The 2009 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.
Tournament details | |
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Dates | April 18–June 14, 2009 |
Season | 2008–09 |
Teams | 16 |
Final positions | |
Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (15th title) |
Runner-up | Orlando Magic |
Semifinalists |
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← 2008
2010 →
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The Portland Trail Blazers made the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and earned home court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2000.
The Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. They pushed their first round opponents, the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics (respectively) to seven games before losing.
The first round series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls set an NBA Playoff record for the most overtime games (4) and periods (7) played. However, the Boston Celtics prevailed in seven games.
With their first round win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Houston Rockets won a first round series for the first time since 1997, when they last made the conference finals. They pushed the eventual champion Lakers to seven games before losing. The Rockets would not return to the playoffs until 2013.
With their first round win over the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks won a playoff series for the first time since 1999. However, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals.
With their first round win over the New Orleans Hornets, the Denver Nuggets won a playoff series for the first time since 1994, when they became the first eighth seed to win a playoff series.
As for the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, they failed to advance past the first round for the first time since 2000. The Pistons were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Spurs lost to the Dallas Mavericks in a five game upset. The Pistons would not return to the playoffs until 2016, while the Spurs would exact revenge against the Mavericks in next year’s playoffs.
By sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers became only the second team in NBA History (after the Miami Heat) to go 8–0 through the first two rounds by sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks (they would duplicate this feat in 2016, against the same two teams). This was also LeBron James’ last conference finals appearance as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers until 2015.
With their conference semifinals victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets made the conference finals for the first time since 1985. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, and would not return to the conference finals until 2020.
With their Game 7 road win over the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic made the Conference Finals for the first time since 1996. It also marked the first time the Boston Celtics lost a playoff series despite leading 3–2.
With their conference finals victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic made the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995. The Cavaliers would not return to the Conference Finals until 2015.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals marked the first ever finals win for the Orlando Magic. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals marked the first time since 1985 that two overtime games were played in the same NBA Finals series.
With the Lakers’ Game 5 win over the Orlando Magic, Phil Jackson overtook Red Auerbach with the most NBA Championships won by a head coach (10). It also marked the Lakers’ first NBA Finals series win since 2002.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals was also the last NBA Finals game ever played at Amway Arena.
The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record; however, a division winner is guaranteed to be ranked at least 4th, regardless of record.[1] All series are in a best-of-7 format with the Games 1–2, 5 and 7 on the home court of the team with the better record, regardless of their seed. For the NBA Finals, the team with the better record plays Games 1–2 and 6–7 at home.[2]
The tiebreakers that determine seedings are:[1]
If there are more than 2 teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams are "re-broken" from the first step until all ties are resolved. Since the three division winners are guaranteed a spot in the top 4, ties to determine the division winners must be broken before any other ties.[3][4]
Seed[5] | Team | Wins | Tiebreaker | Clinched | |||
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Playoff berth | Division title | Home court in Conference Finals |
Home court in NBA Finals | ||||
1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 66 | — | March 4[6] | March 13[7] | April 10[8] | April 13[9] |
2 | Boston Celtics | 62 | — | March 4[10] | March 18[11] | — | — |
3 | Orlando Magic | 59 | — | March 11[12] | March 25[13] | — | — |
4 | Atlanta Hawks | 47 | — | March 25[14] | — | — | — |
5 | Miami Heat | 43 | — | April 3[15] | — | — | — |
6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | Conf.: 25–27[a] | April 4[16] | — | — | — |
7 | Chicago Bulls | 41 | Conf.: 24–28[a] | April 10[17] | — | — | — |
8 | Detroit Pistons | 39 | — | April 10[18] | — | — | — |
Seed[5] | Team | Wins | Tiebreaker | Clinched | |||
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Playoff berth | Division title | Home court in Conference Finals | |||||
1 | Los Angeles Lakers | 65 | — | March 12[19] | March 12[19] | March 27[20] | |
2 | Denver Nuggets | 54 | Div.: 12–4[a] | 2–1 vs. SA | March 31[21] | April 13[22] | — |
3 | San Antonio Spurs | 54 | Skipped[b] | 1–2 vs. DEN | March 31[23] | April 15[24] | — |
4 | Portland Trail Blazers | 54 | Div.: 11–5[a] | — | April 5[25] | — | — |
5 | Houston Rockets | 53 | — | April 5[25] | — | — | |
6 | Dallas Mavericks | 50 | — | April 8[26] | — | — | |
7 | New Orleans Hornets | 49 | — | April 7[27] | — | — | |
8 | Utah Jazz | 48 | — | April 5[28] | — | — |
— = not applicable
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E8 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Atlanta | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E5 | Miami | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Cleveland* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E6 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Orlando* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E2 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E7 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Orlando* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W8 | Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Portland | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W5 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
W2 | Denver* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | San Antonio* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Dallas | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Denver* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W2 | Denver* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W7 | New Orleans | 1 |
April 18 |
Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 102 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 20–27, 20–21, 19–24 | ||
Pts: Rodney Stuckey20 Rebs: Wallace, Brown 9 each Asts: Hamilton, Stuckey 4 each |
Pts: LeBron James38 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas10 Asts: LeBron James7 | |
Cleveland leads series, 1–0 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
April 21 |
Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 18–23, 18–31, 32–17 | ||
Pts: Richard Hamilton17 Rebs: Antonio McDyess11 Asts: Rodney Stuckey6 |
Pts: LeBron James29 Rebs: LeBron James13 Asts: Mo Williams7 | |
Cleveland leads series, 2–0 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
April 24 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 79, Detroit Pistons68 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 26–19, 9–16, 26–15 | ||
Pts: LeBron James25 Rebs: LeBron James11 Asts: LeBron James9 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton15 Rebs: McDyess, Hamilton 8 each Asts: Richard Hamilton6 | |
Cleveland leads series, 3–0 |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan |
April 26 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Detroit Pistons78 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 25–15, 22–18, 26–18 | ||
Pts: LeBron James36 Rebs: LeBron James13 Asts: LeBron James8 |
Pts: Antonio McDyess26 Rebs: Antonio McDyess10 Asts: Richard Hamilton7 | |
Cleveland wins series, 4–0 |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan |
Cleveland won 3–1 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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The Cavaliers opened the series with a rout on Game 1, as LeBron James scored 38 points and the Cavaliers won by 18 points. In Game 2, the Cavaliers were leading by 27 points after the third quarter before the Pistons started a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Pistons managed to cut the Cavaliers' lead down to 7 points, but in the end the Cavaliers won the game by 12 points. Game 3 was a tight contest until an 18–2 run by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter secured the victory for Cleveland. The Cavaliers swept the Pistons with a 21-point victory in Game 4, in which James scored 36 points while narrowly missing a triple-double for two straight games.
