2012 NBA playoffs
The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP.
| Dates | April 28–June 21, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2011–12 | ||
| Teams | 16 | ||
| Defending champions | Dallas Mavericks | ||
| Champions | Miami Heat (2nd title) | ||
| Runners-up | Oklahoma City Thunder (4th finals appearance) | ||
| Semifinalists | |||
| |||
Except for the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz, the playoffs featured the same teams from 2011; all 8 from the East were the same as last year. They also all had records over .500, the first time since 2005. The Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, while Utah made it for the 5th time in the last 6 years, it was their first without Jerry Sloan as head coach since 1988.
The Indiana Pacers opened the playoffs at home for the first time since 2004, while the Memphis Grizzlies earned home-court advantage for the first time in franchise history. For the fourth time since 2006, a division winner (in this case the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics) opened the playoffs on the road.
The defending champions Dallas Mavericks were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder 4–0, becoming the third defending champion to be swept in the First Round after the Philadelphia Warriors in 1957 and Miami Heat in 2007, and second after Miami to be done so in a 7-game series. It was the first time the Mavericks were swept in a 7-game series, and only their second sweep since 1990.
The New York Knicks lost their 13th straight playoff game in Game 3 against the Heat, breaking Memphis' record from 2004–06 for the longest playoff losing streak.
The 8th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers defeated the 1st-seeded Bulls 4–2, becoming only the 5th team in NBA history to do so. Following the Grizzlies' 2011 upset of the 1st-seeded Spurs, this marked the first time in straight seasons an 8th-seed upset a #1 seed. The 76ers suffered the same fate as the Grizzlies, forcing the next series to a Game 7 but losing on the road.
Game 7 of the Lakers–Nuggets series ensured a 13th straight postseason with at least one Game 7 played. The last without one was the 1999 NBA Playoffs.
The Spurs became the fourth team and first from the West to go 8–0 through the playoffs' first two rounds following the 2003 change in the first round format to 7 games. The Heat in 2005, Cavs in 2009 and Magic in 2010, also went 8–0 through the first two rounds. In addition, all 3 lost Game 1 of their Conference Finals. The Spurs broke this trend by defeating the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. By winning 20 straight games, they set an NBA record for the longest winning streak carried over from the regular season to the playoffs, which was broken with the Game 3 loss, and finished a win short of tying the longest unbeaten playoff run in a single postseason.[1] They ended up losing the series 4–2 after leading 2–0.
The Chicago Bulls were eliminated after losing Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to injuries, and the New York Knicks lost to the Miami Heat while losing Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert to knee injuries. The Heat were not immune, losing Chris Bosh for most of the playoffs en route to their championship. Commissioner David Stern initially said there was no connection between the injuries and the lockout that compressed the regular season to 66-game in 124 days; however, he backed off those comments a week later, saying more research was needed.[2][3]
Format
The 6 division winners and 10 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 winner is guaranteed to be ranked at least fourth, regardless of record.
Tiebreak procedures
The tiebreakers that determine seedings are:
- Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division
- Head-to-head record
- Division record (if all the tied teams are in the same division)
- Conference record
- Record vs. playoff teams, own conference
- Record vs. playoff teams, other conference (only in 2-way tie)
- Point differential, all games
If there were more than two teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams were "re-broken" from the first step until all ties were resolved. Since the three division winners were guaranteed a spot in the top four, ties to determine the division winners had to be broken before any other ties.[4]
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | Chicago Bulls | 50–16 | March 24 | April 12 | April 24 | April 26 |
| 2 | Miami Heat | 46–20 | April 3 | April 15 | — | — |
| 3 | Indiana Pacers | 42–24 | April 13 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 39–27 | April 14 | April 18 | — | — |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 40–26 | April 16 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Orlando Magic | 37–29 | April 15 | — | — | — |
| 7 | New York Knicks | 36–30 | April 23 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Philadelphia 76ers | 35–31 | April 19 | — | — | — |
— = Did not achieve
Western Conference
| Seed | Team | Record | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Best record in Conference | Best record in NBA | |||
| 1 | San Antonio Spurs | 50–16 | March 24 | April 14 | April 23 | — |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 47–19 | April 1 | April 7 | — | — |
| 3 | Los Angeles Lakers | 41–25[lower-alpha 1] | April 15 | April 24 | — | — |
| 4 | Memphis Grizzlies | 41–25[lower-alpha 1] | April 18 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 40–26 | April 16 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Denver Nuggets | 38–28 | April 18 | — | — | — |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 36–30[lower-alpha 2] | April 19 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Utah Jazz | 36–30[lower-alpha 2] | April 22 | — | — | — |
— = Did not achieve
Notes
- Los Angeles Lakers clinched #3 seed over Memphis Grizzlies based on winning Pacific Division.
- Dallas Mavericks clinched #7 seed over Utah Jazz based on 3–1 regular season series record.
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 belongs to the team with the better regular season record, regardless of seed. (If two teams with the same record meet in a round, the tiebreakers used are head-to-head and record vs. opposite conference.) Teams with home court advantage are shown in italics in the chart below.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||||||
| E1 | Chicago* | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Philadelphia | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Boston* | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Orlando | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E7 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Miami* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Oklahoma City* | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W5 | LA Clippers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Memphis | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W5 | LA Clippers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | San Antonio* | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W3 | LA Lakers* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Denver | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W3 | LA Lakers* | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Oklahoma City* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Dallas | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Eastern Conference
- All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
First Round
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
April 28 1:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 91, Chicago Bulls 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 18–25, 24–26, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: Elton Brand 19 Rebs: Brand, Holiday 7 each Asts: Iguodala, Turner 5 each |
Pts: Derrick Rose 23 Rebs: Joakim Noah 13 Asts: Derrick Rose 9 | |
| Bulls leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 8:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 109, Chicago Bulls 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 22–27, 36–14, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Jrue Holiday 26 Rebs: Lavoy Allen 9 Asts: Holiday, Turner, Williams 6 each |
Pts: Joakim Noah 21 Rebs: Joakim Noah 8 Asts: Hamilton, Noah 5 each | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
May 4 8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 74, Philadelphia 76ers 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 19–21, 21–11, 14–28 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 18 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10 Asts: Richard Hamilton 7 |
Pts: Spencer Hawes 21 Rebs: Thaddeus Young 11 Asts: Jrue Holiday 6 | |
| 76ers leads series, 2–1 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 20,381 Referees: Joe Crawford, Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis, |
May 6 1:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 82, Philadelphia 76ers 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–24, 27–20, 21–20, 19–25 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 23 Rebs: Taj Gibson 12 Asts: Boozer, Watson 4 each |
Pts: Spencer Hawes 22 Rebs: Andre Iguodala 12 Asts: Jrue Holiday 6 | |
| 76ers leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 8 9:30 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 69, Chicago Bulls 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 10–18, 22–22, 21–20 | ||
| Pts: Jrue Holiday 16 Rebs: Spencer Hawes 14 Asts: Jrue Holiday 4 |
Pts: Luol Deng 24 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 13 Asts: C. J. Watson 7 | |
| 76ers leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 7:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 78, Philadelphia 76ers 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 18–24, 23–15, 15–16 | ||
| Pts: Deng, Hamilton 19 each Rebs: Luol Deng 17 Asts: C. J. Watson 10 |
Pts: Andre Iguodala 20 Rebs: Spencer Hawes 10 Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–2 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 20,362 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ron Garretson, Sean Wright, |
The Bulls came into the playoffs as the first overall seed for the second straight year. The 76ers, meanwhile, came into the playoffs as the team with the worst record in the playoffs. The Bulls made quick work of the 76ers, winning Game 1. However, with the Bulls leading by 12 with 1:20 to go in the fourth, Derrick Rose tore his ACL and he was ruled out for the playoffs, putting the Bulls championship hopes in serious jeopardy. The 76ers took the next three games to put the Bulls in the brink of elimination. In Game 3, Joakim Noah was injured when he stepped on Andre Iguodala's foot, ruling him out for the next two games. The Bulls staved off elimination by winning Game 5 at home. In Game 6, with the Bulls up 1 with 7 seconds to go, Ömer Aşık missed two crucial free-throws. Iguodala managed to rebound the ball and sprinted to the other side of the court. He got fouled by Aşık while going for a shot. Iguodala gave the 76ers the lead by making the free-throws. The Bulls, who were out of timeouts, had one last chance to force a Game 7 but C. J. Watson's halfcourt heave bounced off the back of the rim, giving the 76ers the series. They advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2003. The Bulls, meanwhile, became the fifth first-seeded team to be upset by the eighth-seed.
