The 1986 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985–86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time.
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| Tournament details | |
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| Dates | April 17–June 8, 1986 |
| Season | 1985–86 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics (16th title) |
| Runner-up | Houston Rockets |
| Semifinalists |
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← 1985
1987 →
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This was the second NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Rockets; they met in the 1981 NBA Finals with the same result. It was the third of four straight Eastern Conference championships for Boston, who won 67 games that year, and went 40–1 at home. The Rockets, meanwhile had won just their second conference title in franchise history.
Second-year player Michael Jordan put on a record-setting performance in Game 2 of the Bulls' first-round series against the Celtics, scoring 63 points in a 2-OT loss, which surpassed Elgin Baylor's 61-point performance from the 1962 NBA Finals and still stands as the NBA Playoff scoring record. Jordan averaged 44.7 points per game in the series, but was unable to prevent the Bulls from being swept by a more experienced, more talented Celtics team. The Bulls set a dubious mark by posting the second worst record for a playoff-qualifying team in history, going just 30–52 during the season. Game 2, where the record was set, was ranked by TV Guide as the 26th Most Memorable Moment in Television History,[citation needed] and is credited with boosting the NBA's popularity surge and eventual rise to near the top of the United States television sports market,[citation needed] trailing only football by the mid-90s.[citation needed]
The 1986 playoffs marked the third time in four years that the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it would be their last appearance in the series until 2001. The Celtics avenged their 1983 sweep by sweeping the Bucks in four games.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, this was the last time they would play in a Game 7 until 2001. After their first round loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons would advance past the first round in each of the next five seasons (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991), which include all appearances in the conference finals, three NBA Finals, and two championships.
After moving from Kansas City, where the franchise played its previous thirteen seasons, the Sacramento Kings made their first postseason appearance in their first season in its new city.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Atlanta | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Detroit | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | New Jersey | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | San Antonio | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Denver | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Denver | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Sacramento | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
April 17 |
| Chicago Bulls 104, Boston Celtics 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–27, 24–34, 25–33, 20–29 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan49 Rebs: Charles Oakley10 Asts: Macy, Paxson 4 each |
Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: McHale, Parish 10 each Asts: Larry Bird8 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 20 |
| Chicago Bulls 131, Boston Celtics 135 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 25–26, 33–37, 25–28, Overtime: 9–9, 6–10 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan63 Rebs: Charles Oakley14 Asts: Michael Jordan6 |
Pts: Larry Bird36 Rebs: McHale, Walton 15 each Asts: Bird, Johnson 8 each | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 22 |
| Boston Celtics 122, Chicago Bulls 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–23, 33–29, 33–19, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale31 Rebs: Bill Walton9 Asts: Larry Bird8 |
Pts: John Paxson23 Rebs: Dave Corzine15 Asts: Michael Jordan9 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–0 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois |
| Boston won 5–1 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 18 |
| New Jersey Nets 107, Milwaukee Bucks 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–34, 29–24, 26–28, 23–33 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams27 Rebs: Buck Williams14 Asts: Birdsong, Cook 7 each |
Pts: Craig Hodges25 Rebs: Alton Lister10 Asts: Paul Pressey10 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 20 |
| New Jersey Nets 97, Milwaukee Bucks 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 23–23, 25–36, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Mike Gminski28 Rebs: Mike Gminski13 Asts: Darwin Cook7 |
Pts: Terry Cummings28 Rebs: Terry Cummings7 Asts: Paul Pressey7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 22 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 118, New Jersey Nets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–36, 31–37, 36–22, 27–18 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings23 Rebs: Terry Cummings11 Asts: Sidney Moncrief5 |
Pts: Otis Birdsong28 Rebs: Buck Williams10 Asts: Kelvin Ransey4 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–0 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| Milwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting.
| Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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April 18 |
| Washington Bullets 95, Philadelphia 76ers94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 19–23, 24–25, 27–24 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone21 Rebs: Cliff Robinson8 Asts: Gus Williams7 |
Pts: Charles Barkley26 Rebs: Charles Barkley22 Asts: Charles Barkley9 | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 20 |
| Washington Bullets 97, Philadelphia 76ers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 23–27, 30–26, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone25 Rebs: Cliff Robinson11 Asts: Gus Williams12 |
Pts: Charles Barkley27 Rebs: Charles Barkley20 Asts: Charles Barkley6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 22 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 91, Washington Bullets86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 18–26, 22–18, 25–15 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving22 Rebs: Charles Barkley14 Asts: Julius Erving6 |
Pts: Gus Williams28 Rebs: Bol, Roundfield 10 each Asts: Williams, Roundfield 4 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 111, Washington Bullets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 27–33, 26–31, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Cheeks30 Rebs: Charles Barkley15 Asts: Charles Barkley7 |
Pts: Cliff Robinson31 Rebs: Manute Bol12 Asts: Jeff Ruland5 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 27 |
| Washington Bullets 109, Philadelphia 76ers 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–40, 30–30, 33–27, 24–37 | ||
| Pts: Cliff Robinson30 Rebs: Cliff Robinson11 Asts: Gus Williams6 |
Pts: Terry Catledge27 Rebs: Charles Barkley15 Asts: Charles Barkley12 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 3–2 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two of the first four meetings.
| Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 17 |
| Detroit Pistons 122, Atlanta Hawks 140 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–30, 27–41, 29–32, 32–37 | ||
| Pts: Bill Laimbeer26 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer17 Asts: Isiah Thomas16 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins28 Rebs: Rollins, Levingston 8 each Asts: Doc Rivers16 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 19 |
| Detroit Pistons 125, Atlanta Hawks 137 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–29, 32–39, 30–33, 29–36 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas36 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer12 Asts: Isiah Thomas9 |
Pts: Randy Wittman35 Rebs: Tree Rollins14 Asts: Spud Webb18 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 22 |
| Atlanta Hawks 97, Detroit Pistons 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–33, 23–25, 21–26, 29–22 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins21 Rebs: Wilkins, Levingston 7 each Asts: Doc Rivers8 |
Pts: Kelly Tripucka33 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer14 Asts: Isiah Thomas11 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
April 25 |
| Atlanta Hawks 114, Detroit Pistons 113 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 24–18, 24–26, 19–20, Overtime: 11–11, 11–10 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins38 Rebs: Doc Rivers13 Asts: Doc Rivers9 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas30 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas12 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 3–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
| Atlanta won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning two of the first three meetings while in St. Louis.
| Atlanta/ St. Louis leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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April 17 |
| San Antonio Spurs 88, Los Angeles Lakers 135 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–33, 22–34, 31–30, 12–38 | ||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell24 Rebs: Mitchell, S. Johnson 4 each Asts: Wes Matthews10 |
Pts: Byron Scott24 Rebs: Kurt Rambis8 Asts: Magic Johnson18 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 19 |
| San Antonio Spurs 94, Los Angeles Lakers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 21–26, 18–33, 27–36 | ||
| Pts: Wes Matthews30 Rebs: David Greenwood7 Asts: Alvin Robertson8 |
Pts: Magic Johnson30 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Lucas 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 23 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 114, San Antonio Spurs94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 29–28, 28–15, 30–31 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar25 Rebs: Kurt Rambis14 Asts: Magic Johnson17 |
Pts: Wes Matthews30 Rebs: Artis Gilmore11 Asts: Wes Matthews8 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 3–0 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
| Los Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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April 17 |
| Sacramento Kings 87, Houston Rockets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 15–24, 25–26, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Reggie Theus18 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson17 Asts: Reggie Theus4 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon29 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon15 Asts: Rodney McCray7 | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 19 |
| Sacramento Kings 103, Houston Rockets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–34, 23–22, 26–30, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Reggie Theus19 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson10 Asts: Reggie Theus7 |
Pts: Robert Reid29 Rebs: Ralph Sampson8 Asts: Reid, Sampson 6 each | |
| Houston leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 22 |
| Houston Rockets 113, Sacramento Kings98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 32–25, 32–22, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: Lloyd, Sampson 25 each Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon13 Asts: Lloyd, McCray 7 each |
Pts: Eddie Johnson33 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Reggie Theus8 | |
| Houston wins series, 3–0 | ||
ARCO Arena I, Sacramento, California |
| Houston won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first meeting.