April 18 |
Chicago Bulls 105, Boston Celtics 103 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–16, 20–26, 26–27, Overtime: 8–6 | ||
Pts: Derrick Rose36 Rebs: Joakim Noah17 Asts: Derrick Rose11 |
Pts: Rajon Rondo29 Rebs: Rajon Rondo9 Asts: Rajon Rondo7 | |
Chicago leads series, 1–0 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
April 20 |
Chicago Bulls 115, Boston Celtics 118 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 29–35, 32–23, 26–30, 28–30 | ||
Pts: Ben Gordon42 Rebs: Brad Miller9 Asts: Kirk Hinrich7 |
Pts: Ray Allen30 Rebs: Perkins, Rondo 12 each Asts: Rajon Rondo16 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
April 23 |
Boston Celtics 107, Chicago Bulls86 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 32–21, 27–16, 24–21, 24–28 | ||
Pts: Paul Pierce24 Rebs: Rajon Rondo11 Asts: Rondo, Davis 6 each |
Pts: Ben Gordon15 Rebs: Joakim Noah10 Asts: three players 3 each | |
Boston leads series, 2–1 |
United Center, Chicago |
April 26 |
Boston Celtics 118, Chicago Bulls 121 (2OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 27–27, 24–20, 26–31, Overtime: 14–14, 8–11 | ||
Pts: Paul Pierce29 Rebs: Davis, Rondo 11 each Asts: Rajon Rondo11 |
Pts: Derrick Rose23 Rebs: Derrick Rose11 Asts: Derrick Rose9 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
United Center, Chicago |
April 28 |
Chicago Bulls 104, Boston Celtics 106 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 26–21, 23–22, 23–27, Overtime: 11–13 | ||
Pts: Ben Gordon26 Rebs: Joakim Noah17 Asts: Gordon, Rose 6 each |
Pts: Rajon Rondo28 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins19 Asts: Rajon Rondo11 | |
Boston leads series, 3–2 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
April 30 |
Boston Celtics 127, Chicago Bulls 128 (3OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–37, 31–22, 19–24, 25–18, Overtime: 8–8, 9–9, 9–10 | ||
Pts: Ray Allen51 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins13 Asts: Rajon Rondo19 |
Pts: John Salmons35 Rebs: Joakim Noah15 Asts: Rose, Hinrich 7 each | |
Series tied, 3–3 |
United Center, Chicago |
May 2 |
Chicago Bulls 99, Boston Celtics 109 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 11–29, 33–26, 27–31 | ||
Pts: Ben Gordon33 Rebs: Joakim Noah15 Asts: Ben Gordon4 |
Pts: Ray Allen23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins13 Asts: Rajon Rondo11 | |
Boston wins series, 4–3 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
Boston won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||
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This series has been called the greatest first round series ever, and compared to the greatest series overall. It featured four overtime games with seven overtime periods, the most ever in a playoff series. The series highlights included future NBA MVP Derrick Rose setting an NBA single game rookie scoring record. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings.
Boston leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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In Game 1, with the Bulls trailing by 1, rookie Derrick Rose hit 2 free throws with 9.6 seconds left. Celtics captain Paul Pierce had a chance to win the game with his own free throws from a Joakim Noah foul but missed the second, leading to overtime. In the overtime, with Rose fouling out, Tyrus Thomas scored six of the Bulls' eight points to put them up 105–103 with about 50 seconds left. Ray Allen, who had a poor shooting night, had a chance to tie the game and send it into a second overtime but he did not succeed. Even while the playoffs were continuing, many experts and analysts were calling it "the greatest playoff series ever".
Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's playoff debut of 36 points to lead the Bulls into a Game 1 road victory. Rose also became the second player to have a 35-point, 10-assist game in their playoff debut in history, after Chris Paul did the feat in 2008; his 36 points was also the highest points scored by a Bull in a playoff game since Michael Jordan retired. The win also marked the Bulls' first postseason win against the Celtics in history.
