 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 17–June 9, 1985 |
| Season | 1984–85 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (9th title) |
| Runner-up | Boston Celtics |
| Semifinalists |
|
← 1984
1986 →
| |
The 1985 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1984–85 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time (he had won the award under his birth name, Lew Alcindor, as a Buck in 1971).
The Lakers had been unsuccessful in their previous eight attempts to defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, losing 7 times from 1959–1969 and 1984. The Lakers, moreover, won the title in Boston, something no other NBA team would accomplish until 2022, and would be the only road team to clinch the title at Boston Garden.
The Cavaliers made the playoffs for the first time since 1978.
It was also the first time that all three teams from Texas made the playoffs in the same year.
The Denver Nuggets advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 1978 and would not advance that far again until 2009. The Philadelphia 76ers, on the other hand, advanced to the conference finals for the fifth time in six years, but would not reach that level again until 2001.
It was also the first time that Turner Broadcasting was covering the playoffs as TBS was the home for some playoff games.
Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Spectrum forced a Phil Collins concert at the arena to be rescheduled to the fall of 1985, as noted by Charlie Van Dyke when he sub-hosted an episode of American Top 40onJuly 6 of that year.
| First Rounds | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Cleveland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E5 | New Jersey | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Washington | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Phoenix | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Portland | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Denver* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W7 | San Antonio | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
April 18 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 123, Boston Celtics 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 28–39, 40–31, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Roy Hinson24 Rebs: Roy Hinson11 Asts: John Bagley11 |
Pts: Larry Bird40 Rebs: Kevin McHale12 Asts: Dennis Johnson11 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 20 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 106, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 28–31, 24–24, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: World B. Free25 Rebs: Roy Hinson6 Asts: World B. Free7 |
Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: Bird, Parish 11 each Asts: Larry Bird7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 23 |
| Boston Celtics 98, Cleveland Cavaliers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 21–30, 21–21, 32–29 | ||
| Pts: Scott Wedman30 Rebs: Kevin McHale11 Asts: Dennis Johnson10 |
Pts: World B. Free32 Rebs: Roy Hinson9 Asts: John Bagley15 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio |
April 25 |
| Boston Celtics 117, Cleveland Cavaliers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 31–33, 31–23, 23–26 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird34 Rebs: Larry Bird14 Asts: Larry Bird7 |
Pts: World B. Free30 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton8 Asts: John Bagley10 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 | ||
Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio |
| Boston won 6–0 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 19 |
| Chicago Bulls 100, Milwaukee Bucks 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 24–27, 19–22, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: Quintin Dailey25 Rebs: David Greenwood13 Asts: Michael Jordan10 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief30 Rebs: Paul Mokeski10 Asts: Paul Pressey9 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 21 |
| Chicago Bulls 115, Milwaukee Bucks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–30, 22–29, 32–29, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan30 Rebs: Jawann Oldham9 Asts: Michael Jordan12 |
Pts: Terry Cummings30 Rebs: Terry Cummings9 Asts: Terry Cummings11 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 24 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 107, Chicago Bulls 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–29, 24–29, 26–24, 26–27 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings37 Rebs: Terry Cummings9 Asts: Moncrief, Pressey 5 each |
Pts: Michael Jordan35 Rebs: Sidney Green9 Asts: Michael Jordan7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois |
April 26 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 105, Chicago Bulls97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 28–18, 28–25, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings29 Rebs: Terry Cummings12 Asts: Paul Pressey4 |
Pts: Michael Jordan29 Rebs: Dave Corzine9 Asts: Michael Jordan5 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–1 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
April 17 |
| Washington Bullets 97, Philadelphia 76ers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 27–27, 28–21, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Cliff Robinson24 Rebs: Jeff Ruland10 Asts: Gus Williams8 |
Pts: Moses Malone26 Rebs: Charles Barkley12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks6 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 21 |
| Washington Bullets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 25–30, 19–25, 23–32 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone30 Rebs: Cliff Robinson11 Asts: Darren Daye9 |
Pts: Andrew Toney31 Rebs: Malone, Barkley 14 each Asts: Maurice Cheeks5 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Washington Bullets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–28, 20–32, 13–30, 32–28 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone17 Rebs: Charles Barkley11 Asts: Andrew Toney5 |
Pts: Gus Williams28 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Ruland, Johnson 5 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 106, Washington Bullets98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 34–23, 13–21, 32–30 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving25 Rebs: Charles Barkley14 Asts: Clint Richardson4 |
Pts: Jeff Malone24 Rebs: Jeff Ruland10 Asts: Jeff Ruland7 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 3–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
| Philadelphia won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning two of the first three meetings.
