2011 NBA Playoffs

2011 NBA playoffs

The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dirk Nowitzki was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Chicago Bulls achieved several "firsts" since 1998: the East's best record, a Central Division title, and over 60 victories. They also clinched the NBA's best record for the first time since 1997, guaranteeing home-court advantage in every round. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998, and lost the ECF for the first time since 1990.

The Indiana Pacers appeared in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, as did the Memphis Grizzlies. The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004, but this was their first playoff appearance as an above-.500 team since 2001. The Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Hornets appeared for the third time in 4 years. The other 11 teams were in the 2010 NBA Playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder headed to the playoffs with their first Northwest Division title under this incarnation.

This was the final postseason appearance for the New Orleans franchise while known as the "Hornets", as the teams mascot was changed to the "Pelicans" before the 2013–14 season.

For the first time since the 16-team format was introduced in 1984, the top two seeds from the same conference (San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers of the West) lost Game 1 of the first round. The Spurs lost to the Grizzlies, who won their first playoff game in team history, while the Lakers lost Game 1 to the Hornets and were subsequently swept by the Mavericks in the next round. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic tied a franchise record with 46 points (31 in the first half) in Game 1 of the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, tying Tracy McGrady's total in Game 2 of the 2003 First Round against the Detroit Pistons.

With a 4–1 series win over the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder won their first playoff series since relocating to Oklahoma City. The Boston Celtics swept a best-of-7 playoff series for the first time since winning the 1986 Eastern Conference Finals with a 4-game sweep of the Knicks; prior to the series win they had not swept a series overall since 1992, in Larry Bird's final season.

The Grizzlies followed up their first playoff-game win with their first playoff series win ever. They became the fourth 8th-seeded team ever to advance to the Conference Semifinals after defeating the Spurs in 6, and the second since the first round expanded to a best-of-7 format in 2003. In addition, this marked the first time that no first-round series was pushed to a Game 7 since the current format was introduced. Also, the 2011 Playoffs was the first time since 2007 that only 1 series went to a Game 7.

The Los Angeles Lakers, who went to the Finals the previous 3 years, were swept by the Mavericks in the second round. It was the first time that Lakers head coach Phil Jackson had been swept in a playoff series. It would be the first time since 1996 and only the second since 1990 in which the Lakers lost a Western Conference playoff series despite having home court advantage.

Game 7 of the Grizzlies–Thunder series ensured a 12th straight postseason with at least one Game 7 played. The last without one was the 1999 NBA Playoffs.

Format

Further information: NBA Playoffs § Format

The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualified for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record. However, a division champion is guaranteed to be ranked at least fourth, regardless of their record and their winnings.

Tiebreak procedures

The tiebreakers that determined seedings were:

  1. Division leader wins tie against team not leading a division
  2. Head-to-head record
  3. Division record (if all tied teams are in the same division)
  4. Conference record
  5. Record vs. playoff teams, own conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams)
  6. Record vs. playoff teams, other conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams) (this tiebreaker does not apply if 3 or more tied teams)
  7. Point differential, all games

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in Conference
Best record
in NBA
1 Chicago Bulls 62-20 March 9 March 9 April 8 April 13
2 Miami Heat 58-24 March 10 April 3
3 Boston Celtics 56-26 March 7 March 20
4 Orlando Magic 52-30 March 16
5 Atlanta Hawks 44-38 March 26
6 New York Knicks 42-40 April 3
7 Philadelphia 76ers 41-41 April 1
8 Indiana Pacers 37-45 April 6

— = Did not achieve

Western Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in Conference
1 San Antonio Spurs 61-21 March 9 April 3 April 6
2 Los Angeles Lakers 57-25[lower-alpha 1] March 20 March 20
3 Dallas Mavericks 57-25[lower-alpha 1] March 20
4 Oklahoma City Thunder 55-27 March 27 April 6
5 Denver Nuggets 50-32 April 3
6 Portland Trail Blazers 48-34 April 5
7 New Orleans Hornets 46-36[lower-alpha 2] April 6
8 Memphis Grizzlies 46-36[lower-alpha 2] April 8

— = Did not achieve

Notes

  1. 1 2 Los Angeles Lakers clinched #2 seed over Dallas Mavericks based on winning Pacific Division.
  2. 1 2 New Orleans Hornets clinched #7 seed over Memphis Grizzlies based on Southwest Division winning percentage. (.563 vs .500)

Bracket

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage for the playoffs does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams with home court advantage are shown in italics. If two teams with same record met in a round use normal tiebreakers. Tiebreakers in NBA Finals are head to head and record vs opposite conference.

