2008 NBA Playoffs
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The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce was named NBA Finals MVP.
The playoffs were noted for the Atlanta Hawks' return after 9 years, taking the #1 seed Celtics to 7 games before bowing out. Also notable was the debut of the Chris Paul-led Hornets in the playoffs after Hurricane Katrina and their 7-game series against defending champions San Antonio Spurs, and the Lakers and Celtics' revitalization of their franchises, most especially after key trades during the preseason and regular season. The Celtics ended up playing 26 playoff games (2 games short of a full length postseason of 28), breaking the 25 game record of the 1994 Knicks and 2005 Pistons by 1 game for the most playoff games in a single season played by 1 NBA team.[1] The Knicks, however, only played a Best-of-5 First Round, and so had 2 fewer games to accomplish that feat. Also, the top seeds from each Conference met in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. The 2008 Finals was also the first since 1998 to feature neither Shaquille O'Neal nor Tim Duncan.
The Golden State Warriors won 48 games, more than 5 of the 8 playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. However, all eight qualifiers in the Western Conference finished with at least 50 wins, thus leaving the Warriors out of the postseason.
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
- Boston Celtics (66–16, clinched Atlantic Division, and home court advantage throughout the playoffs)
- Detroit Pistons (59–23, clinched Central Division title)
- Orlando Magic (52–30, clinched Southeast Division title)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (45–37)
- Washington Wizards (43–39)
- Toronto Raptors (41–41)
- Philadelphia 76ers (40–42)
- Atlanta Hawks (37–45)
Western Conference
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
- Los Angeles Lakers (57–25, clinched Pacific Division title, and home court advantage for the Western Conference playoffs)
- New Orleans Hornets (56–26, clinched Southwest Division title, winning conference record tiebreaker over Spurs)
- San Antonio Spurs (56–26)
- Utah Jazz (54–28, clinched Northwest Division title)
- Houston Rockets (55–27, winning conference record tiebreaker over Suns)
- Phoenix Suns (55–27)
- Dallas Mavericks (51–31)
- Denver Nuggets (50–32)
Bracket
This was the outlook for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Teams in italics had home court advantage. Teams in bold advanced to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original 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 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E8 | Atlanta | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Cleveland | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Cleveland | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E5 | Washington | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E6 | Toronto | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando* | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| E7 | Philadelphia | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W8 | Denver | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Utah | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Utah* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W5 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Phoenix | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | New Orleans* | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | New Orleans* | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| W7 | Dallas | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage
Eastern Conference
First Round
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
April 20 8:30 pm (ET) |
| Atlanta Hawks 81, Boston Celtics 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 19–20, 15–24, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: Al Horford 20 Rebs: Al Horford 10 Asts: Joe Johnson 7 |
Pts: Ray Allen 18 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 9 | |
April 23 8:00 pm (ET) |
| Atlanta Hawks 77, Boston Celtics 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 22–28, 16–24, 19–20 | ||
| Pts: Smith, Williams 13 Rebs: Al Horford 9 Asts: Horford, Smith 3 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 19 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 | |
April 26 8:00 pm (ET) |
| Boston Celtics 93, Atlanta Hawks 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 30–24, 18–28, 19–18 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 32 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 |
Pts: Josh Smith 26 Rebs: Al Horford 14 Asts: Mike Bibby 8 | |
April 28 8:00 pm (ET) |
| Boston Celtics 92, Atlanta Hawks 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 24–22, 27–14, 17–32 | ||
| Pts: Ray Allen 21 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 9 Asts: Rajon Rondo 12 |
Pts: Joe Johnson 35 Rebs: Al Horford 13 Asts: Joe Johnson 6 | |
April 30 8:30 pm (ET) |
| Atlanta Hawks 85, Boston Celtics 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 24–31, 21–23, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 21 Rebs: Al Horford 10 Asts: Al Horford 5 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 22 Rebs: Paul Pierce 7 Asts: Kevin Garnett 7 | |
May 2 8:00 pm (ET) |
| Boston Celtics 100, Atlanta Hawks 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–20, 18–29, 32–30, 18–24 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 22 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 7 Asts: Kevin Garnett 6 |
Pts: Marvin Williams 18 Rebs: Mike Bibby 6 Asts: Mike Bibby 7 | |
May 4 1:00 pm (ET) |
| Atlanta Hawks 65, Boston Celtics 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 10–17, 17–35, 22–20 | ||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 16 Rebs: Al Horford 12 Asts: Al Horford 3 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 22 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 | |
| Boston wins series 4–3 | ||
| Boston won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
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This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first nine meetings.
| Boston leads 8–1 in all-time playoff series |
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Games 1 and 2 were Celtic routs, keyed by great team defense (Atlanta averaged 79 points in the first 2 games) and balanced Celtic scoring (six players were in double figures in Game 1, five in Game 2). The most buzz was generated by Mike Bibby stating that Celtic fans were bandwagoners after Game 1, prompting boos every time he touched the ball in Game 2.[3]
In Game 3, Atlanta showed its athleticism with an array of dunks from Josh Smith (26 points) and a strong interior performance by the rookie Al Horford (17 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists), who also jawed with Paul Pierce near the end of the game. There would be more jawing in Game 4 between Zaza Pachulia and Kevin Garnett, but the outcome was a surprise: thanks to fourth quarter heroics by Joe Johnson and Smith, who combined to score 32 of Atlanta's 34 4th quarter points, the upstart Hawks rallied from a 10-point third quarter deficit in Game 4 to tie the series going back to Boston. Boston dominated Game 5, but in Game 6, six Hawks players finished in double figures to force a winner-take-all Game 7. The Hawks were no match for the Celtics in Game 7, as the Celtics held them to 26 points in the 1st half. 3 minutes into the 2nd half, the series' tensions finally boiled over when Marvin Williams was ejected for committing a hard foul on Rajon Rondo. Then after that, Kevin Garnett was noted for trucking Zaza Pachulia while going for a screen.
