The 1987 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986–87 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Lakers earned their 10th NBA championship, and Magic Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP for a then-record third time.
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| Tournament details | |
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| Dates | April 23–June 14, 1987 |
| Season | 1986–87 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (10th title) |
| Runner-up | Boston Celtics |
| Semifinalists |
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← 1986
1988 →
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This was the last time the Celtics would appear in the NBA Finals until 2008. Boston only advanced as far as the Conference Finals twice in that stretch: losing the following year to the Detroit Pistons in six games and in 2002 to the New Jersey Nets, also in 6 games.
The Pistons appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals was the franchise's first (and their first Division/Conference Final appearance since 1962). It would be the first of five straight Conference Finals appearances for Detroit. They would make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1956 the following season, the first of 3 straight trips to the Finals (winning the last 2).
The Warriors & Pacers made their first playoff appearances since 1977 and 1981 respectively. The Pacers also won their first NBA playoff game, in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Hawks.
Game 5 of the Philadelphia/Milwaukee series would the final game in the amazing career of Julius Erving.
By beating Dallas 3–1, the SuperSonics became the first #7 seed to defeat a #2 seed since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984. They reached the Western Conference Finals, where they were swept by the Lakers. As of 2024, they are the most recent team with a sub-.500 record (39-43) to win a playoff series. The 1989 & 1991 Warriors, 1998 Knicks, 2010 Spurs and 2023 Lakers were the other 7th seeds to beat the 2nd seed.
One of the most memorable moments of the playoffs occurred in the final moments of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals when, with Boston down 107–106, Isiah Thomas had his inbounds pass stolen by Larry Bird, who passed to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup.
The only dent in the Lakers' run to the Finals came in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Warriors, when Sleepy Floyd scored a playoff record 39 points in the second half, with a record 29 coming in the fourth quarter, to seal a 129–121 win. Both records still stand.
This was last time a 7 seed went to the Western Conference Finals until 2023 when the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in 4 games.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Milwaukee | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Atlanta* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Indiana | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Denver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Golden State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Golden State | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Seattle | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Houston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Seattle | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Dallas* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Seattle | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
April 23 |
| Chicago Bulls 104, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–34, 23–32, 26–20, 31–22 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan35 Rebs: Charles Oakley12 Asts: Michael Jordan7 |
Pts: Kevin McHale21 Rebs: Robert Parish11 Asts: Larry Bird13 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 26 |
| Chicago Bulls 96, Boston Celtics 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 18–26, 29–26, 19–23 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan42 Rebs: Charles Oakley15 Asts: Jordan, Threatt 4 each |
Pts: Larry Bird29 Rebs: McHale, Parish 10 each Asts: Larry Bird8 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 28 |
| Boston Celtics 105, Chicago Bulls94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–24, 17–21, 37–21 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird32 Rebs: Larry Bird14 Asts: Dennis Johnson10 |
Pts: Michael Jordan30 Rebs: Charles Oakley19 Asts: Michael Jordan7 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–0 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois |
| Boston won 6–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings.
| Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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April 24 |
| Indiana Pacers 94, Atlanta Hawks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 26–30, 16–21, 27–35 | ||
| Pts: Steve Stipanovich22 Rebs: Steve Stipanovich13 Asts: Vern Fleming6 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins35 Rebs: Tree Rollins11 Asts: Spud Webb9 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 26 |
| Indiana Pacers 93, Atlanta Hawks 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 23–27, 21–21, 23–23 | ||
| Pts: Chuck Person24 Rebs: Herb Williams8 Asts: Williams, Fleming 4 each |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins43 Rebs: Kevin Willis10 Asts: Spud Webb14 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 29 |
| Atlanta Hawks 87, Indiana Pacers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 21–19, 25–23, 25–27 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins22 Rebs: Kevin Willis7 Asts: Doc Rivers10 |
Pts: Chuck Person23 Rebs: Chuck Person17 Asts: Chuck Person7 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 2–1 | ||
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana |
May 1 |
| Atlanta Hawks 101, Indiana Pacers97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 27–21, 29–32, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins30 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins9 Asts: Doc Rivers15 |
Pts: Chuck Person40 Rebs: Vern Fleming11 Asts: Vern Fleming8 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 3–1 | ||
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Pacers.[2]
April 24 |
| Washington Bullets 92, Detroit Pistons 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 21–31, 28–23, 19–26 | ||
| Pts: Terry Catledge24 Rebs: Malone, Catledge 12 each Asts: Moses Malone3 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas34 Rebs: Laimbeer, Rodman 10 each Asts: Isiah Thomas9 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
April 26 |
| Washington Bullets 85, Detroit Pistons 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–36, 14–40, 31–29, 18–23 | ||
| Pts: Terry Catledge19 Rebs: Moses Malone10 Asts: Ennis Whatley4 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley24 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer9 Asts: Vinnie Johnson13 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
April 29 |
| Detroit Pistons 97, Washington Bullets96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 27–28, 24–16, 19–25 | ||
| Pts: Dantley, Johnson 21 each Rebs: Rick Mahorn12 Asts: Isiah Thomas10 |
Pts: Moses Malone31 Rebs: Moses Malone16 Asts: Michael Adams8 | |
| Detroit wins series, 3–0 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Bullets.[3]
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 104, Milwaukee Bucks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 26–27, 33–34, 20–22 | ||
| Pts: Charles Barkley21 Rebs: Charles Barkley13 Asts: Cheeks, Toney 9 each |
Pts: Terry Cummings21 Rebs: Jack Sikma11 Asts: Paul Pressey10 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 125, Milwaukee Bucks 122 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 23–22, 29–31, 30–24, Overtime: 17–14 | ||
| Pts: Roy Hinson28 Rebs: Charles Barkley15 Asts: Maurice Cheeks11 |
Pts: Ricky Pierce24 Rebs: Randy Breuer9 Asts: Paul Pressey9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 29 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 121, Philadelphia 76ers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 23–32, 37–38, 36–25 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings26 Rebs: Jack Sikma12 Asts: John Lucas9 |
Pts: Charles Barkley39 Rebs: Cliff Robinson10 Asts: Cheeks, Toney 8 each | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 1 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 118, Philadelphia 76ers 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–18, 28–34, 23–32, 38–40 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings29 Rebs: Jack Sikma13 Asts: John Lucas10 |
Pts: Charles Barkley25 Rebs: Charles Barkley13 Asts: Maurice Cheeks11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 3 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 89, Milwaukee Bucks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 28–24, 17–21, 22–28 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving24 Rebs: Charles Barkley13 Asts: Cheeks, Wingate 5 each |
Pts: Jack Sikma18 Rebs: Jack Sikma21 Asts: Paul Pressey9 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–2 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Philadelphia won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning four of the first six meetings.
