1989 NBA playoffs

Basketball tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1989 1989NBAplayoffsofficiallogo.png 1988–89 April 27–June 13, 1989 16 Detroit Pistons 1 Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Chicago Bulls Scoring leader(s) Michael Jordan (Bulls) 34.8 PPG MVP Joe Dumars (Pistons) 1988 1990 thumb|right|250px|A ticket for Game 1 of the 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The 1989 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988–89 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons had one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history, finishing 15–2 with their only losses to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. This NBA playoffs also holds the record for the most sweeps in an entire NBA playoffs with 9 out of 15 series being decided in just 3 or 4 games. The Lakers won the Western Conference title without losing a game, and entered the NBA Finals as the heavy favorites.Can Lakers sweep Pistons in Finals? June 6, 1989 Vidette-Messenger of Porter County Valparaiso, Indiana 11 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20041133/can_lakers_sweep_pistons_in_finals/ Newspapers.com However, they were swept in the Finals by the Pistons, due in part to season-ending injuries suffered by Magic Johnson and Byron Scott.If Magic rests, Rivers must get into flow June 11, 1989 Detroit Free Press Detroit, Michigan 54 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20041321/if_magic_rests_rivers_must_get_into/ Newspapers.com The Lakers became the first team in NBA history to open an NBA post-season with 11 straight victories and to sweep three series in an NBA post-season. Chicago advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1975 (back when they were a member of the Western Conference) (and the first time in Michael Jordan's career), but their season was ended by Detroit for the second straight year. Two rounds earlier, Jordan hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer to beat the Cavs. The Boston Celtics' first-round playoff sweep by the Pistons was the first time they failed to get past the round of 16. Boston's chances were hampered by the absence of Larry Bird during these playoffs due to a season-ending injury earlier in the season; the first and only time in Bird's NBA career he'd miss playing in the playoffs. It also marked the first time since 1956 that Boston failed to win a single playoff series in one season, snapping a record 28 consecutive postseason appearances with a series win. Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan made the first of 19 playoff appearances in a 22-year tenure. The only time he missed the playoffs with Utah was 2004–2006. Prior to this, he had last appeared in the playoffs in 1981 with the Bulls. His Jazz were ousted by the Golden State Warriors 3–0, the second time a seventh seed had beaten the second seed in the playoffs. Bracket First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Detroit* 3 E8 Boston 0 E4 Atlanta 2 E5 Milwaukee 3 E3 Cleveland 2 E6 Chicago 3 E2 New York* 3 E7 Philadelphia 0 W1 LA Lakers* 3 W8 Portland 0 W4 Seattle 3 W5 Houston 1 W3 Phoenix 3 W6 Denver 0 W2 Utah* 0 W7 Golden State 3 E1 Detroit* 4 E5 Milwaukee 0 E6 Chicago 4 E2 New York* 2 W1 LA Lakers* 4 W4 Seattle 0 W3 Phoenix 4 W7 Golden State 1 E1 Detroit* 4 E6 Chicago 2 W1 LA Lakers* 4 W3 Phoenix 0 E1 Detroit* 4 W1 LA Lakers* 0* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Boston Celtics #eee April 28 Boxscore Boston Celtics 91 Detroit Pistons 101 25–27 10–21 28–27 28–26 Kevin McHale 27 Robert Parish 12 Brian Shaw 8 Joe Dumars 25 Bill Laimbeer 12 Isiah Thomas 10 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Dick Bavetta, Ed Middleton, Earl Strom Detroit leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Boston Celtics 95 Detroit Pistons 102 27–31 30–23 25–27 13–21 Reggie Lewis 21 Kevin McHale 11 Lewis, Johnson 5 each Isiah Thomas 26 Bill Laimbeer 15 Isiah Thomas 8 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Joe Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Oakes Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee May 2 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 100 Boston Celtics 85 31–29 20–26 20–18 29–12 Vinnie Johnson 25 Dennis Rodman 9 Isiah Thomas 10 Reggie Lewis 20 Joe Kleine 11 Brian Shaw 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Joe Forte, Eddie F. Rush, Ed T. Rush Detroit wins series, 3–0 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 11, 1988 1988 11110 BOS Detroit Pistons 116 Boston Celtics 107 Boston Garden, Boston January 16, 1989 1989 01160 DET Boston Celtics 87 Detroit Pistons 96 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff January 22, 1989 1989 01220 BOS Detroit Pistons 99 Boston Celtics 112 Boston Garden, Boston March 17, 1989 1989 03170 DET Boston Celtics 98 Detroit Pistons 106 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the first four meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Boston leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1968 Boston Celtics 4 Detroit Pistons 2 1968 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1985 Boston Celtics 4 Detroit Pistons 2 1985 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1987 Boston Celtics 4 Detroit Pistons 3 1987 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 1988 Boston Celtics 2 Detroit Pistons 4 1988 Eastern Conference Finals (2) New York Knicks vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers #eee April 27 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 96 New York Knicks 102 28–27 23–22 27–31 18–22 Ron Anderson 26 Charles Barkley 12 Maurice Cheeks 16 Gerald Wilkins 34 Charles Oakley 12 Mark Jackson 9 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Joe Forte, Darell Garretson, Eddie F. Rush New York leads series, 1–0 April 29 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 106 New York Knicks 107 31–33 23–25 25–19 27–30 Charles Barkley 30 Charles Barkley 12 Maurice Cheeks 12 Johnny Newman 20 Charles Oakley 12 Mark Jackson 10 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Hugh Evans, Jack Nies, Wally Rooney New York leads series, 2–0 #eee May 2 Boxscore New York Knicks 116 Philadelphia 76ers 115 OT 28–24 19–28 32–26 27–28 10–9 Mark Jackson 24 Charles Oakley 17 Mark Jackson 9 Charles Barkley 29 Charles Barkley 11 Maurice Cheeks 11 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 16,236 Bruce Alexander, Hue Hollins, Tommy Nunez Sr. New York wins series, 3–0 Gerald Wilkins hits the series-winning shot with 6 seconds left. This is the most recent playoff series between the Knicks & 76ers until 2024. +Regular-season seriesPhiladelphia won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 18, 1988 1988 11180 PHI New York Knicks 135 Philadelphia 76ers 137 Spectrum, Philadelphia November 19, 1988 1988 11190 NYK Philadelphia 76ers 122 New York Knicks 141 Madison Square Garden, New York City #fff March 16, 1989 1989 03160 NYK Philadelphia 76ers 121 New York Knicks 112 Madison Square Garden, New York City March 20, 1989 1989 03200 PHI New York Knicks 129 Philadelphia 76ers 109 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff April 4, 1989 1989 04040 NYK Philadelphia 76ers 124 New York Knicks 113 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 16, 1989 1989 04160 PHI New York Knicks 112 Philadelphia 76ers 115 Spectrum, Philadelphia This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning six of the first eight meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NYK&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Philadelphia leads 6–2 in all-time playoff series#fff 1950 New York Knicks 1 Syracuse Nationals 2 1950 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1951 New York Knicks 3 Syracuse Nationals 2 1951 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1952 New York Knicks 3 Syracuse Nationals 1 1952 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1954 New York Knicks 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals #fff 1959 New York Knicks 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1959 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1968 New York Knicks 2 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1968 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1978 New York Knicks 0 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1978 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1983 New York Knicks 0 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1983 Eastern Conference Semifinals (3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) Chicago Bulls #eee April 28 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 95 Cleveland Cavaliers 88 24–14 23–26 30–17 18–31 Michael Jordan 31 Horace Grant 13 Michael Jordan 11 Craig Ehlo 19 Brad Daugherty 7 Darnell Valentine 6 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 19,312 Joe Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Oakes Chicago leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 88 Cleveland Cavaliers 96 29–23 18–26 21–23 20–24 Michael Jordan 30 Horace Grant 14 Michael Jordan 10 Ron Harper 31 Ron Harper 11 Larry Nance 5 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 20,273 Ed Middleton, Tommy Nunez Sr., Earl Strom Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 3 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Chicago Bulls 101 20–35 19–15 30–29 25–22 Hot Rod Williams 22 Hot Rod Williams 11 Darnell Valentine 8 Michael Jordan 44 Horace Grant 17 Michael Jordan 10 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 17,721 Bernie Fryer, Darell Garretson, Lee Jones Chicago leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 108 Chicago Bulls 105 OT 23–22 26–26 25–28 25–23 9–6 Larry Nance 27 Brad Daugherty 17 Mark Price 7 Michael Jordan 50 Horace Grant 16 Pippen, Hodges 5 each Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,264 Steve Javie, Jess Kersey, Ed T. Rush Series tied, 2–2 Brad Daugherty hits the game-tying free throws with 4 second left in regulation to force OT. #eee May 7 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 100 24–28 22–20 23–27 32–25 Michael Jordan 44 Scottie Pippen 10 Michael Jordan 6 Craig Ehlo 24 Brad Daugherty 11 Mark Price 7 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 20,273 Hugh Evans, Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell Chicago wins series, 3–2 Michael Jordan hits the series-winning shot at the buzzer. +Regular-season seriesCleveland won 6–0 in the regular-season series#fff December 27, 1988 1988 12270 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 107 Chicago Bulls 96 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois January 5, 1989 1989 01050 CLE Chicago Bulls 98 Cleveland Cavaliers 103 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio #fff March 15, 1989 1989 03150 CLE Chicago Bulls 91 Cleveland Cavaliers 115 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio March 31, 1989 1989 03310 