2016 NBA playoffs

NBA postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 2016 2015–16 16 April 16–June 19, 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers 1 Golden State Warriors Toronto Raptors Oklahoma City Thunder Scoring leader(s) Klay Thompson (Cavaliers) 24.3 PPG MVP LeBron James (Cavaliers) 2015 2017 The 2016 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2015–16 season. The season began on April 16 and ended on June 19 with the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the defending champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. It was their first championship in franchise history, and it notably ended the Cleveland sports curse after 52 years. The Cavaliers became the first team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit in the NBA Finals, and the eleventh team overall to do so in the playoffs. They also became the fourth team to win their first ten playoff games. Overview section May 2025 Western Conference The Golden State Warriors entered the playoffs with the best regular-season record in NBA history. The Warriors won 73 games, breaking the previous record of 72 wins set by the Chicago Bulls in the 1995–96 season. Golden State appeared in their fourth consecutive postseason for the first time since making six straight appearances from 1947 to 1952. However, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the postseason after a one-season absence. The San Antonio Spurs finished just six games behind the Warriors for the best record in the NBA, entering their 19th consecutive postseason, having just one home loss in the regular season, setting a new single-season franchise record for wins. The Spurs' 40–1 home record equaled the feat set by the 1985–86 Boston Celtics. However, they lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Eastern Conference The Cleveland Cavaliers earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2010, the final season of LeBron James' first stint with the Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors also finished with a franchise record for single-season victories, winning 56 games. They finished one game shy of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals. The Detroit Pistons qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Indiana Pacers returned to the playoffs after a one-season absence. For the first time since 1999, all teams from the Eastern Conference finished with a better record against at least one team from the Western Conference. In addition, all Eastern Conference teams finished with records over .500 for the first time since 2012. First Round Game 4 between the Cavaliers and the Pistons was the last playoff game played at the Palace of Auburn Hills, as well as the last major league postseason game played in Oakland County. The Pistons missed the playoffs the next year and moved to their new arena for the 2017–18 season. Game 7 between the Raptors and Pacers and the Heat and Hornets ensured a 17th straight postseason in which at least one Game 7 was played; 1999 was the last postseason to not feature a Game 7. With their Game 7 win over the Pacers, the Raptors won their first playoff series since 2001. Conference Semifinals With their Conference Semifinals victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the fifth team (since the first round was extended to a best–of–seven series in 2003) to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and the first to do it twice; they first did so in 2009. This also marked the sixth consecutive year that LeBron James played in the Eastern Conference finals. James played in the Conference finals with the Miami Heat from 2011 to 2014, and with the Cavaliers in 2015. With their Game 6 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder made the Western Conference Finals for the third time in five seasons. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat marked the first time since 2001 that two teams that played a Game 7 in the previous round of the playoffs faced off against each other in another Game 7 in the next round. This would later happen again 10 years later. With their Game 7 win over the Miami Heat, the Toronto Raptors advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in their history. This meant they also became the first Canadian–based and non–U.S. team to do so. Conference Finals For the first time since 2010, no Texas team was represented in the Western Conference finals. Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers was Toronto's first ever Eastern Conference finals win. Game 4 of the Western Conference finals marked the first time that the Golden State Warriors had lost consecutive games during the season. With their Eastern Conference Finals victory over the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to go 8–0 in the first two rounds, and qualify to play in the NBA Finals. This also marked the sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for LeBron James. He became the first player since the 1960s to accomplish this feat. The Western Conference finals went to a Game 7 for the first time since 2002, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in overtime. With their 96–88 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, the Golden State Warriors became the tenth team in NBA History to come back from a 3–1 series deficit in the playoffs. As a result, this marked the second consecutive season an NBA team rallied from a 3–1 series deficit to win the series. The Warriors also became the first team to accomplish this feat in the Conference finals since the 1981 Boston Celtics. NBA Finals With their 104–89 and 110–77 wins over Cleveland in Game 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors posted the highest winning margin in the first two games in the NBA Finals with an +48 point differential. Thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 120–90 Game 3 victory, the Golden State Warriors lost every Game 3 of their 2016 playoff run. Draymond Green became the first NBA player to be suspended for an NBA Finals game since Jerry Stackhouse in 2006. He was suspended for Game 5, due to incurring excessive flagrant foul points in Game 4 (in which the Warriors won 108–97). In Game 5, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first pair to each record 40+ points in a single NBA Finals game in history, helping the Cavaliers win 112–97. In Game 6, Stephen Curry, the unanimous MVP of the regular season, was ejected for throwing a mouthpiece in the fourth quarter. His Golden State Warriors would go on to lose 101–115. The NBA Finals went to a Game 7 for the first time since 2013, when the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95–88. Game 7 of the NBA Finals marked the first time that the Golden State Warriors had lost three consecutive games during the season, and the first time that they had lost consecutive home games during the season. Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals Game 7 of the NBA Finals was extremely notable for The Block (basketball), in which LeBron James blocked a layup by Andre Iguodala to keep the score tied at 89. This block, along with Kyrie Irving's title winning three pointer would seal the win for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the win, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road since the 1978 Washington Bullets accomplished the feat against the Seattle SuperSonics. They also became the first team overall to win a Game 7 on the road since the 2014 Brooklyn Nets (which was also decided on a game-winning block). With the loss, the Golden State Warriors became the first team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit and blow a 3–1 series lead in the same playoffs (copying what the 2003 Vancouver Canucks did in the NHL). They also became the first team in NBA history to win 70+ regular season games and fail to win the NBA championship. The Cavaliers became the 11th team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit and the first to do so in the NBA Finals. It is also the first time in playoff history two NBA teams rallied from a 3–1 deficit in the same year. They also clinched Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964, effectively ending the Cleveland sports curse. The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team since the 2006 Miami Heat to win an NBA Championship despite a midseason coaching change and despite trailing 2–0 (they became the fourth team overall to win the NBA Finals despite losing the first two games (after the 1969 Boston Celtics, 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, and the aforementioned 2006 Miami Heat). The title the Cleveland Cavaliers won was clinched on Father's Day for the fourth time in NBA history (the previous occurrences were in 1996, 2003, and 2014). It also marked the first time since 2014 that when both teams made back-to-back Finals appearances, the team that lost in the Finals the year before won the title the next year. This would happen again the following year. The Cleveland Cavaliers became the third team to clinch an NBA title on Father's Day. The other two teams were the Chicago Bulls (1996) and the San Antonio Spurs (twice). Format NBA Playoffs#Format Within each conference, the eight teams with the most wins qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record. Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the team that has four wins advances to the next round. As stated above, all rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. The rule for determining home court advantage in the NBA Finals is winning percentage, then head-to-head record, followed by record vs. opposite conference. Seeding On September 8, 2015, the NBA announced changes to how playoff teams were seeded. Previously, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed, while the team with the second-best record in the conference was guaranteed no worse than the second seed even if it wasn't a division champion. Starting with the 2016 playoffs, the eight playoff qualifiers in each conference were seeded solely based on regular-season record. If two teams finish with identical records, the team that wins the regular-season series would get the higher seed. If the regular-season series is tied and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion would get the higher seed.NBA to seed conference playoff teams by record http://www.nba.com/2015/news/09/08/nba-to-seed-conference-playoff-teams-by-record/index.html National Basketball Association September 8, 2015 September 9, 2015 If three or more teams finish with identical records and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion would get the higher seed.Clearing up NBA's tie-breaker rules http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/clearing-nbas-tie-breaker-rules CSN New England March 28, 2016 April 19, 2017 Playoff qualifying On February 27, 2016, the Golden State Warriors became the first team to clinch a playoff spot.Stephen Curry's game-winning 32-footer caps record night in OT win https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828761 ESPN.com February 27, 2016 This was the earliest a team had clinched a playoff spot in February since the 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers.Stephen Curry and the D Favors Celtics earned a spot in the playoffs http://kron4.com/2016/02/27/cameron-callahan-and-the-d-favors-celtics-earned-a-spot-in-the-playoffs/ kron4.com March 19, 2016April 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 18, 2016. Eastern Conference Seed Team Record ClinchedPlayoff berth Division title Best record in Conference Best record in NBA 1 Cleveland Cavaliers 57–25 March 18 March 21LeBron James notches triple-double as Cavs win 50th, division title https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828931 ESPN.com March 21, 2016 April 11 — 2 Toronto Raptors 56–26 March 23 March 31http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2016/04/01/raptors-clinch-atlantic-division-title/ Raptors clinch Atlantic Division title Raptors Republic: ESPN TrueHoop Network Blog April 2016 2016-04-01 —— 3 Miami HeatMiami won the Southeast Division over Atlanta and Charlotte, and therefore clinched the #3 seed, by having the best record of the three teams in games against each other (5–3 record vs. Atlanta & Charlotte).Atlanta, Boston, and Charlotte were seeded based on record in games against each other (Atlanta: 6–2, Boston: 3–4, Charlotte: 2–5). lower-alpha note_a 48–34 April 2 April 13 —— 4 Atlanta Hawks 48–34 March 29 ——— 5 Boston Celtics 48–34 April 3 ——— 6 Charlotte Hornets 48–34 April 2 ——— 7 Indiana Pacers 45–37 April 10 ——— 8 Detroit Pistons 44–38 April 8 ——— Western Conference Seed Team Record ClinchedPlayoff berth Division title Best record in Conference Best record in NBA 1 Golden State Warriors 73–9 February 27Steph Curry's game-winning 32-footer caps record night in OT win https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828761 ESPN.com February 27, 2016 March 13Warriors Clinch Pacific Division Title http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-clinch-pacific-division-20160313 NBA.com March 14, 2016 April 7 April 7 2 San Antonio Spurs 67–15 March 2Spurs clinch postseason berth with 29th straight home win https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828792 ESPN.com March 5, 2016 March 12 —— 3 Oklahoma City Thunder 55–27 March 18 March 20 —— 4 Los Angeles Clippers 53–29 March 27 ——— 5 Portland Trail Blazers 44–38 April 6 ——— 6 Dallas MavericksDallas clinched #6 seed over Memphis based on 3–1 record in head-to-head games in regular season. lower-alpha note_b 42–40 April 11 ——— 7 Memphis Grizzlies 42–40 April 7 ——— 8 Houston Rockets 41–41 April 13 ——— Notes lower-alpha Bracket Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Teams with home court advantage are shown in Italics. First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Cleveland* 4 E8 Detroit 0 E4 Atlanta 4 E5 Boston 2 E3 Miami* 4 E6 Charlotte 3 E2 Toronto* 4 E7 Indiana 3 W1 Golden State* 4 W8 Houston 1 W4 LA Clippers 2 W5 Portland 4 W3 Oklahoma City* 4 W6 Dallas 1 W2 San Antonio* 4 W7 Memphis 0 E1 Cleveland* 4 E4 Atlanta 0 E3 Miami* 3 E2 Toronto* 4 W1 Golden State* 4 W5 Portland 1 W3 Oklahoma City* 4 W2 San Antonio* 2 E1 Cleveland* 4 E2 Toronto* 2 W1 Golden State* 4 W3 Oklahoma City* 3 E1 Cleveland* 4 W1 Golden State* 3* Division winner Bold Series winner Italics Team with home-court advantage First round All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00) Eastern Conference first round (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons #eee April 17 3:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC Detroit Pistons 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 106 Boxscore 25–27 33–26 20–23 23–30 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 21 Kyrie Irving 31 Andre Drummond 11 Kevin Love 13 Reggie Jackson 7 LeBron James 11 20,562 Derrick Stafford, Leroy Richardson, Zach Zarba Cleveland leads series, 1–0 April 20 8:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Detroit Pistons 90 Cleveland Cavaliers 107 Boxscore 28–23 25–32 15–27 22–25 Andre Drummond 20 LeBron James 27 Caldwell-Pope, Harris 8 each Kevin Love 10 Reggie Jackson 6 Matthew Dellavedova 9 20,562 Ken Mauer, Kane Fitzgerald, Brian Forte Cleveland leads series, 2–0 #eee April 22 7:00 PM The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN Cleveland Cavaliers 101 Detroit Pistons 91 Boxscore 24–27 30–26 25–20 22–18 Kyrie Irving 26 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 18 LeBron James 13 Drummond, Harris 7 each LeBron James 7 Reggie Jackson 12 21,584 Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Michael Smih Cleveland leads series, 3–0 April 24 8:30 PM The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT Cleveland Cavaliers 100 Detroit Pistons 98 Boxscore 25–28 28–24 28–26 19–20 Kyrie Irving 31 Marcus Morris 24 Kevin Love 13 Tobias Harris 13 LeBron James 6 Reggie Jackson 12 21,584 Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland Cleveland wins series, 4–0 In Game 3, Kyrie Irving hit the tough corner 3 late in the 4th quarter, with only 0.7 seconds remaining on the shot clock. In Game 4, Irving also hit a three to give the Cavaliers a 4-point lead with less than a minute left. Reggie Jackson would then drive and dunk the ball to cut the lead to 2. As Irving attempted another clutch 3, it went short and the players scrambled for the ball until the Pistons came up with it. As they looked for a 3 to force Game 5, or a 2 to send it to overtime, they look to Reggie Jackson. He took a 3 over Irving, but that went short as well, and the Cavaliers move on to the second round. Game 4 was also the last playoff game ever played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 17, 2015 2015 1117 CLEDET Cleveland Cavaliers 99 Detroit Pistons 104 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan January 29, 2016 2016 0129 CLEDET Cleveland Cavaliers 114 Detroit Pistons 106 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff February 22, 2016 2016 0222 DETCLE Detroit Pistons 96 Cleveland Cavaliers 88 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio April 13, 2016 2016 0413 DETCLE Detroit Pistons 112 Cleveland Cavaliers 110 OT Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning two out of the first three meetings. +Previous playoffs serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 12, 2016Cleveland leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 2006 Detroit Pistons 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 3 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 2007 Detroit Pistons 2 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 2007 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 Detroit Pistons 0 2009 Eastern Conference First Round This is the most recent playoff series between the Pistons & Cavaliers until 2026. (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers The Raptors won their first playoff series since the 2001 Eastern Conference first round. #eee April 16 12:30 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ESPN, SN1 Indiana Pacers 100 Toronto Raptors 90 Boxscore 19–24 24–21 27–22 30–23 Paul George 39 Cory Joseph 18 Lavoy Allen 12 Jonas Valančiūnas 19 Paul George 6 Kyle Lowry 7 19,800 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Josh Tiven