2011 NBA playoffs
| Dates | April 16–June 12, 2011 |
|---|
The 2011 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dirk Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP.
Overview
Western Conference
The San Antonio Spurs entered their fourteenth consecutive postseason. They also entered as the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 2006, in addition to entering the postseason with 50+ regular season wins for the twelfth consecutive season.
The two time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers entered their sixth consecutive postseason. However, this would be their first since 2007 without posting the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Dallas Mavericks entered their eleventh consecutive postseason, and their eleventh straight appearance having won 50+ games in the regular season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the playoffs with their first Northwest Division title under this incarnation.
The Portland Trail Blazers entered their third consecutive postseason.
The New Orleans Hornets also returned to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. However, this was also their final postseason appearance before the franchise was renamed the Pelicans before the 2013–14 season. They lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, and would not return to the playoffs until 2015.
The Memphis Grizzlies also made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Unlike their previous three appearances, in which they were swept in the first round, The Grizzlies broke their trend by winning Game 1 of their series against the Spurs, their first playoff win in franchise history.
The Phoenix Suns, despite a run to the Western Conference finals last postseason, missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. This would also mark the start of a ten season postseason drought for the Suns.
The Utah Jazz missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The Denver Nuggets entered their eighth consecutive postseason and their first since 1995 without Carmelo Anthony on the roster.
Eastern Conference
The Chicago Bulls achieved several "firsts" since 1998: the East's best record, a Central Division title, and over 60 victories. They also clinched the NBA's best record for the first time since 1997, guaranteeing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Miami Heat entered their third consecutive postseason, and their first in the Big 3 era of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. They would also open the playoffs at home for the first time since 2006. Their in–state rivals, the Orlando Magic, entered their fifth consecutive postseason. In addition, for the first time, both franchises would open their playoff runs at home.
The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004, but this was their first playoff appearance as an above-.500 team since 2001. However, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.
The Philadelphia 76ers appeared for the third time in four seasons. However, they lost in the first round to the Miami Heat.
The Indiana Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, despite posting a sub .500 record. However, they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
First Round
By losing Game 1 of their series against the New Orleans Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers joined the San Antonio Spurs as the first top seeds to lose an opening game of the playoffs since the 16–team playoff format was introduced.
In Game 1 of the first round series between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic tied a franchise record with 46 points (31 in the first half), tying Tracy McGrady's total in Game 2 of the 2003 First Round against the Detroit Pistons.
In Game 4 of their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 23 point deficit to tie the series at 2. However, the Mavericks would go on to win the series in six games, giving the Trail Blazers their sixth consecutive first round series loss. They would not return to the playoffs until 2014.
With their first round win over the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first playoff series since relocating from Seattle. This also marked the first playoff series win for Kevin Durant.
With their first round sweep of the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics swept a best–of–7 playoff series for the first time since winning the 1986 Eastern Conference finals with a 4–game sweep of the Bucks; prior to the series win they had not swept a series overall since 1992, in Larry Bird's final season. However, they lost to the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.
With their first round series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat won their first playoff series since 2006, when they last won the NBA Championship. It also marked the first playoff series win for Erik Spoelstra as a head coach.
With their first round series win over the Indians Pacers, the Chicago Bulls won their first playoff series since 2007.
In Game 6 of their first round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Memphis Grizzlies followed up their first playoff win by winning their first playoff series. They became the fourth eighth seeded team to beat a top seeded team in the first round, and the second team to do so since the first round expanded to a best–of–seven format in 2003. The Golden State Warriors were the most recent team to accomplish this feat.
With their series loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic became the first team coached by Stan Van Gundy to lose a first round playoff series.
For the first time since the current NBA Playoff format was introduced in 2003, no first-round series was pushed to a Game 7.
Conference semifinals
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks met in the playoffs for the first time since 1988. It also marked the first and only postseason meeting between Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. The series was extremely notable for the following reasons.
- Game 1: The Dallas Mavericks overcame a 16 point fourth quarter deficit to win the game.
- Game 2: The Los Angeles Lakers lost the first two games of a playoff series at home.
- Game 3: The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 7 point fourth quarter lead to lose 92–98.
- Game 4
- The Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record with 20 three pointers (with Jason Terry shooting nine of them).
- Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom getting ejected 45 seconds apart
- With a 122–86 victory, the Dallas Mavericks not only swept the Los Angeles Lakers, but they also made the conference finals for the first time since 2006 (and fourth overall), and vindicated themselves following their shocking first round exit four years earlier.
- This was also Phil Jackson’s final NBA game as a head coach.
- Their series loss to the Dallas Mavericks marked the Los Angeles Lakers’ first series loss despite having home court advantage since 1996. It also marked Phil Jackson’s first time being swept in a playoff series.
Game 4 of the Heat–Celtics series was Shaquille O’Neal’s final NBA game, as he would announce his retirement during the 2011 NBA Finals. It also marked the second time (the first being 2007) that his and Kobe Bryant’s teams were eliminated in the same playoff series since the duo broke up in 2004.
