2007 NBA playoffs

The 2007 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2006–07 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Tony Parker was named NBA Finals MVP, making him the first Spur other than Tim Duncan and the first European-born player to receive the award.

2007 NBA playoffs
DatesApril 21–June 14, 2007
Season2006–07
Teams16
ChampionsSan Antonio Spurs (4th title)
Runners-upCleveland Cavaliers (1st finals appearance)
Semifinalists

Seeding

The playoffs are conducted in 4 rounds of best-of-7 series. The 3 division winners in each conference, along with the 5 best non-division winners in each conference, qualify for the playoffs. The division winners and top second-place team are seeded 1–4 based on record, with the remaining teams seeded 5–8 on record.

Up until 2006, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the third seed, while the non-division winners could do no better than the fourth seed regardless of record. This was the source of controversy in the 2006 NBA playoffs, when the 63-win Spurs and 60-win Dallas Mavericks—the teams with the second-best and third-best records in the entire league—met in the conference semifinals. In response, the NBA changed the seeding system so that the teams with the two best records in the conference are guaranteed the top two seeds even if the second-best team isn't a division champion. Meanwhile, the division champions are guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed. This ensures that the teams with the two best records in the conference cannot meet until the conference finals at the earliest.[1]

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

  1. Detroit Pistons (53-29, clinched Central division)
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32, best record in the conference outside the division winners)
  3. Toronto Raptors (47-35, clinched Atlantic division)
  4. Miami Heat (44-38, clinched Southeast division)
  5. Chicago Bulls (49-33)
  6. New Jersey Nets (41-41)
  7. Washington Wizards (41-41)
  8. Orlando Magic (40-42)

Western Conference

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

  1. Dallas Mavericks (67-15, clinched Southwest division and home-court advantage throughout playoffs)
  2. Phoenix Suns (61-21, clinched Pacific division)
  3. San Antonio Spurs (58-24, best record in the conference outside the division winners)
  4. Utah Jazz (51-31, clinched Northwest division)
  5. Houston Rockets (52-30)
  6. Denver Nuggets (45-37)
  7. Los Angeles Lakers (42-40)
  8. Golden State Warriors (42-40)

Bracket

This is the outlook for the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Teams in italics have home court advantage. Teams in bold advance to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original playoffs seeding in their respective conferences. Numbers to the right of each team indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions possess an asterisk (*)

  First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
                                     
E1 Detroit* 4  
E8 Orlando 0  
  E1 Detroit* 4  
  E5 Chicago 2  
E4 Miami 0
E5 Chicago* 4  
  E1 Detroit* 2  
Eastern Conference
  E2 Cleveland 4  
E3 Toronto* 2  
E6 New Jersey 4  
  E6 New Jersey 2
  E2 Cleveland 4  
E2 Cleveland 4
E7 Washington 0  
  E2 Cleveland 0
  W3 San Antonio 4
W1 Dallas* 2  
W8 Golden State 4  
  W8 Golden State 1
  W4 Utah* 4  
W4 Utah* 4
W5 Houston 3  
  W4 Utah* 1
Western Conference
  W3 San Antonio 4  
W3 San Antonio 4  
W6 Denver 1  
  W3 San Antonio 4
  W2 Phoenix* 2  
W2 Phoenix* 4
W7 LA Lakers 1  


* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage

Notes

  • Houston and Chicago had home court advantage in the first round despite being lower seeds. Both teams had better regular season records than their opponents, but did not have the best record of the non-division-champion playoff teams in their respective conferences.

First Round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Orlando Magic

April 21
7:00 pm
Orlando Magic 92, Detroit Pistons 100
Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 27–23, 24–30, 25–19
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 17
Rebs: Dwight Howard 19
Asts: Grant Hill 5
Pts: Hamilton, Billups 22 each
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 9
Asts: Chauncey Billups 11
Detroit leads series, 1–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Bob Delaney, Joe Forte, David Jones
April 23
7:00 pm
Orlando Magic 90, Detroit Pistons 98
Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 22–19, 15–24, 31–27
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 22
Rebs: Dwight Howard 11
Asts: Hill, Arroyo 4 each
Pts: Richard Hamilton 22
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 11
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Detroit leads series, 2–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard
April 26
8:00 pm
Detroit Pistons 93, Orlando Magic 77
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 25–19, 23–19, 22–16
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 23
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 5
Pts: Jameer Nelson 27
Rebs: Dwight Howard 12
Asts: Nelson, Türkoğlu 4 each
Detroit leads series, 3–0
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Referees: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Violet Palmer
April 28
3:00 pm
Detroit Pistons 97, Orlando Magic 93
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 25–21, 26–21, 24–26
Pts: Chauncey Billups 25
Rebs: Chris Webber 10
Asts: Chauncey Billups 6
Pts: Dwight Howard 29
Rebs: Dwight Howard 17
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5
Detroit wins series, 4–0
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Referees: Tony Brothers, Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.

The Orlando Magic's first playoff trip in 4 seasons was short lived as the top ranked Detroit Pistons dispatched the upstart Magic in 4 games. The Pistons recorded their first series sweep since sweeping Indiana in the first round of the 1990 NBA Playoffs. The series was also the first time Orlando forward Grant Hill had appeared in the postseason since leaving Detroit after the 2000 season.

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Washington Wizards

April 22
12:30 pm
Washington Wizards 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 97
Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 21–21, 26–26, 15–23
Pts: Antawn Jamison 28
Rebs: Antawn Jamison 14
Asts: Antonio Daniels 11
Pts: Larry Hughes 27
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10
Asts: LeBron James 7
Cleveland leads series, 1–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Luis Grillo, Tom Washington
April 25
8:00 pm
Washington Wizards 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 109
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 25–28, 15–24, 39–34
Pts: Antawn Jamison 31
Rebs: Antawn Jamison 10
Asts: Antonio Daniels 11
Pts: LeBron James 27
Rebs: Drew Gooden 14
Asts: LeBron James 7
Cleveland leads series, 2–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Derek Richardson, Greg Willard
April 28
5:30 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 98, Washington Wizards 92
Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 35–22, 16–31, 21–17
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: Drew Gooden 12
Asts: LeBron James 9
Pts: Antawn Jamison 38
Rebs: Antawn Jamison 11
Asts: Antonio Daniels 13
Cleveland leads series, 3–0
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Referees: Steve Javie, Courtney Kirkland, Jack Nies
April 30
7:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Washington Wizards 90
Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 22–24, 22–20, 31–23
Pts: LeBron James 31
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 19
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Antawn Jamison 31
Rebs: Antonio Daniels 6
Asts: Antonio Daniels 12
Cleveland wins series, 4–0
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Referees: Sean Corbin, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning two of the first three meetings.

