2009 NBA Playoffs

2009 NBA playoffs

The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Boston Celtics lost a best-of-7 series after leading 3–2 for the first time to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Before that, their first round series with the Chicago Bulls set an NBA Playoff record for the most overtime games (4) and periods (7) played.

The Houston Rockets won a first round series for the first time since 1997. They pushed the eventual champion Lakers to a Game 7 before losing. The Atlanta Hawks won a first round series for the first time since 1999, but were swept by the Cavs after enduring a tough 7-game series with the Miami Heat, who made the playoffs for the fifth time in 6 years. The Denver Nuggets won a playoff series for the first time since 1994, eventually reaching their first conference final since 1985.

As for the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, they failed to advance past the first round for the first time since 2000. The Pistons were swept by the Cavs, while the Spurs lost to the Dallas Mavericks 4-1.

The Portland Trail Blazers made the playoffs for the first time since 2003, but for the fourth straight time, they were eliminated in the first round, courtesy of H in 6 games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers became only the second team in NBA History (after the Miami Heat) to go 8-0 through the first two rounds by sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks (they would duplicate this feat in 2016, against the same two teams). However, they fell in 6 games to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Format

Further information: NBA Playoffs § Format

The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record; however, a division winner is guaranteed to be ranked at least 4th, regardless of record.[1] All series are in a best-of-7 format with the Games 1–2, 5 and 7 on the home court of the team with the better record, regardless of their seed. For the NBA Finals, the team with the better record plays Games 1–2 and 6–7 at home.[2]

Tiebreak procedures

The tiebreakers that determine seedings are:[1]

  1. Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division
  2. Head-to-head record
  3. Division record (if the teams are in the same division)
  4. Conference record
  5. Record vs. playoff teams, own conference
  6. Record vs. playoff teams, other conference
  7. Point differential, all games

If there are more than 2 teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams are "re-broken" from the first step until all ties are resolved. Since the three division winners are guaranteed a spot in the top 4, ties to determine the division winners must be broken before any other ties.[3][4]

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference qualifying.
Seed[5] Team Wins Tiebreaker Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Home court in
Conference Finals
Home court in
NBA Finals
1 Cleveland Cavaliers 66 March 4[6] March 13[7] April 10[8] April 13[9]
2 Boston Celtics 62 March 4[10] March 18[11]
3 Orlando Magic 59 March 11[12] March 25[13]
4 Atlanta Hawks 47 March 25[14]
5 Miami Heat 43 April 3[15]
6 Philadelphia 76ers 41 Conf.: 25–27[a] April 4[16]
7 Chicago Bulls 41 Conf.: 24–28[a] April 10[17]
8 Detroit Pistons 39 April 10[18]

Western Conference

Western Conference qualifying.
Seed[5] Team Wins Tiebreaker Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Home court in
Conference Finals
1 Los Angeles Lakers 65 March 12[19] March 12[19] March 27[20]
2 Denver Nuggets 54 Div.: 12–4[a] 2–1 vs. SA March 31[21] April 13[22]
3 San Antonio Spurs 54 Skipped[b] 1–2 vs. DEN March 31[23] April 15[24]
4 Portland Trail Blazers 54 Div.: 11–5[a] April 5[25]
5 Houston Rockets 53 April 5[25]
6 Dallas Mavericks 50 April 8[26]
7 New Orleans Hornets 49 April 7[27]
8 Utah Jazz 48 April 5[28]

Notes

— = not applicable

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 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.

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

Eastern Conference

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

First Round

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons

April 18
2:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 102
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 20–27, 20–21, 19–24
Pts: Rodney Stuckey 20
Rebs: Wallace, Brown 9 each
Asts: Hamilton, Stuckey 4 each
Pts: LeBron James 38
Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 10
Asts: LeBron James 7
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Leon Wood, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie
April 21
8:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 94
Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 18–23, 18–31, 32–17
Pts: Richard Hamilton 17
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11
Asts: Rodney Stuckey 6
Pts: LeBron James 29
Rebs: LeBron James 13
Asts: Mo Williams 7
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bill Spooner, Derrick Collins
April 24
7:00 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 79, Detroit Pistons 68
Scoring by quarter: 18–18, 26–19, 9–16, 26–15
Pts: LeBron James 25
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: LeBron James 9
Pts: Richard Hamilton 15
Rebs: McDyess, Hamilton 8 each
Asts: Richard Hamilton 6
April 26
3:30 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Detroit Pistons 78
Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 25–15, 22–18, 26–18
Pts: LeBron James 36
Rebs: LeBron James 13
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Antonio McDyess 26
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 10
Asts: Richard Hamilton 7
Cleveland wins series, 4–0

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

The Cavaliers opened the series with a rout on Game 1, as LeBron James scored 38 points and the Cavaliers won by 18 points. In Game 2, the Cavaliers were leading by 27 points after the third quarter before the Pistons started a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Pistons managed to cut the Cavaliers' lead down to 7 points, but in the end the Cavaliers won the game by 12 points. Game 3 was a tight contest until an 18–2 run by the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter secured the victory for Cleveland. The Cavaliers swept the Pistons with a 21-point victory in Game 4, in which James scored 36 points while narrowly missing a triple-double for two straight games.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls

April 18
12:30 p.m.
Chicago Bulls 105, Boston Celtics 103 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 23–16, 20–26, 26–27, Overtime: 8–6
Pts: Derrick Rose 36
Rebs: Joakim Noah 17
Asts: Derrick Rose 11
Pts: Rajon Rondo 29
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 9
Asts: Rajon Rondo 7
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Eddie F. Rush, Michael Smith
April 20
7:00 p.m.
Chicago Bulls 115, Boston Celtics 118
Scoring by quarter: 29–35, 32–23, 26–30, 28–30
Pts: Ben Gordon 42
Rebs: Brad Miller 9
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7
Pts: Ray Allen 30
Rebs: Perkins, Rondo 12 each
Asts: Rajon Rondo 16
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Steve Javie, Ron Garretson, Pat Fraher
April 23
8:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 107, Chicago Bulls 86
Scoring by quarter: 32–21, 27–16, 24–21, 24–28
Pts: Paul Pierce 24
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 11
Asts: Rondo, Davis 6 each
Pts: Ben Gordon 15
Rebs: Joakim Noah 10
Asts: Noah, Hinrich, Hunter 3 each
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 23,072
Referees: Scott Foster, David Jones, Bill Spooner
April 26
1:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 118, Chicago Bulls 121 (2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 27–27, 24–20, 26–31, Overtime: 14–14, 8–11
Pts: Paul Pierce 29
Rebs: Davis, Rondo 11 each
Asts: Rajon Rondo 11
Pts: Derrick Rose 23
Rebs: Derrick Rose 11
Asts: Derrick Rose 9
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 23,067
Referees: Dan Crawford, Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy
April 28
7:00 p.m.
Chicago Bulls 104, Boston Celtics 106 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 26–21, 23–22, 23–27, Overtime: 11–13
Pts: Ben Gordon 26
Rebs: Joakim Noah 17
Asts: Gordon, Rose 6 each
Pts: Rajon Rondo 28
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 19
Asts: Rajon Rondo 11
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Joe Derosa, Sean Corbin
April 30
7:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 127, Chicago Bulls 128 (3OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–37, 31–22, 19–24, 25–18, Overtime: 8–8, 9–9, 9–10
Pts: Ray Allen 51
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13
Asts: Rajon Rondo 19
Pts: John Salmons 35
Rebs: Joakim Noah 15
Asts: Rose, Hinrich 7
United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 23,430
Referees: Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy
May 2
8:00 p.m.
Chicago Bulls 99, Boston Celtics 109
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 11–29, 33–26, 27–31
Pts: Ben Gordon 33
Rebs: Joakim Noah 15
Asts: Ben Gordon 4
Pts: Ray Allen 23
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 13
Asts: Rajon Rondo 11
Boston wins series, 4–3

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

Game 6 running score

In Game 1, with the Bulls trailing by 1, rookie Derrick Rose hit 2 free throws with 9.6 seconds left. Celtics captain Paul Pierce had a chance to win the game with his own free throws from a Joakim Noah foul but missed the second, leading to overtime. In the overtime, with Rose fouling out, Tyrus Thomas scored six of the Bulls' eight points to put them up 105–103 with about 50 seconds left. Ray Allen, who had a poor shooting night, had a chance to tie the game and send it into a second overtime but he did not succeed. Even while the playoffs were continuing, many experts and analysts were calling it "the greatest playoff series ever".

Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's playoff debut of 36 points to lead the Bulls into a Game 1 road victory. Rose also became the second player to have a 35-point, 10-assist game in their playoff debut in history, after Chris Paul did the feat in 2008; his 36 points was also the highest points scored by a Bull in a playoff game since Michael Jordan retired. The win also marked the Bulls' first postseason win against the Celtics in history.

In Game 2, Ben Gordon poured in 42 points, but lost the duel to Ray Allen. The Bulls were blown out in Game 3. At home in the end of regulation of Game 4, Gordon hit a big bank shot putting the Bulls up 95-93. The Bulls would go on to win in 2OT.

Game 5:

The Bulls held a double digit lead, and Boston came back behind Paul Pierce. Gordon hit a tough shot over Stephon Marbury. Gordon stopped, pivoted, pump-faked, shot, and made it off glass despite the Bulls offense appearing to go nowhere on that play. Pierce tied with his own jumper, the Game 5 foul happened, and Boston won.

Game 6

Rondo had a flagrant 1 foul in the first quarter vs. Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls had to come down from 8 in the final 2 minutes, and did so behind John Salmons. Ray Allen scored 51 points, but the Bulls won in 3OT.

Game 7

The Celtics finished the Bulls off with a 10-point victory.