- Regular-season series
| Chicago won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first two meetings.
| Chicago leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks
April 28 3:30 pm |
| New York Knicks 67, Miami Heat 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 13–30, 16–27, 20–19 | ||
| Pts: J. R. Smith 17 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 10 Asts: Carmelo Anthony 3 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: Mario Chalmers 9 | |
| Heat leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 7:00 pm |
| New York Knicks 94, Miami Heat 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 23–26, 22–25, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 30 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 9 Asts: Baron Davis 6 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 25 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: LeBron James 9 | |
| Heat leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 3 7:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 87, New York Knicks 70 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 17–21, 22–16, 29–14 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Chris Bosh 10 Asts: LeBron James 5 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 22 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15 Asts: Baron Davis 3 | |
| Heat leads series, 3–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City Attendance: 19,763 Referees: Mike Callahan, David Guthrie, Eddie F. Rush, |
May 6 3:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 87, New York Knicks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 26–18, 17–26, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Chris Bosh 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 41 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 10 Asts: Anthony, Smith 4 each | |
| Heat leads series, 3–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City Attendance: 19,763 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Collins, Tom Washington, |
May 9 7:00 pm |
| New York Knicks 94, Miami Heat 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 20–27, 23–26, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 35 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Mike Bibby 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: LeBron James 7 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Heat defeated the Knicks in Game 1 by 33 points. Game 2 was much closer, even without Knicks' starting rookie guard Iman Shumpert who suffered an ACL injury the previous game, but the Heat still won by 10. In Game 3 in MSG, the Heat found themselves on the wrong end in the first half, trailing by as much as 11 points, before closing the half with a 7–0 run. The Heat led by 2 after the 3rd quarter. However, LeBron James quickly sparked an 8–0 run to start the 4th quarter, giving them a 10-point lead. The Knicks never recovered. James himself outscored the Knicks in the fourth, 17–14. By losing Game 3, the Knicks set a new league record by losing 13 straight playoff games, their last win coming April 29, 2001, in their series versus the Raptors.[6] In Game 4, Knicks' starting guard Baron Davis injured himself in the third quarter and had to be carried off the court on a stretcher. But led by Carmelo Anthony's 41, the Knicks won 89–87, escaping a sweep as Wade's potential series-winning 3 missed at the buzzer. In Game 5, the Knicks started strong but Miami took over the rest of the way. The Heat led by 11 at the end of the first half. The Heat never squandered the lead, effectively sealing the game and the series with a 3-pointer by Battier that gave the Heat a 14-point lead with a minute left in the game. The Knicks were led by Anthony's 35. Amar'e Stoudemire, meanwhile, was plagued by foul trouble. He fouled out with about 4 minutes left in the game.
- Regular-season series
| Miami won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning three of the first four meetings.
| New York leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Orlando Magic
April 28 7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 81, Indiana Pacers 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 30–22, 13–19, 17–14 | ||
| Pts: Nelson, Richardson 17 each Rebs: Glen Davis 13 Asts: Jameer Nelson 9 |
Pts: David West 19 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 13 Asts: Darren Collison 5 | |
| Magic leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 7:30 pm |
| Orlando Magic 78, Indiana Pacers 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 23–18, 13–30, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Glen Davis 18 Rebs: Glen Davis 10 Asts: Nelson, Redick, Richardson 3 each |
Pts: Granger, Hill, West 18 each Rebs: Roy Hibbert 13 Asts: David West 4 | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Bill Kennedy, Gary Zielinski, |
May 2 7:30 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 97, Orlando Magic 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–14, 21–24, 32–17, 21–19 | ||
| Pts: Danny Granger 26 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 10 Asts: Paul George 4 |
Pts: Glen Davis 22 Rebs: Quentin Richardson 10 Asts: Jameer Nelson 5 | |
| Pacers leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 2:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 101, Orlando Magic 99 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–19, 24–25, 27–17, 16–28, Overtime: 12–10 | ||
| Pts: David West 26 Rebs: David West 12 Asts: Darren Collison 9 |
Pts: Jason Richardson 25 Rebs: Glen Davis 11 Asts: Jameer Nelson 11 | |
| Pacers leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 8 7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 87, Indiana Pacers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 28–22, 24–19, 16–36 | ||
| Pts: Jameer Nelson 27 Rebs: Glen Davis 8 Asts: Jameer Nelson 5 |
Pts: Danny Granger 25 Rebs: David West 8 Asts: Darren Collison 6 | |
| Indiana wins series, 4–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Marc Davis, David Guthrie, |
The Pacers were considered the heavy favorites in the series as the Magic would try to defeat the Pacers without Dwight Howard. The Magic defied the odds in Game 1, as the Pacers went scoreless in the final 4 minutes of the game, allowing the Magic to go on an 11–0 run to finish the game and take a 1–0 series lead. The Pacers quickly took revenge, winning the next two games at home and on the road by an average of 19 points. Game 4 was close, with the game going to overtime. However, George Hill hit two free-throws with 2 seconds left to give the Pacers a 3–1 lead in the series. Game 5 was close throughout the first three quarters, with Magic taking a two-point lead heading to the 4th quarter. However, Indiana outscored the Magic 36–16 in the fourth to give the Pacers the series victory 4–1.
