1988 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1988 1988NBAplayoffsofficiallogo.png 1987–88 April 28–June 21, 1988 16 Los Angeles Lakers 11 Detroit Pistons Dallas Mavericks Boston Celtics Scoring leader(s) James Worthy (Lakers) 21.1 PPG MVP James Worthy (Lakers) 1987 1989 thumb|right|100px|A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. thumb|right|250px|A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum. The 1988 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987–88 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. James Worthy was named NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions, a feat that coach Pat Riley guaranteed the previous offseason. This marked the first time since 1983 that the Celtics did not represent the East in the NBA Finals, but they did win one of the most memorable games of the 1988 playoffs, beating the Hawks 118–116 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Boston Garden. Larry Bird scored 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help Boston overcome the 47 points scored by Dominique Wilkins.https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/23/sports/hawks-cannot-contain-celtics-high-flying-bird.html Hawks Cannot Contain Celtics' High-Flying Bird The New York Times May 23, 1988 The Dallas Mavericks made their first trip to the Western Conference Finals, losing in 7 to the Lakers. They would not advance that far again until 2003, and would not face the Lakers again until 2011. The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 1984. They remained regulars until 2001, which included NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999. On the other hand, the Washington Bullets did not return until 1997, and would not win a playoff game again until 2005 as the Wizards. In the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Jordan scored 50 or more points twice—50 points in Game 1, and 55 points in Game 2—becoming the first player to do so in the same series.https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/08/sports/jordan-hovers-above-the-rest.html Jordan Hovers Above The Rest The New York Times May 8, 1988 This was the first time in NBA history that a game other than a Finals game was played during the month of June. The San Antonio Spurs became the most recent team to qualify for the playoffs despite losing 50 or more games, as they finished with a 31–51 record. Since then, only the Boston Celtics in 1995 have qualified for the playoffs while winning only 35 or less games in an 82-game regular season. Due to subsequent expansion from 23 teams in 1988 to 30 in 2004, it is unlikely any team would make the playoffs while losing 50 or more games in a season. Game 4 of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series was the last NBA game played at The MECCA. The next season, the Bucks moved to the Bradley Center, where they would play for the next thirty seasons. Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the last NBA game ever played at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons moved full-time to the Palace of Auburn Hills in the fall and would play there until moving to Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit in 2017. This was the last NBA postseason to have back-to-backs in the conference finals (they would still occur in the conference semifinals until 2000). These playoffs had four playoff series where the home team was undefeated in the series in a single year, an active NBA playoff record. Only 1990 has had more than two playoff series where the home team went undefeated in a single year. Bracket First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Boston* 3 E8 New York 1 E4 Atlanta 3 E5 Milwaukee 2 E3 Chicago 3 E6 Cleveland 2 E2 Detroit* 3 E7 Washington 2 W1 LA Lakers* 3 W8 San Antonio 0 W4 Portland 1 W5 Utah 3 W3 Dallas 3 W6 Houston 1 W2 Denver* 3 W7 Seattle 2 E1 Boston* 4 E4 Atlanta 3 E3 Chicago 1 E2 Detroit* 4 W1 LA Lakers* 4 W5 Utah 3 W3 Dallas 4 W2 Denver* 2 E1 Boston* 2 E2 Detroit* 4 W1 LA Lakers* 4 W3 Dallas 3 E2 Detroit* 3 W1 LA Lakers* 4* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) New York Knicks #eee April 29 Boxscore New York Knicks 92 Boston Celtics 112 29–26 22–27 24–29 17–30 Gerald Wilkins 24 Ewing, Green 11 each Mark Jackson 9 McHale, Bird 29 each Robert Parish 13 Dennis Johnson 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Earl Strom, Paul Mihalak Boston leads series, 1–0 May 1 Boxscore New York Knicks 102 Boston Celtics 128 25–29 23–34 24–28 30–37 Gerald Wilkins 24 Patrick Ewing 10 Mark Jackson 7 Larry Bird 36 Kevin McHale 12 Dennis Johnson 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Hue Hollins, Ed Rush Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee May 4 Boxscore Boston Celtics 100 New York Knicks 109 21–22 24–23 25–28 30–36 Kevin McHale 24 Robert Parish 11 Larry Bird 12 Johnny Newman 34 Patrick Ewing 10 Mark Jackson 14 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Mike Mathis, Hugh Evans Boston leads series, 2–1 May 6 Boxscore Boston Celtics 102 New York Knicks 94 28–21 24–25 19–24 31–24 Larry Bird 28 Robert Parish 12 Dennis Johnson 12 Mark Jackson 28 Patrick Ewing 20 Mark Jackson 9 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,591 Jess Kersey, Joe Crawford Boston wins series, 3–1 +Regular-season seriesBoston won 5–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 9, 1987 1987 11090 NYK Boston Celtics 96 New York Knicks 87 Madison Square Garden, New York City November 18, 1987 1987 11180 BOS New York Knicks 109 Boston Celtics 111 2OT Boston Garden, Boston #fff January 6, 1988 1988 01060 BOS New York Knicks 108 Boston Celtics 117 Boston Garden, Boston January 9, 1988 1988 01090 NYK Boston Celtics 98 New York Knicks 106 Madison Square Garden, New York City #fff February 22, 1988 1988 02220 BOS New York Knicks 93 Boston Celtics 95 