| Philadelphia leads 4–2 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 23 |
| Denver Nuggets 95, Los Angeles Lakers 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:32–39, 21–43, 20–30, 22–16 | ||
| Pts: Blair Rasmussen26 Rebs: Blair Rasmussen13 Asts: Fat Lever9 |
Pts: James Worthy28 Rebs: Mychal Thompson9 Asts: Magic Johnson14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 25 |
| Denver Nuggets 127, Los Angeles Lakers 139 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:23–40, 32–33, 33–32, 39–34 | ||
| Pts: Fat Lever26 Rebs: Fat Lever10 Asts: Fat Lever9 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar28 Rebs: A.C. Green13 Asts: Magic Johnson15 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 29 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 140, Denver Nuggets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:25–26, 44–30, 36–22, 35–25 | ||
| Pts: Byron Scott25 Rebs: A.C. Green10 Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Alex English25 Rebs: Wayne Cooper12 Asts: Alex English6 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 3–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
| Los Angeles won 5–0 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 23 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 129, Dallas Mavericks 151 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–39, 31–38, 29–43, 41–31 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers35 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel13 Asts: Xavier McDaniel7 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre28 Rebs: Roy Tarpley11 Asts: Brad Davis9 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 25 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 112, Dallas Mavericks 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 29–32, 26–26, 22–18 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis32 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel9 Asts: Nate McMillan8 |
Pts: Mark Aguirre28 Rebs: Roy Tarpley8 Asts: Derek Harper8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 28 |
| Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle SuperSonics 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–26, 22–29, 36–34, 34–28 | ||
| Pts: Derek Harper30 Rebs: Sam Perkins11 Asts: Derek Harper8 |
Pts: Dale Ellis43 Rebs: Dale Ellis14 Asts: Nate McMillan9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington |
April 30 |
| Dallas Mavericks 98, Seattle SuperSonics 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–33, 27–28, 29–27, 21–36 | ||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman25 Rebs: Roy Tarpley17 Asts: Derek Harper5 |
Pts: Tom Chambers31 Rebs: Chambers, Ellis 9 each Asts: Nate McMillan9 | |
| Seattle wins series, 3–1 | ||
Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington |
| Dallas won 5–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||
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April 24 |
| Houston Rockets 125, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–32, 30–28, 27–22, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon30 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon10 Asts: Allen Leavell10 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe30 Rebs: Clyde Drexler13 Asts: Terry Porter11 | |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 26 |
| Houston Rockets 98, Portland Trail Blazers 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–29, 12–27, 26–28, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Leavell, Sampson 28 each Rebs: Rodney McCray12 Asts: Allen Leavell8 |
Pts: Clyde Drexler32 Rebs: Porter, Johnson 8 each Asts: Terry Porter15 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 28 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 108, Houston Rockets 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–38, 23–32, 34–24, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Clyde Drexler26 Rebs: Johnson, Jones 10 each Asts: Terry Porter8 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon35 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon11 Asts: Allen Leavell13 | |
| Houston leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 30 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 101, Houston Rockets 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–20, 30–41, 17–28, 33–24 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe27 Rebs: Steve Johnson12 Asts: Terry Porter6 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon27 Rebs: McCray, Sampson 10 each Asts: Allen Leavell8 | |
| Houston wins series, 3–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
| Portland won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers.[7]
April 23 |
| Golden State Warriors 85, Utah Jazz 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 23–32, 27–23, 17–23 | ||
| Pts: Joe Barry Carroll18 Rebs: Joe Barry Carroll9 Asts: Sleepy Floyd8 |
Pts: Malone, Bailey 20 each Rebs: Mark Eaton15 Asts: Rickey Green15 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 25 |
| Golden State Warriors 100, Utah Jazz 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 28–35, 30–15, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Joe Barry Carroll22 Rebs: Larry Smith12 Asts: Sleepy Floyd9 |
Pts: Darrell Griffith25 Rebs: Karl Malone13 Asts: Hansen, Stockton 5 each | |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 29 |
| Utah Jazz 95, Golden State Warriors 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 20–32, 23–22, 28–33 | ||
| Pts: Kelly Tripucka16 Rebs: Karl Malone9 Asts: John Stockton8 |
