2004 NBA playoffs

Basketball competition August 2023 NBA playoffs 2004 2004NBAPlayoffsofficiallogo.gif 2003–04 April 17–June 15, 2004 16 Detroit Pistons 3 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves Scoring leader(s) Kobe Bryant (Lakers) 24.5 PPG MVP Chauncey Billups (Pistons) 2003 2005 250px|thumb|right|The San Antonio Spurs hosting the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the SBC Center The 2004 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in the NBA Finals. Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP. Overview The 2004 playoffs was the first appearance for the Memphis Grizzlies in their nine-year history which began in Vancouver. However, they failed to win a single game in their first three playoff appearances (2004, 2005, 2006) before earning their first playoff game and series victories in 2011. The Minnesota Timberwolves, entered their eighth consecutive post season. The Denver Nuggets made the playoffs for the first time since 1995. The New Orleans Hornets made their final postseason appearance as a member of the East. They would not make the playoffs again until 2008, as a member of the West (the result of a realignment with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004–05 NBA season). Their playoff series with the Miami Heat, led by Dwyane Wade, was the last playoff series where the home team won all seven games until 2008's Boston–Atlanta and Boston–Cleveland playoff series. The Houston Rockets made playoffs for the first time since 1999. As a result, 2004 was the first time in 14 years that all Texas teams made the playoffs, and the second time (first in ten years) that all former ABA teams made the playoffs. This was Steve Francis' only career playoff appearance. This was the first postseason since 1998 without Allen Iverson or Tracy McGrady. The Miami Heat and the New York Knicks both made the playoffs for the first time since 2001. This marked Dwyane Wade's first postseason appearance and the start of four straight playoff appearances for the Heat. For the Knicks, on the other hand, this was their last appearance until 2011. The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz missed the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and 1983, respectively. Game 4 of the Spurs–Grizzlies series was the last NBA game ever played at Pyramid Arena. That game and Game 3 of the same series were the only playoff games to take place in The Pyramid before the Grizzlies moved to FedExForum in the autumn of 2004. With their series win over the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves won their first playoff series in franchise history. With their first round series loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks lost a first round playoff series for the first time since 1990. As of 2024, this remains the Kings’ most recent series victory. Game 5 of the Lakers–Spurs series was extremely notable for both teams’ last shots. Tim Duncan scored a two–pointer to give the Spurs a 73–72 lead with 0.4 seconds remaining. However, Derek Fisher would hit the game winning shot as time expired to give the Lakers a 74–73 victory in San Antonio. With their conference semifinals victory over the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since their NBA Finals run in 2000, after which they significantly changed the makeup of their team (yet still made the playoffs every year). With their conference semifinals victory over the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves made their first conference finals appearance in franchise history. They didn't return to the conference finals until 2024. Game 2 of the Pistons–Pacers series was notable for Tayshaun Prince's block of Reggie Miller's late game layup. Game 6 of the Timberwolves–Lakers series was the last Minnesota Timberwolves postseason game until 2018. With their Conference Finals win over the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons made the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990. In a shocking upset, the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to win the NBA Championship. Playoff qualifying Eastern Conference Best record in NBA The Indiana Pacers clinched the best record in the NBA and had earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when Indiana lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, home court advantage for the NBA Finals switched to the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who had posted a better regular season record at 56–26 than the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons at 54–28. Clinched a playoff berth The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East: Indiana Pacers (61–21) (clinched Central division) New Jersey Nets (47–35) (clinched Atlantic division) Detroit Pistons (54–28) Miami Heat (42–40) New Orleans Hornets (41–41, 3–1 head-to-head vs. MIL) Milwaukee Bucks (41–41, 1–3 head-to-head vs. NOH) New York Knicks (39–43) Boston Celtics (36–46) Western Conference Best record in conference The Minnesota Timberwolves clinched the best record in the Western Conference and had home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. However, when Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals because the Lakers posted a better regular season record at 56-26 than the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons at 54–28. Clinched a playoff berth The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West: Minnesota Timberwolves (58–24) (clinched Midwest division) Los Angeles Lakers (56–26) (clinched Pacific division) San Antonio Spurs (57–25) Sacramento Kings (55–27) Dallas Mavericks (52–30) Memphis Grizzlies (50–32) Houston Rockets (45–37) Denver Nuggets (43–39) Bracket Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Indiana* 4 E8 Boston 0 E4 Miami 4 E5 New Orleans 3 E3 Detroit 4 E6 Milwaukee 1 E2 New Jersey* 4 E7 New York 0 W1 Minnesota* 4 W8 Denver 1 W4 Sacramento 4 W5 Dallas 1 W3 San Antonio 4 W6 Memphis 0 W2 LA Lakers* 4 W7 Houston 1 E1 Indiana* 4 E4 Miami 2 E3 Detroit 4 E2 New Jersey* 3 W1 Minnesota* 4 W4 Sacramento 3 W3 San Antonio 2 W2 LA Lakers* 4 E1 Indiana* 2 E3 Detroit 4 W1 Minnesota* 2 W2 LA Lakers* 4 E3 Detroit 4 W2 LA Lakers* 1* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) Eastern Conference first round (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (8) Boston Celtics #eee April 17 1:00 pm Recap Boston Celtics 88 106 