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut March 26, 1988 1988 03260 NYK Boston Celtics 118 New York Knicks 106 Madison Square Garden, New York City This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first 11 meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=NYK&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Boston leads 6–5 in all-time playoff series#fff 1951 Boston Celtics 0 New York Knicks 2 1951 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1952 Boston Celtics 1 New York Knicks 2 1952 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1953 Boston Celtics 1 New York Knicks 3 1953 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1954 Boston Celtics 2 New York Knicks 0 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals #fff 1955 Boston Celtics 2 New York Knicks 1 1955 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1967 Boston Celtics 3 New York Knicks 1 1967 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1969 Boston Celtics 4 New York Knicks 2 1969 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1972 Boston Celtics 1 New York Knicks 4 1972 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 1973 Boston Celtics 3 New York Knicks 4 1973 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 1974 Boston Celtics 4 New York Knicks 1 1974 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 1984 Boston Celtics 4 New York Knicks 3 1984 Eastern Conference Semifinals (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Washington Bullets #eee April 28 Boxscore Washington Bullets 87 Detroit Pistons 96 21–20 21–18 19–29 26–29 Jeff Malone 33 Moses Malone 13 John Williams 9 Isiah Thomas 34 Bill Laimbeer 12 Joe Dumars 6 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 17,356 Darell Garretson, Terry Durham Detroit leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Washington Bullets 101 Detroit Pistons 102 23–28 23–23 36–25 19–26 Jeff Malone 31 Moses Malone 14 Jeff Malone 4 Isiah Thomas 30 Bill Laimbeer 11 Joe Dumars 5 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 18,293 Hugh Evans, Bruce Alexander Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee May 2 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 106 Washington Bullets 114 OT 25–29 26–23 24–28 23–18 8–16 Isiah Thomas 29 Bill Laimbeer 8 Isiah Thomas 8 Jeff Malone 35 Moses Malone 9 Steve Colter 6 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 9,673 Jack Madden, Mike Mathis Detroit leads series, 2–1 May 4 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 103 Washington Bullets 106 29–27 21–26 28–25 25–28 Dantley, Rodman 23 each Bill Laimbeer 10 Isiah Thomas 10 Jeff Malone 25 Moses Malone 8 Darrell Walker 5 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 10,513 Earl Strom, Jess Kersey, Dick Bavetta Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 8 Boxscore Washington Bullets 78 Detroit Pistons 99 22–27 18–23 20–23 18–26 Bernard King 18 Moses Malone 12 three players 3 each Joe Dumars 20 Bill Laimbeer 11 Isiah Thomas 11 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 18,403 Jake O'Donnell, Ed Rush Detroit wins series, 3–2 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 28, 1987 1987 11280 WSB Detroit Pistons 102 Washington Bullets 124 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland December 11, 1987 1987 12110 DET Washington Bullets 108 Detroit Pistons 114 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan #fff March 5, 1988 1988 03050 WSB Detroit Pistons 97 Washington Bullets 101 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland March 20, 1988 1988 03200 DET Washington Bullets 110 Detroit Pistons 118 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan #fff April 21, 1988 1988 04210 WSB Detroit Pistons 99 Washington Bullets 87 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 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=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Detroit leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1987 Detroit Pistons 3 Washington Bullets 0 1987 Eastern Conference First Round (3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers #eee April 28 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 93 Chicago Bulls 104 29–23 19–30 28–20 17–31 Craig Ehlo 21 Larry Nance 8 Mark Price 12 Michael Jordan 50 Charles Oakley 15 John Paxson 7 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Jack Madden, Hue Hollins, Bruce Alexander Chicago leads series, 1–0 May 1 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 101 Chicago Bulls 106 36–23 19–28 24–28 22–27 Larry Nance 27 Brad Daugherty 13 Larry Nance 8 Michael Jordan 55 Charles Oakley 12 Sam Vincent 14 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,645 Darell Garretson, Paul Mihalak Chicago leads series, 2–0 #eee May 3 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 102 Cleveland Cavaliers 110 22–35 28–24 24–30 28–21 Michael Jordan 38 Charles Oakley 9 Michael Jordan 9 Mark Price 31 Brad Daugherty 10 Mark Price 6 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 20,068 Jess Kersey, Dick Bavetta Chicago leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 91 Cleveland Cavaliers 97 19–27 24–28 25–21 23–21 Michael Jordan 44 Charles Oakley 10 Sam Vincent 5 Ron Harper 30 Brad Daugherty 9 Mark Price 7 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 20,026 Joe Crawford, Mike Mathis Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 8 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 101 Chicago Bulls 107 35–23 21–28 21–29 24–27 Mark Price 25 Brad Daugherty 10 Mark Price 7 Michael Jordan 39 Charles Oakley 20 Rory Sparrow 7 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,008 Hugh Evans, Earl Strom, Tommy Nunez (alternate) Chicago wins series, 3–2 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff December 17, 1987 1987 12170 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 100 Chicago Bulls 111 