Pts: Terry Teagle30 Rebs: Larry Smith17 Asts: Sleepy Floyd8 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California |
May 1 |
| Utah Jazz 94, Golden State Warriors 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 26–18, 26–25, 20–30 | ||
| Pts: Hansen, Malone 20 each Rebs: Mark Eaton15 Asts: John Stockton11 |
Pts: Purvis Short32 Rebs: Larry Smith8 Asts: Sleepy Floyd11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California |
May 3 |
| Golden State Warriors 118, Utah Jazz 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–29, 32–22, 23–26, 28–36 | ||
| Pts: Joe Barry Carroll24 Rebs: Larry Smith14 Asts: Sleepy Floyd14 |
Pts: Karl Malone23 Rebs: Mark Eaton10 Asts: John Stockton13 | |
| Golden State wins series, 3–2 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Utah won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Warriors and the Jazz.[8]
May 5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 98, Boston Celtics 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–34, 29–31, 18–20, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings28 Rebs: Terry Cummings12 Asts: Paul Pressey8 |
Pts: Larry Bird40 Rebs: Robert Parish12 Asts: Bird, Johnson 7 each | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 6 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 124, Boston Celtics 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 37–39, 31–36, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings28 Rebs: Jack Sikma14 Asts: Paul Pressey6 |
Pts: Bird, Ainge 30 each Rebs: Larry Bird10 Asts: Dennis Johnson10 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 8 |
| Boston Celtics 121, Milwaukee Bucks 126 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–33, 24–29, 26–23, 30–29, Overtime: 7–12 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson32 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Dennis Johnson14 |
Pts: John Lucas30 Rebs: Terry Cummings12 Asts: Paul Pressey7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 10 |
| Boston Celtics 138, Milwaukee Bucks 137 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–31, 32–34, 29–30, 24–22, Overtime: 10–10, 11–10 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird42 Rebs: Kevin McHale11 Asts: Dennis Johnson12 |
Pts: Terry Cummings31 Rebs: Terry Cummings11 Asts: Paul Pressey11 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 13 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 129, Boston Celtics 124 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–32, 27–34, 32–36, 32–22 | ||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief33 Rebs: Sikma, Cummings 9 each Asts: Paul Pressey10 |
Pts: Robert Parish30 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Larry Bird12 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 15 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Milwaukee Bucks 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–27, 31–32, 24–31, 20–31 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson25 Rebs: Kevin McHale16 Asts: Dennis Johnson14 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief34 Rebs: Terry Cummings11 Asts: Paul Pressey11 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 17 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 113, Boston Celtics 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–29, 23–27, 30–32, 24–31 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pressey28 Rebs: Jack Sikma10 Asts: Paul Pressey8 |
Pts: Larry Bird31 Rebs: Robert Parish19 Asts: Dennis Johnson10 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the first four meetings.
| Boston leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May 3 |
| Detroit Pistons 112, Atlanta Hawks 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 29–31, 29–28, 27–26 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas30 Rebs: Dennis Rodman10 Asts: Isiah Thomas10 |
Pts: Kevin Willis22 Rebs: Kevin Willis10 Asts: Doc Rivers14 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
May 5 |
| Detroit Pistons 102, Atlanta Hawks 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 26–31, 23–27, 31–32 | ||
| Pts: Laimbeer, Thomas 20 each Rebs: Bill Laimbeer12 Asts: Isiah Thomas6 |
Pts: Randy Wittman34 Rebs: Kevin Willis10 Asts: Doc Rivers14 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
May 8 |
| Atlanta Hawks 99, Detroit Pistons 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–25, 18–16, 34–44, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Willis26 Rebs: Kevin Willis12 Asts: Doc Rivers8 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas35 Rebs: Dennis Rodman9 Asts: Isiah Thomas8 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
May 10 |
| Atlanta Hawks 88, Detroit Pistons 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 21–23, 23–29, 25–20 | ||
| Pts: Wilkins, Battle 19 each Rebs: Dominique Wilkins12 Asts: Doc Rivers7 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas31 Rebs: Rick Mahorn17 Asts: Joe Dumars5 | |
| Detroit leads series, 3–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
May 13 |
| Detroit Pistons 104, Atlanta Hawks96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 18–29, 23–26, 39–19 | ||
| Pts: Joe Dumars21 Rebs: Rick Mahorn16 Asts: Isiah Thomas12 |
Pts: Dominique Wilkins26 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins12 Asts: Doc Rivers15 | |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning three of the first four meetings. It is the first win for the Pistons since the franchise moved to Detroit.