Indiana leads series, 1–0 April 18 7:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario NBA TV, TSN Indiana Pacers 87 Toronto Raptors 98 Boxscore 16–27 32–26 18–21 21–24 Paul George 28 Jonas Valančiūnas 23 Solomon Hill 6 Jonas Valančiūnas 15 Ellis, Lawson 3 each Kyle Lowry 9 19,800 Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, Jason Phillips Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 21 7:30 PM Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis NBA TV, TSN Toronto Raptors 101 Indiana Pacers 85 Boxscore 24–17 29–19 18–23 30–26 DeRozan, Lowry 21 each Paul George 25 Jonas Valančiūnas 14 Paul George 10 Kyle Lowry 8 Paul George 6 18,165 James Capers, Bennie Adams, Rodney Mott Toronto leads series, 2–1 April 23 3:00 PM Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis TNT, SN1 Toronto Raptors 83 Indiana Pacers 100 Boxscore 16–28 26–29 16–16 25–27 Jonas Valančiūnas 16 Hill, Mahinmi 22 each Bismack Biyombo 9 Ian Mahinmi 10 Kyle Lowry 5 Ian Mahinmi 5 18,165 Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 26 6:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TNT, SN1 Indiana Pacers 99 Toronto Raptors 102 Boxscore 35–20 26–32 29–25 9–25 Paul George 39 DeMar DeRozan 34 George, Turner 8 each Bismack Biyombo 16 Paul George 8 Kyle Lowry 5 19,800 Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Zach Zarba Toronto leads series, 3–2 April 29 7:30 PM Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis NBA TV/ESPNews, TSN Toronto Raptors 83 Indiana Pacers 101 Boxscore 22–20 22–20 20–31 19–30 Carroll, Joseph 15 each Paul George 21 Bismack Biyombo 10 Paul George 11 Kyle Lowry 10 Paul George 6 18,165 Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald, John Goble Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 1 8:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TNT, SN1 Indiana Pacers 84 Toronto Raptors 89 Boxscore 23–28 21–22 20–28 20–11 Paul George 26 DeMar DeRozan 30 Paul George 12 Jonas Valančiūnas 15 Monta Ellis 7 Kyle Lowry 9 20,669 Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner Toronto wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesToronto won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff October 28, 2015 2015 1028 INDTOR Indiana Pacers 99 Toronto Raptors 106 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario December 14, 2015 2015 1214 TORIND Toronto Raptors 90 Indiana Pacers 106 Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana #fff March 17, 2016 2016 0317 TORIND Toronto Raptors 101 Indiana Pacers 94 OT Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana April 8, 2016 2015 0408 INDTOR Indiana Pacers 98 Toronto Raptors 111 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Pacers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=TOR&opp_id=IND&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Toronto Raptors versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 12, 2016 (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets #eee April 17 5:30 PM American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT Charlotte Hornets 91 Miami Heat 123 Boxscore 22–41 28–26 24–30 17–26 Nicolas Batum 24 Luol Deng 31 Cody Zeller 7 Hassan Whiteside 11 Jeremy Lin 3 Goran Dragić 10 19,600 Ken Mauer, Sean Corbin, Ed Malloy Miami leads series, 1–0 April 20 7:00 PM American Airlines Arena, Miami NBA TV Charlotte Hornets 103 Miami Heat 115 Boxscore 29–29 31–43 18–19 25–24 Kemba Walker 29 Dwyane Wade 28 Nicolas Batum 7 Hassan Whiteside 13 Batum, Walker 3 each Dwyane Wade 8 19,650 Marc Davis, Courtney Kirkland, Bill Spooner Miami leads series, 2–0 #eee April 23 5:30 PM Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina TNT Miami Heat 80 Charlotte Hornets 96 Boxscore 28–29 16–20 14–26 22–21 Luol Deng 19 Jeremy Lin 18 Hassan Whiteside 18 Marvin Williams 14 Goran Dragić 4 Kemba Walker 7 19,604 Mike Callahan, James Williams, Sean Wright Miami leads series, 2–1 April 25 7:00 PM Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina NBA TV Miami Heat 85 Charlotte Hornets 89 Boxscore 26–19 13–29 22–21 24–20 Joe Johnson 16 Kemba Walker 34 four players 7 each Spencer Hawes 8 Dwyane Wade 10 Jefferson, Lin 3 each 19,156 Danny Crawford, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 27 8:00 PM American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT Charlotte Hornets 90 Miami Heat 88 Boxscore 28–25 21–22 16–24 25–17 Marvin Williams 17 Dwyane Wade 25 Marvin Williams 8 Hassan Whiteside 12 Jeremy Lin 7 Dwyane Wade 4 19,685 Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Jason Phillips Charlotte leads series, 3–2 April 29 8:00 PM Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina ESPN Miami Heat 97 Charlotte Hornets 90 Boxscore 27–24 32–26 16–20 22–20 Dwyane Wade 23 Kemba Walker 37 three players 7 each Al Jefferson 9 Dwyane Wade 4 Kemba Walker 5 19,636 Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Tom Washington Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 1 1:00 PM AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami ABC Charlotte Hornets 73 Miami Heat 106 Boxscore 18–29 24–25 11–29 20–23 Frank Kaminsky 12 Goran Dragić 25 Cody Zeller 7 Hassan Whiteside 12 Kemba Walker 6 three players 4 each 19,868 Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy, Ed Malloy Miami wins series, 4–3 With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 was a close one. After Kemba Walker misses a stepback jumper over Hassan Whiteside, Courtney Lee gets the offensive rebound and hits a clutch 3 with 25.2 seconds left. The Hornets then block 2 shots to seal it. It was their first playoff road win since game 4 of the 2002 playoffs against the Orlando Magic. By then, Charlotte was on the verge of an upset, but in Game 6, Dwyane Wade wouldn't let his team down. Although he hasn't hit a three since December 2015, he hits 2 clutch shots including a three with less than a minute to go, as the series goes back to Miami for a Game 7. There, the Heat closed out the series and advance to the second round, to face the Toronto Raptors, who also moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 28, 2015 2015 1028 CHAMIA Charlotte Hornets 94 Miami Heat 104 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami December 9, 2015 2015 1209 MIACHA Miami Heat 81 Charlotte Hornets 99 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina #fff February 5, 2016 2016 0205 MIACHA Miami Heat 98 Charlotte Hornets 95 Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina March 17, 2016 2016 0317 CHAMIA Charlotte Hornets 109 Miami Heat 106 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the most recent meeting in 2014. +Previous playoffs seriesTeam Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Charlotte Hornets (Playoffs) https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MIA&opp_id=CHA&is_playoffs=Y basketball-reference.com April 13, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 2001 Miami Heat 0 Charlotte Hornets 3 2001 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 2014 Miami Heat 4 Charlotte Bobcats 0 2014 Eastern Conference First Round (4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics #eee April 16 7:00 PM Philips Arena, Atlanta ESPN Boston Celtics 101 Atlanta Hawks 102 Boxscore 19–30 15–21 31–21 36–30 Isaiah Thomas 27 Al Horford 24 Jae Crowder 10 Al Horford 12 Isaiah Thomas 8 Jeff Teague 12 18,980 James Capers, Derrick Collins, Rodney Mott Atlanta leads series, 1–0 April 19 7:00 PM Philips Arena, Atlanta TNT Boston Celtics 72 Atlanta Hawks 89 Boxscore 7–24 21–19 18–18 26–28 Isaiah Thomas 16 Horford, Korver 17 each Amir Johnson 8 Kent Bazemore 9 three players 3 each Jeff Teague 6 18,972 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Josh Tiven Atlanta leads series, 2–0 #eee April 22 8:00 PM TD Garden, Boston ESPN2 Atlanta Hawks 103 Boston Celtics 111 Boxscore 20–37 25–20 33–22 25–32 Jeff Teague 23 Isaiah Thomas 42 Al Horford 13 Jonas Jerebko 12 Al Horford 6 Evan Turner 7 18,624 Marc Davis, Eric Lewis, Zach Zarba Atlanta leads series, 2–1 April 24 6:00 PM TD Garden, Boston TNT Atlanta Hawks 95 Boston Celtics 104 Boxscore 21–24 27–22 25–24 19–22 3–12 Paul Millsap 45 Isaiah Thomas 28 Paul Millsap 13 Jonas Jerebko 10 Horford, Teague 5 each Thomas, Turner 6 each 18,624 Monty McCutchen, Bennie Adams, Jason Phillips Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 26 8:30 PM Philips Arena, Atlanta TNT Boston Celtics 83 Atlanta Hawks 110 Boxscore 20–15 19–32 23–42 21–21 Evan Turner 15 Mike Scott 17 Jonas Jerebko 8 Horford, Millsap 8 each Terry Rozier 4 Millsap, Schröder 6 each 18,987 Mike Callahan, Pat Fraher, John Goble Atlanta leads series, 3–2 April 28 8:00 PM TD Garden, Boston TNT Atlanta Hawks 104 Boston Celtics 92 Boxscore 20–17 21–16 39–26 24–33 Paul Millsap 17 Isaiah Thomas 25 Kyle Korver 9 Smart, Turner 7 each Dennis Schröder 8 Isaiah Thomas 10 18,624 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, James Williams Atlanta wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesAtlanta won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 13, 2015 2015 1113 ATLBOS Atlanta Hawks 93 Boston Celtics 106 TD Garden, Boston November 24, 2015 2015 1209 BOSATL Boston Celtics 97 Atlanta Hawks 121 Philips Arena, Atlanta #fff December 