The 1984 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983–84 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP.
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| Tournament details | |
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| Dates | April 17–June 12, 1984 |
| Season | 1983–84 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics (15th title) |
| Runner-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Semifinalists |
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← 1983
1985 →
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This was the first postseason allowing 16 teams to qualify, a format still in use. The first round format was also changed from best-of-3 to best-of 5.
It was the first NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since 1969; they met 7 times in the Finals from 1959 to 1969, with Boston coming out on top each year. Going into the 1984 playoffs, the Lakers had already won 2 titles in the 1980s and the Celtics 1, making the revival of the Celtics–Lakers rivalry arguably inevitable and certainly highly anticipated.
Two teams made their playoff debuts and won their first playoff series: the Utah Jazz (who joined the NBA for the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz) and Dallas Mavericks, a 1980 expansion team. The Jazz did not miss the playoffs again until 2004.
The Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 1977, starting a string of nine consecutive appearances that included five straight Conference Finals appearances (1987-1991), three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (1988, 1989, and 1990) and two NBA Championships. They did not miss the playoffs again until 1993.
The New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time in their NBA history, upsetting the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in 5. This was also the only time the road team won every game in a five-game playoff series. The Nets would not win a playoff series again until 2002.
This was the final postseason appearance for the Kansas City Kings, as the team moved to Sacramento, California two seasons later. Kemper Arena hosted its final NBA playoff game.
The Kingdome also hosted its final NBA playoff game, as the Seattle SuperSonics moved back full-time to the Seattle Center Coliseum two years later. However, the Kingdome continued to host Sonics regular season games on occasion until 1994.
The 1984 playoffs also involved two of the hottest games in NBA history. Game 5 of the First Round between the Knicks and Pistons was played at Joe Louis Arena, as the Pontiac Silverdome was unavailable, with temperatures reaching as high as 120°. Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers at Boston Garden reached temperatures as high as 100°, as the Garden lacked air-conditioning, coupled with the sweltering outdoors conditions in Boston.
This is the last postseason of using the 2-2-1-1-1 format of the NBA Finals until 2014; the 1985 NBA Finals was changed to the 2-3-2 format the next season.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Washington | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New Jersey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | New Jersey | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Atlanta | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Kansas City | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Seattle | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Utah* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Utah* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Denver | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
April 17 |
| Washington Bullets 83, Boston Celtics 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 12–19, 20–22, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Ricky Sobers24 Rebs: Rick Mahorn14 Asts: Jeff Ruland10 |
Pts: Larry Bird23 Rebs: Robert Parish14 Asts: Larry Bird12 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 19 |
| Washington Bullets 85, Boston Celtics 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 18–30, 21–20, 17–19 | ||
| Pts: Greg Ballard20 Rebs: Jeff Ruland10 Asts: Jeff Ruland8 |
Pts: Larry Bird23 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Larry Bird6 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 21 |
| Boston Celtics 108, Washington Bullets 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–24, 17–29, 32–21, Overtime: 10–13 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird27 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Bird, Johnson 6 each |
Pts: Jeff Ruland33 Rebs: Rick Mahorn15 Asts: Ricky Sobers11 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 24 |
| Boston Celtics 99, Washington Bullets96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 31–17, 18–24, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish20 Rebs: Robert Parish12 Asts: Larry Bird7 |
Pts: Jeff Ruland30 Rebs: Jeff Ruland15 Asts: Jeff Ruland8 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
| Boston won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||
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April 17 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 16–25, 21–30, 28–20 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield21 Rebs: Dan Roundfield10 Asts: Johnny Davis7 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief19 Rebs: Paul Mokeski9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 19 |
| Atlanta Hawks 87, Milwaukee Bucks 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–24, 27–29, 26–24, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins22 Rebs: Roundfield, Rollins 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson27 Rebs: Alton Lister10 Asts: Sidney Moncrief7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 21 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 94, Atlanta Hawks 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 26–22, 19–31, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson28 Rebs: M. Johnson, Lanier 10 each Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Dan Roundfield25 Rebs: Roundfield, Brown 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 24 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 97, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 23–24, 30–23, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Junior Bridgeman20 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief13 Asts: Mike Dunleavy6 |
