 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 18–June 14, 2009 |
| Season | 2008–09 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (15th title) |
| Runner-up | Orlando Magic |
| Semifinalists | |
The 2009 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.
Overview
The Portland Trail Blazers made the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and earned home court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2000.
The Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. They pushed their first round opponents, the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics (respectively) to seven games before losing.
The first round series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls set an NBA Playoff record for the most overtime games (4) and periods (7) played. However, the Boston Celtics prevailed in seven games.
With their first round win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets won a first round series for the first time since 1997, when they last made the conference finals. They pushed the eventual champion Lakers to seven games before losing. The Rockets would not return to the playoffs until 2013.
With their first round win over the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks won a playoff series for the first time since 1999. However, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals.
With their first round win over the New Orleans Hornets, the Denver Nuggets won a playoff series for the first time since 1994, when they became the first eighth seed to win a playoff series.
As for the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, they failed to advance past the first round for the first time since 2000. The Pistons were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Spurs lost to the Dallas Mavericks in a five game upset. The Pistons would not return to the playoffs until 2016, while the Spurs would exact revenge against the Mavericks in next year’s playoffs.
By sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers became only the second team in NBA History (after the Miami Heat) to go 8–0 through the first two rounds by sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks (they would duplicate this feat in 2016, against the same two teams). This was also LeBron James’ last conference finals appearance as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers until 2015.
With their conference semifinals victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets made the conference finals for the first time since 1985. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, and would not return to the conference finals until 2020.
With their Game 7 road win over the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic made the Conference Finals for the first time since 1996. It also marked the first time the Boston Celtics lost a playoff series despite leading 3–2.
With their conference finals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic made the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995. The Cavaliers would not return to the Conference Finals until 2015.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals marked the first ever finals win for the Orlando Magic. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals marked the first time since 1985 that two overtime games were played in the same NBA Finals series.
With the Lakers’ Game 5 win over the Orlando Magic, Phil Jackson overtook Red Auerbach with the most NBA Championships won by a head coach (10). It also marked the Lakers’ first NBA Finals series win since 2002.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals was also the last NBA Finals game ever played at Amway Arena.
Format
The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record; however, a division winner is guaranteed to be ranked at least 4th, regardless of record.[1] All series are in a best-of-7 format with the Games 1–2, 5 and 7 on the home court of the team with the better record, regardless of their seed. For the NBA Finals, the team with the better record plays Games 1–2 and 6–7 at home.[2]
Tiebreak procedures
The tiebreakers that determine seedings are:[1]
- Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division
- Head-to-head record
- Division record (if the teams are in the same division)
- Conference record
- Record vs. playoff teams, own conference
- Record vs. playoff teams, other conference
- Point differential, all games
If there are more than 2 teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams are "re-broken" from the first step until all ties are resolved. Since the three division winners are guaranteed a spot in the top 4, ties to determine the division winners must be broken before any other ties.[3][4]
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
| Seed[5] | Team | Wins | Tiebreaker | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Home court in Conference Finals | Home court in NBA Finals | ||||
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 66 | — | March 4[6] | March 13[7] | April 10[8] | April 13[9] |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 62 | — | March 4[10] | March 18[11] | — | — |
| 3 | Orlando Magic | 59 | — | March 11[12] | March 25[13] | — | — |
| 4 | Atlanta Hawks | 47 | — | March 25[14] | — | — | — |
| 5 | Miami Heat | 43 | — | April 3[15] | — | — | — |
| 6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | Conf.: 25–27[a] | April 4[16] | — | — | — |
| 7 | Chicago Bulls | 41 | Conf.: 24–28[a] | April 10[17] | — | — | — |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 39 | — | April 10[18] | — | — | — |
Western Conference
| Seed[5] | Team | Wins | Tiebreaker | Clinched | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff berth | Division title | Home court in Conference Finals | |||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | — | March 12[19] | March 12[19] | March 27[20] | |
| 2 | Denver Nuggets | 54 | Div.: 12–4[a] | 2–1 vs. SA | March 31[21] | April 13[22] | — |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 54 | Skipped[b] | 1–2 vs. DEN | March 31[23] | April 15[24] | — |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 54 | Div.: 11–5[a] | — | April 5[25] | — | — |
| 5 | Houston Rockets | 53 | — | April 5[25] | — | — | |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 50 | — | April 8[26] | — | — | |
| 7 | New Orleans Hornets | 49 | — | April 7[27] | — | — | |
| 8 | Utah Jazz | 48 | — | April 5[28] | — | — | |
Notes
— = not applicable
Bracket
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Miami | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Cleveland* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | New Orleans | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
- * 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) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
April 18 2:00 p.m. |
| Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 20–27, 20–21, 19–24 | ||
| Pts: Rodney Stuckey 20 Rebs: Wallace, Brown 9 each Asts: Hamilton, Stuckey 4 each |
Pts: LeBron James 38 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 10 Asts: LeBron James 7 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Leon Wood, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie |
April 21 8:00 p.m. |
| Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 18–23, 18–31, 32–17 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 17 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Rodney Stuckey 6 |
Pts: LeBron James 29 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: Mo Williams 7 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bill Spooner, Derrick Collins |
April 24 7:00 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 79, Detroit Pistons 68 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 26–19, 9–16, 26–15 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 15 Rebs: McDyess, Hamilton 8 each Asts: Richard Hamilton 6 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–0 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Joe Forte |
April 26 3:30 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Detroit Pistons 78 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 25–15, 22–18, 26–18 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 36 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Antonio McDyess 26 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 10 Asts: Richard Hamilton 7 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–0 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jim Clark |
| Cleveland 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 |
|---|
The Cavaliers opened the series with a rout on Game 1, as LeBron James scored 38 points and the Cavaliers won by 18 points. In Game 2, the Cavaliers were leading by 27 points after the third quarter before the Pistons started a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Pistons managed to cut the Cavaliers' lead down to 7 points, but in the end the Cavaliers won the game by 12 points. Game 3 was a tight contest until an 18–2 run by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter secured the victory for Cleveland. The Cavaliers swept the Pistons with a 21-point victory in Game 4, in which James scored 36 points while narrowly missing a triple-double for two straight games.