18, 2015 2015 1218 ATLBOS Atlanta Hawks 109 Boston Celtics 101 TD Garden, Boston April 9, 2016 2016 00409 CHAMIA Boston Celtics 107 Atlanta Hawks 118 Philips Arena, Atlanta This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning ten of the first eleven 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 April 13, 2016Boston leads 10–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1957 Boston Celtics 4 St. Louis Hawks 3 1957 NBA Finals #fff 1958 St. Louis Hawks 4 Boston Celtics 2 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 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 2 1972 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1973 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 2 1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1983 Boston Celtics 2 Atlanta Hawks 1 1983 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1986 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 1 1986 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1988 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 3 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 2008 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 3 2008 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 2012 Boston Celtics 4 Atlanta Hawks 2 2012 Eastern Conference First Round This is the most recent playoff series between the Celtics & Hawks until 2023. Western Conference first round (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets #eee April 16 3:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Houston Rockets 78 Golden State Warriors 104 Boxscore 15–33 18–27 27–22 18–22 James Harden 17 Stephen Curry 24 Clint Capela 12 Draymond Green 10 Corey Brewer 6 Andre Iguodala 7 19,596 Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Mark Lindsay Golden State leads series, 1–0 April 18 10:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Houston Rockets 106 Golden State Warriors 115 Boxscore 30–33 28–33 21–20 27–29 James Harden 28 Klay Thompson 34 Dwight Howard 10 Draymond Green 14 James Harden 11 Draymond Green 8 19,596 James Capers, John Goble, Rodney Mott Golden State leads series, 2–0 #eee April 21 9:30 PM Toyota Center, Houston, Texas TNT Golden State Warriors 96 Houston Rockets 97 Boxscore 18–31 30–24 24–23 24–19 Marreese Speights 22 James Harden 35 Klay Thompson 8 Howard, Motiejūnas 13 each Draymond Green 7 James Harden 9 18,200 Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte, Tom Washington Golden State leads series, 2–1 April 24 3:30 PM Toyota Center, Houston, Texas ABC Golden State Warriors 121 Houston Rockets 94 Boxscore 29–29 27–27 41–20 24–18 Klay Thompson 23 Dwight Howard 19 Draymond Green 8 Dwight Howard 15 Shaun Livingston 9 James Harden 10 18,200 Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Zach Zarba Golden State leads series, 3–1 #eee April 27 10:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Houston Rockets 81 Golden State Warriors 114 Boxscore 20–37 17–22 22–30 22–25 James Harden 35 Klay Thompson 27 Dwight Howard 21 Draymond Green 9 James Harden 6 Draymond Green 8 19,596 Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Brian Forte Golden State wins series, 4–1 The Warriors, after game 1, went through games 2 and 3 without Stephen Curry. He injured his ankle and would be lost until game 4. Game 4 saw him injure his knee, as he slipped on a wet spot on the floor at the Toyota Center in Houston.Curry could miss 2 weeks with sprained right knee http://www.nba.com/2016/news/04/24/golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-knee-injury.ap/ Associated Press National Basketball Association April 24, 2016 August 15, 2016 Curry's Warriors teammates stepped up and blew out the Rockets by 27 points. They would close out the series by blowing the Rockets out again, by 33 points. +Regular-season seriesGolden State won 3–0 in the regular-season series#fff October 30, 2015 2015 1030 GSWHOU Golden State Warriors 112 Houston Rockets 92 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas December 31, 2015 2015 1231 GSWHOU Golden State Warriors 114 Houston Rockets 110 Toyota Center, Houston, Texas #fff February 9, 2016 2016 0209 HOUGSW Houston Rockets 110 Golden State Warriors 123 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the first meeting being in 2015, as Golden State defeated Houston 4–1 in the Western Conference finals. +Previous playoffs serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=HOU&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 13, 2016Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2015 Golden State Warriors 4 Houston Rockets 1 2015 Western Conference Finals (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies #eee April 17 8:00 PM AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas TNT Memphis Grizzlies 74 San Antonio Spurs 106 Boxscore 13–22 24–26 14–33 23–25 Vince Carter 16 Kawhi Leonard 20 Chris Andersen 9 Tim Duncan 11 Xavier Munford 4 Tony Parker 6 18,418 Mike Callahan, Pat Fraher, Sean Wright San Antonio leads series, 1–0 April 19 9:30 PM AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas TNT Memphis Grizzlies 68 San Antonio Spurs 94 Boxscore 11–22 24–27 18–21 15–24 Tony Allen 12 Patty Mills 16 Zach Randolph 12 Tim Duncan 9 Zach Randolph 3 Duncan, Parker 4 each 18,418 Mike Callahan, Tom Washington, James Williams San Antonio leads series, 2–0 #eee April 22 9:30 PM FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee ESPN San Antonio Spurs 96 Memphis Grizzlies 87 Boxscore 26–18 18–25 26–28 26–16 Kawhi Leonard 29 Zach Randolph 20 LaMarcus Aldridge 10 Barnes, Randolph 11 each Tony Parker 7 Jordan Farmar 6 18,119 Derrick Stafford, Kane Fitzgerald, Gary Zielinski San Antonio leads series, 3–0 April 24 1:00 PM FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee ABC San Antonio Spurs 116 Memphis Grizzlies 95 Boxscore 25–19 22–26 37–21 32–29 Kawhi Leonard 21 Lance Stephenson 26 LaMarcus Aldridge 10 Chris Andersen 13 Kawhi Leonard 4 Jordan Farmar 5 18,119 James Capers, John Goble, David Guthrie San Antonio wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesSan Antonio won 4–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 21, 2015 2015 1121 MEMSAS Memphis Grizzlies 82 San Antonio Spurs 92 AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas December 3, 2015 2015 1203 SASMEM San Antonio Spurs 103 Memphis Grizzlies 83 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee #fff March 25, 2016 2016 0325 MEMSAS Memphis Grizzlies 104 San Antonio Spurs 110 AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas March 28, 2016 2016 0328 SASMEM San Antonio Spurs 101 Memphis Grizzlies 87 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with San Antonio winning the most recent meeting in 2013. +Previous playoff serieshttps://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 April 13, 2016San Antonio leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 2004 San Antonio Spurs 4 Memphis Grizzlies 0 2004 Western Conference First Round #fff 2011 San Antonio Spurs 2 Memphis Grizzlies 4 2011 Western Conference First Round #fff 2013 San Antonio Spurs 4 Memphis Grizzlies 0 2013 Western Conference Finals (3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks #eee April 16 9:30 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ESPN Dallas Mavericks 70 Oklahoma City Thunder 108 Boxscore 11–26 22–33 18–34 19–15 Dirk Nowitzki 18 Russell Westbrook 24 Pachulia, Powell 6 each Enes Kanter 13 Barea, Williams 3 each Russell Westbrook 11 18,203 Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, John Goble Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 April 18 8:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT Dallas Mavericks 85 Oklahoma City Thunder 84 Boxscore 24–20 21–23 14–19 26–22 Raymond Felton 21 Kevin Durant 21 Raymond Felton 11 Russell Westbrook 14 Deron Williams 5 Russell Westbrook 6 18,203 Danny Crawford, David Guthrie, Bill Spooner Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 21 7:00 PM American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 131 Dallas Mavericks 102 Boxscore 27–21 31–27 39–30 34–24 Kevin Durant 34 Wesley Matthews 22 Enes Kanter 8 Nowitzki, Pachulia 6 each Russell Westbrook 15 José Juan Barea 7 20,150 Mike Callahan, Sean Wright, Pat Fraher Oklahoma City leads series, 2–1 April 23 8:00 PM American Airlines Center, Dallas ESPN Oklahoma City Thunder 119 Dallas Mavericks 108 Boxscore 33–18 24–30 32–31 30–29 Enes Kanter 28 Dirk Nowitzki 27 Adams, Roberson 8 each Dirk Nowitzki 8 Russell Westbrook 15 Raymond Felton 11 20,516 Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Sean Corbin Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1 #eee April 25 8:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT Dallas Mavericks 104 Oklahoma City Thunder 118 Boxscore 24–35 37–33 22–25 21–25 Dirk Nowitzki 24 Russell Westbrook 36 Dwight Powell 9 Russell Westbrook 12 Zaza Pachulia 9 Russell Westbrook 9 18,203 Scott Foster, Rodney Mott, Tom Washington Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesOklahoma City won 4–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 22, 2015 2015 1122 DALOKC Dallas Mavericks 114 Oklahoma City Thunder 117 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma January 13, 2016 2016 0113 DALOKC Dallas Mavericks 89 Oklahoma City Thunder 108 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #fff January 22, 2016 2016 0122 OKCDAL Oklahoma City Thunder 109 Dallas Mavericks 106 American Airlines Center, Dallas February 24, 2016 2016 0224 OKCDAL Oklahoma City Thunder 116 Dallas Mavericks 103 American Airlines Center, Dallas This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two of the four meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com March 8, 2016Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff series#fff 1984 Dallas Mavericks 3 Seattle SuperSonics 2 1984 Western Conference First Round #fff 1987 Dallas Mavericks 1 Seattle SuperSonics 3 1987 Western Conference First Round #fff 2011 Dallas Mavericks 4 Oklahoma City Thunder 1 2011 Western Conference Finals #fff 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder 4 Dallas Mavericks 0 2012 Western Conference First Round This is the most recent playoff series between the Thunder & Mavericks until 2024. (4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers #eee April 17 10:30 PM Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT Portland Trail Blazers 95 Los Angeles Clippers 115 Boxscore 21–26 21–24 24–31 29–34 Damian Lillard 21 Chris Paul 28 Al-Farouq Aminu 12 Griffin, Jordan 12 each Damian Lillard 8 Chris Paul 11 19,122 Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Eric Lewis LA Clippers lead series, 1–0 April 20 10:30 PM Staples Center, Los Angeles, California TNT Portland Trail Blazers 81 Los Angeles Clippers 102 Boxscore 17–22 26–25 18–20 20–35 Lillard, Plumlee 17 each Chris Paul 25 Aminu, Plumlee 10 each DeAndre Jordan 18 Mason Plumlee 7 Jordan, Paul 5 each 19,127 Derrick Stafford, Bill Kennedy, Leroy Richardson LA Clippers lead series, 2–0 #eee April 23 10:30 PM Moda Center, Portland, Oregon ESPN Los Angeles Clippers 88 Portland Trail Blazers 96 Boxscore 19–22 21–27 27–21 21–26 Chris Paul 26 Damian Lillard 32 DeAndre Jordan 16 Mason Plumlee 21 Chris Paul 9 Mason Plumlee 9 19,761 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Tom Washington LA Clippers lead series, 2–1 April 25 10:30 PM Moda Center, Portland, Oregon TNT Los Angeles Clippers 84 Portland Trail Blazers 98 Boxscore 20–24 23–23 21–19 20–32 Green, Griffin 17 each Al-Farouq Aminu 30 DeAndre Jordan 15 Mason Plumlee 14 Chris Paul 4 Mason Plumlee 10 19,607 Ken Mauer, Brian Forte, Ed Malloy Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 27 10:00 PM Staples Center, Los Angeles, California NBA TV Portland Trail Blazers 108 Los Angeles Clippers 98 Boxscore 18–18 27–32 26–21 37–27 CJ McCollum 27 JJ Redick 19 Mason Plumlee 15 DeAndre Jordan 17 Damian Lillard 5 Crawford, Prigioni 4 each 19,060 Danny Crawford, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner Portland leads series, 3–2 April 29 10:30 PM Moda Center, Portland, Oregon ESPN Los Angeles Clippers 103 Portland Trail Blazers 106 Boxscore 24–24 24–26 34–30 21–26 Jamal Crawford 32 Damian Lillard 28 DeAndre Jordan 20 Mason Plumlee 14 Austin Rivers 8 Damian Lillard 7 19,768 Marc Davis, Sean Wright, Zach Zarba Portland wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 20, 2015 2015 1120 LACPOR Los Angeles Clippers 91 Portland Trail Blazers 102 Moda Center, Portland, Oregon November 30, 2015 2015 1130 PORLAC Portland Trail Blazers 87 Los Angeles Clippers 102 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California #fff January 6, 2016 2016 0106 LACPOR Los Angeles Clippers 109 Portland Trail Blazers 98 Moda Center, Portland, Oregon March 24, 2016 2016 0324 PORLAC Portland Trail Blazers 94 Los Angeles Clippers 96 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Clippers and Trail Blazers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAC&opp_id=POR&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 13, 2016 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks #eee May 2 7:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Atlanta Hawks 93 Cleveland Cavaliers 104 Boxscore 19–30 22–21 29–23 23–30 Dennis Schröder 27 LeBron James 25 Paul Millsap 13 Tristan Thompson 14 Dennis Schröder 6 LeBron James 9 20,562 Scott Foster, Eric Lewis, Zach Zarba Cleveland leads series, 1–0 May 4 8:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Atlanta Hawks 98 Cleveland Cavaliers 123 Boxscore 20–35 18–39 32–32 28–17 Paul Millsap 16 LeBron James 27 Paul Millsap 11 Kevin Love 13 Jeff Teague 6 Dellavedova, Irving 6 each 20,562 Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott, Sean Wright Cleveland leads series, 2–0 #eee May 6 7:00 PM Philips Arena, Atlanta ESPN Cleveland Cavaliers 121 Atlanta Hawks 108 Boxscore 31–28 24–35 30–28 36–17 Channing Frye 27 Al Horford 24 Kevin Love 15 Paul Millsap 8 LeBron James 8 Jeff Teague 14 19,089 Danny Crawford, Tony Brothers, Ron Garretson Cleveland leads series, 3–0 May 8 3:30 PM Philips Arena, Atlanta ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 100 Atlanta Hawks 99 Boxscore 27–36 29–22 25–19 19–22 Kevin Love 27 Dennis Schröder 21 Kevin Love 13 Paul Millsap 9 LeBron James 9 Dennis Schröder 6 19,031 Marc Davis, Bennie Adams, Jason Phillips Cleveland wins series, 4–0 In Game 2, the Cavaliers made history by hitting 18 three-pointers in the first half and 25 overall to break the record for most three-point field goals made by a team in a game.Cavaliers set NBA record for 3-pointers in game http://www.nba.com/2016/news/05/04/cavs-nba-3-point-record.ap/ Associated Press National Basketball Association May 4, 2016 August 15, 2016 During Game 3's final minute, Jeff Teague pushed LeBron James into a Hawks fan, James would later claim that he was still okay. In Game 4, both teams were locked in battle until in the final seconds, a jump ball was called between Dennis Schröder and LeBron James, and the Hawks desperately won the tip, but the game-winning shot by Paul Millsap bounced off the rim as the Cavs completed a second straight sweep. This was the third time the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the playoffs and it would be the second consecutive season the Cavaliers swept them. +Regular-season seriesCleveland won 3–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 21, 2015 2015 1121 ATLCLE Atlanta Hawks 97 Cleveland Cavaliers 109 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio April 1, 2016 2016 0401 CLEATL Cleveland Cavaliers 110 Atlanta Hawks 108 OT Philips Arena, Atlanta #fff April 11, 2016 2016 0411 ATLCLE Atlanta Hawks 94 Cleveland Cavaliers 109 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=ATL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Atlanta Hawks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 28, 2016Cleveland leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series.#fff 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 Atlanta Hawks 0 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 2015 Atlanta Hawks 0 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 2015 Eastern Conference Finals (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat #eee May 3 8:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TNT, TSN Miami Heat 102 Toronto Raptors 96 Boxscore 18–18 23–25 27–20 22–27 12–6 Goran Dragić 26 Jonas Valančiūnas 24 Hassan Whiteside 17 Jonas Valančiūnas 14 Dwyane Wade 4 Kyle Lowry 6 19,800 Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Josh Tiven Miami leads series, 1–0 May 5 8:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ESPN, SN1 Miami Heat 92 Toronto Raptors 96 Boxscore 19–29 22–19 24–15 21–23 6–10 Goran Dragić 20 DeMarre Carroll 21 Hassan Whiteside 13 Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Dragić, J. Johnson 4 each Kyle Lowry 6 20,906 Ken Mauer, Derrick Collins, John Goble Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 7 5:00 PM AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami ESPN, SN1 Toronto Raptors 95 Miami Heat 91 Boxscore 23–19 26–21 19–28 27–23 Kyle Lowry 33 Dwyane Wade 38 Jonas Valančiūnas 12 Dwyane Wade 8 DeMar DeRozan 5 Dwyane Wade 4 19,675 Ed Malloy, James Capers, Kane Fitzgerald Toronto leads series, 2–1 May 9 8:00 PM AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami TNT, TSN Toronto Raptors 87 Miami Heat 94 Boxscore 21–25 14–19 27–16 21–23 4–11 Joseph, Ross 14 each Dwyane Wade 30 Bismack Biyombo 13 Luol Deng 9 Kyle Lowry 9 Goran Dragić 4 19,600 Mike Callahan, Brian Forte, Bill Kennedy Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 11 8:00 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TNT, TSN Miami Heat 91 Toronto Raptors 99 Boxscore 18–28 27–27 17–20 29–24 Dwyane Wade 20 DeMar DeRozan 34 Joe Johnson 8 Kyle Lowry 9 T. Johnson, Wade 4 each Kyle Lowry 6 20,155 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Sean Wright Toronto leads series, 3–2 May 13 8:00 PM AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami ESPN, SN1 Toronto Raptors 91 Miami Heat 103 Boxscore 20–21 24–32 28–29 19–21 Kyle Lowry 36 Goran Dragić 30 Bismack Biyombo 13 Goran Dragić 7 Kyle Lowry 3 Dwyane Wade 5 19,757 Monty McCutchen, Sean Corbin, Marc Davis Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 15 3:30 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ABC, TSN Miami Heat 89 Toronto Raptors 116 Boxscore 24–25 23–28 31–33 