In Game 2, Ben Gordon poured in 42 points, but lost the duel to Ray Allen. The Bulls were blown out in Game 3. At home in the end of regulation of Game 4, Gordon hit a big bank shot putting the Bulls up 95-93. The Bulls would go on to win in 2OT.
Game 5:
The Bulls held a double digit lead, and Boston came back behind Paul Pierce. Gordon hit a tough shot over Stephon Marbury. Pierce tied with his own jumper, Brad Miller missed 2 free throws with 2 seconds remaining in overtime, and Boston won.
Game 6:
The Bulls had to come back from being down 8 in the final 2 minutes of regulation, and did so behind John Salmons. Ray Allen scored 51 points, but the Bulls won in 3OT.
Game 7:
The Celtics finished the Bulls off with a 10-point victory.
April 19 |
Philadelphia 76ers 100, Orlando Magic98 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 19–25, 19–29, 35–19 | ||
Pts: Andre Iguodala20 Rebs: Andre Iguodala8 Asts: Andre Iguodala8 |
Pts: Dwight Howard31 Rebs: Dwight Howard16 Asts: Rafer Alston5 | |
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
April 22 |
Philadelphia 76ers 87, Orlando Magic96 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 18–25, 23–24, 25–26 | ||
Pts: Andre Miller30 Rebs: Iguodala, Ratliff 8 each Asts: Andre Iguodala7 |
Pts: Courtney Lee24 Rebs: Dwight Howard10 Asts: Rashard Lewis6 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
April 24 |
Orlando Magic 94, Philadelphia 76ers96 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 28–35, 28–19, 17–17 | ||
Pts: Dwight Howard36 Rebs: Dwight Howard11 Asts: Courtney Lee5 |
Pts: Andre Iguodala29 Rebs: Miller, Dalembert 9 each Asts: Andre Miller7 | |
Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 |
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia |
April 26 |
Orlando Magic 84, Philadelphia 76ers81 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 12–14, 28–19, 20–26 | ||
Pts: Dwight Howard18 Rebs: Dwight Howard18 Asts: Rafer Alston5 |
Pts: Andre Miller17 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert9 Asts: Andre Iguodala11 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia |
April 28 |
Philadelphia 76ers 78, Orlando Magic 91 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 19–24, 21–24, 18–22 | ||
Pts: Andre Iguodala26 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert9 Asts: Andre Miller6 |
Pts: Howard, Lewis 24 each Rebs: Dwight Howard24 Asts: Alston, Türkoğlu 4 each | |
Orlando leads series, 3–2 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
April 30 |
Orlando Magic 114, Philadelphia 76ers89 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 30–19, 32–29, 25–24, 27–17 | ||
Pts: Rashard Lewis29 Rebs: Marcin Gortat15 Asts: Rafer Alston10 |
Pts: Andre Miller24 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert13 Asts: Andre Iguodala6 | |
Orlando wins series, 4–2 |
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia |
Orlando won 3–0 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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In Game 1, the Magic had an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter and Andre Iguodala scored a jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Sixers a road win over Hedo Türkoğlu. The Sixers almost managed another comeback in Game 2. The Magic led by 18 points midway through the third quarter before another late run by the Sixers brought the lead down to 5 points before the Magic finally won the game. The Sixers won Game 3 courtesy of another late shot; Thaddeus Young scored a layup with 2 seconds left to secure the win, despite a career playoff-high 36-point performance by Dwight Howard. The Magic secured a road win in Game 4 with their own late shot; Türkoğlu scored his own game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to even the series.
In Game 5, Dwight Howard had 24 points and a career playoff-high 24 rebounds, leading the Magic to a victory. Game 5 was marked with an elbowing incident by Howard on Samuel Dalembert, which led to a one-game suspension for Howard.[34] Rookie Courtney Lee also went down injured after taking an inadvertent elbow on the head from Howard. Despite losing two starters, Howard and Lee, the Magic won game 6, beating the Sixers on the road by 25 points to win the series.