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
April 18 12:30 p.m. |
| Chicago Bulls 105, Boston Celtics 103 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–16, 20–26, 26–27, Overtime: 8–6 | ||
| Pts: Derrick Rose 36 Rebs: Joakim Noah 17 Asts: Derrick Rose 11 |
Pts: Rajon Rondo 29 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 9 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 | |
| Chicago leads series, 1–0 | ||
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Eddie F. Rush, Michael Smith |
April 20 7:00 p.m. |
| Chicago Bulls 115, Boston Celtics 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–35, 32–23, 26–30, 28–30 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 42 Rebs: Brad Miller 9 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 |
Pts: Ray Allen 30 Rebs: Perkins, Rondo 12 each Asts: Rajon Rondo 16 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 23 8:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 107, Chicago Bulls 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–21, 27–16, 24–21, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 24 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 11 Asts: Rondo, Davis 6 each |
Pts: Ben Gordon 15 Rebs: Joakim Noah 10 Asts: three players 3 each | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 26 1:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 118, Chicago Bulls 121 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 27–27, 24–20, 26–31, Overtime: 14–14, 8–11 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 29 Rebs: Davis, Rondo 11 each Asts: Rajon Rondo 11 |
Pts: Derrick Rose 23 Rebs: Derrick Rose 11 Asts: Derrick Rose 9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 28 7:00 p.m. |
| Chicago Bulls 104, Boston Celtics 106 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 26–21, 23–22, 23–27, Overtime: 11–13 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 26 Rebs: Joakim Noah 17 Asts: Gordon, Rose 6 each |
Pts: Rajon Rondo 28 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 19 Asts: Rajon Rondo 11 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 30 7:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 127, Chicago Bulls 128 (3OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–37, 31–22, 19–24, 25–18, Overtime: 8–8, 9–9, 9–10 | ||
| Pts: Ray Allen 51 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 19 |
Pts: John Salmons 35 Rebs: Joakim Noah 15 Asts: Rose, Hinrich 7 each | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 2 8:00 p.m. |
| Chicago Bulls 99, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 11–29, 33–26, 27–31 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 33 Rebs: Joakim Noah 15 Asts: Ben Gordon 4 |
Pts: Ray Allen 23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 11 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Boston won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This series has been called the greatest first round series ever, and compared to the greatest series overall. It featured four overtime games with seven overtime periods, the most ever in a playoff series. The series highlights included future NBA MVP Derrick Rose setting an NBA single game rookie scoring record. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings.
| Boston leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
In Game 1, with the Bulls trailing by 1, rookie Derrick Rose hit 2 free throws with 9.6 seconds left. Celtics captain Paul Pierce had a chance to win the game with his own free throws from a Joakim Noah foul but missed the second, leading to overtime. In the overtime, with Rose fouling out, Tyrus Thomas scored six of the Bulls' eight points to put them up 105–103 with about 50 seconds left. Ray Allen, who had a poor shooting night, had a chance to tie the game and send it into a second overtime but he did not succeed. Even while the playoffs were continuing, many experts and analysts were calling it "the greatest playoff series ever".
Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's playoff debut of 36 points to lead the Bulls into a Game 1 road victory. Rose also became the second player to have a 35-point, 10-assist game in their playoff debut in history, after Chris Paul did the feat in 2008; his 36 points was also the highest points scored by a Bull in a playoff game since Michael Jordan retired. The win also marked the Bulls' first postseason win against the Celtics in history.
In Game 2, Ben Gordon poured in 42 points, but lost the duel to Ray Allen. The Bulls were blown out in Game 3. At home in the end of regulation of Game 4, Gordon hit a big bank shot putting the Bulls up 95-93. The Bulls would go on to win in 2OT.