Pts: Wilkins, Rivers 19 each Rebs: Dan Roundfield13 Asts: Johnny Davis6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 26 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 21–32, 23–31, 27–33 | ||
| Pts: Doc Rivers21 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins13 Asts: Doc Rivers6 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief20 Rebs: Bob Lanier11 Asts: Sidney Moncrief8 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–2 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Bucks.[2]
April 18 |
| New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–29, 25–27, 22–19, 30–26 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams25 Rebs: Buck Williams16 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson9 |
Pts: Andrew Toney24 Rebs: Moses Malone11 Asts: Julius Erving8 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 20 |
| New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 35–21, 22–23, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson32 Rebs: Buck Williams9 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson9 |
Pts: Moses Malone25 Rebs: Moses Malone12 Asts: Toney, Richardson 4 each | |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 22 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 108, New Jersey Nets 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 26–24, 27–23, 30–24 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving27 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Erving, Cheeks 5 each |
Pts: Buck Williams21 Rebs: Buck Williams17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson11 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–1 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 110, New Jersey Nets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 18–22, 28–25, 30–33 | ||
| Pts: Malone, Erving 22 each Rebs: Moses Malone15 Asts: Julius Erving8 |
Pts: Albert King20 Rebs: Buck Williams18 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson8 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
April 26 |
| New Jersey Nets 101, Philadelphia 76ers98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 19–28, 26–23, 25–22 | ||
| Pts: Richardson, Birdsong 24 each Rebs: Buck Williams16 Asts: Richardson, Birdsong 6 each |
Pts: Andrew Toney22 Rebs: Moses Malone14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks7 | |
| New Jersey wins series, 3–2 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||
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April 17 |
| New York Knicks 94, Detroit Pistons93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–31, 23–22, 24–23, 30–17 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King36 Rebs: Bill Cartwright11 Asts: Darrell Walker7 |
Pts: Kelly Tripucka26 Rebs: Kent Benson14 Asts: Isiah Thomas9 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
April 19 |
| New York Knicks 105, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–38, 30–30, 21–24, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King46 Rebs: Truck Robinson11 Asts: Ray Williams9 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer31 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer15 Asts: Isiah Thomas13 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
April 22 |
| Detroit Pistons 113, New York Knicks 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 20–28, 36–32, 41–34 | ||
| Pts: Kelly Tripucka40 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer10 Asts: Isiah Thomas5 |
Pts: Bernard King46 Rebs: Bernard King10 Asts: Rory Sparrow10 | |
| New York leads series, 2–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
April 25 |
| Detroit Pistons 119, New York Knicks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35’’’-34, 30–33, 24–21, 30–24 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas22 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer10 Asts: Isiah Thomas16 |
Pts: Bernard King41 Rebs: Truck Robinson12 Asts: Rory Sparrow10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
April 27 |
| New York Knicks 127, Detroit Pistons 123 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 28–25, 26–18, 29–35, Overtime: 13–9 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King44 Rebs: Bernard King12 Asts: Ray Williams12 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas35 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer17 Asts: Isiah Thomas12 | |
| New York wins series, 3–2 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
| Detroit won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Knicks.[4]
April 18 |
| Kansas City Kings 105, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 18–27, 20–32, 41–27 | ||
| Pts: Eddie Johnson25 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson7 Asts: Larry Drew7 |
Pts: Magic Johnson26 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 20 |
| Kansas City Kings 102, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 18–26, 32–25, 29–28 | ||
| Pts: LaSalle Thompson23 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson14 Asts: Reggie Theus6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar11 Asts: Magic Johnson11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 22 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Kansas City Kings 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–24, 24–19, 25–29, 24–30 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar23 Rebs: M. Johnson, Worthy 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Theus, Woodson 22 each Rebs: Larry Micheaux10 Asts: Reggie Theus7 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 3–0 | ||
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri |
| Los Angeles won 5–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first six meetings. All previous series took place while the Lakers franchise were in Minneapolis and the Royals/Kings franchise in Rochester.