A rematch of the previous year's first round series was spoiled when Wizards stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler were both forced out of the playoffs due to injuries received in the later parts of the regular season. Without Arenas and Butler, the Wizards were unable to stop LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers from sweeping them out of the playoffs. It was Cleveland's first playoff sweep in franchise history.

(3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

April 21
12:30 pm
New Jersey Nets 96, Toronto Raptors 91
Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 28–19, 27–24, 18–26
Pts: Richard Jefferson 28
Rebs: Jason Kidd 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 15
Pts: Chris Bosh 22
Rebs: Radoslav Nesterović 10
Asts: José Calderón 8
New Jersey leads series, 1–0
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Steve Javie, Scott Wall, Greg Willard
April 24
7:00 pm
New Jersey Nets 83, Toronto Raptors 89
Scoring by quarter: 12–14, 24–19, 27–25, 20–31
Pts: Vince Carter 19
Rebs: Carter, Kidd 11 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 7
Pts: Anthony Parker 26
Rebs: Chris Bosh 13
Asts: T. J. Ford 6
Series tied, 1–1
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster
April 27
7:00 pm
Toronto Raptors 89, New Jersey Nets 102
Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 20–27, 29–21, 21–23
Pts: T. J. Ford 27
Rebs: Chris Bosh 11
Asts: T. J. Ford 8
Pts: Vince Carter 37
Rebs: Jason Kidd 16
Asts: Jason Kidd 19
New Jersey leads series, 2–1
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
April 29
7:30 pm
Toronto Raptors 81, New Jersey Nets 102
Scoring by quarter: 15–32, 22–24, 19–30, 25–16
Pts: Andrea Bargnani 16
Rebs: Chris Bosh 10
Asts: T. J. Ford 5
Pts: Vince Carter 27
Rebs: Jason Kidd 8
Asts: Jason Kidd 13
New Jersey leads series, 3–1
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Dick Bavetta, David Jones, Ken Mauer
May 1
7:00 pm
New Jersey Nets 96, Toronto Raptors 98
Scoring by quarter: 13–33, 29–26, 25–20, 29–19
Pts: Vince Carter 30
Rebs: Mikki Moore 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 10
Pts: José Calderón 25
Rebs: Joey Graham 10
Asts: José Calderón 8
New Jersey leads series, 3–2
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen
ESPN
May 4
8:00 pm
Toronto Raptors 97, New Jersey Nets 98
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 25–22, 22–32, 29–23
Pts: Chris Bosh 23
Rebs: Morris Peterson 8
Asts: Chris Bosh 9
Pts: Richard Jefferson 24
Rebs: Kidd, Moore 8 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 15
New Jersey wins series, 4–2
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy

This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Raptors.[4]

The Nets won the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs in their sixth straight appearance in the NBA Playoffs. The series was the only one in the Eastern Conference first round not to result in a sweep.

The series was notable for pitting ex-Raptor Vince Carter, who was traded to the Nets in 2004 after an acrimonious split, against his former team. So great was the Toronto crowd's disdain for Carter, that he was booed every time he touched the ball. The Nets took home court advantage in Game 1, holding off a late Raptors rally in the fourth quarter. The Raptors pulled away in Game 2 and tied the series at 1. When the series shifted to New Jersey, the Nets took charge of the series, winning Games 3 and 4 in routs. New Jersey had a chance to win the series in Game 5 in Toronto, but the Raptors took a 20-point lead after one quarter. Still, New Jersey managed to chip away, and had a chance to win it, but Boštjan Nachbar's 3 missed at the buzzer. Needing to win in New Jersey to force a Game 7, Toronto held a one-point lead with under a minute to play in Game 6, but Richard Jefferson hit a layup with 8 seconds left. Toronto attempted to try for the game-winning shot, but Jefferson intercepted the pass to seal the series for the Nets.

(4) Miami Heat vs. (5) Chicago Bulls

April 21
2:00 pm
Miami Heat 91, Chicago Bulls 96
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 18–22, 16–23, 29–24
Pts: Dwyane Wade 21
Rebs: O'Neal, Haslem 6 each
Asts: Five players 3 each
Pts: Luol Deng 33
Rebs: Ben Wallace 14
Asts: Ben Gordon 11
Chicago leads series, 1–0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eddie Rush, Michael Smith
April 24
7:00 pm
Miami Heat 89, Chicago Bulls 107
Scoring by quarter: 21–31, 31–24, 19–30, 18–22
Pts: Dwyane Wade 21
Rebs: O'Neal, Posey 8 each
Asts: Dwyane Wade 7
Pts: Ben Gordon 27
Rebs: Ben Gordon 7
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 8
Chicago leads series, 2–0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Luis Grillo, Steve Javie, Ken Mauer
April 27
8:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 104, Miami Heat 96
Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 16–29, 27–24, 32–20
Pts: Ben Gordon 27
Rebs: Luol Deng 11
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6
Pts: Dwyane Wade 28
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13
Asts: Dwyane Wade 5
Chicago leads series, 3–0
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Referees: Luis Grillo, Steve Javie, Ken Mauer
ABC
April 29
1:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 92, Miami Heat 79
Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 21–20, 24–16, 24–15
Pts: Ben Gordon 24
Rebs: Luol Deng 12
Asts: Gordon, Hinrich 4 each
Pts: Dwyane Wade 24
Rebs: James Posey 18
Asts: Dwyane Wade 10
Chicago wins series, 4–0
American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning three of the first four meetings.