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois January 14, 1988 1988 01140 CLE Chicago Bulls 88 Cleveland Cavaliers 91 OT The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio #fff February 21, 1988 1988 02210 CLE Chicago Bulls 111 Cleveland Cavaliers 113 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio March 15, 1988 1988 03150 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 89 Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff March 25, 1988 1988 03250 CLE Chicago Bulls 111 Cleveland Cavaliers 110 OT The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio April 22, 1988 1988 04220 CHI Cleveland Cavaliers 107 Chicago Bulls 103 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Cavaliers.https://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 29, 2015 (4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks #eee April 29 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 107 Atlanta Hawks 110 28–25 32–23 16–36 31–26 Paul Pressey 21 Jack Sikma 12 Paul Pressey 7 Dominique Wilkins 26 Kevin Willis 9 Doc Rivers 6 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 11,517 Ed T. Rush, Hue Hollins, Terry Durham Atlanta leads series, 1–0 May 1 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 97 Atlanta Hawks 104 29–26 25–28 22–24 21–26 Sidney Moncrief 22 Jack Sikma 17 Paul Pressey 9 Dominique Wilkins 43 Kevin Willis 10 Doc Rivers 8 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 11,777 Hugh Evans, Dick Bavetta Atlanta leads series, 2–0 #eee May 4 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 115 Milwaukee Bucks 123 29–31 28–23 27–35 31–34 Dominique Wilkins 22 Dominique Wilkins 14 Randy Wittman 8 Terry Cummings 30 Jack Sikma 16 Paul Pressey 6 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Bill Saar, Joe Crawford Atlanta leads series, 2–1 May 6 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 99 Milwaukee Bucks 105 27–20 20–28 28–28 24–29 Dominique Wilkins 31 Kevin Willis 8 Doc Rivers 9 Terry Cummings 30 Jack Sikma 9 Sidney Moncrief 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Earl Strom, Bill Oakes Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 8 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 111 Atlanta Hawks 121 22–26 25–32 23–31 41–32 Terry Cummings 28 Larry Krystkowiak 10 Moncrief, Pressey 6 each Dominique Wilkins 33 Dominique Wilkins 10 Doc Rivers 15 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 12,190 Darell Garretson, Jess Kersey Atlanta wins series, 3–2 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff November 15, 1987 1987 11150 MIL Atlanta Hawks 103 Milwaukee Bucks 112 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 18, 1987 1987 12180 MIL Atlanta Hawks 94 Milwaukee Bucks 87 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin #fff March 5, 1988 1988 03050 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 104 Atlanta Hawks 101 The Omni, Atlanta March 21, 1988 1988 03210 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 105 Atlanta Hawks 115 The Omni, Atlanta #fff March 22, 1988 1988 03220 MIL Atlanta Hawks 98 Milwaukee Bucks 111 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee April 5, 1988 1988 04050 ATL Milwaukee Bucks 110 Atlanta Hawks 121 The Omni, Atlanta This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting. +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 29, 2015Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1984 Atlanta Hawks 2 Milwaukee Bucks 3 1984 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference first round (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) San Antonio Spurs #eee April 29 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 110 Los Angeles Lakers 122 28–26 21–34 31–30 30–32 Alvin Robertson 34 Anderson, Berry 8 each Robertson, Brickowski 5 each James Worthy 22 Mychal Thompson 14 Magic Johnson 18 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis, Blane Reichelt LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 May 1 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 112 Los Angeles Lakers 130 32–25 26–35 23–33 31–37 Alvin Robertson 28 Frank Brickowski 12 Alvin Robertson 12 Mychal Thompson 29 Mychal Thompson 16 Magic Johnson 15 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jake O'Donnell, Jack Nies LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee May 3 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 109 San Antonio Spurs 107 39–36 28–29 22–26 20–16 Magic Johnson 25 James Worthy 11 Magic Johnson 11 Frank Brickowski 27 Greg Anderson 8 Alvin Robertson 11 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 11,542 Ed T. Rush, Tommy Nunez Sr. LA Lakers win series, 3–0 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 5–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 10, 1987 1987 11100 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 133 San Antonio Spurs 124 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio November 15, 1987 1987 11150 LAL San Antonio Spurs 130 Los Angeles Lakers 147 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff January 4, 1988 1988 01040 LAL San Antonio Spurs 115 Los Angeles Lakers 133 The Forum, Inglewood, California February 12, 1988 1988 02120 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 133 San Antonio Spurs 132 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio #fff April 19, 1988 1988 04190 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 133 San Antonio Spurs 126 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three 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 May 29, 2015Los Angeles leads 3–0 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 (2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Seattle SuperSonics #eee April 29 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 123 Denver Nuggets 126 27–28 39–28 28–28 29–42 Tom Chambers 29 Xavier McDaniel 10 McDaniel, McMillan 