  First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
                                     
E1  Chicago* 4  
E8  Indiana 1  
  E1  Chicago* 4  
  E5  Atlanta 2  
E4  Orlando 2
E5  Atlanta 4  
  E1  Chicago* 1  
Eastern Conference
  E2  Miami* 4  
E3  Boston* 4  
E6  New York 0  
  E3  Boston* 1
  E2  Miami* 4  
E2  Miami* 4
E7  Philadelphia 1  
  E2  Miami* 2
  W3  Dallas 4
W1  San Antonio* 2  
W8  Memphis 4  
  W8  Memphis 3
  W4  Oklahoma City* 4  
W4  Oklahoma City* 4
W5  Denver 1  
  W4  Oklahoma City* 1
Western Conference
  E3  Dallas 4  
W3  Dallas 4  
W6  Portland 2  
  W3  Dallas 4
  W2  LA Lakers* 0  
W2  LA Lakers* 4
W7  New Orleans 2  

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

Eastern Conference

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

First Round

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

April 16
1:00 pm
Indiana Pacers 99, Chicago Bulls 104
Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 28–28, 24–20, 20–33
Pts: Danny Granger 24
Rebs: Roy Hibbert 8
Asts: Darren Collison 9
Pts: Derrick Rose 39
Rebs: Joakim Noah 11
Asts: Derrick Rose 6
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,986
Referees: Joe Crawford, Violet Palmer, Bennett Salvatore
April 18
9:30 pm
Indiana Pacers 90, Chicago Bulls 96
Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 29–27, 20–23, 23–29
Pts: Danny Granger 19
Rebs: Hansbrough, McRoberts 6 each
Asts: Dunleavy, Granger 4 each
Pts: Derrick Rose 36
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 16
Asts: Derrick Rose 6
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,480
Referees: Bob Delaney, Marc Davis, Rodney Mott
April 21
7:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 88, Indiana Pacers 84
Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 21–25, 23–22, 23–20
Pts: Derrick Rose 23
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 11
Asts: Luol Deng 6
Pts: Danny Granger 21
Rebs: Paul George 12
Asts: Collison, Dunleavy, George, Granger 2 each
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Attendance: 18,165
Referees: Mike Callahan, John Goble, Ken Mauer
April 23
2:30 pm
Chicago Bulls 84, Indiana Pacers 89
Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 14–26, 23–18, 28–22
Pts: Joakim Noah 21
Rebs: Joakim Noah 14
Asts: Derrick Rose 10
Pts: Danny Granger 24
Rebs: Granger, Hibbert 10 each
Asts: Danny Granger 4
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Attendance: 18,165
Referees: Scott Foster, David Jones, Michael Smith
April 26
8:00 pm
Indiana Pacers 89, Chicago Bulls 116
Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 21–18, 19–30, 24–32
Pts: Danny Granger 20
Rebs: Tyler Hansbrough 11
Asts: Darren Collison 5
Pts: Derrick Rose 25
Rebs: Joakim Noah 8
Asts: Deng, Watson 7 each
Chicago wins series, 4–1
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,822
Referees: Dan Crawford, Zach Zarba, Bill Kennedy
Regular-season series

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

This series pitted the team with the best record in the regular season against the team with the worst record in the playoffs. As such this series was expected to be a very easy one for the Bulls. However, despite the Bulls winning 4-1 the series was much closer than this figure would indicate. Except for the last game each was heavily contested with each of the first 4 being decided by 6 points or less. The series could have easily gone 6 or 7 games had the Pacers been able to convert in the end of game situations in each of the first 3 games. However, despite their struggles the Bulls were able to take the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second time since the Michael Jordan era (they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2007).

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

April 16
3:30 pm
Philadelphia 76ers 89, Miami Heat 97
Scoring by quarter: 31–19, 18–35, 20–26, 20–17
Pts: Thaddeus Young 20
Rebs: Thaddeus Young 11
Asts: Andre Iguodala 9
Pts: Chris Bosh 25
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: James, Wade 5 each
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,600
Referees: Bob Delaney, Bill Spooner, Sean Wright
April 18
7:00 pm
Philadelphia 76ers 73, Miami Heat 94
Scoring by quarter: 13–19, 18–30, 21–26, 21–19
Pts: Thaddeus Young 18
Rebs: Brand, Iguodala 7 each
Asts: Andre Iguodala 7
Pts: LeBron James 29
Rebs: Chris Bosh 11
Asts: LeBron James 6
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,204
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brown, Ron Garretson
April 21
8:00 pm
Miami Heat 100, Philadelphia 76ers 94
Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 29–23, 23–23, 27–19
Pts: Dwyane Wade 32
Rebs: LeBron James 15
Asts: Dwyane Wade 8
Pts: Elton Brand 21
Rebs: Elton Brand 10
Asts: Andre Iguodala 10
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 20,404
Referees: Greg Willard, David Jones, Zach Zarba
April 24
1:00 pm
Miami Heat 82, Philadelphia 76ers 86
Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 31–18, 19–18, 16–22
Pts: LeBron James 31
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8
Asts: LeBron James 6
Pts: Turner, Williams 17 each
Rebs: Elton Brand 11
Asts: Jrue Holiday 5
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 19,048
Referees: Joe Crawford, David Guthrie, Dick Bavetta
April 27
7:00 pm
Philadelphia 76ers 91, Miami Heat 97
Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 19–18, 25–27, 24–25
Pts: Brand, Iguodala 22 each
Rebs: Iguodala, Turner 10 each
Asts: Jrue Holiday 8
Pts: Dwyane Wade 26
Rebs: Bosh, Wade 11 each
Asts: LeBron James 8
Miami wins series, 4–1
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,896
Referees: Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Bennett Salvatore
Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the 76ers.[2]

The newly revamped Heat, with the much publicized acquisition of all stars and franchise players LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the off-season, were heavy favorites going into this series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Along with Dwyane Wade, James and Bosh comprised the "Big 3", and were eager to show critics that they were a team that could compete in the playoffs after some slip-ups during the regular season (a 9-8 start, a 5-game losing streak, and a not so favorable record against the best teams in the league). However, many pundits believed that the end of the season showed the Heat playing the best they had all season. Although the Sixers offered some resistance to the Heat, including some close games and a come from behind victory the Heat were able to take it in five and advance out of the first round for the first time since their NBA Championship in 2006.

