The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. It was the first NBA Championship for the Rockets after two previous appearances in 1981 and 1986, both losses to the Celtics in 6 games. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.

The biggest shocker came in the first round, when the Denver Nuggets came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Seattle SuperSonics in 5, marking the first time in NBA history that an 8th-seed had defeated a #1 seed. Denver stretched their second-round playoff series with the Utah Jazz to 7 games, but Utah defeated them in Game 7 91-81.

The playoffs also featured the very first playoff series victory for the Indiana Pacers in their 18-year NBA existence, as they swept the Orlando Magic (who were making their first playoffs appearance in franchise history) in the first round, and then eliminated the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the second round. The Pacers advanced within one game of the NBA Finals, but lost Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Knicks.

This was the first time since the ABA-NBA merger prior to the 1976-77 season that all four former ABA teams (Indiana, Denver, San Antonio and New Jersey) made the playoffs in the same year.

For the Chicago Bulls, this was the only playoff run they accomplished between the first retirement of Michael Jordan and his return on March 17, 1995. After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, they fell in 7 games to the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

For the Knicks, they made history by playing a record 25 playoff games (1 short of a full length postseason), the most postseason games that an NBA team had ever played. The Detroit Pistons team of 2005 tied this record.^[1] However, it was broken by the 2008 Celtics.^[1] Their easiest series was the first-round 3-1 advancement over the Nets. New York then forced 3 straight Game 7's, eliminating the Bulls 4-3 in the Conference Semifinals, knocking off the Pacers 4-3 in the Conference Finals, both times at Madison Square Garden, before falling in Game 7 to the Rockets at The Summit in the NBA Finals, which meant New York was denied both NBA and NHL titles. Game 4 of the Finals took place at the Garden a day after hosting the New York Rangers first Stanley Cup celebration in 54 years following their 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Knicks coach Pat Riley made history by becoming the first (and to this date, the only) person in NBA history to have coached a Game 7 in the NBA Finals on 2 different teams, having been with the Lakers in 1984 and 1988. However, he had the unfortunate distinction to have become the first (and as of 2012, only) coach to lose a Game 7 in the NBA Finals on two different teams, as his Lakers lost to the Celtics in 1984. It also denied him the distinction of becoming the first coach to win a Game 7 in the NBA Finals with two different teams, as his Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons in 1988.

This would be the last playoff appearance for the Golden State Warriors until the 2006-07 NBA season.

This was also the first time that the Boston Celtics, since 1979, and the Los Angeles Lakers, since 1976, did not make the playoffs and their first-ever absence since the playoff field expanded to 16 teams in 1984. This was the first (and so far, only) time that both the Lakers and Celtics missed the playoffs in the same year.

Game 3 of the Bulls-Cavs series was the last game ever played at the Coliseum at Richfield.

Game 6 of the Bulls-Knicks series was the last game ever played at Chicago Stadium.

Game 5 of the Nuggets-Sonics series was the last to be played at Seattle Center Coliseum before the renovations and its renaming into KeyArena two years later. The Sonics played the intervening 1994–95 NBA season at Tacoma Dome in nearby Tacoma, Washington.

The Clock Incident[link]

The Clock Incident happened in the last moments of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Rockets and Jazz. Tom Chambers inbounded the ball to Jeff Hornacek with 13.5 seconds left and Utah down 2. As play resumed, the Jazz timekeeper didn't start the clock as the Jazz were trying to look for an open shot. After 8 seconds, the clock finally started as Chambers attempted a shot. However, Utah didn't take advantage of the extra time they were given, and after Chambers missed the shot, there was a mad scramble for the ball. It ended up in Robert Horry's hands, who passed it to Kenny Smith as Houston ran out the clock and won 80-78 to take a 3-1 series lead. They won Game 5 at home 94-83 to clinch the series and eventually won the 1994 NBA Title in 7 against the Knicks.

