The 1983 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1982–83 season. This was the final postseason using the 12-team format and this is the final postseason held of best of 3 series in first round, before the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams and first round expanded of best of 5 series the next season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers defeating the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Moses Malone was named NBA Finals MVP.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 19–May 31, 1983 |
| Season | 1982–83 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Philadelphia 76ers (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Semifinalists |
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← 1982
1984 →
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Malone made a famous prediction about the Sixers' chances prior to the playoffs, saying "Fo', fo', fo'" – predicting the number of games the Sixers would need to win each of the three series they would play on the way to a championship. They nearly accomplished this prediction of a sweep of all three rounds, only losing one game (to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals) en route to the championship. The Sixers set a record for highest winning percentage in the playoffs that was not broken until the Lakers went 15–1 in 2001. The Lakers' mark, however, came after the expansion to the current 16-team, four-round playoff format, which was first implemented in the 1984 playoffs, while the Sixers avoided the first round by virtue of their top seeding.
It was the third time in four years that the Lakers and 76ers had met in the NBA Finals, with the Lakers winning the previous two series.
After missing the playoffs the previous year, the Blazers began a string of 21 straight playoff appearances in 1983 lasting until 2003. They made the playoffs 25 out of 26 years from their title-winning season of 1977–2003. The record was just one season shy of the 22-year playoff run set by the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950–1971.
The Celtics were swept out of the playoffs for the first time in team history, losing 4–0 to the Bucks in the second round.
This was the Spurs' last appearance in the Conference Finals until 1995. However, for players such as George Gervin and Artis Gilmore, the 6-game loss to the Lakers was the last chance they got at reaching the NBA Finals, let alone an NBA Championship (Gilmore did return to the conference finals with the Celtics in 1988, but played sparingly).
This was the only season of the 12-team playoff bracket in which all four division champions advanced to the conference finals.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | New Jersey | 0 | E5 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| E5 | New York | 2 | Eastern Conference | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston | 2 | E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| E6 | Atlanta | 1 | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 0 | W5 | Portland | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| W5 | Portland | 2 | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||
| W2 | San Antonio* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Denver | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 1 | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| W6 | Denver | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
April 19 |
| Atlanta Hawks 95, Boston Celtics 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–26, 25–24, 25–31 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield24 Rebs: Dan Roundfield20 Asts: Johnny Davis11 |
Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Tiny Archibald11 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 22 |
| Boston Celtics 93, Atlanta Hawks 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 22–27, 24–14, 27–26 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish17 Rebs: Larry Bird16 Asts: Larry Bird9 |
Pts: Dan Roundfield19 Rebs: Tree Rollins14 Asts: Johnny Davis14 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 24 |
| Atlanta Hawks 79, Boston Celtics 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 22–27, 17–19, 17–20 | ||
| Pts: Tree Rollins18 Rebs: Dan Roundfield10 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Robert Parish11 Asts: Larry Bird9 | |
| Boston wins series, 2–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning five of the first six meetings.
| Boston leads 5–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 20 |
| New York Knicks 118, New Jersey Nets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–27, 23–23, 31–26, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King40 Rebs: Marvin Webster11 Asts: Rory Sparrow7 |
Pts: Albert King17 Rebs: Buck Williams13 Asts: Cook, Birdsong 6 each | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
April 21 |
| New Jersey Nets 99, New York Knicks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 16–30, 31–18, 29–25 | ||
| Pts: Albert King25 Rebs: Buck Williams10 Asts: Foots Walker6 |
Pts: Truck Robinson22 Rebs: Truck Robinson13 Asts: Paul Westphal7 | |
| New York wins series, 2–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
| New Jersey won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Knicks.[2]
April 19 |
| Denver Nuggets 108, Phoenix Suns 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–23, 24–39, 21–28, 31–31 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe32 Rebs: T. R. Dunn12 Asts: English, Evans 4 each |
Pts: Dennis Johnson28 Rebs: Dennis Johnson12 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
April 21 |
| Phoenix Suns 99, Denver Nuggets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 26–35, 26–25, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis31 Rebs: James Edwards9 Asts: Dennis Johnson5 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe26 Rebs: Dan Issel11 Asts: Rob Williams9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 24 |
| Denver Nuggets 117, Phoenix Suns 112 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 30–27, 28–32, 19–16, Overtime: 11–6 | ||
| Pts: Alex English42 Rebs: T. R. Dunn12 Asts: Dunn, Williams 6 each |
Pts: Walter Davis29 Rebs: Larry Nance12 Asts: Alvan Adams9 | |
| Denver wins series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Denver won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.
| Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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April 20 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Seattle SuperSonics97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 28–19, 27–29, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Thompson, Paxson 25 each Rebs: Calvin Natt11 Asts: Mychal Thompson8 |
Pts: Gus Williams34 Rebs: Jack Sikma15 Asts: Williams, Sikma 7 each | |
| Portland leads series, 1–0 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
April 22 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 96, Portland Trail Blazers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 15–31, 25–29, 28–22 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams31 Rebs: Danny Vranes18 Asts: Jack Sikma4 |
Pts: Jim Paxson26 Rebs: Mychal Thompson12 Asts: Thompson, Lever 6 each | |
| Portland wins series, 2–0 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first two meetings.
| Seattle leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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April 24 |
| New York Knicks 102, Philadelphia 76ers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 31–29, 21–26, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: Bill Cartwright17 Rebs: Bill Cartwright8 Asts: Rory Sparrow10 |
Pts: Moses Malone38 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks10 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 27 |
| New York Knicks 91, Philadelphia 76ers 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 29–21, 9–24, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Truck Robinson22 Rebs: Truck Robinson14 Asts: Rory Sparrow8 |
Pts: Moses Malone30 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks6 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 30 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 107, New York Knicks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 27–24, 26–26, 29–28 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone28 Rebs: Moses Malone14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks7 |
Pts: Bernard King21 Rebs: Truck Robinson15 Asts: Rory Sparrow6 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
May 1 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 105, New York Knicks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 29–21, 21–27, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone29 Rebs: Moses Malone14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks7 |
Pts: Bernard King35 Rebs: Truck Robinson15 Asts: Sparrow, Westphal 8 each | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
| Philadelphia won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning five of the first seven meetings.
| Philadelphia leads 5–2 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 27 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 116, Boston Celtics95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 31–24, 32–24, 30–23 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief22 Rebs: Bob Lanier10 Asts: Marques Johnson5 |
Pts: Tiny Archibald23 Rebs: Parish, Maxwell 12 each Asts: Tiny Archibald7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 29 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 95, Boston Celtics91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 20–29, 32–25, 21–9 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief20 Rebs: Marques Johnson9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief4 |
Pts: Danny Ainge25 Rebs: Robert Parish10 Asts: Gerald Henderson8 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 1 |
| Boston Celtics 99, Milwaukee Bucks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–27, 22–30, 25–26, 18–24 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird21 Rebs: Larry Bird14 Asts: Maxwell, Bird 6 each |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief26 Rebs: Junior Bridgeman10 Asts: Bob Lanier6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 2 |
| Boston Celtics 93, Milwaukee Bucks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 18–23, 26–29, 30–32 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird18 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Larry Bird8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson33 Rebs: Alton Lister11 Asts: Marques Johnson6 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
| Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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April 24 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 97, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 30–26, 28–26, 16–30 | ||
| Pts: Mychal Thompson22 Rebs: Thompson, Natt 9 each Asts: three players 7 each |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Johnson, Rambis 9 each Asts: Magic Johnson18 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 26 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 106, Los Angeles Lakers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–37, 26–20, 31–28, 17–27 | ||
| Pts: Calvin Natt26 Rebs: Wayne Cooper7 Asts: Darnell Valentine15 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar37 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes9 Asts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar7 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 29 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Portland Trail Blazers 109 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–28, 22–19, 18–28, 26–23, Overtime: 17–11 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar30 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes9 Asts: Magic Johnson11 |
Pts: Paxson, Natt 22 each Rebs: Natt, Cooper 10 each Asts: Darnell Valentine14 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
May 1 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 95, Portland Trail Blazers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 29–35, 28–22, 19–20 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar34 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar9 Asts: Magic Johnson8 |
Pts: Jim Paxson20 Rebs: Calvin Natt10 Asts: Darnell Valentine11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
May 3 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–39, 17–27, 24–24, 42–26 | ||
| Pts: Jim Paxson32 Rebs: Calvin Natt11 Asts: Darnell Valentine8 |
Pts: Norm Nixon36 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar11 Asts: Magic Johnson15 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first meeting.