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
April 20 6:00 pm (ET) |
| Philadelphia 76ers 90, Detroit Pistons 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 16–24, 25–19, 27–16 | ||
| Pts: Andre Miller 20 Rebs: Reggie Evans 14 Asts: Andre Iguodala 8 |
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 24 Rebs: Jason Maxiell 11 Asts: Richard Hamilton 4 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 22, 076 Referees: Tom Washington, Eddie Rush, Monty McCutchen |
April 23 7:30 pm (ET) |
| Philadelphia 76ers 88, Detroit Pistons 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 18–28, 26–31, 26–21 | ||
| Pts: Lou Williams 17 Rebs: Reggie Evans 11 Asts: Andre Iguodala 4 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 20 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 12 Asts: Richard Hamilton 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 20,076 Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Collins, Mark Wunderlich |
April 25 7:00 pm (ET) |
| Detroit Pistons 75, Philadelphia 76ers 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 20–24, 15–26, 20–25 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 23 Rebs: Richard Hamilton 6 Asts: Rodney Stuckey 5 |
Pts: Samuel Dalembert 22 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 16 Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 | |
April 27 7:00 pm (ET) |
| Detroit Pistons 93, Philadelphia 76ers 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 17–21, 34–16, 23–22 | ||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 23 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
Pts: Thaddeus Young 15 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 12 Asts: Andre Iguodala 5 | |
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 18,347 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Ron Garretson, Derrick Stafford |
April 29 7:00 pm (ET) |
| Philadelphia 76ers 81, Detroit Pistons 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 21–19, 17–25, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: Andre Iguodala 23 Rebs: Reggie Evans 7 Asts: Andre Iguodala 6 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 21 Rebs: Jason Maxiell 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 12 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bob Delaney, Tony Brothers |
May 1 8:00 pm (ET) |
| Detroit Pistons 100, Philadelphia 76ers 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–12, 21–21, 28–18, 21–26 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 7 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: Andre Iguodala 18 Rebs: Reggie Evans 6 Asts: Reggie Evans 7 | |
| Detroit wins series 4–2 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning two of the first three meetings. The first meeting took place while the Nationals/76ers franchise were in Syracuse and the Pistons franchise were in Fort Wayne.
| Detroit leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
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Misses down the stretch by Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace kept the Pistons from beating the Sixers at their home floor as Andre Iguodala grabbed clutch defensive rebounds to seize home court advantage. The Pistons responded with a blowout in Game 2. Game 3 was close at halftime, but Samuel Dalembert and Andre Miller helped to break it open with strong overall performances. Detroit was behind by 10 in Game 4 at halftime and in danger of falling behind 3–1 going back home, but three second-half 3s by Rasheed Wallace and strong showings by Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups keyed an 18-point 3rd quarter turnaround which evened the series. Detroit dominated Game 5 behind Billups's 14 points and 5 first quarter assists, jumping out to a 14-point lead and never looking back. Richard Hamilton keyed a similar start in Game 6, scoring 13 points, as the Pistons took an 18-point first quarter lead and eventually rolled into the second round.
(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Toronto Raptors
April 20 12:30 pm (ET) |
| Toronto Raptors 100, Orlando Magic 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–43, 24–17, 28–25, 25–29 | ||
| Pts: Anthony Parker 24 Rebs: Rasho Nesterović 8 Asts: José Calderón 8 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 25 Rebs: Dwight Howard 22 Asts: Jameer Nelson 7 | |
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida Attendance: 17, 519 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Greg Willard, Joe DeRosa |
April 22 7:30 pm (ET) |
| Toronto Raptors 103, Orlando Magic 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–35, 39–24, 21–24, 25–21 | ||
| Pts: Chris Bosh 29 Rebs: Chris Bosh 10 Asts: Bosh, Ford 6 each |
Pts: Dwight Howard 29 Rebs: Dwight Howard 20 Asts: Türkoğlu, Lewis 5 each | |
April 24 7:30 pm (ET) |
| Orlando Magic 94, Toronto Raptors 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20-28, 20-33, 29-19, 25-28 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 26 Rebs: Dwight Howard 12 Asts: Jameer Nelson 6 |
Pts: T.J. Ford 21 Rebs: Jamario Moon 10 Asts: José Calderón 5 each | |
April 26 3:00 pm (ET) |
| Orlando Magic 106, Toronto Raptors 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31-26, 17-27, 25-21, 33-20 | ||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 27 Rebs: Dwight Howard 16 Asts: Nelson, Lewis 5 each |
Pts: Chris Bosh 39 Rebs: Chris Bosh 15 Asts: T.J. Ford 13 | |
April 28 7:30 pm (ET) |
| Toronto Raptors 92, Orlando Magic 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26-22, 24-27, 18-25, 24-28 | ||
| Pts: Chris Bosh 16 Rebs: Chris Bosh 9 Asts: T.J. Ford 5 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 21 Rebs: Dwight Howard 21 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu | |
| Orlando wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Orlando won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
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This was the first playoff meeting between the Magic and the Raptors.[5]
Scoring 25 points and grabbing 22 rebounds, Dwight Howard gave the Magic their first playoffs win since 2003 as they practically led the entire game.[6] Howard put up 29 and 20 in Game 2, as Hedo Türkoğlu scored the final four go-ahead points to give the Magic a 2–0 lead. The Raptors would respond with a strong Game 3 victory keyed by great point guard play from T. J. Ford and José Calderón. But Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Keith Bogans keyed strong three point shooting in Game 4 and overcame Chris Bosh's 39 points and 15 rebounds to bring the Magic out of Toronto with a 3–1 lead. Howard finished off the series in Game 5 as impressively as he started–21 points, 21 rebounds, 3 blocks giving the Magic their first playoff series victory since 1996.