Bracket[link]

Western Conference[link]

Champion: Houston Rockets

1st Round

(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Nuggets win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (April 28): Seattle 106, Denver 82
• Game 2 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (April 30): Seattle 97, Denver 87
• Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 2): Denver 110, Seattle 93
• Game 4 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 5): Denver 94, Seattle 85 (OT)
• Game 5 @ Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle (May 7): Denver 98, Seattle 94 (OT) (The Nuggets become the first 8th seed to beat the 1st seed in playoff history)

Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Western Conference First Round (Denver won 3-2)

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers: Rockets win series 3-1

• Game 1 @ The Summit, Houston (April 29): Houston 115, Portland 104
• Game 2 @ The Summit, Houston (May 1): Houston 114, Portland 104
• Game 3 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 3): Portland 118, Houston 115
• Game 4 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 6): Houston 92, Portland 89

Last Playoff Meeting: 1987 Western Conference First Round (Houston won 3-1)

(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Golden State Warriors: Suns win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (April 29): Phoenix 111, Golden State 104
• Game 2 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 1): Phoenix 117, Golden State 111
• Game 3 @ Oakland Coliseum, Oakland (May 4): Phoenix 140, Golden State 133

Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Western Conference Semifinals (Phoenix won 4-1)

(4) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Utah Jazz: Jazz win series 3-1

• Game 1 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (April 28): San Antonio 106, Utah 89
• Game 2 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (April 30): Utah 96, San Antonio 84
• Game 3 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 3): Utah 105, San Antonio 72
• Game 4 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 5): Utah 95, San Antonio 90

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Spurs and Jazz.

Conference Semifinals

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Rockets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ The Summit, Houston (May 8): Phoenix 91, Houston 87
• Game 2 @ The Summit, Houston (May 11): Phoenix 124, Houston 117 (OT)
• Game 3 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 13): Houston 118, Phoenix 102
• Game 4 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 15): Houston 107, Phoenix 96 (Kevin Johnson's famous dunk on Hakeem Olajuwon)
• Game 5 @ The Summit, Houston (May 17): Houston 109, Phoenix 86
• Game 6 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 19): Phoenix 103, Houston 89
• Game 7 @ The Summit, Houston (May 21): Houston 104, Phoenix 94 (The Rockets become the second team to win a playoff series after losing the first 2 games at home.)

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Rockets and Suns.

(5) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Jazz win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 10): Utah 100, Denver 91
• Game 2 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 12): Utah 104, Denver 94
• Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 14): Utah 111, Denver 109 (OT)
• Game 4 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 15): Denver 83, Utah 82
• Game 5 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 17): Denver 109, Utah 101 (2OT)
• Game 6 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 19): Denver 94, Utah 91
• Game 7 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 21): Utah 91, Denver 81

Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference Semifinals (Denver won 4-1)

Conference Finals

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Utah Jazz: Rockets win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ The Summit, Houston (May 23): Houston 100, Utah 88
• Game 2 @ The Summit, Houston (May 25): Houston 104, Utah 99
• Game 3 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 27): Utah 95, Houston 86
• Game 4 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 29): Houston 80, Utah 78
• Game 5 @ The Summit, Houston (May 31): Houston 94, Utah 83

Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference First Round (Utah won 3-2)

Eastern Conference[link]

Champion: New York Knicks

1st Round

(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (8) Miami Heat: Hawks win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ The Omni, Atlanta (April 28): Miami 93, Atlanta 88
• Game 2 @ The Omni, Atlanta (April 30): Atlanta 104, Miami 86 (In the 3rd quarter, when Atlanta point guard Craig Ehlo missed a shot, Duane Ferrell went up for the rebound, but got pulled away by Miami power forward Grant Long as he got poked in the eye by Ferrell. Long tried to choke Ferrell and started a bench-clearing brawl. Keith Askins punched rookie Doug Edwards and Edwards punched him back. Alvin Gentry broke his wrist while trying to hold Grant Long from the fight.)
• Game 3 @ Miami Arena, Miami (May 3): Miami 90, Atlanta 86
• Game 4 @ Miami Arena, Miami (May 5): Atlanta 103, Miami 89
• Game 5 @ The Omni, Atlanta (May 8): Atlanta 102, Miami 91

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Hawks and Heat.