| Houston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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April 18 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 126, Denver Nuggets 133 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 34–38, 33–36, 31–31 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe28 Rebs: Kenny Carr9 Asts: Steve Colter6 |
Pts: Calvin Natt40 Rebs: Danny Schayes11 Asts: English, Lever 9 each | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 20 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Denver Nuggets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–25, 18–21, 26–30, 28–30 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe36 Rebs: Kenny Carr11 Asts: Clyde Drexler8 |
Pts: Alex English24 Rebs: Blair Rasmussen9 Asts: Alex English10 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 22 |
| Denver Nuggets 115, Portland Trail Blazers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 26–22, 32–21, 34–33 | ||
| Pts: Blair Rasmussen15 Rebs: Calvin Natt11 Asts: Fat Lever5 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe24 Rebs: Kenny Carr15 Asts: Clyde Drexler7 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 24 |
| Denver Nuggets 116, Portland Trail Blazers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–33, 28–30, 37–30, 27–19 | ||
| Pts: Fat Lever30 Rebs: T. R. Dunn11 Asts: Alex English8 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe18 Rebs: Kenny Carr18 Asts: Steve Colter8 | |
| Denver wins series, 3–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
| Denver won 3–2 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 18 |
| Utah Jazz 93, Dallas Mavericks 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 30–34, 24–25, 14–16 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone23 Rebs: Karl Malone13 Asts: Rickey Green12 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman25 Rebs: Sam Perkins15 Asts: Derek Harper7 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 20 |
| Utah Jazz 106, Dallas Mavericks 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 29–32, 28–27, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: Karl Malone31 Rebs: Mark Eaton11 Asts: Rickey Green8 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre27 Rebs: Sam Perkins10 Asts: Aguirre, Harper 5 each | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 23 |
| Dallas Mavericks 98, Utah Jazz 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 24–22, 31–25, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: James Donaldson17 Rebs: James Donaldson20 Asts: Derek Harper6 |
Pts: Rickey Green32 Rebs: Thurl Bailey14 Asts: Rickey Green8 | |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 25 |
| Dallas Mavericks 117, Utah Jazz 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 31–25, 29–26, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Sam Perkins29 Rebs: Sam Perkins12 Asts: Mark Aguirre8 |
Pts: Thurl Bailey24 Rebs: Mark Eaton12 Asts: Rickey Green10 | |
| Dallas wins series, 3–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dallas won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Jazz.[8]
April 27 |
| Atlanta Hawks 91, Boston Celtics 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 23–22, 17–34, 28–17 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Willis18 Rebs: Kevin Willis8 Asts: Spud Webb5 |
Pts: Kevin McHale24 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Dennis Johnson14 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 29 |
| Atlanta Hawks 108, Boston Celtics 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 20–29, 31–29, 26–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Willis23 Rebs: Willis, Rollins 10 each Asts: Doc Rivers7 |
Pts: Larry Bird36 Rebs: Kevin McHale9 Asts: Dennis Johnson9 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 2 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Atlanta Hawks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–31, 30–29, 24–27, 23–20 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird28 Rebs: Robert Parish14 Asts: Larry Bird12 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins38 Rebs: Kevin Willis12 Asts: Doc Rivers14 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
May 4 |
| Boston Celtics 94, Atlanta Hawks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 27–21, 23–29, 20–27 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale26 Rebs: Kevin McHale12 Asts: Larry Bird5 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins37 Rebs: Tree Rollins16 Asts: Spud Webb12 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
May 6 |
| Atlanta Hawks 99, Boston Celtics 132 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 28–34, 6–36, 38–30 | ||
| Pts: Spud Webb15 Rebs: Tree Rollins8 Asts: Spud Webb8 |
Pts: Larry Bird36 Rebs: Robert Parish13 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Boston won 6–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first seven meetings.
