26, 14–33, 23–25 | ||
| Pts: Vince Carter 16 Rebs: Chris Andersen 9 Asts: Xavier Munford 4 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 20 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 6 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19 9:30 PM |
| Memphis Grizzlies 68, San Antonio Spurs 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–22, 24–27, 18–21, 15–24 | ||
| Pts: Tony Allen 12 Rebs: Zach Randolph 12 Asts: Zach Randolph 3 |
Pts: Patty Mills 16 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Duncan, Parker 4 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 | ||
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 18,418 Referees: Mike Callahan, Tom Washington, James Williams |
April 22 9:30 PM |
| San Antonio Spurs 96, Memphis Grizzlies 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 18–25, 26–28, 26–16 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 29 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 10 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 20 Rebs: Barnes, Randolph 11 each Asts: Jordan Farmar 6 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–0 | ||
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 18,119 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Gary Zielinski |
April 24 1:00 PM |
| San Antonio Spurs 116, Memphis Grizzlies 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 22–26, 37–21, 32–29 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 21 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 10 Asts: Kawhi Leonard 4 |
Pts: Lance Stephenson 26 Rebs: Chris Andersen 13 Asts: Jordan Farmar 5 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–0 | ||
| San Antonio won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with San Antonio winning the most recent meeting in 2013.
| San Antonio leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
April 16 9:30 PM |
| Dallas Mavericks 70, Oklahoma City Thunder 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–26, 22–33, 18–34, 19–15 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 18 Rebs: Pachulia, Powell 6 each Asts: Barea, Williams 3 each |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 24 Rebs: Enes Kanter 13 Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, John Goble |
April 18 8:00 PM |
| Dallas Mavericks 85, Oklahoma City Thunder 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 21–23, 14–19, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: Raymond Felton 21 Rebs: Raymond Felton 11 Asts: Deron Williams 5 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 21 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 14 Asts: Russell Westbrook 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Danny Crawford, David Guthrie, Bill Spooner |
April 21 7:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 131, Dallas Mavericks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 31–27, 39–30, 34–24 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 34 Rebs: Enes Kanter 8 Asts: Russell Westbrook 15 |
Pts: Wesley Matthews 22 Rebs: Nowitzki, Pachulia 6 each Asts: José Juan Barea 7 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 23 8:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 119, Dallas Mavericks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–18, 24–30, 32–31, 30–29 | ||
| Pts: Enes Kanter 28 Rebs: Adams, Roberson 8 each Asts: Russell Westbrook 15 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 8 Asts: Raymond Felton 11 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 25 8:00 PM |
| Dallas Mavericks 104, Oklahoma City Thunder 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 37–33, 22–25, 21–25 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24 Rebs: Dwight Powell 9 Asts: Zaza Pachulia 9 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 36 Rebs: Russell Westbrook 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Scott Foster, Rodney Mott, Tom Washington |
| Oklahoma City won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two of the four meetings.
| Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
April 17 10:30 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 95, Los Angeles Clippers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 21–24, 24–31, 29–34 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 21 Rebs: Al-Farouq Aminu 12 Asts: Damian Lillard 8 |
Pts: Chris Paul 28 Rebs: Griffin, Jordan 12 each Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| LA Clippers lead series, 1–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 19,122 Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Eric Lewis |
April 20 10:30 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 81, Los Angeles Clippers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 26–25, 18–20, 20–35 | ||
| Pts: Lillard, Plumlee 17 each Rebs: Aminu, Plumlee 10 each Asts: Mason Plumlee 7 |
Pts: Chris Paul 25 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 18 Asts: Jordan, Paul 5 each | |
| LA Clippers lead series, 2–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 19,127 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Bill Kennedy, Leroy Richardson |
April 23 10:30 PM |
| Los Angeles Clippers 88, Portland Trail Blazers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 21–27, 27–21, 21–26 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 26 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 16 Asts: Chris Paul 9 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 32 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 21 Asts: Mason Plumlee 9 | |
| LA Clippers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Moda Center, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 19,761 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Tom Washington |
April 25 10:30 PM |
| Los Angeles Clippers 84, Portland Trail Blazers 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 23–23, 21–19, 20–32 | ||
| Pts: Green, Griffin 17 each Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 15 Asts: Chris Paul 4 |
Pts: Al-Farouq Aminu 30 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 14 Asts: Mason Plumlee 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 27 10:00 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Los Angeles Clippers 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 27–32, 26–21, 37–27 | ||
| Pts: CJ McCollum 27 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 15 Asts: Damian Lillard 5 |
Pts: JJ Redick 19 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 17 Asts: Crawford, Prigioni 4 each | |
