1985 NBA playoffs
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).
 | |
| Dates | April 17–June 9, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Season | 1984–85 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (9th title) |
| Runners-up | Boston Celtics (17th finals appearance) |
| Semifinalists | |
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 40 on July 6 of that year.
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A ticket for Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers.
Bracket
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
First round
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Cleveland Cavaliers
April 18 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 123, Boston Celtics 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 28–39, 40–31, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Roy Hinson 24 Rebs: Roy Hinson 11 Asts: John Bagley 11 |
Pts: Larry Bird 40 Rebs: Kevin McHale 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 11 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 106, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 28–31, 24–24, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: World B. Free 25 Rebs: Roy Hinson 6 Asts: World B. Free 7 |
Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Bird, Parish 11 each Asts: Larry Bird 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 23 |
| Boston Celtics 98, Cleveland Cavaliers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 21–30, 21–21, 32–29 | ||
| Pts: Scott Wedman 30 Rebs: Kevin McHale 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 |
Pts: World B. Free 32 Rebs: Roy Hinson 9 Asts: John Bagley 15 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 25 |
| Boston Celtics 117, Cleveland Cavaliers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 31–33, 31–23, 23–26 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 7 |
Pts: World B. Free 30 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 8 Asts: John Bagley 10 | |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 | ||
- Dennis Johnson blocks a World B. Free 3 with 2 seconds left.
| Boston won 6–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
April 19 |
| Chicago Bulls 100, Milwaukee Bucks 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 24–27, 19–22, 27–29 | ||
| Pts: Quintin Dailey 25 Rebs: David Greenwood 13 Asts: Michael Jordan 10 |
Pts: Sidney Moncrief 30 Rebs: Paul Mokeski 10 Asts: Paul Pressey 9 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21 |
| Chicago Bulls 115, Milwaukee Bucks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–30, 22–29, 32–29, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Michael Jordan 30 Rebs: Jawann Oldham 9 Asts: Michael Jordan 12 |
Pts: Terry Cummings 30 Rebs: Terry Cummings 9 Asts: Terry Cummings 11 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 24 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 107, Chicago Bulls 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–29, 24–29, 26–24, 26–27 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings 37 Rebs: Terry Cummings 9 Asts: Moncrief, Pressey 5 each |
Pts: Michael Jordan 35 Rebs: Sidney Green 9 Asts: Michael Jordan 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
- Michael Jordan hits his first playoff game-winner with 22 seconds left.
April 26 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 105, Chicago Bulls 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 28–18, 28–25, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings 29 Rebs: Terry Cummings 12 Asts: Paul Pressey 4 |
Pts: Michael Jordan 29 Rebs: Dave Corzine 9 Asts: Michael Jordan 5 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–1 | ||
| 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 |
|---|
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Washington Bullets
April 17 |
| Washington Bullets 97, Philadelphia 76ers 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 27–27, 28–21, 21–28 | ||
| Pts: Cliff Robinson 24 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 10 Asts: Gus Williams 8 |
Pts: Moses Malone 26 Rebs: Charles Barkley 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 6 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21 |
| Washington Bullets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 25–30, 19–25, 23–32 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Malone 30 Rebs: Cliff Robinson 11 Asts: Darren Daye 9 |
Pts: Andrew Toney 31 Rebs: Malone, Barkley 14 each Asts: Maurice Cheeks 5 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 24 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Washington Bullets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–28, 20–32, 13–30, 32–28 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone 17 Rebs: Charles Barkley 11 Asts: Andrew Toney 5 |
Pts: Gus Williams 28 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Ruland, Johnson 5 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 106, Washington Bullets 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 34–23, 13–21, 32–30 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 25 Rebs: Charles Barkley 14 Asts: Clint Richardson 4 |
Pts: Jeff Malone 24 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 10 Asts: Jeff Ruland 7 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 3–1 | ||
| Philadelphia won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(4) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) New Jersey Nets
April 18 |
| New Jersey Nets 105, Detroit Pistons 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–39, 19–25, 28–29, 32–32 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams 23 Rebs: Buck Williams 9 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 10 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer 23 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 | |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21 |