| Los Angeles/ Minneapolis leads 5–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 17 |
| Denver Nuggets 121, Utah Jazz 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 28–28, 28–41, 38–25 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe33 Rebs: Dan Issel10 Asts: Rob Williams8 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley9 Asts: Rickey Green12 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 19 |
| Denver Nuggets 132, Utah Jazz 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–29, 32–32, 32–26, 30–29 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel33 Rebs: T. R. Dunn10 Asts: Rob Williams5 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley27 Rebs: Dantley, Wilkins 6 each Asts: Rickey Green6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 22 |
| Utah Jazz 117, Denver Nuggets 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–25, 28–35, 24–30, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley29 Rebs: Thurl Bailey11 Asts: Rickey Green12 |
Pts: Alex English29 Rebs: T. R. Dunn10 Asts: Alex English6 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 24 |
| Utah Jazz 129, Denver Nuggets 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 36–37, 26–29, 32–24 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley39 Rebs: Adrian Dantley8 Asts: Adrian Dantley7 |
Pts: Dan Issel32 Rebs: Alex English10 Asts: Alex English6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 111, Utah Jazz 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–41, 31–31, 29–31, 24–34 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel25 Rebs: Alex English11 Asts: Alex English9 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley12 Asts: Rickey Green16 | |
| Utah wins series, 3–2 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Jazz.[6]
April 18 |
| Phoenix Suns 113, Portland Trail Blazers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–30, 29–26, 26–22 | ||
| Pts: James Edwards23 Rebs: Larry Nance9 Asts: Walter Davis13 |
Pts: Kenny Carr24 Rebs: Calvin Natt9 Asts: Thompson, Valentine 6 each | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 116, Portland Trail Blazers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–34, 21–30, 25–39, 33–19 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis25 Rebs: Lucas, Davis 5 each Asts: Alvan Adams5 |
Pts: Jim Paxson27 Rebs: Mychal Thompson13 Asts: Darnell Valentine8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 22 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 103, Phoenix Suns 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 32–26, 26–20, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Darnell Valentine29 Rebs: Thompson, Carr 8 each Asts: Darnell Valentine10 |
Pts: Walter Davis27 Rebs: Nance, Lucas 10 each Asts: Walter Davis10 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
April 24 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 113, Phoenix Suns 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–26, 24–26, 29–32, 28–26 | ||
| Pts: Calvin Natt30 Rebs: Calvin Natt8 Asts: Darnell Valentine13 |
Pts: Walter Davis29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas10 Asts: Davis, Macy 7 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
April 26 |
| Phoenix Suns 117, Portland Trail Blazers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–25, 23–33, 25–17, 34–30 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas12 Asts: Walter Davis10 |
Pts: Jim Paxson24 Rebs: Natt, Drexler 10 each Asts: Darnell Valentine5 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 3–2 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
| Portland won 4–2 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 17 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 86, Dallas Mavericks 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–23, 18–20, 21–26, 14–19 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams37 Rebs: Danny Vranes8 Asts: Gus Williams8 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre20 Rebs: Mark Aguirre11 Asts: Brad Davis10 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 19 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 95, Dallas Mavericks92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 29–26, 20–22, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers30 Rebs: Jack Sikma10 Asts: Gus Williams11 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman28 Rebs: Mark Aguirre17 Asts: Rolando Blackman7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 21 |
| Dallas Mavericks 94, Seattle SuperSonics 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 32–28, 16–31, 21–21 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman27 Rebs: Jay Vincent10 Asts: Rolando Blackman5 |
Pts: Jack Sikma23 Rebs: Jack Sikma17 Asts: Gus Williams15 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
April 24 |
| Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle SuperSonics96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 22–23, 30–22, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre29 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 11 each Asts: Brad Davis8 |
Pts: Jack Sikma27 Rebs: Jack Sikma14 Asts: Gus Williams9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
April 26 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 104, Dallas Mavericks 105 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 27–23, 22–23, 24–23, Overtime: 9–10 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams27 Rebs: Danny Vranes11 Asts: Gus Williams14 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman29 Rebs: Jay Vincent10 Asts: Rolando Blackman8 | |
| Dallas wins series, 3–2 | ||
Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas |
| Seattle won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the SuperSonics.[8]
April 29 |
| New York Knicks 92, Boston Celtics 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 22–33, 24–28, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King26 Rebs: Truck Robinson9 Asts: Rory Sparrow6 |
Pts: Kevin McHale25 Rebs: Robert Parish12 Asts: Larry Bird12 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 2 |
| New York Knicks 102, Boston Celtics 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 30–32, 21–25, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Bill Cartwright25 Rebs: Bill Cartwright11 Asts: Rory Sparrow5 |
Pts: Larry Bird37 Rebs: Bird, Parish 11 each Asts: Dennis Johnson7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 4 |
| Boston Celtics 92, New York Knicks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 27–17, 18–27, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird24 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Dennis Johnson4 |
Pts: Bill Cartwright25 Rebs: King, Robinson 9 each Asts: Rory Sparrow10 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
May 6 |
| Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 30–30, 28–21, 30–31 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird29 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Dennis Johnson7 |
Pts: Bernard King43 Rebs: Truck Robinson9 Asts: Ray Williams9 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
May 9 |
| New York Knicks 99, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–32, 25–34, 31–22, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King30 Rebs: Bill Cartwright10 Asts: Ray Williams10 |
Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Robert Parish10 Asts: Larry Bird10 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 11 |
| Boston Celtics 104, New York Knicks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 23–29, 24–23, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird35 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Gerald Henderson8 |
Pts: Bernard King44 Rebs: Bill Cartwright14 Asts: Rory Sparrow11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York |
May 13 |
| New York Knicks 104, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 26–31, 23–29, 29–25 | ||
| Pts: Bernard King24 Rebs: Truck Robinson9 Asts: Ray Williams7 |
Pts: Larry Bird39 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Larry Bird10 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning five series apiece.