- Regular-season series
| Orlando won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
April 29 7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 74, Atlanta Hawks 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–31, 17–18, 18–16, 21–18 | ||
| Pts: Garnett, Rondo 20 each Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 11 |
Pts: Josh Smith 22 Rebs: Josh Smith 18 Asts: Joe Johnson 5 | |
| Hawks leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 1 7:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 87, Atlanta Hawks 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 17–20, 20–22, 26–14 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 36 Rebs: Paul Pierce 14 Asts: Kevin Garnett 5 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 22 Rebs: Josh Smith 12 Asts: Johnson, Smith 5 each | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
May 4 7:30 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 84, Boston Celtics 90 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 19–23, 20–20, 22–20, Overtime: 4–10 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 29 Rebs: Marvin Williams 11 Asts: Jeff Teague 6 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 21 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 14 Asts: Rajon Rondo 12 | |
| Celtics leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 6 7:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 79, Boston Celtics 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–32, 22–32, 22–26, 16–11 | ||
| Pts: Josh Smith 15 Rebs: Josh Smith 13 Asts: Josh Smith 5 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 24 Rebs: Allen, Bass, Garnett 5 each Asts: Rajon Rondo 16 | |
| Celtics leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 8 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 86, Atlanta Hawks 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–15, 19–25, 24–26, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Garnett, Pierce 16 each Rebs: Bass, Garnett 7 each Asts: Rajon Rondo 12 |
Pts: Al Horford 19 Rebs: Josh Smith 16 Asts: Josh Smith 6 | |
| Celtics leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 8:00 pm |
| Atlanta Hawks 80, Boston Celtics 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 18–27, 22–20, 17–16 | ||
| Pts: Josh Smith 18 Rebs: Horford, Smith 9 each Asts: Jeff Teague 6 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 28 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 | ||
The Hawks had homecourt advantage for the series despite being the lower seeded team by having the better season-record of the two; the Celtics took the 4th-seed by winning their division title. The Hawks won Game 1 by nine points, but the Celtics took the next three games, pushing the Hawks to the brink of elimination. Games 2 and 3 were close victories for the Celtics with Game 4 being a blowout victory for them. Game 5 in Atlanta was a close one. In the final seconds, with the Hawks up by one, Rajon Rondo stole an inbound pass, giving the Celtics a chance to finish off the Hawks. However, Josh Smith stripped a Rondo pass intended for Kevin Garnett, letting the Hawks survive and force a Game 6. In Game 6, Garnett led the Celtics to an 83–80 victory and advance. The Hawks had a chance to tie the game through free throws. However, Al Horford missed his first free throw that could have cut the lead to one. It was the Hawks' only miss at the free throw line the entire night. He made his second to cut it to one and the Hawks quickly fouled Paul Pierce. Pierce made both free throws to extend Celtics' lead to 3. With a chance to tie the game, Jeff Teague fumbled a pass, sealing the series for Boston.
- Regular-season series
| Boston won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning nine of the first ten meetings.
| Boston leads 9–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference Semifinals
(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Indiana Pacers
May 13 3:30 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 86, Miami Heat 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 25–22, 22–28, 16–25 | ||
| Pts: Hibbert, West 17 each Rebs: David West 12 Asts: Darren Collison 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 15 Asts: LeBron James 5 | |
| Heat leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 15 7:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 78, Miami Heat 75 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 16–17, 28–14, 17–23 | ||
| Pts: David West 16 Rebs: George, Hibbert 11 each Asts: Danny Granger 3 |
Pts: LeBron James 28 Rebs: LeBron James 9 Asts: LeBron James 5 | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
May 17 7:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 75, Indiana Pacers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 17–26, 12–26, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Mario Chalmers 25 Rebs: Ronny Turiaf 8 Asts: Mario Chalmers 5 |
Pts: George Hill 20 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 18 Asts: George Hill 5 | |
| Pacers leads series, 2–1 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, John Goble |
May 20 3:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 101, Indiana Pacers 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 28–29, 30–16, 25–23 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 40 Rebs: LeBron James 18 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Danny Granger 20 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 9 Asts: Paul George 5 | |
| Series tied at, 2–2 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy |
May 22 8:00 pm |
| Indiana Pacers 83, Miami Heat 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 20–23, 17–27, 26–39 | ||
| Pts: Paul George 11 Rebs: Roy Hibbert 12 Asts: Paul George 3 |
Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Mario Chalmers 11 Asts: LeBron James 8 | |
| Heat leads series, 3–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,097 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Jason Phillips, Greg Willard, |
May 24 8:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 105, Indiana Pacers 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 30–25, 28–16, 26–24 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 41 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 10 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: David West 24 Rebs: Paul George 10 Asts: George Hill 5 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–2 | ||
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,165 Referees: Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Ken Mauer, |
Even though the Heat won the regular season series, 3–1, this playoff series was expected to be a close one. In Game 1, the Heat took a major blow when Chris Bosh got injured in the first half. He was expected to be out for the rest of the series. However, James and Wade took over in the second half to give the Heat the win, 95–86. In Game 2, the Heat started strong, at one point taking a 9-point lead. The Pacers answered that by outscoring the Heat 28–14 in the third quarter to take an 11-point lead going to the fourth quarter. The Heat would come back, taking a 72–71 lead with 4:11 to go. However, with James and Wade missing key chances, the Pacers tied the series with a 78–75 win. Game 3 marked one of the worst playoff games for Wade, as he scored just 5 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Without Wade's contribution, the Heat found themselves down in the series 2–1 as the Pacers blew out the Heat, 94–75. Before Game 4, the Heat regrouped and refocused on the series. The result was a 101–93 victory over the Pacers in Game 4 to tie the series at 2–2. James scored 40 in the game, to go along with 18 rebounds and 9 assists. Wade recovered from his Game 3 performance by scoring 30. In Game 5, it was the Pacers who took the major blow when Danny Granger got injured in the second quarter by stepping on James's foot. He tried to come back in the third quarter but he aggravated his injury after fouling James. Then, after the third period, West left the game with a knee injury. Without Granger and West, the Pacers were unable to stop the Heat, as the Heat won 115–83 to take a 3–2 series lead, putting them a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 6, West and Granger started for the Pacers despite their injuries. The Pacers started strong, even taking a 19–8 lead in the first quarter. However, the third quarter was decisive, with the Heat outscoring the Pacers 28–16 to take a 79–69 lead going to the fourth quarter. Led by Wade's 41 and James's 28, the Heat won three straight, 105–93, to take the series, 4–2.