Game 5:
The Bulls held a double digit lead, and Boston came back behind Paul Pierce. Gordon hit a tough shot over Stephon Marbury. Pierce tied with his own jumper, Brad Miller missed 2 free throws with 2 seconds remaining in overtime, and Boston won.
Game 6:
The Bulls had to come back from being down 8 in the final 2 minutes of regulation, and did so behind John Salmons. Ray Allen scored 51 points, but the Bulls won in 3OT.
Game 7:
The Celtics finished the Bulls off with a 10-point victory.
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
April 19 5:30 p.m. |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Orlando Magic 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 19–25, 19–29, 35–19 | ||
| Pts: Andre Iguodala 20 Rebs: Andre Iguodala 8 Asts: Andre Iguodala 8 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 31 Rebs: Dwight Howard 16 Asts: Rafer Alston 5 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 22 7:00 p.m. |
| Philadelphia 76ers 87, Orlando Magic 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 18–25, 23–24, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Andre Miller 30 Rebs: Iguodala, Ratliff 8 each Asts: Andre Iguodala 7 |
Pts: Courtney Lee 24 Rebs: Dwight Howard 10 Asts: Rashard Lewis 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 24 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 94, Philadelphia 76ers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 28–35, 28–19, 17–17 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 36 Rebs: Dwight Howard 11 Asts: Courtney Lee 5 |
Pts: Andre Iguodala 29 Rebs: Miller, Dalembert 9 each Asts: Andre Miller 7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 26 6:30 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 84, Philadelphia 76ers 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 12–14, 28–19, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 18 Rebs: Dwight Howard 18 Asts: Rafer Alston 5 |
Pts: Andre Miller 17 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 9 Asts: Andre Iguodala 11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 28 7:30 p.m. |
| Philadelphia 76ers 78, Orlando Magic 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 19–24, 21–24, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: Andre Iguodala 26 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 9 Asts: Andre Miller 6 |
Pts: Howard, Lewis 24 each Rebs: Dwight Howard 24 Asts: Alston, Türkoğlu 4 each | |
| Orlando leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 30 7:30 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 114, Philadelphia 76ers 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–19, 32–29, 25–24, 27–17 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 29 Rebs: Marcin Gortat 15 Asts: Rafer Alston 10 |
Pts: Andre Miller 24 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 13 Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 | |
| Orlando wins series, 4–2 | ||
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 16,691 Referees: Derrick Collins, Scott Foster, Tom Washington |
| Orlando won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting.
| Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
In Game 1, the Magic had an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter and Andre Iguodala scored a jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Sixers a road win over Hedo Türkoğlu. The Sixers almost managed another comeback in Game 2. The Magic led by 18 points midway through the third quarter before another late run by the Sixers brought the lead down to 5 points before the Magic finally won the game. The Sixers won Game 3 courtesy of another late shot; Thaddeus Young scored a layup with 2 seconds left to secure the win, despite a career playoff-high 36-point performance by Dwight Howard. The Magic secured a road win in Game 4 with their own late shot; Türkoğlu scored his own game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to even the series.
In Game 5, Dwight Howard had 24 points and a career playoff-high 24 rebounds, leading the Magic to a victory. Game 5 was marked with an elbowing incident by Howard on Samuel Dalembert, which led to a one-game suspension for Howard.[34] Rookie Courtney Lee also went down injured after taking an inadvertent elbow on the head from Howard. Despite losing two starters, Howard and Lee, the Magic won game 6, beating the Sixers on the road by 25 points to win the series.
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat
April 19 8:00 p.m. |
| Miami Heat 64, Atlanta Hawks 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 18–35, 18–17, 7–14 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 19 Rebs: Michael Beasley 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 |
Pts: Josh Smith 23 Rebs: Smith, Pachulia 10 each Asts: Mike Bibby 9 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 22 8:00 p.m. |
| Miami Heat 108, Atlanta Hawks 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 30–23, 29–31, 25–21 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 33 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: Chalmers, Wade 7 each |
Pts: Mike Bibby 18 Rebs: Al Horford 11 Asts: Al Horford 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 25 6:30 p.m. |
| Atlanta Hawks 78, Miami Heat 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 17–28, 32–35, 17–32 | ||
| Pts: three players 13 each Rebs: Josh Smith 8 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 29 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 | |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 27 8:00 p.m. |
| Atlanta Hawks 81, Miami Heat 71 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 22–25, 17–13, 18–16 | ||
| Pts: Mike Bibby 15 Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 18 Asts: Joe Johnson 5 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 22 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 19,600 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith, Tom Washington |
April 29 8:00 p.m. |
| Miami Heat 91, Atlanta Hawks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–39, 30–22, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 29 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8 Asts: Mario Chalmers 6 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 25 Rebs: Josh Smith 8 Asts: Joe Johnson 6 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 1 8:00 p.m. |
| Atlanta Hawks 72, Miami Heat 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–32, 24–19, 14–27, 16–20 | ||
| Pts: Mike Bibby 20 Rebs: Josh Smith 10 Asts: Mike Bibby 3 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 41 Rebs: Michael Beasley 15 Asts: Mario Chalmers 8 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 3 1:00 p.m. |
| Miami Heat 78, Atlanta Hawks 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 18–29, 16–16, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13 Asts: Chalmers, Wade 4 each |
Pts: Joe Johnson 27 Rebs: Josh Smith 9 Asts: Mike Bibby 6 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Atlanta won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first meeting.