| Tied 5–5 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 29 |
| New Jersey Nets 106, Milwaukee Bucks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 23–22, 33–23, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins32 Rebs: Buck Williams17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson8 |
Pts: Marques Johnson23 Rebs: Bob Lanier10 Asts: Marques Johnson8 | |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 1 |
| New Jersey Nets 94, Milwaukee Bucks 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 16–20, 27–24, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams21 Rebs: Buck Williams18 Asts: Williams, Richardson 5 each |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief28 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief8 Asts: Johnson, Pressey 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 100, New Jersey Nets93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 25–20, 21–23, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief27 Rebs: Alton Lister12 Asts: Moncrief, Johnson 4 each |
Pts: Darryl Dawkins31 Rebs: Buck Williams14 Asts: Richardson, Cook 6 each | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
May 5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 99, New Jersey Nets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 34–29, 16–17, 19–35 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief26 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief9 Asts: Bob Lanier7 |
Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson24 Rebs: Buck Williams10 Asts: Otis Birdsong7 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
May 8 |
| New Jersey Nets 82, Milwaukee Bucks 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–30, 21–18, 21–22 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins20 Rebs: Williams, Dawkins 8 each Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson6 |
Pts: Marques Johnson22 Rebs: Lister, Lanier 10 each Asts: Paul Pressey7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 10 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 98, New Jersey Nets97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 20–22, 30–21, 25–30 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson25 Rebs: Marques Johnson13 Asts: Sidney Moncrief7 |
Pts: Darryl Dawkins29 Rebs: Buck Williams12 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson9 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–2 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Milwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the Nets.[10]
April 28 |
| Dallas Mavericks 91, Los Angeles Lakers 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 17–32, 28–31, 25–35 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre16 Rebs: Kurt Nimphius10 Asts: Davis, Turner 4 each |
Pts: Mike McGee25 Rebs: Kurt Rambis8 Asts: Magic Johnson11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 1 |
| Dallas Mavericks 101, Los Angeles Lakers 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 26–25, 22–35, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman27 Rebs: Dale Ellis8 Asts: Mark Aguirre5 |
Pts: Magic Johnson27 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Magic Johnson11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 4 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Dallas Mavericks 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 23–33, 36–32, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson24 Rebs: Bob McAdoo8 Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman31 Rebs: Pat Cummings14 Asts: Davis, Harper 6 each | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
May 6 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 122, Dallas Mavericks 115 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–30, 27–23, 29–26, 18–29, Overtime: 14–7 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar33 Rebs: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 11 each Asts: Magic Johnson16 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre34 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 7 each Asts: Blackman, Aguirre 6 each | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
May 8 |
| Dallas Mavericks 99, Los Angeles Lakers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 25–29, 25–39, 30–14 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman25 Rebs: Dale Ellis10 Asts: Brad Davis6 |
Pts: Mike McGee27 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson15 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Dallas won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Lakers.[11]
April 29 |
| Phoenix Suns 95, Utah Jazz 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 30–30, 21–27, 23–19 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis21 Rebs: James Edwards8 Asts: Walter Davis7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley36 Rebs: Thurl Bailey13 Asts: Rickey Green16 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
May 2 |
| Phoenix Suns 102, Utah Jazz97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 35–26, 20–17, 22–24 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis28 Rebs: Maurice Lucas15 Asts: Kyle Macy7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley26 Rebs: Mark Eaton9 Asts: Rickey Green6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
May 4 |
| Utah Jazz 94, Phoenix Suns 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–30, 18–33, 30–17 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley31 Rebs: Mark Eaton11 Asts: Rickey Green4 |
Pts: Walter Davis30 Rebs: Maurice Lucas14 Asts: Kyle Macy7 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 6 |
| Utah Jazz 110, Phoenix Suns 111 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 22–22, 25–22, 27–26, Overtime: 7–8 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley37 Rebs: Mark Eaton12 Asts: Darrell Griffith8 |
Pts: Walter Davis32 Rebs: Alvan Adams15 Asts: Maurice Lucas6 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 8 |
| Phoenix Suns 106, Utah Jazz 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 29–35, 30–22, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Lucas19 Rebs: Maurice Lucas12 Asts: Macy, Westphal 6 each |
Pts: Adrian Dantley46 Rebs: Mark Eaton11 Asts: Rickey Green14 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
May 10 |
| Utah Jazz 82, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 25–27, 24–26, 17–22 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley23 Rebs: Mark Eaton10 Asts: Rickey Green6 |
Pts: Walter Davis21 Rebs: Larry Nance9 Asts: Macy, Davis 6 each | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Utah won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Suns and the Jazz.[12]