With their conference semifinals win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls returned to the conference finals for the first time since 1998, when they last made the NBA Finals.
Game 7 of the Grizzlies–Thunder series also ensured a 12th straight postseason with at least one Game 7 played. The last without one was the 1999 NBA playoffs. The 2011 Playoffs also marked the first time since 2007 that only one series went to a Game 7. That would not happen again until 2022. By winning this game, the Oklahoma City Thunder made their first Western Conference finals appearance since 1996 (when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics), and their first under the current incarnation.
Conference finals
For the first time since 2007, no #1 or #2 seed participated in the Western Conference finals.
With their Western Conference finals series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006.
With their Eastern Conference finals series win over the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006, guaranteeing an NBA Finals rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. It also marked the first time since 1990 that the Chicago Bulls lost an Eastern Conference finals series, and the first time since 1989 that the Bulls lost the ECF at home. As of 2023, the this was the Bulls’ most recent Eastern Conference finals appearance.
NBA Finals
In a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, there were some extremely notable moments.
- Game 2: The Dallas Mavericks came back from a fifteen point deficit to win the game, 95–93. Ironically enough, they held a nine point lead in the first half before falling behind in the second half. LeBron James only scored 2 points in the final quarter.
- Game 4: LeBron James scored 0 points in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks went on to win the game 86–83. Dirk Nowitzki, on the other hand, played despite having a fever.
- Game 5: LeBron James scored only 2 points in the fourth quarter for the third time in four games, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to take a 3–2 series lead back to Miami.
- Game 6: With the win, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to win the championship. The Dallas Mavericks also became the first team in NBA History to win the NBA Finals despite trailing 1–0 and 2–1 in the same finals series. Dirk Nowitzki, despite shooting 1 for 12 in the first half of the game, was Finals MVP. The Mavericks would not win another playoff series until 2022.
Format
The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualified for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record. However, a division champion is guaranteed to be ranked at least fourth, regardless of their record and their winnings.
Tiebreak procedures
The tiebreakers that determined seedings were:
- Division leader wins tie against team not leading a division
- Head-to-head record
- Division record (if all tied teams are in the same division)
- Conference record
- Record vs. playoff teams, own conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams)
- Record vs. playoff teams, other conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams) (this tiebreaker does not apply if 3 or more tied teams)
- Point differential, all games
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference |
Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Chicago Bulls | 62–20 | March 9 | March 9 | April 8 | April 13 |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 58–24 | March 10 | April 3 | — | — |
| 3 | Boston Celtics | 56–26 | March 7 | March 20 | — | — |
| 4 | Orlando Magic | 52–30 | March 16 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 44–38 | March 26 | — | — | — |
| 6 | New York Knicks | 42–40 | April 3 | — | — | — |
| 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | 41–41 | April 1 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 37–45 | April 6 | — | — | — |
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference | |||
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 61–21 | March 9 | April 3 | April 6 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 57–25[a] | March 20 | March 20 | — |
| 3 | Dallas Mavericks | 57–25[a] | March 20 | — | — |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 55–27 | March 27 | April 6 | — |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | 50–32 | April 3 | — | — |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 48–34 | April 5 | — | — |
| 7 | New Orleans Hornets | 46–36[b] | April 6 | — | — |
| 8 | Memphis Grizzlies | 46–36[b] | April 8 | — | — |
— = Did not achieve
Notes
- ^ a b Los Angeles Lakers clinched #2 seed over Dallas Mavericks based on winning Pacific Division.
- ^ a b New Orleans Hornets clinched #7 seed over Memphis Grizzlies based on Southwest Division winning percentage. (.563 vs .500)
Bracket
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. Home court advantage for the playoffs does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams with home court advantage are shown in italics. If two teams with same record met in a round use normal tiebreakers. Tiebreakers in NBA Finals are head-to-head and record vs opposite conference.