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks

April 17
7:00 pm
New York Knicks 85, Boston Celtics 87
Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 28–15, 13–20, 21–28
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 28
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 11
Asts: Anthony, Billups 4 each
Pts: Ray Allen 24
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 13
Asts: Rajon Rondo 9
TD Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Jason Phillips, Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen
April 19
7:00 pm
New York Knicks 93, Boston Celtics 96
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 24–21, 22–30, 26–22
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 42
Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 17
Asts: Carmelo Anthony 6
Pts: Rajon Rondo 30
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10
Asts: Rajon Rondo 7
TD Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith
April 22
7:00 pm
Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 96
Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 25–24, 34–19, 27–33
Pts: Paul Pierce 38
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 12
Asts: Rajon Rondo 20
Pts: Shawne Williams 17
Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11
Asts: Carmelo Anthony 6
Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763
Referees: Dan Crawford, Marc Davis, Gary Zielinski
April 24
3:30 pm
Boston Celtics 101, New York Knicks 89
Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 26–15, 27–34, 19–17
Pts: Kevin Garnett 26
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10
Asts: Rajon Rondo 12
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 32
Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 12
Asts: Anthony Carter 4
Boston wins series, 4–0
Madison Square Garden, New York City
Attendance: 19,763
Referees: Mike Callahan, Derrick Collins, Ken Mauer
Regular-season series

This was the 14th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning seven of the first 13 meetings.

Due to the Celtics' struggles at the end of the regular season as well as the star power of the New York Knicks in Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony this was a favorite first round upset for many. In the first two games the Knicks were indeed able to show they could contend with the defending Eastern Conference champions. In Game 1, Ray Allen made a game winning three-pointer after being freed up by a controversial screen. The next two games the Celtics took fairly easily as injuries to both Chauncey Billups and Amar'e Stoudemire took their toll on the Knicks. This was the only sweep of the first round.

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

April 16
7:00 pm
Atlanta Hawks 103, Orlando Magic 93
Scoring by quarter: 17–19, 38–29, 30–23, 18–22
Pts: Joe Johnson 25
Rebs: Josh Smith 8
Asts: Crawford, Johnson 5 each
Pts: Dwight Howard 46
Rebs: Dwight Howard 19
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 19,108
Referees: Scott Foster, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson
April 19
7:30 pm
Atlanta Hawks 82, Orlando Magic 88
Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 20–32, 12–17, 28–23
Pts: Jamal Crawford 25
Rebs: Al Horford 10
Asts: Joe Johnson 5
Pts: Dwight Howard 33
Rebs: Dwight Howard 19
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 19,160
Referees: Mike Callahan, David Guthrie, Bill Spooner
April 22
8:00 pm
Orlando Magic 84, Atlanta Hawks 88
Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 17–26, 20–15, 22–22
Pts: Dwight Howard 21
Rebs: Dwight Howard 15
Asts: Jameer Nelson 10
Pts: Jamal Crawford 23
Rebs: Josh Smith 10
Asts: Joe Johnson 5
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,865
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Dick Bavetta, Leon Wood
April 24
7:00 pm
Orlando Magic 85, Atlanta Hawks 88
Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 20–21, 24–20, 24–22
Pts: Dwight Howard 29
Rebs: Dwight Howard 17
Asts: Jameer Nelson 6
Pts: Jamal Crawford 25
Rebs: Al Horford 12
Asts: Jamal Crawford 6
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,490
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher
April 26
7:30 pm
Atlanta Hawks 76, Orlando Magic 101
Scoring by quarter: 13–26, 22–32, 18–21, 23–22
Pts: Josh Smith 22
Rebs: Al Horford 14
Asts: Al Horford 6
Pts: Jason Richardson 17
Rebs: Dwight Howard 8
Asts: Jameer Nelson 5
Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 19,091
Referees: Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Jason Phillips
April 28
7:30 pm
Orlando Magic 81, Atlanta Hawks 84
Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 18–19, 19–20, 26–22
Pts: Dwight Howard 25
Rebs: Dwight Howard 15
Asts: Jameer Nelson 6
Pts: Joe Johnson 23
Rebs: Al Horford 12
Asts: Al Horford 6
Atlanta wins series, 4–2
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,282
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Michael Smith, Bill Kennedy
Regular-season series

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

Despite having won the season series against the Magic the Atlanta Hawks were touted as underdogs against the Orlando Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. In the first game of the series the Hawks were unable to contain Howard as he scored 46 points – however, by limiting the contributions of the Magic's role players they were able to get a victory and steal home court advantage from the Magic. Although the Magic won the next game, better play by the Hawks down the stretch and the inability of the Magic to convert on 3-point shots (the Magic shot 2-23 from beyond the arc in game 4) gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead. The next two games were split and the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third straight year.