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards
April 19 12:30 pm |
| Washington Wizards 86, Cleveland Cavaliers 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 22–27, 23–19, 17–28 | ||
| Pts: Antawn Jamison 23 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 19 Asts: DeShawn Stevenson 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 11 Asts: West, Gibson 5 | |
April 21 7:00 pm |
| Washington Wizards 86, Cleveland Cavaliers 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 18–26, 23–33, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Butler, Stevenson, Songaila 12 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 9 Asts: Caron Butler 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Ilgauskas, James 9 Asts: LeBron James 12 | |
April 24 8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 72, Washington Wizards 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 16–28, 18–28, 21–31 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 22 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 9 Asts: James, Szczerbiak, Varejão 3 |
Pts: DeShawn Stevenson 19 Rebs: Jamison, Blatche 7 Asts: Antonio Daniels 6 | |
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Referees: Jim Clark, Sean Corbin, Eddie Rush |
April 27 1:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 100, Washington Wizards 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 30–16, 26–29, 20–24 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 34 Rebs: James, Wallace 12 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Antawn Jamison 23 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 11 Asts: DeShawn Stevenson 5 | |
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Referees: Joe Crawford, Michael Smith, Bill Spooner |
April 30 6:00 pm |
| Washington Wizards 88, Cleveland Cavaliers 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 22–27, 24–22, 19–22 | ||
| Pts: Caron Butler 32 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 11 Asts: Caron Butler 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 34 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: Delonte West 8 | |
May 2 7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 105, Washington Wizards 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 29–17, 23–16, 26–24 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: LeBron James 13 Asts: LeBron James 13 |
Pts: Antawn Jamison 23 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 15 Asts: Antonio Daniels 5 | |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–2 | ||
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Referees: Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Tom Washington |
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning three of the first four meetings.
| Cleveland leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
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LeBron James, labeled as "overrated" by Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson, scored 20 of his 32 points in the second half to help the Cavs draw first blood in their third first round meeting in as many years.[8] The Cavs and Wizards traded blowouts in Games 2 and 3, but Cleveland took a 3–1 lead in the Verizon Center off of Delonte West's last second 3. Washington stayed alive by winning Game 5 when Caron Butler converted a running shot with only seconds left, capping off his 32-point performance. However, James led the Cavs to a dominating Game 6 victory in Washington with a triple-double (27 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists); he also received crucial outside shooting from Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson, who combined for 48 points.
This series was marked by several physical plays on James, with Brendan Haywood, Stevenson, and Darius Songaila picking up technical and flagrant fouls for hard contact on him.
Conference Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
May 6 8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 72, Boston Celtics 76 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–25, 22–16, 15–12, 20–23 | ||
| Pts: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 22 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 12 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 28 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 | |
May 8 7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 73, Boston Celtics 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 12–27, 15–26, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 19 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Rajon Rondo 6 | |
May 10 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–32, 22–20, 28–27, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 17 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 9 Asts: Paul Pierce 5 |
Pts: James, West 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 9 Asts: LeBron James 8 | |
May 12 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 22–22, 22–23, 12–20 | ||
| Pts: Garnett, Allen, Rondo 15 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Garnett, Rondo 4 |
Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: Ilgauskas, Wallace 7 Asts: LeBron James 13 | |
May 14 8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Boston Celtics 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 23–25, 17–29, 26–24 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 35 Rebs: Ilgauskas, Varejão 7 Asts: LeBron James 5 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 29 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 16 Asts: Rajon Rondo 13 | |
May 16 8:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 69, Cleveland Cavaliers 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 15–24, 17–17, 19–15 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 25 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 8 Asts: Rajon Rondo 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 12 Asts: LeBron James 6 | |
May 18 3:30 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 92, Boston Celtics 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–18, 27–32, 28–23, 24–24 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 45 Rebs: Joe Smith 6 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 41 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
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This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning two of the first three meetings.
| Boston leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
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Although the Celtics had a quick turnaround from their unexpected seven-game series with Atlanta, they managed to hold off the Cavs by winning the first two games in Boston. Kevin Garnett scored 28 points and 8 rebounds and made the go-ahead shot in Game 1. LeBron James would only shoot 8 for 42 from the field in the first 2 games.