| First Round | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Chicago* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Chicago* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Orlando | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Chicago* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New York | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Philadelphia | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Memphis | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Memphis | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Denver | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Oklahoma City* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | LA Lakers* | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | New Orleans | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
First round
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
Eastern Conference first round
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
April 16
1:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 99, Chicago Bulls 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 28–28, 24–20, 20–33 | ||
| Pts: Danny Granger 24 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 8 Asts: Darren Collison 9 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 39 Rebs: Joakim Noah 11 Asts: Derrick Rose 6 | |
| Chicago leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 18
9:30 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 90, Chicago Bulls 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 29–27, 20–23, 23–29 | ||
| Pts: Danny Granger 19 Rebs: Hansbrough, McRoberts 6 each Asts: Dunleavy, Granger 4 each |
Pts: Derrick Rose 36 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 16 Asts: Derrick Rose 6 | |
| Chicago leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 21
7:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 88, Indiana Pacers 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 21–25, 23–22, 23–20 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 23 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 11 Asts: Luol Deng 6 |
Pts: Danny Granger 21 Rebs: Paul George 12 Asts: Collison, Dunleavy, George, Granger 2 each | |
| Chicago leads series, 3–0 | ||
April 23
2:30 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 84, Indiana Pacers 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 14–26, 23–18, 28–22 | ||
| Pts: Joakim Noah 21 Rebs: Joakim Noah 14 Asts: Derrick Rose 10 |
Pts: Danny Granger 24 Rebs: Granger, Hibbert 10 each Asts: Danny Granger 4 | |
| Chicago leads series, 3–1 | ||
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Scott Foster, David Jones, Michael Smith |
April 26
8:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 89, Chicago Bulls 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 21–18, 19–30, 24–32 | ||
| Pts: Danny Granger 20 Rebs: Tyler Hansbrough 11 Asts: Darren Collison 5 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 25 Rebs: Joakim Noah 8 Asts: Deng, Watson 7 each | |
| Chicago wins series, 4–1 | ||
- Regular-season series
| Chicago won 3–1 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 |
|---|
This series pitted the team with the best record in the regular season against the team with the worst record in the playoffs. As such this series was expected to be a very easy one for the Bulls. However, despite the Bulls winning 4-1 the series was much closer than this figure would indicate. Except for the last game each was heavily contested with each of the first 4 being decided by 6 points or less. The series could have easily gone 6 or 7 games had the Pacers been able to convert in the end of game situations in each of the first 3 games. However, despite their struggles the Bulls were able to take the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second time since the Michael Jordan era (they advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2007).
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
April 16
3:30 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 89, Miami Heat 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–19, 18–35, 20–26, 20–17 | ||
| Pts: Thaddeus Young 20 Rebs: Thaddeus Young 11 Asts: Andre Iguodala 9 |
Pts: Chris Bosh 25 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: James, Wade 5 each | |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 18
7:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 73, Miami Heat 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–19, 18–30, 21–26, 21–19 | ||
| Pts: Thaddeus Young 18 Rebs: Brand, Iguodala 7 each Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 |
Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: Chris Bosh 11 Asts: LeBron James 6 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 21
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 100, Philadelphia 76ers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 29–23, 23–23, 27–19 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 32 Rebs: LeBron James 15 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 |
Pts: Elton Brand 21 Rebs: Elton Brand 10 Asts: Andre Iguodala 10 | |
| Miami leads series, 3–0 | ||
April 24
1:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 82, Philadelphia 76ers 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 31–18, 19–18, 16–22 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 31 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Turner, Williams 17 each Rebs: Elton Brand 11 Asts: Jrue Holiday 5 | |
| Miami leads series, 3–1 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 19,048 Referees: Joe Crawford, David Guthrie, Dick Bavetta |
April 27
7:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 91, Miami Heat 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 19–18, 25–27, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Brand, Iguodala 22 each Rebs: Iguodala, Turner 10 each Asts: Jrue Holiday 8 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 26 Rebs: Bosh, Wade 11 each Asts: LeBron James 8 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,896 Referees: Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Bennett Salvatore |
- Regular-season series
| Miami won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the 76ers.[2]
The newly revamped Heat, with the much publicized acquisition of all stars and franchise players LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the off-season, were heavy favorites going into this series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Along with Dwyane Wade, James and Bosh comprised the "Big 3", and were eager to show critics that they were a team that could compete in the playoffs after some slip-ups during the regular season (a 9-8 start, a 5-game losing streak, and a not so favorable record against the best teams in the league). However, many pundits believed that the end of the season showed the Heat playing the best they had all season. Although the Sixers offered some resistance to the Heat, including some close games and a come from behind victory the Heat were able to take it in five and advance out of the first round for the first time since their NBA Championship in 2006.
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
April 17
7:00 pm |
| New York Knicks 85, Boston Celtics 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 28–15, 13–20, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 28 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 11 Asts: Anthony, Billups 4 each |
Pts: Ray Allen 24 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 9 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 19
7:00 pm |
| New York Knicks 93, Boston Celtics 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 24–21, 22–30, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 42 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 17 Asts: Carmelo Anthony 6 |
Pts: Rajon Rondo 30 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 22
7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 25–24, 34–19, 27–33 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 38 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 20 |
Pts: Shawne Williams 17 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11 Asts: Carmelo Anthony 6 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763 Referees: Dan Crawford, Marc Davis, Gary Zielinski |
April 24
3:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 101, New York Knicks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 26–15, 27–34, 19–17 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 26 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 12 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 32 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 12 Asts: Anthony Carter 4 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763 Referees: Mike Callahan, Derrick Collins, Ken Mauer |
- Regular-season series
| Boston won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 14th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning seven of the first 13 meetings.
| Boston leads 7–6 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Due to the Celtics' struggles at the end of the regular season as well as the star power of the New York Knicks in Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony this was a favorite first round upset for many. In the first two games the Knicks were indeed able to show they could contend with the defending Eastern Conference champions. In Game 1, Ray Allen made a game winning three-pointer after being freed up by a controversial screen. The next two games the Celtics took fairly easily as injuries to both Chauncey Billups and Amar'e Stoudemire took their toll on the Knicks. This was the only sweep of the first round.