April 19 |
Miami Heat 64, Atlanta Hawks 90 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 18–35, 18–17, 7–14 | ||
Pts: Dwyane Wade19 Rebs: Michael Beasley10 Asts: Dwyane Wade5 |
Pts: Josh Smith23 Rebs: Smith, Pachulia 10 each Asts: Mike Bibby9 | |
Atlanta leads series, 1–0 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
April 22 |
Miami Heat 108, Atlanta Hawks93 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 30–23, 29–31, 25–21 | ||
Pts: Dwyane Wade33 Rebs: Udonis Haslem8 Asts: Chalmers, Wade 7 each |
Pts: Mike Bibby18 Rebs: Al Horford11 Asts: Al Horford5 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
April 25 |
Atlanta Hawks 78, Miami Heat 107 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 17–28, 32–35, 17–32 | ||
Pts: three players 13 each Rebs: Josh Smith8 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Dwyane Wade29 Rebs: Udonis Haslem13 Asts: Dwyane Wade8 | |
Miami leads series, 2–1 |
American Airlines Arena, Miami |
April 27 |
Atlanta Hawks 81, Miami Heat71 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 22–25, 17–13, 18–16 | ||
Pts: Mike Bibby15 Rebs: Zaza Pachulia18 Asts: Joe Johnson5 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade22 Rebs: Udonis Haslem9 Asts: Dwyane Wade7 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
American Airlines Arena, Miami |
April 29 |
Miami Heat 91, Atlanta Hawks 106 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–39, 30–22, 21–21 | ||
Pts: Dwyane Wade29 Rebs: Udonis Haslem8 Asts: Mario Chalmers6 |
Pts: Joe Johnson25 Rebs: Josh Smith8 Asts: Joe Johnson6 | |
Atlanta leads series, 3–2 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
May 1 |
Atlanta Hawks 72, Miami Heat 98 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–32, 24–19, 14–27, 16–20 | ||
Pts: Mike Bibby20 Rebs: Josh Smith10 Asts: Mike Bibby3 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade41 Rebs: Michael Beasley15 Asts: Mario Chalmers8 | |
Series tied, 3–3 |
American Airlines Arena, Miami |
May 3 |
Miami Heat 78, Atlanta Hawks 91 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 18–29, 16–16, 26–26 | ||
Pts: Dwyane Wade31 Rebs: Udonis Haslem13 Asts: Chalmers, Wade 4 each |
Pts: Joe Johnson27 Rebs: Josh Smith9 Asts: Mike Bibby6 | |
Atlanta wins series, 4–3 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
Atlanta won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first meeting.
Atlanta leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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The Hawks opened the series with a 26-point win after leading by as much as 20 points at halftime. The Hawks also tied a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a playoff game. However, the Heat managed to rebound from the loss and won Game 2 on the road to tie the series. The Heat won Game 3 at home, almost in similar fashion as the Hawks' victory in Game 1. The Heat was already leading by 19 points at halftime and ended up winning by 29 points. In the next game, the Hawks bounced back and won a road game to even the series.
Game 5 was marked by several hard fouls and technical fouls. Dwyane Wade was fouled and sent tumbling down by Solomon Jones before a skirmish between Wade, Jones, Jamaal Magloire and Josh Smith started. All four players were given technical fouls in the incident. Wade was later called for a flagrant foul after he fouled Maurice Evans during a layup attempt. The flagrant foul was later rescinded by the officials after they reviewed the play.[36] The Hawks finally won the game, despite losing starting center Al Horford due to injury in the second quarter. The Heat evened the series at 3–3 after winning Game 6. Wade scored 41 points to lead the Heat to a 26-point rout over the Hawks. The Hawks finally won the series after winning Game 7 at home, with 13 points difference. All seven games of the series were decided by at least 10 points, with an average margin of 19 points.
April 19 |
Utah Jazz 100, Los Angeles Lakers 113 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 21–32, 33–24, 27–27 | ||
Pts: Carlos Boozer27 Rebs: Carlos Boozer9 Asts: Deron Williams17 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant24 Rebs: Pau Gasol9 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
April 21 |
Utah Jazz 109, Los Angeles Lakers 119 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 29–41, 26–25, 23–23, 31–30 | ||
Pts: Deron Williams35 Rebs: Carlos Boozer10 Asts: Deron Williams10 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant26 Rebs: Gasol, Bryant 6 each Asts: Ariza, Bryant 9 each | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
April 23 |
Los Angeles Lakers 86, Utah Jazz88 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 22–17, 29–17, 18–28 | ||
Pts: Lamar Odom21 Rebs: Lamar Odom14 Asts: Kobe Bryant6 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer23 Rebs: Carlos Boozer22 Asts: Deron Williams9 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 |
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City |
April 25 |
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Utah Jazz94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 40–28, 28–16, 20–25 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant38 Rebs: Lamar Odom15 Asts: Lamar Odom6 |
Pts: Williams, Boozer 23 each Rebs: Carlos Boozer16 Asts: Deron Williams13 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 |
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City |
April 27 |
Utah Jazz 96, Los Angeles Lakers 107 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 17–30, 20–26, 33–25 | ||
Pts: Paul Millsap16 Rebs: Mehmet Okur8 Asts: Deron Williams6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant31 Rebs: Lamar Odom15 Asts: four players 4 each | |
LA Lakers win series, 4–1 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
Los Angeles won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece.
Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 19 |
New Orleans Hornets 84, Denver Nuggets 113 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–28, 22–32, 15–26 | ||
Pts: Chris Paul21 Rebs: David West6 Asts: Chris Paul11 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups36 Rebs: Nenê14 Asts: Chauncey Billups8 | |
Denver leads series, 1–0 |
Pepsi Center, Denver |
April 22 |
New Orleans Hornets 93, Denver Nuggets 108 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 19–25, 27–29, 22–27 | ||
Pts: David West21 Rebs: Tyson Chandler11 Asts: Chris Paul13 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups31 Rebs: Nenê8 Asts: Carmelo Anthony9 | |
Denver leads series, 2–0 |
Pepsi Center, Denver |
April 25 |
Denver Nuggets 93, New Orleans Hornets 95 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 21–29, 25–27, 21–18 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony25 Rebs: Kenyon Martin10 Asts: Chauncey Billups6 |
Pts: Chris Paul32 Rebs: West, Posey 9 each Asts: Chris Paul12 | |
Denver leads series, 2–1 |
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans |
April 27 |
Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets63 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 36–15, 25–24, 27–11, 33–13 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony26 Rebs: Chris Andersen8 Asts: Chauncey Billups8 |
Pts: David West14 Rebs: James Posey7 Asts: Chris Paul6 | |
Denver leads series, 3–1 |
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans |
April 29 |
New Orleans Hornets 86, Denver Nuggets 107 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–25, 17–31, 20–27 | ||
Pts: David West24 Rebs: David West9 Asts: Chris Paul10 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony34 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups11 | |
Denver wins series 4–1 |
Pepsi Center, Denver |
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[38]
The Nuggets routed the Hornets in Game 1, led by hometown player Chauncey Billups's 36 points in his playoff debut for the Nuggets. He sank a career playoff-high 8 three-pointers and added 8 assists in the game. He continued his form in Game 2, scoring 31 points as the Nuggets took a 2–0 lead in the series. The Hornets bounced back with a victory in Game 3. Game 3 was marked with plenty of fouls, with a total of 58 personal fouls in the game, resulting in four players fouling out of the game, David West and Tyson Chandler for the Hornets, and Kenyon Martin and Nenê for the Nuggets. The referees also called three flagrant fouls from James Posey, Chandler and Billups. Hornets' head coach Byron Scott was also called for a technical foul after arguing on Posey's flagrant foul.
The Nuggets then pulled a 58-point win in Game 4. The margin tied the most lopsided victory in playoff history set 53 years ago by the Minneapolis Lakers. The Hornets recorded a playoff-low in points and also a playoff-high 26 turnovers, which led to 41 Nuggets' points. The Nuggets then recorded their first series win since 1994 after a victory in Game 5. Carmelo Anthony scored his career playoff-high with 34 points as the Nuggets cruised to another double-digit win. The average margin of victory in the Nuggets's four wins was 30.75 points.
April 18 |
Dallas Mavericks 105, San Antonio Spurs97 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 27–20, 29–25, 31–23 | ||
Pts: Josh Howard25 Rebs: Erick Dampier11 Asts: Jason Kidd5 |
Pts: Tim Duncan27 Rebs: Tim Duncan9 Asts: Tony Parker8 | |
Dallas leads series, 1–0 |
AT&T Center, San Antonio |
April 20 |
Dallas Mavericks 84, San Antonio Spurs 105 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 27–27, 17–28, 21–20 | ||
Pts: Jason Terry16 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki6 Asts: Jason Kidd5 |
Pts: Tony Parker38 Rebs: Tim Duncan11 Asts: Tony Parker8 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
AT&T Center, San Antonio |
April 23 |
San Antonio Spurs 67, Dallas Mavericks88 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 14–19, 12–29, 25–13 | ||
Pts: Tony Parker12 Rebs: Kurt Thomas10 Asts: Tony Parker3 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki20 Rebs: Erick Dampier9 Asts: José Juan Barea6 | |
Dallas leads series, 2–1 |
American Airlines Center, Dallas |
April 25 |
San Antonio Spurs 90, Dallas Mavericks99 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 26–19, 16–29, 19–19 | ||
Pts: Tony Parker43 Rebs: Tim Duncan10 Asts: Tim Duncan7 |
Pts: Josh Howard28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki13 Asts: Jason Kidd7 | |
Dallas leads series, 3–1 |
American Airlines Center, Dallas |
April 28 |
Dallas Mavericks 106, San Antonio Spurs93 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 21–28, 30–19, 24–26 | ||
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki31 Rebs: Erick Dampier12 Asts: Jason Kidd6 |
Pts: Tim Duncan30 Rebs: Tim Duncan8 Asts: Tony Parker12 | |
Dallas wins series, 4–1 |
AT&T Center, San Antonio |
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning two of the first three meetings.
San Antonio leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
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April 18 |
Houston Rockets 108, Portland Trail Blazers81 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 28–21, 23–14, 23–23 | ||
Pts: Aaron Brooks27 Rebs: Dikembe Mutombo9 Asts: Aaron Brooks7 |
Pts: Brandon Roy21 Rebs: four players 5 each Asts: Steve Blake6 | |
Houston leads series, 1–0 |
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |
April 21 |
Houston Rockets 103, Portland Trail Blazers 107 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 25–25, 21–19, 31–35 | ||
Pts: Aaron Brooks23 Rebs: Yao Ming8 Asts: Aaron Brooks5 |
Pts: Brandon Roy42 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge12 Asts: Steve Blake5 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |
April 24 |
Portland Trail Blazers 83, Houston Rockets86 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 22–27, 22–18, 24–20 | ||
Pts: Brandon Roy19 Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge8 Asts: Steve Blake10 |
Pts: Luis Scola19 Rebs: Yao Ming13 Asts: Aaron Brooks5 | |
Houston leads series, 2–1 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
April 26 |
Portland Trail Blazers 88, Houston Rockets 89 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 22–20, 26–14, 18–25 | ||
Pts: Brandon Roy31 Rebs: Joel Przybilla12 Asts: Steve Blake8 |
Pts: Yao Ming21 Rebs: Yao Ming12 Asts: Ron Artest9 | |
Houston leads series, 3–1 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
April 28 |
Houston Rockets 77, Portland Trail Blazers 88 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 17–21, 19–14, 15–24 | ||
Pts: Luis Scola19 Rebs: Yao Ming10 Asts: Ron Artest5 |
Pts: Aldridge, Roy 25 each Rebs: Aldridge, Blake 7 each Asts: Joel Przybilla4 | |
Houston leads series, 3–2 |
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |
April 30 |
Portland Trail Blazers 76, Houston Rockets 92 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 18–31, 19–21, 20–18 | ||
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge26 Rebs: Przybilla, Fernández 8 each Asts: Steve Blake5 |
Pts: Ron Artest27 Rebs: Yao Ming10 Asts: Kyle Lowry3 | |
Houston wins series, 4–2 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
Game 2 is Dikembe Mutombo's final NBA game.