(2) New York Knicks vs. (7) New Jersey Nets: Knicks win series 3-1

• Game 1 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (April 29): New York 91, New Jersey 80
• Game 2 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 1): New York 90, New Jersey 81
• Game 3 @ Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford (May 4): New Jersey 93, New York 92 (OT)
• Game 4 @ Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford (May 6): New York 102, New Jersey 92

Last Playoff Meeting: 1983 Eastern Conference First Round (New York won 2-0)

(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers: Bulls win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (April 29): Chicago 104, Cleveland 96
• Game 2 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 1): Chicago 105, Cleveland 96
• Game 3 @ The Coliseum, Richfield (May 3): Chicago 95, Cleveland 92 (OT)

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Chicago won 4-0)

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 28): Indiana 89, Orlando 88 (Byron Scott nails the game-winning 3 with 2 seconds left)
• Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 30): Indiana 103, Orlando 101
• Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 2): Indiana 99, Orlando 86

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Pacers and Magic.

Conference Semifinals

(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ The Omni, Atlanta (May 10): Indiana 96, Atlanta 85
• Game 2 @ The Omni, Atlanta (May 12): Atlanta 92, Indiana 69
• Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 14): Indiana 101, Atlanta 81
• Game 4 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 15): Indiana 102, Atlanta 86
• Game 5 @ The Omni, Atlanta (May 17): Atlanta 88, Indiana 76
• Game 6 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 19): Indiana 98, Atlanta 79

Last Playoff Meeting: 1987 Eastern Conference First Round (Atlanta won 3-1)

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Chicago Bulls: Knicks win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 8): New York 90, Chicago 86
• Game 2 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 11): New York 96, Chicago 91
• Game 3 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 13): Chicago 104, New York 102 (Toni Kukoc hits the game-winner)
• Game 4 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 15): Chicago 95, New York 83
• Game 5 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 18): New York 87, Chicago 86 (Hue Hollins' questionable foul call)
• Game 6 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 20): Chicago 93, New York 79 (Scottie Pippen's famous dunk on Patrick Ewing)
• Game 7 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 22): New York 87, Chicago 77

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference Finals (Chicago won 4-2)

Conference Finals

(2) New York Knicks vs. (5) Indiana Pacers: Knicks win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 24): New York 100, Indiana 89
• Game 2 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 26): New York 89, Indiana 78
• Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 28): Indiana 88, New York 68
• Game 4 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 30): Indiana 83, New York 77
• Game 5 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (June 1): Indiana 93, New York 86 (Reggie Miller's 25-point 4th quarter performance)
• Game 6 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (June 3): New York 98, Indiana 91
• Game 7 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (June 5): New York 94, Indiana 90

Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round (New York won 3-1)

NBA Finals[link]

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (2) New York Knicks: Rockets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ The Summit, Houston (June 8): Houston 85, New York 78
• Game 2 @ The Summit, Houston (June 10): New York 91, Houston 83
• Game 3 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (June 12): Houston 93, New York 89
• Game 4 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (June 15): New York 91, Houston 82
• Game 5 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (June 17): New York 91, Houston 84
• Game 6 @ The Summit, Houston (June 19): Houston 86, New York 84 (Hakeem Olajuwon blocks John Starks' title-winning 3-point attempt)
• Game 7 @ The Summit, Houston (June 22): Houston 90, New York 84

Last Playoff Meeting: 1975 Eastern Conference First Round (Houston won 2-1)

Notes[link]

• Down 2-0 against #1 seed Seattle, #8 seed Denver came back to win their first round series 3-2. By doing so, Denver became the first #8 seed to advance in the playoffs.
• Both #5 seeds Indiana and Utah beat their #4 seeded opponents in the first round.
• Down 3-0 in the series against Utah in the Western Conference Semifinals, Denver won 3 straight games to force a Game 7. They became only the second team in league history to accomplish this. However, as of 2012, no team that forced a seventh game after losing the first three has won the decisive Game 7.
• Down 2-0 in the series against #3 seeded Phoenix, Houston came back to win the Conference Semifinals 4-3 after losing the first 2 at home. They are 1 of 3 teams in NBA playoff history to win a 7-game series after losing the first 2 games at home.
• Coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on NBC had frequent updates of the OJ Simpson/Al Cowlings car chase. NBC executives had to make on-the-spot decisions to determine whether they would cover the game or car chase.
• There were a record 5 Game 7s in this playoffs.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1994 NBA Playoffs page

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference (called Divisions, pre-1970), ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.

Format[link]

The NBA announced the current revised playoff seeding system on August 3, 2006. Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs and are seeded one to eight.