(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
April 16
7:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 103, Orlando Magic 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–19, 38–29, 30–23, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 25 Rebs: Josh Smith 8 Asts: Crawford, Johnson 5 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard 46 Rebs: Dwight Howard 19 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 19,108 Referees: Scott Foster, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson |
April 19
7:30 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 82, Orlando Magic 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 20–32, 12–17, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Jamal Crawford 25 Rebs: Al Horford 10 Asts: Joe Johnson 5 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 33 Rebs: Dwight Howard 19 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 19,160 Referees: Mike Callahan, David Guthrie, Bill Spooner |
April 22
8:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 84, Atlanta Hawks 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 17–26, 20–15, 22–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 21 Rebs: Dwight Howard 15 Asts: Jameer Nelson 10 |
Pts: Jamal Crawford 23 Rebs: Josh Smith 10 Asts: Joe Johnson 5 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 24
7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 85, Atlanta Hawks 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 20–21, 24–20, 24–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 29 Rebs: Dwight Howard 17 Asts: Jameer Nelson 6 |
Pts: Jamal Crawford 25 Rebs: Al Horford 12 Asts: Jamal Crawford 6 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 26
7:30 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 76, Orlando Magic 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–26, 22–32, 18–21, 23–22 | ||
| Pts: Josh Smith 22 Rebs: Al Horford 14 Asts: Al Horford 6 |
Pts: Jason Richardson 17 Rebs: Dwight Howard 8 Asts: Jameer Nelson 5 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 28
7:30 pm |
| Orlando Magic 81, Atlanta Hawks 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 18–19, 19–20, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 25 Rebs: Dwight Howard 15 Asts: Jameer Nelson 6 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 23 Rebs: Al Horford 12 Asts: Al Horford 6 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 4–2 | ||
- Regular-season series
| Atlanta won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first two meetings.
| Orlando leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Despite having won the season series against the Magic the Atlanta Hawks were touted as underdogs against the Orlando Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. In the first game of the series the Hawks were unable to contain Howard as he scored 46 points – however, by limiting the contributions of the Magic's role players they were able to get a victory and steal home court advantage from the Magic. Although the Magic won the next game, better play by the Hawks down the stretch and the inability of the Magic to convert on 3-point shots (the Magic shot 2-23 from beyond the arc in game 4) gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead. The next two games were split and the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight year.
Western Conference first round
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
April 17
1:00 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 101, San Antonio Spurs 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 18–21, 25–31, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Zach Randolph 25 Rebs: Zach Randolph 14 Asts: Mike Conley 10 |
Pts: Tony Parker 20 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 5 | |
| Memphis leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20
8:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 87, San Antonio Spurs 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 27–24, 21–25, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Sam Young 17 Rebs: Marc Gasol 17 Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 17 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tony Parker 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 23
7:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 88, Memphis Grizzlies 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 22–23, 24–19, 22–20 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 25 Rebs: Marc Gasol 9 Asts: Mike Conley 8 | |
| Memphis leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 25
8:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 86, Memphis Grizzlies 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 24–27, 15–30, 21–26 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Tiago Splitter 9 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 4 |
Pts: Mike Conley 15 Rebs: Gasol, Randolph 9 each Asts: Mike Conley 7 | |
| Memphis leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 27
8:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 103, San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 28–30, 26–15, 29–32, Overtime: 6–13 | ||
| Pts: Zach Randolph 26 Rebs: Marc Gasol 17 Asts: Zach Randolph 6 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 9 | |
| Memphis leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 29
9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 91, Memphis Grizzlies 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 27–22, 23–24, 25–29 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tony Parker 4 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 31 Rebs: Marc Gasol 13 Asts: Mike Conley 3 | |
| Memphis wins series, 4–2 | ||
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119 Referees: Dan Crawford, Jason Phillips, Bennett Salvatore |
- Regular-season series
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting.
