2006 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 2006 NBA playoffs logo.png 2006 2005–06 April 22–June 20, 2006 16 Miami Heat 1 Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Scoring leader(s) Dwyane Wade (Heat) 28.4 PPG MVP Dwyane Wade (Heat) 2005 2007 The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade was named NBA Finals MVP. The San Antonio Spurs were the defending champions, but lost in the conference semifinals to the Mavericks in seven games. Overview This season was the last time that the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs until 2023. The Kings held the longest playoff drought in NBA playoff history at 16 years. With the MLB's Seattle Mariners qualifying for the playoffs in 2022, the Kings held the title for the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues until 2023.12 LONGEST ACTIVE PLAYOFF DROUGHTS IN NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Fox Sports, October 1, 2022 The Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and advanced to the second round for the first time since 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. They came within one game of making the conference finals for the first time, but lost Game 7 to the Suns. The Phoenix Suns became the eighth team to win a playoff series despite trailing 3–1 with their first round victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals. The Denver Nuggets also appeared in the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference despite a 44–38 record (due to winning their division). However, they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, and the NBA changed how division winners are seeded starting the following season. 2006 was the playoff debut of LeBron James, who helped the Cleveland Cavaliers eke out 1–point OT victories over the Washington Wizards in Games 5 and 6 of their first-round series to advance. It was the Cavaliers first playoff appearance since 1998, and they earned their first playoff series win since 1993. The Cavaliers played against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in the next round. After being routed in Game 1 and losing Game 2 by 6, the Cavs won the next three matches in a row, and they were 1 game away from beating the Pistons. However, Detroit recovered and won the last 2, in order to take the series in 7. The Pistons and Cavaliers met in the next year's Playoffs, and the Cavaliers won that series in six games. This season also marked the first time that two 60–win teams met before the conference finals, due to the seeding format. The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks played against each other in the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks won the series in seven games, marking the first time the Mavericks beat the Spurs in a playoff series. This year's NBA Finals also featured a number of firsts Both NBA Finalists made their first NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, for the first time since 1971. Neither the Lakers nor the Spurs represented the Western Conference, for the first time since 1998. For the first time since 1998, the NBA Finals did not feature Tim Duncan or Kobe Bryant (although Kobe's ex–teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, returned to the Finals for the fifth time in seven seasons) For the first time since 2001, neither the Nets or the Pistons represented the Eastern Conference (coincidentally, these two teams were eliminated by the Miami Heat en route to their first Finals appearance) The Mavericks became the first team since 1977 to lose the NBA Finals despite leading 2–0. They also became the first team in NBA History to win the first two games, build a double digit lead in game 3, lose game 3, and the rest of the series. The Miami Heat won their first NBA Championship despite losing the first two games, the third team in NBA History to do so. Prior to Game 6, Pat Riley motivated his players to pack "one shirt, one suit, one tie." His effort paid off, and the Heat won that game, giving Riley his fifth NBA Championship as a head coach. He also avenged his previous NBA Finals loss in 1994, when his New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets despite leading 3–2. The 2006 NBA Playoffs also featured several lasts. Game 6 of the Spurs–Kings series was the last NBA Playoff game to be played at ARCO Arena. The last time division winners were automatically granted a top three seed in the NBA Playoffs. The Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies' last playoff appearance until 2011. The last time the Chicago Bulls lost a first–round series until 2009. The last time the Los Angeles Clippers won a playoff series until 2012 (and earned home court advantage until 2013). The last time Shaquille O'Neal played in the NBA Finals. Format NBA Playoffs With the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, in 2005, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference had three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed regardless of whether the team had one of the top-eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home-court advantage; a division-leading team could be seeded second or third but face a lower seed (that did not win its division) with a better record, and the lower seed would have home-court advantage. This was illustrated in the first round here when the 44-win Denver Nuggets won the Northwest Division and had the third seed, yet did