[32]

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers

April 19
5:30 p.m.
Philadelphia 76ers 100, Orlando Magic 98
Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 19–25, 19–29, 35–19
Pts: Andre Iguodala 20
Rebs: Andre Iguodala 8
Asts: Andre Iguodala 8
Pts: Dwight Howard 31
Rebs: Dwight Howard 16
Asts: Rafer Alston 5
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Zach Zarba
April 22
7:00 p.m.
Philadelphia 76ers 87, Orlando Magic 96
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 18–25, 23–24, 25–26
Pts: Andre Miller 30
Rebs: Iguodala, Ratliff 8 each
Asts: Andre Iguodala 7
Pts: Courtney Lee 24
Rebs: Dwight Howard 10
Asts: Rashard Lewis 6
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Steve Javie, James Capers, Greg Willard
April 24
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 94, Philadelphia 76ers 96
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 28–35, 28–19, 17–17
Pts: Dwight Howard 36
Rebs: Dwight Howard 11
Asts: Courtney Lee 5
Pts: Andre Iguodala 29
Rebs: Miller, Dalembert 9 each
Asts: Andre Miller 7
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 16,492
Referees: Bill Kennedy, Jim Clark, Monty McCutchen
April 26
6:30 p.m.
Orlando Magic 84, Philadelphia 76ers 81
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 12–14, 28–19, 20–26
Pts: Dwight Howard 18
Rebs: Dwight Howard 18
Asts: Rafer Alston 5
Pts: Andre Miller 17
Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 9
Asts: Andre Iguodala 11
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 16,464
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers, Sean Corbin
April 28
7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia 76ers 78, Orlando Magic 91
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 19–24, 21–24, 18–22
Pts: Andre Iguodala 26
Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 9
Asts: Andre Miller 6
Pts: Howard, Lewis 24 each
Rebs: Dwight Howard 24
Asts: Alston, Türkoğlu 4 each
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Marc Davis
April 30
7:30 p.m.
Orlando Magic 114, Philadelphia 76ers 89
Scoring by quarter: 30–19, 32–29, 25–24, 27–17
Pts: Rashard Lewis 29
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 15
Asts: Rafer Alston 10
Pts: Andre Miller 24
Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 13
Asts: Andre Iguodala 6
Orlando wins series, 4–2
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
Attendance: 16,691
Referees: Derrick Collins, Scott Foster, Tom Washington

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting.

In Game 1, the Magic had an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter and Andre Iguodala scored a jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Sixers a road win. The Sixers almost managed another comeback in Game 2. The Magic led by 18 points midway through the third quarter before another late run by the Sixers brought the lead down to 5 points before the Magic finally won the game. The Sixers won Game 3 courtesy of another late shot; Thaddeus Young scored a layup with 2 seconds left to secure the win, despite a career playoff-high 36-point performance by Dwight Howard. The Magic secured a road win in Game 4 with their own late shot; Hedo Türkoğlu scored the game-winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to even the series.

In Game 5, Dwight Howard had 24 points and a career playoff-high 24 rebounds, leading the Magic to a victory. Game 5 was marked with an elbowing incident by Howard on Samuel Dalembert, which led to a one-game suspension for Howard.[34] Rookie Courtney Lee also went down injured after taking an inadvertent elbow on the head from Howard. Despite losing two starters, Howard and Lee, the Magic won game 6, beating the Sixers on the road by 25 points to win the series.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat

April 19
8:00 p.m.
Miami Heat 64, Atlanta Hawks 90
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 18–35, 18–17, 7–14
Pts: Dwyane Wade 19
Rebs: Michael Beasley 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 5
Pts: Josh Smith 23
Rebs: Smith, Pachulia 10 each
Asts: Mike Bibby 9
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 18,851
Referees: Scott Foster, Joe DeRosa, Gary Zielinski
April 22
8:00 p.m.
Miami Heat 108, Atlanta Hawks 93
Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 30–23, 29–31, 25–21
Pts: Dwyane Wade 33
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8
Asts: Chalmers, Wade 7 each
Pts: Mike Bibby 18
Rebs: Al Horford 11
Asts: Al Horford 5
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,146
Referees: Dan Crawford, Jason Philips, Ken Mauer
April 25
6:30 p.m.
Atlanta Hawks 78, Miami Heat 107
Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 17–28, 32–35, 17–32
Pts: Smith, Horford, Bibby 13 each
Rebs: Josh Smith 8
Asts: Bibby, Johnson, Murray 3 each
Pts: Dwyane Wade 29
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13
Asts: Dwyane Wade 8
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,600
Referees: Steve Javie, David Jones, James Capers
April 27
8:00 p.m.
Atlanta Hawks 81, Miami Heat 71
Scoring by quarter: 24–17, 22–25, 17–13, 18–16
Pts: Mike Bibby 15
Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 18
Asts: Joe Johnson 5
Pts: Dwyane Wade 22
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9
Asts: Dwyane Wade 7
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,600
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith, Tom Washington
April 29
8:00 p.m.
Miami Heat 91, Atlanta Hawks 106
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–39, 30–22, 21–21
Pts: Dwyane Wade 29
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 8
Asts: Mario Chalmers 6
Pts: Joe Johnson 25
Rebs: Josh Smith 8
Asts: Joe Johnson 6
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,051
Referees: Violet Palmer, Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers
May 1
8:00 p.m.
Atlanta Hawks 72, Miami Heat 98
Scoring by quarter: 18–32, 24–19, 14–27, 16–20
Pts: Mike Bibby 20
Rebs: Josh Smith 10
Asts: Mike Bibby 3
Pts: Dwyane Wade 41
Rebs: Michael Beasley 15
Asts: Mario Chalmers 8
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Attendance: 19,600
Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Marc Davis, Sean Corbin
May 3
1:00 p.m.
Miami Heat 78, Atlanta Hawks 91
Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 18–29, 16–16, 26–26
Pts: Dwyane Wade 31
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13
Asts: Chalmers, Wade 4 each
Pts: Joe Johnson 27
Rebs: Josh Smith 9
Asts: Mike Bibby 6
Atlanta wins series, 4–3
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 18,864
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Ron Garretson

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

The Hawks opened the series with a 26-point win after leading by as much as 20 points at halftime. The Hawks also tied a franchise record for fewest points allowed in a playoff game. However, the Heat managed to rebound from the loss and won Game 2 on the road to tie the series. The Heat won Game 3 at home, almost in similar fashion as the Hawks' victory in Game 1. The Heat was already leading by 19 points at halftime and ended up winning by 29 points. In the next game, the Hawks bounced back and won a road game to even the series.