The Bulls won their first playoff series since the 1998 NBA Finals and the retirement of Michael Jordan. This was the Bulls first 4-game sweep, since sweeping the Magic in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Miami became the first defending champion since 1957 to be swept in the First Round the following season.

In addition, Southeast Division champions Miami and other division qualifiers Washington and Orlando were swept (0–12) by Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit respectively, all from the Central Division (12–0).

(1) Dallas Mavericks vs. (8) Golden State Warriors

April 22
8:30 pm
Golden State Warriors 97, Dallas Mavericks 85
Scoring by quarter: 23–17, 15–21, 34–28, 25–19
Pts: Baron Davis 33
Rebs: Baron Davis 14
Asts: Baron Davis 8
Pts: Josh Howard 21
Rebs: Josh Howard 13
Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 4
Golden State leads series, 1–0
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy
TNT
April 25
8:30 pm
Golden State Warriors 99, Dallas Mavericks 112
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 22–26, 22–33, 25–25
Pts: Stephen Jackson 30
Rebs: Jason Richardson 10
Asts: Jason Richardson 3
Pts: Jason Terry 28
Rebs: Josh Howard 11
Asts: Harris, Stackhouse 4 each
Series tied, 1–1
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: James Capers, Sean Corbin, Bennett Salvatore
April 27
7:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 91, Golden State Warriors 109
Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 28–32, 23–28, 20–20
Pts: Nowitzki, Howard 20 each
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12
Asts: Terry, Harris 5 each
Pts: Jason Richardson 30
Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 10
Asts: Stephen Jackson 6
Golden State leads series, 2–1
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Joe Forte
TNT
April 29
7:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 99, Golden State Warriors 103
Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 22–28, 28–28, 22–26
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 23
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15
Asts: Jason Terry 5
Pts: Baron Davis 33
Rebs: Baron Davis 8
Asts: Baron Davis 4
Golden State leads series, 3–1
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Michael Smith, Derrick Stafford
TNT
May 1
8:30 pm
Golden State Warriors 112, Dallas Mavericks 118
Scoring by quarter: 28–38, 27–24, 32–28, 25–28
Pts: Baron Davis 27
Rebs: Mickaël Piétrus 10
Asts: Baron Davis 9
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12
Asts: Devin Harris 7
Golden State leads series, 3–2
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Jim Clark, Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer
TNT
May 3
7:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 86, Golden State Warriors 111
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–22, 15–36, 23–25
Pts: Howard, Stackhouse 20 each
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10
Asts: Devin Harris 9
Pts: Stephen Jackson 33
Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 12
Asts: Matt Barnes 7
Golden State wins series, 4–2
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich

This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Warriors.[6]

The Warriors qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the second longest such streak in league history. However, the Warriors were heavy underdogs against the Dallas Mavericks despite sweeping the regular season series between the teams, as Dallas had one of the best records in NBA regular season history. Expectations of a short series were immediately dashed by Golden State's Game 1 victory in Dallas, behind guard Baron Davis and his rather frantic style of play. The Mavericks came back to win Game 2 to tie the series at 1.

But when the series shifted to Oakland for the next two games, a new X-factor emerged for the Warriors: their home crowd at the Oracle Arena. The electric crowd, which was the highest paid attendance crowd for an NBA game in the history of that arena, gave the Warriors a huge lift as they blew out Dallas in Game 3, and edged out a close victory in Game 4. As the series shifted back to Dallas, the top-ranked Mavericks found themselves one game from seeing their record breaking season end prematurely. The Mavericks gave their all and staved off elimination in Game 5, but had nothing left in Game 6 in Oakland. The Warriors used a third-quarter 18–0 run, sparked by Stephen Jackson's 13 straight points en route to a franchise playoff record seven 3-pointers, and an unexpected collapse from MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki (2–13 from the field with 8 points) to finish Dallas and become the first #8 seed to win a best-of-7 series in the first round, and just the third overall in NBA history, following the Denver Nuggets in 1994 and the New York Knicks en route to the 1999 NBA Finals. The Warriors also won their first playoff series since 1991. The Mavericks also became the second team who had a 65+ winning record not to win a championship, the first being the 1972–73 Boston Celtics, and the most recently, the 2017-18 Houston Rockets. To date, they are the only ones who were eliminated in the first round.

Both 2006 NBA Finalists (Dallas and Miami) were eliminated in the first round. This was the first time since 1956 that this had happened.

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

April 22
12:00 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 87, Phoenix Suns 95
Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 25–21, 29–35, 10–21
Pts: Kobe Bryant 39
Rebs: Lamar Odom 16
Asts: Luke Walton 6
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 23
Rebs: Shawn Marion 16
Asts: Steve Nash 10
Phoenix leads series, 1–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer, Leon Wood
April 24
7:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 98, Phoenix Suns 126
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 22–37, 23–27, 28–31
Pts: Kobe Bryant 15
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 12
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5
Pts: Leandro Barbosa 26
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Steve Nash 14
Phoenix leads series, 2–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Marc Davis, Joe Forte
TNT
April 26
7:30 pm
Phoenix Suns 89, Los Angeles Lakers 95
Scoring by quarter: 31–17, 20–31, 19–26, 19–21
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 24
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 10
Asts: Steve Nash 13
Pts: Kobe Bryant 45
Rebs: Lamar Odom 16
Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
Phoenix leads series, 2–1
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bob Delaney, Derrick Stafford
ABC
April 29
12:30 pm
Phoenix Suns 113, Los Angeles Lakers 100
Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 25–23, 27–20, 28–29
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 27
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 21
Asts: Steve Nash 23
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31
Rebs: Lamar Odom 19
Asts: Kobe Bryant 9
Phoenix leads series, 3–1
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson
TNT
May 2
7:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 110, Phoenix Suns 119
Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 29–32, 33–27, 25–28
Pts: Kobe Bryant 34
Rebs: Odom, Turiaf 10 each
Asts: Odom, Farmar 2 each
Pts: Shawn Marion 26
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 16
Asts: Steve Nash 10
Phoenix wins series, 4–1
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Scott Foster, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard

This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning seven of the first ten meetings.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers went up against the high powered Phoenix Suns in a rematch of the previous year's first round series, which saw the Lakers take a 3–1 lead before the Suns took the series in 7. Unlike the previous series, the Suns had near complete control of the series, taking the series in 5. The Suns advanced to their third straight conference semifinals by eliminating the Lakers in the first round for the second straight year. In Game 4, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash made a run at the record for most assists in a playoff game, finishing one shy of the record 24 shared by Magic Johnson and John Stockton.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Denver Nuggets

April 22
6:00 pm
Denver Nuggets 95, San Antonio Spurs 89
Scoring by quarter: 21–16, 23–26, 23–24, 28–23
Pts: Allen Iverson 31
Rebs: Nenê 12
Asts: Allen Iverson 5
Pts: Tony Parker 19
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Tony Parker 8
Denver leads series, 1–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Referees: Ron Garretson, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore
TNT
April 25
6:00 pm
Denver Nuggets 88, San Antonio Spurs 97
Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 23–25, 19–25, 28–23
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 26
Rebs: Marcus Camby 18
Asts: Steve Blake 7
Pts: Tim Duncan 22
Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 10
Asts: Tony Parker 6
Series tied, 1–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Derrick Collins, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
April 28
6:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 96, Denver Nuggets 91
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 21–15, 32–27, 21–24
Pts: Tony Parker 21
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Tony Parker 6
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 28
Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 12
Asts: Steve Blake 7
San Antonio leads series, 2–1
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bob Delaney, Scott Wall
TNT
April 30
8:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 96, Denver Nuggets 89
Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 22–23, 25–23, 29–16
Pts: Tim Duncan 22
Rebs: Tim Duncan 11
Asts: Duncan, Ginóbili 6 each
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 29
Rebs: Marcus Camby 17
Asts: Allen Iverson 7
San Antonio leads series, 3–1
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Eddie Rush
TNT
May 2
7:00 pm
Denver Nuggets 78, San Antonio Spurs 93
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 27–19, 11–19, 19–30
Pts: Iverson, Anthony 21 each
Rebs: Marcus Camby 19
Asts: Allen Iverson 8
Pts: Michael Finley 26
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Tony Parker 10
San Antonio wins series, 4–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Sean Corbin, Joe DeRosa, Tom Washington

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning four of the first five meetings.

The Nuggets duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson got Denver off to a fast start, winning Game 1 and taking home-court advantage away from Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Despite the early letdown, the Spurs showed their championship mettle and bounced back for a 97-88 win in Game 2. In the pivotal Game 3, the Nuggets built an eight-point first-quarter lead before Manu Ginóbili's eight second-quarter points put San Antonio up 43-40 at halftime. A back-and-forth contest turned in the final 2:24 of the third quarter: Michael Finley hit two 3-pointers, and Robert Horry later hit a 3 that gave the Spurs a 75-67 lead at the end of the quarter. They hung on for a 96-91 win.

Denver started strong again in Game 4 and led by eight at halftime. But San Antonio stormed back after Anthony went to the bench in the third quarter with his fourth foul. The Spurs held a one-point lead with 30 seconds left when Horry, playing for his seventh championship ring, hit a 3 from the right corner to help seal a 96-89 win. The stunned Nuggets did not recover from the Game 4 letdown. Finley was the hero in Game 5, hitting a team-playoff-record eight threes for 26 points as San Antonio won 93-78 to end the series, marking the Nuggets' fourth straight season where they lost in the first round in five games. This is the second time in three seasons that the Nuggets lost the first-round series to the Spurs, after taking Game 1 in San Antonio (the first also happened in five games).

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets

April 21
8:30 pm
Utah Jazz 75, Houston Rockets 84
Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 23–13, 11–26, 22–25
Pts: Williams, Fisher 15 each
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 9
Pts: Yao Ming 28
Rebs: Yao Ming 13
Asts: Rafer Alston 8
Houston leads series, 1–0
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: Ron Garretson, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore
April 23
8:30 pm
Utah Jazz 90, Houston Rockets 98
Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 15–22, 21–28, 28–31
Pts: Carlos Boozer 41
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 7
Pts: Tracy McGrady 31
Rebs: Chuck Hayes 12
Asts: Alston, McGrady 5 each
Houston leads series, 2–0
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: James Capers, Sean Corbin, Bob Delaney
April 26
7:00 pm
Houston Rockets 67, Utah Jazz 81
Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 25–25, 10–13, 15–20
Pts: Yao Ming 26
Rebs: Yao Ming 14
Asts: Rafer Alston 5
Pts: Carlos Boozer 22
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 8
Houston leads series, 2–1
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
Referees: Marc Davis, Joe DeRosa, Ron Garretson
ESPN
April 28
8:30 pm
Houston Rockets 85, Utah Jazz 98
Scoring by quarter: 21–19, 24–31, 17–33, 23–15
Pts: Yao Ming 20
Rebs: Alston, Yao 9 each
Asts: Rafer Alston 6
Pts: Deron Williams 25
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10
Asts: Deron Williams 7
Series tied, 2–2
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Eddie Rush
TNT
April 30
7:00 pm
Utah Jazz 92, Houston Rockets 96
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–22, 28–25, 20–28
Pts: Carlos Boozer 26
Rebs: Mehmet Okur 9
Asts: Deron Williams 6
Pts: Tracy McGrady 26
Rebs: Yao Ming 15
Asts: Tracy McGrady 16
Houston leads series, 3–2
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: Steve Javie, Courtney Kirkland, Jack Nies
TNT
May 3
6:00 pm
Houston Rockets 82, Utah Jazz 94
Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 21–26, 19–22, 20–26
Pts: Tracy McGrady 26
Rebs: Tracy McGrady 10
Asts: Shane Battier 4
Pts: Carlos Boozer 22
Rebs: Okur, Boozer 9 each
Asts: Deron Williams 8
Series tied, 3–3
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Ken Mauer
TNT
May 5
8:30 pm
Utah Jazz 103, Houston Rockets 99
Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 24–21, 22–24, 28–32
Pts: Carlos Boozer 35
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 14
Asts: Deron Williams 14
Pts: McGrady, Yao 29 each
Rebs: Juwan Howard 7
Asts: Tracy McGrady 13
Utah wins series, 4–3
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning three of the first five meetings.