not have home-court advantage against the sixth-seeded, 47-win Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had played the Memphis Grizzlies a week before the playoffs to determine the fifth and sixth seed. The loser of the game would face Denver, whereas the winner would face fourth-seeded Dallas, who had the second-best record in the conference. It was speculated that the Clippers lost on purpose to play Denver in the first round. Starting in the 2007 playoffs, being a division winner did not guarantee a top-3 playoff seed. Playoff qualifying Eastern Conference Best record in NBA The Detroit Pistons clinched the best record in the NBA, earning home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, when the Pistons lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, home-court advantage in the NBA Finals went to the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, which had a better record than the Heat. Clinched a playoff berth The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East: Detroit Pistons (64–18) (clinched Central division) Miami Heat (52–30) (clinched Southeast division) New Jersey Nets (49–33) (clinched Atlantic division) Cleveland Cavaliers (50–32) Washington Wizards (42–40) Indiana Pacers (41–41, 2–2 head-to-head vs. CHI, 6–10 record vs. Central Division) Chicago Bulls (41–41, 2–2 head-to-head vs. IND, 4–12 record vs. Central Division) Milwaukee Bucks (40–42) Western Conference Best record in conference The San Antonio Spurs clinched the best record in the Western Conference, and had home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. However, when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference semifinals, Dallas had home court advantage in the Western Conference finals. Clinched a playoff berth The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West: San Antonio Spurs (63–19) (clinched Southwest division) Phoenix Suns (54–28) (clinched Pacific division) Denver Nuggets (44–38) (clinched Northwest division) Dallas Mavericks (60–22) Memphis Grizzlies (49–33) Los Angeles Clippers (47–35) Los Angeles Lakers (45–37) Sacramento Kings (44–38) Bracket First Round Conference semifinals Conference finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E1 Detroit* 4 E8 Milwaukee 1 E4 Cleveland 4 E5 Washington 2 E3 New Jersey* 4 E6 Indiana 2 E2 Miami* 4 E7 Chicago 2 W1 San Antonio* 4 W8 Sacramento 2 W4 Dallas 4 W5 Memphis 0 W3 Denver* 1 W6 LA Clippers 4 W2 Phoenix* 4 W7 LA Lakers 3 E1 Detroit* 4 E4 Cleveland 3 E3 New Jersey* 1 E2 Miami* 4 W1 San Antonio* 3 W4 Dallas 4 W6 LA Clippers 3 W2 Phoenix* 4 E1 Detroit* 2 E2 Miami* 4 W4 Dallas 4 W2 Phoenix* 2 E2 Miami* 4 W4 Dallas 2* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage TV coverage First and second-round games were televised on ABC, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, and NBA TV in the United States and on TSN, The Score, and Raptors NBA TV in Canada; some games were also televised on local or regional TV networks. The Eastern Conference finals aired exclusively on ESPN/ABC, and the Western Conference finals aired exclusively on TNT; TSN and The Score split coverage of the conference finals. The NBA Finals aired exclusively on ABC in the U.S. and on TSN in Canada. ESPN offered "Full Circle" broadcasts for the opening game of the Bulls–Heat series, with ESPN2 carrying an "above the rim" camera feed, ESPNews carrying in-game analysis, ESPN360 carrying a statistics-focused feed, and additional supplemental coverage on ESPN Radio and ESPN.com.2006-04-21 ESPN coverage of playoff opener comes `Full Circle' https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/04/21/espn-coverage-of-playoff-opener-comes-full-circle/ 2024-07-01 Chicago Tribune en-US First round All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) Eastern Conference first round (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks #eee April 23 5:30 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT Milwaukee Bucks 74 Detroit Pistons 92 Recap 19–19 18–24 19–25 18–24 Charlie Bell 13 Rasheed Wallace 22 Jamaal Magloire 9 Ben Wallace 17 Ford, Bogut 3 each Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 Eddie Rush, David Jones, Bill Spooner, Bennie Adams Detroit leads series, 1–0 April 26 7:30 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan NBA TV Milwaukee Bucks 98 Detroit Pistons 109 Recap 23–32 25–29 27–31 23–17 Michael Redd 29 Tayshaun Prince 22 Andrew Bogut 13 Ben Wallace 11 Andrew Bogut 4 Richard Hamilton 8 22,076 Tony Brothers, Don Garretson, Derrick Stafford Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee April 29 8:00 pm Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin ESPN Detroit Pistons 104 Milwaukee Bucks 124 Recap 27–30 27–31 20–29 30–34 Chauncey Billups 26 Michael Redd 40 Antonio McDyess 8 three players 7 each Chauncey Billups 6 T. J. Ford 15 18,717 Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Scott Wall Detroit leads series, 2–1 May 1 7:30 pm Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin NBA TV Detroit Pistons |score1=109 Milwaukee Bucks 99 Recap 27–20 24–25 23–31 35–23 Chauncey Billups 34 Michael Redd 33 Antonio McDyess 11 Jamaal Magloire 12 Tayshaun Prince 7 Andrew Bogut 6 16,296 Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich Detroit leads series, 3–1 #eee May 3 6:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT Milwaukee Bucks 93 Detroit Pistons 122 Recap 23–39 26–23 17–35 27–25 Michael Redd 23 Richard Hamilton 40 