Conference Semifinals

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

May 2
8:00 pm
Atlanta Hawks 103, Chicago Bulls 95
Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 23–32, 21–21, 31–24
Pts: Joe Johnson 34
Rebs: Al Horford 13
Asts: Jeff Teague 5
Pts: Derrick Rose 24
Rebs: Joakim Noah 9
Asts: Derrick Rose 10
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,890
Referees: Monty McCutchen, John Goble, Ken Mauer
May 4
8:00 pm
Atlanta Hawks 73, Chicago Bulls 86
Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 18–23, 21–17, 15–21
Pts: Jeff Teague 21
Rebs: Al Horford 14
Asts: Al Horford 6
Pts: Derrick Rose 25
Rebs: Joakim Noah 14
Asts: Derrick Rose 10
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,872
Referees: Scott Foster, Mike Callahan, Sean Wright
May 6
7:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 99, Atlanta Hawks 82
Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 27–20, 24–20, 19–19
Pts: Derrick Rose 44
Rebs: Joakim Noah 15
Asts: Derrick Rose 7
Pts: Jeff Teague 21
Rebs: Josh Smith 13
Asts: Josh Smith 4
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,521
Referees: Greg Willard, Marc Davis, Ron Garretson
May 8
8:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 88, Atlanta Hawks 100
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 20–19, 23–20, 19–33
Pts: Derrick Rose 34
Rebs: Joakim Noah 11
Asts: Derrick Rose 10
Pts: Joe Johnson 24
Rebs: Josh Smith 16
Asts: Josh Smith 8
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,263
Referees: Dan Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Gary Zielinski
May 10
8:00 pm
Atlanta Hawks 83, Chicago Bulls 95
Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 21–16, 26–21, 15–26
Pts: Jeff Teague 21
Rebs: Al Horford 10
Asts: Jeff Teague 7
Pts: Derrick Rose 33
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12
Asts: Derrick Rose 9
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,980
Referees: Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Bill Kennedy
May 12
8:00 pm
Chicago Bulls 93, Atlanta Hawks 73
Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 18–18, 25–18, 23–20
Pts: Carlos Boozer 23
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10
Asts: Derrick Rose 12
Pts: Joe Johnson 19
Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 13
Asts: Joe Johnson 4
Chicago wins series, 4–2
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,378
Referees: Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Bob Delaney
Regular-season series

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

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Boston Celtics

May 1
3:30 pm
Boston Celtics 90, Miami Heat 99
Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 22–31, 26–25, 28–23
Pts: Ray Allen 25
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 8
Asts: Rajon Rondo 7
Pts: Dwyane Wade 38
Rebs: Chris Bosh 12
Asts: James, Wade 5 each
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,021
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Derrick Collins
May 3
7:00 pm
Boston Celtics 91, Miami Heat 102
Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 16–20, 25–25, 24–30
Pts: Rajon Rondo 20
Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 9
Asts: Rajon Rondo 12
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Chris Bosh 11
Asts: Chris Bosh 4
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,104
Referees: Joe Crawford, Jason Phillips, Greg Willard
May 7
8:00 pm
Miami Heat 81, Boston Celtics 97
Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 25–17, 15–28, 20–25
Pts: Dwyane Wade 23
Rebs: Joel Anthony 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 7
Pts: Kevin Garnett 28
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 18
Asts: Rajon Rondo 11
TD Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Bill Kennedy
May 9
7:00 pm
Miami Heat 98, Boston Celtics 90 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 22–22, 19–20, 17–13, Overtime: 12–4
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: Dwyane Wade 4
Pts: Paul Pierce 27
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 10
Asts: Rajon Rondo 5
TD Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Tony Brothers, Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford
May 11
7:00 pm
Boston Celtics 87, Miami Heat 97
Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 25–31, 24–24, 14–26
Pts: Ray Allen 18
Rebs: Kevin Garnett 11
Asts: Paul Pierce 4
Pts: Dwyane Wade 34
Rebs: Chris Bosh 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 5
Miami wins series, 4–1
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,208
Referees: Scott Foster, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner
Regular-season series

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

The series was seen as a way for Heat small forward LeBron James to exact revenge on the Celtics after Boston eliminated James' former team the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008 and 2010. James called the series "personal", saying "...You don't want to keeping getting beat by the same team, the same team keep sending you home to plan a vacation..."[7]

The Heat won the first two games of the series to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Celtics cut the series lead in half by winning Game 3 97-81. In that game, Boston point guard Rajon Rondo dislocated his left elbow on a bizarre play where he became tangled up with Dwyane Wade. Despite his injury, Rondo still contributed to the Celtics' victory with his 11 assists and 4 points in the fourth quarter, however his left arm was visibly limp the rest of the series and he was unable to play at his customarily high level.[7]

Miami bounced back after the Game 3 loss and won Games 4 and 5, winning the series 4-1 and returning to their first Eastern Conference Finals since the 2006 NBA Playoffs.[7]