| Portland leads series, 3–2 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 19,060 Referees: Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner |
April 29 10:30 PM |
| Los Angeles Clippers 103, Portland Trail Blazers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 24–26, 34–30, 21–26 | ||
| Pts: Jamal Crawford 32 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 20 Asts: Austin Rivers 8 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 28 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 14 Asts: Damian Lillard 7 | |
| Portland wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Clippers and Trail Blazers.[18]
Eastern Conference semifinals
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
May 2 7:00 PM |
| Atlanta Hawks 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 22–21, 29–23, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Schröder 27 Rebs: Paul Millsap 13 Asts: Dennis Schröder 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 14 Asts: LeBron James 9 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Scott Foster, Eric Lewis, Zach Zarba |
May 4 8:00 PM |
| Atlanta Hawks 98, Cleveland Cavaliers 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–35, 18–39, 32–32, 28–17 | ||
| Pts: Paul Millsap 16 Rebs: Paul Millsap 11 Asts: Jeff Teague 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: Dellavedova, Irving 6 each | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott, Sean Wright |
May 6 7:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 121, Atlanta Hawks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 24–35, 30–28, 36–17 | ||
| Pts: Channing Frye 27 Rebs: Kevin Love 15 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Al Horford 24 Rebs: Paul Millsap 8 Asts: Jeff Teague 14 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 8 3:30 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 100, Atlanta Hawks 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–36, 29–22, 25–19, 19–22 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Love 27 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Dennis Schröder 21 Rebs: Paul Millsap 9 Asts: Dennis Schröder 6 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–0 | ||
In Game 2, the Cavaliers made history by hitting 18 three-pointers in the first half and 25 overall to break the record for most three-point field goals made by a team in a game.[19] During Game 3's final minute, Jeff Teague pushed LeBron James into a Hawks fan, James would later claim that he was still okay. In Game 4, both teams were locked in battle until in the final seconds, a jump ball was called between Dennis Schröder and LeBron James, and the Hawks desperately won the tip, but the game-winning shot by Paul Millsap bounced off the rim as the Cavs make a second straight sweep.
This was the third time the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the playoffs and it would be the second consecutive season the Cavaliers swept them.
| Cleveland won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first two meetings.
| Cleveland leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series. |
|---|
(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat
May 3 8:00 PM |
| Miami Heat 102, Toronto Raptors 96 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 23–25, 27–20, 22–27, Overtime: 12–6 | ||
| Pts: Goran Dragić 26 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 17 Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 |
Pts: Jonas Valančiūnas 24 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 14 Asts: Kyle Lowry 6 | |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 19,800 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Josh Tiven |
May 5 8:00 PM |
| Miami Heat 92, Toronto Raptors 96 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–29, 22–19, 24–15, 21–23, Overtime: 6–10 | ||
| Pts: Goran Dragić 20 Rebs: Hassan Whiteside 13 Asts: Dragić, J. Johnson 4 each |
Pts: DeMarre Carroll 21 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Asts: Kyle Lowry 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,906 Referees: Ken Mauer, Derrick Collins, John Goble |
May 7 5:00 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 95, Miami Heat 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–19, 26–21, 19–28, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Kyle Lowry 33 Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Asts: DeMar DeRozan 5 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 38 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8 Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 | |
| Toronto leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 9 8:00 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 87, Miami Heat 94 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 14–19, 27–16, 21–23, Overtime: 4–11 | ||
| Pts: Joseph, Ross 14 each Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 13 Asts: Kyle Lowry 9 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 30 Rebs: Luol Deng 9 Asts: Goran Dragić 4 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 11 8:00 PM |
| Miami Heat 91, Toronto Raptors 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 27–27, 17–20, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 20 Rebs: Joe Johnson 8 Asts: T. Johnson, Wade 4 each |
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 34 Rebs: Kyle Lowry 9 Asts: Kyle Lowry 6 | |
| Toronto leads series, 3–2 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,155 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Sean Wright |
May 13 8:00 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 91, Miami Heat 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 24–32, 28–29, 19–21 | ||
| Pts: Kyle Lowry 36 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 13 Asts: Kyle Lowry 3 |
Pts: Goran Dragić 30 Rebs: Goran Dragić 7 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 15 3:30 PM |
| Miami Heat 89, Toronto Raptors 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 23–28, 31–33, 11–30 | ||
| Pts: Dragić, Wade 16 each Rebs: Justise Winslow 8 Asts: Goran Dragić 7 |
Pts: Kyle Lowry 35 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 16 Asts: Kyle Lowry 9 | |
| Toronto wins series, 4–3 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,257 Referees: Danny Crawford, James Capers, Zach Zarba |
Even though the Raptors lost Game 1, Kyle Lowry hits a game-tying shot from half-court at the buzzer to force overtime. The play is similar to Chauncey Billups' half-court buzzer beater against the Nets in the 2004 playoffs, that also forced overtime. The end of Game 7 marks the Raptors' first ever trip to the Eastern Conference finals in their history.