| Atlanta leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The Hawks opened the series with a 26-point win after leading by as much as 20 points at halftime. The Hawks also tied a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a playoff game. However, the Heat managed to rebound from the loss and won Game 2 on the road to tie the series. The Heat won Game 3 at home, almost in similar fashion as the Hawks' victory in Game 1. The Heat was already leading by 19 points at halftime and ended up winning by 29 points. In the next game, the Hawks bounced back and won a road game to even the series.
Game 5 was marked by several hard fouls and technical fouls. Dwyane Wade was fouled and sent tumbling down by Solomon Jones before a skirmish between Wade, Jones, Jamaal Magloire and Josh Smith started. All four players were given technical fouls in the incident. Wade was later called for a flagrant foul after he fouled Maurice Evans during a layup attempt. The flagrant foul was later rescinded by the officials after they reviewed the play.[36] The Hawks finally won the game, despite losing starting center Al Horford due to injury in the second quarter. The Heat evened the series at 3–3 after winning Game 6. Wade scored 41 points to lead the Heat to a 26-point rout over the Hawks. The Hawks finally won the series after winning Game 7 at home, with 13 points difference. All seven games of the series were decided by at least 10 points, with an average margin of 19 points.
Western Conference first round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
April 19 3:00 p.m. |
| Utah Jazz 100, Los Angeles Lakers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 21–32, 33–24, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 27 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 9 Asts: Deron Williams 17 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 24 Rebs: Pau Gasol 9 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
April 21 10:30 p.m. |
| Utah Jazz 109, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–41, 26–25, 23–23, 31–30 | ||
| Pts: Deron Williams 35 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 26 Rebs: Gasol, Bryant 6 each Asts: Ariza, Bryant 9 each | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
April 23 10:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 86, Utah Jazz 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 22–17, 29–17, 18–28 | ||
| Pts: Lamar Odom 21 Rebs: Lamar Odom 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer 23 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 22 Asts: Deron Williams 9 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Bennett Salvadore, Mike Callahan, Eric Lewis |
April 25 9:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Utah Jazz 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 40–28, 28–16, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 38 Rebs: Lamar Odom 15 Asts: Lamar Odom 6 |
Pts: Williams, Boozer 23 each Rebs: Carlos Boozer 16 Asts: Deron Williams 13 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City Attendance: 19,911 Referees: Bill Spooner, Mark Wunderlich, Joe Derosa |
April 27 10:30 p.m. |
| Utah Jazz 96, Los Angeles Lakers 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 17–30, 20–26, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Paul Millsap 16 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 8 Asts: Deron Williams 6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Lamar Odom 15 Asts: four players 4 each | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
| Los Angeles won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece.
| Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
April 19 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 84, Denver Nuggets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–28, 22–32, 15–26 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 21 Rebs: David West 6 Asts: Chris Paul 11 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 36 Rebs: Nenê 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 22 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 93, Denver Nuggets 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 19–25, 27–29, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: David West 21 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Chris Paul 13 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 31 Rebs: Nenê 8 Asts: Carmelo Anthony 9 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 25 1:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 93, New Orleans Hornets 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 21–29, 25–27, 21–18 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
Pts: Chris Paul 32 Rebs: West, Posey 9 each Asts: Chris Paul 12 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans Attendance: 17,489 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington |
April 27 8:30 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–15, 25–24, 27–11, 33–13 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 26 Rebs: Chris Andersen 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: David West 14 Rebs: James Posey 7 Asts: Chris Paul 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 29 10:30 p.m. |
| New Orleans Hornets 86, Denver Nuggets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–25, 17–31, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: David West 24 Rebs: David West 9 Asts: Chris Paul 10 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 34 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 11 | |
| Denver wins series 4–1 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[38]
The Nuggets routed the Hornets in Game 1, led by hometown player Chauncey Billups's 36 points in his playoff debut for the Nuggets. He sank a career playoff-high 8 three-pointers and added 8 assists in the game. He continued his form in Game 2, scoring 31 points as the Nuggets took a 2–0 lead in the series. The Hornets bounced back with a victory in Game 3. Game 3 was marked with plenty of fouls, with a total of 58 personal fouls in the game, resulting in four players fouling out of the game, David West and Tyson Chandler for the Hornets, and Kenyon Martin and Nenê for the Nuggets. The referees also called three flagrant fouls from James Posey, Chandler and Billups. Hornets' head coach Byron Scott was also called for a technical foul after arguing on Posey's flagrant foul.