Cleveland would come back to win the next two games, Game 3, a blowout where five Cavs scored in double figures, and Game 4 where James would punctuate the victory with a dunk over Garnett. James's shooting improved in the return to the Garden in Game 5, but received minimal help from his teammates as Rajon Rondo, Garnett, and Paul Pierce all scored over 20 points to push Boston over the top. Game 6 was an ugly affair, with both teams shooting under 40 percent, but a 32–12–6 performance by James was enough. Boston, the best road team in the regular season, fell to 0–6 on the road.
Game 7 would end in a duel between Pierce (41 points) and James (45 points) that some compared to the Bird–Wilkins duel in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals.[10][11] But timely offensive rebounding (10 in all), 18 second chance points, and a few key shots from Celtics veteran P.J. Brown helped push Boston into the Eastern Conference Finals.
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Orlando Magic
May 3 7:30 pm |
| Orlando Magic 72, Detroit Pistons 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 20–21, 16–22, 14–26 | ||
| Pts: Lewis, Türkoğlu 18 Rebs: Dwight Howard 8 Asts: Jameer Nelson 5 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 19 Rebs: Jason Maxiell 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Monty McCutchen |
May 5 7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 93, Detroit Pistons 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 11–21, 36–28, 17–22 | ||
| Pts: Howard, Nelson 22 Rebs: Dwight Howard 18 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 28 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 10 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 5 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: Joe Forte, Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford |
May 7 8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 86, Orlando Magic 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–30, 26–24, 27–19, 17–38 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 7 Asts: Hamilton, Prince 3 |
Pts: Rashard Lewis 33 Rebs: Dwight Howard 12 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 6 | |
May 10 5:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 90, Orlando Magic 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 23–28, 26–15, 20–19 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 32 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 14 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 5 |
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 20 Rebs: Dwight Howard 12 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 4 | |
May 13 7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 86, Detroit Pistons 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 21–27, 27–18, 18–26 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 18 Rebs: Dwight Howard 17 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 31 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Rodney Stuckey 6 | |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning two of the first three meetings.
| Detroit leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The Pistons opened up with a rout in Game 1, as Detroit's big men keyed in on Dwight Howard and forced him to playoff lows 12 points and 8 rebounds, with five Pistons scoring in double figures. After being quiet in Game 1, the Magic's 3-point shooting picked up (11/26, with Jameer Nelson making 5-of-8), but could not overcome 19 turnovers and fell down in the series 2–0. There was a controversial call at the end of the third quarter, where Chauncey Billups made a 3 near the end of the 3rd quarter when the clock froze and approximately 0.5 seconds remained, but TNT clocks later revealed that Billups could not have gotten the ball off in time.
The Magic would take a 24–6 lead at home in Game 3 and use a 38–17 4th quarter to blow out Detroit; they were paced by 33 points by Rashard Lewis. Billups would injure his right hamstring early in the game and miss the remainder of the series, but they would not need him for Game 4 as Richard Hamilton scored 32 points and the Pistons came from 15 back in the 3rd quarter. Tayshaun Prince made the go-ahead basket with 8.9 seconds left and Hedo Türkoğlu missed a layup as time ran out.
Billups's starting replacement, Rodney Stuckey, struggled in Game 4, but came back with a strong Game 5. The Magic would outshoot the Pistons 48 to 36 percent, would make 36 percent of their 3s compared to 21 percent for Detroit, and outrebound them 46 to 38, but turned the ball over 21 times while Detroit had only 3. Rip Hamilton again led Detroit with 31 points, and Prince made the crucial defensive play by blocking Türkoğlu's layup in the waning seconds. Detroit advanced to their sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals, the longest Conference Finals streak since the Los Angeles Lakers went to eight straight in the 80s.
Conference Finals: (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Detroit Pistons
May 20 8:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 79, Boston Celtics 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 23–19, 17–28, 22–19 | ||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 16 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Rasheed Wallace 4 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 26 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 | |
May 22 8:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 103, Boston Celtics 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 32–23, 28–26, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 25 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 26 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 8 | |
May 24 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 94, Detroit Pistons 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–17, 25–15, 23–23, 21–25 | ||
| Pts: Kevin Garnett 22 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Ray Allen 6 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 26 Rebs: McDyess, Wallace 8 Asts: Billups, Stuckey 4 | |
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen |
May 26 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 75, Detroit Pistons 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 22–21, 19–22, 17–29 | ||
| Pts: Garnett, Pierce 16 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10 Asts: Rajon Rondo 4 |
Pts: Antonio McDyess 21 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 16 Asts: Billups, Hamilton 7 | |
May 28 8:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 102, Boston Celtics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 23–29, 25–32, 31–22 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 26 Rebs: Billups, McDyess 5 Asts: Billups, Hamilton 6 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 33 Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 16 Asts: Rajon Rondo 13 | |
May 30 8:30 pm |
| Boston Celtics 89, Detroit Pistons 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 16–16, 20–31, 29–13 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: Paul Pierce 8 Asts: Kevin Garnett 4 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 29 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 | ||
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Derosa, Bennett Salvatore |
| Boston won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning four of the first seven meetings.
| Boston leads 4–3 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Detroit walked into the NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth straight season. Boston held off the Pistons in Game 1 88–79, but let Detroit rally a strong performance in Game 2 to win it 103–97 (marking Boston's first home court loss in the post-season). However, they let the Celtics win their first road playoff game 94–80 in Game 3. Game 4 saw the Pistons win 94–75, however they lost Game 5 106–102 despite a scoring run late in the game. In Game 6, the Pistons strolled into the fourth quarter leading 70–60, but a lack of focus, a poor game from Rasheed Wallace, and a rally-destroying turnover by Tayshaun Prince ultimately led to their demise, as the Pistons would end their season losing 89–81. With that, the Celtics moved on to the NBA Finals, and they would face the Los Angeles Lakers for the 11th time.