Game 7 is noteworthy as being Dwyane Wade's last game with the Miami Heat (during his first stint with the team) as he would sign with the Chicago Bulls in the off-season. He would return to the Miami Heat in 2018 after being traded for a second-round pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
| Toronto won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Heat.[21]
Western Conference semifinals
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
May 1 3:30 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 106, Golden State Warriors 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–37, 34–28, 22–28, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 30 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 13 Asts: Mason Plumlee 6 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 37 Rebs: Draymond Green 13 Asts: Draymond Green 11 | |
| Golden State leads series, 1–0 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Monty McCutchen, James Capers, John Goble |
May 3 10:30 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 99, Golden State Warriors 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–21, 25–30, 28–25, 12–34 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 25 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 11 Asts: Damian Lillard 6 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 27 Rebs: Draymond Green 14 Asts: Draymond Green 7 | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–0 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Danny Crawford, Courtney Kirkland, Derrick Stafford |
May 7 8:30 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 18–36, 34–35, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Draymond Green 37 Rebs: Draymond Green 9 Asts: Shaun Livingston 10 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 40 Rebs: Aminu, Davis 10 each Asts: Damian Lillard 10 | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 9 10:30 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 132, Portland Trail Blazers 125 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 39–41, 29–18, 25–26, Overtime: 21–14 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Curry 40 Rebs: Bogut, Curry, Green 9 each Asts: Stephen Curry 8 |
Pts: Damian Lillard 36 Rebs: Mason Plumlee 15 Asts: Damian Lillard 10 | |
| Golden State leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 11 10:30 PM |
| Portland Trail Blazers 121, Golden State Warriors 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 33–31, 28–35, 30–32 | ||
| Pts: Damian Lillard 28 Rebs: Al-Farouq Aminu 9 Asts: Damian Lillard 7 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 33 Rebs: Draymond Green 11 Asts: Stephen Curry 11 | |
| Golden State wins series, 4–1 | ||
In Game 4, when Stephen Curry came back from his knee injury, he scored 40 points, along with an NBA record 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 132–125 win. They closed out the series in Game 5, to advance and face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in their second round matchup.
| Golden State won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Trail Blazers.[22]
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
April 30 8:30 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 92, San Antonio Spurs 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–43, 20–30, 26–32, 26–19 | ||
| Pts: Serge Ibaka 19 Rebs: Steven Adams 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 |
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 38 Rebs: Kyle Anderson 7 Asts: Tony Parker 12 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 9:30 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 98, San Antonio Spurs 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–21, 27–32, 21–23, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 29 Rebs: Steven Adams 17 Asts: Russell Westbrook 10 |
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 41 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Tony Parker 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 6 9:30 PM |
| San Antonio Spurs 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 20–22, 25–27, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 31 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 11 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 31 Rebs: Steven Adams 11 Asts: Russell Westbrook 8 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, James Williams |
May 8 8:00 PM |
| San Antonio Spurs 97, Oklahoma City Thunder 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 26–28, 28–32, 16–34 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 22 Rebs: David West 7 Asts: Mills, Parker 3 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 41 Rebs: Steven Adams 11 Asts: Russell Westbrook 15 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Danny Crawford, Bill Spooner, Zach Zarba |
May 10 8:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 95, San Antonio Spurs 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 21–32, 26–24, 26–19 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 35 Rebs: Enes Kanter 13 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 |
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 26 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 9 Asts: Tony Parker 5 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 12 8:30 PM |
| San Antonio Spurs 99, Oklahoma City Thunder 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 12–30, 34–36, 34–22 | ||
| Pts: Kawhi Leonard 22 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 14 Asts: Kawhi Leonard 5 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 37 Rebs: Steven Adams 11 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–2 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Bill Kennedy, Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald |
- Game 6 is Tim Duncan's final NBA game.