8 each Alex English 28 Fat Lever 11 Fat Lever 8 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,022 Jack Nies, Bill Oakes, Jake O'Donnell Denver leads series, 1–0 May 1 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 111 Denver Nuggets 91 34–22 32–19 25–23 20–27 Dale Ellis 24 Xavier McDaniel 17 Nate McMillan 6 English, Evans 16 each Fat Lever 12 Michael Adams 5 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,022 Tommy Nunez Sr., Earl Strom Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 3 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 124 Seattle SuperSonics 115 39–34 24–24 35–30 27–26 Blair Rasmussen 28 Blair Rasmussen 12 Adams, Lever 7 each Tom Chambers 34 Xavier McDaniel 12 Nate McMillan 9 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,250 Darell Garretson, Paul Mihalak Denver leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 117 Seattle SuperSonics 127 36–35 27–30 30–32 24–30 Jay Vincent 28 Danny Schayes 8 English, Evans 5 each Xavier McDaniel 27 Derrick McKey 7 Danny Young 8 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,250 Ed F. Rush, Hue Hollins Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 7 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 96 Denver Nuggets 115 22–17 26–37 20–32 28–29 Tom Chambers 23 Alton Lister 8 Xavier McDaniel 5 Alex English 23 Jay Vincent 7 Alex English 7 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 16,040 Jack Madden, Hugh Evans Denver wins series, 3–2 +Regular-season seriesDenver won 4–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 26, 1987 1987 12260 DEN Seattle SuperSonics 111 Denver Nuggets 115 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado December 28, 1987 1987 12280 SEA Denver Nuggets 100 Seattle SuperSonics 108 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle #fff March 5, 1988 1988 03050 SEA Denver Nuggets 115 Seattle SuperSonics 102 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle March 20, 1988 1988 03200 DEN Seattle SuperSonics 95 Denver Nuggets 108 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado #fff April 19, 1988 1988 04190 DEN Seattle SuperSonics 114 Denver Nuggets 134 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1978 Denver Nuggets 2 Seattle SuperSonics 4 1978 Western Conference Finals (3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Houston Rockets #eee April 28 Boxscore Houston Rockets 110 Dallas Mavericks 120 29–29 17–32 27–16 37–43 Hakeem Olajuwon 34 Hakeem Olajuwon 14 Sleepy Floyd 11 Roy Tarpley 24 Roy Tarpley 9 Derek Harper 8 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Joe Crawford, Bill Saar Dallas leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Houston Rockets 119 Dallas Mavericks 108 32–28 28–34 29–27 30–19 Sleepy Floyd 42 Hakeem Olajuwon 26 Sleepy Floyd 9 Roy Tarpley 23 Roy Tarpley 13 Derek Harper 8 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Jack Madden, Dick Bavetta, Bennett Salvatore Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 3 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 93 Houston Rockets 92 25–23 28–22 20–32 20–15 Roy Tarpley 17 Roy Tarpley 13 Rolando Blackman 7 Hakeem Olajuwon 35 Hakeem Olajuwon 12 Sleepy Floyd 5 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,611 Bruce Alexander, Earl Strom Dallas leads series, 2–1 May 5 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 107 Houston Rockets 97 14–23 32–21 37–32 24–21 Mark Aguirre 38 James Donaldson 10 Rolando Blackman 10 Hakeem Olajuwon 40 Hakeem Olajuwon 15 Sleepy Floyd 9 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,611 Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak Dallas wins series, 3–1 Cedric Maxwell's final NBA game. +Regular-season seriesDallas won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 26, 1987 1987 12260 DAL Houston Rockets 100 Dallas Mavericks 105 Reunion Arena, Dallas January 4, 1988 1988 01040 HOU Dallas Mavericks 107 Houston Rockets 117 The Summit, Houston #fff January 30, 1988 1988 01300 DAL Houston Rockets 108 Dallas Mavericks 92 Reunion Arena, Dallas February 25, 1988 1988 02250 HOU Dallas Mavericks 108 Houston Rockets 106 The Summit, Houston #fff March 4, 1988 1988 03040 DAL Houston Rockets 110 Dallas Mavericks 118 Reunion Arena, Dallas April 19, 1988 1988 04190 HOU Dallas Mavericks 104 Houston Rockets 96 The Summit, Houston This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Rockets.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=HOU&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015 (4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Utah Jazz #eee April 28 Boxscore Utah Jazz 96 Portland Trail Blazers 108 30–33 18–27 24–26 24–22 Thurl Bailey 31 Karl Malone 13 John Stockton 9 Clyde Drexler 26 Clyde Drexler 13 Terry Porter 12 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon 12,666 Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis Portland leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Utah Jazz 114 Portland Trail Blazers 105 36–23 22–30 21–20 35–32 Karl Malone 37 Karl Malone 16 John Stockton 13 Clyde Drexler 25 Maurice Lucas 14 Terry Porter 7 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon 12,666 Bill Saar, Joe Crawford Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 4 Boxscore Portland Trail Blazers 108 Utah Jazz 113 17–25 24–24 34–32 33–32 Jerome Kersey 23 Kevin Duckworth 16 Drexler, Porter 4 each Karl Malone 35 Karl Malone 9 John Stockton 16 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Jake O'Donnell, Bill Oakes Utah leads series, 2–1 May 6 Boxscore Portland Trail Blazers 96 Utah Jazz 111 22–25 31–26 27–31 16–29 Kevin Duckworth 33 Kersey, Duckworth 10 each Clyde Drexler 6 Karl Malone 38 Mark Eaton 11 John Stockton 10 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins Utah wins series, 3–1 +Regular-season seriesUtah won 4–1 in the regular-season series#fff January 13, 1988 1988 01130 UTA Portland Trail Blazers 104 Utah Jazz 116 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City February 4, 1988 1988 02040 POR Utah Jazz 126 Portland Trail Blazers 123 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon #fff February 15, 1988 1988 02150 UTA Portland Trail Blazers 94 Utah Jazz 112 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City April 14, 1988 1988 04140 UTA Portland Trail Blazers 128 Utah Jazz 123 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City #fff April 19, 1988 1988 04190 POR Utah Jazz 129 Portland Trail Blazers 122 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon This was the first playoff meeting between the Trail Blazers and the Jazz.