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 109 Chicago Bulls 100 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff April 16, 1989 1989 04160 CLE Chicago Bulls 92 Cleveland Cavaliers 111 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio April 23, 1989 1989 04230 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 90 Chicago Bulls 84 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=CLE&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1988 Chicago Bulls 3 Cleveland Cavaliers 2 1988 Eastern Conference First Round (4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks #eee April 27 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 92 Atlanta Hawks 100 22–25 26–24 23–23 21–28 Jay Humphries 20 Terry Cummings 8 Sidney Moncrief 6 Dominique Wilkins 28 Moses Malone 13 Doc Rivers 10 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 14,541 Hugh Evans, Wally Rooney, Don Vaden Atlanta leads series, 1–0 April 29 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 108 Atlanta Hawks 98 28–27 26–20 26–26 28–25 Terry Cummings 22 Terry Cummings 8 Jack Sikma 7 Dominique Wilkins 32 Moses Malone 8 Doc Rivers 8 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 15,742 Bruce Alexander, Dick Bavetta, Hue Hollins Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 2 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 113 Milwaukee Bucks 117 OT 21–30 23–26 34–25 24–21 11–15 Dominique Wilkins 30 Jon Koncak 11 Reggie Theus 5 Ricky Pierce 35 Terry Cummings 14 Jay Humphries 10 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 18,469 Joe Crawford, Bill Oakes, Bennett Salvatore Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 113 Milwaukee Bucks 106 OT 28–28 30–17 20–24 20–29 15–8 Malone, Wilkins 24 each Moses Malone 17 Spud Webb 7 Jack Sikma 24 Larry Krystkowiak 10 Jay Humphries 15 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 18,633 Bernie Fryer, Mike Mathis, Jake O'Donnell Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 7 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 96 Atlanta Hawks 92 21–19 23–25 29–26 23–22 Ricky Pierce 25 Jack Sikma 9 Jay Humphries 5 Moses Malone 25 Moses Malone 16 Rivers, Theus 6 each Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 16,220 Darell Garretson, Paul Mihalak, Earl Strom Milwaukee wins series, 3–2 +Regular-season seriesAtlanta won 6–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 5, 1988 1988 11050 MIL Atlanta Hawks 107 Milwaukee Bucks 94 Bradley Center, Milwaukee December 16, 1988 1988 12160 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 112 Atlanta Hawks 115 The Omni, Atlanta #fff December 30, 1988 1988 12300 MIL Atlanta Hawks 117 Milwaukee Bucks 113 Bradley Center, Milwaukee January 17, 1989 1989 01170 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 98 Atlanta Hawks 111 The Omni, Atlanta #fff April 15, 1989 1989 04150 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 100 Atlanta Hawks 125 The Omni, Atlanta April 19, 1989 1989 04190 MIL Atlanta Hawks 100 Milwaukee Bucks 92 Bradley Center, Milwaukee This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=ATL&opp_id=MIL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1984 Atlanta Hawks 2 Milwaukee Bucks 3 1984 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1988 Atlanta Hawks 3 Milwaukee Bucks 2 1988 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference first round (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers #eee April 27 Boxscore Portland Trail Blazers 108 Los Angeles Lakers 128 21–34 30–30 25–31 32–33 Clyde Drexler 30 Kersey, Porter 9 each Terry Porter 10 Magic Johnson 30 Scott, Abdul-Jabbar 8 each Magic Johnson 16 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Terry Durham, Lee Jones, Mike Mathis LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Portland Trail Blazers 105 Los Angeles Lakers 113 23–35 23–21 30–30 29–27 Clyde Drexler 28 Jerome Kersey 11 Clyde Drexler 10 Magic Johnson 35 A.C. Green 13 Magic Johnson 12 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jake O'Donnell, Blane Reichelt, Bill Saar LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee May 3 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 116 Portland Trail Blazers 108 27–22 22–32 37–22 30–32 Byron Scott 25 A.C. Green 13 Magic Johnson 7 Terry Porter 29 Clyde Drexler 8 Terry Porter 9 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon 12,880 Jim Clark, Jack Nies, Earl Strom LA Lakers win series, 3–0 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 5–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 18, 1988 1988 11180 LAL Portland Trail Blazers 105 Los Angeles Lakers 106 The Forum, Inglewood, California January 4, 1989 1989 01040 LAL Portland Trail Blazers 120 Los Angeles Lakers 133 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California #fff February 3, 1989 1989 02030 LAL Portland Trail Blazers 129 Los Angeles Lakers 140 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California February 16, 1989 1989 02160 POR Los Angeles Lakers 110 Portland Trail Blazers 101 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon #fff April 21, 1989 1989 04210 POR Los Angeles Lakers 121 Portland Trail Blazers 114 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning two of the first three meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=POR&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Los Angeles leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1977 Los Angeles Lakers 0 Portland Trail Blazers 4 1977 Western Conference Finals #fff 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Portland Trail Blazers 1 1983 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Portland Trail Blazers 1 1985 Western Conference Semifinals (2) Utah Jazz vs. (7) Golden State Warriors #eee April 27 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 123 Utah Jazz 119 35–25 26–34 32–29 30–31 Chris Mullin 41 Larry Smith 11 Winston Garland 8 John Stockton 30 Karl Malone 13 John Stockton 14 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Steve Javie, Ed T. Rush, Bill Saar Golden State leads series, 1–0 April 29 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 99 Utah Jazz 91 26–28 19–20 26–26 28–17 Chris Mullin 22 three players 7 each Chris Mullin 7 Karl Malone 37 Karl Malone 22 John Stockton 11 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Bernie Fryer, Lee Jones, Mike Mathis Golden State leads series, 2–0 #eee May 2 Boxscore Utah Jazz 106 Golden State Warriors 120 22–23 27–25 22–34 35–38 John Stockton 34 Karl Malone 14 John Stockton 16 Chris Mullin 35 Rod Higgins 14 Mitch Richmond 11 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 15,025 Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Jess Kersey Golden State wins series, 3–0 In the 16-team playoff format, this is the only time a top 2 seed has been swept in the First Round in NBA history. However, a top 2 seed has yet to be swept in the First Round in a best-of-seven series format. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 6, 1988 1988 12060 GSW Utah Jazz 103 Golden State Warriors 114 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California January 14, 1989 1989 01140 GSW Utah Jazz 105 Golden State Warriors 131 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California #fff March 10, 1989 1989 03100 UTA Golden State Warriors 112 Utah Jazz 126 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City April 22, 1989 1989 04220 UTA Golden State Warriors 95 Utah Jazz 111 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=UTA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1987 Utah Jazz 2 Golden State Warriors 3 1987 Western Conference First Round (3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Denver Nuggets #eee April 28 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 103 Phoenix Suns 104 20–23 22–32 32–22 29–27 Walter Davis 34 Fat Lever 12 Fat Lever 17 Chambers, K. Johnson 26 each Tom Chambers 17 Kevin Johnson 9 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Steve Javie, Ed T. Rush, Bill Saar Phoenix leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 114 Phoenix Suns 132 24–30 21–37 40–35 29–30 Alex English 36 Michael Adams 12 English, Cook 6 each Kevin Johnson 34 Tom Chambers 12 Kevin Johnson 14 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Bob Delaney, Jess Kersey, Paul Mihalak Phoenix leads series, 2–0 #eee May 2 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 130 Denver Nuggets 121 27–36 27–36 34–29 42–20 Chambers, K. Johnson 32 each Tom Chambers 17 Kevin Johnson 16 Walter Davis 26 Elston Turner 7 Bill Hanzlik 6 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 12,660 Dick Bavetta, Jake O'Donnell, Don Vaden Phoenix wins series, 3–0 This is the most recent playoff series between the Suns & Nuggets until 2021. +Regular-season seriesPhoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 22, 1988 1988 12220 DEN Phoenix Suns 126 Denver Nuggets 118 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado December 23, 1988 1988 12230 PHO Denver Nuggets 107 Phoenix Suns 119 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff January 28, 1989 1989 01280 DEN Phoenix Suns 138 Denver Nuggets 142 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado January 30, 1989 1989 01300 PHO Denver Nuggets 100 Phoenix Suns 126 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015 Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1982 Denver Nuggets 1 Phoenix Suns 2 1982 Western Conference First Round #fff 1983 Denver Nuggets 2 Phoenix Suns 1 1983 Western Conference First Round (4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Houston Rockets #eee April 28 Boxscore Houston Rockets 107 Seattle SuperSonics 111 25–23 30–30 21–32 31–26 Hakeem Olajuwon 28 Hakeem Olajuwon 9 Sleepy Floyd 7 Dale Ellis 25 Xavier McDaniel 11 Nate McMillan 11 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,250 Paul Mihalak, Jake O'Donnell, Blane Reichelt Seattle leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Houston Rockets 97 Seattle SuperSonics 109 26–26 20–20 27–29 24–34 Hakeem Olajuwon 30 Hakeem Olajuwon 12 Sleepy Floyd 6 McDaniel, Lister 20 each Olden Polynice 10 Nate McMillan 8 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 12,887 Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Darell Garretson Seattle leads series, 2–0 #eee May 3 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 107 Houston Rockets 126 20–31 27–32 29–31 31–32 Dale Ellis 26 Michael Cage 10 Nate McMillan 10 Sleepy Floyd 28 Hakeem Olajuwon 18 Sleepy Floyd 6 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,611 Hugh Evans, Wally Rooney, Bennett Salvatore Seattle leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 98 Houston Rockets 96 29–27 22–26 25–26 22–17 Dale Ellis 26 Xavier McDaniel 10 Nate McMillan 10 Hakeem Olajuwon 24 Hakeem Olajuwon 13 Floyd, Woodson 7 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,611 Jack Madden, Bill Oakes, Earl Strom Seattle wins series, 3–1 Derrick McKey hits the series-winning alley-oop layup at the buzzer. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 10, 1988 1988 12100 HOU Seattle SuperSonics 91 Houston Rockets 110 The Summit, Houston January 19, 1989 1989 01190 SEA Houston Rockets 108 Seattle SuperSonics 124 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle #fff March 3, 1989 1989 03030 SEA Houston Rockets 108 Seattle SuperSonics 118 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle March 28, 1989 1989 03280 HOU Seattle SuperSonics 117 Houston Rockets 120 The Summit, Houston This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Seattle leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1982 Houston Rockets 1 Seattle SuperSonics 2 1982 Western Conference First Round #fff 1987 Houston Rockets 2 Seattle SuperSonics 4 1987 Western Conference Semifinals Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks #eee May 10 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 80 Detroit Pistons 85 25–21 23–18 21–25 11–21 Ricky Pierce 25 Sidney Moncrief 6 Jay Humphries 6 Bill Laimbeer 19 Bill Laimbeer 17 Joe Dumars 6 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Dick Bavetta, Hugh Evans, Tommy Nunez Sr. Detroit leads series, 1–0 May 12 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 92 Detroit Pistons 112 23–26 26–23 19–26 24–37 Krystkowiak, Pierce 22 each Larry Krystkowiak 13 Rickey Green 6 John Salley 23 Dennis Rodman 13 Isiah Thomas 10 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Hue Hollins, Jack Madden, Bennett Salvatore Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee May 14 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 110 Milwaukee Bucks 90 24–16 23–22 38–25 25–27 Isiah Thomas 26 Bill Laimbeer 11 Joe Dumars 10 Ricky Pierce 22 Randy Breuer 8 Jay Humphries 5 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 18,633 Steve Javie, Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis Detroit leads series, 3–0 May 15 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 96 Milwaukee Bucks 94 20–33 24–21 32–17 20–23 Joe Dumars 22 Isiah Thomas 10 Isiah Thomas 13 Fred Roberts 33 Randy Breuer 9 Jay Humphries 14 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 18,633 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Darell Garretson Detroit wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesMilwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 6, 1988 1988 12060 MIL Detroit Pistons 84 Milwaukee Bucks 109 Bradley Center, Milwaukee December 14, 1988 1988 12140 DET Milwaukee Bucks 119 Detroit Pistons 110 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff January 15, 1989 1989 01150 MIL Detroit Pistons 112 Milwaukee Bucks 120 Bradley Center, Milwaukee February 8, 1989 1989 02080 DET Milwaukee Bucks 96 Detroit Pistons 107 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff March 18, 1989 1989 03180 MIL Detroit Pistons 100 Milwaukee Bucks 117 Bradley Center, Milwaukee April 9, 1989 1989 04090 DET Milwaukee Bucks 91 Detroit Pistons 100 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Detroit leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1976 Detroit Pistons 2 Milwaukee Bucks 1 1976 Western Conference First Round (2) New York Knicks vs. (6) Chicago Bulls #eee May 9 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 120 New York Knicks 109 OT 27–27 20–19 27–29 29–28 17–6 Michael Jordan 34 Bill Cartwright 14 Michael Jordan 12 Johnny Newman 27 Patrick Ewing 10 Mark Jackson 11 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Mike Mathis, Paul Mihalak, Bill Saar Chicago leads series, 1–0 Michael Jordan hits the game tying free throws with 1:15 left in regulation to force OT May 11 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 97 New York Knicks 114 15–21 26–29 23–27 33–37 John Paxson 16 Charles Davis 9 Scottie Pippen 5 Patrick Ewing 23 Charles Oakley 13 Mark Jackson 16 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Joe Crawford, Joe Forte, Lee Jones Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 13 Boxscore New York Knicks 88 Chicago Bulls 111 20–24 26–42 21–17 21–28 Patrick Ewing 19 Charles Oakley 9 Mark Jackson 6 Michael Jordan 40 Michael Jordan 15 Michael Jordan 9 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,599 Dick Bavetta, Tommy Nunez Sr., Earl Strom Chicago leads series, 2–1 May 14 Boxscore New York Knicks 93 Chicago Bulls 106 23–27 30–28 20–22 20–29 Johnny Newman 23 Charles Oakley 16 Gerald Wilkins 5 Michael Jordan 47 Michael Jordan 11 Scottie Pippen 8 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,637 Hugh Evans, Bernie Fryer, Hue Hollins Chicago leads series, 3–1 #eee May 16 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 114 New York Knicks 121 28–33 31–29 18–32 37–27 Michael Jordan 38 Scottie Pippen 9 Michael Jordan 10 Patrick Ewing 32 Charles Oakley 13 Mark Jackson 14 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Jess Kersey, Jack Madden, Bill Oakes Chicago leads series, 3–2 May 19 Boxscore New York Knicks 111 Chicago Bulls 113 31–32 30–27 18–27 32–27 three players 22 each Patrick Ewing 13 Mark Jackson 12 Michael Jordan 40 Bill Cartwright 8 Michael Jordan 10 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell, Ed T. Rush Chicago wins series, 4–2 Michael Jordan hits the series-winning free throws with 4 seconds left. +Regular-season seriesChicago won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 8, 1988 1988 11080 NYK Chicago Bulls 117 New York Knicks 126 Madison Square Garden, New York City December 29, 1988 1988 12290 CHI New York Knicks 106 Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff March 4, 1989 1989 03040 NYK Chicago Bulls 104 New York Knicks 122 Madison Square Garden, New York City March 17, 1989 1989 03170 CHI New York Knicks 124 Chicago Bulls 129 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff April 17, 1989 1989 04170 CHI New York Knicks 100 Chicago Bulls 104 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=NYK&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus New York Knicks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1981 Chicago Bulls 2 New York Knicks 0 1981 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference semifinals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics #eee May 7 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 102 Los Angeles Lakers 113 22–27 32–25 27–28 21–33 Derrick McKey 23 Olden Polynice 10 Nate McMillan 12 James Worthy 28 James Worthy 12 Magic Johnson 14 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Dick Bavetta, Hue Hollins, Ed Middleton LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 May 10 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 108 Los Angeles Lakers 130 26–32 27–31 19–32 36–35 Xavier McDaniel 17 Xavier McDaniel 8 Sedale Threatt 9 James Worthy 30 A.C. Green 8 Magic Johnson 12 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Dan Crawford, Jess Kersey, Wally Rooney LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee May 12 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 91 Seattle SuperSonics 86 25–19 23–26 25–15 18–26 James Worthy 20 Magic Johnson 9 Magic Johnson 14 Dale Ellis 30 Xavier McDaniel 12 Sedale Threatt 9 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,541 Jim Clark, Bill Oakes, Ed T. Rush LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 May 14 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 97 Seattle SuperSonics 95 12–32 31–22 22–19 32–22 James Worthy 33 A.C. Green 10 Magic Johnson 9 Xavier McDaniel 30 Xavier McDaniel 11 Nate McMillan 8 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,006 Paul Mihalak, Jack Nies, Jake O'Donnell LA Lakers win series, 4–0 The Lakers posted the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history by overcoming a 29-point deficit (43–14), which has since been surpassed. +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 11, 1988 1988 11110 LAL Seattle SuperSonics 103 Los Angeles Lakers 114 The Forum, Inglewood, California November 17, 1988 1988 11170 SEA Los Angeles Lakers 98 Seattle SuperSonics 101 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle #fff November 30, 1988 1988 11300 LAL Seattle SuperSonics 106 Los Angeles Lakers 110 The Forum, Inglewood, California January 3, 1989 1989 01030 SEA Los Angeles Lakers 106 Seattle SuperSonics 116 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle #fff April 4, 1989 1989 04040 SEA Los Angeles Lakers 115 Seattle SuperSonics 97 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle April 23, 1989 1989 04230 LAL Seattle SuperSonics 117 Los Angeles Lakers 121 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series#fff 1978 Los Angeles Lakers 1 Seattle SuperSonics 2 1978 Western Conference First Round #fff 1979 Los Angeles Lakers 1 Seattle SuperSonics 4 1979 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Seattle SuperSonics 1 1980 Western Conference Finals #fff 1987 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Seattle SuperSonics 0 1987 Western Conference Finals (3) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Golden State Warriors #eee May 6 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 103 Phoenix Suns 130 29–35 22–31 22–41 30–23 Mullin, Teagle 18 each Larry Smith 8 Winston Garland 6 Tom Chambers 25 Eddie Johnson 9 Kevin Johnson 11 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Joe Crawford, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore Phoenix leads series, 1–0 May 9 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 127 Phoenix Suns 122 31–32 34–32 35–34 27–24 Chris Mullin 37 Mitch Richmond 13 Chris Mullin 5 Eddie Johnson 35 Eddie Johnson 9 Kevin Johnson 12 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Bruce Alexander, Bill Oakes, Ed T. Rush Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 11 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 113 Golden State Warriors 104 35–20 24–30 26–32 28–22 Tom Chambers 31 Chambers, Corbin 14 each Kevin Johnson 15 Chris Mullin 32 Higgins, Bol 9 each Chris Mullin 6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 15,025 Steve Javie, Ed Middleton, Jake O'Donnell Phoenix leads series, 2–1 May 13 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 135 Golden State Warriors 99 31–22 36–39 35–22 33–16 Eddie Johnson 34 Tyrone Corbin 13 Hornacek, K. Johnson 8 each Chris Mullin 28 Chris Mullin 7 Winston Garland 4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 15,025 Dan Crawford, Darell Garretson, Wally Rooney Phoenix leads series, 3–1 #eee May 16 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 104 Phoenix Suns 116 26–22 24–27 24–30 30–37 Mitch Richmond 23 Larry Smith 9 Chris Mullin 6 K. Johnson, Chambers 24 each E. Johnson, Chambers 11 each Kevin Johnson 11 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Hue Hollins, Paul Mihalak, Earl Strom Phoenix wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesPhoenix won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 5, 1988 1988 11050 GSW Phoenix Suns 104 Golden State Warriors 117 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California