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning four of the first five meetings.
| San Antonio leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Eastern Conference finals
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors
May 17 8:30 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 16–33, 23–29, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: DeMar DeRozan 18 Rebs: Biyombo, Johnson, Lowry 4 each Asts: DeRozan, Lowry 5 each |
Pts: Kyrie Irving 27 Rebs: Richard Jefferson 11 Asts: Kyrie Irving 5 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Scott Foster, Sean Corbin, Jason Phillips |
May 19 8:30 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 89, Cleveland Cavaliers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 20–32, 21–24, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: DeMar DeRozan 22 Rebs: Kyle Lowry 6 Asts: Patrick Patterson 4 |
Pts: Kyrie Irving 26 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 12 Asts: LeBron James 11 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Danny Crawford, James Capers, Sean Wright |
May 21 8:30 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 84, Toronto Raptors 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 23–33, 23–20, 14–19 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 24 Rebs: James, Thompson 8 each Asts: LeBron James 5 |
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 32 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 26 Asts: DeMar DeRozan 4 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 23 8:30 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Toronto Raptors 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 17–30, 28–21, 30–27 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: James, Thompson 9 each Asts: Irving, James 6 each |
Pts: Kyle Lowry 35 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 14 Asts: Kyle Lowry 5 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,367 Referees: Monty McCutchen, David Guthrie, Derrick Stafford |
May 25 8:30 PM |
| Toronto Raptors 78, Cleveland Cavaliers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–37, 15–28, 26–35, 18–16 | ||
| Pts: DeMar DeRozan 14 Rebs: Jason Thompson 5 Asts: Kyle Lowry 6 |
Pts: Kevin Love 25 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 10 Asts: LeBron James 8 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–2 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington |
May 27 8:30 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 113, Toronto Raptors 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 24–16, 31–33, 27–13 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 33 Rebs: Kevin Love 12 Asts: Kyrie Irving 9 |
Pts: Kyle Lowry 35 Rebs: Bismack Biyombo 9 Asts: DeRozan, Lowry 3 each | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–2 | ||
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario Attendance: 20,605 Referees: Danny Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Jason Phillips |
Games 1 and 2 were easy victories for the Cavaliers, as they pushed their playoff winning streak to 10 consecutive games. However, in Game 3, the Raptors dominated the first half, building up an 18-point lead, the largest deficit the Cavaliers faced all playoffs long. J.R. Smith's hot three-point shooting tried to lead Cleveland back, cutting the lead to 5, but the Raptors inevitably held on to win the game. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Bismack Biyombo grabbed a Raptors' franchise record 26 rebounds. This loss by Cleveland ended their playoff winning streak at 10 games. Things would get worse in Game 4 as the Cavs were unable to slow down Kyle Lowry who scored 20 first-half points. Cleveland once again attempted a second half comeback, only this time they turned the game into a back and forth battle. Lowry's drive and score at the basket sealed the win for Toronto, tying the series at 2 games apiece. It was time for recovery for James and the Cavaliers in Game 5. They delivered yet another blowout victory, as they took a 3–2 series lead. The Raptors needed a win back home to force a decisive Game 7, but the Cavaliers closed out the series in Game 6 and won their second straight Eastern Conference title. For the sixth consecutive season, LeBron James advances to the NBA Finals, along with his teammate, James Jones.
| Toronto won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first ever meeting in any professional sports league's postseason between teams from Cleveland and Toronto.[24] Teams from the two cities met again less than five months later (and again in the penultimate round of the playoffs) when the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 American League Championship Series.