Game 5 was marked by several hard fouls and technical fouls. Dwyane Wade was fouled and sent tumbling down by Solomon Jones before a skirmish between Wade, Jones, Jamaal Magloire and Josh Smith started. All four players were given technical fouls in the incident. Wade was later called for a flagrant foul after he fouled Maurice Evans during a layup attempt. The flagrant foul was later rescinded by the officials after they reviewed the play.[36] The Hawks finally won the game, despite losing starting center Al Horford due to injury in the second quarter. The Heat evened the series at 3–3 after winning Game 6. Wade scored 41 points to lead the Heat to a 26-point rout over the Hawks. The Hawks finally won the series after winning Game 7 at home, with 13 points difference. All seven games of the series were decided by at least 10 points, with an average margin of 19 points.

Conference Semifinals

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks

May 5
8:00 p.m.
Atlanta Hawks 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 99
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 23–24, 17–28, 11–22
Pts: Josh Smith 22
Rebs: Al Horford 8
Asts: Mike Bibby 8
Pts: LeBron James 34
Rebs: LeBron James 10
Asts: Delonte West 9
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Steve Javie, Dick Bavetta, Bill Kennedy
May 7
8:00 p.m.
Atlanta Hawks 85, Cleveland Cavaliers 105
Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 18–33, 20–26, 30–20
Pts: Maurice Evans 16
Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 12
Asts: Maurice Evans 4
Pts: LeBron James 27
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8
Asts: James, Williams 5 each
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Violet Palmer, Derrick Stafford, Dan Crawford
May 9
8:00 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Atlanta Hawks 82
Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 25–28, 25–19, 25–17
Pts: LeBron James 47
Rebs: LeBron James 12
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Joe Johnson 17
Rebs: Smith, Johnson 5 each
Asts: Mike Bibby 5
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 20,143
Referees: Bill Spooner, Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen
May 11
7:00 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 84, Atlanta Hawks 74
Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 25–16, 22–19, 22–17
Pts: LeBron James 27
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 11
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Josh Smith 26
Rebs: Josh Smith 8
Asts: Joe Johnson 7
Cleveland wins series, 4–0
Philips Arena, Atlanta
Attendance: 19,241
Referees: Ron Garretson, Scott Foster, James Capers

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Cavaliers.[37]

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Orlando Magic

May 4
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 95, Boston Celtics 90
Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 30–17, 24–26, 17–28
Pts: Rashard Lewis 18
Rebs: Dwight Howard 22
Asts: Rafer Alston 7
Pts: Paul Pierce 23
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 16
Asts: Rajon Rondo 8
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Ken Mauer, Mark Wunderlich, James Capers
May 6
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 94, Boston Celtics 112
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–35, 18–25, 30–26
Pts: Lewis, Piétrus 17 each
Rebs: Dwight Howard 12
Asts: Anthony Johnson 7
Pts: Eddie House 31
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 11
Asts: Rajon Rondo 18
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington, Eddie F. Rush
May 8
7:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 96, Orlando Magic 117
Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 23–31, 28–25, 27–39
Pts: Paul Pierce 27
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 7
Asts: Pierce, Rondo 6 each
Pts: Rashard Lewis 28
Rebs: Dwight Howard 14
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 4
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Leon Wood, Scott Foster, Joe Derosa
May 10
8:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 95, Orlando Magic 94
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–18, 31–25, 16–23
Pts: Paul Pierce 27
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 14
Asts: Allen, Perkins 4 each
Pts: Dwight Howard 23
Rebs: Dwight Howard 17
Asts: J.J. Redick 7
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Greg Willard
May 12
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 88, Boston Celtics 92
Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 23–21, 22–22, 21–33
Pts: Rashard Lewis 19
Rebs: Dwight Howard 17
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7
Pts: Glen Davis 22
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 11
Asts: Paul Pierce 8
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Bill Spooner, Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen
May 14
7:00 p.m.
Boston Celtics 75, Orlando Magic 83
Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 21–23, 16–16, 13–22
Pts: Rajon Rondo 19
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 16
Asts: Rajon Rondo 6
Pts: Dwight Howard 23
Rebs: Dwight Howard 22
Asts: Türkoğlu, Alston, Lewis 3 each
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Dan Crawford, Dick Bavetta, Marc Davis
May 17
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 101, Boston Celtics 82
Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 18–21, 21–23, 35–21
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 25
Rebs: Dwight Howard 16
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 12
Pts: Ray Allen 23
Rebs: Kendrick Perkins 15
Asts: Rajon Rondo 10
Orlando wins series, 4–3
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Scott Foster

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

Conference Finals: (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Orlando Magic