Conference Finals: (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat

May 15
8:00 pm
Miami Heat 82, Chicago Bulls 103
Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 25–28, 15–24, 19–31
Pts: Chris Bosh 30
Rebs: Chris Bosh 9
Asts: LeBron James 6
Pts: Derrick Rose 28
Rebs: Joakim Noah 14
Asts: Derrick Rose 6
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 22,874
Referees: Dan Crawford, Michael Smith, Ken Mauer
May 18
8:30 pm
Miami Heat 85, Chicago Bulls 75
Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 29–20, 23–19, 14–10
Pts: LeBron James 29
Rebs: LeBron James 10
Asts: LeBron James 5
Pts: Derrick Rose 21
Rebs: Boozer, Noah 8 each
Asts: Derrick Rose 8
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 23,007
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Jason Phillips
May 22
8:30 pm
Chicago Bulls 85, Miami Heat 96
Scoring by quarter: 15–18, 25–25, 25–25, 20–28
Pts: Carlos Boozer 26
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 17
Asts: Joakim Noah 6
Pts: Chris Bosh 34
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 9
Asts: LeBron James 10
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,123
Referees: Steve Javie, Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson
May 24
8:30 pm
Chicago Bulls 93, Miami Heat 101 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 27–28, 22–19, 17–22, Overtime: 8–16
Pts: Derrick Rose 23
Rebs: Joakim Noah 14
Asts: Noah, Rose 6 each
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Haslem, Miller 9 each
Asts: LeBron James 6
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,125
Referees: Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Bennett Salvatore
May 26
8:30 pm
Miami Heat 83, Chicago Bulls 80
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 17–20, 19–17, 26–18
Pts: LeBron James 28
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: LeBron James 6
Pts: Derrick Rose 25
Rebs: Noah, Thomas 8 each
Asts: Derrick Rose 8
Miami wins series, 4–1
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 23,057
Referees: Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Greg Willard
Regular-season series

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

Going into the series, Chicago had swept Miami in the regular season. The Bulls took Game 1 by blowing out the Heat 103-82. However, Miami won the next four consecutive games to win the series 4-1. In Game 5, Miami came back from a 12-point deficit with only three minutes left in the fourth quarter to win the game 83-80.[9]

This series marked the first time the Bulls lost 4 consecutive games in the season.[9]

Western Conference

First Round

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

April 17
1:00 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 101, San Antonio Spurs 98
Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 18–21, 25–31, 31–24
Pts: Zach Randolph 25
Rebs: Zach Randolph 14
Asts: Mike Conley 10
Pts: Tony Parker 20
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Tony Parker 5
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,581
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher
April 20
8:30 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 87, San Antonio Spurs 93
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 27–24, 21–25, 22–27
Pts: Sam Young 17
Rebs: Marc Gasol 17
Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 17
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Tony Parker 7
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,760
Referees: Scott Foster, Ron Garretson, Leon Wood
April 23
7:30 pm
San Antonio Spurs 88, Memphis Grizzlies 91
Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 22–23, 24–19, 22–20
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 23
Rebs: Tim Duncan 11
Asts: Tim Duncan 6
Pts: Zach Randolph 25
Rebs: Marc Gasol 9
Asts: Mike Conley 8
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Greg Willard, Tom Washington, John Goble
April 25
8:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 86, Memphis Grizzlies 104
Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 24–27, 15–30, 21–26
Pts: Tony Parker 23
Rebs: Tiago Splitter 9
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 4
Pts: Mike Conley 15
Rebs: Gasol, Randolph 9 each
Asts: Mike Conley 7
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Eric Lewis
April 27
8:30 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 103, San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 28–30, 26–15, 29–32, Overtime: 6–13
Pts: Zach Randolph 26
Rebs: Marc Gasol 17
Asts: Zach Randolph 6
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Tony Parker 9
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,581
Referees: Bob Delaney, David Jones, Ken Mauer
April 29
9:00 pm
San Antonio Spurs 91, Memphis Grizzlies 99
Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 27–22, 23–24, 25–29
Pts: Tony Parker 23
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Tony Parker 4
Pts: Zach Randolph 31
Rebs: Marc Gasol 13
Asts: Mike Conley 3
Memphis wins series, 4–2
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Dan Crawford, Jason Phillips, Bennett Salvatore
Regular-season series

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

The eighth seeded Grizzlies won their first playoff game in franchise history after they defeated the top seeded Spurs 101-98 in Game 1. The Spurs evened the series up in Game 2, but the Grizzlies won Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. In Game 5 with only 1.7 seconds left in regulation, Gary Neal tied the game with a 3-point buzzer beater to force OT. The Spurs won in OT 110-103. In Game 6, the Grizzlies won their first ever playoff series in franchise history when they defeated the Spurs 99-91, winning the series 4-2. In addition, the Grizzlies became just the second eighth seeded team to knock off a top seeded team since the NBA went to a best-of-seven series in the first round.[11]