Houston won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first two meetings.
Houston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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May 5 |
Atlanta Hawks 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 99 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 23–24, 17–28, 11–22 | ||
Pts: Josh Smith22 Rebs: Al Horford8 Asts: Mike Bibby8 |
Pts: LeBron James34 Rebs: LeBron James10 Asts: Delonte West9 | |
Cleveland leads series, 1–0 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
May 7 |
Atlanta Hawks 85, Cleveland Cavaliers 105 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 18–33, 20–26, 30–20 | ||
Pts: Maurice Evans16 Rebs: Zaza Pachulia12 Asts: Maurice Evans4 |
Pts: LeBron James27 Rebs: Anderson Varejão8 Asts: James, Williams 5 each | |
Cleveland leads series, 2–0 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
May 9 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Atlanta Hawks82 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 25–28, 25–19, 25–17 | ||
Pts: LeBron James47 Rebs: LeBron James12 Asts: LeBron James8 |
Pts: Joe Johnson17 Rebs: Smith, Johnson 5 each Asts: Mike Bibby5 | |
Cleveland leads series, 3–0 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
May 11 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 84, Atlanta Hawks74 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 25–16, 22–19, 22–17 | ||
Pts: LeBron James27 Rebs: Anderson Varejão11 Asts: LeBron James8 |
Pts: Josh Smith26 Rebs: Josh Smith8 Asts: Joe Johnson7 | |
Cleveland wins series, 4–0 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta |
Cleveland won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Cavaliers.[41]
May 4 |
Orlando Magic 95, Boston Celtics90 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 30–17, 24–26, 17–28 | ||
Pts: Rashard Lewis18 Rebs: Dwight Howard22 Asts: Rafer Alston7 |
Pts: Paul Pierce23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins16 Asts: Rajon Rondo8 | |
Orlando leads series, 1–0 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
May 6 |
Orlando Magic 94, Boston Celtics 112 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–35, 18–25, 30–26 | ||
Pts: Lewis, Piétrus 17 each Rebs: Dwight Howard12 Asts: Anthony Johnson7 |
Pts: Eddie House31 Rebs: Rajon Rondo11 Asts: Rajon Rondo18 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
May 8 |
Boston Celtics 96, Orlando Magic 117 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 23–31, 28–25, 27–39 | ||
Pts: Paul Pierce27 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins7 Asts: Pierce, Rondo 6 each |
Pts: Rashard Lewis28 Rebs: Dwight Howard14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu4 | |
Orlando leads series, 2–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
May 10 |
Boston Celtics 95, Orlando Magic94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–18, 31–25, 16–23 | ||
Pts: Paul Pierce27 Rebs: Rajon Rondo14 Asts: Allen, Perkins 4 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard23 Rebs: Dwight Howard17 Asts: JJ Redick7 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
May 12 |
Orlando Magic 88, Boston Celtics 92 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 23–21, 22–22, 21–33 | ||
Pts: Rashard Lewis19 Rebs: Dwight Howard17 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu7 |
Pts: Glen Davis22 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins11 Asts: Paul Pierce8 | |
Boston leads series, 3–2 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
May 14 |
Boston Celtics 75, Orlando Magic 83 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 21–23, 16–16, 13–22 | ||
Pts: Rajon Rondo19 Rebs: Rajon Rondo16 Asts: Rajon Rondo6 |
Pts: Dwight Howard23 Rebs: Dwight Howard22 Asts: three players 3 each | |
Series tied, 3–3 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
May 17 |
Orlando Magic 101, Boston Celtics82 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 18–21, 21–23, 35–21 | ||
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu25 Rebs: Dwight Howard16 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu12 |
Pts: Ray Allen23 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins15 Asts: Rajon Rondo10 | |
Orlando wins series, 4–3 |
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston |
This was the first time the Celtics lost a series when leading 3–2. Game 7 is Stephon Marbury's last NBA game.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first meeting.