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana ESPN 29–32 14–35 21–23 24–16 Paul Pierce 20 O'Neal, Artest 24 each Paul Pierce 10 Jermaine O'Neal 11 three players 4 each Jamaal Tinsley 7 16,605 Scott Foster, David Jones, Bennett Salvatore Indiana leads series, 1–0 #fff April 20 7:00 pm Recap Boston Celtics 90 103 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana NBA TV 22–17 24–24 23–24 21–38 Paul Pierce 27 Jermaine O'Neal 22 Mark Blount 10 Al Harrington 13 Chucky Atkins 6 Reggie Miller 7 17,347 Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Michael Smith Indiana leads series, 2–0 #eee April 23 7:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers Boston Celtics 108 85 FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts ESPN 23–20 30–20 26–23 29–22 Harrington, Bender 19 each Ricky Davis 16 O'Neal, Foster 7 each Mark Blount 8 Ron Artest 5 Ricky Davis 7 17,680 Steve Javie, Monty McCutchen, Ron Olesiak Indiana leads series, 3–0 #fff April 25 12:30 pm Recap Indiana Pacers Boston Celtics 90 75 FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts ESPN 21–25 25–13 24–14 20–23 Ron Artest 22 Paul Pierce 27 Foster, Harrington 7 each Mark Blount 13 Jamaal Tinsley 7 Walter McCarty 5 16,389 Joe Forte, Ron Garretson, Mark Wunderlich Indiana wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesIndiana won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 11, 2003 2003 11110 IND Boston Celtics 78 Indiana Pacers 76 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana January 2, 2004 2004 01020 BOS Indiana Pacers 103 Boston Celtics 90 FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts #fff January 31, 2004 2004 01310 IND Boston Celtics 98 Indiana Pacers 99 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana March 12, 2004 2004 03120 BOS Indiana Pacers 99 Boston Celtics 81 FleetCenter, Boston, Massachusetts This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=IND&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Boston leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1991 Boston Celtics 3 Indiana Pacers 2 1991 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1992 Boston Celtics 3 Indiana Pacers 0 1992 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 2003 Boston Celtics 4 Indiana Pacers 2 2003 Eastern Conference First Round (2) New Jersey Nets vs. (7) New York Knicks #eee April 17 4:30 pm Recap New York Knicks 83 107 New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey ESPN 24–30 31–32 13–24 15–21 Penny Hardaway 18 Richard Jefferson 21 Stephon Marbury 5 Kenyon Martin 12 Shandon Anderson 5 Jason Kidd 13 18,206 James Capers, Jim Clark, Eddie F. Rush New Jersey leads series, 1–0 #fff April 20 8:00 pm Recap New York Knicks 81 99 New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey TNT 24–26 15–26 20–20 22–27 Stephon Marbury 23 Kenyon Martin 22 Kurt Thomas 12 Kenyon Martin 16 Penny Hardaway 10 Jason Kidd 8 19,918 Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Greg Willard New Jersey leads series, 2–0 #eee April 22 6:00 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 81 78 New York Knicks Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York TNT 25–15 15–25 25–15 16–23 Martin, Kidd 19 each three players 18 each Kenyon Martin 15 Kurt Thomas 12 Richard Jefferson 10 Stephon Marbury 10 19,763 Joe Crawford, Scott Foster, Michael Smith New Jersey leads series, 3–0 #fff April 25 6:30 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 100 94 New York Knicks Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York TNT 21–21 23–25 25–22 31–26 Kenyon Martin 36 Stephon Marbury 31 Kenyon Martin 13 Kurt Thomas 15 Jason Kidd 7 Stephon Marbury 7 19,763 Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer, Blane Reichelt New Jersey wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesNew Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 14, 2003 2003 11140 NJN New York Knicks 80 New Jersey Nets 85 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey January 4, 2004 2004 01040 NYK New Jersey Nets 95 New York Knicks 85 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York #fff March 19, 2004 2004 03190 NYK New Jersey Nets 65 New York Knicks 79 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York April 2, 2004 2004 04020 NJN New York Knicks 83 New Jersey Nets 108 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=NYK&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus New York Knicks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016New York leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1983 New Jersey Nets 0 New York Knicks 2 1983 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1994 New Jersey Nets 1 New York Knicks 3 1994 Eastern Conference First Round (3) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks #eee April 18 3:30 pm Recap Milwaukee Bucks 82 108 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 21–27 22–25 15–28 24–28 Desmond Mason 16 Richard Hamilton 21 Joe Smith 11 Ben Wallace 14 Damon Jones 7 Richard Hamilton 8 22,076 Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer Detroit leads series, 1–0 #fff April 21 6:00 pm Recap Milwaukee Bucks 92 88 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN 25–25 23–16 22–19 22–28 Michael Redd 26 Chauncey Billups 20 Joe Smith 13 Ben Wallace 12 Damon Jones 7 Chauncey Billups 8 22,076 Tim Donaghy, Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 24 7:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 95 85 Milwaukee Bucks Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ESPN 22–30 20–19 32–19 21–17 Chauncey Billups 21 Mason, Redd 19 each Ben Wallace 21 Desmond Mason 9 Chauncey Billups 7 Damon Jones 7 18,717 Joe DeRosa, Jack Nies, Derrick Stafford Detroit leads series, 2–1 #fff April 26 7:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 109 92 Milwaukee Bucks Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin TNT 28–27 24–22 22–19 35–24 Richard Hamilton 27 Smith, Jones 17 each B. Wallace, R. Wallace 9 each Joe Smith 12 Chauncey Billups 9 Damon Jones 10 17,316 Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers, Jim Clark Detroit leads series, 3–1 #eee April 29 8:00 pm Recap Milwaukee Bucks 77 91 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT 22–24 10–15 22–30 23–22 Michael Redd 22 Tayshaun Prince 24 Keith Van Horn 12 Ben Wallace 12 Damon Jones 6 Tayshaun Prince 8 Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Bill Spooner 22,076 Detroit wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 7, 2003 2003 11070 DET Milwaukee Bucks 99 Detroit Pistons 105 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan December 23, 2003 2003 12230 MIL Detroit Pistons 78 Milwaukee Bucks 83 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin #fff January 17, 2004 2004 01170 MIL Detroit Pistons 99 Milwaukee Bucks 94 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin February 18, 2004 2004 02180 DET Milwaukee Bucks 98 Detroit Pistons 102 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first two meetings. +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 February 15, 2016Detroit leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1976 Detroit Pistons 2 Milwaukee Bucks 1 1976 Western Conference First Round #fff 1989 Detroit Pistons 4 Milwaukee Bucks 0 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals (4) Miami Heat vs. (5) New Orleans Hornets #eee April 18 12:30 pm Recap New Orleans Hornets 79 81 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida TNT 22–23 22–18 15–25 20–15 Baron Davis 17 Dwyane Wade 21 Brown, Magloire 11 each Lamar Odom 11 Augmon, Davis 4 each Odom, Wade 5 each Dick Bavetta, Tim Donaghy, Joe Forte 20,102 Miami leads series, 1–0 #fff April 21 8:00 pm Recap New Orleans Hornets 63 93 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida TNT 17–28 17–15 10–23 19–27 Baron Davis 13 Eddie Jones 19 Jamaal Magloire 10 Brian Grant 11 Baron Davis 7 Dwyane Wade 6 Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington 20,189 Miami leads series, 2–0 #eee April 24 8:00 pm Recap Miami Heat 71 77 New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana ESPN2 14–19 15–22 21–16 21–20 Caron Butler 24 Baron Davis 21 Caron Butler 15 Brown, Lynch 11 each Caron Butler 4 Baron Davis 5 Tony Brothers, Scott Foster, Bennett Salvatore 14,251 Miami leads series, 2–1 #fff April 27 8:00 pm Recap Miami Heat 85 96 New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana TNT 17–22 27–28 27–18 14–28 Lamar Odom 25 Baron Davis 23 Brian Grant 9 Brown, West 7 each Dwyane Wade 10 Baron Davis 10 Bernie Fryer, Luis Grillo, Bill Spooner 16,009 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 30 7:00 pm Recap New Orleans Hornets 83 87 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ESPN 24–14 22–28 17–16 20–29 Baron Davis 33 Eddie Jones 25 P. J. Brown 13 Caron Butler 11 Baron Davis 7 Dwyane Wade 5 Joe DeRosa, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies 20,147 Miami leads series, 3–2 #fff May 2 3:30 pm Recap Miami Heat 83 89 New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana ABC 14–21 19–22 22–26 28–20 Dwyane Wade 27 Brown, Lynch 16 each Lamar Odom 11 Brown, Magloire 9 each Dwyane Wade 6 Baron Davis 12 Sean Corbin, Joe Crawford, Blane Reichelt 17,297 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 4 7:00 pm Recap New Orleans Hornets 77 85 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ABC 18–25 13–16 22–22 24–22 Steve Smith 25 Caron Butler 23 Jamaal Magloire 10 three players 9 each Davis, Williams 4 each Dwyane Wade 7 Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore 20,286 Miami wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesMiami won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 25, 2003 2003 11250 MIA New Orleans Hornets 87 Miami Heat 91 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida January 31, 2004 2004 01310 NOH Miami Heat 94 New Orleans Hornets 70 New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana #fff March 10, 2004 2004 03100 NOH Miami Heat 84 New Orleans Hornets 95 New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana March 16, 2004 2004 03160 MIA New Orleans Hornets 83 Miami Heat 96 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida In Game 1, Dwyane Wade hits the game winner with 1.3 seconds left. This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MIA&opp_id=NOH&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016 Western Conference first round (1) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (8) Denver Nuggets #eee April 18 9:30 pm Recap Denver Nuggets 92 106 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 22–31 20–20 26–28 24–27 Anthony, Camby 19 each Sam Cassell 40 Marcus Camby 8 Kevin Garnett 20 Earl Boykins 5 Garnett, Sprewell 4 each Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan, Jack Nies 18,503 Minnesota leads series, 1–0 #fff April 21 8:30 pm Recap Denver Nuggets 81 95 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota ABC 27–28 9–22 18–16 27–29 Voshon Lenard 24 Latrell Sprewell 31 Carmelo Anthony 9 Kevin Garnett 22 Anthony, Nenê 3 each Kevin Garnett 10 Dick Bavetta, Luis Grillo, Mark Wunderlich 18,101 Minnesota leads series, 2–0 #eee April 24 10:30 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 86 107 Denver Nuggets Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado ESPN2 18–30 23–24 25–31 20–22 Latrell Sprewell 25 Carmelo Anthony 24 Kevin Garnett 11 Marcus Camby 16 Kevin Garnett 8 Andre Miller 6 Dan Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Tom Washington 19,713 Minnesota leads series, 2–1 #fff April 27 10:30 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 84 82 Denver Nuggets Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado TNT 20–20 16–16 30–27 18–19 Kevin Garnett 27 Voshon Lenard 28 Kevin Garnett 14 Marcus Camby 14 Kevin Garnett 5 Marcus Camby 5 Ron Garretson, Ron Olesiak, Bennett Salvatore 19,694 Minnesota leads series, 3–1 #eee April 30 9:30 pm Recap Denver Nuggets 91 102 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota ESPN 19–28 26–29 21–17 25–28 Camby, Miller 21 each Kevin Garnett 28 Marcus Camby 15 Garnett, Madsen 7 each Boykins, Lenard 4 each Kevin Garnett 8 Joe Forte, Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford 19,890 Minnesota wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesMinnesota won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 18, 2003 2003 11180 MIN Denver Nuggets 76 Minnesota Timberwolves 89 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota January 26, 2004 2004 01260 DEN Minnesota Timberwolves 97 Denver Nuggets 95 Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado #fff March 21, 2004 2004 03210 MIN Denver Nuggets 77 Minnesota Timberwolves 98 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota March 24, 2004 2004 03240 DEN Minnesota Timberwolves 92 Denver Nuggets 101 Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=MIN&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Minnesota