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets

April 17
3:30 pm
New Orleans Hornets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 100
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 29–23, 18–25, 36–28
Pts: Chris Paul 33
Rebs: Ariza, Paul 7 each
Asts: Chris Paul 14
Pts: Kobe Bryant 34
Rebs: Ron Artest 11
Asts: Pau Gasol 6
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Greg Zielinski
April 20
10:30 pm
New Orleans Hornets 78, Los Angeles Lakers 87
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 18–24, 15–16, 22–24
Pts: Trevor Ariza 22
Rebs: Aaron Gray 8
Asts: Chris Paul 9
Pts: Andrew Bynum 17
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 11
Asts: Steve Blake 5
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy
April 22
9:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 100, New Orleans Hornets 86
Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 21–19, 24–26, 25–18
Pts: Kobe Bryant 30
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 11
Asts: Derek Fisher 5
Pts: Carl Landry 23
Rebs: Trevor Ariza 12
Asts: Chris Paul 8
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 18,340
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Sean Wright
April 24
9:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 88, New Orleans Hornets 93
Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 20–27, 22–20, 21–24
Pts: Kobe Bryant 17
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 9
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Pts: Chris Paul 27
Rebs: Chris Paul 13
Asts: Chris Paul 15
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Attendance: 18,083
Referees: Bob Delaney, Marc Davis, Zach Zarba
April 26
10:30 pm
New Orleans Hornets 90, Los Angeles Lakers 106
Scoring by quarter: 32–23, 19–31, 21–25, 18–27
Pts: Trevor Ariza 22
Rebs: Aaron Gray 6
Asts: Chris Paul 12
Pts: Kobe Bryant 19
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 10
Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Rodney Mott
April 28
8:00 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 98, New Orleans Hornets 80
Scoring by quarter: 18–16, 22–18, 29–23, 29–23
Pts: Kobe Bryant 24
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 12
Asts: Ron Artest 5
Pts: Carl Landry 19
Rebs: Chris Paul 8
Asts: Chris Paul 11
Los Angeles wins series, 4–2
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Attendance: 17,949
Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington
Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[12]

(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

April 16
9:30 pm
Portland Trail Blazers 81, Dallas Mavericks 89
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 15–26, 20–14, 24–28
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 27
Rebs: Marcus Camby 18
Asts: Andre Miller 6
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 4
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,541
Referees: Mike Callahan, David Jones, Ken Mauer
April 19
9:30 pm
Portland Trail Blazers 89, Dallas Mavericks 101
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 28–28, 20–23, 17–28
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 24
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 10
Asts: Andre Miller 8
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,620
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher
April 21
10:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 92, Portland Trail Blazers 97
Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 29–26, 20–21, 20–22
Pts: Jason Terry 29
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9
Asts: Jason Terry 7
Pts: Wesley Matthews 25
Rebs: Gerald Wallace 11
Asts: Andre Miller 7
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,217
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Eric Lewis, Jason Phillips
April 23
5:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 82, Portland Trail Blazers 84
Scoring by quarter: 16–11, 21–24, 30–14, 15–35
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 20
Rebs: Shawn Marion 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 4
Pts: Brandon Roy 24
Rebs: Gerald Wallace 11
Asts: Brandon Roy 5
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,357
Referees: Steve Javie, Bill Kennedy, Tony Brothers
April 25
8:30 pm
Portland Trail Blazers 82, Dallas Mavericks 93
Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 23–29, 20–31, 19–18
Pts: Andre Miller 18
Rebs: Aldridge, Wallace 9 each
Asts: Andre Miller 7
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 25
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 20
Asts: Jason Kidd 14
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,837
Referees: Scott Foster, John Goble, Tom Washington
April 28
10:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 96
Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 33–16, 23–19, 28–34
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11
Asts: Jason Terry 8
Pts: Gerald Wallace 32
Rebs: Gerald Wallace 12
Asts: Andre Miller 4
Dallas wins series, 4–2
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,494
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard, Gary Zielinski
Regular-season series

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

The Mavericks won the first two games of the series, but the Trail Blazers won Games 3 and 4 to tie the series 2-2. In Game 4, the Trail Blazers played from behind most of the game, at one point trailing the Mavericks by 23 points late in the third quarter. Entering the final quarter down 67-49, the Trail Blazers, with the help of Brandon Roy's 18 fourth quarter points, embarked on their biggest fourth quarter comeback in franchise history to win the game 84-82. However, the Mavericks recovered from their Game 4 collapse and won Games 5 and 6 to win the series 4-2.[14]

(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Denver Nuggets

April 17
9:30 pm
Denver Nuggets 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 107
Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 27–35, 22–27, 21–21
Pts: Nenê 22
Rebs: Chandler, Nenê 8 each
Asts: Raymond Felton 8
Pts: Kevin Durant 41
Rebs: Kevin Durant 9
Asts: Russell Westbrook 7
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Steve Javie, Zach Zarba, Bill Kennedy
April 20
8:00 pm
Denver Nuggets 89, Oklahoma City Thunder 106
Scoring by quarter: 15–31, 29–28, 22–22, 23–25
Pts: Ty Lawson 20
Rebs: Nenê 9
Asts: Ty Lawson 3
Pts: Kevin Durant 23
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 12
Asts: Russell Westbrook 7
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Dick Bavetta, Rodney Mott
April 23
10:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 97, Denver Nuggets 94
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 30–18, 15–24, 26–21
Pts: Kevin Durant 26
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 16
Asts: Russell Westbrook 8
Pts: Martin, Nenê, Smith 15 each
Rebs: Nenê 10
Asts: Felton, Lawson, Nenê 4 each
Pepsi Center, Denver
Attendance: 19,958
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Jason Phillips, Eric Lewis
April 25
10:30 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 101, Denver Nuggets 104
Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 25–19, 24–26, 32–33
Pts: Kevin Durant 31
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 14
Asts: Harden, Westbrook 5 each
Pts: Ty Lawson 27
Rebs: Martin, Nenê 9 each
Asts: Danilo Gallinari 4
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,155
Referees: Greg Willard, Ron Garretson, Michael Smith
April 27
9:30 pm
Denver Nuggets 97, Oklahoma City Thunder 100
Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 22–25, 26–22, 21–28
Pts: Arron Afflalo 15
Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10
Asts: Felton, Lawson 4 each
Pts: Kevin Durant 41
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 9
Asts: Russell Westbrook 4
Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Spooner, Pat Fraher
Regular-season series

