The 1990 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1989-90 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons deafeating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Isiah Thomas was named NBA Finals MVP.

It was the Blazers' first trip to the NBA Finals since their stunning victory in the 1977 NBA Finals.

The New York Knicks fell behind 2-0 to the Boston Celtics in their first round matchup, but took the series 3–2 by winning Game 5 124-117 in Boston Garden.

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff series for the first time ever, which was the first time since 1981 that the Lakers failed to reach the Western Conference Finals.

The Chicago Bulls lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals 93–74 in Detroit, making it the 3rd straight year the Bulls were ousted in the playoffs by the Pistons. However Michael Jordan showed the Pistons and the world that no defensive strategy could stop him for long.

The Indiana Pacers made only their third playoff appearance since their NBA debut in the 1976-77 season; they proceeded to make the playoffs 16 out of the next 17 years (missing only in 1997).

The Dallas Mavericks made their only playoff appearance of the decade. They would not return until 2001.

Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the last NBA game to be televised on CBS.

Bracket[link]

Western Conference[link]

Champion: Portland Trail Blazers

1st Round

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Houston Rockets: Lakers win series 3-1

• Game 1 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 27): Los Angeles 101, Houston 89
• Game 2 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 29): Los Angeles 104, Houston 100
• Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 1): Houston 114, Los Angeles 108
• Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 3): Los Angeles 109, Houston 88

Last Playoff Meeting: 1986 Western Conference Finals (Houston won 4-1)

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets: Spurs win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (April 26): San Antonio 119, Denver 103
• Game 2 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (April 28): San Antonio 129, Denver 120
• Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 1): San Antonio 131, Denver 120

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

(3) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks: Blazers win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (April 26): Portland 109, Dallas 102
• Game 2 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (April 28): Portland 114, Dallas 107
• Game 3 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas (May 1): Portland 106, Dallas 92

Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference First Round (Portland won 3-1)

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Phoenix Suns: Suns win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Salt Palace, Salt Lake City (April 27): Utah 113, Phoenix 96
• Game 2 @ Salt Palace, Salt Lake City (April 29): Phoenix 105, Utah 87
• Game 3 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 2): Phoenix 120, Utah 105
• Game 4 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 4): Utah 105, Phoenix 94
• Game 5 @ Salt Palace, Salt Lake City (May 6): Phoenix 104, Utah 102 (Kevin Johnson hits the series-winning shot with 8 tenths left)

Last Playoff Meeting: 1984 Western Conference Semifinals (Phoenix won 4-2)

Conference Semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Phoenix Suns: Suns win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 8): Phoenix 104, Los Angeles 102
• Game 2 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 10): Los Angeles 124, Phoenix 100
• Game 3 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 12): Phoenix 117, Los Angeles 103
• Game 4 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 13): Phoenix 114, Los Angeles 101
• Game 5 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 15): Phoenix 106, Los Angeles 103

Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4-0)

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Portland Trail Blazers: Blazers win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 5): Portland 107, San Antonio 94
• Game 2 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 8): Portland 122, San Antonio 112
• Game 3 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (May 10): San Antonio 121, Portland 98
• Game 4 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (May 12): San Antonio 115, Portland 105
• Game 5 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 15): Portland 138, San Antonio 132 (2OT)
• Game 6 @ HemisFair Arena, San Antonio (May 17): San Antonio 112, Portland 97
• Game 7 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 19): Portland 108, San Antonio 105 (OT)

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff meeting)

Conference Finals

(3) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Phoenix Suns: Blazers win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 21): Portland 100, Phoenix 98 (Kevin Duckworth hits the game-winner with 17.3 seconds left)
• Game 2 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 23): Portland 108, Phoenix 107
• Game 3 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 25): Phoenix 123, Portland 89
• Game 4 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 27): Phoenix 119, Portland 107
• Game 5 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 29): Portland 120, Phoenix 114
• Game 6 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 31): Portland 112, Phoenix 109

Last Playoff Meeting: 1984 Western Conference First Round (Phoenix won 3-2)

Eastern Conference[link]

Champion: Detroit Pistons

1st Round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Indiana Pacers: Pistons win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (April 26): Detroit 104, Indiana 92
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (April 28): Detroit 100, Indiana 87
• Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 1): Detroit 108, Indiana 96

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff meeting)

(2) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (7) Cleveland Cavaliers: 76ers win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ The Spectrum, Philadelphia (April 26): Philadelphia 111, Cleveland 106
• Game 2 @ The Spectrum, Philadelphia (April 29): Philadelphia 107, Cleveland 101
• Game 3 @ The Coliseum, Richfield (May 1): Cleveland 122, Philadelphia 95
• Game 4 @ The Coliseum, Richfield (May 3): Cleveland 108, Philadelphia 96
• Game 5 @ The Spectrum, Philadelphia (May 5): Philadelphia 113, Cleveland 97

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff meeting)

(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks: Bulls win series 3-1

• Game 1 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (April 27): Chicago 111, Milwaukee 97
• Game 2 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (April 29): Chicago 109, Milwaukee 102
• Game 3 @ Bradley Center, Milwaukee (May 1): Milwaukee 119, Chicago 112
• Game 4 @ Bradley Center, Milwaukee (May 3): Chicago 110, Milwaukee 86

Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Eastern Conference First Round (Milwaukee won 3-1)

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Boston Garden, Boston (April 26): Boston 116, New York 105
• Game 2 @ Boston Garden, Boston (April 28): Boston 157, New York 128
• Game 3 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 2): New York 102, Boston 99
• Game 4 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 4): New York 135, Boston 108
• Game 5 @ Boston Garden, Boston (May 6): New York 121, Boston 114

Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference First Round (Boston won 3-1)

Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) New York Knicks: Pistons win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 8): Detroit 112, New York 77
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 10): Detroit 104, New York 97
• Game 3 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 12): New York 111, Detroit 103
• Game 4 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 13): Detroit 102, New York 90
• Game 5 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 15): Detroit 95, New York 84

Last Playoff Meeting: 1984 Eastern Conference First Round (New York won 3-2)

(2) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls: Bulls win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 7): Chicago 96, Philadelphia 85
• Game 2 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 9): Chicago 101, Philadelphia 96
• Game 3 @ The Spectrum, Philadelphia (May 11): Philadelphia 118, Chicago 112
• Game 4 @ The Spectrum, Philadelphia (May 13): Chicago 111, Philadelphia 101
• Game 5 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 16): Chicago 117, Philadelphia 99

Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff meeting)

Conference Finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Chicago Bulls: Pistons win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 20): Detroit 86, Chicago 77
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 22): Detroit 102, Chicago 93
• Game 3 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 26): Chicago 107, Detroit 102
• Game 4 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (May 28): Chicago 108, Detroit 101
• Game 5 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (May 30): Detroit 97, Chicago 83
• Game 6 @ Chicago Stadium, Chicago (June 1): Chicago 109, Detroit 91
• Game 7 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (June 3): Detroit 93, Chicago 74

Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4-2)

NBA Finals[link]

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Portland Trail Blazers: Pistons win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (June 5): Detroit 105, Portland 99
• Game 2 @ The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills (June 7): Portland 106, Detroit 105
• Game 3 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (June 10): Detroit 121, Portland 106
• Game 4 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (June 12): Detroit 112, Portland 109
• Game 5 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (June 14): Detroit 92, Portland 90 (Vinnie Johnson hits the title-winning shot with 7 tenths left)

External links[link]

• Basketball-Reference's 1990 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