Timberwolves (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016 (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) Houston Rockets #eee April 17 10:30 pm Recap Houston Rockets 71 72 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California ESPN 18–20 16–20 17–9 20–23 Steve Francis 18 Shaquille O'Neal 20 Jim Jackson 12 Shaquille O'Neal 17 Steve Francis 5 Kobe Bryant 6 Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt 18,997 LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 #fff April 19 10:30 pm Recap Houston Rockets 84 98 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 22–23 24–21 18–30 20–24 Yao Ming 21 Kobe Bryant 36 Steve Francis 10 Karl Malone 8 Steve Francis 12 Gary Payton 7 Bennie Adams, Joe DeRosa, Bernie Fryer 18,997 LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee April 23 9:30 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 91 102 Houston Rockets Toyota Center, Houston, Texas ESPN 23–29 20–27 19–18 29–28 Shaquille O'Neal 25 Steve Francis 27 Malone, O'Neal 11 each Jackson, Yao 10 each Gary Payton 7 Steve Francis 7 Mike Callahan, James Capers, Eddie F. Rush 18,226 LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 #fff April 25 3:30 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 92 88 Houston Rockets OT Toyota Center, Houston, Texas ABC 21–24 24–17 24–18 12–22 11–7 Karl Malone 30 Steve Francis 17 Karl Malone 13 Jim Jackson 20 Gary Payton 7 Steve Francis 9 Joe Crawford, David Jones, Bill Spooner 18,219 LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 #eee April 28 10:00 pm Recap Houston Rockets 78 97 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 27–24 21–23 9–25 21–25 Jim Jackson 17 Kobe Bryant 31 Kelvin Cato 12 Malone, O'Neal 9 each Steve Francis 5 Kobe Bryant 10 Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen, Tom Washington 18,997 LA Lakers win series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 25, 2003 2003 12250 LAL Houston Rockets 99 Los Angeles Lakers 87 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California February 11, 2004 2004 02110 HOU Los Angeles Lakers 87 Houston Rockets 102 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas #fff March 3, 2004 2004 03030 HOU Los Angeles Lakers 96 Houston Rockets 93 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas April 1, 2004 2004 04010 LAL Houston Rockets 85 Los Angeles Lakers 93 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Tied 3–3 in all-time playoff series#fff 1981 Houston Rockets 2 Los Angeles Lakers 1 1981 Western Conference First Round #fff 1986 Houston Rockets 4 Los Angeles Lakers 1 1986 Western Conference Finals #fff 1990 Houston Rockets 1 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1990 Western Conference First Round #fff 1991 Houston Rockets 0 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1991 Western Conference First Round #fff 1996 Houston Rockets 3 Los Angeles Lakers 1 1996 Western Conference First Round #fff 1999 Houston Rockets 1 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1999 Western Conference First Round (3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Memphis Grizzlies #eee April 17 8:00 pm Recap Memphis Grizzlies 74 98 San Antonio Spurs SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ESPN 19–28 15–21 18–22 22–27 Bonzi Wells 16 Tim Duncan 26 Stromile Swift 7 Tim Duncan 9 Jason Williams 3 Tony Parker 8 Bennie Adams, Joe DeRosa, Bernie Fryer 18,797 San Antonio leads series, 1–0 #fff April 19 8:00 pm Recap Memphis Grizzlies 70 87 San Antonio Spurs SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas TNT 21–26 14–20 24–22 11–19 Pau Gasol 20 Tony Parker 27 Pau Gasol 11 Tim Duncan 12 Jason Williams 4 Tony Parker 7 Luis Grillo, Eddie F. Rush, Mark Wunderlich 18,797 San Antonio leads series, 2–0 #eee April 22 8:30 pm Recap San Antonio Spurs 95 93 Memphis Grizzlies The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee ABC 29–28 21–29 24–17 21–19 Tim Duncan 22 Pau Gasol 18 Tim Duncan 13 Swift, Wright 6 each Tony Parker 6 Gasol, Williams 3 each Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Greg Willard 19,351 San Antonio leads series, 3–0 #fff April 25 9:30 pm Recap San Antonio Spurs 110 97 Memphis Grizzlies The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee TNT 32–21 25–24 30–27 23–25 Tony Parker 29 Pau Gasol 22 Duncan, Horry 6 each James Posey 11 Tony Parker 13 Jason Williams 8 Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Jess Kersey 19,351 San Antonio wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesMemphis won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 3, 2003 2003 11030 MEM San Antonio Spurs 80 Memphis Grizzlies 88 The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee December 15, 2003 2003 12150 SAS Memphis Grizzlies 67 San Antonio Spurs 78 SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas #fff March 1, 2004 2004 03010 SAS Memphis Grizzlies 81 San Antonio Spurs 80 SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas March 9, 2004 2004 03090 MEM San Antonio Spurs 88 Memphis Grizzlies 94 The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Spurs.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MEM&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016 (4) Sacramento Kings vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks #eee April 18 3:30 pm Recap Dallas Mavericks 105 116 Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California ABC 31–34 34–29 20–23 20–30 Dirk Nowitzki 32 Peja Stojaković 28 Dirk Nowitzki 13 Chris Webber 12 Steve Nash 8 Doug Christie 11 Joe Crawford, Jess Kersey, Bill Spooner 17,317 Sacramento leads series, 1–0 #fff April 20 10:30 pm Recap Dallas Mavericks 79 83 Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California TNT 19–21 23–23 18–17 19–22 Dirk Nowitzki 28 Mike Bibby 24 Marquis Daniels 11 Chris Webber 13 Steve Nash 9 Chris Webber 12 Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt 17,317 Sacramento leads series, 2–0 #eee April 24 9:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 79 104 Dallas Mavericks American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas ESPN 25–33 17–16 17–34 20–21 Bibby, Webber 22 each Marquis Daniels 22 Peja Stojaković 8 Josh Howard 14 Doug Christie 4 Steve Nash 5 Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Tim Donaghy 20,580 Sacramento leads series, 2–1 #fff April 26 9:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 