Western Conference
First Round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Denver Nuggets
April 20 12:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 114, Los Angeles Lakers 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 34–32, 22–39, 36–31 | ||
| Pts: Iverson, Anthony 30 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 12 Asts: Allen Iverson 7 |
Pts: Pau Gasol 36 Rebs: Pau Gasol 16 Asts: Pau Gasol 8 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Ken Mauer |
April 23 7:30 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 107, Los Angeles Lakers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 17–26, 30–30, 28–33 | ||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 31 Rebs: Marcus Camby 17 Asts: Allen Iverson 6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 49 Rebs: Pau Gasol 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 10 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Luis Grillo, Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore |
April 26 3:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 102, Denver Nuggets 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 30–26, 30–18, 19–20 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Odom, Bryant, Radmanović 7 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 16 Rebs: Marcus Camby 12 Asts: Marcus Camby 4 | |
April 28 8:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 107, Denver Nuggets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–23, 32–31, 15–23, 28–24 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Lamar Odom 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
Pts: Allen Iverson 22 Rebs: Marcus Camby 17 Asts: Anthony Carter 6 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–0 | ||
| Los Angeles won 3–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
In Pau Gasol's playoff debut with the Lakers, he scored 36 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks as the Lakers beat the Nuggets in Game 1. Kobe Bryant gave the fans a vintage performance in Game 2 by scoring 49 points and adding 10 assists in a blowout at Staples Center. The Nuggets were routed at home in Game 3, with Carmelo Anthony stating the team quit in the second half. Game 4 was closer, but Bryant led the Lakers with 14 points in the last 5½ minutes to sweep the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. It was the first time the Lakers advanced to the second round since the 2004 season.[15]
(2) New Orleans Hornets vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
April 19 6:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 92, New Orleans Hornets 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–19, 26–21, 20–36, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 9 |
Pts: Chris Paul 35 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15 Asts: Chris Paul 10 | |
April 22 6:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 103, New Orleans Hornets 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–39, 22–28, 28–32, 24–28 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27 Rebs: Brandon Bass 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
Pts: Chris Paul 32 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Chris Paul 17 | |
April 25 7:00 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 87, Dallas Mavericks 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–23, 24–24, 23–27, 24–23 | ||
| Pts: Jannero Pargo 30 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Chris Paul 10 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 32 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 19 Asts: Nowitzki, Terry 6 | |
April 27 8:30 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 97, Dallas Mavericks 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 25–14, 28–22, 21–18 | ||
| Pts: David West 30 Rebs: David West 9 Asts: Chris Paul 8 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 22 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Nowitzki, Terry, Kidd 3 | |
April 29 6:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 94, New Orleans Hornets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 17–26, 24–17, 31–28 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 22 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Terry, Kidd 9 |
Pts: David West 29 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 14 Asts: Chris Paul 15 | |
| New Orleans wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[16]
In his playoff debut, Chris Paul scored 35 points, dished out 10 assists, and stole the ball 4 times to lead the Hornets to a comeback home win against the Mavericks.[17] He would replicate that type of performance in Game 2 with 32 points and 17 assists. Dallas would come out with a dominant Game 3 performance at home after inserting Jason Terry into the starting lineup, but New Orleans would win the final 2 games of the series, keyed by David West in Game 4 and Paul's triple-double in Game 5.
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Phoenix Suns
April 19 2:00 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 115, San Antonio Spurs 117 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 24–20, 23–25, 22–28, Overtime: 11–11, 11–13 | ||
| Pts: Steve Nash 25 Rebs: Leandro Barbosa 8 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 40 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Parker, Duncan, Ginóbili 5 | |
April 22 8:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 96, San Antonio Spurs 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 26–28, 11–27, 24–21 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 33 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 14 Asts: Steve Nash 10 |
Pts: Tony Parker 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Tony Parker 7 | |
April 25 7:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 115, Phoenix Suns 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–19, 28–28, 30–25, 24–27 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 41 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tony Parker 12 |
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 28 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 11 Asts: Steve Nash 9 | |
April 27 1:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 86, Phoenix Suns 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–34, 30–31, 22–28, 21–12 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 18 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tony Parker 3 |
Pts: Raja Bell 27 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Boris Diaw 8 | |
April 29 8:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 87, San Antonio Spurs 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 19–24, 27–15, 15–23 | ||
| Pts: Boris Diaw 22 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 11 Asts: Boris Diaw 8 |
Pts: Tony Parker 31 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 | ||
| Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning five of the first eight meetings.
| San Antonio leads 5–3 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Michael Finley made a game-tying three in regulation, Tim Duncan scored 40 points, including a rare three-point field goal to force a second overtime, and Manu Ginóbili clinched victory with a drive to the basket to break the 115-all deadlock with 1.8 seconds left to win a classic Game 1.[19] Tony Parker would then pace the Spurs to their next two victories in the series, scoring 32 and 41 in Games 2 and 3 respectively. At the brink of elimination, Phoenix responded with a strong Game 4. But costly missed free throws by Shaquille O'Neal and key turnovers by Steve Nash helped San Antonio to prevail in Game 5, led again by Parker's 31 points.