May 20
8:30 p.m.
Orlando Magic 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 106
Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 29–30, 30–19, 29–24
Pts: Dwight Howard 30
Rebs: Dwight Howard 13
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 14
Pts: LeBron James 49
Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 10
Asts: LeBron James 8
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Ken Mauer, Ron Garretson
May 22
8:30 p.m.
Orlando Magic 95, Cleveland Cavaliers 96
Scoring by quarter: 16–30, 28–26, 25–19, 26–21
Pts: Rashard Lewis 23
Rebs: Dwight Howard 18
Asts: Türkoğlu, Howard, Johnson 4 each
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 15
Asts: James, Williams 5 each
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen, Bill Kennedy
May 24
8:30 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Orlando Magic 99
Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 24–18, 22–26, 26–31
Pts: LeBron James 41
Rebs: Žydrūnas Ilgauskas 9
Asts: LeBron James 9
Pts: Dwight Howard 24
Rebs: Hedo Türkoğlu 10
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Greg Willard, Joe Crawford, Mark Wunderlich
May 26
8:30 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Orlando Magic 116 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 25-21, 33-29, 21-28, 21-22, Overtime: 14-16
Pts: LeBron James 44
Rebs: LeBron James 12
Asts: James, West 7 each
Pts: Dwight Howard 27
Rebs: Dwight Howard 14
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 8
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Mike Callahan, Scott Foster, Joe DeRosa
May 28
8:30 p.m.
Orlando Magic 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 112
Scoring by quarter: 18–35, 37–21, 24–22, 23–34
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 29
Rebs: Dwight Howard 10
Asts: Rafer Alston 4
Pts: LeBron James 37
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: LeBron James 12
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Bill Spooner, Dan Crawford, Marc Davis
May 30
8:30 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers 90, Orlando Magic 103
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 15–28, 30–28, 20–17
Pts: LeBron James 25
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Dwight Howard 40
Rebs: Dwight Howard 14
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5
Orlando wins series, 4–2
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford

This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Magic.[39]

In Game 1, LeBron James dominated with a 49-point performance, while Howard had 30. Although James had a potential game-winning three-point play, a furious rally and a game-winning three-pointer by Rashard Lewis allowed the Magic to escape with a victory in game 1. Much like Game 1, Game 2 had the Cavs with an 18-point lead by the second quarter, only for the Magic to rally back in the closing minutes. A jump shot by Hedo Türkoğlu gave the Magic a 2-point lead with 1 second left on the clock, but LeBron James hit a three-pointer to tie the series. In Game 3, the Magic dominated at home, leading to a 10-point victory behind Dwight Howard's 24 points. In Game 4, two clutch free throws by LeBron James sent the game into overtime. While James dominated with 44 (his third 40-point game of the playoffs), an off half-court shot allowed the Magic to escape again with a victory. Down 3–1, James' triple-double allowed his team to stave off elimination in Game 5. After a win in Game 6, the Magic received their second NBA Finals berth in franchise history.

Western Conference

First Round

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz

April 19
3:00 p.m.
Utah Jazz 100, Los Angeles Lakers 113
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 21–32, 33–24, 27–27
Pts: Carlos Boozer 27
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 9
Asts: Deron Williams 17
Pts: Kobe Bryant 24
Rebs: Pau Gasol 9
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Joe Crawford
April 21
10:30 p.m.
Utah Jazz 109, Los Angeles Lakers 119
Scoring by quarter: 29–41, 26–25, 23–23, 31–30
Pts: Deron Williams 35
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10
Asts: Deron Williams 10
Pts: Kobe Bryant 26
Rebs: Gasol, Bryant 6 each
Asts: Ariza, Bryant 9 each
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Marc Davis, Sean Corbin, Monty McCutchen
April 23
10:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 86, Utah Jazz 88
Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 22–17, 29–17, 18–28
Pts: Lamar Odom 21
Rebs: Lamar Odom 14
Asts: Kobe Bryant 6
Pts: Carlos Boozer 23
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 22
Asts: Deron Williams 9
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Bennett Salvadore, Mike Callahan, Eric Lewis
April 25
9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Utah Jazz 94
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 40–28, 28–16, 20–25
Pts: Kobe Bryant 38
Rebs: Lamar Odom 15
Asts: Lamar Odom 6
Pts: Williams, Boozer 23 each
Rebs: Carlos Boozer 16
Asts: Deron Williams 13
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Bill Spooner, Mark Wunderlich, Joe Derosa
April 27
10:30 p.m.
Utah Jazz 96, Los Angeles Lakers 107
Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 17–30, 20–26, 33–25
Pts: Paul Millsap 16
Rebs: Mehmet Okur 8
Asts: Deron Williams 6
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31
Rebs: Lamar Odom 15
Asts: Odom, Bryant, Ariza, Gasol 4 each
Los Angeles wins series, 4–1
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Gary Zielinski, James Capers, Steve Javie