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nuggets winning two of the first three meetings. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

Conference Semifinals

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks

May 2
10:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 96, Los Angeles Lakers 94
Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 19–30, 27–25, 25–16
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14
Asts: Jason Kidd 11
Pts: Kobe Bryant 36
Rebs: Lamar Odom 12
Asts: Pau Gasol 7
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Michael Smith
May 4
10:30 pm
Dallas Mavericks 93, Los Angeles Lakers 81
Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 25–29, 17–13, 25–19
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24
Rebs: Shawn Marion 9
Asts: Jason Kidd 6
Pts: Kobe Bryant 23
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 13
Asts: Derek Fisher 5
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner
May 6
9:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 92, Dallas Mavericks 98
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 24–18, 21–19, 20–32
Pts: Andrew Bynum 21
Rebs: Andrew Bynum 10
Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 32
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9
Asts: Jason Kidd 9
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,156
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington
May 8
3:30 pm
Los Angeles Lakers 86, Dallas Mavericks 122
Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 16–36, 23–23, 24–36
Pts: Kobe Bryant 17
Rebs: Pau Gasol 8
Asts: Pau Gasol 6
Pts: Jason Terry 32
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 9
Asts: José Juan Barea 8
Dallas wins series, 4–0
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,087
Referees: Jason Phillips, Ron Garretson, Scott Foster
Regular-season series

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

The Mavericks won the first two games of the series in Los Angeles, including overcoming a 16-point late third-quarter deficit in Game 1. The Mavericks then overcame another second-half deficit in Game 3 to win 98–92. In Game 4, the Mavericks blew out the Lakers 122–86, sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions from the playoffs. In that game, Dallas scored 20 three-pointers, equaling an NBA record.[17] Also in the same game, Andrew Bynum was ejected and eventually fined and suspended for five games of the next season after he committed a flagrant foul on J. J. Barea.[18]

This series was the first time a team coached by Phil Jackson was swept in the playoffs.[17]

(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

May 1
1:00 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 114, Oklahoma City Thunder 101
Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 29–23, 27–24, 30–30
Pts: Zach Randolph 34
Rebs: Marc Gasol 13
Asts: Mike Conley 7
Pts: Kevin Durant 33
Rebs: Durant, Ibaka 11 each
Asts: Russell Westbrook 6
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Zach Zarba
May 3
9:30 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 102, Oklahoma City Thunder 111
Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 27–26, 24–22, 34–35
Pts: Mike Conley 24
Rebs: Marc Gasol 10
Asts: Mike Conley 8
Pts: Kevin Durant 26
Rebs: Nick Collison 7
Asts: Russell Westbrook 6
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy
May 7
5:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 93, Memphis Grizzlies 101 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 31–21, 25–20, 10–23, Overtime: 7–15
Pts: Russell Westbrook 23
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13
Asts: Russell Westbrook 12
Pts: Zach Randolph 21
Rebs: Zach Randolph 21
Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Pat Fraher
May 9
9:30 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 133, Memphis Grizzlies 123 (3OT)
Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 33–25, 22–19, 25–24, Overtime: 13–13, 10–10, 14–4
Pts: Russell Westbrook 40
Rebs: Kevin Durant 13
Asts: James Harden 7
Pts: Zach Randolph 34
Rebs: Marc Gasol 21
Asts: Conley, Mayo 5 each
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Greg Willard, John Goble, Bill Spooner
May 11
9:30 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 72, Oklahoma City Thunder 99
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 18–29, 17–25, 20–28
Pts: Marc Gasol 15
Rebs: Zach Randolph 17
Asts: Conley, Mayo 4 each
Pts: Kevin Durant 19
Rebs: Nick Collison 10
Asts: Eric Maynor 9
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Jason Phillips
May 13
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 83, Memphis Grizzlies 95
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 33–21, 14–28, 15–23
Pts: Russell Westbrook 27
Rebs: Durant, Perkins 7 each
Asts: James Harden 5
Pts: Zach Randolph 30
Rebs: Zach Randolph 13
Asts: Mike Conley 12
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Ron Garretson
May 15
3:30 pm
Memphis Grizzlies 90, Oklahoma City Thunder 105
Scoring by quarter: 17–21, 17–21, 24–30, 32–33
Pts: Mike Conley 18
Rebs: Zach Randolph 10
Asts: Mike Conley 6
Pts: Kevin Durant 39
Rebs: Nick Collison 12
Asts: Russell Westbrook 14
Oklahoma City wins series, 4–3
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Steve Javie, Ed Malloy, Mike Callahan
Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Thunder.[19]

The Grizzlies and Thunder split the first 2 games of the series. In Game 3, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead after overcoming a 16-point deficit late in the 3rd quarter. The Thunder tied the series in Game 4 after winning in triple OT 133-123. The Thunder blew out the Grizzlies in Game 5 92-77, but the Grizzlies tied the series at 3 when they defeated the Thunder 95-82 in Game 6. The Thunder finally advanced to their first conference finals since they moved from Seattle when they eliminated the Grizzlies 105-90 in Game 7. In that game, Russell Westbrook became the fifth player to record a triple double in a Game 7.[20]