- Regular-season series
| Miami won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pacers winning the first meeting.
| Indiana leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Boston Celtics vs (8) Philadelphia 76ers
May 12 8:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 91, Boston Celtics 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 19–24, 24–25, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Andre Iguodala 19 Rebs: Evan Turner 10 Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 29 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 17 | |
| Celtics leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 14 7:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 82, Boston Celtics 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 15–13, 21–11, 25–32 | ||
| Pts: Jrue Holiday 18 Rebs: Spencer Hawes 10 Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 |
Pts: Ray Allen 17 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 13 | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
May 16 7:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 107, Philadelphia 76ers 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 32–16, 29–17, 18–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 27 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 14 |
Pts: Thaddeus Young 22 Rebs: Evan Turner 8 Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 | |
| Celtics leads series, 2–1 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 20,351 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Mike Callahan, Eric Lewis, |
May 18 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 83, Philadelphia 76ers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–12, 22–19, 17–28, 20–33 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 24 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 15 |
Pts: Iguodala, Turner 16 each Rebs: Lavoy Allen 10 Asts: Louis Williams 8 | |
| Series tied at, 2–2 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 20,411 Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Bill Spooner, |
May 21 7:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 85, Boston Celtics 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 23–24, 16–28, 19–26 | ||
| Pts: Elton Brand 19 Rebs: Evan Turner 10 Asts: Jrue Holiday 7 |
Pts: Brandon Bass 27 Rebs: Bass, Garnett 6 each Asts: Rajon Rondo 14 | |
| Celtics leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 23 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 75, Philadelphia 76ers 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 17–11, 20–27, 19–22 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 24 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 |
Pts: Jrue Holiday 20 Rebs: Elton Brand 10 Asts: Holiday, Williams 6 each | |
| Series tied at, 3–3 | ||
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 20,403 Referees: Joe Crawford, James Capers, Ron Garretson, |
May 26 8:00 pm |
| Philadelphia 76ers 75, Boston Celtics 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 13–21, 19–14, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Andre Iguodala 18 Rebs: Thaddeus Young 10 Asts: Jrue Holiday 9 |
Pts: Garnett, Rondo 18 each Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
The Sixers came off fresh of an upset over the injury-laden Bulls. Both the Celtics and the Sixers clinched their first round series on the same day. In Game 1, Rondo had another triple-double, but the Sixers held a 10-point lead with 10:53 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Celtics eventually came back, winning Game 1 by a point to take a 1–0 series lead. On the final possession, the Sixers were unable to foul a speedy Rondo, who dribbled out the clock. Game 2 saw the visitors lead for most of the game. With the Sixers leading 78–75 with 12 seconds to go, the Celtics squandered a chance to tie the game, as Garnett was called for an offensive foul. The Sixers then hit their final four free-throws to tie the series at 1 going back to Philadelphia. In Game 3, the Sixers held their last lead with 9:09 left in the second quarter as the Celtics took over the rest of the game to lead them to a 2–1 series advantage. In Game 4, the Celtics led by as much as 18 in the third quarter. Facing the prospect of trailing 1–3 in the series, the Sixers came back to take the game from the Celtics and tie the series going back to Boston. Game 5 saw Brandon Bass score 27 points, including 18 in the third quarter as the Celtics blew out the Sixers, 101–85, to push them a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. Before the start of Game 6, Allen Iverson presented the game ball, prompting huge cheers from the crowd. It was enough to motivate the Sixers to defeat the Celtics 82–75 to force a Game 7. Jrue Holiday scored 20 points, including two free-throws with 31 seconds to go to put the game away. Game 7 was a tight contest, with the two teams going back-and-forth. Paul Pierce fouled out late in the fourth quarter, but Rondo had his second triple-double of the series, including a fourth quarter that helped the Celtics advance to the Conference Finals to face the Miami Heat.
This series is an important plot point in the 2019 film Uncut Gems, in which Garnett co-stars.[11]
- Regular-season series
| Philadelphia won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 20th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 11 of the first 19 meetings.
| Boston leads 11–8 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference Finals: (2) Miami Heat vs. (4) Boston Celtics
May 28 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 79, Miami Heat 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–21, 35–25, 15–26, 18–21 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 23 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 | |
| Heat leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 30 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 111, Miami Heat 115 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 29–28, 22–35, 24–18, Overtime: 12–16 | ||
| Pts: Rajon Rondo 44 Rebs: Brandon Bass 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 |
Pts: LeBron James 34 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11 Asts: LeBron James 7 | |
| Heat leads series, 2–0 | ||
June 1 8:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 91, Boston Celtics 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 14–25, 21–30, 28–16 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 34 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: Mario Chalmers 6 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 24 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 | |
| Heat leads series, 2–1 | ||
June 3 8:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 91, Boston Celtics 93 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 24–27, 21–12, 21–16, Overtime: 2–4 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 17 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 23 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Rajon Rondo 15 | |
| Series tied at, 2–2 | ||
June 5 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 94, Miami Heat 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 24–18, 25–18, 29–30 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 26 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 13 |
Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 14 Asts: Chalmers, Wade 3 each | |
| Celtics leads series, 3–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,021 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ron Garretson, Derrick Stafford, |
June 7 8:30 pm |
| Miami Heat 98, Boston Celtics 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–16, 29–26, 19–19, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 45 Rebs: LeBron James 15 Asts: LeBron James 5 |
Pts: Rajon Rondo 21 Rebs: Brandon Bass 7 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 | |
| Series tied at, 3–3 | ||
June 9 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 88, Miami Heat 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 26–23, 20–27, 15–28 | ||
| Pts: Rajon Rondo 22 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 14 |
Pts: LeBron James 31 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: Mario Chalmers 7 | |
| Miami wins series 4–3 | ||
This series marked the third straight year that the Heat and Celtics faced each other in the playoffs. They faced each other in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2010 (won by the Celtics, 4–1) and in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2011 (won by the Heat, 4–1). In addition, LeBron faced the Celtics for the third straight year in the playoffs. The LeBron-led Cavs also faced the Celtics in 2010 only to be defeated 4–2, which led to James' arrival on the Heat.