11–30 Dragić, Wade 16 each Kyle Lowry 35 Justise Winslow 8 Bismack Biyombo 16 Goran Dragić 7 Kyle Lowry 9 20,257 Danny Crawford, James Capers, Zach Zarba Toronto wins series, 4–3 Even though the Raptors lost Game 1, Kyle Lowry hits a game-tying shot from half-court at the buzzer to force overtime. The play is similar to Chauncey Billups' half-court buzzer beater against the Nets in the 2004 playoffs, that also forced overtime. The end of Game 7 marks the Raptors' first ever trip to the Eastern Conference finals in their history. Game 7 is noteworthy as being Dwyane Wade's last game with the Miami Heat (during his first stint with the team) as he would sign with the Chicago Bulls in the off-season. He would return to the Miami Heat in 2018 after being traded for a second-round pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. +Regular-season seriesToronto won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 8, 2015 2015 1108 TORMIA Toronto Raptors 76 Miami Heat 96 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami December 18, 2015 2015 1218 TORMIA Toronto Raptors 108 Miami Heat 94 AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami #fff January 22, 2016 2016 0122 MIATOR Miami Heat 81 Toronto Raptors 101 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario March 12, 2016 2016 0312 MIATOR Miami Heat 104 Toronto Raptors 112 OT Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Heat.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=TOR&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Toronto Raptors versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 1, 2016 Western Conference semifinals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers #eee May 1 3:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Portland Trail Blazers 106 Golden State Warriors 118 Boxscore 17–37 34–28 22–28 33–25 Damian Lillard 30 Klay Thompson 37 Mason Plumlee 13 Draymond Green 13 Mason Plumlee 6 Draymond Green 11 19,596 Monty McCutchen, James Capers, John Goble Golden State leads series, 1–0 May 3 10:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Portland Trail Blazers 99 Golden State Warriors 110 Boxscore 34–21 25–30 28–25 12–34 Damian Lillard 25 Klay Thompson 27 Mason Plumlee 11 Draymond Green 14 Damian Lillard 6 Draymond Green 7 19,596 Danny Crawford, Courtney Kirkland, Derrick Stafford Golden State leads series, 2–0 #eee May 7 8:30 PM Moda Center, Portland, Oregon ABC Golden State Warriors 108 Portland Trail Blazers 120 Boxscore 28–22 18–36 34–35 28–27 Draymond Green 37 Damian Lillard 40 Draymond Green 9 Aminu, Davis 10 each Shaun Livingston 10 Damian Lillard 10 19,673 Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy, Pat Fraher Golden State leads series, 2–1 May 9 10:30 PM Moda Center, Portland, Oregon TNT Golden State Warriors 132 Portland Trail Blazers 125 Boxscore 18–26 39–41 29–18 25–26 21–14 Stephen Curry 40 Damian Lillard 36 Bogut, Curry, Green 9 each Mason Plumlee 15 Stephen Curry 8 Damian Lillard 10 19,583 Scott Foster, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington Golden State leads series, 3–1 #eee May 11 10:30 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Portland Trail Blazers 121 Golden State Warriors 125 Boxscore 30–27 33–31 28–35 30–32 Damian Lillard 28 Klay Thompson 33 Al-Farouq Aminu 9 Draymond Green 11 Damian Lillard 7 Stephen Curry 11 19,596 Ken Mauer, Marc Davis, James Williams Golden State wins series, 4–1 In Game 4, when Stephen Curry came back from his knee injury, he scored 40 points, along with an NBA record 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 132–125 win. They closed out the series in Game 5, to advance and face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in their second round matchup. +Regular-season seriesGolden State won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff January 8, 2016 2016 0108 GSWPOR Golden State Warriors 128 Portland Trail Blazers 108 Moda Center, Portland, Oregon February 19, 2016 2016 0219 GSWPOR Golden State Warriors 105 Portland Trail Blazers 137 Moda Center, Portland, Oregon #fff March 11, 2016 2016 0311 PORGSW Portland Trail Blazers 112 Golden State Warriors 128 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California April 3, 2016 2016 0403 PORGSW Portland Trail Blazers 111 Golden State Warriors 136 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Trail Blazers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=POR&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 29, 2016 (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder #eee April 30 8:30 PM AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 92 San Antonio Spurs 124 Boxscore 20–43 20–30 26–32 26–19 Serge Ibaka 19 LaMarcus Aldridge 38 Steven Adams 10 Kyle Anderson 7 Russell Westbrook 9 Tony Parker 12 18,418 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, David Guthrie San Antonio leads series, 1–0 May 2 9:30 PM AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 98 San Antonio Spurs 97 Boxscore 29–21 27–32 21–23 21–21 Russell Westbrook 29 LaMarcus Aldridge 41 Steven Adams 17 Tim Duncan 9 Russell Westbrook 10 Tony Parker 6 18,418 Ken Mauer, Sean Corbin, Marc Davis Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 6 9:30 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ESPN San Antonio Spurs 100 Oklahoma City Thunder 96 Boxscore 27–20 20–22 25–27 28–27 Kawhi Leonard 31 Russell Westbrook 31 Kawhi Leonard 11 Steven Adams 11 Tony Parker 5 Russell Westbrook 8 18,203 Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, James Williams San Antonio leads series, 2–1 May 8 8:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT San Antonio Spurs 97 Oklahoma City Thunder 111 Boxscore 27–17 26–28 28–32 16–34 Tony Parker 22 Kevin Durant 41 David West 7 Steven Adams 11 Mills, Parker 3 each Russell Westbrook 15 18,203 Danny Crawford, Bill Spooner, Zach Zarba Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 10 8:00 PM AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 95 San Antonio Spurs 91 Boxscore 22–16 21–32 26–24 26–19 Russell Westbrook 35 Kawhi Leonard 26 Enes Kanter 13 LaMarcus Aldridge 9 Russell Westbrook 9 Tony Parker 5 18,418 Monty McCutchen, John Goble, Jason Phillips Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2 May 12 8:30 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ESPN San Antonio Spurs 99 Oklahoma City Thunder 113 Boxscore 19–25 12–30 34–36 34–22 Kawhi Leonard 22 Kevin Durant 37 LaMarcus Aldridge 14 Steven Adams 11 Kawhi Leonard 5 Russell Westbrook 12 18,203 Bill Kennedy, Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald Oklahoma City wins series, 4–2 Game 6 is Tim Duncan's final NBA game. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 28, 2015 2015 1028 SASOKC San Antonio Spurs 106 Oklahoma City Thunder 112 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma March 12, 2016 2016 0312 OKCSAS Oklahoma City Thunder 85 San Antonio Spurs 93 AT&T Center, San Antonio #fff March 26, 2016 2016 0326 SASOKC San Antonio Spurs 92 Oklahoma City Thunder 111 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma April 12, 2016 2016 0412 OKCSAS Oklahoma City Thunder 98 San Antonio Spurs 102 OT AT&T Center, San Antonio This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning four of the first five meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=OKC&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com April 26, 2016San Antonio leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1982 San Antonio Spurs 4 Seattle SuperSonics 1 1982 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 2002 San Antonio Spurs 3 Seattle SuperSonics 2 2002 Western Conference First Round #fff 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4 Seattle SuperSonics 2 2005 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 2012 San Antonio Spurs 2 Oklahoma City Thunder 4 2012 Western Conference Finals #fff 2014 San Antonio Spurs 4 Oklahoma City Thunder 2 2014 Western Conference Finals This is the most recent playoff series between the Thunder & Spurs until 2026. Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors #eee May 17 8:30 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN, SN1 Toronto Raptors 84 Cleveland Cavaliers 115 Boxscore 28–33 16–33 23–29 17–20 DeMar DeRozan 18 Kyrie Irving 27 Biyombo, Johnson, Lowry 4 each Richard Jefferson 11 DeRozan, Lowry 5 each Kyrie Irving 5 20,562 Scott Foster, Sean Corbin, Jason Phillips Cleveland leads series, 1–0 May 19 8:30 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN, TSN Toronto Raptors 89 Cleveland Cavaliers 108 Boxscore 28–30 20–32 21–24 18–22 DeMar DeRozan 22 Kyrie Irving 26 Kyle Lowry 6 Tristan Thompson 12 Patrick Patterson 4 LeBron James 11 20,562 Danny Crawford, James Capers, Sean Wright Cleveland leads series, 2–0 #eee May 21 8:30 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ESPN, SN1 Cleveland Cavaliers 84 Toronto Raptors 99 Boxscore 24–27 23–33 23–20 14–19 LeBron James 24 DeMar DeRozan 32 James, Thompson 8 each Bismack Biyombo 26 LeBron James 5 DeMar DeRozan 4 20,207 Ken Mauer, Marc Davis, Pat Fraher Cleveland leads series, 2–1 May 23 8:30 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ESPN, TSN Cleveland Cavaliers 99 Toronto Raptors 105 Boxscore 24–27 17–30 28–21 30–27 LeBron James 29 Kyle Lowry 35 James, Thompson 9 each Bismack Biyombo 14 Irving, James 6 each Kyle Lowry 5 20,367 Monty McCutchen, David Guthrie, Derrick Stafford Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 25 8:30 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN, SN1 Toronto Raptors 78 Cleveland Cavaliers 116 Boxscore 19–37 15–28 26–35 18–16 DeMar DeRozan 14 Kevin Love 25 Jason Thompson 5 Tristan Thompson 10 Kyle Lowry 6 LeBron James 8 20,562 Mike Callahan, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington Cleveland leads series, 3–2 May 27 8:30 PM Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario ESPN, TSN Cleveland Cavaliers 113 Toronto Raptors 87 Boxscore 31–25 24–16 31–33 27–13 LeBron James 33 Kyle Lowry 35 Kevin Love 12 Bismack Biyombo 9 Kyrie Irving 9 DeRozan, Lowry 3 each 20,605 Danny Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Jason Phillips Cleveland wins series, 4–2 Games 1 and 2 were easy victories for the Cavaliers, as they pushed their playoff winning streak to 10 consecutive games. However, in Game 3, the Raptors dominated the first half, building up an 18-point lead, the largest deficit the Cavaliers faced all playoffs long. J.R. Smith's hot three-point shooting tried to lead Cleveland back, cutting the lead to 5, but the Raptors inevitably held on to win the game. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Bismack Biyombo grabbed a Raptors' franchise record 26 rebounds. This loss by Cleveland ended their playoff winning streak at 10 games. Things would get worse in Game 4 as the Cavs were unable to slow down Kyle Lowry who scored 20 first-half points. Cleveland once again attempted a second half comeback, only this time they turned the game into a back and forth battle. Lowry's drive and score at the basket sealed the win for Toronto, tying the series at 2 games apiece. It was time for recovery for James and the Cavaliers in Game 5. They delivered yet another blowout victory, as they took a 3–2 series lead. The Raptors needed a win back home to force a decisive Game 7, but the Cavaliers closed out the series in Game 6 and won their second straight Eastern Conference title. For the sixth consecutive season, LeBron James advances to the NBA Finals, along with his teammate, James Jones. +Regular-season seriesToronto won 2–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 25, 2015 2015 1125 CLETOR Cleveland Cavaliers 99 Toronto Raptors 103 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario January 4, 2016 2016 0104 TORCLE Toronto Raptors 100 Cleveland Cavaliers 122 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio #fff February 26, 2016 2016 0226 CLETOR Cleveland Cavaliers 97 Toronto Raptors 99 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario This was the first ever meeting in any professional sports league's postseason between teams from Cleveland and Toronto.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=TOR&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 15, 2016 Teams from the two cities met again less than five months later (and again in the penultimate round of the playoffs) when the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 American League Championship Series. Western Conference finals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder #eee May 16 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 108 Golden State Warriors 102 Boxscore 21–27 26–33 38–28 23–14 Russell Westbrook 27 Stephen Curry 26 Steven Adams 12 Stephen Curry 10 Russell Westbrook 12 Stephen Curry 7 19,596 Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Tom Washington Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0 May 18 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 91 Golden State Warriors 118 Boxscore 20–27 29–30 19–31 23–30 Kevin Durant 29 Stephen Curry 28 Steven Adams 10 Draymond Green 8 Russell Westbrook 12 Draymond Green 7 19,596 Mike Callahan, Ed Malloy, Kane Fitzgerald Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 22 8:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT Golden State Warriors 105 Oklahoma City Thunder 133 Boxscore 28–34 19–38 33–45 25–16 Stephen Curry 24 Kevin Durant 33 Brandon Rush 5 Enes Kanter 12 five players 3 each Russell Westbrook 12 18,203 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Zach Zarba Oklahoma City leads series, 2–1 May 24 9:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT Golden State Warriors 94 Oklahoma City Thunder 118 Boxscore 26–30 27–42 29–22 12–24 Klay Thompson 26 Russell Westbrook 36 Draymond Green 11 André Roberson 12 Stephen Curry 5 Russell Westbrook 11 18,203 Danny Crawford, Bill Kennedy, John Goble Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1 #eee May 26 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 111 Golden State Warriors 120 Boxscore 21–25 29–33 27–23 34–39 Kevin Durant 40 Stephen Curry 31 Steven Adams 10 Andrew Bogut 14 Russell Westbrook 8 Andre Iguodala 8 19,596 Ken Mauer, Marc Davis, James Capers Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2 May 28 9:00 PM Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma TNT Golden State Warriors 108 Oklahoma City Thunder 101 Boxscore 20–23 28–30 27–30 33–18 Klay Thompson 41 Kevin Durant 29 Draymond Green 12 Adams, Ibaka, Westbrook 9 each Stephen Curry 9 Russell Westbrook 11 18,203 Monty McCutchen, Ed Malloy, Derrick Stafford Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 30 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California TNT Oklahoma City Thunder 88 Golden State Warriors 96 Boxscore 24–19 24–23 12–29 28–25 Kevin Durant 27 Stephen Curry 36 André Roberson 12 Draymond Green 9 Russell Westbrook 13 Stephen Curry 8 19,596 Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Jason Phillips Golden State wins series, 4–3 During the Thunder-Warriors series, Draymond Green became the subject of multiple controversial plays against Oklahoma City players, most notably Steven Adams. In Game 1, the Thunder upset the Warriors 108–102 and took a 1–0 series lead. It marked the Warriors' first loss at Oracle Arena in Oakland in the playoffs, as well as their third home loss of the season. In Game 2, despite a close game at the half, the Warriors soundly defeated the Thunder 118–91. Television cameras appeared to show Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams in the groin while he was attempting a layup. In Game 3, in the comfort of a raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder dominated the Warriors 133–105. During the game, Green received a flagrant foul 1 for again appearing to kick Adams in the groin.Duffy Thomas Draymond Green Gets Flagrant-1 Foul for Kicking Steven Adams in the Groin https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641791-draymond-green-gets-flagrant-1-for-kicking-steven-adams-below-the-belt Bleacher Report May 22, 2016 August 15, 2016 In Game 4, the Thunder once again handed the Warriors a commanding 118–94 defeat to take a 3–1 series lead as Russell Westbrook would put up a dominant performance in this game to record a triple double with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Returning to Oracle Arena in Game 5, the Warriors held on to defeat the Thunder 120–111, cutting their series deficit to 3–2. Kevin Durant scored 40 points in the loss. Despite their Game 5 loss, the Thunder were favored to advance to the NBA Finals in the comfort of their home court in Game 6, but the Warriors stunned the Thunder thanks to Klay Thompson, who scored a series-high 41 points and made an NBA playoff record 11 3s. Klay's performance and a poor shooting night from Kevin Durant, as the Warriors won the game 108–101 and tied the series 3-3, forcing a Game 7 in the Bay Area.Ingrassia Nunzio Kevin Durant says he's 'a professional scorer' after his awful Game 6 shooting effort http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/oklahoma-city-thunder-kevin-durant-shrugs-off-awful-game-6-052916 Fox Sports May 29, 2016 August 15, 2016Brunt Cliff Thompson's 41 points leads Warriors past Thunder in Game 6, 108-101 http://www.theoaklandpress.com/sports/20160529/thompsons-41-points-leads-warriors-past-thunder-in-game-6-108-101 The Oakland Press Associated Press May 29, 2016 August 15, 2016 In Game 7, Oklahoma City built a 13-point lead during the game and led 48–42 at halftime. However, the Thunder lost focus in the third quarter. After the Warriors thwarted Oklahoma City's brief comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, Golden State won 96–88 and became the 10th team to win an NBA playoff series after trailing 3–1.Amick Sam Warriors take Game 7 over Thunder, secure NBA Finals rematch https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2016/05/30/thunder-warriors-game-7-nba-playoffs/85177778/ USA Today June 1, 2016 August 15, 2016 Game 7 was the last game Kevin Durant played with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before joining his opponent in this series, the Golden State Warriors. +Regular-season seriesGolden State won 3–0 in the regular-season series#fff February 6, 2016 2016 0206 OKCGSW Oklahoma City Thunder 108 Golden State Warriors 116 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California