The Nuggets then pulled a 58-point win in Game 4. The margin tied the most lopsided victory in playoff history set 53 years ago by the Minneapolis Lakers. The Hornets recorded a playoff-low in points and also a playoff-high 26 turnovers, which led to 41 Nuggets' points. The Nuggets then recorded their first series win since 1994 after a victory in Game 5. Carmelo Anthony scored his career playoff-high with 34 points as the Nuggets cruised to another double-digit win. The average margin of victory in the Nuggets's four wins was 30.75 points.
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
April 18 8:00 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 105, San Antonio Spurs 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 27–20, 29–25, 31–23 | ||
| Pts: Josh Howard 25 Rebs: Erick Dampier 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 5 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 9:30 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 84, San Antonio Spurs 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 27–27, 17–28, 21–20 | ||
| Pts: Jason Terry 16 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 6 Asts: Jason Kidd 5 |
Pts: Tony Parker 38 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 23 8:30 p.m. |
| San Antonio Spurs 67, Dallas Mavericks 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 14–19, 12–29, 25–13 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 12 Rebs: Kurt Thomas 10 Asts: Tony Parker 3 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 20 Rebs: Erick Dampier 9 Asts: José Juan Barea 6 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,491 Referees: Joe Crawford, Eddie Rush, Derrick Collins, Marc Davis |
April 25 4:00 p.m. |
| San Antonio Spurs 90, Dallas Mavericks 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 26–19, 16–29, 19–19 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 43 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tim Duncan 7 |
Pts: Josh Howard 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | |
| Dallas leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 28 9:30 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 106, San Antonio Spurs 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 21–28, 30–19, 24–26 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Erick Dampier 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 30 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Tony Parker 12 | |
| Dallas wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning two of the first three meetings.
| San Antonio leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
April 18 10:30 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 108, Portland Trail Blazers 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 28–21, 23–14, 23–23 | ||
| Pts: Aaron Brooks 27 Rebs: Dikembe Mutombo 9 Asts: Aaron Brooks 7 |
Pts: Brandon Roy 21 Rebs: four players 5 each Asts: Steve Blake 6 | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 20,329 Referees: Bill Kennedy, Mark Wunderlich, Tom Washington |
April 21 10:00 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 103, Portland Trail Blazers 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 25–25, 21–19, 31–35 | ||
| Pts: Aaron Brooks 23 Rebs: Yao Ming 8 Asts: Aaron Brooks 5 |
Pts: Brandon Roy 42 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 12 Asts: Steve Blake 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 24 9:30 p.m. |
| Portland Trail Blazers 83, Houston Rockets 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 22–27, 22–18, 24–20 | ||
| Pts: Brandon Roy 19 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 8 Asts: Steve Blake 10 |
Pts: Luis Scola 19 Rebs: Yao Ming 13 Asts: Aaron Brooks 5 | |
| Houston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,731 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jason Phillips, Tony Brothers |
April 26 9:00 p.m. |
| Portland Trail Blazers 88, Houston Rockets 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 22–20, 26–14, 18–25 | ||
| Pts: Brandon Roy 31 Rebs: Joel Przybilla 12 Asts: Steve Blake 8 |
Pts: Yao Ming 21 Rebs: Yao Ming 12 Asts: Ron Artest 9 | |
| Houston leads series, 3–1 | ||
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,271 Referees: Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Monty McCutchen |
April 28 10:00 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 77, Portland Trail Blazers 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 17–21, 19–14, 15–24 | ||
| Pts: Luis Scola 19 Rebs: Yao Ming 10 Asts: Ron Artest 5 |
Pts: Aldridge, Roy 25 each Rebs: Aldridge, Blake 7 each Asts: Joel Przybilla 4 | |
| Houston leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 30 9:30 p.m. |
| Portland Trail Blazers 76, Houston Rockets 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 18–31, 19–21, 20–18 | ||
| Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 26 Rebs: Przybilla, Fernández 8 each Asts: Steve Blake 5 |
Pts: Ron Artest 27 Rebs: Yao Ming 10 Asts: Kyle Lowry 3 | |
| Houston wins series, 4–2 | ||
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,376 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, James Capers, Mike Callahan |
Game 2 is Dikembe Mutombo's final NBA game.
| Houston won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first two meetings.