| Boston leads 6–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 29 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 118, Milwaukee Bucks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 24–33, 35–28, 30–19 | ||
| Pts: Charles Barkley31 Rebs: Charles Barkley20 Asts: Cheeks, Threatt 7 each |
Pts: Terry Cummings23 Rebs: Terry Cummings7 Asts: Paul Pressey13 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 1 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 107, Milwaukee Bucks 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 32–31, 21–30, 31–28 | ||
| Pts: Charles Barkley26 Rebs: Charles Barkley15 Asts: Maurice Cheeks8 |
Pts: Terry Cummings30 Rebs: Terry Cummings15 Asts: Paul Pressey7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–18, 20–35, 26–26, 30–28 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings27 Rebs: Cummings, Lister 9 each Asts: Paul Pressey9 |
Pts: Charles Barkley29 Rebs: Charles Barkley13 Asts: Maurice Cheeks10 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 33–33, 24–20, 25–24 | ||
| Pts: Cummings, Pierce 19 each Rebs: Terry Cummings13 Asts: three players 4 each |
Pts: Charles Barkley37 Rebs: Charles Barkley14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 7 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 108, Milwaukee Bucks 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 28–27, 30–26, 24–27 | ||
| Pts: Charles Barkley29 Rebs: Clemon Johnson9 Asts: Barkley, Erving 5 each |
Pts: Pressey, Cummings 23 each Rebs: Terry Cummings11 Asts: Paul Pressey16 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 9 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 108, Philadelphia 76ers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–35, 26–27, 21–32, 33–32 | ||
| Pts: Craig Hodges22 Rebs: Alton Lister10 Asts: Terry Cummings5 |
Pts: Jones, Barkley 23 each Rebs: Charles Barkley21 Asts: Maurice Cheeks13 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 11 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 112, Milwaukee Bucks 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–30, 26–33, 28–27, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Sedale Threatt28 Rebs: Charles Barkley12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks6 |
Pts: Terry Cummings27 Rebs: Terry Cummings8 Asts: Paul Pressey15 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–3 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Milwaukee won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning four of the first five meetings.
| Philadelphia leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 27 |
| Dallas Mavericks 116, Los Angeles Lakers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–30, 31–36, 32–29, 36–35 | ||
| Pts: Jay Vincent18 Rebs: James Donaldson10 Asts: Derek Harper9 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: Maurice Lucas8 Asts: Magic Johnson14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 30 |
| Dallas Mavericks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 33–29, 24–28, 26–33 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre28 Rebs: Mark Aguirre12 Asts: Derek Harper16 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas11 Asts: Magic Johnson9 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 2 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Dallas Mavericks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 32–24, 28–31, 25–29 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar12 Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre27 Rebs: James Donaldson14 Asts: Mark Aguirre8 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
May 4 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 118, Dallas Mavericks 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–45, 25–22, 29–31, 31–22 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar33 Rebs: Magic Johnson15 Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre39 Rebs: James Donaldson11 Asts: Derek Harper11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
May 6 |
| Dallas Mavericks 113, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 26–25, 28–30, 34–32 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre27 Rebs: James Donaldson8 Asts: Derek Harper9 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar34 Rebs: Kurt Rambis10 Asts: Magic Johnson14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 8 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 120, Dallas Mavericks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 36–23, 19–30, 32–26 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar27 Rebs: Maurice Lucas8 Asts: Magic Johnson17 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre28 Rebs: James Donaldson18 Asts: Rolando Blackman8 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
| Los Angeles 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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April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 119, Houston Rockets 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 29–23, 30–39, 28–32 | ||
| Pts: Alex English34 Rebs: Schayes, Natt 7 each Asts: English, Lever 9 each |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon38 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon16 Asts: Robert Reid9 | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 29 |
| Denver Nuggets 101, Houston Rockets 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 21–27, 28–35, 30–31 | ||
| Pts: Blair Rasmussen18 Rebs: Wayne Cooper9 Asts: Mike Evans7 |
Pts: Ralph Sampson27 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon14 Asts: Rodney McCray10 | |
| Houston leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 2 |
| Houston Rockets 115, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 29–33, 29–34, 28–19 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon31 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon11 Asts: McCray, Lloyd 8 each |
Pts: Alex English33 Rebs: Danny Schayes8 Asts: Alex English5 | |
| Houston leads series, 2–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 4 |
| Houston Rockets 111, Denver Nuggets 114 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–27, 19–24, 29–23, 24–30, Overtime: 7–10 | ||
| Pts: Ralph Sampson28 Rebs: Ralph Sampson13 Asts: Robert Reid7 |
Pts: Alex English28 Rebs: Wayne Cooper9 Asts: Turner, Hanzlik 5 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 6 |
| Denver Nuggets 103, Houston Rockets 131 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 20–40, 38–32, 19–27 | ||
| Pts: Alex English27 Rebs: Blair Rasmussen12 Asts: Fat Lever4 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon36 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon19 Asts: Robert Reid12 | |
| Houston leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 8 |
| Houston Rockets 126, Denver Nuggets 122 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–33, 25–24, 31–24, 31–27, Overtime: 8–8, 10–6 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon28 Rebs: Ralph Sampson18 Asts: Rodney McCray7 |
Pts: Alex English42 Rebs: Danny Schayes14 Asts: Fat Lever7 | |
| Houston wins series, 4–2 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Rockets.[12]
May 13 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 96, Boston Celtics 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–29, 26–31, 30–33, 28–35 | ||
| Pts: Kenny Fields18 Rebs: Terry Cummings11 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Danny Ainge10 Asts: Jerry Sichting8 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 15 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 111, Boston Celtics 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–36, 26–27, 25–26, 31–33 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings23 Rebs: Alton Lister7 Asts: Paul Pressey9 |
Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Robert Parish9 Asts: Larry Bird9 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 17 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Milwaukee Bucks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–35, 21–25, 29–27, 29–20 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale29 Rebs: Larry Bird16 Asts: Larry Bird13 |
Pts: Terry Cummings27 Rebs: Terry Cummings18 Asts: Paul Pressey9 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 18 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Milwaukee Bucks98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 37–30, 17–24, 32–16 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: Kevin McHale11 Asts: Ainge, Bird 5 each |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief27 Rebs: Alton Lister12 Asts: Sidney Moncrief8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Boston won 5–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning two of the first three meetings.