| New Jersey Nets 111, Detroit Pistons 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 27–32, 31–23, 21–34 | ||
| Pts: Buck Williams 23 Rebs: Buck Williams 11 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 14 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 29 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 14 | |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 24 |
| Detroit Pistons 116, New Jersey Nets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 36–30, 26–28, 32–24 | ||
| Pts: Terry Tyler 23 Rebs: Tripucka, Tyler 11 each Asts: Isiah Thomas 11 |
Pts: Williams, King 28 each Rebs: Buck Williams 12 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 10 | |
| Detroit wins series, 3–0 | ||
| New Jersey won 5–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Nets.[4]
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Phoenix Suns
April 18 |
| Phoenix Suns 114, Los Angeles Lakers 142 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–45, 27–32, 35–36, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Charles Pittman 22 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 11 Asts: Jay Humphries 8 |
Pts: Mike McGee 22 Rebs: Cooper, McAdoo 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson 19 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 130, Los Angeles Lakers 147 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–42, 34–33, 25–35, 40–37 | ||
| Pts: Alvan Adams 23 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 9 Asts: Maurice Lucas 6 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 7 Asts: Cooper, Johnson 12 each | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
April 23 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 119, Phoenix Suns 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 43–30, 18–22, 33–26 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 23 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
Pts: Maurice Lucas 26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 13 Asts: Adams, Holton 5 each | |
| LA Lakers win series, 3–0 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 8,741 Referees: Hugh Evans, Wally Rooney |
| Los Angeles won 5–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) San Antonio Spurs
April 18 |
| San Antonio Spurs 111, Denver Nuggets 141 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 27–33, 32–36, 28–37 | ||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell 23 Rebs: Ozell Jones 8 Asts: Johnny Moore 5 |
Pts: Alex English 33 Rebs: Elston Turner 8 Asts: Fat Lever 11 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| San Antonio Spurs 113, Denver Nuggets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–31, 28–25, 29–29, 25–26 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin 41 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 12 Asts: Johnny Moore 8 |
Pts: Alex English 29 Rebs: Wayne Cooper 10 Asts: Fat Lever 13 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 23 |
| Denver Nuggets 115, San Antonio Spurs 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 28–22, 34–28, 21–33 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 27 Rebs: Calvin Natt 8 Asts: Calvin Natt 8 |
Pts: George Gervin 30 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 14 Asts: Johnny Moore 9 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 26 |
| Denver Nuggets 111, San Antonio Spurs 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–32, 29–26, 31–27, 29–31 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 27 Rebs: Alex English 8 Asts: Fat Lever 7 |
Pts: Mike Mitchell 37 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 13 Asts: Johnny Moore 16 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 28 |
| San Antonio Spurs 99, Denver Nuggets 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 21–34, 24–32, 30–29 | ||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore 19 Rebs: Gilmore, Iavaroni 8 each Asts: Johnny Moore 4 |
Pts: Alex English 33 Rebs: Calvin Natt 10 Asts: Fat Lever 10 | |
| Denver wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(3) Houston Rockets vs. (6) Utah Jazz
April 19 |
| Utah Jazz 115, Houston Rockets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 32–15, 21–33, 34–25 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 34 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 10 Asts: Rickey Green 10 |
Pts: Ralph Sampson 26 Rebs: Ralph Sampson 24 Asts: Lionel Hollins 7 | |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21 |
| Utah Jazz 96, Houston Rockets 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 18–34, 29–26, 24–33 | ||
| Pts: Jeff Wilkins 22 Rebs: Jeff Wilkins 12 Asts: Green, Stockton 6 each |
Pts: Lewis Lloyd 27 Rebs: Ralph Sampson 14 Asts: Lloyd, Lucas 6 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 24 |
| Houston Rockets 104, Utah Jazz 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 26–27, 33–29, 22–32 | ||
| Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 26 Rebs: Hakeem Olajuwon 16 Asts: John Lucas 7 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 29 Rebs: Bailey, Stockton 11 each Asts: Rickey Green 10 | |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 26 |
| Houston Rockets 96, Utah Jazz 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 19–25, 29–19, 29–26 | ||
| Pts: Sampson, Olajuwon 18 each Rebs: Ralph Sampson 18 Asts: John Lucas 5 |
Pts: Rickey Green 22 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 12 Asts: Rickey Green 11 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 28 |
| Utah Jazz 104, Houston Rockets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 19-18, 28–32, 37–21 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 25 Rebs: Mark Eaton 10 Asts: Rickey Green 6 |