| Washington leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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April 18 |
| New Jersey Nets 105, Detroit Pistons 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–39, 19–25, 28–29, 32–32 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams23 Rebs: Buck Williams9 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson10 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer23 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas11 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
April 21 |
| New Jersey Nets 111, Detroit Pistons 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 27–32, 31–23, 21–34 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams23 Rebs: Buck Williams11 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson14 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas29 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer12 Asts: Isiah Thomas14 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
April 24 |
| Detroit Pistons 116, New Jersey Nets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 36–30, 26–28, 32–24 | ||
| Pts: Terry Tyler23 Rebs: Tripucka, Tyler 11 each Asts: Isiah Thomas11 |
Pts: Williams, King 28 each Rebs: Buck Williams12 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson10 | |
| Detroit wins series, 3–0 | ||
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
| New Jersey won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Nets.[4]
April 18 |
| Phoenix Suns 114, Los Angeles Lakers 142 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–45, 27–32, 35–36, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Charles Pittman22 Rebs: Maurice Lucas11 Asts: Jay Humphries8 |
Pts: Mike McGee22 Rebs: Cooper, McAdoo 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 130, Los Angeles Lakers 147 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–42, 34–33, 25–35, 40–37 | ||
| Pts: Alvan Adams23 Rebs: Maurice Lucas9 Asts: Maurice Lucas6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar24 Rebs: Kurt Rambis7 Asts: Cooper, Johnson 12 each | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 23 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 119, Phoenix Suns 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 43–30, 18–22, 33–26 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy23 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson11 |
Pts: Maurice Lucas26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas13 Asts: Adams, Holton 5 each | |
| LA Lakers win series, 3–0 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Los Angeles won 5–1 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.
| Los Angeles leads 4–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 18 |
| San Antonio Spurs 111, Denver Nuggets 141 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 27–33, 32–36, 28–37 | ||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell23 Rebs: Ozell Jones8 Asts: Johnny Moore5 |
Pts: Alex English33 Rebs: Elston Turner8 Asts: Fat Lever11 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 20 |
| San Antonio Spurs 113, Denver Nuggets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–31, 28–25, 29–29, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin41 Rebs: Artis Gilmore12 Asts: Johnny Moore8 |
Pts: Alex English29 Rebs: Wayne Cooper10 Asts: Fat Lever13 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 23 |
| Denver Nuggets 115, San Antonio Spurs 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 28–22, 34–28, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Alex English27 Rebs: Calvin Natt8 Asts: Calvin Natt8 |
Pts: George Gervin30 Rebs: Artis Gilmore14 Asts: Johnny Moore9 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 111, San Antonio Spurs 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–32, 29–26, 31–27, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Alex English27 Rebs: Alex English8 Asts: Fat Lever7 |
Pts: Mike Mitchell37 Rebs: Artis Gilmore13 Asts: Johnny Moore16 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 28 |
| San Antonio Spurs 99, Denver Nuggets 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 21–34, 24–32, 30–29 | ||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore19 Rebs: Gilmore, Iavaroni 8 each Asts: Johnny Moore4 |
Pts: Alex English33 Rebs: Calvin Natt10 Asts: Fat Lever10 | |
| Denver wins series, 3–2 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting.