In Game 1, the Celtics started poorly, scoring only 11 points in the first quarter. The Heat had a 10-point lead after 1. The Celtics were hot in the second, scoring 35 points en route to tying the game at halftime. Behind a big second half, the Heat eventually defeated the Celtics 93–79 to take a 1–0 series lead. Game 2 was very different, with the Celtics starting very strong. Midway through the second quarter, a Rondo jumper extended their lead to 15. However, the Heat cut it to 7 at halftime. Miami had another big 3rd quarter. With the Celtics up 71–66 with 4:24 left in the third, a block by Wade on Allen ignited a 15–4 run by the Heat to end the quarter, as they took a 6-point lead heading into the fourth. The fourth quarter was close. With Miami leading 99–96 with 34 seconds left, Allen made a 3 to tie it. It eventually sent the game to OT, with James missing two chances to win the game. Miami eventually won 115–111 to take a 2–0 series lead. Rondo led the Celtics with a career-high 44 points, along with 8 rebounds and 10 assists. There was controversy in regards to the officiating as the Heat shot 18 more free throws, the Celtics committed 33 fouls to the Heat's 18, as well as a play in overtime in a tie game where Rondo was hit in the head by Wade and no foul was called, leading to a fast break dunk for Udonis Haslem. In Game 3, the Celtics got strong performances from Rondo, Garnett, and Pierce. LeBron was also hot in the first quarter, scoring 16 points and making 7 of his first 9 shots. However, despite this performance, the second and third quarters were decisive, with the Celtics outscoring the Heat a combined 55–35 in the two quarters as they had an 85–63 lead heading into the fourth. Miami made a comeback, hitting 3's and dunks to cut the lead to 8. However, Boston held on for a 101–91 victory to make it 2–1. Game 4 was the same story, with the Celtics hitting several 3's and putting on a lead as big as 18. Miami tried another comeback in the third and fourth quarters. Unlike Game 3, they took the lead. Boston answered back, holding a 3-point lead in the final minute before James hit a 3 to tie it with 36 seconds left. This led to the second overtime game of the series. It was a low-scoring affair in OT, with both teams only making one field goal. With 4:22 left, Pierce fouled out, giving Miami a big chance. However, James fouled out with 1:51 left. The Celtics still held a 2-point lead in the dying seconds, but Wade missed a potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer, giving the Celtics a 93–91 win to tie the series going back to Miami. Celtics proceeded to lead the series, 3–2, with a 94–90 win in Game 5. In the game, Bosh returned for the first time since he got injured in Game 1 of the Heat-Pacers series but was not much of a help on the offensive end. He came off the bench in the game and scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 14 minutes played. With the Celtics leading by 1 with less than a minute to go, Pierce knocked down a crucial three-pointer that gave the Celtics the lead for good. The Heat prevented a celebration from happening in Game 6 with a 98–79 blowout win at Boston to send the series back to Miami for a seventh and deciding game. James had one of his best playoff games, scoring 45 points and getting 15 rebounds, 30 of his 45 came in the first half alone. In Game 7, the Celtics started strong. In the second quarter, Garnett picked up his third foul, giving the Heat a chance to try and take a lead. However, Bass led a run that pushed the Celtics' lead to 11. The Celtics would still have a 7-point lead at halftime. The third quarter was decisive once again, letting the Heat tie the game going to the fourth quarter, which was even more decisive. With the Celtics leading by 1 with 8 minutes left, James had a dunk that gave the Heat the lead. It was soon followed by Bosh's third three-pointer of the night (a career-high three 3 pointers) that gave the Heat the lead for good. The Celtics never recovered as the Heat booked a return trip to the Finals with a 101–88 Game 7 win in Miami.
- Regular-season series
| Boston won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference
First Round
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz
April 29 1:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 91, San Antonio Spurs 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 25–26, 23–31, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Paul Millsap 20 Rebs: Jefferson, Millsap 9 each Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 5 |
Pts: Tony Parker 28 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | |
| Spurs leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 7:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 83, San Antonio Spurs 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 11–25, 25–34, 30–27 | ||
| Pts: Howard, Jefferson 10 each Rebs: Enes Kanter 10 Asts: Gordon Hayward 4 |
Pts: Tony Parker 18 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 9 | |
| Spurs leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 5 10:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 102, Utah Jazz 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 22–22, 23–18, 27–22 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 27 Rebs: Tiago Splitter 8 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 10 |
Pts: Harris, Jefferson 21 each Rebs: Favors, Jefferson, Millsap 11 each Asts: Harris, Hayward 5 each | |
| Spurs leads series, 3–0 | ||
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Ken Mauer, James Capers, Leon Wood, |
May 7 8:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 87, Utah Jazz 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–19, 28–23, 18–16, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 17 Rebs: Stephen Jackson 6 Asts: Tony Parker 3 |
Pts: Al Jefferson 26 Rebs: Paul Millsap 19 Asts: Devin Harris 7 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–0 | ||
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Scott Foster, John Goble, Jason Phillips, |
The Spurs were touted the heavy favorites in the series, following their 10-game winning streak to end the regular season and their 3–1 season series victory over the Jazz. They quickly worked their way through the Jazz, scoring 31 points in the third quarter to blow the game open. They eventually won Game 1 106–91. In Game 2, the Spurs shot 10 three-pointers and shot more than 50% as they blew out the Jazz 114–83 to take a 2–0 series lead. Game 3 was close throughout the first half, with the Spurs leading only by 2 after the first half. However, the Spurs blew the game open in the second half and won by 12 to take a 3–0 lead in the series. The odds were stacked against the Jazz as no team in NBA history have managed to win a series after trailing 3–0. Notably, before Game 4 had even been played, Jazz forward Al Jefferson commented that he didn't think any team would defeat the Spurs[14] In Game 4, it seemed like the Spurs would complete the sweep when they had a 21-point lead. However, the Jazz eventually cut the lead to just 4 with 49.4 seconds left in the fourth. However, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili eventually sealed the series by stealing the ball and scoring on a basket respectively. The Spurs eventually completed the sweep, winning Game 4 by 6.
- Regular-season series
| San Antonio won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first four meetings.
| Utah leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
April 28 9:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 98, Oklahoma City Thunder 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 25–26, 22–21, 25–30 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 25 Rebs: Shawn Marion 8 Asts: Kidd, Terry 5 each |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 28 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 8 Asts: Russell Westbrook 5 | |
| Thunder leads series, 1–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Joe Crawford, Tony Brothers, David Guthrie, |
April 30 9:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 99, Oklahoma City Thunder 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 26–25, 27–22, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Shawn Marion 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 29 Rebs: Kevin Durant 10 Asts: James Harden 5 | |
| Thunder leads series, 2–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Ken Mauer, James Capers, Zach Zarba, |
May 3 9:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 95, Dallas Mavericks 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–26, 18–15, 25–16, 20–22 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 31 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 11 Asts: Kevin Durant 6 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 17 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Jason Terry 6 | |
| Thunder leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 5 7:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 103, Dallas Mavericks 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 21–23, 21–34, 35–16 | ||
| Pts: James Harden 29 Rebs: Kevin Durant 11 Asts: Russell Westbrook 6 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 34 Rebs: Vince Carter 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,533 Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Spooner, Sean Wright, |
The Mavericks came into the playoffs only as the 7th-seed, one of the lowest placements for a defending champion. Game 1 was a very close affair, with both teams going back and forth in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. However, Kevin Durant scored on a one-handed jumper with just about 1 second remaining. The Mavs still tried to win but Shawn Marion failed to get a shot off at the buzzer, giving the Thunder a one-point victory and a 1–0 series lead. Game 2 was also a close one but the Thunder held on and managed to squeak a 102–99 win and 2–0 series lead over the defending champs. In Game 3, the Mavs were no match for the Thunder, with the Thunder eventually blowing out the defending champs 95–79 to send the Mavs into the brink of a sweep. In Game 4, it looked as if the Mavs would stave off elimination when they led by 13 at the end of the third quarter. However, the Thunder outscored the Mavs 35–16 in the fourth and held on for a 103–97 victory over the Mavs. Following the sweep, the Mavs became just the 3rd defending champion to be swept in the first round.
