1975 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1975 1974–75 April 8–May 25, 1975 10 Golden State Warriors 3 Washington Bullets Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics 1974 1976 The 1975 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1974–75 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Rick Barry was named NBA Finals MVP. The Warriors won their third NBA title and first since 1956 as the Philadelphia Warriors. The playoff format was revised again, as the result of which the first two finishers in each division were guaranteed playoff berths, along with the best third-place team from each conference. Once each conference's qualifiers were selected, they were seeded 1–5, with the fourth and fifth seeds playing a best-of-three series, with the victor advancing to play the first seed in a best-of-seven semifinal, while the second and third seeds played the other semifinal. The eight-year-old Seattle SuperSonics made their playoff debut, winning the first playoff series in franchise history against the Detroit Pistons. Seattle would go on to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 1978 and 1979, winning the championship the latter year. The Kansas City-Omaha Kings made their first playoff appearance since 1967 as the Cincinnati Royals, and the Houston Rockets made their first playoff appearance since 1969 as the San Diego Rockets. The 1975 playoffs expanded the number of playoff qualifiers to 10; it would be expanded again to 12 in 1977 and again to its current number of 16 in 1984. At the time, this was the closest the Chicago Bulls came to an NBA title, losing to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals 4–3. This was their second and final Western Conference Finals appearance as they would move to the Eastern Conference in 1980. They would not reach the East Finals until 1989, and would not win a title until 1991. Bracket 1 First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E4 Houston 2 E5 New York 1 W4 Seattle 2 W5 Detroit 1 E1 Boston* 4 E4 Houston 1 E3 Buffalo 3 E2 Washington* 4 W1 Golden State* 4 W4 Seattle 2 W3 Kansas City–Omaha 2 W2 Chicago* 4 E1 Boston* 2 E2 Washington* 4 W1 Golden State* 4 W2 Chicago* 3 E2 Washington* 0 W1 Golden State* 4* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) New York Knicks #eee April 8 Boxscore New York Knicks 84 Houston Rockets 99 27–24 12–22 21–21 24–32 Walt Frazier 21 Phil Jackson 13 Walt Frazier 11 Calvin Murphy 22 Kevin Kunnert 14 Mike Newlin 5 Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas 10,218 Houston leads series, 1–0 April 10 Boxscore Houston Rockets 96 New York Knicks 106 15–27 21–27 27–30 33–22 Rudy Tomjanovich 22 Kevin Kunnert 9 Newlin, Ratleff 4 each Walt Frazier 26 Phil Jackson 10 Harthorne Wingo 7 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 19,694 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 12 Boxscore New York Knicks 86 Houston Rockets 118 25–28 18–26 17–28 26–36 Walt Frazier 24 Harthorne Wingo 10 Walt Frazier 4 Rudy Tomjanovich 25 Rudy Tomjanovich 10 Murphy, Newlin 9 each Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas 10,218 Houston wins series, 2–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=NYK&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus New York Knicks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference first round (4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Detroit Pistons #eee April 8 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 77 Seattle SuperSonics 90 12–22 23–26 25–20 17–22 Howard Porter 21 Bob Lanier 14 Bob Lanier 9 Fred Brown 23 Spencer Haywood 14 Slick Watts 6 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,082 Seattle leads series, 1–0 April 10 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 106 Detroit Pistons 122 24–33 25–24 23–36 34–29 Fred Brown 30 Tommy Burleson 10 Slick Watts 8 Bing, Trapp 24 each George Trapp 14 Dave Bing 11 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 10,490 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 12 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 93 Seattle SuperSonics 100 19–23 22–33 23–16 29–28 Bob Lanier 29 Curtis Rowe 13 Dave Bing 10 Tommy Burleson 26 Tommy Burleson 16 Slick Watts 6 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,082 