Western Conference finals
(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
May 16 9:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 108, Golden State Warriors 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 26–33, 38–28, 23–14 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 27 Rebs: Steven Adams 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 |
Pts: Stephen Curry 26 Rebs: Stephen Curry 10 Asts: Stephen Curry 7 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington |
May 18 9:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 91, Golden State Warriors 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 29–30, 19–31, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 29 Rebs: Steven Adams 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 |
Pts: Stephen Curry 28 Rebs: Draymond Green 8 Asts: Draymond Green 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ed Malloy, Kane Fitzgerald |
May 22 8:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 105, Oklahoma City Thunder 133 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–34, 19–38, 33–45, 25–16 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Curry 24 Rebs: Brandon Rush 5 Asts: five players 3 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 33 Rebs: Enes Kanter 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 2–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Zach Zarba |
May 24 9:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 94, Oklahoma City Thunder 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 27–42, 29–22, 12–24 | ||
| Pts: Klay Thompson 26 Rebs: Draymond Green 11 Asts: Stephen Curry 5 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 36 Rebs: André Roberson 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Danny Crawford, Bill Kennedy, John Goble |
May 26 9:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 111, Golden State Warriors 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 29–33, 27–23, 34–39 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 40 Rebs: Steven Adams 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 8 |
Pts: Stephen Curry 31 Rebs: Andrew Bogut 14 Asts: Andre Iguodala 8 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 28 9:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 108, Oklahoma City Thunder 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 28–30, 27–30, 33–18 | ||
| Pts: Klay Thompson 41 Rebs: Draymond Green 12 Asts: Stephen Curry 9 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 29 Rebs: Adams, Ibaka, Westbrook 9 each Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ed Malloy, Derrick Stafford |
May 30 9:00 PM |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 88, Golden State Warriors 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 24–23, 12–29, 28–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 27 Rebs: André Roberson 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 13 |
Pts: Stephen Curry 36 Rebs: Draymond Green 9 Asts: Stephen Curry 8 | |
| Golden State wins series, 4–3 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Jason Phillips |
During the Thunder-Warriors series, Draymond Green became the subject of multiple controversial plays against Oklahoma City players, most notably Steven Adams.
In Game 1, the Thunder upset the Warriors 108–102 and took a 1–0 series lead. It marked the Warriors' first loss at Oracle Arena in Oakland in the playoffs, as well as their third home loss of the season. In Game 2, despite a close game at the half, the Warriors soundly defeated the Thunder 118–91. Television cameras appeared to show Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams in the groin while he was attempting a layup. In Game 3, in the comfort of a raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder dominated the Warriors 133–105. During the game, Green received a flagrant foul 1 for again appearing to kick Adams in the groin.[25] In Game 4, the Thunder once again handed the Warriors a commanding 118–94 defeat to take a 3–1 series lead. Green appeared to trip Enes Kanter during the game. [26] Returning to Oracle Arena in Game 5, the Warriors held on to defeat the Thunder 120-111, cutting their series deficit to 3-2. Kevin Durant scored 40 points in the loss. Despite their Game 5 loss, the Thunder were favored to advance to the NBA Finals in the comfort of their home court in Game 6, but the Warriors stunned the Thunder thanks to Klay Thompson, who scored a series-high 41 points and made an NBA playoff record 11 3s. Klay's performance and a poor shooting night from Kevin Durant, as the Warriors won the game 108–101 and tied the series 3-3, forcing a Game 7 in the Bay Area.[27][28] In Game 7, Oklahoma City built a 13-point lead during the game and led 48–42 at halftime. However, the Thunder lost focus in the third quarter. After the Warriors thwarted Oklahoma City's brief comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, Golden State won 96–88 and became the 10th team to win an NBA playoff series after being down 3 games to 1.[29] Game 7 was the last game Kevin Durant played with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before joining his opponent in this series, the Golden State Warriors.