| San Antonio leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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April 19 |
| Utah Jazz 115, Houston Rockets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 32–15, 21–33, 34–25 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley34 Rebs: Thurl Bailey10 Asts: Rickey Green10 |
Pts: Ralph Sampson26 Rebs: Ralph Sampson24 Asts: Lionel Hollins7 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 21 |
| Utah Jazz 96, Houston Rockets 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 18–34, 29–26, 24–33 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Wilkins22 Rebs: Jeff Wilkins12 Asts: Green, Stockton 6 each |
Pts: Lewis Lloyd27 Rebs: Ralph Sampson14 Asts: Lloyd, Lucas 6 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 24 |
| Houston Rockets 104, Utah Jazz 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 26–27, 33–29, 22–32 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon26 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon16 Asts: John Lucas7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley29 Rebs: Bailey, Stockton 11 each Asts: Rickey Green10 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 26 |
| Houston Rockets 96, Utah Jazz94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 19–25, 29–19, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Sampson, Olajuwon 18 each Rebs: Ralph Sampson18 Asts: John Lucas5 |
Pts: Rickey Green22 Rebs: Thurl Bailey12 Asts: Rickey Green11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
April 28 |
| Utah Jazz 104, Houston Rockets97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 19-18, 28–32, 37–21 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley25 Rebs: Mark Eaton10 Asts: Rickey Green6 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon32 Rebs: Ralph Sampson10 Asts: Hakeem Olajuwon14 | |
| Utah wins series, 3–2 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Jazz.[7]
April 18 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 131, Dallas Mavericks 139 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 33–25, 28–40, 27–24, Overtime: 9–9, 10–18 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe25 Rebs: Sam Bowie14 Asts: Darnell Valentine13 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman43 Rebs: Mark Aguirre14 Asts: Rolando Blackman6 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 20 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 124, Dallas Mavericks 121 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–25, 28–20, 35–32, 32–33, Overtime: 14–11 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe27 Rebs: Sam Bowie20 Asts: Clyde Drexler12 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman41 Rebs: Sam Perkins19 Asts: Derek Harper8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas |
April 23 |
| Dallas Mavericks 109, Portland Trail Blazers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 34–25, 25–35, 22–31 | ||
| Pts: Blackman, Aguirre 30 each Rebs: Perkins, Vincent 9 each Asts: Brad Davis5 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe24 Rebs: Sam Bowie11 Asts: Clyde Drexler10 | |
| Portland leads series, 2–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
April 25 |
| Dallas Mavericks 113, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 31–30, 28–33, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre39 Rebs: Sam Perkins10 Asts: Brad Davis8 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe27 Rebs: Kenny Carr10 Asts: Darnell Valentine9 | |
| Portland wins series, 3–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
| Dallas won 4–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers.[8]
April 28 |
| Detroit Pistons 99, Boston Celtics 133 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–35, 24–29, 20–37, 26–32 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas23 Rebs: three players 5 each Asts: Isiah Thomas8 |
Pts: Robert Parish27 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Ainge, Williams 7 each | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
April 30 |
| Detroit Pistons 114, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–32, 17–27, 28–27, 33–35 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas28 Rebs: Thomas, Laimbeer 9 each Asts: Isiah Thomas15 |
Pts: Larry Bird42 Rebs: McHale, Bird 10 each Asts: Dennis Johnson7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 2 |
| Boston Celtics 117, Detroit Pistons 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–38, 28–24, 34–36, 21–27 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson27 Rebs: Larry Bird13 Asts: Larry Bird8 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer27 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas16 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
May 5 |
| Boston Celtics 99, Detroit Pistons 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 30–28, 34–22, 12–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale24 Rebs: Kevin McHale10 Asts: Larry Bird7 |
Pts: Vinnie Johnson34 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer12 Asts: Isiah Thomas10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
May 8 |
| Detroit Pistons 123, Boston Celtics 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–38, 34–30, 23–27, 33–35 | ||
| Pts: Vinnie Johnson30 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas7 |
Pts: Larry Bird43 Rebs: Larry Bird13 Asts: D. Johnson, Ainge 6 each | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 10 |
| Boston Celtics 123, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–31, 27–21, 29–34, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson22 Rebs: Robert Parish13 Asts: Danny Ainge9 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas37 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer13 Asts: Isiah Thomas9 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 | ||
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan |
| Boston won 4–2 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 28 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 127, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–24, 29–27, 28–23, 33–31 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone27 Rebs: Charles Barkley8 Asts: Maurice Cheeks9 |
Pts: Terry Cummings17 Rebs: Paul Pressey10 Asts: Hodges, Pressey 8 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
April 30 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 112, Milwaukee Bucks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 29–22, 28–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone25 Rebs: Julius Erving10 Asts: Maurice Cheeks9 |
Pts: Terry Cummings41 Rebs: Cummings, Lister 12 each Asts: Paul Pressey16 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
May 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 104, Philadelphia 76ers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 20–23, 34–28, 27–24 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings21 Rebs: Cummings, Lister 8 each Asts: Paul Pressey7 |
Pts: Andrew Toney20 Rebs: Moses Malone13 Asts: Toney, Cheeks 7 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 5 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 112, Philadelphia 76ers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 27–22, 26–31, 35–38 | ||
| Pts: Moncrief, Pressey 25 each Rebs: Alton Lister14 Asts: Sidney Moncrief8 |
Pts: Moses Malone31 Rebs: Moses Malone13 Asts: Andrew Toney11 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 | ||
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 the 76ers winning three of the first four meetings.