Seattle wins series, 2–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Houston Rockets #eee April 14 Boxscore Houston Rockets 106 Boston Celtics 123 21–28 31–35 23–28 31–32 Rudy Tomjanovich 30 Tomjanovich, Riley 9 each Calvin Murphy 6 John Havlicek 30 Dave Cowens 19 John Havlicek 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Boston leads series, 1–0 April 16 Boxscore Houston Rockets 100 Boston Celtics 112 26–27 21–24 23–38 30–23 Calvin Murphy 30 Kevin Kunnert 10 Calvin Murphy 9 Dave Cowens 28 Dave Cowens 18 John Havlicek 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 13,254 Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee April 19 Boxscore Boston Celtics 102 Houston Rockets 117 22–24 26–28 20–24 34–41 Don Nelson 21 Havlicek, Silas 8 each Silas, White 5 each Rudy Tomjanovich 28 Rudy Tomjanovich 12 Murphy, Hawes 7 each Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas 10,218 Boston leads series, 2–1 April 22 Boxscore Boston Celtics 122 Houston Rockets 117 30–33 32–18 31–26 29–40 Dave Cowens 31 Calvin Murphy 35 Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas 10,218 Boston leads series, 3–1 #eee April 24 Boxscore Houston Rockets 115 Boston Celtics 128 22–28 33–32 28–36 32–32 Tomjanovich, Murphy 27 each Ed Ratleff 6 Ed Ratleff 6 John Havlicek 28 Dave Cowens 12 John Havlicek 11 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Boston wins series, 4–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=HOU&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 (2) Washington Bullets vs. (3) Buffalo Braves #eee April 10 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 113 Washington Bullets 102 29–26 23–30 30–18 31–28 Bob McAdoo 35 Bob McAdoo 14 Randy Smith 9 Phil Chenier 23 Elvin Hayes 9 Jimmy Jones 5 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 17,140 Buffalo leads series, 1–0 April 12 Boxscore Washington Bullets 120 Buffalo Braves 106 28–29 32–29 24–17 36–31 Elvin Hayes 34 Wes Unseld 25 Kevin Porter 10 Bob McAdoo 36 Gar Heard 10 Randy Smith 7 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 17,189 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 16 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 96 Washington Bullets 111 29–24 23–29 18–28 26–30 Bob McAdoo 34 Bob McAdoo 19 Randy Smith 7 Elvin Hayes 30 Wes Unseld 18 Kevin Porter 13 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Washington leads series, 2–1 April 18 Boxscore Washington Bullets 102 Buffalo Braves 108 25–23 31–24 19–31 27–30 Nick Weatherspoon 21 Wes Unseld 23 Kevin Porter 10 Bob McAdoo 50 Bob McAdoo 21 Randy Smith 10 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 15,307 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 20 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 93 Washington Bullets 97 23–18 16–24 26–19 28–36 Bob McAdoo 34 Gar Heard 14 Heard, Smith 5 each Elvin Hayes 46 Hayes, Unseld 12 each Kevin Porter 8 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 18,820 Washington leads series, 3–2 April 23 Boxscore Washington Bullets 96 Buffalo Braves 102 26–32 31–27 16–20 23–23 Phil Chenier 25 Wes Unseld 12 Unseld, Chenier 6 each Bob McAdoo 37 Bob McAdoo 10 Smith, Weiss 7 each Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 15,172 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 25 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 96 Washington Bullets 115 13–28 25–28 26–25 32–34 Bob McAdoo 36 Gar Heard 14 Randy Smith 4 Phil Chenier 39 Wes Unseld 12 Kevin Porter 8 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Washington wins series, 4–3 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAC&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference semifinals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics #eee April 14 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 96 Golden State Warriors 123 18–27 24–33 27–32 27–31 Leonard Gray 20 Leonard Gray 8 Watts, Brown 4 each Rick Barry 39 Clifford Ray 13 Rick Barry 11 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,279 Golden State leads series, 1–0 April 16 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 100 Golden State Warriors 99 24–26 25–29 26–23 25–21 Spencer Haywood 28 Spencer Haywood 15 Slick Watts 7 Rick Barry 29 Ray, Dickey 10 each Barry, Beard 6 each Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,787 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 17 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 105 Seattle SuperSonics 96 29–28 23–22 26–24 27–22 Rick Barry 33 George Johnson 13 Rick Barry 7 Tommy Burleson 25 Tommy Burleson 11 Slick Watts 9 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,082 Golden State leads series, 2–1 April 19 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 94 Seattle SuperSonics 111 22–23 25–34 25–28 22–26 Jamaal Wilkes 22 Wilkes, Ray 9 each three players 3 each Fred Brown 37 Tommy Burleson 15 Slick Watts 10 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,082 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 22 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 100 Golden State Warriors 124 17–32 29–25 21–34 33–33 three players 15 each Tommy Burleson 8 Leonard Gray 5 Jamaal Wilkes 24 Ray, G. Johnson 13 Rick Barry 10 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,787 Golden State leads series, 3–2 April 24 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 105 Seattle SuperSonics 96 28–20 18–18 34–28 25–30 Rick Barry 31 George Johnson 15 Charles Johnson 6 Slick Watts 24 Tommy Burleson 11 Slick Watts 11 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,082 Golden State wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 (2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Kansas City-Omaha Kings #eee April 9 Boxscore Kansas City–Omaha Kings 89 Chicago Bulls 95 22–34 21–20 21–17 25–24 Larry McNeill 22 Sam Lacey 13 Tiny Archibald 7 Bob Love 38 Tom Boerwinkle 12 Tom Boerwinkle 5 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 15,433 Chicago leads series, 1–0 April 13 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 95 Kansas City–Omaha Kings 102 25–29 26–26 22–28 22–19 Chet Walker 20 Tom Boerwinkle 12 Tom Boerwinkle 3 Jimmy Walker 26 Sam Lacey 20 Tiny Archibald 12 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 11,378 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 16 Boxscore Kansas City–Omaha Kings 90 Chicago Bulls 93 24–26 25–28 20–20 21–19 Tiny Archibald 18 Sam Lacey 18 Scott Wedman 4 Bob Love 31 Tom Boerwinkle 24 Norm Van Lier 6 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,347 Chicago leads series, 2–1 April 18 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 100 Kansas City–Omaha Kings 104 OT 22–22 19–23 29–27 24–22 6–10 Bob Love 34 Tom Boerwinkle 17 Tom Boerwinkle 5 Tiny Archibald 28 Sam Lacey 16 Sam Lacey 8 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 14,945 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 20 Boxscore Kansas City–Omaha Kings 77 Chicago Bulls 104 13–20 18–27 23–22 23–35 Wedman, Archibald 13 each Sam Lacey 12 Sam Lacey 5 Bob Love 30 Tom Boerwinkle 19 Tom Boerwinkle 8 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 16,247 Chicago leads series, 3–2 April 23 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 101 Kansas City–Omaha Kings 89 23–22 27–22 24–21 27–24 Bob Love 26 Tom Boerwinkle 14 Norm Van Lier 4 Tiny Archibald 26 Sam Lacey 15 Sam Lacey 5 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 12,445 Chicago wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Washington Bullets #eee April 27 Boxscore Washington Bullets 100 Boston Celtics 95 23–26 20–29 27–18 30–22 Elvin Hayes 34 Wes Unseld 14 Kevin Porter 7 Jo Jo White 27 Dave Cowens 19 Paul Silas 6 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Washington leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Boston Celtics 92 Washington Bullets 117 20–31 24–29 30–24 18–33 Don Nelson 23 Paul Silas 17 Jo Jo White 7 Elvin Hayes 29 Wes Unseld 16 Kevin Porter 6 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Washington leads series, 2–0 #eee May 3 Boxscore Washington Bullets 90 Boston Celtics 101 33–31 24–29 10–21 23–20 Elvin Hayes 23 Wes Unseld 15 Kevin Porter 5 John Havlicek 26 Paul Silas 25 Jo Jo White 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Washington leads series, 2–1 May 7 Boxscore Boston Celtics 108 Washington Bullets 119 26–29 28–36 34–34 20–20 Jo Jo White 32 Dave Cowens 17 Jo Jo White 7 Phil Chenier 27 Wes Unseld 25 Wes Unseld 7 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Washington leads series, 3–1 #eee May 9 Boxscore Washington