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=POR&opp_id=UTA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Portland Trail Blazers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks #eee May 11 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 101 Boston Celtics 110 23–38 25–16 20–28 33–28 Dominique Wilkins 25 Doc Rivers 9 three players 5 each Larry Bird 38 Robert Parish 14 Danny Ainge 12 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Jake O'Donnell, Dick Bavetta Boston leads series, 1–0 May 13 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 97 Boston Celtics 108 9–25 30–20 32–30 26–33 Dominique Wilkins 22 Tree Rollins 9 Doc Rivers 6 Kevin McHale 32 Robert Parish 14 Dennis Johnson 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Jack Madden, Paul Mihalak Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee May 15 Boxscore Boston Celtics 92 Atlanta Hawks 110 22–24 23–28 23–30 24–28 Larry Bird 22 Robert Parish 13 Larry Bird 8 Dominique Wilkins 25 Kevin Willis 13 Spud Webb 13 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 16,451 Earl Strom, Mike Mathis Boston leads series, 2–1 May 16 Boxscore Boston Celtics 109 Atlanta Hawks 118 38–32 21–34 24–29 26–23 Larry Bird 30 Kevin McHale 12 Dennis Johnson 10 Dominique Wilkins 40 Tree Rollins 12 Doc Rivers 22 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 16,451 Hugh Evans, Hue Hollins Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 18 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 112 Boston Celtics 104 23–24 20–24 26–29 43–27 Kevin Willis 27 Kevin Willis 14 Doc Rivers 7 Robert Parish 24 Robert Parish 13 Dennis Johnson 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Ed T. Rush, Jess Kersey Atlanta leads series, 3–2 May 20 Boxscore Boston Celtics 102 Atlanta Hawks 100 32–30 26–27 25–21 19–22 Kevin McHale 26 Larry Bird 11 Danny Ainge 14 Dominique Wilkins 35 Willis, Rollins 11 each Spud Webb 7 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 16,451 Darell Garretson, Joe Crawford Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 22 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 116 Boston Celtics 118 30–28 28–31 24–25 34–34 Dominique Wilkins 47 Kevin Willis 11 Doc Rivers 18 Larry Bird 34 Kevin McHale 13 Danny Ainge 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Jake O'Donnell, Hugh Evans Boston wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesBoston won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 25, 1987 1987 11250 BOS Atlanta Hawks 102 Boston Celtics 117 Boston Garden, Boston December 1, 1987 1987 12010 ATL Boston Celtics 106 Atlanta Hawks 120 The Omni, Atlanta #fff January 22, 1988 1988 01220 BOS Atlanta Hawks 106 Boston Celtics 124 Boston Garden, Boston January 26, 1988 1988 01260 ATL Boston Celtics 102 Atlanta Hawks 97 The Omni, Atlanta #fff March 13, 1988 1988 03130 BOS Atlanta Hawks 100 Boston Celtics 117 Boston Garden, Boston April 22, 1988 1988 04220 ATL Boston Celtics 106 Atlanta Hawks 133 The Omni, Atlanta This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning seven of the first eight meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=ATL&opp_id=BOS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Boston leads 7–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1957 Boston Celtics 4 St. Louis Hawks 3 1957 NBA Finals #fff 1958 Boston Celtics 2 St. Louis Hawks 4 1958 NBA Finals #fff 1960 Boston Celtics 4 St. Louis Hawks 3 1960 NBA Finals #fff 1961 Boston Celtics 4 St. Louis Hawks 1 1961 NBA Finals #fff 1972 Atlanta Hawks 2 Boston Celtics 4 1972 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1973 Atlanta Hawks 2 Boston Celtics 4 1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1983 Atlanta Hawks 1 Boston Celtics 2 1983 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1986 Atlanta Hawks 1 Boston Celtics 4 1986 Eastern Conference Semifinals (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Chicago Bulls #eee May 10 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 82 Detroit Pistons 93 22–31 24–25 20–19 16–18 Michael Jordan 29 Charles Oakley 13 Michael Jordan 6 Adrian Dantley 23 Bill Laimbeer 14 Isiah Thomas 8 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 18,312 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins Detroit leads series, 1–0 May 12 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 105 Detroit Pistons 95 25–20 30–20 26–22 24–33 Michael Jordan 36 Charles Oakley 12 Vincent, Pippen 5 each Isiah Thomas 25 Bill Laimbeer 14 Isiah Thomas 13 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 20,281 Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 14 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 101 Chicago Bulls 79 27–15 25–23 21–20 28–21 Vinnie Johnson 23 Bill Laimbeer 10 Isiah Thomas 11 Michael Jordan 24 Charles Oakley 12 Sam Vincent 6 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Bill Saar, Earl Strom Detroit leads series, 2–1 May 15 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 96 Chicago Bulls 77 25–19 21–15 25–21 25–22 Adrian Dantley 24 Bill Laimbeer 13 Isiah Thomas 11 Michael Jordan 23 Charles Oakley 10 Michael Jordan 5 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,676 Paul