Conference Finals: (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder

May 17
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 112, Dallas Mavericks 121
Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 21–35, 31–35, 33–31
Pts: Kevin Durant 40
Rebs: Kevin Durant 8
Asts: Kevin Durant 5
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 48
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 8
Asts: Jason Kidd 11
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,911
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Zach Zarba
May 19
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Dallas Mavericks 100
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 33–26, 18–19, 29–24
Pts: Kevin Durant 24
Rebs: Collison, Harden 7 each
Asts: Durant, Harden, Westbrook 4 each
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 7
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,051
Referees: Greg Willard, Bill Spooner, Tom Washington
May 21
9:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 93, Oklahoma City Thunder 87
Scoring by quarter: 27–12, 25–24, 18–20, 23–31
Pts: Marion, Nowitzki 18 each
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 15
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
Pts: Russell Westbrook 30
Rebs: Kevin Durant 12
Asts: Kevin Durant 5
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Bob Delaney
May 23
9:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 112, Oklahoma City Thunder 105 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 32–28, 23–22, 24–20, Overtime: 11–4
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 40
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 8
Asts: Jason Kidd 7
Pts: Kevin Durant 29
Rebs: Kevin Durant 15
Asts: Russell Westbrook 8
Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer
May 25
9:00 pm
Oklahoma City Thunder 96, Dallas Mavericks 100
Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 28–26, 21–20, 20–28
Pts: Russell Westbrook 31
Rebs: Nick Collison 12
Asts: James Harden 6
Pts: Marion, Nowitzki 26 each
Rebs: Chandler, Nowitzki 9 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 10
Dallas wins series, 4–1
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 21,092
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Derrick Stafford
Regular-season series

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks set a playoff record for most free throws made without a miss with 24, previously held by Paul Pierce (21) in 2003. The Mavericks won 121-112. The Thunder and Mavericks then split the next two games. In Game 4, the Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit with only five minutes left in regulation to win the game in OT and take a 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks then overcame another late 4th quarter deficit in Game 5 to win the game 100-96 and the series 4-1 and reach their first finals since 2006.[22]

NBA Finals: (E2) Miami Heat vs. (W3) Dallas Mavericks

Main article: 2011 NBA Finals
May 31
9:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 84, Miami Heat 92
Scoring by quarter: 17–16, 27–27, 17–22, 23–27
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 6
Pts: LeBron James 24
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,003
Referees: Steve Javie, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy
June 2
9:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 95, Miami Heat 93
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–23, 20–24, 24–18
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11
Asts: Terry, Kidd 5 each
Pts: Dwyane Wade 36
Rebs: James, Bosh 8 each
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,003
Referees: Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Ken Mauer
June 5
8:00 pm
Miami Heat 88, Dallas Mavericks 86
Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 18–20, 20–22, 21–22
Pts: Dwyane Wade 29
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 11
Asts: LeBron James 9
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 34
Rebs: Chandler, Nowitzki 11 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 10
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340
Referees: Dan Crawford, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford
June 7
9:00 pm
Miami Heat 83, Dallas Mavericks 86
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 26–24, 22–20, 14–21
Pts: Dwyane Wade 32
Rebs: LeBron James 9
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 21
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 16
Asts: José Juan Barea 4
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340
Referees: Monty Mccutchen, Marc Davis, Greg Willard
June 9
9:00 pm
Miami Heat 103, Dallas Mavericks 112
Scoring by quarter: 31–30, 26–30, 22–24, 24–28
Pts: Dwyane Wade 23
Rebs: James, Bosh 10 each
Asts: LeBron James 10
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 7
Asts: Kidd, Terry 6 each
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,340
Referees: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy
June 12
8:00 pm
Dallas Mavericks 105, Miami Heat 95
Scoring by quarter: 32–27, 21–24, 28–21, 24–23
Pts: Jason Terry 27
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
Pts: LeBron James 21
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9
Asts: Mario Chalmers 7
Dallas wins NBA Finals series, 4–2
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 20,003
Referees: Steve Javie, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford
Regular-season series

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

Statistic leaders

Category High Average
Player Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played
Points Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 48 Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder 28.6 17
Rebounds Marc Gasol
Zach Randolph
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
21 Dwight Howard Orlando Magic 15.5 6
Assists Rajon Rondo Boston Celtics 20 Chris Paul New Orleans Hornets 11.5 6
Steals Kobe Bryant
Luol Deng
Joe Johnson
Jason Kidd
Los Angeles Lakers
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks
Dallas Mavericks
5 Manu Ginóbili San Antonio Spurs 2.6 5
Blocks Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder 9 Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder 3.1 17

References

  1. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  2. "Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  3. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  4. "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  5. "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  6. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Celtics vs. Heat | Easter Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
  8. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Heat vs. Bulls | Eastern Conference Finals | 2011 NBA Finals. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
  10. "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  11. Grizzlies vs. Spurs | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  12. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  13. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  14. Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  15. "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  16. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  17. 1 2 Mavericks vs. Lakers | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  18. Andrew Bynum suspended, fined. ESPN. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  19. "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  20. Grizzlies vs. Thunder | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
  21. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  22. Thunder vs. Mavericks | Western Conference Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  23. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2016.

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