Bullets 99 Boston Celtics 103 23–24 31–35 23–20 22–24 Phil Chenier 32 Wes Unseld 13 Kevin Porter 6 Dave Cowens 27 Dave Cowens 12 Don Chaney 5 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Washington leads series, 3–2 May 11 Boxscore Boston Celtics 92 Washington Bullets 98 18–26 22–29 26–18 26–25 Dave Cowens 23 Dave Cowens 21 Jo Jo White 6 Phil Chenier 24 Wes Unseld 17 Kevin Porter 11 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Washington wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference finals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (2) Chicago Bulls #eee April 27 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 89 Golden State Warriors 107 24–26 15–20 26–26 24–35 Bob Love 37 Nate Thurmond 7 Tom Boerwinkle 4 Rick Barry 38 George Johnson 11 Butch Beard 9 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,787 Golden State leads series, 1–0 April 30 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 89 Chicago Bulls 90 20–21 20–22 26–19 23–28 Rick Barry 26 Clifford Ray 7 Rick Barry 8 Chet Walker 28 Tom Boerwinkle 14 Tom Boerwinkle 5 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,533 Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 4 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 101 Chicago Bulls 108 37–26 13–26 21–29 30–27 Butch Beard 28 Rick Barry 7 Rick Barry 9 Norm Van Lier 35 Nate Thurmond 12 Norm Van Lier 9 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 19,128 Chicago leads series, 2–1 May 6 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 106 Golden State Warriors 111 35–18 17–32 32–32 22–29 Bob Love 27 Jerry Sloan 12 Norm Van Lier 9 Rick Barry 36 Clifford Ray 18 Rick Barry 9 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,787 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 8 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 89 Golden State Warriors 79 25–20 22–19 20–17 22–23 Chet Walker 21 Sloan, Boerwinkle 10 each Van Lier, Boerwinkle 4 each Rick Barry 20 Clifford Ray 12 Rick Barry 4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,787 Chicago leads series, 3–2 May 11 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 86 Chicago Bulls 72 18–25 28–13 21–22 19–12 Rick Barry 36 Bill Bridges 11 three players 3 each Norm Van Lier 24 Sloan, Boerwinkle 8 each Nate Thurmond 5 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 19,594 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 14 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 79 Golden State Warriors 83 21–16 26–20 18–23 14–24 Chet Walker 21 Tom Boerwinkle 16 Tom Boerwinkle 6 Jamaal Wilkes 23 Clifford Ray 12 Rick Barry 4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Golden State wins series, 4–3 Chet Walker's final NBA game. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=GSW&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 NBA Finals: (E2) Washington Bullets vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors 1975 NBA Finals #eee May 18 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 101 Washington Bullets 95 17–27 23–27 31–18 30–23 Rick Barry 24 Clifford Ray 16 Rick Barry 5 Elvin Hayes 29 Hayes, Unseld 16 each Wes Unseld 6 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Joe Gushue, Earl Strom Golden State leads series, 1–0 May 20 Boxscore Washington Bullets 91 Golden State Warriors 92 28–19 24–27 21–27 18–19 Phil Chenier 30 Wes Unseld 20 Kevin Porter 8 Rick Barry 36 Rick Barry 9 three players 4 each Cow Palace, Daly City, California 13,225 Richie Powers, Darell Garretson Golden State leads series, 2–0 #eee May 23 Boxscore Washington Bullets 101 Golden State Warriors 109 21–26 27–24 23–27 30–32 Elvin Hayes 24 Wes Unseld 15 Kevin Porter 6 Rick Barry 38 Jamaal Wilkes 10 Rick Barry 6 Cow Palace, Daly City, California 13,225 Jake O'Donnell, Don Murphy Golden State leads series, 3–0 May 25 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 96 Washington Bullets 95 20–30 28–22 22–21 26–22 Rick Barry 20 Clifford Ray 11 Rick Barry 5 Phil Chenier 26 Wes Unseld 16 Phil Chenier 11 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Richie Powers, Manny Sokol Golden State wins series, 4–0 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1975 NBA Playoffs page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 1974–1975#Pudotuspelit