| Houston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference semifinals
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
May 5 8:00 p.m. |
| Atlanta Hawks 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 23–24, 17–28, 11–22 | ||
| Pts: Josh Smith 22 Rebs: Al Horford 8 Asts: Mike Bibby 8 |
Pts: LeBron James 34 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: Delonte West 9 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Steve Javie, Dick Bavetta, Bill Kennedy |
May 7 8:00 p.m. |
| Atlanta Hawks 85, Cleveland Cavaliers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 18–33, 20–26, 30–20 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Evans 16 Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 12 Asts: Maurice Evans 4 |
Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8 Asts: James, Williams 5 each | |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Violet Palmer, Derrick Stafford, Dan Crawford |
May 9 8:00 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Atlanta Hawks 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 25–28, 25–19, 25–17 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 47 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 17 Rebs: Smith, Johnson 5 each Asts: Mike Bibby 5 | |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 11 7:00 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 84, Atlanta Hawks 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 25–16, 22–19, 22–17 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 11 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Josh Smith 26 Rebs: Josh Smith 8 Asts: Joe Johnson 7 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–0 | ||
| Cleveland won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Cavaliers.[41]
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Orlando Magic
May 4 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 95, Boston Celtics 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 30–17, 24–26, 17–28 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 18 Rebs: Dwight Howard 22 Asts: Rafer Alston 7 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 16 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 | |
| Orlando leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 6 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 94, Boston Celtics 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–35, 18–25, 30–26 | ||
| Pts: Lewis, Piétrus 17 each Rebs: Dwight Howard 12 Asts: Anthony Johnson 7 |
Pts: Eddie House 31 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 18 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington, Eddie F. Rush |
May 8 7:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 96, Orlando Magic 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 23–31, 28–25, 27–39 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 7 Asts: Pierce, Rondo 6 each |
Pts: Rashard Lewis 28 Rebs: Dwight Howard 14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 4 | |
| Orlando leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 10 8:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 95, Orlando Magic 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–18, 31–25, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 14 Asts: Allen, Perkins 4 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard 23 Rebs: Dwight Howard 17 Asts: JJ Redick 7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 12 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 88, Boston Celtics 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 23–21, 22–22, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 19 Rebs: Dwight Howard 17 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7 |
Pts: Glen Davis 22 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 14 7:00 p.m. |
| Boston Celtics 75, Orlando Magic 83 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 21–23, 16–16, 13–22 | ||
| Pts: Rajon Rondo 19 Rebs: Rajon Rondo 16 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 23 Rebs: Dwight Howard 22 Asts: three players 3 each | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 17 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 101, Boston Celtics 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 18–21, 21–23, 35–21 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 25 Rebs: Dwight Howard 16 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 12 |
Pts: Ray Allen 23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 15 Asts: Rajon Rondo 10 | |
| Orlando wins series, 4–3 | ||
This was the first time the Celtics lost a series when leading 3–2. Game 7 is Stephon Marbury's last NBA game.
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first meeting.
| Orlando leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
May 4 10:30 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 100, Los Angeles Lakers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 22–22, 27–27, 30–25 | ||
| Pts: Yao Ming 28 Rebs: Yao Ming 10 Asts: Ron Artest 7 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32 Rebs: Pau Gasol 13 Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 6 10:30 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 98, Los Angeles Lakers 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–39, 32–18, 20–29, 21–25 | ||
| Pts: Ron Artest 25 Rebs: Yao, Landry 10 each Asts: Ron Artest 5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40 Rebs: Pau Gasol 14 Asts: Luke Walton 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 8 9:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Houston Rockets 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 20–18, 24–16, 34–32 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 33 Rebs: Lamar Odom 13 Asts: Jordan Farmar 7 |
Pts: Ron Artest 25 Rebs: Yao Ming 14 Asts: Shane Battier 7 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
May 10 3:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 87, Houston Rockets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 20–25, 18–29, 33–16 | ||
| Pts: Pau Gasol 30 Rebs: Pau Gasol 9 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 |
Pts: Aaron Brooks 34 Rebs: Luis Scola 14 Asts: Ron Artest 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 12 10:30 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 78, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 15–29, 15–30, 24–24 | ||
| Pts: Aaron Brooks 14 Rebs: Luis Scola 13 Asts: Scola, Lowry 4 each |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 26 Rebs: Pau Gasol 13 Asts: Jordan Farmar 6 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford, Ken Mauer |
May 14 9:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 80, Houston Rockets 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–27, 21–25, 29–22, 15–21 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 32 Rebs: Lamar Odom 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 3 |
Pts: Aaron Brooks 26 Rebs: Luis Scola 12 Asts: three players 4 each | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,501 Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen |
May 17 3:30 p.m. |
| Houston Rockets 70, Los Angeles Lakers 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 19–29, 19–18, 20–20 | ||
| Pts: Aaron Brooks 13 Rebs: Ron Artest 8 Asts: Ron Artest 5 |
Pts: Pau Gasol 21 Rebs: Pau Gasol 18 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–3 | ||
| Los Angeles won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first seven meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 4–3 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
May 3 3:30 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 95, Denver Nuggets 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 23–35, 28–31, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: José Juan Barea 5 |
Pts: Nenê 24 Rebs: Chris Andersen 6 Asts: Billups, Smith 6 each | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 5 10:30 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 105, Denver Nuggets 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 33–28, 28–28, 22–31 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 35 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
Pts: Anthony, Nenê 25 each Rebs: Chris Andersen 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 9 5:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 106, Dallas Mavericks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 28–25, 31–35, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 32 Rebs: Nenê, Anthony 8 each Asts: Nenê 4 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16 Asts: Jason Kidd 5 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–0 | ||
American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,620 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Mark Wunderlich |
May 11 9:30 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 117, Dallas Mavericks 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 27–30, 29–32, 27–34 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 41 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 44 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 13 9:00 p.m. |
| Dallas Mavericks 110, Denver Nuggets 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 28–35, 25–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 32 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 9 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 30 Rebs: Billups, Nenê 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 12 | |
| Denver wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Denver won 4–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first meeting.