The team that has the best record in each of the three divisions in each conference is declared division champion. The three champions, and another team in the conference with the best record, are seeded one through four by their records. This guarantees that the division champions will be no lower than fourth seed, and also ensures that a conference's two best teams (by record) are ranked as the top two. However, because the NBA does not re-seed its teams and because home court advantage goes to the team with the better record, not the better seeding, division winners are guaranteed no better than a de-facto five seed, as their 4th seeding does not guarantee home court advantage in the first round, and after the first round the 4 vs 5 winner will play the same teams as the loser would have played had they won the first round. This will continue throughout the remainder of the playoffs and to the finals until the 4 vs 5 winner loses a playoff round or wins the championship. Of the remaining eleven conference teams, the four with the best records are seeded fifth through eighth based on their record.

In the event two or more teams are tied in the standings, a series of tiebreakers are applied to determine which team receives the higher seeding.

Two-Team Tiebreaker:

1. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
2. Better record in head-to-head games
3. Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)
4. Higher winning percentage in conference games
5. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
6. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference (including tied teams)

Three-Team Tiebreaker:

1. Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
2. Best head-to-head winning percentage among all teams tied
3. Highest winning percentage within division (if all tied teams are in the same division)
4. Highest winning percentage in conference games
5. Highest winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference (including tied teams)
6. Highest point differential between points scored and points allowed

These seedings are used to create a bracket that determines the match-ups throughout the playoffs. Once the playoffs start, the bracket is fixed; teams are never "reseeded", unlike in the NHL where the strongest remaining clubs face the weakest clubs in subsequent rounds. The first round of the NBA playoffs, or Conference Quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference based on the seedings (1-8, 2-7, 3-6, and 4-5). The four winners advance to the second round, or Conference Semifinals, with a match-up between the 1-8 and 4-5 winners and a match-up between the 2-7 and 3-6 winners. The two winners advance to the third round, or Conference Finals.

Each round is a best-of-seven series. Series are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while their opponent hosts games 3, 4, and 6, with games 5-7 being played if needed. The NBA Finals are played in a 2-3-2 format, meaning the team with home-court advantage hosts games 1, 2, 6 and 7, and their opponent hosts games 3, 4 and 5. The home-court advantage is determined in all rounds by record regardless of seed.

The most common criticism of the current structure is related to parity of conferences. On numerous occasions, Eastern Conference teams with losing records qualified for the playoffs, while Western Conference teams with significantly better records ended up missing them.

History[link]

From the first season, 1947, of the NBA (called the BAA until the merger with the NBL in 1949) the top three teams from the Eastern and Western divisions were invited to the playoffs. The two division champions played a Semifinal best-of-seven series for entry into the finals. The other four teams played two rounds of best-of-three playoffs to face the winner of the Semifinal match. That year, the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Chicago Stags four games to one in the first ever BAA Championship.

In the 1949 playoffs, an additional team from each Division was added, eliminating the byes, and two rounds of best-of-three series were played, followed by a best-of-seven championship. In 1950 the Minneapolis Lakers became the first champions of the newly named NBA, knocking off the Syracuse Nationals in six games.

The 1951 through 1953 playoffs changed the Division Finals into a best-of-five playoff. In 1954, the year the Indianapolis Olympians folded, the NBA Playoffs used a Round Robin for the only time in its history. Then, from 1955 to 1966 year, the league returned to the original six-team format, expanding the Division Finals to a best-of-seven in 1958 and the Semifinals to a best-of-five in 1961.

In 1967 the field was again expanded to eight teams, filling out the three-round bracket. A year later, the Division Semifinals were changed to best-of-seven playoff. Then, in 1975 and 1977, respectively, a fifth and sixth team were added to each Division, necessitating an additional First Round of best-of-three series.

Finally in 1984, the tournament expanded to its present 16-team format and the now-complete First Round was changed to a best-of-five playoff. In 2003 the first round was changed to also be best-of-seven.

Beginning with the 2004 season, with the addition of the thirtieth NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. The result was that each conference would have three divisions of five teams each, and the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed. This would change slightly after the 2005-06 season; while division winners still receive automatic playoff berths, they are guaranteed a top-four seed, as described above.