| San Antonio leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The eighth seeded Grizzlies won their first playoff game in franchise history after they defeated the top seeded Spurs 101-98 in Game 1. The Spurs evened the series up in Game 2, but the Grizzlies won Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. In Game 5 with only 1.7 seconds left in regulation, Gary Neal tied the game with a 3-point buzzer beater to force OT. The Spurs won in OT 110-103. In Game 6, the Grizzlies won their first ever playoff series in franchise history when they defeated the Spurs 99-91, winning the series 4-2. In addition, the Grizzlies became just the second eighth seeded team to knock off a top seeded team since the NBA went to a best-of-seven series in the first round.[6]
(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
April 17
3:30 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 29–23, 18–25, 36–28 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 33 Rebs: Ariza, Paul 7 each Asts: Chris Paul 14 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Ron Artest 11 Asts: Pau Gasol 6 | |
| New Orleans leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20
10:30 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 78, Los Angeles Lakers 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 18–24, 15–16, 22–24 | ||
| Pts: Trevor Ariza 22 Rebs: Aaron Gray 8 Asts: Chris Paul 9 |
Pts: Andrew Bynum 17 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 11 Asts: Steve Blake 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 22
9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 100, New Orleans Hornets 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 21–19, 24–26, 25–18 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 11 Asts: Derek Fisher 5 |
Pts: Carl Landry 23 Rebs: Trevor Ariza 12 Asts: Chris Paul 8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 18,340 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Sean Wright |
April 24
9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 88, New Orleans Hornets 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 20–27, 22–20, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 17 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 9 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
Pts: Chris Paul 27 Rebs: Chris Paul 13 Asts: Chris Paul 15 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 26
10:30 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 90, Los Angeles Lakers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–23, 19–31, 21–25, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Trevor Ariza 22 Rebs: Aaron Gray 6 Asts: Chris Paul 12 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 19 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 10 Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
April 28
8:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 98, New Orleans Hornets 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–16, 22–18, 29–23, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 24 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 12 Asts: Ron Artest 5 |
Pts: Carl Landry 19 Rebs: Chris Paul 8 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Attendance: 17,949 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington |
- Regular-season series
| Los Angeles won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[7]
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers
April 16
9:30 pm |
| Portland Trail Blazers 81, Dallas Mavericks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 15–26, 20–14, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 27 Rebs: Marcus Camby 18 Asts: Andre Miller 6 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 4 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,541 Referees: Mike Callahan, David Jones, Ken Mauer |
April 19
9:30 pm |
| Portland Trail Blazers 89, Dallas Mavericks 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 28–28, 20–23, 17–28 | ||
| Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 24 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 10 Asts: Andre Miller 8 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,620 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher |
April 21
10:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 92, Portland Trail Blazers 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 29–26, 20–21, 20–22 | ||
| Pts: Jason Terry 29 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jason Terry 7 |
Pts: Wesley Matthews 25 Rebs: Gerald Wallace 11 Asts: Andre Miller 7 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,217 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Eric Lewis, Jason Phillips |
April 23
5:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 82, Portland Trail Blazers 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–11, 21–24, 30–14, 15–35 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 20 Rebs: Shawn Marion 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 4 |
Pts: Brandon Roy 24 Rebs: Gerald Wallace 11 Asts: Brandon Roy 5 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 25
8:30 pm |
| Portland Trail Blazers 82, Dallas Mavericks 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 23–29, 20–31, 19–18 | ||
| Pts: Andre Miller 18 Rebs: Aldridge, Wallace 9 each Asts: Andre Miller 7 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 25 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 20 Asts: Jason Kidd 14 | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,837 Referees: Scott Foster, John Goble, Tom Washington |
April 28
10:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 33–16, 23–19, 28–34 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Jason Terry 8 |
Pts: Gerald Wallace 32 Rebs: Gerald Wallace 12 Asts: Andre Miller 4 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–2 | ||
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,494 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard, Gary Zielinski |
- Regular-season series
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning two of the first three meetings.
| Portland leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The Mavericks won the first two games of the series, but the Trail Blazers won Games 3 and 4 to tie the series 2-2. In Game 4, the Trail Blazers played from behind most of the game, at one point trailing the Mavericks by 23 points late in the third quarter. Entering the final quarter down 67-49, the Trail Blazers, with the help of Brandon Roy's 18 fourth quarter points, embarked on their biggest fourth quarter comeback in franchise history to win the game 84-82. However, the Mavericks recovered from their Game 4 collapse and won Games 5 and 6 to win the series 4-2.[9]
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Denver Nuggets
April 17
9:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 27–35, 22–27, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Nenê 22 Rebs: Chandler, Nenê 8 each Asts: Raymond Felton 8 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 41 Rebs: Kevin Durant 9 Asts: Russell Westbrook 7 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20
8:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 89, Oklahoma City Thunder 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–31, 29–28, 22–22, 23–25 | ||
| Pts: Ty Lawson 20 Rebs: Nenê 9 Asts: Ty Lawson 3 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 23 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 7 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 2–0 | ||
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Dick Bavetta, Rodney Mott |
April 23
10:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 97, Denver Nuggets 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 30–18, 15–24, 26–21 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 26 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 16 Asts: Russell Westbrook 8 |
Pts: Martin, Nenê, Smith 15 each Rebs: Nenê 10 Asts: Felton, Lawson, Nenê 4 each | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–0 | ||
April 25
10:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 101, Denver Nuggets 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 25–19, 24–26, 32–33 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 31 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 14 Asts: Harden, Westbrook 5 each |
Pts: Ty Lawson 27 Rebs: Martin, Nenê 9 each Asts: Danilo Gallinari 4 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1 | ||
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,155 Referees: Greg Willard, Ron Garretson, Michael Smith |
April 27
9:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 97, Oklahoma City Thunder 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 22–25, 26–22, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Arron Afflalo 15 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10 Asts: Felton, Lawson 4 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 41 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 9 Asts: Russell Westbrook 4 | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1 | ||
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Spooner, Pat Fraher |
- Regular-season series
| Oklahoma City won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nuggets winning two of the first three meetings. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
| Denver leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference semifinals
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
May 2
8:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 103, Chicago Bulls 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 23–32, 21–21, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 34 Rebs: Al Horford 13 Asts: Jeff Teague 5 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 24 Rebs: Joakim Noah 9 Asts: Derrick Rose 10 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 4
8:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 73, Chicago Bulls 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 18–23, 21–17, 15–21 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Teague 21 Rebs: Al Horford 14 Asts: Al Horford 6 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 25 Rebs: Joakim Noah 14 Asts: Derrick Rose 10 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 6
7:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 99, Atlanta Hawks 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 27–20, 24–20, 19–19 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 44 Rebs: Joakim Noah 15 Asts: Derrick Rose 7 |
Pts: Jeff Teague 21 Rebs: Josh Smith 13 Asts: Josh Smith 4 | |
| Chicago leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 8
8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 88, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 20–19, 23–20, 19–33 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 34 Rebs: Joakim Noah 11 Asts: Derrick Rose 10 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 24 Rebs: Josh Smith 16 Asts: Josh Smith 8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 10
8:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 83, Chicago Bulls 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 21–16, 26–21, 15–26 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Teague 21 Rebs: Al Horford 10 Asts: Jeff Teague 7 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 33 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Derrick Rose 9 | |
| Chicago leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 12
8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 93, Atlanta Hawks 73 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 18–18, 25–18, 23–20 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 23 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10 Asts: Derrick Rose 12 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 19 Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 13 Asts: Joe Johnson 4 | |
| Chicago wins series, 4–2 | ||
- Regular-season series
| Chicago won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the each team winning two series apiece.
| Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Boston Celtics
May 1
3:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 90, Miami Heat 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 22–31, 26–25, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Ray Allen 25 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 8 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 38 Rebs: Chris Bosh 12 Asts: James, Wade 5 each | |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 3
7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 91, Miami Heat 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 16–20, 25–25, 24–30 | ||
| Pts: Rajon Rondo 20 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 9 Asts: Rajon Rondo 12 |
Pts: LeBron James 35 Rebs: Chris Bosh 11 Asts: Chris Bosh 4 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,104 Referees: Joe Crawford, Jason Phillips, Greg Willard |
May 7
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 81, Boston Celtics 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 25–17, 15–28, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Joel Anthony 11 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 28 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 18 Asts: Rajon Rondo 11 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 9
7:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 98, Boston Celtics 90 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 22–22, 19–20, 17–13, Overtime: 12–4 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 35 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 5 | |
| Miami leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 11
7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 87, Miami Heat 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 25–31, 24–24, 14–26 | ||
| Pts: Ray Allen 18 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 4 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 34 Rebs: Chris Bosh 11 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 | ||
- Game 4 is Shaquille O'Neal's final NBA game.