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

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets

April 19
10:30 p.m.
New Orleans Hornets 84, Denver Nuggets 113
Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–28, 22–32, 15–26
Pts: Chris Paul 21
Rebs: David West 6
Asts: Chris Paul 11
Pts: Chauncey Billups 36
Rebs: Nenê 14
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Pepsi Center, Denver
Attendance: 19,536
Referees: Marc Davis, Monty McCutchen, Sean Corbin
April 22
10:30 p.m.
New Orleans Hornets 93, Denver Nuggets 108
Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 19–25, 27–29, 22–27
Pts: David West 21
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11
Asts: Chris Paul 13
Pts: Chauncey Billups 31
Rebs: Nenê 8
Asts: Carmelo Anthony 9
Pepsi Center, Denver
Attendance: 19,623
Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Violet Palmer, Joe DeRosa
April 25
1:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 93, New Orleans Hornets 95
Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 21–29, 25–27, 21–18
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25
Rebs: Kenyon Martin 10
Asts: Chauncey Billups 6
Pts: Chris Paul 32
Rebs: West, Posey 9 each
Asts: Chris Paul 12
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Attendance: 17,489
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington
April 27
8:30 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63
Scoring by quarter: 36–15, 25–24, 27–11, 33–13
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 26
Rebs: Chris Andersen 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Pts: David West 14
Rebs: James Posey 7
Asts: Chris Paul 6
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Attendance: 17,236
Referees: David Jones, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster
April 29
10:30 p.m.
New Orleans Hornets 86, Denver Nuggets 107
Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–25, 17–31, 20–27
Pts: David West 24
Rebs: David West 9
Asts: Chris Paul 10
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 34
Rebs: Martin, Nenê, Andersen 7 each
Asts: Chauncey Billups 11
Denver wins series 4–1
Pepsi Center, Denver
Attendance: 19,744
Referees: Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Bill Kennedy

This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.[41]

The Nuggets routed the Hornets in Game 1, led by hometown player Chauncey Billups's 36 points in his playoff debut for the Nuggets. He sank a career playoff-high 8 three-pointers and added 8 assists in the game. He continued his form in Game 2, scoring 31 points as the Nuggets took a 2–0 lead in the series. The Hornets bounced back with a victory in Game 3. Game 3 was marked with plenty of fouls, with a total of 58 personal fouls in the game, resulting in four players fouling out of the game, David West and Tyson Chandler for the Hornets, and Kenyon Martin and Nenê for the Nuggets. The referees also called three flagrant fouls from James Posey, Chandler and Billups. Hornets' head coach Byron Scott was also called for a technical foul after arguing on Posey's flagrant foul.

The Nuggets then pulled a 58-point win in Game 4. The margin tied the most lopsided victory in playoff history set 53 years ago by the Minneapolis Lakers. The Hornets recorded a playoff-low in points and also a playoff-high 26 turnovers, which led to 41 Nuggets' points. The Nuggets then recorded their first series win since 1994 after a victory in Game 5. Carmelo Anthony scored his career playoff-high with 34 points as the Nuggets cruised to another double-digit win. The average margin of victory in the Nuggets's four wins was 30.75 points.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks

April 18
8:00 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 105, San Antonio Spurs 97
Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 27–20, 29–25, 31–23
Pts: Josh Howard 25
Rebs: Erick Dampier 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 5
Pts: Tim Duncan 27
Rebs: Tim Duncan 9
Asts: Tony Parker 8
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Dick Bavetta, James Capers, Tony Brothers
April 20
9:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 84, San Antonio Spurs 105
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 27–27, 17–28, 21–20
Pts: Jason Terry 16
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 6
Asts: Jason Kidd 5
Pts: Tony Parker 38
Rebs: Tim Duncan 11
Asts: Tony Parker 8
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Joe Forte, Tom Washington
April 23
8:30 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs 67, Dallas Mavericks 88
Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 14–19, 12–29, 25–13
Pts: Tony Parker 12
Rebs: Kurt Thomas 10
Asts: Tony Parker 3
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 20
Rebs: Erick Dampier 9
Asts: José Juan Barea 6
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,491
Referees: Joe Crawford, Eddie Rush, Derrick Collins, Marc Davis
April 25
4:00 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs 90, Dallas Mavericks 99
Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 26–19, 16–29, 19–19
Pts: Tony Parker 43
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Tim Duncan 7
Pts: Josh Howard 28
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 7
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,829
Referees: Mike Callahan, Scott Foster, Zach Zarba
April 28
9:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 106, San Antonio Spurs 93
Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 21–28, 30–19, 24–26
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31
Rebs: Erick Dampier 12
Asts: Jason Kidd 6
Pts: Tim Duncan 30
Rebs: Tim Duncan 8
Asts: Tony Parker 12
Dallas wins series, 4–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Monty McCutchen