Mihalak, Ed C. Rush Detroit leads series, 3–1 #eee May 18 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 95 Detroit Pistons 102 26–30 22–23 23–20 24–29 Michael Jordan 25 Charles Oakley 15 Jordan, Paxson 8 each Isiah Thomas 25 Bill Laimbeer 13 Isiah Thomas 9 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 21,371 Jack Madden, Joe Crawford Detroit wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 21, 1987 1987 11210 CHI Detroit Pistons 144 Chicago Bulls 132 OT Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois December 15, 1987 1987 12150 DET Chicago Bulls 123 Detroit Pistons 127 OT Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan #fff January 16, 1988 1988 01160 CHI Detroit Pistons 99 Chicago Bulls 115 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois February 9, 1988 1988 02090 CHI Detroit Pistons 89 Chicago Bulls 74 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff February 13, 1988 1988 02130 DET Chicago Bulls 73 Detroit Pistons 82 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan April 3, 1988 1988 04030 DET Chicago Bulls 112 Detroit Pistons 110 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 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=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1974 Chicago Bulls 4 Detroit Pistons 3 1974 Western Conference Semifinals Western Conference semifinals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Utah Jazz #eee May 8 Boxscore Utah Jazz 91 Los Angeles Lakers 110 8–24 23–31 31–30 29–25 Karl Malone 29 Thurl Bailey 8 John Stockton 16 James Worthy 23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Magic Johnson 9 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jack Madden, Paul Mihalak LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 May 10 Boxscore Utah Jazz 101 Los Angeles Lakers 97 24–22 30–21 20–23 27–31 Karl Malone 29 Mark Eaton 12 John Stockton 13 Byron Scott 26 Mychal Thompson 12 Magic Johnson 10 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Bruce Alexander, Joe Crawford Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 13 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 89 Utah Jazz 96 23–31 19–25 27–25 20–15 Byron Scott 29 Mychal Thompson 12 Magic Johnson 6 Karl Malone 29 Mark Eaton 14 John Stockton 12 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Ed T. Rush, Bill Oakes Utah leads series, 2–1 May 15 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 113 Utah Jazz 100 29–31 24–23 31–22 29–24 James Worthy 29 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Magic Johnson 9 Karl Malone 29 Karl Malone 11 John Stockton 13 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Jake O'Donnell, Dick Bavetta Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 17 Boxscore Utah Jazz 109 Los Angeles Lakers 111 32–37 27–22 19–27 31–25 Thurl Bailey 28 Karl Malone 16 John Stockton 24 James Worthy 27 Mychal Thompson 11 Magic Johnson 13 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 Michael Cooper hits the game-winner with 7 seconds left; John Stockton ties the NBA playoff record for 24 assists. May 19 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 80 Utah Jazz 108 13–31 29–25 18–25 20–27 Byron Scott 16 Mychal Thompson 9 Magic Johnson 9 Karl Malone 27 Karl Malone 11 John Stockton 17 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah 12,444 Hugh Evans, Hue Hollins Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 21 Boxscore Utah Jazz 98 Los Angeles Lakers 109 27–32 24–25 24–30 23–22 Karl Malone 31 Karl Malone 15 John Stockton 20 Byron Scott 29 Magic Johnson 9 Magic Johnson 16 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Earl Strom, Jess Kersey LA Lakers win series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 26, 1987 1987 12260 UTA Los Angeles Lakers 117 Utah Jazz 109 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City January 26, 1988 1988 01260 LAL Utah Jazz 100 Los Angeles Lakers 111 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff February 26, 1988 1988 02260 LAL Utah Jazz 105 Los Angeles Lakers 112 The Forum, Inglewood, California March 29, 1988 1988 03290 LAL Utah Jazz 111 Los Angeles Lakers 122 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff April 2, 1988 1988 04020 UTA Los Angeles Lakers 92 Utah Jazz 106 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Jazz.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=UTA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015 (2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks #eee May 10 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 115 Denver Nuggets 126 32–34 15–25 28–35 40–32 Mark Aguirre 26 James Donaldson 13 Derek Harper 5 Fat Lever 30 Fat Lever 11 Lever, English 8 each McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,022 Jess Kersey, Mike Mathis Denver leads series, 1–0 May 12 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 112 Denver Nuggets 108 28–33 22–18 30–23 32–34 Rolando Blackman 31 James Donaldson 13 Derek Harper 8 Lever, English 22 each Danny Schayes 12 Michael Adams 7 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,022 Bill Saar, Joe Crawford Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 14 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 107 Dallas Mavericks 105 24–31 29–30 25–26 29–18 Alex English 23 Fat Lever 11 Fat Lever 12 Sam Perkins 17 Roy Tarpley 15 Mark Aguirre 6 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins Denver leads series, 2–1 May 15 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 103 Dallas Mavericks 124 24–29 24–34 23–32 32–29 Alex English 24 Wayne Cooper 10 Michael Adams 9 Mark Aguirre 34 Roy Tarpley 13 Derek Harper 10 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Hugh Evans, Bill Oakes Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 17 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 110 Denver Nuggets 106 25–23 30–28 23–27 32–28 Mark Aguirre 