| Dallas leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference finals
Eastern Conference finals
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Orlando Magic
May 20 8:30 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 29–30, 30–19, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Dwight Howard 30 Rebs: Dwight Howard 13 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 14 |
Pts: LeBron James 49 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 10 Asts: LeBron James 8 | |
| Orlando leads series, 1–0 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Ken Mauer, Ron Garretson |
May 22 8:30 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 95, Cleveland Cavaliers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–30, 28–26, 25–19, 26–21 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 23 Rebs: Dwight Howard 18 Asts: three players 4 each |
Pts: LeBron James 35 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 15 Asts: James, Williams 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen, Bill Kennedy |
May 24 8:30 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Orlando Magic 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 24–18, 22–26, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 41 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 9 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 24 Rebs: Hedo Türkoğlu 10 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7 | |
| Orlando leads series, 2–1 | ||
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,461 Referees: Greg Willard, Joe Crawford, Mark Wunderlich |
May 26 8:30 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Orlando Magic 116 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 33–29, 21–28, 21–22, Overtime: 14–16 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 44 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: James, West 7 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard 27 Rebs: Dwight Howard 14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 8 | |
| Orlando leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 28 8:30 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–35, 37–21, 24–22, 23–34 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 29 Rebs: Dwight Howard 10 Asts: Rafer Alston 4 |
Pts: LeBron James 37 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: LeBron James 12 | |
| Orlando leads series, 3–2 | ||
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bill Spooner, Dan Crawford, Marc Davis |
May 30 8:30 p.m. |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 90, Orlando Magic 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 15–28, 30–28, 20–17 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 40 Rebs: Dwight Howard 14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5 | |
| Orlando wins series, 4–2 | ||
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,461 Referees: Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford |
| Orlando won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Magic.[45]
In Game 1, LeBron James dominated with a 49-point performance, while Howard had 30. Early in the game, Howard made a thunderous jam that caused the shot clock to fall backwards. Although James had a potential game-winning three-point play, a furious rally and a game-winning three-pointer by Rashard Lewis allowed the Magic to escape with a victory in game 1. Much like Game 1, Game 2 had the Cavs with an 18-point lead by the second quarter, only for the Magic to rally back in the closing minutes. A jump shot by Hedo Türkoğlu gave the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left on the clock, but LeBron James hit a three-pointer to tie the series at the buzzer. In Game 3, the Magic dominated at home, leading to a 10-point victory behind Dwight Howard's 24 points. In Game 4, two clutch free throws by LeBron James sent the game into overtime. While James dominated with 44 (his third 40-point game of the playoffs), an off half-court shot allowed the Magic to escape again with a victory. Down 3–1, James' triple-double allowed his team to stave off elimination in Game 5. After a win in Game 6, the Magic received their second NBA Finals berth in franchise history.
Western Conference finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets
May 19 9:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 103, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 23–32, 22–19, 27–31 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 39 Rebs: Kenyon Martin 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40 Rebs: Pau Gasol 14 Asts: Derek Fisher 6 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
May 21 9:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 106, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 31–24, 26–26, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 34 Rebs: Anthony, Nenê 9 each Asts: Nenê 6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32 Rebs: Pau Gasol 17 Asts: Luke Walton 4 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 23 8:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Denver Nuggets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–24, 23–27, 32–18 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 41 Rebs: Pau Gasol 11 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 21 Rebs: Andersen, Martin 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,939 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Dan Crawford, James Capers |
May 25 9:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 101, Denver Nuggets 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 26–30, 21–25, 35–43 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Pau Gasol 10 Asts: Bryant, Walton 5 each |
Pts: Billups, Smith 24 each Rebs: Kenyon Martin 15 Asts: Nenê 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 20,037 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bill Spooner, Bennett Salvatore |
May 27 9:00 p.m. |
| Denver Nuggets 94, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 31–31, 20–20, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 31 Rebs: Nenê, Andersen 8 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Lamar Odom 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington |
May 29 9:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 119, Denver Nuggets 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 28–20, 30–27, 36–25 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 35 Rebs: Pau Gasol 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 10 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25 Rebs: Nenê 6 Asts: Chauncey Billups 9 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 20,037 Referees: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Mark Wunderlich |
| Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings.