94 92 Dallas Mavericks American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas TNT 21–18 18–26 31–21 24–27 Mike Bibby 22 Dirk Nowitzki 21 Brad Miller 16 Dirk Nowitzki 14 three players 5 each Steve Nash 9 Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Tom Washington 20,677 Sacramento leads series, 3–1 #eee April 29 10:30 pm Recap Dallas Mavericks 118 119 Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California TNT 37–24 29–39 30–33 22–23 Dirk Nowitzki 31 Mike Bibby 36 Dirk Nowitzki 14 Peja Stojaković 10 Steve Nash 14 Bibby, Christie 8 each Mike Callahan, Bennett Salvatore, Greg Willard 17,317 Sacramento wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesDallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 25, 2003 2003 12250 SAC Dallas Mavericks 111 Sacramento Kings 103 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California January 25, 2004 2004 01250 DAL Sacramento Kings 99 Dallas Mavericks 108 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas #fff March 11, 2004 2004 03110 SAC Dallas Mavericks 102 Sacramento Kings 120 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California April 1, 2004 2004 04010 DAL Sacramento Kings 117 Dallas Mavericks 127 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas 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=DAL&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 2002 Dallas Mavericks 1 Sacramento Kings 4 2002 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 2003 Dallas Mavericks 4 Sacramento Kings 3 2003 Western Conference Semifinals As of the 2025-26 season, this remains the last playoff series the Kings won. Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (4) Miami Heat #eee May 6 9:00 pm Recap Miami Heat 81 94 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana TNT 15–23 21–23 21–23 24–25 Dwyane Wade 22 Ron Artest 25 Caron Butler 9 Jeff Foster 10 Alston, Wade 4 each Jamaal Tinsley 5 Dick Bavetta, James Capers, Tom Washington 18,345 Indiana leads series, 1–0 #fff May 8 7:00 pm Recap Miami Heat 80 91 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana ESPN 19–21 17–23 18–25 26–22 Odom, Wade 19 each Ron Artest 20 Lamar Odom 12 Harrington, O'Neal 9 each Alston, Wade 5 each Jamaal Tinsley 9 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Bill Spooner 18,345 Indiana leads series, 2–0 #eee May 10 8:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 87 94 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida TNT 20–14 15–25 25–25 27–30 Jermaine O'Neal 29 Dwyane Wade 25 Jermaine O'Neal 9 Brian Grant 16 Jamaal Tinsley 5 Dwyane Wade 6 Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Derrick Stafford 20,115 Indiana leads series, 2–1 #fff May 12 8:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 88 100 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ESPN 33–26 23–27 13–23 19–24 Jermaine O'Neal 37 Lamar Odom 22 Artest, Tinsley 8 each Caron Butler 10 Jamaal Tinsley 5 Dwyane Wade 7 Joe DeRosa, Luis Grillo, Eddie F. Rush 20,128 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 15 7:00 pm Recap Miami Heat 83 94 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana TNT 21–19 18–25 16–29 28–21 Dwyane Wade 16 Jermaine O'Neal 22 Lamar Odom 10 Jeff Foster 16 Dwyane Wade 10 Jamaal Tinsley 8 Jim Clark, Bob Delaney, Bennett Salvatore 18,345 Indiana leads series, 3–2 #fff May 18 8:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 73 70 Miami Heat American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ESPN 16–20 20–13 23–19 14–18 Ron Artest 27 Dwyane Wade 24 Jermaine O'Neal 13 Brian Grant 10 Jamaal Tinsley 3 three players 2 each Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Jack Nies 20,136 Indiana wins series, 4–2 Recap +Regular-season seriesIndiana won 3–0 in the regular-season series#fff January 5, 2004 2004 01050 MIA Indiana Pacers 87 Miami Heat 65 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida February 8, 2004 2004 02080 IND Miami Heat 91 Indiana Pacers 97 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana #fff March 28, 2004 2004 03280 IND Miami Heat 80 Indiana Pacers 87 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Heat.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=IND&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016 (3) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) New Jersey Nets #eee May 3 7:00 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 56 78 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 14–18 11–19 14–20 17–21 Kerry Kittles 15 Hamilton, Prince 15 each Jason Kidd 7 Ben Wallace 11 Jason Kidd 6 Richard Hamilton 7 Mike Callahan, Luis Grillo, Eddie F. Rush 22,076 Detroit leads series, 1–0 #fff May 7 8:00 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 80 95 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT 19–18 27–16 11–27 23–34 Jefferson, Martin 19 each Billups, Hamilton 28 each Jason Collins 10 Ben Wallace 11 Jason Kidd 11 Chauncey Billups 13 Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, David Jones 22,076 Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee May 9 3:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 64 82 New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey ABC 13–31 25–16 14–19 12–16 Hamilton, B. Wallace 15 each Richard Jefferson 30 Ben Wallace 24 Kenyon Martin 9 Ben Wallace 4 Jason Kidd 12 Ron Garretson, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore 19,000 Detroit leads series, 2–1 #fff May 11 8:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 79 94 New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey TNT 18–21 22–26 16–30 23–17 Richard Hamilton 30 Jason Kidd 22 Ben Wallace 15 Kenyon Martin 15 Chauncey Billups 5 Jason Kidd 11 Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Steve Javie 19,860 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 14 7:00 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 127 120 Detroit Pistons 3OT The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT 25–19 18–25 20–18 25–26 11–11, 12–12, 16–9 Richard Jefferson 31 Chauncey Billups 31 Jefferson, Kittles 11 each Ben Wallace 11 Jason Kidd 8 Richard Hamilton 11 Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Greg Willard 22,076 New Jersey leads series, 3–2 #fff May 16 6:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 81 75 New Jersey Nets Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey TNT 23–25 27–11 10–21 21–18 Richard Hamilton 24 Richard Jefferson 23 Ben Wallace 20 Jefferson, Martin 7 each Richard Hamilton 4 Jason Kidd 8 Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Steve Javie 19,968 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 20 8:00 pm Recap New Jersey Nets 69 90 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN 14–21 17–22 19–30 19–17 Kerry Kittles 18 Chauncey Billups 22 Kenyon Martin 12 Ben Wallace 8 Jason Kidd 7 Chauncey Billups 7 Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Eddie F. Rush 22,076 Detroit wins series, 4–3 In Game 5, Chauncey Billups hits a half court buzzer beater to send the game to OT. 12 years later, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors would do the same in Game 1 against the Miami Heat in their second round matchup. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 9, 2003 2003 11090 DET New Jersey Nets 84 Detroit Pistons 98 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan December 26, 2003 2003 12260 DET New Jersey Nets 82 Detroit Pistons 79 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff February 10, 2004 2004 02100 NJN Detroit Pistons 78 New Jersey Nets 89 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey March 18, 2004 2004 03180 NJN Detroit Pistons 89 New Jersey Nets 71 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey 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=NJN&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1985 Detroit Pistons 3 New Jersey Nets 0 1985 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 2003 Detroit Pistons 0 New Jersey Nets 4 2003 Eastern Conference Finals Western Conference semifinals (1) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (4) Sacramento Kings #eee May 4 9:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 104 98 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 34–27 14–20 25–26 31–25 Mike Bibby 33 Sam Cassell 40 Brad Miller 10 Kevin Garnett 18 Mike Bibby 7 Kevin Garnett 7 Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen 18,792 Sacramento leads series, 1–0 #fff May 8 9:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 89 94 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota ESPN 12–17 27–32 31–24 19–21 Peja Stojaković 26 Kevin Garnett 28 Brad Miller 11 Garnett, Johnson 11 each Mike Bibby 8 Sam Cassell 7 Mike Callahan, Sean Corbin, Eddie F. Rush 19,599 Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 10 10:30 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 114 113 OT Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California TNT 22–18 24–28 33–23 25–35 10–9 Kevin Garnett 30 Peja Stojaković 29 Kevin Garnett 15 Doug Christie 12 Latrell Sprewell 6 Mike Bibby 10 Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers, Jim Clark 17,317 Minnesota leads series, 2–1 #fff May 12 10:30 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 81 87 Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California TNT 15–21 16–21 26–17 24–28 Kevin Garnett 19 Chris Webber 28 Kevin Garnett 21 Chris Webber 8 Cassell, Garnett 6 each Mike Bibby 12 James Capers, Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies 17,317 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 14 9:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 74 86 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 18–18 16–20 23–26 17–22 Mike Bibby 14 Latrell Sprewell 34 Brad Miller 10 Mark Madsen 13 Mike Bibby 6 Sam Cassell 7 Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt, Derrick Stafford 19,318 Minnesota leads series, 3–2 #fff May 16 3:30 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 87 104 Sacramento Kings ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California ABC 30–24 14–33 19–21 24–26 Latrell Sprewell 27 Peja Stojaković 22 Kevin Garnett 10 Peja Stojaković 8 Kevin Garnett 5 Mike Bibby 10 Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bill Spooner 17,317 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 19 8:30 pm Recap Sacramento Kings 80 83 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 16–22 15–19 29–21 20–21 Doug Christie 21 Kevin Garnett 32 three players 8 each Kevin Garnett 21 Mike Bibby 8 Sam Cassell 7 Dick Bavetta, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington 19,944 Minnesota wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesMinnesota won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 5, 2003 2003 11050 MIN Sacramento Kings 125 Minnesota Timberwolves 121 OT Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota December 5, 2003 2003 12050 SAC Minnesota Timberwolves 112 Sacramento Kings 109 OT ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California #fff February 19, 2004 2004 02190 MIN Sacramento Kings 75 Minnesota Timberwolves 92 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota April 8, 2004 2004 04080 SAC Minnesota Timberwolves 94 Sacramento Kings 86 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California This was the first playoff meeting between the Timberwolves and the Kings.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MIN&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Minnesota Timberwolves versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016 This would be the last playoff series the Timberwolves won until the 2023-24 season. (3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers #eee May 2 2:30 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 78 88 San Antonio Spurs SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ABC 14–21 19–20 32–21 13–26 Kobe Bryant 31 Tim Duncan 30 Shaquille O'Neal 13 Tim Duncan 11 Karl Malone 5 Tony Parker 9 Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers, Jim Clark 18,797 San Antonio leads series, 1–0 #fff May 5 9:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 85 95 San Antonio Spurs SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas TNT 17–33 28–28 23–12 17–22 Shaquille O'Neal 32 Tony Parker 30 Shaquille O'Neal 15 Bowen, Duncan 7 each Kobe Bryant 8 Manu Ginóbili 6 Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard 18,797 San Antonio leads series, 2–0 #eee May 9 12:30 pm Recap San Antonio Spurs 81 105 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California ABC 16–28 16–14 26–33 23–30 Manu Ginóbili 17 Shaquille O'Neal 28 Tim Duncan 13 Shaquille O'Neal 15 Tony Parker 5 Gary Payton 7 Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Blane Reichelt 18,997 San Antonio leads series, 2–1 #fff May 11 10:30 pm Recap San Antonio Spurs 90 