25 Roy Tarpley 16 Derek Harper 6 Danny Schayes 33 Danny Schayes 13 Adams, English 6 each McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,022 Jake O'Donnell, Dick Bavetta Dallas leads series, 3–2 May 19 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 95 Dallas Mavericks 108 27–25 26–33 27–24 15–26 Alex English 34 Danny Schayes 9 Michael Adams 8 Perkins, Blackman 23 each Roy Tarpley 19 Derek Harper 9 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Earl Strom, Paul Mihalak, Bill Saar Dallas wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff November 28, 1987 1987 11280 DEN Dallas Mavericks 98 Denver Nuggets 106 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado December 5, 1987 1987 12050 DAL Denver Nuggets 96 Dallas Mavericks 109 Reunion Arena, Dallas #fff February 3, 1988 1988 02030 DEN Dallas Mavericks 105 Denver Nuggets 115 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado February 29, 1988 1988 02290 DAL Denver Nuggets 96 Dallas Mavericks 123 Reunion Arena, Dallas #fff April 9, 1988 1988 04090 DAL Denver Nuggets 109 Dallas Mavericks 135 Reunion Arena, Dallas April 17, 1988 1988 04170 DEN Dallas Mavericks 122 Denver Nuggets 133 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Nuggets.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=DEN&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Denver Nuggets (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015 Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Detroit Pistons #eee May 25 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 104 Boston Celtics 96 30–28 22–25 23–20 29–23 Isiah Thomas 35 Rick Mahorn 10 Isiah Thomas 12 Kevin McHale 31 Robert Parish 13 Dennis Johnson 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Paul Mihalak, Earl Strom Detroit leads series, 1–0 May 26 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 115 Boston Celtics 119 2OT 29–28 17–25 32–28 24–21 7–7, 6–10 Isiah Thomas 24 John Salley 12 Isiah Thomas 11 Robert Parish 26 Larry Bird 12 Dennis Johnson 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Jack Madden, Mike Mathis Series tied, 1–1 Adrian Dantley hits a game-tying free throw with 10 seconds left in regulation to force OT; Kevin McHale hits the game-tying 3 pointer with 5 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT. #eee May 28 Boxscore Boston Celtics 94 Detroit Pistons 98 29–29 21–29 21–26 23–14 Kevin McHale 32 Larry Bird 11 Larry Bird 8 Joe Dumars 29 John Salley 9 Isiah Thomas 6 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 26,481 Jess Kersey, Joe Crawford Detroit leads series, 2–1 May 30 Boxscore Boston Celtics 79 Detroit Pistons 78 16–10 30–26 14–32 19–10 Larry Bird 20 Larry Bird 10 D. Johnson, Bird 6 each Bill Laimbeer 29 three players 8 each Isiah Thomas 7 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 26,625 Darell Garretson, Ed Rush Series tied, 2–2 Dennis Johnson hits a game-winning free throw with 8 seconds left. #eee June 1 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 102 Boston Celtics 96 OT 26–29 14–25 25–16 27–22 10–4 Isiah Thomas 35 John Salley 9 Dumars, Thomas 5 each Larry Bird 27 Larry Bird 17 Dennis Johnson 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,890 Jake O'Donnell, Hue Hollins Detroit leads series, 3–2 Fred Roberts hits the game-tying jumper with 1:05 left in regulation to force OT. June 3 Boxscore Boston Celtics 90 Detroit Pistons 95 25–21 21–27 17–27 27–20 Kevin McHale 33 Larry Bird 14 Dennis Johnson 9 Vinnie Johnson 24 Bill Laimbeer 9 Isiah Thomas 9 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 38,912 Earl Strom, Hugh Evans Detroit wins series, 4–2 Artis Gilmore's final NBA game. +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff December 4, 1987 1987 12040 DET Boston Celtics 105 Detroit Pistons 128 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan January 13, 1988 1988 01130 BOS Detroit Pistons 105 Boston Celtics 143 Boston Garden, Boston #fff January 29, 1988 1988 01290 DET Boston Celtics 108 Detroit Pistons 125 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan February 28, 1988 1988 02280 DET Boston Celtics 101 Detroit Pistons 106 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan #fff April 1, 1988 1988 04010 BOS Detroit Pistons 110 Boston Celtics 121 Boston Garden, Boston April 19, 1988 1988 04190 BOS Detroit Pistons 110 Boston Celtics 121 Boston Garden, Boston 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=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Boston leads 3–0 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 Western Conference finals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks #eee May 23 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 98 Los Angeles Lakers 113 28–33 21–19 20–28 29–33 three players 18 each Roy Tarpley 20 Derek Harper 7 James Worthy 28 three players 6 each Magic Johnson 12 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jack Madden, Joe Crawford LA Lakers lead series, 1–0 May 25 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 101 Los Angeles Lakers 123 30–32 18–27 22–30 31–34 Mark Aguirre 28 Roy Tarpley 13 Derek Harper 8 Byron Scott 30 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7 Magic Johnson 19 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Ed T. Rush, Bill Oakes LA Lakers lead series, 2–0 #eee May 27 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 94 Dallas Mavericks 106 25–26 26–26 25–23 18–31 James Worthy 19 Magic Johnson 8 Magic Johnson 10 Mark Aguirre 23 Roy Tarpley 20 Brad Davis 6 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 May 29 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 104 Dallas Mavericks 118 25–23 32–33 26–33 21–29 Magic Johnson 28 A.C. Green 12 Magic Johnson 12 Derek Harper 35 Roy Tarpley 13 Rolando Blackman 11 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Jake O'Donnell, Dick Bavetta Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 