- 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 Mavericks winning two of the first three meetings.
| Dallas leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
April 29 3:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 88, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–27, 26–23, 24–27, 24–26 | ||
| Pts: Danilo Gallinari 19 Rebs: Faried, Miller 8 each Asts: Andre Miller 7 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 13 Asts: Pau Gasol 8 | |
| Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Scott Foster, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson, |
May 1 10:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 100, Los Angeles Lakers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–32, 23–23, 26–26, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Ty Lawson 25 Rebs: Kenneth Faried 10 Asts: Andre Miller 8 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 38 Rebs: Hill, Gasol 10 each Asts: Pau Gasol 5 | |
| Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 10:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 84, Denver Nuggets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–30, 25–25, 26–17, 19–27 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 12 Asts: Bryant, Sessions 6 each |
Pts: Ty Lawson 25 Rebs: Faried, McGee 15 each Asts: Ty Lawson 7 | |
| Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,155 Referees: Dan Crawford, Jason Phillips, Michael Smith, |
May 6 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 92, Denver Nuggets 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 19–23, 25–20, 22–17 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Jordan Hill 11 Asts: Bryant, Gasol 6 each |
Pts: Danilo Gallinari 20 Rebs: Faried, Miller 7 each Asts: Ty Lawson 6 | |
| Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
May 8 10:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 102, Los Angeles Lakers 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 23–20, 27–22, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: Andre Miller 24 Rebs: JaVale McGee 14 Asts: Lawson, Miller 8 each |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 43 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 11 Asts: Ramon Sessions 6 | |
| Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 10:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 96, Denver Nuggets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–30, 25–24, 23–36, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 16 Asts: Kobe Bryant 4 |
Pts: Ty Lawson 32 Rebs: Kenneth Faried 11 Asts: Afflalo, Gallinari 7 each | |
| Series tied at, 3–3 | ||
May 12 10:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 87, Los Angeles Lakers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 18–23, 26–21, 19–27 | ||
| Pts: Lawson, Harrington 24 each Rebs: JaVale McGee 14 Asts: Andre Miller 8 |
Pts: Pau Gasol 23 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 18 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | |
| L.A. Lakers win series, 4–3 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Mike Callahan, Bill Spooner, |
The Lakers won the opening game 103–88 after Andrew Bynum had a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots. The blocked shots broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's franchise record of nine, and tied the NBA playoff record set by Mark Eaton and Hakeem Olajuwon. Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Pau Gasol added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.[17] The Lakers then won a close Game 2 but the Nuggets proceeded to blow out the Lakers in Game 3 99–84 to prevent the Lakers from taking a commanding 3–0 lead. Game 4 was close but Sessions and Blake hit pivotal 3's to put the Lakers in the lead for good and take a 3–1 series lead. Before Game 5, Bynum said that "Close-out games are actually kind of easy."[18] The Nuggets responded by taking Game 5 102–99. The game saw the Lakers erase a 90–75 deficit with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter. In Game 6, Bryant played despite having a stomach illness, but still managed to score 31 points. However, with little contribution from Gasol and Bynum, the Nuggets forced Game 7 with a 113–96 blowout win over the Lakers. The Lakers won the series 4–3, and avoided becoming the ninth team in NBA history to be eliminated after blowing a 3–1 series lead. Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists, Bynum had 16 points and a playoff career-high 18 rebounds, and Steve Blake scored a playoff career-high 19 points in a 96–87 win in Game 7. The Lakers blew a 16-point lead in the second half before Gasol put the Lakers ahead for good with a tip-in basket with 6:30 left. Kobe Bryant sealed Denver's fate by hitting a 3 with 48.3 seconds left to put the Lakers up 8. Denver had 19 turnovers in the game and shot just 7-of-27 in the fourth quarter. Returning from his seven-game suspension, Metta World Peace scored 15 points, while Bryant had 17 points, and 8 assists.[19]
- Regular-season series
| L.A. Lakers won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first five meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 5–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
April 29 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 99, Memphis Grizzlies 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–34, 23–24, 25–27, 35–13 | ||
| Pts: Nick Young 19 Rebs: Reggie Evans 13 Asts: Chris Paul 11 |
Pts: Rudy Gay 19 Rebs: Marreese Speights 9 Asts: Mike Conley 8 | |
| Clippers lead series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 98, Memphis Grizzlies 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 21–28, 22–24, 29–30 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 29 Rebs: Blake Griffin 9 Asts: Chris Paul 6 |
Pts: Rudy Gay 21 Rebs: Zach Randolph 8 Asts: Mike Conley 6 | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
May 5 4:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 86, Los Angeles Clippers 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 24–27, 25–14, 15–23 | ||
| Pts: Rudy Gay 24 Rebs: Marc Gasol 10 Asts: Mike Conley 8 |
Pts: Chris Paul 24 Rebs: Reggie Evans 11 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| Clippers lead series, 2–1 | ||
May 7 10:30 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 97, Los Angeles Clippers 101 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 19–19, 19–18, 23–18, Overtime: 10–14 | ||
| Pts: Mike Conley 25 Rebs: Zach Randolph 9 Asts: Mike Conley 8 |
Pts: Blake Griffin 30 Rebs: Chris Paul 9 Asts: Griffin, Paul 7 each | |
| Clippers lead series, 3–1 | ||
May 9 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 80, Memphis Grizzlies 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–36, 20–21, 23–20, 15–15 | ||
| Pts: Mo Williams 20 Rebs: Blake Griffin 11 Asts: Chris Paul 4 |
Pts: Marc Gasol 23 Rebs: Zach Randolph 10 Asts: Mike Conley 6 | |
| Clippers lead series, 3–2 | ||
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 18,119 Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Spooner, Gary Zielinski, |
May 11 9:00 pm |
| Memphis Grizzlies 90, Los Angeles Clippers 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–16, 17–22, 24–28, 24–22 | ||
| Pts: Marc Gasol 23 Rebs: Zach Randolph 15 Asts: Mike Conley 9 |
Pts: Blake Griffin 15 Rebs: Reggie Evans 10 Asts: Chris Paul 7 | |
| Series tied at, 3–3 | ||
May 13 1:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 82, Memphis Grizzlies 72 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–13, 23–25, 16–18, 27–16 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 19 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10 Asts: Chris Paul 4 |
Pts: Gasol, Gay 19 each Rebs: Zach Randolph 12 Asts: Mike Conley 5 | |
| L.A. Clippers win series, 4–3 | ||
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 18,119 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Monty McCutchen, |
The Clippers rallied to win Game 1 in one of the largest comebacks in playoff history. Trailing by as many as 27, and down 95–71 with 9:13 left, the Clippers held the Grizzlies to just one field goal the rest of the game and pulled off an improbable 99–98 victory before a stunned, sold-out crowd of 18,119 at FedExForum.[21] In Game 2, the Grizzlies avenged their embarrassing Game 1 loss by winning a close Game 2 to even the series going to Los Angeles. In Game 3, the Clippers survived a late Grizzlies rally in the final minute as Rudy Gay's 3 missed at the buzzer to give the Clippers an 87–86 victory and a 2–1 series lead. Game 4 was close, with the game going to overtime. With Chris Paul's heroics, the Clippers managed to win Game 4 and take a commanding 3–1 series lead. Back at home for Game 5, the Grizzlies tried to stave off elimination, at one point taking a 24-point lead in the third before the Clippers cut the lead again. However, the Grizzlies made sure there would be no collapse, using a 7–1 run in the final 1:44 to win Game 5 92–80. Facing elimination on the road, the Grizzlies gathered themselves, storming back from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to win Game 6 90–88, to force a decisive Game 7. In Game 7, the Clipper bench outscored their Grizzlies counterparts, 41–11, and it was enough as the Clippers won on the road, becoming the 6th NBA road team to do so after leading series 3–1, to advance to the semifinals against the Spurs.