| Atlanta leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May 5 |
| Golden State Warriors 116, Los Angeles Lakers 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 33–25, 23–49, 31–21 | ||
| Pts: Joe Barry Carroll22 Rebs: Larry Smith7 Asts: Larry Smith11 |
Pts: James Worthy28 Rebs: Magic Johnson12 Asts: Magic Johnson14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 7 |
| Golden State Warriors 101, Los Angeles Lakers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–32, 26–26, 27–27, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: Joe Barry Carroll22 Rebs: Larry Smith13 Asts: Sleepy Floyd12 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar25 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Michael Cooper12 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 9 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 133, Golden State Warriors 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 38–24, 35–32, 30–30, 30–22 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy28 Rebs: Mychal Thompson12 Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Joe Barry Carroll23 Rebs: Larry Smith15 Asts: Sleepy Floyd12 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California |
May 10 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 121, Golden State Warriors 129 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–27, 31–30, 37–31, 19–41 | ||
| Pts: Byron Scott28 Rebs: A.C. Green12 Asts: Michael Cooper10 |
Pts: Sleepy Floyd51 Rebs: Larry Smith16 Asts: Sleepy Floyd10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California |
May 12 |
| Golden State Warriors 106, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 23–33, 25–34, 29–19 | ||
| Pts: Purvis Short20 Rebs: Larry Smith23 Asts: Sleepy Floyd11 |
Pts: James Worthy23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar9 Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Los Angeles won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May 2 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 111, Houston Rockets 106 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 24–22, 28–25, 20–24, Overtime: 14–9 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis34 Rebs: Tom Chambers9 Asts: Nate McMillan8 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon28 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon16 Asts: Rodney McCray8 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 5 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 99, Houston Rockets97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 24–27, 18–31, 29–18 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis30 Rebs: Dale Ellis9 Asts: Eddie Johnson8 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon27 Rebs: Olajuwon, Sampson 13 each Asts: Leavell, McCray 8 each | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 7 |
| Houston Rockets 102, Seattle SuperSonics84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–20, 27–13, 19–24, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon33 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon11 Asts: Robert Reid9 |
Pts: Tom Chambers24 Rebs: Dale Ellis10 Asts: McMillan, Young 4 each | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
May 9 |
| Houston Rockets 102, Seattle SuperSonics 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–31, 24–31, 24–24, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: McCray, Olajuwon 20 each Rebs: Rodney McCray12 Asts: Allen Leavell5 |
Pts: Tom Chambers38 Rebs: Alton Lister17 Asts: Nate McMillan10 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
May 12 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 107, Houston Rockets 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–35, 34–31, 30–23, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis27 Rebs: Tom Chambers9 Asts: Eddie Johnson6 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon26 Rebs: Rodney McCray10 Asts: Rodney McCray11 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
May 14 |
| Houston Rockets 125, Seattle SuperSonics 128 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–36, 30–18, 26–24, 23–29, Overtime: 8–8, 10–13 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon49 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon25 Asts: Robert Reid12 |
Pts: Tom Chambers37 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel12 Asts: Nate McMillan16 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–2 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
| Seattle won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
| Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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May 19 |
| Detroit Pistons 91, Boston Celtics 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 18–18, 28–31, 23–29 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas18 Rebs: Rick Mahorn11 Asts: Isiah Thomas10 |
Pts: Robert Parish31 Rebs: Larry Bird16 Asts: Larry Bird11 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 21 |
| Detroit Pistons 101, Boston Celtics 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 36–22, 22–28, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas36 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer16 Asts: Isiah Thomas10 |
Pts: Larry Bird31 Rebs: Bird, Parish 9 each Asts: Larry Bird12 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 23 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Detroit Pistons 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–37, 25–36, 28–20, 23–29 | ||
| Pts: Sam Vincent18 Rebs: Larry Bird11 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley25 Rebs: Rick Mahorn12 Asts: Vinnie Johnson8 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
May 24 |
| Boston Celtics 119, Detroit Pistons 145 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 33–31, 30–42, 31–41 | ||
| Pts: Sam Vincent18 Rebs: Kevin McHale9 Asts: Sam Vincent7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley32 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Thomas, Dumars 8 each | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
May 26 |
| Detroit Pistons 107, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–38, 27–20, 29–28, 22–22 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley25 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer14 Asts: Isiah Thomas11 |
Pts: Larry Bird36 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Larry Bird9 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 28 |
| Boston Celtics 105, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 22–27, 28–26, 22–29 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird35 Rebs: Kevin McHale12 Asts: Dennis Johnson11 |
Pts: Dantley, V. Johnson 24 each Rebs: Rick Mahorn18 Asts: Isiah Thomas9 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan |
May 30 |
| Detroit Pistons 114, Boston Celtics 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–24, 25–31, 24–26, 34–36 | ||
| Pts: Joe Dumars35 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas9 |
Pts: Larry Bird37 Rebs: Robert Parish11 Asts: Dennis Johnson11 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Boston won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings.
| Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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May 16 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 87, Los Angeles Lakers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 17–24, 30–26, 15–15 | ||
| Pts: Tom Chambers28 Rebs: McDaniel, Lister 10 each Asts: Nate McMillan8 |
Pts: James Worthy27 Rebs: Magic Johnson7 Asts: Magic Johnson11 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 19 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 104, Los Angeles Lakers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 26–24, 22–27, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: Dale Ellis22 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel8 Asts: Nate McMillan7 |
Pts: James Worthy30 Rebs: A.C. Green14 Asts: Magic Johnson10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 23 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 122, Seattle SuperSonics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–32, 28–26, 33–28, 25–35 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy39 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Magic Johnson11 |
Pts: Xavier McDaniel42 Rebs: Xavier McDaniel10 Asts: Nate McMillan15 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
May 25 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 133, Seattle SuperSonics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–28, 29–19, 32–30, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy26 Rebs: A.C. Green13 Asts: Magic Johnson12 |
Pts: Tom Chambers20 Rebs: Alton Lister20 Asts: Kevin Williams5 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–0 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
| Los Angeles won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning two of the first three meetings.
| Seattle leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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June 2 |
| Boston Celtics 113, Los Angeles Lakers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–35, 28–34, 31–32, 28–25 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird32 Rebs: Larry Bird7 Asts: Dennis Johnson13 |
Pts: James Worthy33 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar10 Asts: Magic Johnson13 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 4 |
| Boston Celtics 122, Los Angeles Lakers 141 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–38, 22–37, 36–32, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird23 Rebs: Robert Parish14 Asts: Dennis Johnson9 |
Pts: Byron Scott24 Rebs: M. Johnson, Rambis 5 each Asts: Magic Johnson20 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 7 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 27–38, 22–26, 25–23 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson32 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson9 |
Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Ainge, McHale 5 each | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 9 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 107, Boston Celtics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 25–26, 31–30, 29–21 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar11 Asts: Cooper, M. Johnson 5 each |
Pts: Kevin McHale25 Rebs: Kevin McHale13 Asts: Dennis Johnson14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 11 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Boston Celtics 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 23–38, 29–33, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson29 Rebs: Magic Johnson8 Asts: Magic Johnson12 |
Pts: Dennis Johnson25 Rebs: Kevin McHale14 Asts: Dennis Johnson11 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 14 |
| Boston Celtics 93, Los Angeles Lakers 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–25, 24–26, 12–30, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson33 Rebs: D. Johnson, McHale 10 each Asts: Danny Ainge6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Mychal Thompson9 Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Los Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
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This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first nine meetings.
| Boston leads 8–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Category | Game High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
| Points | Sleepy Floyd | Golden State Warriors | 51 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 35.7 | 3 |
| Rebounds | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 25 | Charles Oakley | Chicago Bulls | 15.3 | 3 |
| Assists | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 20 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 12.2 | 18 |
| Steals | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 6 | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 3.0 | 5 |
| Blocks | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 8 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston Rockets | 4.3 | 10 |