The resurgent Utah Jazz, fresh off one of their best seasons since the John Stockton/Karl Malone years, faced Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets, who were seeking their first playoff series victory in 10 years. Home court advantage proved to be the key as the series progressed, as both the Rockets and the Jazz won closely contested matches in front of their home crowds.

As a result, the series had to go to a seventh and deciding game, which was played in Houston since the Rockets had the better record and thereby earned home court advantage, despite the division-winning Jazz being the higher-seeded team. Nevertheless, Utah overcame the Houston crowd and stunned the Rockets for the win on the road. The Jazz became only the third road team in history to win Game 7 of a seven-game series in which the home team won each of the first six games, after the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals and the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 Eastern Conference Finals. Houston's Tracy McGrady lost his sixth straight post-season series (out of 10 seasons) and has never played past the first round in his entire career.

After losing the series, the Rockets failed to reach a new contract agreement with their head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who was subsequently fired.[10]

Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Chicago Bulls

May 5
7:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 69, Detroit Pistons 95
Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 18–25, 16–16, 12–25
Pts: Luol Deng 18
Rebs: B. Wallace, Deng 8 each
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6
Pts: Hamilton, Billups 20 each
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 10
Asts: Lindsey Hunter 6
Detroit leads series, 1–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore
TNT
May 7
8:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 87, Detroit Pistons 108
Scoring by quarter: 18–34, 25–24, 19–25, 25–25
Pts: Tyrus Thomas 18
Rebs: Ben Wallace 7
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 25
Rebs: Richard Hamilton 9
Asts: Chauncey Billups 10
Detroit leads series, 2–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Leon Wood
May 10
8:00 pm
Detroit Pistons 81, Chicago Bulls 74
Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 10–24, 32–17, 21–13
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 23
Rebs: Prince, R. Wallace 11 each
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
Pts: Luol Deng 21
Rebs: Luol Deng 14
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7
Detroit leads series, 3–0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington
May 13
2:30 pm
Detroit Pistons 87, Chicago Bulls 102
Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 24–23, 13–27, 31–25
Pts: Chauncey Billups 23
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Pts: Luol Deng 25
Rebs: Ben Wallace 17
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 10
Detroit leads series, 3–1
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Monty McCutchen
TNT
May 15
8:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 108, Detroit Pistons 92
Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 28–26, 33–20, 16–21
Pts: Ben Gordon 28
Rebs: P. J. Brown 8
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 13
Pts: Chauncey Billups 17
Rebs: Chris Webber 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 6
Detroit leads series, 3–2
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Jim Clark, Luis Grillo, Eddie Rush
ESPN
May 17
7:00 pm
Detroit Pistons 95, Chicago Bulls 85
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 15–25, 31–21, 21–16
Pts: Richard Hamilton 23
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 13
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
Pts: P. J. Brown 20
Rebs: Ben Wallace 7
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 11
Detroit wins series, 4–2
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning three of the first five meetings.

In a renewal of a rivalry from the late '80s and early '90s, the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons faced off against each other. This was also the first time since 1995 that teams from the two cities met in a major league postseason or game. The series began fairly one-sided as the Pistons took Games 1 and 2 in Detroit in blowout fashion, followed by another convincing victory in Game 3 in Chicago. In all 3 games, the Bulls looked severely outmatched against the more experienced Pistons squad. Expectations were low for the Bulls, since no NBA team has ever won a seven-game series after being down 3–0. (It has only happened five times total in sports history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, 2004 Boston Red Sox, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.)

Despite the huge obstacle, the Bulls rallied to take Game 4 in a romp, and then proceeded to shock everyone with a blow-out victory in Detroit in Game 5. Despite the renewed momentum, the Pistons' playoff experience ultimately won out as they closed out the Bulls in a 95-85 Game 6 win. The Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth straight year.

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

May 6
1:00 pm
New Jersey Nets 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 81
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 21–20, 18–16, 18–22
Pts: Vince Carter 21
Rebs: Vince Carter 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 9
Pts: LeBron James 21
Rebs: Gooden, Ilgauskas 14 each
Asts: LeBron James 7
Cleveland leads series, 1–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Luis Grillo, Steve Javie, Jack Nies
May 8
8:00 pm
New Jersey Nets 92, Cleveland Cavaliers 102
Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 17–24, 28–26, 19–28
Pts: Vince Carter 26
Rebs: Jason Kidd 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
Pts: LeBron James 36
Rebs: Drew Gooden 14
Asts: LeBron James 12
Cleveland leads series, 2–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith
May 12
5:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 85, New Jersey Nets 96
Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 28–23, 21–28, 21–23
Pts: Larry Hughes 23
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 8
Asts: LeBron James 12
Pts: Jefferson, Kidd, Carter 23 each
Rebs: Jason Kidd 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 14
Cleveland leads series, 2–1
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
TNT
May 14
7:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 87, New Jersey Nets 85
Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 23–26, 29–23, 16–16
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 11
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Carter, Moore 25 each
Rebs: Jason Kidd 17
Asts: Vince Carter 9
Cleveland leads series, 3–1
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Mark Wunderlich
TNT
May 16
8:00 pm
New Jersey Nets 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 72
Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 23–21, 30–20, 6–13
Pts: Jason Kidd 20
Rebs: Jason Kidd 9
Asts: Vince Carter 10
Pts: LeBron James 20
Rebs: LeBron James 9
Asts: LeBron James 5
Cleveland leads series, 3–2
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney
ESPN
May 18
7:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 88, New Jersey Nets 72
Scoring by quarter: 32–15, 21–23, 8–22, 27–12
Pts: LeBron James 23
Rebs: LeBron James 8
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Jason Kidd 19
Rebs: Jason Kidd 12
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
Cleveland wins series, 4–2
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Jim Clark, Joe DeRosa, Eddie Rush

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first two meetings.

The Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992, while the Nets lost in the Conference Semifinals in three out of the last four years. Game 6 was the final playoff game at the Continental Airlines Arena, while also the last NBA playoff game ever played in New Jersey (the Prudential Center never hosted an NBA playoff game during the Nets' tenure from 2010–2012).

New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd averaged a triple double the entire playoffs, scoring 14.6 points, grabbing 10.9 rebounds and dishing out 10.9 assists per game.

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs

May 6
12:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 111, Phoenix Suns 106
Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 24–27, 26–22, 34–31
Pts: Tim Duncan 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 16
Asts: Tony Parker 8
Pts: Steve Nash 31
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 18
Asts: Steve Nash 8
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: James Capers, Bob Delaney, Mark Wunderlich
May 8
7:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 81, Phoenix Suns 101
Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 17–30, 22–22, 17–30
Pts: Tim Duncan 29
Rebs: Tim Duncan 11
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 27
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Steve Nash 16
Series tied, 1–1
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Bill Kennedy
ABC
May 12
7:00 pm
Phoenix Suns 101, San Antonio Spurs 108
Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 23–30, 19–25, 29–28
Pts: Shawn Marion 26
Rebs: Kurt Thomas 12
Asts: Steve Nash 11
Pts: Tim Duncan 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 19
Asts: Tony Parker 5
San Antonio leads series, 2–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard
TNT
May 14
8:30 pm
Phoenix Suns 104, San Antonio Spurs 98
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 16–23, 32–35, 32–18
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 26
Rebs: Shawn Marion 12
Asts: Steve Nash 15
Pts: Tony Parker 23
Rebs: Tim Duncan 11
Asts: Tony Parker 7
Series tied, 2–2
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jack Nies
TNT
May 16
7:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 88, Phoenix Suns 85
Scoring by quarter: 13–24, 20–20, 23–18, 32–23
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 26
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Tony Parker 5
Pts: Shawn Marion 24
Rebs: Shawn Marion 17
Asts: Steve Nash 12
San Antonio leads series, 3–2
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson, Michael Smith
May 18
9:30 pm
Phoenix Suns 106, San Antonio Spurs 114
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 28–30, 16–28, 39–33
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 38
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 12
Asts: Steve Nash 14
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Parker, Ginóbili 6 each
San Antonio wins series, 4–2
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Tom Washington

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning four of the first seven meetings.

The highly anticipated match-up between the high-powered Phoenix Suns, led by 2-time MVP Steve Nash, and the fundamentally sound San Antonio Spurs, led by 3-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, had high expectations before the series tip-off. The Suns were looking to make the conference finals for the third straight year, and also looking for their first Finals berth since 1993. The Spurs on the other hand, were looking for their third trip in five years, and their fourth NBA title overall. The series received international interest with a playoff-record of 12 players originating outside the US.[14] When the series ended, it had become one of the most hotly contested and controversial series in recent NBA history.

The Suns had their home court advantage quickly taken away as the Spurs took a tight Game 1, a game that saw Nash missing the final minutes for Phoenix due to a gash to his nose, which bled profusely. Nash and the Suns recovered to take Game 2 but after the game, Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire accused the Spurs, especially Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginóbili, of being a dirty team. Despite the added scrutiny by the media circles, the Spurs won Game 3. The Suns, trying to overcome their recent failures against Texas teams in the playoffs (the Spurs and the Mavericks both defeated them in the Conference Finals), willed themselves to a come-from-behind victory in Game 4 to tie the series at 2.

However, the celebration was short-lived. In the closing minute of Game 4, with the Suns up 3, Nash brought up the ball and was shoved into the press table by Robert Horry, creating a momentary ruckus, wherein Raja Bell received a technical. As this took place, Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Suns bench. Although they were not involved in the altercation, they broke an established NBA rule that prohibits players from leaving the bench during an altercation. As a result, the NBA suspended Stoudemire and Diaw for one game, while Horry received a two-game suspension for the flagrant foul and ejection. Severely undermanned, the Suns came into Game 5 with the task of beating the Spurs without their star big man.

Although the Suns were able to control most of the game without the suspended players, even taking a 16-point lead on the Spurs at one point, the Spurs came back to win an incredibly close Game 5. Diaw and Stoudemire did return for the Suns in Game 6, though that didn't help the Suns to force a Game 7 and the Spurs eliminated them to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a 114-106 win.

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Golden State Warriors

May 7
8:30 pm
Golden State Warriors 112, Utah Jazz 116
Scoring by quarter: 35–37, 31–26, 23–21, 23–32
Pts: Baron Davis 24
Rebs: Barnes, Richardson 10 each
Asts: Baron Davis 7
Pts: Deron Williams 31
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 20
Asts: Deron Williams 8
Utah leads series, 1–0
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard
TNT
May 9
7:00 pm
Golden State Warriors 117, Utah Jazz 127 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–35, 31–27, 24–23, Overtime: 4–14
Pts: Baron Davis 36
Rebs: Matt Barnes 7
Asts: Baron Davis 7
Pts: Carlos Boozer 30
Rebs: Mehmet Okur 18
Asts: Deron Williams 14
Utah leads series, 2–0
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster, Steve Javie
May 11
6:00 pm
Utah Jazz 105, Golden State Warriors 125
Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 22–40, 36–34, 20–21
Pts: Carlos Boozer 19
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 11
Asts: Deron Williams 6
Pts: Baron Davis 32
Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 13
Asts: Baron Davis 9
Utah leads series, 2–1
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Sean Corbin
TNT
May 13
6:00 pm
Utah Jazz 115, Golden State Warriors 101
Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 25–26, 25–29, 40–23
Pts: Carlos Boozer 34
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 13
Pts: Jackson, Harrington 24 each
Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 10
Asts: Baron Davis 7
Utah leads series, 3–1
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan, Tom Washington
TNT
May 15
8:30 pm
Golden State Warriors 87, Utah Jazz 100
Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 22–23, 19–25, 14–23
Pts: Baron Davis 21
Rebs: Jason Richardson 8
Asts: Baron Davis 8
Pts: Boozer, Kirilenko 21 each
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 14
Asts: Deron Williams 7
Utah wins series, 4–1
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: James Capers, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first two meetings.