Pts: Hakeem Olajuwon 32 Rebs: Ralph Sampson 10 Asts: Hakeem Olajuwon 14 | |
| Utah wins series, 3–2 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Jazz.[7]
(4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
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 VanDeWeghe 25 Rebs: Sam Bowie 14 Asts: Darnell Valentine 13 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman 43 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 14 Asts: Rolando Blackman 6 | |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 | ||
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 VanDeWeghe 27 Rebs: Sam Bowie 20 Asts: Clyde Drexler 12 |
Pts: Rolando Blackman 41 Rebs: Sam Perkins 19 Asts: Derek Harper 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
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 Davis 5 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 24 Rebs: Sam Bowie 11 Asts: Clyde Drexler 10 | |
| Portland leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 25 |
| Dallas Mavericks 113, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 31–30, 28–33, 28–27 | ||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 39 Rebs: Sam Perkins 10 Asts: Brad Davis 8 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 27 Rebs: Kenny Carr 10 Asts: Darnell Valentine 9 | |
| Portland wins series, 3–1 | ||
| Dallas won 4–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers.[8]
Conference semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Detroit Pistons
April 28 |
| Detroit Pistons 99, Boston Celtics 133 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–35, 24–29, 20–37, 26–32 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 23 Rebs: three players 5 each Asts: Isiah Thomas 8 |
Pts: Robert Parish 27 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Ainge, Williams 7 each | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 |
| Detroit Pistons 114, Boston Celtics 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–32, 17–27, 28–27, 33–35 | ||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 28 Rebs: Thomas, Laimbeer 9 each Asts: Isiah Thomas 15 |
Pts: Larry Bird 42 Rebs: McHale, Bird 10 each Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 2 |
| Boston Celtics 117, Detroit Pistons 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–38, 28–24, 34–36, 21–27 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 27 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Larry Bird 8 |
Pts: Bill Laimbeer 27 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 16 | |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Boston Celtics 99, Detroit Pistons 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 30–28, 34–22, 12–26 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 24 Rebs: Kevin McHale 10 Asts: Larry Bird 7 |
Pts: Vinnie Johnson 34 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 12 Asts: Isiah Thomas 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 8 |
| Detroit Pistons 123, Boston Celtics 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–38, 34–30, 23–27, 33–35 | ||
| Pts: Vinnie Johnson 30 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 7 |
Pts: Larry Bird 43 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: D. Johnson, Ainge 6 each | |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 10 |
| Boston Celtics 123, Detroit Pistons 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–31, 27–21, 29–34, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 22 Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Danny Ainge 9 |
Pts: Isiah Thomas 37 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 13 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Boston won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
April 28 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 127, Milwaukee Bucks 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–24, 29–27, 28–23, 33–31 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone 27 Rebs: Charles Barkley 8 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9 |
Pts: Terry Cummings 17 Rebs: Paul Pressey 10 Asts: Hodges, Pressey 8 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 30 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 112, Milwaukee Bucks 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 29–22, 28–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone 25 Rebs: Julius Erving 10 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9 |
Pts: Terry Cummings 41 Rebs: Cummings, Lister 12 each Asts: Paul Pressey 16 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 3 |
| Milwaukee Bucks 104, Philadelphia 76ers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 20–23, 34–28, 27–24 | ||
| Pts: Terry Cummings 21 Rebs: Cummings, Lister 8 each Asts: Paul Pressey 7 |
Pts: Andrew Toney 20 Rebs: Moses Malone 13 Asts: Toney, Cheeks 7 each | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 | ||
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 Lister 14 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 8 |
Pts: Moses Malone 31 Rebs: Moses Malone 13 Asts: Andrew Toney 11 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 | ||
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
April 27 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 101, Los Angeles Lakers 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–33, 21–40, 27–28, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Steve Colter 26 Rebs: Kenny Carr 10 Asts: Steve Colter 8 |
Pts: Byron Scott 20 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 12 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
- The CBS coverage of this game would mark the final on-air assignment for Frank Glieber (calling the game alongside James Brown); as Glieber died from a heart attack three days later at the age of 51.