- Regular-season series
| L.A. Clippers won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Grizzlies.[22]
Conference Semifinals
This is the first playoffs that the city of Los Angeles has both teams participating in the Conference Semifinals. The last time the Lakers and Clippers were in the Conference Semifinals was 1974, when the Clippers franchise was the Buffalo Braves. Also, another team based out of Staples Center, the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings, participated in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. As a result of these 3 teams sharing one arena, Games 3 and 4 of the Thunder–Lakers and Spurs–Clippers series were played back-to-back on May 18–19 and 19–20 respectively, to avoid scheduling conflicts.
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
May 15 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 92, San Antonio Spurs 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 20–28, 23–30, 20–21 | ||
| Pts: Eric Bledsoe 23 Rebs: Griffin, Jordan 9 each Asts: Chris Paul 10 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 26 Rebs: Boris Diaw 12 Asts: Tony Parker 11 | |
| Spurs leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 17 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Clippers 88, San Antonio Spurs 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 21–17, 25–32, 21–27 | ||
| Pts: Blake Griffin 20 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 7 Asts: Chris Paul 5 |
Pts: Tony Parker 22 Rebs: Parker, Duncan 5 each Asts: Parker, Ginóbili 5 each | |
| Spurs leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 19 3:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 96, Los Angeles Clippers 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–33, 32–20, 26–8, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 10 |
Pts: Blake Griffin 28 Rebs: Blake Griffin 16 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| Spurs leads series, 3–0 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 19,060 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Tony Brothers, Tom Washington, |
May 20 10:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 102, Los Angeles Clippers 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 25–26, 23–28, 28–24 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
Pts: Chris Paul 23 Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 8 Asts: Chris Paul 11 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–0 | ||
The Spurs won their last 14 games coming into this series. They were also well prepared because they were able to sweep their previous opponent, the Utah Jazz. Meanwhile, the Clippers were coming off a tough seven-game series against the Memphis Grizzlies and had to play Game 1 just 2 days after the Game 7 ended. Game 1 was close as the teams were tied coming into the 2nd quarter. However, the Spurs quickly took control in the 2nd and 3rd quarters as they defeated the Clippers, 108–92, and took a 1–0 series lead. Game 2 then saw a Spurs team taking control in the second half to defeat the Clippers and take a 2–0 lead. Going to Los Angeles for a back-to-back Games 3 and 4, the Clippers looked confident to defeat the Spurs, as they quickly took a 40–16 lead with 9:17 to go in the 2nd. However, the Spurs quickly cut the lead to 7 with 36.4 seconds before the half, with the half ending with a 10-point Clipper lead. Then, with the Clippers holding on to a 12-point lead with 9:39 to go in the 3rd, the Spurs unleashed a ferocious 24–0 run to take a 69–57 lead with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. The Clippers never got closer than seven down the stretch as they watched the Spurs take a commanding 3–0 lead in the series. Game 4 was a close one, with the Clippers leading for much of the fourth quarter before the Spurs took the lead on a Duncan hook shot. Then, in the final moments of the game, Paul made several mistakes, a bad pass and an off-balanced jump shot that missed, that ultimately led to Clippers' demise. Following Parker's free-throw that extended the Spurs' lead to 3, the Clippers had one last chance. However, out of timeouts, the Clippers were forced to take a long inbound pass. Mo Williams managed to catch the ball but was unable to get a shot off as the Spurs completed the sweep of the Clippers. The Spurs became just the fourth team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
- Regular-season series
| San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Spurs.[23]
(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers
May 14 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 90, Oklahoma City Thunder 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 21–29, 24–39, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Bryant, Bynum 20 each Rebs: Andrew Bynum 14 Asts: Steve Blake 4 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 27 Rebs: Kevin Durant 8 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 | |
| Thunder leads series, 1–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Greg Willard, Tony Brothers, David Guthrie, |
May 16 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 75, Oklahoma City Thunder 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 23–27, 18–12, 12–17 | ||
| Pts: Bryant, Bynum 20 each Rebs: Pau Gasol 11 Asts: Kobe Bryant 4 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 22 Rebs: Kevin Durant 7 Asts: Kevin Durant 5 | |
| Thunder leads series, 2–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Rodney Mott, Jason Phillips, |
May 18 10:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 96, Los Angeles Lakers 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–23, 32–27, 23–19, 26–30 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 31 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 11 Asts: Thabo Sefolosha 4 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 36 Rebs: Bynum, Gasol 11 each Asts: Bryant, Gasol 6 each | |
| Thunder leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 19 10:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 103, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 22–27, 25–24, 32–20 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 37 Rebs: Kevin Durant 13 Asts: Russell Westbrook 5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 38 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 9 Asts: Bryant, Sessions 5 each | |
| Thunder leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 21 9:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 90, Oklahoma City Thunder 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 30–28, 26–29, 13–23 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 42 Rebs: Pau Gasol 16 Asts: Metta World Peace 5 |
Pts: Russell Westbrook 28 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 11 Asts: Durant, Harden, Westbrook 4 each | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Scott Foster, John Goble, Tom Washington, |
Much like the Spurs-Clippers series, the series featured a team that swept their first round opponents and another team that were coming off a tough seven-game series. As such, the Thunder had the advantage in Game 1. The result was a convincing 29-point blowout by the Thunder to the Lakers. The Thunder quickly took control through the first three quarters and stretched their lead to as high as 35. Game 2 was much closer, with the Lakers shocking the Thunder by leading by 7 with 2 minutes to go that would seemingly tie the series at 1. However, the Lakers would fail to keep the lead, with the Thunder eventually going on a 9–0 run to take a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Lakers collaborated on both ends to prevent the Thunder from taking a 3–0 lead putting them back into the series. Game 4 saw the Lakers start strong, taking a 10-point lead at halftime. They were able to have a 13-point lead in the fourth. However, Thunder outscored the Lakers 25–9 the rest of the way to take a 3–1 series lead, putting the Lakers into the brink of elimination. With the score tied at 98, Russell Westbrook committed a crucial turnover when he slipped and lost the ball. However, Pau Gasol's pass was taken by Durant, setting up Durant's 3-pointer that gave the Thunder the lead for good. The Lakers still had one last chance to tie but Kobe Bryant's three missed, with Harden hitting two free-throws to effectively seal the deal. In Game 5, Lakers were able to keep the game close throughout the first three quarters before the Thunder closed the series on a flurry, starting with two threes by Kevin Durant. The Lakers were not able to respond as they watched the Thunder take the series, 4–1, to send the Lakers back home for the second straight season in the Conference Semifinals.