November 11, 1988 1988 11110 PHO Golden State Warriors 103 Phoenix Suns 141 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff December 9, 1988 1988 12090 PHO Golden State Warriors 105 Phoenix Suns 110 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona January 9, 1989 1989 01090 GSW Phoenix Suns 124 Golden State Warriors 130 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California #fff February 21, 1989 1989 02210 PHO Golden State Warriors 121 Phoenix Suns 139 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona March 23, 1989 1989 03230 GSW Phoenix Suns 154 Golden State Warriors 124 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1976 Golden State Warriors 3 Phoenix Suns 4 1976 Western Conference Finals Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Chicago Bulls #eee May 21 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 94 Detroit Pistons 88 33–17 17–17 21–29 23–25 Michael Jordan 32 Jordan, Pippen 11 each Scottie Pippen 6 Rick Mahorn 17 Bill Laimbeer 15 Isiah Thomas 10 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Joe Crawford, Hugh Evans, Tommy Nunez Sr. Chicago leads series, 1–0 May 23 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 91 Detroit Pistons 100 23–19 26–30 21–26 21–25 Michael Jordan 27 Horace Grant 20 John Paxson 6 Isiah Thomas 33 Dennis Rodman 12 Isiah Thomas 4 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Mike Mathis, Bill Saar, Earl Strom Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 27 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 97 Chicago Bulls 99 28–27 28–18 21–21 20–33 Mark Aguirre 25 Dennis Rodman 13 Isiah Thomas 11 Michael Jordan 46 Scottie Pippen 8 Jordan, Hodges 5 each Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Jack Madden, Bill Oakes, Ed T. Rush Chicago leads series, 2–1 Michael Jordan hits the game-winner with 3 seconds left. May 29 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 86 Chicago Bulls 80 22–26 20–13 22–21 22–20 Isiah Thomas 27 Dennis Rodman 18 Isiah Thomas 6 Michael Jordan 23 Horace Grant 12 Craig Hodges 5 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Jess Kersey, Jake O'Donnell, Wally Rooney Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 31 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 85 Detroit Pistons 94 25–17 20–24 19–24 21–29 Craig Hodges 19 Bill Cartwright 12 Michael Jordan 9 Vinnie Johnson 22 Dennis Rodman 14 Isiah Thomas 12 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Dick Bavetta, Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins Detroit leads series, 3–2 June 2 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 103 Chicago Bulls 94 24–26 25–21 28–22 26–25 Isiah Thomas 33 Dennis Rodman 15 Joe Dumars 9 Michael Jordan 32 Horace Grant 13 Michael Jordan 13 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Joe Crawford, Hugh Evans, Earl Strom Detroit wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 6–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 4, 1988 1988 11040 CHI Detroit Pistons 107 Chicago Bulls 94 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois December 7, 1988 1988 12070 DET Chicago Bulls 89 Detroit Pistons 102 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff January 31, 1989 1989 01310 CHI Detroit Pistons 104 Chicago Bulls 98 OT Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois February 5, 1989 1989 02050 DET Chicago Bulls 102 Detroit Pistons 113 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan April 6, 1989 1989 04060 DET Chicago Bulls 108 Detroit Pistons 115 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff April 7, 1989 1989 04070 CHI Detroit Pistons 114 Chicago Bulls 112 OT Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1974 Chicago Bulls 4 Detroit Pistons 3 1974 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1988 Chicago Bulls 1 Detroit Pistons 4 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals Western Conference finals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Phoenix Suns #eee May 20 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 119 Los Angeles Lakers 127 24–38 35–27 30–26 30–36 Kevin Johnson 27 Tom Chambers 10 Kevin Johnson 18 James Worthy 32 A.C. Green 10 Magic Johnson 12 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Lee Jones, Jack Madden, Mike Mathis LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 May 23 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 95 Los Angeles Lakers 101 28–27 27–24 18–20 22–30 Kevin Johnson 22 Tom Chambers 10 Kevin Johnson 10 Byron Scott 30 Magic Johnson 9 Magic Johnson 14 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Dick Bavetta, Jess Kersey, Jake O'Donnell LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee May 26 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 110 Phoenix Suns 107 25–19 25–35 32–21 28–32 James Worthy 29 James Worthy 12 Magic Johnson 11 Tom Chambers 26 Jeff Hornacek 11 Kevin Johnson 13 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Dan Crawford, Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins LA Lakers lead series, 3–0 May 28 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 122 Phoenix Suns 117 31–26 29–23 27–25 35–43 Byron Scott 35 A.C. Green 11 Magic Johnson 20 Tom Chambers 41 Tom Chambers 13 Kevin Johnson 10 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,471 Joe Crawford, Hugh Evans, Paul Mihalak LA Lakers win series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff December 7, 1988 1988 12070 LAL Phoenix Suns 111 Los