Also notable was Gregg Popovich's use of the Hack-a-Shaq throughout the series to disrupt the Suns offense when Shaquille O'Neal was on the floor. O'Neal would shoot 64 free throws in the five games, making 32 of them.
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets
April 19 8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 93, Houston Rockets 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 24–23, 21–19, 25–22 | ||
| Pts: Andrei Kirilenko 21 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 16 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
Pts: Shane Battier 22 Rebs: Luis Scola 13 Asts: Tracy McGrady 7 | |
April 21 8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 90, Houston Rockets 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 21–24, 22–26, 21–17 | ||
| Pts: Deron Williams 22 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 16 Asts: Deron Williams 5 |
Pts: Tracy McGrady 23 Rebs: Tracy McGrady 13 Asts: Tracy McGrady 9 | |
April 24 8:30 pm |
| Houston Rockets 94, Utah Jazz 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 17–21, 26–32, 24–16 | ||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 27 Rebs: Carl Landry 11 Asts: Tracy McGrady 7 |
Pts: Deron Williams 28 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 13 Asts: Deron Williams 12 | |
April 26 8:30 pm |
| Houston Rockets 82, Utah Jazz 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 15–25, 23–20, 21–20 | ||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 23 Rebs: Tracy McGrady 10 Asts: Tracy McGrady 8 |
Pts: Deron Williams 17 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 18 Asts: Deron Williams 9 | |
April 29 8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 69, Houston Rockets 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 16–25, 23–31, 14–21 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 19 Rebs: Okur, Boozer 10 Asts: Deron Williams 6 |
Pts: Tracy McGrady 29 Rebs: Luis Scola 12 Asts: Rafer Alston 6 | |
May 2 8:30 pm |
| Houston Rockets 90, Utah Jazz 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–'32, 32–26, 11–27, 26–28 | ||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 40 Rebs: Tracy McGrady 10 Asts: Tracy McGrady 5 |
Pts: Deron Williams 25 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 13 Asts: Deron Williams 9 | |
| Utah wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Utah won 2–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning four of the first six meetings.
| Utah leads 4–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The Jazz had a balanced game from Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams to steal the home court advantage away from the Rockets.[21] A similar performance in Game 2 put Utah in a commanding 2–0 lead going back to Salt Lake City. Rafer Alston's return to the Houston lineup after injury, along with Tracy McGrady's 27 points and Carl Landry's key block of Deron Williams helped Houston steal Game 3 on the road. Williams responded with a strong performance in a Game 4 victory, plus got some help from Mehmet Okur with his offensive rebound off of his two missed free throws. The Rockets controlled Game 5 to stay alive, but despite getting 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists from McGrady in Game 6 and 15 pts from Luis Scola, the rest of the team shot 10/39 from the field and could not overcome losing Alston to an ankle injury as the Jazz blew the game open with a 27–11 3rd quarter.
Conference Semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Utah Jazz
May 4 1:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 98, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 17–29, 31–25, 26–30 | ||
| Pts: Mehmet Okur 21 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 19 Asts: Deron Williams 9 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 38 Rebs: Pau Gasol 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 7 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Jim Clark, Joe Crawford, Ron Garretson |
May 7 7:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 110, Los Angeles Lakers 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–33, 31–30, 34–30, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Deron Williams 25 Rebs: Paul Millsap 10 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Lamar Odom 16 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Greg Willard |
May 9 7:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Utah Jazz 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 20–29, 29–27, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Lamar Odom 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 7 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer 27 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 20 Asts: Deron Williams 12 | |
May 11 1:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 115, Utah Jazz 123 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–31, 34–24, 20–24, 33–29, Overtime: 7–15 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 33 Rebs: Lamar Odom 13 Asts: Kobe Bryant 10 |
Pts: Deron Williams 29 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 14 | |
May 14 7:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 104, Los Angeles Lakers 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 28–32, 27–20, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Deron Williams 27 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 13 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 26 Rebs: Lamar Odom 11 Asts: Pau Gasol 8 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington |
May 16 8:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 108, Utah Jazz 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–20, 29–23, 24–27, 22–35 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Pau Gasol 13 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
Pts: Deron Williams 21 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 14 Asts: Deron Williams 14 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 | ||
| Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning two of the first three meetings.
| Utah leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The Lakers took Game 1 in Staples Center, winning by 11 against the Jazz. After being presented with the season's NBA MVP award in Game 2, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to victory with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, as the series shifted back to Utah, the Jazz responded, winning Games 3 and 4 behind the performances of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, who bounced back after two poor games in Los Angeles. The Lakers came back with authority as they took Game 5 with Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom scoring 20 plus points each. The Jazz looked to force a Game 7, but the Lakers did not trail and closed out the series in Game 6 with a 108–105 win at Utah, where the Jazz were 37–4 during the regular season. Bryant led the team with 34 points as the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals, which they had not reached since 2004. This was the first playoff meeting between the two teams since the 1998 Western Conference Finals.