| Boston leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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May 10 |
| Houston Rockets 107, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–34, 26–30, 24–30, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon28 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon16 Asts: Robert Reid8 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar31 Rebs: Johnson, Lucas 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson18 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 13 |
| Houston Rockets 112, Los Angeles Lakers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 36–28, 33–24, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Sampson, Lloyd 24 each Rebs: Ralph Sampson16 Asts: Rodney McCray11 |
Pts: Magic Johnson24 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 16 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 109, Houston Rockets 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–37, 21–23, 32–30, 18–27 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar33 Rebs: Johnson, Lucas 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson20 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon40 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon12 Asts: Robert Reid12 | |
| Houston leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 18 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 95, Houston Rockets 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 24–18, 26–30, 16–25 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy26 Rebs: Magic Johnson12 Asts: Magic Johnson11 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon35 Rebs: Jim Petersen13 Asts: Rodney McCray6 | |
| Houston leads series, 3–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 21 |
| Houston Rockets 114, Los Angeles Lakers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–35, 31–26, 31–26, 29–25 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon30 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon7 Asts: Rodney McCray11 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar13 Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| Houston wins series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Los Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first meeting.
| Houston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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May 26 |
| Houston Rockets 100, Boston Celtics 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–34, 31–27, 17–30, 24–21 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon33 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon12 Asts: Robert Reid8 |
Pts: Robert Parish23 Rebs: Dennis Johnson11 Asts: Larry Bird13 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 29 |
| Houston Rockets 95, Boston Celtics 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 20–29, 19–34, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon21 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon10 Asts: McCray, Reid 5 each |
Pts: Larry Bird31 Rebs: Larry Bird8 Asts: Larry Bird7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 1 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Houston Rockets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 30–29, 25–18, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale28 Rebs: Larry Bird15 Asts: Larry Bird11 |
Pts: Ralph Sampson24 Rebs: Ralph Sampson22 Asts: Robert Reid9 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
June 3 |
| Boston Celtics 106, Houston Rockets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 33–34, 23–21, 20–18 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish22 Rebs: Robert Parish15 Asts: Larry Bird10 |
Pts: Ralph Sampson25 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon14 Asts: Ralph Sampson9 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
June 5 |
| Boston Celtics 96, Houston Rockets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 19–32, 18–28, 31–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale33 Rebs: Kevin McHale8 Asts: Danny Ainge5 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon32 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon14 Asts: Robert Reid17 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
June 8 |
| Houston Rockets 97, Boston Celtics 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 15–26, 23–27, 36–32 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon21 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon10 Asts: McCray, Reid 5 each |
Pts: Larry Bird29 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Larry Bird12 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Boston won 2–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Category | Game High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
| Points | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 63 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 43.7 | 3 |
| Rebounds | Ralph Sampson Charles Barkley |
Houston Rockets Philadelphia 76ers |
22 | Charles Barkley | Philadelphia 76ers | 15.8 | 12 |
| Assists | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 20 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 15.1 | 14 |
| Steals | Craig Hodges | Milwaukee Bucks | 8 | Artis Gilmore Michael Jordan Alvin Robertson |
San Antonio Spurs Chicago Bulls San Antonio Spurs |
2.3 | 3 |
| Blocks | Manute Bol | Washington Bullets | 9 | Manute Bol | Washington Bullets | 5.8 | 5 |