| Portland leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 133, San Antonio Spurs 152 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–39, 29–43, 37–34, 28–36 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel28 Rebs: T. R. Dunn11 Asts: English, Williams 7 each |
Pts: George Gervin42 Rebs: Gene Banks11 Asts: Johnny Moore17 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 27 |
| Denver Nuggets 109, San Antonio Spurs 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 32–34, 26–28, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe22 Rebs: T. R. Dunn8 Asts: Mike Evans9 |
Pts: George Gervin30 Rebs: Artis Gilmore12 Asts: Johnny Moore20 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 29 |
| San Antonio Spurs 127, Denver Nuggets 126 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–35, 27–27, 30–32, 28–24, Overtime: 9–8 | ||
| Pts: Johnny Moore39 Rebs: Artis Gilmore14 Asts: Johnny Moore12 |
Pts: Alex English39 Rebs: Kiki VanDeWeghe14 Asts: English, Williams 7 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 2 |
| San Antonio Spurs 114, Denver Nuggets 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–40, 21–32, 35–26, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Johnny Moore27 Rebs: Artis Gilmore11 Asts: Johnny Moore9 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe37 Rebs: Kiki VanDeWeghe11 Asts: Alex English11 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 4 |
| Denver Nuggets 105, San Antonio Spurs 145 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 25–37, 29–40, 30–33 | ||
| Pts: Billy McKinney20 Rebs: T. R. Dunn8 Asts: Mike Evans6 |
Pts: George Gervin26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore15 Asts: Johnny Moore13 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
| San Antonio won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Spurs.[8]
May 8 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–35, 34–24, 24–26, 23–19, Overtime: 5–7 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson30 Rebs: Bob Lanier9 Asts: Moncrief, Lanier 6 each |
Pts: Maurice Cheeks26 Rebs: Moses Malone12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 11 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 81, Philadelphia 76ers 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 21–23, 22–28, 20–16 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson25 Rebs: Marques Johnson11 Asts: Lanier, Winters 4 each |
Pts: Moses Malone26 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Cheeks, Toney 4 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 14 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 104, Milwaukee Bucks96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 22–20, 26–24, 33–24 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving26 Rebs: Moses Malone14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks9 |
Pts: Junior Bridgeman24 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief10 Asts: Brian Winters7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 15 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 94, Milwaukee Bucks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–25, 29–25, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Andrew Toney24 Rebs: Moses Malone12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson19 Rebs: Marques Johnson10 Asts: Marques Johnson8 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 18 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 25–28, 25–29, 24–27 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson21 Rebs: Alton Lister12 Asts: Junior Bridgeman5 |
Pts: Andrew Toney30 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks8 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Philadelphia won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning two of the first three meetings.
| Philadelphia leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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May 8 |
| San Antonio Spurs 107, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 31–26, 22–29, 24–32 | ||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell26 Rebs: George Gervin9 Asts: Johnny Moore18 |
Pts: Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon 30 each Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson12 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 10 |
| San Antonio Spurs 122, Los Angeles Lakers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 25–31, 37–32, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin32 Rebs: Artis Gilmore20 Asts: Johnny Moore15 |
Pts: Johnson, Nixon 28 each Rebs: Magic Johnson12 Asts: Norm Nixon11 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 13 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 113, San Antonio Spurs 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 24–24, 34–19, 27–28 | ||
| Pts: Jamaal Wilkes26 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Mike Mitchell23 Rebs: Artis Gilmore14 Asts: Johnny Moore9 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
May 15 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 129, San Antonio Spurs 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–29, 35–30, 27–37, 31–25 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson31 Rebs: Magic Johnson8 Asts: Magic Johnson17 |
Pts: Mike Mitchell35 Rebs: Mike Mitchell11 Asts: Johnny Moore17 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
May 18 |
| San Antonio Spurs 117, Los Angeles Lakers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–34, 31–29, 33–28, 22–21 | ||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore14 Asts: Johnny Moore17 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar30 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 20 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 101, San Antonio Spurs 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 35–29, 22–26, 15–19 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: Magic Johnson15 Asts: Magic Johnson16 |
Pts: George Gervin25 Rebs: Artis Gilmore18 Asts: Johnny Moore14 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
| San Antonio won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.
| Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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May 22 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 107, Philadelphia 76ers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–30, 37–24, 26–31, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: Norm Nixon26 Rebs: Mark Landsberger10 Asts: Magic Johnson11 |
Pts: Moses Malone27 Rebs: Moses Malone18 Asts: Julius Erving9 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 26 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 93, Philadelphia 76ers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 26–25, 20–28, 18–24 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar23 Rebs: Magic Johnson8 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Moses Malone24 Rebs: Moses Malone12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks8 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 29 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 111, Los Angeles Lakers94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 28–20, 23–20, 39–22 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone28 Rebs: Moses Malone19 Asts: Moses Malone6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar15 Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 31 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 115, Los Angeles Lakers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 27–39, 31–28, 33–15 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone24 Rebs: Moses Malone23 Asts: Andrew Toney9 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: four players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson15 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Philadelphia won 2–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 4–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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