- Regular-season series
| Oklahoma City won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first eight meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 6–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference Finals: (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder
May 27 8:30 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 98, San Antonio Spurs 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 29–22, 24–16, 27–39 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 27 Rebs: Kevin Durant 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 5 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 6 | |
| Spurs leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 29 9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 111, San Antonio Spurs 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 22–27, 32–37, 35–28 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 31 Rebs: Serge Ibaka 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 8 |
Pts: Tony Parker 34 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | |
| Spurs leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 31 9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 82, Oklahoma City Thunder 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 17–32, 19–24, 22–24 | ||
| Pts: Parker, Jackson 16 each Rebs: Ginóbili, Leonard, Blair 6 each Asts: Gary Neal 5 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 22 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 8 Asts: Russell Westbrook 9 | |
| Spurs leads series, 2–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Bill Spooner |
June 2 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 17–29, 28–20, 32–34 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 21 Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 9 Asts: Parker, Ginóbili 4 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 36 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 9 Asts: Kevin Durant 8 | |
| Series tied at, 2–2 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Ken Mauer, James Capers, Ed Malloy, |
June 4 9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 108, San Antonio Spurs 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 26–23, 29–28, 27–31 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 27 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 12 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 34 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 | |
| Thunder leads series, 3–2 | ||
June 6 9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 99, Oklahoma City Thunder 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–20, 29–28, 18–32, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 14 Asts: Tony Parker 12 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 34 Rebs: Kevin Durant 14 Asts: Durant, Westbrook 5 each | |
| Oklahoma City wins series, 4–2 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Rodney Mott, |
This series would mark only the second time in the last seven years that the top two seeds from the Western Conference faced each other in the Conference Finals. Game 1 would be close, with the Thunder taking a 9-point lead going to the fourth, looking poised to give the Spurs their first loss of the postseason. However, the Spurs took control on both ends in the fourth quarter to stay perfect in the playoffs. In Game 2, the Spurs started strong, at one point in the third quarter taking a 22-point lead. The Thunder would try to climb back in the fourth quarter, eventually cutting the lead to 6 in the fourth quarter. However, the Spurs would answer every run, en route to a 120–111 win over the Thunder and a 2–0 series lead. Manu Ginobili sealed the deal by hitting a three-pointer that extended the Spurs' lead to 10 with about a minute and a half to go. With the win, the Spurs extended their 2012 playoff record to 10–0. This win also marked the Spurs' 20th consecutive win, tied for the 3rd longest winning streak in NBA history. It is also the longest winning streak that was carried from the regular season and into the playoffs. In Game 3, the Spurs were no match for the Thunder. Behind their thunder blue home crowd, the Thunder blew out the Spurs, 102–82, to give them their first 2012 postseason loss. Game 4 was much closer. In the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant scored half of his 36 points as the Thunder tied the series with a 109–103 win over the Spurs. In Game 5, the Thunder started strong, at one point in the second quarter taking a 13-point lead. The Spurs would still come back in the second half. Fueled by two threes from Ginobili, the Spurs took the lead back. However, the Thunder eventually outscored the Spurs 25–12 for the rest of the quarter to take a 9-point lead heading to the fourth quarter. After a Harden 4-point play that gave the Thunder another 13-point lead, things began to unravel as the Spurs staged an 11–0 run through the next 4 minutes to bring them back into the game. Then, with the Thunder holding on for a 103–101 lead with 28 seconds left, Harden came up big by hitting a crucial three-pointer to give the Thunder a 5-point lead. The Spurs would not give up. Following a Ginobili layup shot that cut the lead to 3, a fullcourt press by the Spurs forced a Thunder turnover, giving them a chance to tie the game. However, Ginobili missed a three-pointer that sealed a 3–2 lead for the Thunder. In Game 6, the Spurs dominated early, outscoring the Thunder by 14 in the first quarter and holding a 15-point lead at halftime. Their largest lead of the game was 18. However the Thunder rallied in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Spurs 32–18. With a few clutch shots by Derek Fisher and James Harden, the Thunder booked a trip to the Finals with a 107–99 comeback win over the Spurs. With the win, the Thunder advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since moving from Seattle in 2008 and the franchise's first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1996, when the franchise was known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
- Regular-season series
| San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first three meetings. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.
| San Antonio leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals: (W2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (E2) Miami Heat
June 12 9:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 94, Oklahoma City Thunder 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–25, 19–27, 21–31 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 |
Pts: Kevin Durant 36 Rebs: Nick Collison 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 11 | |
| Thunder leads series, 1–0 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy |
June 14 9:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 100, Oklahoma City Thunder 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 28–28, 23–24, 22–29 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Chris Bosh 15 Asts: Wade, James 5 each |
Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Perkins, Westbrook 8 each Asts: Russell Westbrook 7 | |
| Series tied at, 1–1 | ||
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Attendance: 18,203 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, Tom Washington |
June 17 8:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 85, Miami Heat 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 26–21, 21–22, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 25 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 12 Asts: James Harden 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 | |
| Heat lead series, 2–1 | ||
June 19 9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 98, Miami Heat 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–19, 16–27, 26–33, 23–25 | ||
| Pts: Russell Westbrook 43 Rebs: James Harden 10 Asts: Russell Westbrook 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 26 Rebs: James, Bosh 9 each Asts: LeBron James 12 | |
| Heat lead series, 3–1 | ||
June 21 9:00 pm |
| Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Miami Heat 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 23–28, 22–36, 35–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Durant 32 Rebs: Kevin Durant 11 Asts: Russell Westbrook 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 26 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: LeBron James 13 | |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,003 Referees: Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford |
- Regular-season series
| Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the Thunder.[26]
Statistic leaders
| Category | High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played | |
| Points | LeBron James | Miami Heat | 45 | LeBron James | Miami Heat | 30.3 | 23 |
| Rebounds | Paul Millsap | Utah Jazz | 19 | Josh Smith | Atlanta Hawks | 13.6 | 5 |
| Assists | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 17 | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 11.9 | 19 |
| Steals | Jason Kidd | Dallas Mavericks | 7 | Jason Kidd | Dallas Mavericks | 3.0 | 4 |
| Blocks | Andrew Bynum | Los Angeles Lakers | 10* | JaVale McGee | Denver Nuggets | 3.1 | 7 |
* Tied NBA Playoffs Record
References
- Latzke, Jeff (1 June 2012). "Sefolosha sparks Thunder to 102–82 win over Spurs". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- Zillgitt, Jeff (May 15, 2012). "NBA deals with postseason trauma as stars go down". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013.
- "Stern suggests shortened training camp may be reason for injury trend". SportingNews.com. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013.
- "2011–2012 Conference Regular Season Standings". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 15, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "James, Heat pull away to lead 3–0 over Knicks". SI.com. Associated Press. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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- "Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/12/17/21025172/boston-celtics-philadelphia-sixers-2012-playoffs-uncut-gems
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- Devine, Dan. "Al Jefferson can't see anyone beating Spurs". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Bynum's triple-double leads Lakers past Nuggets". SI.com. Associated Press. April 29, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012.
- McMenamin, Dave (May 9, 2012). "Lakers want to end series Tuesday". ESPNLosAngeles.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012.
- "Pau Gasol-led Lakers top Nuggets in Game 7; Metta World Peace adds 15 points in return". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Clippers rally from 27 down to stun Grizzlies in Game 1; Caron Butler breaks hand". ESPN.com. April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Memphis Grizzlies (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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