98 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 27–21 26–22 16–31 21–24 Manu Ginóbili 21 Kobe Bryant 42 Tim Duncan 10 Shaquille O'Neal 14 Duncan, Parker 8 each Karl Malone 6 Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington 18,997 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 13 7:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 74 73 San Antonio Spurs SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas ESPN 24–18 18–17 20–18 12–20 Kobe Bryant 22 Tim Duncan 21 Karl Malone 12 Tim Duncan 21 Gary Payton 7 Tony Parker 6 Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Ron Garretson 18,797 LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 #fff May 15 7:30 pm Recap San Antonio Spurs 76 88 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 21–23 18–16 13–17 24–32 Tim Duncan 20 Kobe Bryant 26 Tim Duncan 11 Shaquille O'Neal 19 Manu Ginóbili 4 Bryant, Payton 7 each Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Eddie F. Rush 18,997 LA Lakers win series, 4–2 In the final seconds of Game 5, Tim Duncan hits a fadeaway shot over Shaquille O'Neal to give the Spurs the lead, but with 0.4 seconds left, Derek Fisher off the inbounds pass hits a miracle buzzer beater to give the Lakers the victory. +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 6, 2003 2003 11060 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 120 San Antonio Spurs 117 2OT SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas November 28, 2003 2003 11280 LAL San Antonio Spurs 87 Los Angeles Lakers 103 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California #fff December 3, 2003 2003 12030 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 90 San Antonio Spurs 86 SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas April 4, 2004 2004 04040 LAL San Antonio Spurs 95 Los Angeles Lakers 89 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first nine meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Los Angeles leads 6–3 in all-time playoff series#fff 1982 Los Angeles Lakers 4 San Antonio Spurs 0 1982 Western Conference Finals #fff 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4 San Antonio Spurs 2 1983 Western Conference Finals #fff 1986 Los Angeles Lakers 3 San Antonio Spurs 0 1986 Western Conference First Round #fff 1988 Los Angeles Lakers 3 San Antonio Spurs 0 1988 Western Conference First Round #fff 1995 Los Angeles Lakers 2 San Antonio Spurs 4 1995 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1999 Los Angeles Lakers 0 San Antonio Spurs 4 1999 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4 San Antonio Spurs 0 2001 Western Conference Finals #fff 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 4 San Antonio Spurs 1 2002 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 2003 Los Angeles Lakers 2 San Antonio Spurs 4 2003 Western Conference Semifinals Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Detroit Pistons #eee May 22 7:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 74 78 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana ESPN 26–22 15–26 17–13 16–17 Richard Hamilton 23 Jermaine O'Neal 21 Ben Wallace 22 Jermaine O'Neal 14 Ben Wallace 5 Jamaal Tinsley 5 Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer 18,345 Indiana leads series, 1–0 #fff May 24 7:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 72 67 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana ESPN 12–17 25–26 18–11 17–13 Richard Hamilton 23 Reggie Miller 21 three players 8 each Jeff Foster 9 Chauncey Billups 6 Anthony Johnson 4 Jim Clark, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington 18,345 Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 26 8:30 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 78 85 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN 14–27 16–9 15–20 33–29 Jermaine O'Neal 24 Hamilton, R. Wallace 20 each Jermaine O'Neal 9 Ben Wallace 16 Jamaal Tinsley 4 Chauncey Billups 8 Dick Bavetta, Eddie Rush, Bill Spooner 22,076 Detroit leads series, 2–1 #fff May 28 8:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 83 68 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN 29–17 20–22 21–11 13–18 Ron Artest 20 Richard Hamilton 22 Jermaine O'Neal 13 Ben Wallace 19 Jamaal Tinsley 5 Chauncey Billups 5 Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Greg Willard 22,076 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 30 7:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 83 65 Indiana Pacers Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana ESPN 25–17 16–19 21–17 21–12 Richard Hamilton 33 Artest, Jones 13 each Ben Wallace 12 Ron Artest 11 Chauncey Billups 7 Jamaal Tinsley 5 Joe DeRosa, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie 18,345 Detroit leads series, 3–2 #fff June 1 8:00 pm Recap Indiana Pacers 65 69 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN Detroit wins series, 4–2 23–11 10–16 17–19 15–23 Jermaine O'Neal 20 Richard Hamilton 21 Artest, O'Neal 10 each Ben Wallace 16 Anthony Johnson 7 Richard Hamilton 5 Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Jack Nies 22,076 +Regular-season seriesIndiana won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff October 29, 2003 2003 10290 DET Indiana Pacers 89 Detroit Pistons 87 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan December 19, 2003 2003 12190 IND Detroit Pistons 75 Indiana Pacers 80 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana #fff January 20, 2004 2004 01200 IND Detroit Pistons 69 Indiana Pacers 81 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana April 4, 2004 2004 04040 DET Indiana Pacers 61 Detroit Pistons 79 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=IND&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Detroit leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1990 Detroit Pistons 3 Indiana Pacers 0 1990 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference finals (1) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers #eee May 21 8:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 97 88 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 23–24 23–20 32–23 19–21 Shaquille O'Neal 27 Latrell Sprewell 23 Shaquille O'Neal 18 Kevin Garnett 10 Bryant, Fisher 6 each Sam Cassell 8 Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Greg Willard 19,552 LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 #fff May 23 7:30 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 71 89 