Angeles Lakers 125 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California December 26, 1988 1988 12260 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 96 Phoenix Suns 111 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff February 1, 1989 1989 02010 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 97 Phoenix Suns 114 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona February 26, 1989 1989 02260 LAL Phoenix Suns 122 Los Angeles Lakers 134 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California #fff March 26, 1989 1989 03260 LAL Phoenix Suns 116 Los Angeles Lakers 118 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California March 28, 1989 1989 03280 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 104 Phoenix Suns 127 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first five meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Los Angeles leads 5–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1970 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 3 1970 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 1 1980 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1982 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 0 1982 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1984 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 2 1984 Western Conference Finals #fff 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 3 Phoenix Suns 0 1985 Western Conference First Round NBA Finals: (E1) Detroit Pistons vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers 1989 NBA Finals #eee June 6 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 97 Detroit Pistons 109 22–28 26–27 18–24 31–30 Johnson, Worthy 17 each Isiah Thomas 24 A.C. Green 8 Aguirre, Rodman 10 each Magic Johnson 14 Isiah Thomas 9 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey, Jack Madden Detroit leads series, 1–0 June 8 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 105 Detroit Pistons 108 32–26 30–30 30–28 13–24 Cooper, Worthy 19 each Joe Dumars 33 A.C. Green 9 Mark Aguirre 6 Magic Johnson 9 Isiah Thomas 7 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan 21,454 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins, Joe Crawford Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee June 11 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 114 Los Angeles Lakers 110 27–22 30–33 29–33 28–22 Joe Dumars 31 James Worthy 26 Dennis Rodman 19 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13 Isiah Thomas 8 Michael Cooper 13 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Ed T. Rush, Mike Mathis, Hugh Evans Detroit leads series, 3–0 Joe Dumars blocks David Rivers' potential game-tying 3 with 8 seconds left. June 13 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 105 Los Angeles Lakers 97 23–35 26–20 27–23 29–19 Joe Dumars 23 James Worthy 40 Johnson, Laimbeer 6 each A.C. Green 12 three players 5 each Michael Cooper 9 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jess Kersey, Jack Madden, Earl Strom Detroit wins series, 4–0 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's final NBA game. +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 2–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 26, 1988 1988 11260 DET Los Angeles Lakers 99 Detroit Pistons 102 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan February 14, 1989 1989 02140 LAL Detroit Pistons 111 Los Angeles Lakers 103 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first ten meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2015Los Angeles leads 9–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1950 Fort Wayne Pistons 0 Minneapolis Lakers 2 1950 Central Division Finals #fff 1953 Fort Wayne Pistons 2 Minneapolis Lakers 3 1953 Western Division Finals #fff 1954 Fort Wayne Pistons 0 Minneapolis Lakers 2 1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals #fff 1955 Fort Wayne Pistons 3 Minneapolis Lakers 1 1955 Western Division Finals #fff 1957 Fort Wayne Pistons 0 Minneapolis Lakers 2 1957 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1959 Detroit Pistons 1 Minneapolis Lakers 2 1959 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1960 Detroit Pistons 0 Minneapolis Lakers 2 1960 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1961 Detroit Pistons 2 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1961 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1962 Detroit Pistons 2 Los Angeles Lakers 4 1962 Western Division Finals #fff 1988 Detroit Pistons 3 Los Angeles Lakers 4 1988 NBA Finals Statistical leaders Category Game high Average Player Team High Player Team Avg. GP Games played Points Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 50 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 34.8 17 Rebounds Karl Malone Utah Jazz 22 Karl Malone Utah Jazz 16.3 3 Assists Magic Johnson Los Angeles Lakers 20 John Stockton Utah Jazz 13.7 3 Steals Michael JordanByron ScottSedale ThreattJohn Stockton Chicago BullsLos Angeles LakersSeattle SuperSonicsUtah Jazz 6 John Stockton Utah Jazz 3.3 3 Blocks Alton Lister Seattle SuperSonics 8 Manute Bol Golden State Warriors 3.6 8 References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1989 NBA Playoffs page V3Fpi8lqg-w Eastern Conf. First round Game 5 "Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavs" Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs Category:Sports in Portland, Oregon Category:GMA Network television specials fi:NBA-kausi 1988–1989#Pudotuspelit