- Regular-season series
| Boston won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
| Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The series was seen as a way for Heat small forward LeBron James to exact revenge on the Celtics after Boston eliminated James' former team the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008 and 2010. James called the series "personal", saying "...You don't want to keeping getting beat by the same team, the same team keep sending you home to plan a vacation..."[13]
The Heat won the first two games of the series to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Celtics cut the series lead in half by winning Game 3 97-81. In that game, Boston point guard Rajon Rondo dislocated his left elbow on a bizarre play where he became tangled up with Dwyane Wade. Despite his injury, Rondo still contributed to the Celtics' victory with his 11 assists and 4 points in the fourth quarter, however his left arm was visibly limp the rest of the series and he was unable to play at his customarily high level.[13]
Miami bounced back after the Game 3 loss and won Games 4 and 5, winning the series 4-1 and returning to their first Eastern Conference finals since the 2006 NBA playoffs.[13]
Western Conference semifinals
(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks
May 2
10:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 96, Los Angeles Lakers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 19–30, 27–25, 25–16 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 36 Rebs: Lamar Odom 12 Asts: Pau Gasol 7 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 4
10:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 93, Los Angeles Lakers 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 25–29, 17–13, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24 Rebs: Shawn Marion 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 23 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 13 Asts: Derek Fisher 5 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner |
May 6
9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 92, Dallas Mavericks 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 24–18, 21–19, 20–32 | ||
| Pts: Andrew Bynum 21 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 32 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 9 | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,156 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington |
May 8
3:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 86, Dallas Mavericks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 16–36, 23–23, 24–36 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 17 Rebs: Pau Gasol 8 Asts: Pau Gasol 6 |
Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 9 Asts: José Juan Barea 8 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,087 Referees: Jason Phillips, Ron Garretson, Scott Foster |
- Regular-season series
| Los Angeles won 2–1 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 |
|---|
The Mavericks won the first two games of the series in Los Angeles, including overcoming a 16-point late third-quarter deficit in Game 1. The Mavericks then overcame another second-half deficit in Game 3 to win 98–92. In Game 4, the Mavericks blew out the Lakers 122–86, sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions from the playoffs. In that game, Dallas scored 20 three-pointers, equaling an NBA record. Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry led the team in scoring with 32 points while making 9 of his 10 3-point attempts, tying another NBA playoff record that would go unequaled for nearly five years.[15] Also in the same game, Andrew Bynum was ejected and eventually fined and suspended for five games of the next season after he committed a flagrant foul on J. J. Barea.[16]
This series was the first time a team coached by Phil Jackson was swept in the playoffs.[15]
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
May 1
1:00 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 114, Oklahoma City Thunder 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 29–23, 27–24, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Zach Randolph 34 Rebs: Marc Gasol 13 Asts: Mike Conley 7 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 33 Rebs: Durant, Ibaka 11 each Asts: Russell Westbrook 6 | |
| Memphis leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 3
9:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 102, Oklahoma City Thunder 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 27–26, 24–22, 34–35 | ||
| Pts: Mike Conley 24 Rebs: Marc Gasol 10 Asts: Mike Conley 8 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 26 Rebs: Nick Collison 7 Asts: Russell Westbrook 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy |
May 7
5:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 93, Memphis Grizzlies 101 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 31–21, 25–20, 10–23, Overtime: 7–15 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 21 Rebs: Zach Randolph 21 Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each | |
| Memphis leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 9
9:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 133, Memphis Grizzlies 123 (3OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 33–25, 22–19, 25–24, Overtime: 13–13, 10–10, 14–4 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 40 Rebs: Kevin Durant 13 Asts: James Harden 7 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 34 Rebs: Marc Gasol 21 Asts: Conley, Mayo 5 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 11
9:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 72, Oklahoma City Thunder 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 18–29, 17–25, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Marc Gasol 15 Rebs: Zach Randolph 17 Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 19 Rebs: Nick Collison 10 Asts: Eric Maynor 9 | |
| Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2 | ||
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Jason Phillips |
May 13
9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 83, Memphis Grizzlies 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 33–21, 14–28, 15–23 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 27 Rebs: Durant, Perkins 7 each Asts: James Harden 5 |
Pts: Zach Randolph 30 Rebs: Zach Randolph 13 Asts: Mike Conley 12 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 15
3:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 90, Oklahoma City Thunder 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 17–21, 24–30, 32–33 | ||
| Pts: Mike Conley 18 Rebs: Zach Randolph 10 Asts: Mike Conley 6 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 39 Rebs: Nick Collison 12 Asts: Russell Westbrook 14 | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–3 | ||
- Regular-season series
| Memphis won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Thunder.[17]
The Grizzlies and Thunder split the first 2 games of the series. In Game 3, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead after overcoming a 16-point deficit late in the 3rd quarter. The Thunder tied the series in Game 4 after winning in triple OT 133-123. The Thunder blew out the Grizzlies in Game 5 99-72, but the Grizzlies tied the series at 3 when they defeated the Thunder 95-83 in Game 6. The Thunder finally advanced to their first conference finals since they moved from Seattle when they eliminated the Grizzlies 105-90 in Game 7. In that game, Russell Westbrook became the fifth player to record a triple double in a Game 7.[18]
Conference finals
Eastern Conference finals
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat
May 15
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 82, Chicago Bulls 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 25–28, 15–24, 19–31 | ||
| Pts: Chris Bosh 30 Rebs: Chris Bosh 9 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 28 Rebs: Joakim Noah 14 Asts: Derrick Rose 6 | |
| Chicago leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 18
8:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 85, Chicago Bulls 75 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 29–20, 23–19, 14–10 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: LeBron James 5 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 21 Rebs: Boozer, Noah 8 each Asts: Derrick Rose 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 22
8:30 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 85, Miami Heat 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–18, 25–25, 25–25, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 26 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 17 Asts: Joakim Noah 6 |
Pts: Chris Bosh 34 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 9 Asts: LeBron James 10 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 24
8:30 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 93, Miami Heat 101 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 27–28, 22–19, 17–22, Overtime: 8–16 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 23 Rebs: Joakim Noah 14 Asts: Noah, Rose 6 each |
Pts: LeBron James 35 Rebs: Haslem, Miller 9 each Asts: LeBron James 6 | |
| Miami leads series, 3–1 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,125 Referees: Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Bennett Salvatore |
May 26
8:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 83, Chicago Bulls 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 17–20, 19–17, 26–18 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 28 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 25 Rebs: Noah, Thomas 8 each Asts: Derrick Rose 8 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 | ||
- Regular-season series
| Chicago won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning four of the first five meetings.