Orlando leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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May 4 |
Houston Rockets 100, Los Angeles Lakers92 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 22–22, 27–27, 30–25 | ||
Pts: Yao Ming28 Rebs: Yao Ming10 Asts: Ron Artest7 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant32 Rebs: Pau Gasol13 Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each | |
Houston leads series, 1–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 6 |
Houston Rockets 98, Los Angeles Lakers 111 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–39, 32–18, 20–29, 21–25 | ||
Pts: Ron Artest25 Rebs: Yao, Landry 10 each Asts: Ron Artest5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant40 Rebs: Pau Gasol14 Asts: Luke Walton5 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 8 |
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Houston Rockets94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 20–18, 24–16, 34–32 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant33 Rebs: Lamar Odom13 Asts: Jordan Farmar7 |
Pts: Ron Artest25 Rebs: Yao Ming14 Asts: Shane Battier7 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
May 10 |
Los Angeles Lakers 87, Houston Rockets 99 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 20–25, 18–29, 33–16 | ||
Pts: Pau Gasol30 Rebs: Pau Gasol9 Asts: Kobe Bryant5 |
Pts: Aaron Brooks34 Rebs: Luis Scola14 Asts: Ron Artest6 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
May 12 |
Houston Rockets 78, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 15–29, 15–30, 24–24 | ||
Pts: Aaron Brooks14 Rebs: Luis Scola13 Asts: Scola, Lowry 4 each |
Pts: Kobe Bryant26 Rebs: Pau Gasol13 Asts: Jordan Farmar6 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 14 |
Los Angeles Lakers 80, Houston Rockets 95 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 15–27, 21–25, 29–22, 15–21 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant32 Rebs: Lamar Odom14 Asts: Kobe Bryant3 |
Pts: Aaron Brooks26 Rebs: Luis Scola12 Asts: three players 4 each | |
Series tied, 3–3 |
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas |
May 17 |
Houston Rockets 70, Los Angeles Lakers 89 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 19–29, 19–18, 20–20 | ||
Pts: Aaron Brooks13 Rebs: Ron Artest8 Asts: Ron Artest5 |
Pts: Pau Gasol21 Rebs: Pau Gasol18 Asts: Kobe Bryant5 | |
LA Lakers win series, 4–3 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
Los Angeles won 4–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first seven meetings.
Los Angeles leads 4–3 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May 3 |
Dallas Mavericks 95, Denver Nuggets 109 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 23–35, 28–31, 20–27 | ||
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki10 Asts: José Juan Barea5 |
Pts: Nenê24 Rebs: Chris Andersen6 Asts: Billups, Smith 6 each | |
Denver leads series, 1–0 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
May 5 |
Dallas Mavericks 105, Denver Nuggets 117 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 33–28, 28–28, 22–31 | ||
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki35 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki9 Asts: Jason Kidd7 |
Pts: Anthony, Nenê 25 each Rebs: Chris Andersen9 Asts: Chauncey Billups8 | |
Denver leads series, 2–0 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
May 9 |
Denver Nuggets 106, Dallas Mavericks 105 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 28–25, 31–35, 27–25 | ||
Pts: Chauncey Billups32 Rebs: Nenê, Anthony 8 each Asts: Nenê4 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki33 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki16 Asts: Jason Kidd5 | |
Denver leads series, 3–0 |
American Airlines Center, Dallas |
May 11 |
Denver Nuggets 117, Dallas Mavericks 119 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 27–30, 29–32, 27–34 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony41 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony11 Asts: Chauncey Billups7 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki44 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki13 Asts: Jason Kidd6 | |
Denver leads series, 3–1 |
American Airlines Center, Dallas |
May 13 |
Dallas Mavericks 110, Denver Nuggets 124 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 28–35, 25–25, 30–30 | ||
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki32 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki10 Asts: Jason Kidd9 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony30 Rebs: Billups, Nenê 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups12 | |
Denver wins series, 4–1 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
Denver won 4–0 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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May 20 |
Orlando Magic 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 106 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 29–30, 30–19, 29–24 | ||
Pts: Dwight Howard30 Rebs: Dwight Howard13 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu14 |
Pts: LeBron James49 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas10 Asts: LeBron James8 | |
Orlando leads series, 1–0 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
May 22 |
Orlando Magic 95, Cleveland Cavaliers 96 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 16–30, 28–26, 25–19, 26–21 | ||
Pts: Rashard Lewis23 Rebs: Dwight Howard18 Asts: three players 4 each |
Pts: LeBron James35 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas15 Asts: James, Williams 5 each | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
May 24 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Orlando Magic 99 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 24–18, 22–26, 26–31 | ||
Pts: LeBron James41 Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas9 Asts: LeBron James9 |
Pts: Dwight Howard24 Rebs: Hedo Türkoğlu10 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu7 | |
Orlando leads series, 2–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
May 26 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Orlando Magic 116 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 33–29, 21–28, 21–22, Overtime: 14–16 | ||
Pts: LeBron James44 Rebs: LeBron James12 Asts: James, West 7 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard27 Rebs: Dwight Howard14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu8 | |
Orlando leads series, 3–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
May 28 |
Orlando Magic 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 112 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–35, 37–21, 24–22, 23–34 | ||
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu29 Rebs: Dwight Howard10 Asts: Rafer Alston4 |
Pts: LeBron James37 Rebs: LeBron James14 Asts: LeBron James12 | |
Orlando leads series, 3–2 |
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio |
May 30 |
Cleveland Cavaliers 90, Orlando Magic 103 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 15–28, 30–28, 20–17 | ||
Pts: LeBron James25 Rebs: Anderson Varejão8 Asts: LeBron James7 |
Pts: Dwight Howard40 Rebs: Dwight Howard14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu5 | |
Orlando wins series, 4–2 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
Orlando won 2–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Magic.[45]
In Game 1, LeBron James dominated with a 49-point performance, while Howard had 30. Early in the game, Howard made a thunderous jam that caused the shot clock to fall backwards. Although James had a potential game-winning three-point play, a furious rally and a game-winning three-pointer by Rashard Lewis allowed the Magic to escape with a victory in game 1. Much like Game 1, Game 2 had the Cavs with an 18-point lead by the second quarter, only for the Magic to rally back in the closing minutes. A jump shot by Hedo Türkoğlu gave the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left on the clock, but LeBron James hit a three-pointer to tie the series at the buzzer. In Game 3, the Magic dominated at home, leading to a 10-point victory behind Dwight Howard's 24 points. In Game 4, two clutch free throws by LeBron James sent the game into overtime. While James dominated with 44 (his third 40-point game of the playoffs), an off half-court shot allowed the Magic to escape again with a victory. Down 3–1, James' triple-double allowed his team to stave off elimination in Game 5. After a win in Game 6, the Magic received their second NBA Finals berth in franchise history.