| Philadelphia leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April 27 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 101, Los Angeles Lakers 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–33, 21–40, 27–28, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Steve Colter26 Rebs: Kenny Carr10 Asts: Steve Colter8 |
Pts: Byron Scott20 Rebs: Kurt Rambis14 Asts: Magic Johnson12 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 30 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 118, Los Angeles Lakers 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–39, 20–30, 33–32, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe23 Rebs: Kenny Carr12 Asts: Darnell Valentine9 |
Pts: Byron Scott31 Rebs: Magic Johnson9 Asts: Magic Johnson18 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 3 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 130, Portland Trail Blazers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–32, 37–24, 32–36, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy28 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, McAdoo 9 each Asts: Magic Johnson23 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe27 Rebs: Clyde Drexler11 Asts: Clyde Drexler14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
May 5 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 107, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 19–36, 25–27, 33–29 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar17 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: VanDeWeghe, Thompson 17 each Rebs: Mychal Thompson10 Asts: Clyde Drexler10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
May 7 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 120, Los Angeles Lakers 139 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 27–35, 24–32, 37–39 | ||
| Pts: Jerome Kersey18 Rebs: Kenny Carr11 Asts: Clyde Drexler12 |
Pts: Magic Johnson34 Rebs: Magic Johnson9 Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Los Angeles won 5–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||
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April 30 |
| Utah Jazz 113, Denver Nuggets 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–36, 27–37, 23–32, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley28 Rebs: Dantley, Kelley 9 each Asts: Rickey Green6 |
Pts: Alex English31 Rebs: Fat Lever16 Asts: Fat Lever18 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 2 |
| Utah Jazz 123, Denver Nuggets 131 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–32, 32–38, 32–24, 21–25, Overtime: 4–12 | ||
| Pts: Rickey Green25 Rebs: Adrian Dantley14 Asts: Rickey Green10 |
Pts: Alex English26 Rebs: Fat Lever13 Asts: Alex English12 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 4 |
| Denver Nuggets 123, Utah Jazz 131 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–37, 34–30, 38–32, 24–32 | ||
| Pts: Calvin Natt30 Rebs: Mike Evans8 Asts: English, Lever 5 each |
Pts: Adrian Dantley32 Rebs: Thurl Bailey14 Asts: Rickey Green7 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
May 5 |
| Denver Nuggets 125, Utah Jazz 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–26, 33–29, 29–33, 27–30 | ||
| Pts: Alex English40 Rebs: Wayne Cooper14 Asts: Calvin Natt10 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley33 Rebs: Rich Kelley8 Asts: John Stockton10 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–1 | ||
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
May 7 |
| Utah Jazz 104, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–43, 22–28, 34–26, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Rickey Green22 Rebs: Rich Kelley11 Asts: Rickey Green7 |
Pts: Alex English30 Rebs: Wayne Cooper11 Asts: Alex English6 | |
| Denver wins series, 4–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
| Denver won 4–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first meeting.