| Chicago leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Going into the series, Chicago had swept Miami in the regular season. The Bulls took Game 1 by blowing out the Heat 103-82. However, Miami won the next four consecutive games to win the series 4-1. In Game 5, Miami came back from a 12-point deficit with only three minutes left in the fourth quarter to win the game 83-80.[20]
This series marked the first time the Bulls lost more than two consecutive games in the entire season.[20]
Western Conference finals
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder
May 17
9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 112, Dallas Mavericks 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 21–35, 31–35, 33–31 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 40 Rebs: Kevin Durant 8 Asts: Kevin Durant 5 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 48 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 19
9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Dallas Mavericks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 33–26, 18–19, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 24 Rebs: Collison, Harden 7 each Asts: Durant, Harden, Westbrook 4 each |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,051 Referees: Greg Willard, Bill Spooner, Tom Washington |
May 21
9:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 93, Oklahoma City Thunder 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–12, 25–24, 18–20, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: Marion, Nowitzki 18 each Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 30 Rebs: Kevin Durant 12 Asts: Kevin Durant 5 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 23
9:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 112, Oklahoma City Thunder 105 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 32–28, 23–22, 24–20, Overtime: 11–4 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 40 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 29 Rebs: Kevin Durant 15 Asts: Russell Westbrook 8 | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–1 | ||
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer |
May 25
9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 96, Dallas Mavericks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 28–26, 21–20, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 31 Rebs: Nick Collison 12 Asts: James Harden 6 |
Pts: Marion, Nowitzki 26 each Rebs: Chandler, Nowitzki 9 each Asts: Jason Kidd 10 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–1 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,092 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Derrick Stafford |
- Regular-season series
| Dallas won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks set a playoff record for most free throws made without a miss with 24, previously held by Paul Pierce (21) in 2003. The Mavericks won 121-112. The Thunder and Mavericks then split the next two games. In Game 4, the Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit with only five minutes left in regulation to win the game in OT and take a 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks then overcame another late 4th quarter deficit in Game 5 to win the game 100-96 and the series 4-1 and reach their first finals since 2006.[22] It would be the last time that neither the 1st seed or the 2nd seed reached the Conference finals until 2020.
NBA Finals: (E2) Miami Heat vs. (W3) Dallas Mavericks
May 31
9:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 84, Miami Heat 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–16, 27–27, 17–22, 23–27 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 24 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 | |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 | ||
June 2
9:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 95, Miami Heat 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–23, 20–24, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Terry, Kidd 5 each |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: James, Bosh 8 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
June 5
8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 88, Dallas Mavericks 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 18–20, 20–22, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 29 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 11 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 34 Rebs: Chandler, Nowitzki 11 each Asts: Jason Kidd 10 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340 Referees: Dan Crawford, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford |
June 7
9:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 83, Dallas Mavericks 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 26–24, 22–20, 14–21 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 32 Rebs: LeBron James 9 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 21 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 16 Asts: José Juan Barea 4 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340 Referees: Monty Mccutchen, Marc Davis, Greg Willard |
June 9
9:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 103, Dallas Mavericks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–30, 26–30, 22–24, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: James, Bosh 10 each Asts: LeBron James 10 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 7 Asts: Kidd, Terry 6 each | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340 Referees: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy |
June 12
8:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 105, Miami Heat 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–27, 21–24, 28–21, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Jason Terry 27 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Mario Chalmers 7 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,003 Referees: Steve Javie, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford |
- Regular-season series
| Dallas won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.
| Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Statistic leaders
| Category | High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played | |
| Points | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 48 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | 28.6 | 17 |
| Rebounds | Marc Gasol Zach Randolph |
Memphis Grizzlies Memphis Grizzlies |
21 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 15.5 | 6 |
| Assists | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 20 | Chris Paul | New Orleans Hornets | 11.5 | 6 |
| Steals | Kobe Bryant Luol Deng Joe Johnson Jason Kidd |
Los Angeles Lakers Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks Dallas Mavericks |
5 | Manu Ginóbili | San Antonio Spurs | 2.6 | 5 |
| Blocks | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder | 9 | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder | 3.1 | 17 |
References
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Grizzlies vs. Spurs | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ a b c Celtics vs. Heat | Easter Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Mavericks vs. Lakers | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
- ^ Andrew Bynum suspended, fined. ESPN. Retrieved 14 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Grizzlies vs. Thunder | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Heat vs. Bulls | Eastern Conference finals | 2011 NBA Finals. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Thunder vs. Mavericks | Western Conference finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs Archived 2016-05-18 at the Wayback Machine. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
External links