May 19 |
Denver Nuggets 103, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 23–32, 22–19, 27–31 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony39 Rebs: Kenyon Martin8 Asts: Chauncey Billups8 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant40 Rebs: Pau Gasol14 Asts: Derek Fisher6 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 21 |
Denver Nuggets 106, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 31–24, 26–26, 26–22 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony34 Rebs: Anthony, Nenê 9 each Asts: Nenê6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant32 Rebs: Pau Gasol17 Asts: Luke Walton4 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 23 |
Los Angeles Lakers 103, Denver Nuggets97 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–24, 23–27, 32–18 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant41 Rebs: Pau Gasol11 Asts: Kobe Bryant5 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony21 Rebs: Andersen, Martin 7 each Asts: Chauncey Billups7 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
May 25 |
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Denver Nuggets 120 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 26–30, 21–25, 35–43 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant34 Rebs: Pau Gasol10 Asts: Bryant, Walton 5 each |
Pts: Billups, Smith 24 each Rebs: Kenyon Martin15 Asts: Nenê6 | |
Series tied, 2–2 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
May 27 |
Denver Nuggets 94, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 31–31, 20–20, 18–27 | ||
Pts: Carmelo Anthony31 Rebs: Nenê, Andersen 8 each Asts: Chauncey Billups5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant22 Rebs: Lamar Odom14 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
May 29 |
Los Angeles Lakers 119, Denver Nuggets92 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 28–20, 30–27, 36–25 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant35 Rebs: Pau Gasol12 Asts: Kobe Bryant10 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony25 Rebs: Nenê6 Asts: Chauncey Billups9 | |
LA Lakers win series, 4–2 |
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |
Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings.
Before the playoff matchup had happened, professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment had booked its television program Monday Night Raw on August 15, 2008 at the Pepsi CenterbyVince McMahon for May 25, 2009 show. Because the Nuggets needed the arena for games 3, 4 and 6, the WWE had decided to relocate Raw (and later the Friday Night SmackDown/ECW tapings) to Staples Center, the site of games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and Denver was given a house show on August 7 instead.[46][47] The debacle would be a subject of a main event that night in a 10-man tag team match when a babyface team of John Cena, Batista, Montel Vontavious Porter, Jerry Lawler and Mr. Kennedy donning Lakers jerseys took on heels The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Jr. and ShoMiz (The Big Show and The Miz) in Nuggets jerseys. Team Lakers would emerge victorious afterwards.[48]
Los Angeles leads 4–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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June 4 |
Orlando Magic 75, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 19–31, 15–29, 17–18 | ||
Pts: Mickaël Piétrus14 Rebs: Dwight Howard15 Asts: Jameer Nelson4 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant40 Rebs: Lamar Odom14 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
June 7 |
Orlando Magic 96, Los Angeles Lakers 101 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 20–25, 30–23, 23–25, Overtime: 8–13 | ||
Pts: Rashard Lewis34 Rebs: Dwight Howard16 Asts: Rashard Lewis7 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant29 Rebs: Pau Gasol10 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 |
Staples Center, Los Angeles |
June 9 |
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Orlando Magic 108 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 23–32, 21–22, 29–27 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant31 Rebs: Trevor Ariza7 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 |
Pts: Howard, Lewis 21 each Rebs: Dwight Howard14 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu7 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
June 11 |
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic 91 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 17–25, 30–14, 20–24, Overtime: 12–4 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant32 Rebs: Pau Gasol10 Asts: Kobe Bryant8 |
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu25 Rebs: Dwight Howard21 Asts: Rashard Lewis4 | |
LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
June 14 |
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic86 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 30–18, 20–15, 23–25 | ||
Pts: Kobe Bryant30 Rebs: Pau Gasol15 Asts: Kobe Bryant5 |
Pts: Rashard Lewis18 Rebs: Howard, Lewis 10 each Asts: Lewis, Nelson 4 each | |
LA Lakers win series, 4–1 |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida |
Orlando won 2–0 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Magic.[50]
Category | High | Average | |||||
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Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
Points | Ray Allen | Boston Celtics | 51 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | 35.3 | 14 |
Rebounds | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 24 | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 15.3 | 23 |
Assists | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics | 19 | Deron Williams | Utah Jazz | 10.8 | 5 |
Steals | Glen Davis | Boston Celtics | 6 | Mario Chalmers | Miami Heat | 2.9 | 7 |
Blocks | Dwight Howard | Orlando Magic | 9 | Tyrus Thomas | Chicago Bulls | 2.9 | 7 |