| Utah leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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May 12 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 93, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 24–24, 21–19, 20–32 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Cheeks27 Rebs: Charles Barkley12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks7 |
Pts: Kevin McHale28 Rebs: Robert Parish13 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 14 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 98, Boston Celtics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 24–26, 18–32, 28–28 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving22 Rebs: Moses Malone13 Asts: Cheeks, Erving 7 each |
Pts: Larry Bird24 Rebs: Robert Parish16 Asts: Bird, Johnson 7 each | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 18 |
| Boston Celtics 105, Philadelphia 76ers94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 28–19, 31–27, 26–20 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird26 Rebs: Robert Parish14 Asts: Danny Ainge7 |
Pts: Andrew Toney26 Rebs: Moses Malone16 Asts: Andrew Toney5 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 19 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Philadelphia 76ers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–31, 28–29, 30–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale25 Rebs: Kevin McHale17 Asts: Danny Ainge8 |
Pts: Andrew Toney26 Rebs: Charles Barkley20 Asts: Julius Erving6 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 22 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Boston Celtics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 21–28, 26–25, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Cheeks26 Rebs: Moses Malone15 Asts: Toney, Cheeks 6 each |
Pts: Dennis Johnson23 Rebs: Kevin McHale14 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This was the 18th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning nine of the first 17 meetings.
| Boston leads 9–8 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May 11 |
| Denver Nuggets 122, Los Angeles Lakers 139 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–38, 22–42, 36–34, 34–25 | ||
| Pts: Alex English30 Rebs: Dan Issel8 Asts: Mike Evans11 |
Pts: Byron Scott27 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson16 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 14 |
| Denver Nuggets 136, Los Angeles Lakers 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 36–32, 23–27, 47–28 | ||
| Pts: Alex English40 Rebs: Elston Turner11 Asts: Elston Turner8 |
Pts: Byron Scott22 Rebs: Magic Johnson9 Asts: Magic Johnson15 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
May 17 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 136, Denver Nuggets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–38, 40–30, 35–20, 22–30 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy28 Rebs: Magic Johnson14 Asts: Magic Johnson15 |
Pts: Calvin Natt30 Rebs: Calvin Natt7 Asts: Elston Turner6 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 19 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 120, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 33–36, 25–23, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar29 Rebs: James Worthy13 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Natt, English 28 each Rebs: Natt, English 8 each Asts: Elston Turner10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
May 22 |
| Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 153 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–34, 19–42, 28–39, 28–38 | ||
| Pts: Wayne Cooper23 Rebs: Danny Schayes9 Asts: Fat Lever6 |
Pts: James Worthy25 Rebs: Mitch Kupchak10 Asts: Magic Johnson19 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
| Los Angeles won 3–2 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.
| Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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May 27 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 114, Boston Celtics 148 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–38, 25–41, 30–29, 35–40 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy20 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson12 |
Pts: McHale, Wedman 26 each Rebs: Kevin McHale9 Asts: Dennis Johnson10 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
May 30 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 109, Boston Celtics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 33–20, 23–29, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar17 Asts: Magic Johnson13 |
Pts: Larry Bird30 Rebs: Larry Bird12 Asts: Dennis Johnson8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
June 2 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 136 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 30–40, 26–35, 26–36 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale31 Rebs: Kevin McHale10 Asts: Danny Ainge10 |
Pts: James Worthy29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar14 Asts: Magic Johnson16 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 5 |
| Boston Celtics 107, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 31–26, 23–26, 25–21 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale28 Rebs: Kevin McHale12 Asts: Dennis Johnson12 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar21 Rebs: Magic Johnson11 Asts: Magic Johnson12 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 7 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–35, 20–29, 30–31, 30–25 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish26 Rebs: Kevin McHale10 Asts: Dennis Johnson17 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar36 Rebs: Kurt Rambis9 Asts: Magic Johnson17 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
June 9 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 111, Boston Celtics 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 27–29, 27–18, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar29 Rebs: Johnson, Rambis 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson14 |
Pts: Kevin McHale32 Rebs: Kevin McHale16 Asts: Danny Ainge11 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first eight meetings.
| Boston leads 8–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Category | Game High | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP | |
| Points | Larry Bird Rolando Blackman |
Boston Celtics Dallas Mavericks |
43 | Rolando Blackman | Dallas Mavericks | 32.8 | 4 |
| Rebounds | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | 24 | Ralph Sampson | Houston Rockets | 16.6 | 5 |
| Assists | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 23 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 15.2 | 19 |
| Steals | Julius Erving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Clyde Drexler Paul Pressey Moses Malone |
Philadelphia 76ers Los Angeles Lakers Portland Trail Blazers Milwaukee Bucks Philadelphia 76ers |
5 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 2.8 | 4 |
| Blocks | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 10 | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 5.8 | 5 |