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 24–32 13–19 19–17 15–21 Kobe Bryant 27 Kevin Garnett 24 Shaquille O'Neal 16 Kevin Garnett 11 Kobe Bryant 6 Latrell Sprewell 8 Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Bill Spooner 19,707 Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 25 6:00 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 89 100 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 17–24 18–20 30–26 24–30 Kevin Garnett 22 Bryant, O'Neal 22 each Kevin Garnett 11 Shaquille O'Neal 17 Kevin Garnett 7 Gary Payton 9 Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Derrick Stafford 18,997 LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 #fff May 27 6:00 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 85 92 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 24–23 16–22 20–30 25–17 Kevin Garnett 28 Kobe Bryant 31 Kevin Garnett 13 Shaquille O'Neal 19 Kevin Garnett 9 Kobe Bryant 8 Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies 18,997 LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 #eee May 29 8:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 96 98 Minnesota Timberwolves Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota TNT 21–14 19–32 23–27 33–25 Kobe Bryant 23 Kevin Garnett 30 Shaquille O'Neal 13 Kevin Garnett 19 Kobe Bryant 7 Latrell Sprewell 5 Jim Clark, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington 20,109 LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 #fff May 31 6:00 pm Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 90 96 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT 17–28 29–20 22–19 22–29 Latrell Sprewell 27 Shaquille O'Neal 25 Kevin Garnett 17 Shaquille O'Neal 11 Sprewell, Martin 5 each Gary Payton 8 Dick Bavetta, Ken Mauer, Eddie Rush 18,997 LA Lakers win series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesMinnesota won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff January 6, 2004 2004 01060 MIN Los Angeles Lakers 90 Minnesota Timberwolves 106 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota January 30, 2004 2004 01300 LAL Minnesota Timberwolves 97 Los Angeles Lakers 84 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California #fff March 12, 2004 2004 03120 MIN Los Angeles Lakers 86 Minnesota Timberwolves 96 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota March 26, 2004 2004 03260 LAL Minnesota Timberwolves 73 Los Angeles Lakers 90 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=MIN&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Minnesota Timberwolves (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 15, 2016Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2003 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Minnesota Timberwolves 2 2003 Western Conference First Round This was the Timberwolves only Conference Finals appearance until the 2023-24 season. In addition, this was the Lakers 4th Conference Finals victory since the 1999-00 season. NBA Finals: (W2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Detroit Pistons 2004 NBA Finals #eee June 6 9:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 87 75 Los Angeles Lakers Staples Center, Los Angeles, California ABC 22–19 18–22 24–17 23–17 Chauncey Billups 22 Shaquille O'Neal 34 B. Wallace, R. Wallace 8 each O'Neal, Malone 11 each Richard Hamilton 5 Kobe Bryant 4 Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer 18,997 Detroit leads series, 1–0 #fff June 8 9:00 pm Recap Detroit Pistons 91 99 Los Angeles Lakers OT Staples Center, Los Angeles, California ABC 16–18 20–26 30–24 23–21 2–10 Chauncey Billups 27 Kobe Bryant 33 Ben Wallace 14 Karl Malone 9 Chauncey Billups 9 Luke Walton 8 Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore 18,997 Series tied, 1–1 #eee June 10 9:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 68 88 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 16–24 16–15 19–24 17–25 Shaquille O'Neal 14 Richard Hamilton 31 O'Neal, Medvedenko 8 each Ben Wallace 11 Gary Payton 7 three players 3 each Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson 22,076 Detroit leads series, 2–1 #fff June 13 9:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 80 88 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 22–21 17–20 17–15 24–32 Shaquille O'Neal 36 Rasheed Wallace 26 Shaquille O'Neal 17 R. Wallace, B. Wallace 13 each Rick Fox 6 Richard Hamilton 6 Dick Bavetta, Jack Nies, Eddie Rush 22,076 Detroit leads series, 3–1 #eee June 15 9:00 pm Recap Los Angeles Lakers 87 100 Detroit Pistons The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC 24–25 21–30 14–27 28–18 Kobe Bryant 24 Richard Hamilton 21 Shaquille O'Neal 8 Ben Wallace 22 Luke Walton 5 Chauncey Billups 6 Joe Crawford, Bernie Fryer, Bennett Salvatore 22,076 Detroit wins series, 4–1 In Game 2, Kobe Bryant hits the game-tying 3 with 2.1 seconds left to force OT. Game 4 is Karl Malone's final NBA game. +Regular-season seriesTied 1–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 14, 2003 2003 11140 LAL Detroit Pistons 89 Los Angeles Lakers 94 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California November 18, 2003 2003 11180 DET Los Angeles Lakers 96 Detroit Pistons 106 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning nine of the first 11 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 February 15, 2016Los Angeles leads 9–2 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 #fff 1989 Detroit Pistons 4 Los Angeles Lakers 0 1989 NBA Finals Statistical leaders Category Game high Average Player Team High Player Team Avg. GP Games played Points Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 42 Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 26.6 5 Rebounds Ben Wallace Detroit Pistons 24 Kevin Garnett Minnesota Timberwolves 14.6 18 Assists Steve Nash Dallas Mavericks 14 Jason Kidd New Jersey Nets 9.0 11 Steals Chauncey BillupsLatrell SprewellMike BibbyTrenton HassellReggie MillerDoug ChristieCaron ButlerAl HarringtonKobe Bryant Detroit PistonsMinnesota TimberwolvesSacramento KingsMinnesota TimberwolvesIndiana PacersSacramento KingsMiami HeatIndiana PacersLos Angeles Lakers 5 Brevin Knight Milwaukee Bucks 2.8 5 Blocks Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers 8 Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers 2.8 22 References External links NBA.com's section for the 2004 NBA Playoffs Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 2003–2004#Pudotuspelit