April 30 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 118, Los Angeles Lakers 134 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–39, 20–30, 33–32, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 23 Rebs: Kenny Carr 12 Asts: Darnell Valentine 9 |
Pts: Byron Scott 31 Rebs: Magic Johnson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 18 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 | ||
May 3 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 130, Portland Trail Blazers 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–32, 37–24, 32–36, 26–34 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, McAdoo 9 each Asts: Magic Johnson 23 |
Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 27 Rebs: Clyde Drexler 11 Asts: Clyde Drexler 14 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 | ||
May 5 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 107, Portland Trail Blazers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 19–36, 25–27, 33–29 | ||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: VanDeWeghe, Thompson 17 each Rebs: Mychal Thompson 10 Asts: Clyde Drexler 10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
May 7 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 120, Los Angeles Lakers 139 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 27–35, 24–32, 37–39 | ||
| Pts: Jerome Kersey 18 Rebs: Kenny Carr 11 Asts: Clyde Drexler 12 |
Pts: Magic Johnson 34 Rebs: Magic Johnson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 19 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
| Los Angeles won 5–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Utah Jazz
April 30 |
| Utah Jazz 113, Denver Nuggets 130 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–36, 27–37, 23–32, 24–25 | ||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 28 Rebs: Dantley, Kelley 9 each Asts: Rickey Green 6 |
Pts: Alex English 31 Rebs: Fat Lever 16 Asts: Fat Lever 18 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
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 Green 25 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 14 Asts: Rickey Green 10 |
Pts: Alex English 26 Rebs: Fat Lever 13 Asts: Alex English 12 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Denver Nuggets 123, Utah Jazz 131 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–37, 34–30, 38–32, 24–32 | ||
| Pts: Calvin Natt 30 Rebs: Mike Evans 8 Asts: English, Lever 5 each |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 32 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 14 Asts: Rickey Green 7 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Denver Nuggets 125, Utah Jazz 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–26, 33–29, 29–33, 27–30 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 40 Rebs: Wayne Cooper 14 Asts: Calvin Natt 10 |
Pts: Adrian Dantley 33 Rebs: Rich Kelley 8 Asts: John Stockton 10 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 7 |
| Utah Jazz 104, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–43, 22–28, 34–26, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Rickey Green 22 Rebs: Rich Kelley 11 Asts: Rickey Green 7 |
Pts: Alex English 30 Rebs: Wayne Cooper 11 Asts: Alex English 6 | |
| Denver wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Denver won 4–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
Conference finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
May 12 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 93, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 24–24, 21–19, 20–32 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Cheeks 27 Rebs: Charles Barkley 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 28 Rebs: Robert Parish 13 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 14 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 98, Boston Celtics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 24–26, 18–32, 28–28 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 22 Rebs: Moses Malone 13 Asts: Cheeks, Erving 7 each |
Pts: Larry Bird 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Bird, Johnson 7 each | |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 18 |
| Boston Celtics 105, Philadelphia 76ers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 28–19, 31–27, 26–20 | ||
| Pts: Larry Bird 26 Rebs: Robert Parish 14 Asts: Danny Ainge 7 |
Pts: Andrew Toney 26 Rebs: Moses Malone 16 Asts: Andrew Toney 5 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 19 |
| Boston Celtics 104, Philadelphia 76ers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–31, 28–29, 30–25, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Kevin McHale 17 Asts: Danny Ainge 8 |
Pts: Andrew Toney 26 Rebs: Charles Barkley 20 Asts: Julius Erving 6 | |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 22 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 100, Boston Celtics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 21–28, 26–25, 23–21 | ||
| Pts: Maurice Cheeks 26 Rebs: Moses Malone 15 Asts: Toney, Cheeks 6 each |
Pts: Dennis Johnson 23 Rebs: Kevin McHale 14 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 | ||
- Larry Bird makes the game-saving steal to advance to the Finals for the Celtics.
| Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets
May 11 |
| Denver Nuggets 122, Los Angeles Lakers 139 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–38, 22–42, 36–34, 34–25 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 30 Rebs: Dan Issel 8 Asts: Mike Evans 11 |
Pts: Byron Scott 27 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 16 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 | ||
May 14 |
| Denver Nuggets 136, Los Angeles Lakers 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 36–32, 23–27, 47–28 | ||
| Pts: Alex English 40 Rebs: Elston Turner 11 Asts: Elston Turner 8 |
Pts: Byron Scott 22 Rebs: Magic Johnson 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 17 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 136, Denver Nuggets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 39–38, 40–30, 35–20, 22–30 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 28 Rebs: Magic Johnson 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
Pts: Calvin Natt 30 Rebs: Calvin Natt 7 Asts: Elston Turner 6 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
May 19 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 120, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 33–36, 25–23, 27–23 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Rebs: James Worthy 13 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Natt, English 28 each Rebs: Natt, English 8 each Asts: Elston Turner 10 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 | ||
May 22 |
| Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 153 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–34, 19–42, 28–39, 28–38 | ||
| Pts: Wayne Cooper 23 Rebs: Danny Schayes 9 Asts: Fat Lever 6 |
Pts: James Worthy 25 Rebs: Mitch Kupchak 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 19 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–1 | ||
- Dan Issel's final NBA game.
| Los Angeles won 3–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers
May 27 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 114, Boston Celtics 148 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–38, 25–41, 30–29, 35–40 | ||
| Pts: James Worthy 20 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 12 |
Pts: McHale, Wedman 26 each Rebs: Kevin McHale 9 Asts: Dennis Johnson 10 | |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 | ||
- "Memorial Day Massacre"
May 30 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 109, Boston Celtics 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 33–20, 23–29, 22–27 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
June 2 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 136 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 30–40, 26–35, 26–36 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 31 Rebs: Kevin McHale 10 Asts: Danny Ainge 10 |
Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 16 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 | ||
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Jerry West's all-time playoff scoring record.
June 5 |
| Boston Celtics 107, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 31–26, 23–26, 25–21 | ||
| Pts: Kevin McHale 28 Rebs: Kevin McHale 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 12 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 12 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
- Dennis Johnson hits the game-winner at the buzzer.
June 7 |
| Boston Celtics 111, Los Angeles Lakers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–35, 20–29, 30–31, 30–25 | ||
| Pts: Robert Parish 26 Rebs: Kevin McHale 10 Asts: Dennis Johnson 17 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 36 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 17 | |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 | ||
June 9 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 111, Boston Celtics 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 27–29, 27–18, 29–27 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Rebs: Johnson, Rambis 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson 14 |
Pts: Kevin McHale 32 Rebs: Kevin McHale 16 Asts: Danny Ainge 11 | |
| LA Lakers win series, 4–2 | ||
- The Lakers become the only road team to win the NBA title in Boston Garden. They were the last visitor to win the title in Boston until the Golden State Warriors did it in the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden.
| Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
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 |
|---|
Statistical leaders
| 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 |
References
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
External links
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