Before the playoff matchup had happened, professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment had booked its television program Monday Night Raw on August 15, 2008 at the Pepsi Center by Vince McMahon for May 25, 2009 show. Because the Nuggets needed the arena for games 3, 4 and 6, the WWE had decided to relocate Raw (and later the Friday Night SmackDown/ECW tapings) to Staples Center, the site of games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and Denver was given a house show on August 7 instead.[46][47] The debacle would be a subject of a main event that night in a 10-man tag team match when a babyface team of John Cena, Batista, Montel Vontavious Porter, Jerry Lawler and Mr. Kennedy donning Lakers jerseys took on heels The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Jr. and ShoMiz (The Big Show and The Miz) in Nuggets jerseys. Team Lakers would emerge victorious afterwards.[48]
| Los Angeles leads 4–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Orlando Magic
June 4 9:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 75, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 19–31, 15–29, 17–18 | ||
| Pts: Mickaël Piétrus 14 Rebs: Dwight Howard 15 Asts: Jameer Nelson 4 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40 Rebs: Lamar Odom 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
June 7 8:00 p.m. |
| Orlando Magic 96, Los Angeles Lakers 101 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 20–25, 30–23, 23–25, Overtime: 8–13 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 34 Rebs: Dwight Howard 16 Asts: Rashard Lewis 7 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 29 Rebs: Pau Gasol 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
June 9 9:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 104, Orlando Magic 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 23–32, 21–22, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Trevor Ariza 7 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
Pts: Howard, Lewis 21 each Rebs: Dwight Howard 14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,461 Referees: Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Mark Wunderlich |
June 11 9:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic 91 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 17–25, 30–14, 20–24, Overtime: 12–4 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 32 Rebs: Pau Gasol 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 25 Rebs: Dwight Howard 21 Asts: Rashard Lewis 4 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17,461 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster |
June 14 8:00 p.m. |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 30–18, 20–15, 23–25 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Pau Gasol 15 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 |
Pts: Rashard Lewis 18 Rebs: Howard, Lewis 10 each Asts: Lewis, Nelson 4 each | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
| Orlando won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Magic.[50]
Statistic leader board
| Category | High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
| Points | Ray Allen | Boston Celtics | 51 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | 35.3 | 14 |
| Rebounds | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 24 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 15.3 | 23 |
| Assists | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 19 | Deron Williams | Utah Jazz | 10.8 | 5 |
| Steals | Glen Davis | Boston Celtics | 6 | Mario Chalmers | Miami Heat | 2.9 | 7 |
| Blocks | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 9 | Tyrus Thomas | Chicago Bulls | 2.9 | 7 |
See also
References
- 1 2 "Playoff Seeding Primer". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
- ↑ "Basketball U on the NBA Playoffs". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 7, 2004. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
- ↑ "NBA.com Playoff Picture". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
- ↑ "Current 2009 NBA Playoff Matchups". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
- 1 2 "2009 NBA Playoff Matchups". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Cavaliers clinch playoff spot with win over Bucks". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 3, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "LeBron's 51 points give Cavs the Central title". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 13, 2003. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Cavaliers beat 76ers to clinch No. 1 spot in East". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Cavaliers clinch home court advantage". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 13, 2004. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Pierce's 17-footer, Allen's FTs lift Celtics by Nets". ESPN.com. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Pierce scores 36 as Celtics beat Wade-less Heat". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 18, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Magic clinch playoff berth, 107-79". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 11, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Magic Switch: Orlando bounces Boston from 2nd". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 25, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Parker has 42, Spurs beat Hawks 102-92". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 25, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Wade, Heat beat Bobcats 97-92 to reach playoffs". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 3, 2009. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "76ers clinch playoff spot with win". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 4, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Thunder eliminate Bobcats from playoff chase". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Bynum leads Pistons into postseason". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 10, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- 1 2 "Bryant scores 23 as Lakers clinch playoff berth". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 12, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Gasol scores 36 as Lakers clinch top seed in West". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ↑ "Nuggets hold off Knicks behind Anthony's 29 points". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 31, 2009. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Nuggets clinch division crown, home-court edge". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 13, 2009. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Durant scores 31 as Thunder stun Spurs again". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 31, 2009. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Spurs clinch Southwest Division with OT win". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 15, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- 1 2 "Rockets beat Blazers 102-88". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Mavs clinch playoff spot with 130-101 win". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ↑ "Butler, West shoot down Heat, 93-87". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Jazz thump Hornets, 108-94". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
- ↑ A good chunk of this game aired on ESPN2 due to the Bulls-Celtics game going 2OT
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Bulls beat Celtics 105-103 in OT in Game 1". Yahoo! Sports. April 18, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Orlando Magic versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Magic's Howard suspended for Game 6 against 76ers". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "It's win-or-else time for motivated Heat". NBC Sports. NBC Universal. April 30, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Denver Nuggets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Pepsi Center stunned as WWE Raw goes to L.A." ESPN.com. May 20, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ↑ "WWE event booted from Denver will be at Staples Center". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ↑ "WWE Monday Night RAW 05 25 2009". Online World of Wrestling. June 11, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
External links