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

(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets

April 18
10:30 p.m.
Houston Rockets 108, Portland Trail Blazers 81
Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 28–21, 23–14, 23–23
Pts: Aaron Brooks 27
Rebs: Dikembe Mutombo 9
Asts: Aaron Brooks 7
Pts: Brandon Roy 21
Rebs: Blake, Przybilla, Oden, Ruffin 5 each
Asts: Steve Blake 6
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,329
Referees: Bill Kennedy, Mark Wunderlich, Tom Washington
April 21
10:00 p.m.
Houston Rockets 103, Portland Trail Blazers 107
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 25–25, 21–19, 31–35
Pts: Aaron Brooks 23
Rebs: Yao Ming 8
Asts: Aaron Brooks 5
Pts: Brandon Roy 42
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 12
Asts: Steve Blake 5
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,408
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Joe Crawford
April 24
9:30 p.m.
Portland Trail Blazers 83, Houston Rockets 86
Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 22–27, 22–18, 24–20
Pts: Brandon Roy 19
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 8
Asts: Steve Blake 10
Pts: Luis Scola 19
Rebs: Yao Ming 13
Asts: Aaron Brooks 5
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,731
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jason Phillips, Tony Brothers
April 26
9:00 p.m.
Portland Trail Blazers 88, Houston Rockets 89
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 22–20, 26–14, 18–25
Pts: Brandon Roy 31
Rebs: Joel Przybilla 12
Asts: Steve Blake 8
Pts: Yao Ming 21
Rebs: Yao Ming 12
Asts: Ron Artest 9
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,271
Referees: Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Monty McCutchen
April 28
10:00 p.m.
Houston Rockets 77, Portland Trail Blazers 88
Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 17–21, 19–14, 15–24
Pts: Luis Scola 19
Rebs: Yao Ming 10
Asts: Ron Artest 5
Pts: Aldridge, Roy 25 each
Rebs: Aldridge, Blake 7 each
Asts: Joel Przybilla 4
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,462
Referees: Bill Spooner, Leon Wood, Dan Crawford
April 30
9:30 p.m.
Portland Trail Blazers 76, Houston Rockets 92
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 18–31, 19–21, 20–18
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 26
Rebs: Przybilla, Fernández 8 each
Asts: Steve Blake 5
Pts: Ron Artest 27
Rebs: Yao Ming 10
Asts: Kyle Lowry 3
Houston wins series, 4–2
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,376
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, James Capers, Mike Callahan

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

Conference Semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets

May 4
10:30 p.m.
Houston Rockets 100, Los Angeles Lakers 92
Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 22–22, 27–27, 30–25
Pts: Yao Ming 28
Rebs: Yao Ming 10
Asts: Ron Artest 7
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32
Rebs: Pau Gasol 13
Asts: Bryant, Gasol 4 each
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Scott Foster, Joe Derosa, Tony Brothers
May 6
10:30 p.m.
Houston Rockets 98, Los Angeles Lakers 111
Scoring by quarter: 25–39, 32–18, 20–29, 21–25
Pts: Ron Artest 25
Rebs: Yao, Landry 10 each
Asts: Ron Artest 5
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40
Rebs: Pau Gasol 14
Asts: Luke Walton 5
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner, Greg Willard
May 8
9:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Houston Rockets 94
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 20–18, 24–16, 34–32
Pts: Kobe Bryant 33
Rebs: Lamar Odom 13
Asts: Jordan Farmar 7
Pts: Ron Artest 25
Rebs: Yao Ming 14
Asts: Shane Battier 7
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,495
Referees: Steve Javie, Ron Garretson, Sean Corbin
May 10
3:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 87, Houston Rockets 99
Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 20–25, 18–29, 33–16
Pts: Pau Gasol 30
Rebs: Pau Gasol 9
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5
Pts: Aaron Brooks 34
Rebs: Luis Scola 14
Asts: Ron Artest 6
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,313
Referees: Dan Crawford, Dick Bavetta, Michael Smith
May 12
10:30 p.m.
Houston Rockets 78, Los Angeles Lakers 118
Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 15–29, 15–30, 24–24
Pts: Aaron Brooks 14
Rebs: Luis Scola 13
Asts: Scola, Lowry 4 each
Pts: Kobe Bryant 26
Rebs: Pau Gasol 13
Asts: Jordan Farmar 6
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Derrick Stafford, Ken Mauer
May 14
9:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 80, Houston Rockets 95
Scoring by quarter: 15–27, 21–25, 29–22, 15–21
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32
Rebs: Lamar Odom 14
Asts: Kobe Bryant 3
Pts: Aaron Brooks 26
Rebs: Luis Scola 12
Asts: Battier, Brooks, Lowry 4 each
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,501
Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen
May 17
3:30 p.m.
Houston Rockets 70, Los Angeles Lakers 89
Scoring by quarter: 12–22, 19–29, 19–18, 20–20
Pts: Aaron Brooks 13
Rebs: Ron Artest 8
Asts: Ron Artest 5
Pts: Pau Gasol 21
Rebs: Pau Gasol 18
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5
Los Angeles wins series, 4–3
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford

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

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks

May 3
3:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 95, Denver Nuggets 109
Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 23–35, 28–31, 20–27
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10
Asts: José Juan Barea 5
Pts: Nenê 24
Rebs: Chris Andersen 6
Asts: Billups, Smith 6 each
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,631
Referees: David Jones, Tom Washington, Dan Crawford
May 5
10:30 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 105, Denver Nuggets 117
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 33–28, 28–28, 22–31
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 35
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9
Asts: Jason Kidd 7
Pts: Anthony, Nenê 25 each
Rebs: Chris Andersen 9
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,890
Referees: Ed Malloy, Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen
May 9
5:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 106, Dallas Mavericks 105
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 28–25, 31–35, 27–25
Pts: Chauncey Billups 32
Rebs: Nenê, Anthony 8 each
Asts: Nenê 4
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 33
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16
Asts: Jason Kidd 5
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,620
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Mark Wunderlich
May 11
9:30 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 117, Dallas Mavericks 119
Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 27–30, 29–32, 27–34
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 41
Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 44
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 6
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Attendance: 20,523
Referees: Joe Derosa, Marc Davis, Steve Javie
May 13
9:00 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks 110, Denver Nuggets 124
Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 28–35, 25–25, 30–30
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 32
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10
Asts: Jason Kidd 9
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 30
Rebs: Billups, Nenê 7 each
Asts: Chauncey Billups 12
Denver wins series, 4–1
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,962
Referees: Bill Kennedy, Joe Crawford, Ron Garretson