| Golden State won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Thunder, with both teams tied at one a piece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
June 2 9:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Golden State Warriors 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 19–24, 25–22, 21–30 | ||
| Pts: Kyrie Irving 26 Rebs: Kevin Love 13 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Shaun Livingston 20 Rebs: Draymond Green 11 Asts: Draymond Green 7 | |
| Golden State leads series, 1–0 | ||
June 5 8:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 77, Golden State Warriors 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–19, 23–33, 18–30, 15–28 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 19 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Draymond Green 28 Rebs: Stephen Curry 9 Asts: Green, Livingston, Thompson 5 each | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–0 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, James Capers |
June 8 9:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 90, Cleveland Cavaliers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–33, 27–18, 26–38, 21–31 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Curry 19 Rebs: Harrison Barnes 8 Asts: Draymond Green 7 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 13 Asts: Kyrie Irving 8 | |
| Golden State leads series, 2–1 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Zach Zarba |
June 10 9:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 21–27, 29–22, 29–20 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Curry 38 Rebs: Draymond Green 12 Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 |
Pts: Kyrie Irving 34 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 9 | |
| Golden State leads series, 3–1 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Jason Phillips |
June 13 9:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 112, Golden State Warriors 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 32–29, 32–23, 19–13 | ||
| Pts: Irving, James 41 each Rebs: LeBron James 16 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Klay Thompson 37 Rebs: Andre Iguodala 11 Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 | |
| Golden State leads series, 3–2 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Marc Davis and Derrick Stafford |
June 16 9:00 PM |
| Golden State Warriors 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–31, 32–28, 28–21, 30–35 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Curry 30 Rebs: Draymond Green 10 Asts: Draymond Green 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 41 Rebs: Tristan Thompson 16 Asts: LeBron James 11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Scott Foster, Ken Mauer and Jason Phillips |
June 19 8:00 PM |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 93, Golden State Warriors 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 19–27, 33–27, 18–13 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Kevin Love 14 Asts: LeBron James 11 |
Pts: Draymond Green 32 Rebs: Draymond Green 15 Asts: Draymond Green 9 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–3 | ||
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 19,596 Referees: Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen |
After winning three of the first four games in the Finals with relative ease, the Warriors appeared to be overwhelming the Cavaliers as they moved to being within one win from back-to-back championships. However, the series shifted dramatically after Golden State's All-Star forward, Draymond Green, was suspended for game 5 after an altercation with Cleveland's LeBron James in game 4. Absent Green, the Warriors were lacking defensively, as Kyrie Irving and LeBron James became the first teammates to score 40 or more points each in a Finals game and led the Cavaliers to a 112–97 win to force game 6.[31] Back in the Quicken Loans Arena for their final home game of the season, the Cavaliers tied the series at 3 games apiece by defeating Golden State, 115–101. After receiving his sixth personal foul in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry was ejected for the first time in his career after throwing his mouthpiece at a Cavaliers fan.[32] Game 7 came down to the wire. Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 89, Andre Iguodala received a bounce pass from Curry. As Iguodala went up for the layup, he was blocked from behind by James, in what has since been recognized as one of the most memorable blocks in NBA playoff history, and among the most iconic plays of James's career. Reverse camera angles showed that James should have been called with goaltending as James's hand had touched the rim. With less than a minute to play, Kyrie Irving converted a 3-point shot to give the Cavaliers the lead. On their next possession, James was fouled by Green while attempting a dunk, and made one of his two free throws to increase the lead to four. While the Warriors managed to get the ball into the hands of Curry for a chance to cut the deficit to one, he was guarded well by Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert, and Curry was forced to take a sub par shot that missed, sealing the game as the city of Cleveland, Ohio's 52-year sports curse finally ended. The Cavaliers became the eleventh team to win an NBA playoff series after trailing 3 games to 1, and the first to do so in the NBA Finals. The Warriors became the best team (by regular season record) to fail to capture an NBA championship. Cleveland also became only the fourth team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road. This was the first NBA championship for the Cavaliers.[33]
| Golden State won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers, with the Warriors winning the first meeting last season.
| Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
| Category | High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played | |
| Points | Paul Millsap | Atlanta Hawks | 45 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | 28.4 | 18 |
| Rebounds | Bismack Biyombo | Toronto Raptors | 26 | DeAndre Jordan | Los Angeles Clippers | 16.3 | 6 |
| Assists | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 15 | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 11.0 | 18 |
| Steals | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 7 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs | 2.60 | 9 |
| James Harden | Houston Rockets | Trevor Ariza | Houston Rockets | 5 | |||
| Blocks | Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | 5 | Myles Turner | Indiana Pacers | 3.29 | 7 |
Television
ESPN, TNT, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNews and NBA TV broadcast the NBA playoffs nationally in the United States. In the first round, regional sports networks affiliated with the teams can also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. Throughout the first two rounds, TNT televised games Saturday through Thursday, ESPN televised games Friday and Saturday, and ABC televised select games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV , ESPN2 and ESPNEWS aired select weekday games in the first round. TNT televised the Western Conference finals and ESPN televised the Eastern Conference finals. ABC televised the NBA Finals for the 14th consecutive year.
In Canada, national coverage is divided between the TSN and Sportsnet families of channels, with each group carrying approximately half of all games featuring the Toronto Raptors (produced independently of the U.S. national broadcasts regardless of round), and half of all other games (simulcast from the applicable U.S. broadcaster).
Radio
ESPN Radio had 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.
In Canada, the playoffs were carried on TSN Radio.
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