2006 NBA Playoffs controversy[link]

The previous playoff format, in place for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 NBA Playoffs, after the NBA was re-aligned into six divisions, created controversy during the 2005–06 season and playoffs, and would be changed prior to the 2006–07 NBA season.^[1]

NBA division winners were seeded higher than any other playoff participants, regardless of their record. Prior to 2004, when the NBA was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, the top two seeds in each conference were reserved for the division winners. This meant that top two teams in a conference (by record) would be seeded either first and second (if they were in opposite divisions) or first and third (if they were in the same division). Because of the NBA playoffs' preset matchups in the second round, this meant that the top two teams in a conference could never meet until the Conference Finals, assuming they both made it to that round.

After the NBA realigned its two conferences into three divisions each, the seeding rules remained largely unchanged. The top three seeds would now be reserved for division winners. This meant that if the top two teams (by record) in a conference were in the same division, they would be ranked first and fourth, and would face each other in the Conference Semifinals, instead of the Conference Finals, if both teams won their first round series.

In the second year of this format, the 2005–06 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks of the Southwest Division did just that. This turn of events led to the playoff format being criticized by many. Critics claimed the matchup was not only unfair to the team that would lose earlier in the playoffs than it deserved, but also created an unfair advantage for teams in the 2-7/3-6 half of the Western Conference playoff bracket, which could advance to the conference finals without playing either of the two best teams in the conference.^[2]

The Phoenix Suns, winners of the Pacific Division and possessors of the third best record, were seeded second, and the Denver Nuggets, winners of the Northwest Division and tied for only the seventh-best record in the conference, were seeded third.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers met in the second-to-last game of the regular season, after the top four seeds had been clinched. The two teams were already determined to be the fifth and sixth seeds, and had only to determine which rank higher. The fifth seed would likely need to defeat the best two teams in the conference without home-court advantage to advance to the conference finals, as it would face fourth seeded Dallas, and likely face first-seeded San Antonio if it managed to defeat Dallas. The sixth seed would play Denver in the first round and would have home-court advantage, and only have to play, at most, one of Dallas or San Antonio—in the conference finals.

This led to speculation about whether the Grizzlies or the Clippers would have much commitment to winning their match-up in the second-to-last game of the season, since it was clearly most advantageous to lose the game in order to obtain the 6th seed. The Clippers eventually lost to Memphis without much evidence to refute the speculation that the Clippers had lost intentionally.^[3] In the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets in five games, and Memphis was swept by Dallas. Ultimately, Dallas and San Antonio did meet in the second round, with Dallas winning in seven games, and advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.

Timeline[link]

• 1947: The playoffs were instituted with a three-stage tournament, similar to the Stanley Cup Playoffs of the 1930s; the two first-placed teams qualified directly to the semifinals where they played each other in a best-of-7 series. Teams finishing second & third qualified for the best-of-3 quarterfinals, where the two second-placed teams were paired in one quarterfinal, as were the two third-placed teams. The two winners in the quarterfinals played each other in the other semifinals, however, the second semi-final was only a best-of-3 series. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) best-of-7 Finals series.

• 1949: The playoffs were expanded to eight teams, thus the first-placed teams no longer received first round byes. The top four teams from each of the two divisions qualified. The quarterfinals and semifinals were renamed Division Semifinals and Division Finals, respectively, and both rounds were best-of-3. The best-of-7 final was unchanged.

• 1950: The BAA was renamed as the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a three-division setup, 12 teams now qualified for the playoffs, with the top four teams from each division meeting in the best-of-3 Division Semifinals. The winners met in the best-of-3 Division Finals. With three teams remaining, the surviving team with the best regular season record qualified directly for the Finals while the other two teams met in a best-of-3 NBA Semifinals.

• 1951: With the NBA reverting to a two-division setup; the Division Semifinals reverted to its original 1949 format with only eight teams qualifying. The Division Finals was extended to a best-of-5 format.

• 1954: The number of playoff teams was cut down to six. The Division Semifinals was changed to a double round-robin format within the division, with the top three teams from each division qualifying (each team played four games). Following the round-robin games, the top two teams qualified for the best-of-three Division Finals, followed by the best-of-seven Finals.

• 1955: The number of playoff teams remained at six, however, the round-robin format was dropped after one year. First-placed teams received a bye to the best-of-five Division Finals. Teams which placed second and third played a best-of-three Division Semifinal.

• 1958: The Division Finals was extended to a best-of-seven format.

• 1961: The Division Semifinals were extended to a best-of-five format.