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

Conference Finals: (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets

May 19
9:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 103, Los Angeles Lakers 105
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 23–32, 22–19, 27–31
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 39
Rebs: Kenyon Martin 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40
Rebs: Pau Gasol 14
Asts: Derek Fisher 6
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Joe Derosa
May 21
9:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 106, Los Angeles Lakers 103
Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 31–24, 26–26, 26–22
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 34
Rebs: Anthony, Nenê 9 each
Asts: Nenê 6
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32
Rebs: Pau Gasol 17
Asts: Luke Walton 4
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Marc Davis, Steve Javie
May 23
8:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 103, Denver Nuggets 97
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–24, 23–27, 32–18
Pts: Kobe Bryant 41
Rebs: Pau Gasol 11
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 21
Rebs: Andersen, Martin 7 each
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,939
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Dan Crawford, James Capers
May 25
9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Denver Nuggets 120
Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 26–30, 21–25, 35–43
Pts: Kobe Bryant 34
Rebs: Pau Gasol 10
Asts: Bryant, Walton 5 each
Pts: Billups, Smith 24 each
Rebs: Kenyon Martin 15
Asts: Nenê 6
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 20,037
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bill Spooner, Bennett Salvatore
May 27
9:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets 94, Los Angeles Lakers 103
Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 31–31, 20–20, 18–27
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 31
Rebs: Nenê, Andersen 8 each
Asts: Chauncey Billups 5
Pts: Kobe Bryant 22
Rebs: Lamar Odom 14
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington
May 29
9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 119, Denver Nuggets 92
Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 28–20, 30–27, 36–25
Pts: Kobe Bryant 35
Rebs: Pau Gasol 12
Asts: Kobe Bryant 10
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25
Rebs: Nenê 6
Asts: Chauncey Billups 9
Los Angeles wins series, 4–2
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 20,037
Referees: Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Mark Wunderlich

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

NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Orlando Magic

Main article: 2009 NBA Finals
June 4
9:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 75, Los Angeles Lakers 100
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 19–31, 15–29, 17–18
Pts: Mickaël Piétrus 14
Rebs: Dwight Howard 15
Asts: Jameer Nelson 4
Pts: Kobe Bryant 40
Rebs: Lamar Odom 14
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Ken Mauer, Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa
June 7
8:00 p.m.
Orlando Magic 96, Los Angeles Lakers 101 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 20–25, 30–23, 23–25, Overtime: 8–13
Pts: Rashard Lewis 34
Rebs: Dwight Howard 16
Asts: Rashard Lewis 7
Pts: Kobe Bryant 29
Rebs: Pau Gasol 10
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Staples Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
June 9
9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Orlando Magic 108
Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 23–32, 21–22, 29–27
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31
Rebs: Trevor Ariza 7
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Pts: Howard, Lewis 21 each
Rebs: Dwight Howard 14
Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 7
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Mark Wunderlich
June 11
9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic 91 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 17–25, 30–14, 20–24, Overtime: 12–4
Pts: Kobe Bryant 32
Rebs: Pau Gasol 10
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 25
Rebs: Dwight Howard 21
Asts: Rashard Lewis 4
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster
June 14
8:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Orlando Magic 86
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 30–18, 20–15, 23–25
Pts: Kobe Bryant 30
Rebs: Pau Gasol 15
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5
Pts: Rashard Lewis 18
Rebs: Howard, Lewis 10 each
Asts: Lewis, Nelson 4 each
L.A. Lakers wins NBA Finals series, 4–1
Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 17,461
Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Ken Mauer

This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Magic.[47]

Statistic leader board

Category High Average
Player Team Total Player Team Avg. GP
Points Ray Allen
LeBron James
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
51 (3OT)
49
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 35.3 14
Rebounds Dwight Howard Orlando Magic 24 Dwight Howard Orlando Magic 15.3 23
Assists Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo
Boston Celtics 19 (3OT)
18
Deron Williams Utah Jazz 10.8 5
Steals Glen Davis Boston Celtics 6 Mario Chalmers Miami Heat 2.9 7
Blocks Dwight Howard
Chris Andersen
Tyrus Thomas
Orlando Magic
Denver Nuggets
Chicago Bulls
9 (OT)
6
6
Tyrus Thomas Chicago Bulls 2.9 7

References

  1. 1 2 "Playoff Seeding Primer". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  2. "Basketball U on the NBA Playoffs". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 7, 2004. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
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  25. 1 2 "Rockets beat Blazers 102-88". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
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  29. A good chunk of this game aired on ESPN2 due to the Bulls-Celtics game going 2OT
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  31. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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  33. "Team Rivalry Finder — Orlando Magic versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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  38. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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  40. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  41. "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  42. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  43. "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  44. "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  45. "Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Denver Nuggets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
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