May 15 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 96, Boston Celtics 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 25–32, 27–30, 27–35 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson18 Rebs: Bob Lanier11 Asts: Marques Johnson4 |
Pts: Larry Bird24 Rebs: Kevin McHale7 Asts: Gerald Henderson7 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 17 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 110, Boston Celtics 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 27–35, 31–25, 31–33 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson29 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief7 Asts: three players 4 each |
Pts: Larry Bird32 Rebs: Larry Bird13 Asts: Larry Bird7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 19 |
| Boston Celtics 109, Milwaukee Bucks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 23–34, 32–22, 27–15 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird28 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Larry Bird6 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief22 Rebs: Paul Mokeski12 Asts: Sidney Moncrief6 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 21 |
| Boston Celtics 113, Milwaukee Bucks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 17–31, 31–29, 36–32 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird32 Rebs: Larry Bird10 Asts: Larry Bird8 |
Pts: Paul Pressey22 Rebs: Mokeski, Lister 9 each Asts: Bob Lanier8 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 23 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 108, Boston Celtics 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 17–28, 27–30, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Marques Johnson24 Rebs: Moncrief, Lister 8 each Asts: Paul Pressey4 |
Pts: Larry Bird21 Rebs: Larry Bird13 Asts: Bird, Maxwell 4 each | |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||
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May 12 |
| Phoenix Suns 94, Los Angeles Lakers 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 20–28, 16–21, 26–32 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis24 Rebs: Larry Nance15 Asts: Kyle Macy10 |
Pts: Bob McAdoo20 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Michael Cooper10 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 15 |
| Phoenix Suns 102, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 18–30, 30–31, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: Larry Nance29 Rebs: Larry Nance9 Asts: Walter Davis8 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar21 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Magic Johnson24 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 18 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 127, Phoenix Suns 135 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–42, 33–20, 27–29, 28–28, Overtime: 8–16 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar31 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Walter Davis34 Rebs: Maurice Lucas17 Asts: Kyle Macy6 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 20 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 126, Phoenix Suns 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–36, 32–22, 30–29, 27–28 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar31 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson15 |
Pts: Larry Nance27 Rebs: Maurice Lucas10 Asts: Walter Davis7 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 23 |
| Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 38–30, 29–26, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis27 Rebs: Larry Nance13 Asts: Kyle Macy12 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: Bob McAdoo8 Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 25 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 22–30, 29–23, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy22 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Walter Davis26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas13 Asts: Kyle Macy8 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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May 27 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 31–30, 27–36, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar8 Asts: Magic Johnson10 |
Pts: Kevin McHale25 Rebs: Larry Bird14 Asts: Larry Bird5 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 31 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 121, Boston Celtics 124 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 33–25, 28–29, 26–23, Overtime: 8–11 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy29 Rebs: Magic Johnson10 Asts: Magic Johnson10 |
Pts: Larry Bird27 Rebs: Larry Bird13 Asts: Ainge, Henderson 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 3 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Los Angeles Lakers 137 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 20–28, 33–47, 25–33 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: Robert Parish12 Asts: Cedric Maxwell5 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar24 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson21 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 6 |
| Boston Celtics 129, Los Angeles Lakers 125 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 26–35, 30–22, 25–23, Overtime: 16–12 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird29 Rebs: Larry Bird21 Asts: Dennis Johnson14 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson17 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 8 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 27–29, 24–33, 26–33 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy22 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Larry Bird34 Rebs: Larry Bird17 Asts: Gerald Henderson9 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 10 |
| Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 32–30, 22–24, 21–36 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird28 Rebs: Larry Bird14 Asts: Larry Bird8 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Magic Johnson10 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 12 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 22–28, 26–33, 24–20 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy21 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson15 |
Pts: Cedric Maxwell24 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Cedric Maxwell8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Los Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
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This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first seven meetings.
| Boston leads 7–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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