(2) New Orleans Hornets vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
May 3 9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 82, New Orleans Hornets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 22–22, 17–29, 16–27 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Ginóbili, Oberto 6 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 |
Pts: David West 30 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15 Asts: Chris Paul 13 | |
May 5 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 84, New Orleans Hornets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 20–20, 18–36, 23–24 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 18 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 |
Pts: Chris Paul 30 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Chris Paul 12 | |
May 8 8:30 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 99, San Antonio Spurs 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 33–33, 22–29, 21–27 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 35 Rebs: David West 12 Asts: Chris Paul 9 |
Pts: Tony Parker 31 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 11 | |
May 11 7:00 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 80, San Antonio Spurs 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 20–31, 19–30, 19–15 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 23 Rebs: Paul, Armstrong 6 Asts: Chris Paul 5 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 22 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Ginóbili, Parker 8 | |
May 13 8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 79, New Orleans Hornets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 24–23, 11–28, 21–29 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 20 Rebs: Tim Duncan 23 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 |
Pts: David West 38 Rebs: David West 14 Asts: Chris Paul 14 | |
May 15 8:00 pm |
| New Orleans Hornets 80, San Antonio Spurs 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–36, 27–22, 12–20, 17–21 | ||
| Pts: Chris Paul 21 Rebs: Five players 6 each Asts: Chris Paul 8 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 25 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 | |
May 19 7:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 91, New Orleans Hornets 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 28–22, 20–14, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 14 Asts: Parker, Ginóbili 5 |
Pts: David West 20 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15 Asts: Chris Paul 14 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–3 | ||
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between the Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[23]
The Hornets, who earned the home-court advantage via winning the Southwest division, were able to gain a quick 2–0 lead over the veteran Spurs. But when the series shifted to San Antonio, the Spurs regained their edge, returning the favor in Games 3 and 4. Game 5 back in New Orleans shocked many as the Hornets played off the home crowd to a 22-point rout. The home teams were clearly dominating in this series as Game 6 was more of the same in San Antonio. However, that all changed when a much anticipated Game 7 saw the Spurs build a 15-point lead after 3 quarters, which proved to be enough (even after the Hornets cut the deficit to 3 with 1:35 left) to send them to another Western Conference Finals.
Conference Finals: (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
May 21 6:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 85, Los Angeles Lakers 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 24–19, 21–22, 13–24 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 30 Rebs: Tim Duncan 18 Asts: Tony Parker 6 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 27 Rebs: Lamar Odom 8 Asts: Kobe Bryant 9 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney |
May 23 6:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 71, Los Angeles Lakers 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 21–25, 20–28, 14–27 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 13 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Parker, Duncan 4 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Lamar Odom 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 | |
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore |
May 25 7:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 84, San Antonio Spurs 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 15–28, 18–20, 27–34 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Lamar Odom 11 Asts: Lamar Odom 6 |
Pts: Manu Ginobili 30 Rebs: Tim Duncan 21 Asts: Duncan, Parker 5 | |
May 27 8:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 93, San Antonio Spurs 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 25–24, 24–23, 16–21 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 28 Rebs: Bryant, Gasol 10 Asts: Pau Gasol 6 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Tony Parker 9 | |
May 29 6:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 92, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–15, 20–27, 15–22, 29–36 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tim Duncan 10 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 39 Rebs: Pau Gasol 19 Asts: Pau Gasol 5 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 | ||
Staples Center, Los Angeles Referees: Steve Javie, Monty McCutchen, Tom Washington |
| Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning seven of the first ten meetings.
| Los Angeles leads 7–3 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
The series pitted the two best teams in the Western Conference over the last 10 years. Having home court advantage, the Lakers started out as a favorite and did not disappoint their home crowd as they overcame a 20-point deficit in Game 1 and won behind Kobe Bryant's 27 points, 25 of which were scored in the second half. Game 2 was a cruise for the Lakers as they made a 9–0 run before halftime, led all game and built the lead to 30.
The Spurs easily took Game 3 at home with Manu Ginóbili carrying the Spurs after two terrible games at L.A, making 5 3-pointers and finishing with 30 points; Tony Parker and Tim Duncan added 42 more. In Game 4 the Lakers never trailed (the Spurs missed several opportunities to take the lead) and led comfortably late, but a furious run by the Spurs and several mistakes by the Lakers (Bryant attempting a running fallaway with plenty of time on the shot clock, Gasol missing 2 free throws) gave San Antonio a chance to tie or win with seconds left. On a disputed no-call, Derek Fisher jumped up and collided with Brent Barry, but no foul was called and Barry missed a last second 3. The NBA later ruled that a foul should have been called on Fisher when he collided with Barry.
Heading home up 3–1 in the series, the Lakers trailed in the first quarter by 17, but were able to cut the lead to six by halftime. Again, Bryant stepped up by scoring 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, enabling the Lakers to surge ahead and seal the series, helping them to reach the NBA Finals for the 5th time in 9 seasons and the first time in the post-Shaq era.
The Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals again as the #1 seed. The last time this happened to the team was during the 1999–2000 season, where they beat the Indiana Pacers 4–2. They also improved to 4–0 against San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals.
NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E1) Boston Celtics
June 5 9:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 88, Boston Celtics 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 30–23, 22–31, 15–21 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 24 Rebs: Pau Gasol 8 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
Pts: Kevin Garnett 24 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13 Asts: Rajon Rondo 7 | |
June 8 9:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 20–34, 19–29, 41–25 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 30 Rebs: Gasol, Radmanović 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
Pts: Paul Pierce 28 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Rajon Rondo 16 | |
June 10 6:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 81, Los Angeles Lakers 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 17–23, 25–17, 19–27 | ||
| Pts: Ray Allen 25 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12 Asts: Kevin Garnett 5 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 36 Rebs: Pau Gasol 12 Asts: Jordan Farmar 5 | |
June 12 6:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 97, Los Angeles Lakers 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–35, 26–23, 31–15, 26–18 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 20 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11 Asts: Paul Pierce 7 |
Pts: Lamar Odom 19 Rebs: Gasol, Odom 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 10 | |
June 15 6:00 pm |
| Boston Celtics 98, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–39, 30–16, 18–24, 28–24 | ||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 38 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 25 Rebs: Pau Gasol 13 Asts: Pau Gasol 6 | |
June 17 9:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 92, Boston Celtics 131 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 15–34, 25–31, 32–42 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Lamar Odom 10 Asts: Lamar Odom 5 |
Pts: Garnett, Allen 26 Rebs: Kevin Garnett 14 Asts: Paul Pierce 10 | |
| Boston wins NBA Finals, 4–2 | ||
| Boston won 2–0 in the regular-season series |
|---|
This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first ten meetings.
| Boston leads 8–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Broadcast notes
- The Playoffs began on Saturday April 19, with the Washington Wizards facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on ESPN. ABC kicked off its coverage with the Phoenix Suns facing the San Antonio Spurs. TNT's coverage began with a tripleheader on Sunday, April 20 in a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic, with the Denver Nuggets playing the L.A. Lakers on ABC in between. NBA TV has been broadcasting weeknight coverage of playoff games for at least the first round.
- The Eastern Conference Finals were televised on ABC and ESPN, beginning Tuesday May 20 at 8:30 pm EST. Game 3 is scheduled to be televised on ABC—all other games are scheduled on ESPN.[26] The last possible end date for the Eastern Conference Finals will be on June 1, if the series goes to a seventh and deciding game.
- The Western Conference Finals were televised on TNT, beginning Wednesday May 21 at 9 pm EST. The last possible end date for the Western Conference Finals will be on June 2, if the series goes to a seventh and deciding game.
- The NBA Finals were televised on ABC, beginning Thursday June 5 at 9 pm EST. The latest possible end date for the NBA Finals will be June 19, if the Finals goes to a seventh and deciding game.
- ABC's lead announcing team for the NBA Playoffs (and, by extension, the NBA Finals) was play-by-play man Mike Breen, joined by analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy along with sideline reporter Michele Tafoya. Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Lisa Salters were the second team broadcasting on ABC. The latter, with the exception of Salters, were the lead broadcast team for ESPN Radio's NBA coverage, with Jim Durham and Jack Ramsay the secondary broadcast duo.
- ESPN's other play-by-play announcers include Dave Pasch and Dan Shulman, along with analysts Rick Carlisle, Jon Barry and Doris Burke. Sideline reporters include Heather Cox, Holly Rowe and Ric Bucher.
- TNT's lead announcing teams for the NBA Playoffs were Marv Albert with Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan with Doug Collins. Play-by-play announcers Dick Stockton and Matt Devlin was also teamed with Mike Fratello and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy on a rotating basis. Sideline reporters include Craig Sager, Cheryl Miller, Pam Oliver, David Aldridge, Marty Snider, Dei Lynam, and Stephanie Ready.
Ratings
TNT's coverage of the 2008 NBA Playoffs was strong in audience delivery, with the playoff averages showing year-over-year growth among households (+15%), viewers (+14%), adults 18–34 (+25%), adults 18–49 (+22%), adults 25–54 (+24%), men 18–34 (+30%), women 18–34 (+5%), men 18–49 (+23%) and men 25–54 (+22%).
References
- ↑ Beck, Howard (June 17, 2008). "Celtics Remain Mindful Of a Missed Opportunity". The New York Times. p. D2.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/04/22/bibby-calls-bostons-fans-bandwagon-jumpers/ Bibby: Boston Fans are "Bandwagon Jumpers", AOL Fanhouse
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Orlando Magic versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Dwight Howard's 20–20 Game Leads Magic Past Raptors, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ James Scores 20 of his 32 in Second Half, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Pierce–James duel in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals on YouTube
- ↑ Bird–Wilkins duel in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals on YouTube
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Lakers Take 3-0 Series Lead Over Nuggets, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Paul Lifts Hornets over Mavs for Game 1 Win, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Duncan Scores 40 to Lead Spurs to Game 1 Win Over Suns, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Jazz beat Rockets 93-82 in series opener, NBA.com
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — New Orleans Pelicans versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ Tentative 2008 Playoff schedule