31 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 102 Los Angeles Lakers 119 27–33 20–31 24–28 31–27 Mark Aguirre 31 Roy Tarpley 11 Derek Harper 6 James Worthy 28 A.C. Green 10 Magic Johnson 20 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Hugh Evans, Earl Strom LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 June 2 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 103 Dallas Mavericks 105 26–25 24–28 30–29 23–23 Worthy, Scott 27 James Worthy 11 Magic Johnson 12 Mark Aguirre 23 Mark Aguirre 13 Derek Harper 10 Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas 17,007 Jess Kersey, Ed T. Rush Series tied, 3–3 #eee June 4 Boxscore Dallas Mavericks 102 Los Angeles Lakers 117 29–29 24–25 26–33 23–30 Mark Aguirre 24 James Donaldson 14 Derek Harper 11 James Worthy 28 Magic Johnson 9 Magic Johnson 11 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jake O'Donnell, Jack Madden LA Lakers win series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 4–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 20, 1987 1987 11200 LAL Dallas Mavericks 116 Los Angeles Lakers 119 The Forum, Inglewood, California January 6, 1988 1988 01060 LAL Dallas Mavericks 89 Los Angeles Lakers 103 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff March 6, 1988 1988 03060 DAL Los Angeles Lakers 108 Dallas Mavericks 97 Reunion Arena, Dallas March 12, 1988 1988 03120 LAL Dallas Mavericks 110 Los Angeles Lakers 101 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff April 20, 1988 1988 04200 DAL Los Angeles Lakers 114 Dallas Mavericks 107 Reunion Arena, Dallas This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 29, 2015Los Angeles leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1984 Dallas Mavericks 1 Los Angeles Lakers 4 1984 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1986 Dallas Mavericks 2 Los Angeles Lakers 4 1986 Western Conference Semifinals NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons 1988 NBA Finals #eee June 7 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 105 Los Angeles Lakers 93 22–21 35–19 23–28 25–25 Adrian Dantley 34 Bill Laimbeer 7 Isiah Thomas 12 Magic Johnson 28 A.C. Green 12 Magic Johnson 10 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Darell Garretson, Joe Crawford Detroit leads series, 1–0 June 9 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 96 Los Angeles Lakers 108 20–25 19–24 30–27 27–32 Adrian Dantley 19 Laimbeer, Mahorn 9 each Thomas, Dumars 7 each James Worthy 26 A.C. Green 13 Magic Johnson 11 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Ed T. Rush, Jess Kersey Series tied, 1–1 #eee June 12 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 99 Detroit Pistons 86 23–21 24–25 31–18 21–22 James Worthy 24 James Worthy 9 Magic Johnson 14 Isiah Thomas 28 Dennis Rodman 12 Isiah Thomas 9 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 39,188 Earl Strom, Hugh Evans LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 June 14 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 86 Detroit Pistons 111 29–32 22–26 14–25 21–28 Magic Johnson 23 A.C. Green 10 Magic Johnson 6 Adrian Dantley 27 Isiah Thomas 9 Isiah Thomas 12 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 34,297 Jake O'Donnell, Jack Madden Series tied, 2–2 #eee June 16 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 94 Detroit Pistons 104 30–27 20–32 25–22 19–23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 three players 6 each Magic Johnson 17 Adrian Dantley 25 Bill Laimbeer 11 Isiah Thomas 8 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan 41,732 Darell Garretson, Joe Crawford Detroit leads series, 3–2 June 19 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 102 Los Angeles Lakers 103 26–20 20–33 35–26 21–24 Isiah Thomas 43 Bill Laimbeer 9 Joe Dumars 10 James Worthy 28 A.C. Green 10 Magic Johnson 19 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Ed Rush, Hugh Evans Series tied, 3–3 Isiah Thomas scores a Finals record 25 points in the 3rd quarter, despite having a severely sprained ankle; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds left. #eee June 21 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 105 Los Angeles Lakers 108 23–21 29–26 21–36 32–25 Joe Dumars 25 John Salley 10 Isiah Thomas 7 James Worthy 36 James Worthy 16 Magic Johnson 14 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Earl Strom, Jake O'Donnell LA Lakers win series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series#fff January 8, 1988 1988 01080 DET Los Angeles Lakers 106 Detroit Pistons 104 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan February 21, 1988 1988 02210 LAL Detroit Pistons 110 Los Angeles Lakers 117 The Forum, Inglewood, California This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first nine 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 29, 2015Los Angeles leads 8–1 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 Statistical leaders Category Game high Average Player Team High Player Team Avg. GP Games played Points Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 55 Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 37.5 4 Rebounds Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 26 Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets 16.8 4 Assists John Stockton Utah Jazz 24 John Stockton Utah Jazz 14.8 11 Steals Michael JordanIsiah ThomasHorace GrantRon HarperPatrick EwingClyde DrexlerAlvin Robertson Chicago BullsDetroit PistonsChicago BullsCleveland CavaliersNew York KnicksPortland Trail BlazersSan Antonio Spurs 6 Alvin Robertson San Antonio Spurs 4.0 3 Blocks Mark Eaton Utah Jazz 7 Patrick Ewing New York Knicks 3.3 3 References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1988 NBA Playoffs page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs Category:Sports in Portland, Oregon fi:NBA-kausi 1987–1988#Pudotuspelit