• 1967: The number of playoff teams was expanded to eight once more. The Division Semifinals now included the fourth-best team in each conference. The first-placed teams no longer received a bye. They were matched against the fourth-placed teams in the best-of-5 Division Semifinals.

• 1968: The Division Semifinals was extended to a best-of-seven format.

• 1970: With an increased number of teams, the divisions were upgraded into conferences, which were then split into two divisions. Eight teams still qualified, four from each conference. The two division winners were guaranteed at least a #2 seed, and the two best non-division winners from each conference qualified as third and fourth seeds. Hence, the Division Semifinals and Division Finals came to be known as Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals, respectively.

• 1975: The number of playoff teams was expanded from eight to ten. A first round was introduced which matched the fourth and fifth seeds in each conference in a best-of-3 first round series, while the top three seeds received a bye.

• 1977: The number of playoff teams was expanded from 10 to 12. The first round now included the sixth best team in each conference, which was matched against the third seed. Only the division winners received byes to the next round.

• 1984: The playoffs were expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams. All teams now participated in the first round, which was extended to a best-of-five series.

• 2003: The first round was extended to a best-of-seven series. This change arguably benefitted the higher seeds as it reduced the likelihood of an upset by a lower seed. It also meant that a team that swept their series 4–0 might have to wait up to two weeks to play their next series against a team that had won 4–3.

• 2005: Each conference was realigned into three divisions with each division winner qualifying for a top-three seed regardless of record. The next best five teams from each conference also qualified for the playoffs.

• 2007: To address the criticisms of having each division champion guaranteed a top-three seed, regardless of record, the rules were changed such that the division winners are now only guaranteed a top-four seed. The best second-placed team in the division now may be seeded as high as two depending on its regular season record. This avoids the scenario of possibly having the two best teams in the conference seeded 1 and 4 if they play in the same division, thus being forced to play each other in the second round (given no upsets).
  • Note: In the example below, the East's #2 seed is not a division champion.

Records and statistics[link]

• Only five 8th seeded teams have managed to win a series versus the number 1 seeded team: The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 in 1994. The New York Knicks eliminated the Miami Heat 3–2 in 1999 (which was a lockout shortened season). The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the 2007 Western Conference First Round (becoming the first 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the best of 7 format). In 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 4–2 and in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 4–2 (in another lockout-shortened season).
• The 1999 Knicks are the only 8th seeded team ever to reach the NBA Finals.
• The 1958-59 Minneapolis Lakers and the 1980-81 Houston Rockets are the only team with a losing record (33-39 and 40-42, respectively) to make it to the NBA Finals. The other 1981 Western Conference Finalist, the Kansas City Kings, also had a 40-42 record
• The 1994–95 Houston Rockets, a sixth seed, 47-35, were the lowest seeded team to win the NBA Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic (57–25) in four games. In doing so, the Rockets defeated four teams that had won 50 or more games during the regular season (Utah Jazz 60-22, Phoenix Suns 59-23, San Antonio Spurs 62-20 and Orlando Magic 57-25), which had never been done before.
• The San Antonio Spurs own the longest NBA Playoff winning streak for a single postseason with 12 straight wins in the 1999 Playoffs and a 15–2 finish overall. The Los Angeles Lakers own the most dominant post-season appearance with a 15–1 record in the 2001 Playoffs; they also have the second-longest playoff-game win streak with 11 in that season.
• Of all the teams with multiple NBA Finals appearances, the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs are the only teams with perfect records at 6–0 and 4–0, respectively. (Note: these are the series records, not the individual game records)
• The Boston Celtics possess the most overall NBA Finals series wins with an overall record of 17–4. The Los Angeles Lakers have played in the most NBA Finals series (31) with an overall record of 16–15.
• The longest playoff appearance streak currently belongs to the San Antonio Spurs at 15 appearances, with the Dallas Mavericks next in line with 11. The longest ever streak of playoffs appearances in a row belongs to the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs 22 straight years from the 1949–50 season to the 1970–71 season, while the longest playoff appearance streak in one city belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, who made it for 21 straight years, from the 1982-83 to the 2002-03 seasons.

References[link]

External links[link]

• NBA official website
• Playoff Seeding Criteria NBA.com
• NBA Playoffs InsideHoops.com Coverage
• Basketball-Reference.com Index of NBA Playoffs seasons