The Warriors play the Jazz at Oracle Arena in Game 3.

Fresh off their stunning upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors faced a very different team in Utah. The Warriors continued the frantic style of play they exhibited against the Mavericks, but the Jazz, a more defensive-minded team, managed to shut them down to take Game 1. The Warriors tried to bounce back in Game 2, and took the Jazz to overtime. But the Jazz were able to prevail, due to the inspired clutch play of guard Derek Fisher, who arrived at halftime after being with his family in New York City because of his daughter's emergency eye cancer surgery.

The series shifted back to Oakland and the raucous Oracle Arena crowd, which lifted the Warriors to a resounding blowout in Game 3, a game which saw the Warriors hit a playoff record 11 threes in the first half. However, the Jazz shrugged off the crowd and handed the Warriors their only playoff home loss of the year in Game 4. The Warriors' playoff run ended as the Jazz finished them off in Game 5. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.

Conference Finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers

May 21
8:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 76, Detroit Pistons 79
Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 17–16, 14–21, 21–23
Pts: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 22
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13
Asts: LeBron James 9
Pts: Richard Hamilton 24
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 12
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 9
Detroit leads series, 1–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Greg Willard
TNT
May 24
8:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 76, Detroit Pistons 79
Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 34–18, 13–22, 13–19
Pts: LeBron James 19
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 14
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 16
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 11
Asts: Chauncey Billups 6
Detroit leads series, 2–0
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Jim Clark, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
TNT
May 27
8:30 pm
Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 88
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 21–24, 20–16, 19–26
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 16
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 9
Asts: Billups, Webber, Murray 3 each
Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: LeBron James 9
Asts: LeBron James 9
Detroit leads series, 2–1
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Tom Washington
TNT
May 29
8:00 pm
Detroit Pistons 87, Cleveland Cavaliers 91
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 21–24, 24–15, 20–26
Pts: Chauncey Billups 23
Rebs: Chauncey Billups 9
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 4
Pts: LeBron James 25
Rebs: Drew Gooden 8
Asts: LeBron James 11
Series tied, 2–2
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Joe Forte
TNT
May 31
8:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Detroit Pistons 107 (2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 28–23, 19–18, 21–21, Overtime: 9–9, 9–7
Pts: LeBron James 48
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 16
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Richard Hamilton 26
Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 9
Asts: Richard Hamilton 5
Cleveland leads series, 3–2
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Bob Delaney, Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore
TNT
June 2
8:30 pm
Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 98
Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 27–21, 18–19, 16–31
Pts: Richard Hamilton 29
Rebs: Prince, Webber, McDyess 6 each
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 6
Pts: Daniel Gibson 31
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: LeBron James 8
Cleveland wins series, 4–2
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Jack Nies, Eddie Rush

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting.

In a rematch of the thrilling 2006 second-round series, the Pistons and Cavaliers matched up in perhaps one of the most closely contested series in NBA history, with the first five games being decided by six points or less. The spotlight fell on LeBron James. Despite gaining some momentum in the opening games of the series against the experienced Pistons, key last-second decisions by James led to Cleveland losses in Games 1 and 2 in Detroit, by identical scores, in which Cleveland led for most of the two games. They faced a 0–2 deficit for the second straight year, but would easily remember from the year before that they could win three straight games to get back into the series.

With media circles on his back for his complacency in these games (James had a then playoff career low 10 points in Game 1), James came back to will the Cavs to close victories in Games 3 and 4 in Cleveland, evening the series at 2. The series shifted back to Detroit for a Game 5 that proved to be one of the most memorable postseason games in recent NBA history. In a match that went into double overtime, the Cavaliers stunned the Pistons on their home court, thanks to LeBron James' playoff career-high 48-point performance. James scored the Cavaliers' final 25 points, including all 18 points in overtime, forced the second OT with a driving dunk and made a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left in the second OT to silence the Palace crowd. A game tying buzzer beater by Chauncey Billups rimmed out making it two straight 2-point wins at the Palace in Game 5.

The Cavaliers took advantage of their home court in 2007 and exploded in Game 6 to close out the Pistons, and to clinch the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. Rookie Daniel Gibson scored a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers, to lift the Cavs in the second half behind a roaring home crowd.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Utah Jazz

May 20
2:30 pm
Utah Jazz 100, San Antonio Spurs 108
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 16–31, 26–24, 38–30
Pts: Deron Williams 34
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 9
Pts: Tim Duncan 27
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 10
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson
May 22
8:00 pm
Utah Jazz 96, San Antonio Spurs 105
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 17–32, 24–23, 31–24
Pts: Carlos Boozer 33
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 15
Asts: Deron Williams 10
Pts: Tim Duncan 26
Rebs: Tim Duncan 14
Asts: Tony Parker 14
San Antonio leads series, 2–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore
ABC
May 26
6:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 83, Utah Jazz 109
Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 24–28, 20–32, 16–34
Pts: Tony Parker 25
Rebs: Tim Duncan 8
Asts: Tony Parker 7
Pts: Deron Williams 31
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Deron Williams 8
San Antonio leads series, 2–1
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
Referees: Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen, Eddie Rush
ESPN
May 28
7:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 91, Utah Jazz 79
Scoring by quarter: 21–20, 29–22, 13–20, 28–17
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 22
Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 11
Asts: Jacque Vaughn 4
Pts: Deron Williams 27
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 9
Asts: Deron Williams 10
San Antonio leads series, 3–1
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Steve Javie, Joe DeRosa, Ken Mauer
ESPN
May 30
8:00 pm
Utah Jazz 84, San Antonio Spurs 109
Scoring by quarter: 15–34, 24–21, 17–28, 28–26
Pts: Andrei Kirilenko 13
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Carlos Boozer 4
Pts: Duncan, Parker 21 each
Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 10
Asts: Jacque Vaughn 6
San Antonio wins series, 4–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Greg Willard

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first three meetings.