February 27, 2016 2016 0227 GSWOKC Golden State Warriors 121 Oklahoma City Thunder 118 OT Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma #fff March 3, 2016 2016 0303 OKCGSW Oklahoma City Thunder 106 Golden State Warriors 121 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California This was the third meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Thunder, with both teams tied at one a piece, though it was the first meeting in the playoffs between the teams since the latter team’s move to Oklahoma City. +Previous playoff seriesTeam Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y basketball-reference.com May 12, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1975 Golden State Warriors 4 Seattle SuperSonics 2 1975 Western Conference Semifinals 1992 Golden State Warriors 1 Seattle SuperSonics 3 1992 Western Conference First Round NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors 2016 NBA Finals #eee June 2 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 89 Golden State Warriors 104 Boxscore 24–28 19–24 25–22 21–30 Kyrie Irving 26 Shaun Livingston 20 Kevin Love 13 Draymond Green 11 LeBron James 9 Draymond Green 7 19,596 Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Marc Davis Golden State leads series, 1–0 June 5 8:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 77 Golden State Warriors 110 Boxscore 21–19 23–33 18–30 15–28 LeBron James 19 Draymond Green 28 LeBron James 8 Stephen Curry 9 LeBron James 9 Green, Livingston, Thompson 5 each 19,596 Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, James Capers Golden State leads series, 2–0 #eee June 8 9:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC Golden State Warriors 90 Cleveland Cavaliers 120 Boxscore 16–33 27–18 26–38 21–31 Stephen Curry 19 LeBron James 32 Harrison Barnes 8 Tristan Thompson 13 Draymond Green 7 Kyrie Irving 8 20,562 Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Zach Zarba Golden State leads series, 2–1 June 10 9:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC Golden State Warriors 108 Cleveland Cavaliers 97 Boxscore 29–28 21–27 29–22 29–20 Stephen Curry 38 Kyrie Irving 34 Draymond Green 12 LeBron James 13 Andre Iguodala 7 LeBron James 9 20,562 Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Jason Phillips Golden State leads series, 3–1 #eee June 13 9:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 112 Golden State Warriors 97 Boxscore 29–32 32–29 32–23 19–13 Irving, James 41 each Klay Thompson 37 LeBron James 16 Andre Iguodala 11 LeBron James 7 Andre Iguodala 6 19,596 Monty McCutchen, Marc Davis and Derrick Stafford Golden State leads series, 3–2 June 16 9:00 PM Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC Golden State Warriors 101 Cleveland Cavaliers 115 Boxscore 11–31 32–28 28–21 30–35 Stephen Curry 30 LeBron James 41 Draymond Green 10 Tristan Thompson 16 Draymond Green 6 LeBron James 11 20,562 Scott Foster, Ken Mauer and Jason Phillips Series tied, 3–3 #eee June 19 8:00 PM Oracle Arena, Oakland, California ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 93 Golden State Warriors 89 Boxscore 23–22 19–27 33–27 18–13 LeBron James 27 Draymond Green 32 Kevin Love 14 Draymond Green 15 LeBron James 11 Draymond Green 9 19,596 Danny Crawford, Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen Cleveland wins series, 4–3 After winning three of the first four games in the Finals with relative ease, the Warriors appeared to be overwhelming the Cavaliers as they moved to being within one win from back-to-back championships. However, the series shifted dramatically after Golden State's All-Star forward, Draymond Green, was suspended for game 5 after an altercation with Cleveland's LeBron James in game 4. Absent Green, the Warriors were lacking defensively, as Kyrie Irving and LeBron James became the first teammates to score 40 or more points each in a Finals game and led the Cavaliers to a 112–97 win to force game 6.Powell Shaun Cavs exploit Green's absence to stay alive in Game 5 http://www.nba.com/2016/news/features/shaun_powell/06/14/game-5-nba-finals-cavaliers-survive-green-costs-warriors/index.html National Basketball Association June 14, 2016 August 15, 2016 Back in the Quicken Loans Arena for their final home game of the season, the Cavaliers tied the series at 3 games apiece by defeating Golden State, 115–101. After receiving his sixth personal foul in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry was ejected for the first time in his career after throwing his mouthpiece at a Cavaliers fan.Reynolds Tim Curry gets ejected late in Warriors' Game 6 loss http://www.nba.com/2016/news/06/17/nba-finals-warriors-curry-ejected.ap/index.html Associated Press National Basketball Association June 17, 2016 August 15, 2016 Game 7 came down to the wire. Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 89, Andre Iguodala received a bounce pass from Curry. As Iguodala went up for the layup, he was blocked from behind by James, in what has since been recognized as one of the most memorable blocks in NBA playoff history, and among the most iconic plays of James's career. With less than a minute to play, Kyrie Irving converted a 3-point shot to give the Cavaliers the lead. On their next possession, James was fouled by Green while attempting a dunk, and made one of his two free throws to increase the lead to four. While the Warriors managed to get the ball into the hands of Curry for a chance to cut the deficit to one, he was guarded well by Cavaliers big man Kevin Love, and Curry was forced to take a sub par shot that missed, sealing the game as the city of Cleveland, Ohio's 52-year sports curse finally ended. The Cavaliers became the eleventh team to win an NBA playoff series after trailing 3–1, and the first to do so in the NBA Finals. The Warriors became the best team (by regular season record) to fail to capture an NBA championship. Cleveland also became only the fourth team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road. This was the first NBA championship for the Cavaliers.Withers Tom The End: Cleveland rocks as title drought ends in Finals http://www.nba.com/2016/news/06/19/cleveland-ends-drought.ap/index.html Associated Press National Basketball Association June 19, 2016 August 15, 2016 +Regular-season seriesGolden State won 2–0 in the regular-season series#fff December 25, 2015 2015 1225 CLEGSW Cleveland Cavaliers 83 Golden State Warriors 89 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California January 18, 2016 2016 0118 GSWCLE Golden State Warriors 132 Cleveland Cavaliers 98 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio This was the second meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers, with the Warriors winning the first meeting last season. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=CLE&is_playoffs=Y Golden State Warriors versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 30, 2016Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2015 Golden State Warriors 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 2 2015 NBA Finals Statistical leaders Category High AveragePlayer Team High Player Team Avg. Games played Points Paul Millsap Atlanta Hawks 45 Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder 28.4 18 Rebounds Bismack Biyombo Toronto Raptors26 DeAndre Jordan Los Angeles Clippers 16.3 6 Assists Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 15 Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 11.0 18Steals Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 7 Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs 2.60 9 James Harden Houston Rockets Trevor Ariza Houston Rockets 5 Blocks Draymond Green Golden State Warriors 5 Myles Turner Indiana Pacers 3.29 7 Media coverage Television ESPN, TNT, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNews and NBA TV broadcast the NBA playoffs nationally in the United States. In the first round, regional sports networks affiliated with the teams can also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. Throughout the first two rounds, TNT televised games Saturday through Thursday, ESPN televised games Friday and Saturday, and ABC televised select games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS aired select weekday games in the first round. TNT televised the Western Conference finals and ESPN televised the Eastern Conference finals. ABC televised the NBA Finals for the 14th consecutive year. In Canada, national coverage is divided between the TSN and Sportsnet families of channels, with each group carrying approximately half of all games featuring the Toronto Raptors (produced independently of the U.S. national broadcasts regardless of round), and half of all other games (simulcast from the applicable U.S. broadcaster). Radio NBA on ESPN Radio ESPN Radio had exclusive national radio rights to broadcast the playoffs in the United States. They broadcast mostly ABC games during the first two rounds, all of the conference finals, and the NBA Finals. In Canada, the playoffs were carried on TSN Radio. See also Sports References 30em External links Basketball – Reference.com's 2016 Playoffs section Playoffs Category:NBA playoffs Category:ABS-CBN television specials