For the first time since 1990, neither the #1 nor #2 seed participated in the Western Conference Finals. However, the series pitted youth against experience as the up-and-coming Utah Jazz faced off against the seasoned San Antonio Spurs. Coming into the series, the Jazz were not given much of a chance due to their inexperience. However, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and the Jazz were able to hold their own against San Antonio for a good part of the series.

Unfortunately, it was not enough. The series' first 2 games – both San Antonio home victories – saw the Spurs blow big first-half leads and the Jazz mount last-gasp rallies that were thwarted by San Antonio's clutch shooting. When the Spurs' 19-point first-half lead dwindled to 95-87 late in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili came through with timely shots down the stretch. When San Antonio's 22-point edge shrank to 83-76 late in Game 2, Bruce Bowen broke Utah's rhythm with a 3 from the left corner and another from the right to end the threat.

The Jazz, who were undefeated at home in the postseason coming into the series, had their most cohesive effort in a 109-83 Game 3 rout. Utah pestered Duncan into early foul trouble and got baskets from players other than Williams and Boozer, who had combined for 57.7% of their team's points through the first two games. But Jazz fans' euphoria over the team's only series victory gave way to frustration in Game 4 – with most of it aimed at Ginóbili and his flopping. 11 of his 16 fourth-quarter points came at the foul line in an ugly overall team performance in which the Spurs made more free throws (30) than field goals (28). Contributing to that discrepancy were four technical fouls called against Utah in the fourth. The subsequent ejections of Utah head coach Jerry Sloan and Jazz guard Derek Fisher had a charged-up EnergySolutions Arena crowd raining debris onto the court in protest.

The unflappable Spurs responded with yet another commanding start in Game 5. They outscored the Jazz by 19 in the first quarter and led by as many as 29. Not even another late-game arrival of Fisher (from New York again) could help the Jazz enough and the Spurs won a 109-84 series-clinching victory and an eventual date in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers.

NBA Finals: (W3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers

June 7
8:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 76, San Antonio Spurs 85
Scoring by quarter: 15–20, 20–20, 14–24, 27–21
Pts: Daniel Gibson 16
Rebs: LeBron James 7
Asts: James, Gibson 4 each
Pts: Tony Parker 27
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Tony Parker 7
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Ken Mauer
June 10
8:00 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers 92, San Antonio Spurs 103
Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 16–30, 29–31, 30–14
Pts: LeBron James 25
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10
Asts: LeBron James 6
Pts: Tony Parker 30
Rebs: Duncan, Horry 9 each
Asts: Tim Duncan 8
San Antonio leads series, 2–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Joe DeRosa
June 12
9:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 75, Cleveland Cavaliers 72
Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 24–20, 15–12, 20–22
Pts: Tony Parker 17
Rebs: Bowen, Duncan 9 each
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5
Pts: LeBron James 25
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 18
Asts: LeBron James 7
San Antonio leads series, 3–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer
June 14
9:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 82
Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 20–14, 21–18, 23–30
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 27
Rebs: Tim Duncan 15
Asts: Bowen, Duncan, Ginóbili 3 each
Pts: LeBron James 24
Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13
Asts: LeBron James 10
San Antonio wins series 4–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Joe Forte, Eddie Rush, Bennett Salvatore

This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Spurs.[18]

The Cavaliers, led by superstar LeBron James, entered the 2007 Finals looking for their first franchise championship, as well as the first championship for a pro team based out of Cleveland since the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 National Football League Championship. However, the Cavs were considered heavy underdogs against the 3-time champion Spurs. The Spurs' veteran leadership and championship experience overwhelmed the Cavs, who were swept by the Spurs after two blowouts in San Antonio and two close games in Cleveland.

Broadcasters

National television

Year Teams Network Play-by-play announcer Color analyst(s) Sideline reporter(s) Studio host Studio analyst(s)
2007 ClevelandWashington TNT (Games 1, 3)
NBA TV (Games 2, 4)
Marv Albert

Local television

Year Teams Network Play-by-play announcer Color analyst(s) Sideline reporter(s)
2007 ClevelandWashington Fox Sports Ohio and WUAB-TV (Cleveland area)
Comcast SportsNet (Washington D.C. area)

Local radio

Year Teams Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
2007 DetroitOrlando WDFN-AM (Detroit)
WDBO-AM (Orlando)
ChicagoMiami WCKG-FM (Chicago)
WIOD-AM (Miami)
ClevelandWashington WTAM-AM (Cleveland) Joe Tait
WTEM-AM (Washington)
New JerseyToronto WFAN-AM (New Jersey)
CJCL-AM (Toronto)

National television

Year Teams Network Play-by-play announcer Color analyst(s) Sideline reporter(s) Studio host Studio analyst(s)
2007 ClevelandNew Jersey ABC (Game 1)
TNT (Games 2, 4-5)
ESPN (Games 3, 6)

Local television

Year Teams Network Play-by-play announcer Color analyst(s) Sideline reporter(s)
2007 ClevelandNew Jersey Fox Sports Ohio and WUAB-TV (Cleveland area) (Games 3, 6)
YES Network (New Jersey) (New York area) (Games 3, 6)

National radio

Year Teams Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
2007 DetroitChicago
ClevelandNew Jersey ESPN (Game 1)

Local radio

Year Teams Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
2007 DetroitChicago WDFN-AM (Detroit)
WCKG-FM (Chicago)
ClevelandNew Jersey WTAM-AM (Cleveland) Joe Tait
WFAN-AM (New Jersey)

NBA Finals

This was between the Cavaliers and the Spurs, with the Spurs sweeping the series.

Notes

  1. "NBA announces postseason seeding format change". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
  2. "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  3. "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  4. "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  5. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  6. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  7. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  8. "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  9. "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  10. Houston Rockets and Jeff Van Gundy to Part Ways, nba.com, accessed May 18, 2007
  11. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  12. "Team Rivalry Finder —Brooklyn Nets versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  13. "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  14. espn.com, Spurs-Suns series highlights NBA's international scope
  15. "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  16. "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  17. "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  18. "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
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