Michael Redd 9 Ben Wallace 14 T. J. Ford 6 Chauncey Billups 8 22,076 Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore Detroit wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 26, 2005 https://archive.today/20130124093914/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251126015 Recap Detroit Pistons 85 Milwaukee Bucks 76 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin January 25, 2006 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 102 Detroit Pistons 106 OT The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff March 31, 2006 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 105 Detroit Pistons 112 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan April 17, 2006 Recap Detroit Pistons 93 Milwaukee Bucks 113 Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first three meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Detroit leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1976 Detroit Pistons 2 Milwaukee Bucks 1 1976 Western Conference First Round #fff 1989 Detroit Pistons 4 Milwaukee Bucks 0 1989 Eastern Conference semifinals #fff 2004 Detroit Pistons 4 Milwaukee Bucks 1 2004 Eastern Conference First Round This is the most recent playoff series between the Pistons & Bucks until 2019. (2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Chicago Bulls #eee April 22 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ESPN Chicago Bulls 106 Miami Heat 111 Recap 24–26 27–37 31–24 24–24 Ben Gordon 35 Dwyane Wade 30 Andrés Nocioni 16 Shaquille O'Neal 16 Kirk Hinrich 8 Dwyane Wade 11 20,288 Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa Miami leads series, 1–0 April 24 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT Chicago Bulls 108 Miami Heat 115 Recap 26–33 31–35 19–27 32–20 Andrés Nocioni 35 O'Neal, Williams 22 each Tyson Chandler 9 Antoine Walker 10 Kirk Hinrich 7 Dwyane Wade 7 20,214 Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Courtney Kirkland Miami leads series, 2–0 #eee April 27 8:00 pm United Center, Chicago TNT Miami Heat 90 Chicago Bulls 109 Recap 23–31 19–17 29–39 19–22 Dwyane Wade 26 Ben Gordon 24 Udonis Haslem 10 Andrés Nocioni 9 Wade, Williams 4 each Kirk Hinrich 11 22,133 Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich Miami leads series, 2–1 April 30 1:00 pm United Center, Chicago ABC Miami Heat 87 Chicago Bulls 93 Recap 23–21 17–23 19–21 28–28 Antoine Walker 21 Andrés Nocioni 24 Udonis Haslem 9 Andrés Nocioni 7 Dwyane Wade 10 Kirk Hinrich 9 22,361 Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 2 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT Chicago Bulls 78 Miami Heat 92 Recap 19–25 19–15 23–21 17–31 Andrés Nocioni 23 Dwyane Wade 28 Andrés Nocioni 10 Shaquille O'Neal 10 Kirk Hinrich 5 Dwyane Wade 5 20,287 Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Jack Nies Miami leads series, 3–2 May 4 8:00 pm United Center, Chicago TNT Miami Heat |score1=113 Chicago Bulls 96 Recap 29–19 26–22 29–28 29–27 Shaquille O'Neal 30 Kirk Hinrich 23 Shaquille O'Neal 20 Luol Deng 6 Dwyane Wade 6 Kirk Hinrich 6 22,584 Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Jess Kersey Miami wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesMiami won 2–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 26, 2005 Recap Miami Heat 100 Chicago Bulls 97 United Center, Chicago, Illinois March 18, 2006 https://archive.today/20130124094924/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260318004 Recap Miami Heat 85 Chicago Bulls 84 United Center, Chicago, Illinois #fff April 16, 2006 Recap Chicago Bulls 117 Miami Heat 93 American Airlines Arena, Miami This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first three meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Chicago leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1992 Chicago Bulls 3 Miami Heat 0 1992 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1996 Chicago Bulls 3 Miami Heat 0 1996 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 1997 Chicago Bulls 4 Miami Heat 1 1997 Eastern Conference finals (3) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Indiana Pacers #eee April 23 12:30 pm Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey TNT Indiana Pacers |score1=90 New Jersey Nets 88 Recap 30–24 20–22 14–19 26–23 Stephen Jackson 18 Vince Carter 31 Jeff Foster 9 Vince Carter 13 Anthony Johnson 6 Jason Kidd 8 18,752 Bennett Salvatore, Scott Wall, Tom Washington Indiana leads series, 1–0 April 25 7:30 pm Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey NBA TV Indiana Pacers 75 New Jersey Nets |score2=90 Recap 22–26 14–18 17–29 22–17 Anthony Johnson 16 Vince Carter 33 Jeff Foster 9 Jason Kidd 11 Johnson, Jones 4 each Jason Kidd 13 18,472 Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Violet Palmer Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 27 7:30 pm Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis NBA TV New Jersey Nets 95 Indiana Pacers |score2=107 Recap 27–22 28–29 15–27 25–29 Carter, Jefferson 25 each Jermaine O'Neal 37 Collins, Kidd 6 each Jermaine O'Neal 15 Richard Jefferson 7 Anthony Johnson 8 14,706 Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Jess Kersey Indiana leads series, 2–1 April 29 3:00 pm Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis TNT New Jersey Nets |score1=97 Indiana Pacers 88 Recap 24–15 26–22 26–30 21–31 Vince Carter 28 Jermaine O'Neal 22 Nenad Krstić 8 Danny Granger 8 Jason Kidd 8 three players 4 each 16,401 Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 2 7:00 pm Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey NBA TV Indiana Pacers 86 New Jersey Nets |score2=92 Recap 25–28 21–21 19–23 21–20 Jermaine O'Neal 19 Vince Carter 34 Danny Granger 12 Vince Carter 15 Stephen Jackson 7 Jason Kidd 15 18,804 Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush New Jersey leads series, 3–2 May 4 7:30 pm Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis NBA TV New Jersey Nets |score1=96 Indiana Pacers 90 Recap 21–26 20–15 32–28 23–21 Richard Jefferson 30 Anthony Johnson 40 Jason Kidd 12 Jermaine O'Neal 6 Jason Kidd 11 Anthony Johnson 5 16,586 Jimmy Clark, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies New Jersey wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesIndiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 11, 2005 Recap New Jersey Nets 90 Indiana Pacers 102 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis January 16, 2006 Recap Indiana Pacers 92 New Jersey Nets 97 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey #fff February 26, 2006 Recap Indiana Pacers 101 New Jersey Nets 91 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=IND&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016New Jersey leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2002 Indiana Pacers 2 New Jersey Nets 3 2002 Eastern Conference First Round (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards #eee April 22 3:00 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ABC Washington Wizards 86 Cleveland Cavaliers |score2=97 Recap 20–31 16–19 21–24 29–23 Gilbert Arenas 26 LeBron James 32 Antawn Jamison 7 LeBron James 11 Antonio Daniels 6 LeBron James 11 20,562 Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Marc Davis Cleveland leads series, 1–0 April 25 7:00 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Washington Wizards |score1=89 Cleveland Cavaliers 84 Recap 21–23 16–15 24–25 28–21 Gilbert Arenas 30 LeBron James 26 Caron Butler 9 Drew Gooden 16 Gilbert Arenas 6 Eric Snow 4 20,562 David Jones, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 28 8:00 pm Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. ESPN Cleveland Cavaliers |score1=97 Washington Wizards 96 Recap 19–26 31–32 21–13 26–25 LeBron James 41 Gilbert Arenas 34 Gooden, Ilgauskas 8 each Caron Butler 11 James, Snow 3 each Daniels, Jamison 3 each 20,173 Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard Cleveland leads series, 2–1 April 30 8:00 pm Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. TNT Cleveland Cavaliers 96 Washington Wizards |score2=106 Recap 27–26 30–20 15–26 24–34 LeBron James 38 Gilbert Arenas 34 Donyell Marshall 11 Jared Jeffries 11 LeBron James 5 Gilbert Arenas 6 20,173 Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, James Capers Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 3 8:30 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Washington Wizards 120 Cleveland Cavaliers |score2=121 OT Recap 27–25 24–27 30–33 26–22 13–14 Gilbert Arenas 44 LeBron James 45 Caron Butler 11 Drew Gooden 11 Antonio Daniels 7 LeBron James 6 20,562 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich Cleveland leads series, 3–2 May 5 8:00 pm Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. ESPN Cleveland Cavaliers |score1=114 Washington Wizards 113 OT Recap 17–24 31–25 27–27 32–31 7–6 LeBron James 32 Gilbert Arenas 36 Anderson Varejão 10 Caron Butler 20 Larry Hughes 12 Gilbert Arenas 11 20,173 Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer Cleveland wins series, 4–2 In Game 3, LeBron James hits the game-winner over Michael Ruffin with 5.7 seconds left, and in Game 5, he hits another game-winner from the baseline with .9 seconds left. In Game 6, Gilbert Arenas forces overtime with a three from 32 feet with 2.3 seconds left, and in OT, Damon Jones hits the series-winning shot with 4.8 seconds left. +Regular-season seriesWashington won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 15, 2005 Recap Washington Wizards 99 Cleveland Cavaliers 114 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio February 10, 2006 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 89 Washington Wizards 101 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. #fff February 24, 2006 Recap Washington Wizards 102 Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio April 16, 2006 https://archive.today/20130124142410/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260416027 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 92 Washington Wizards 104 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1976 Cleveland Cavaliers 4 Washington Bullets 3 1976 Eastern Conference semifinals #fff 1977 Cleveland Cavaliers 1 Washington Bullets 2 1977 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference first round (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Sacramento Kings #eee April 22 5:30 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio ESPN Sacramento Kings 88 San Antonio Spurs 122 Recap 24–32 15–41 28–21 21–28 Mike Bibby 17 Tony Parker 25 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 9 Nazr Mohammed 17 Ron Artest 4 Brent Barry 6 18,797 Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen San Antonio leads series, 1–0 April 25 10:00 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Sacramento Kings 119 San Antonio Spurs 128 OT Recap 30–23 26–28 26–31 27–27 10–19 Bonzi Wells 28 Manu Ginóbili 32 Bonzi Wells 12 Tim Duncan 13 Mike Bibby 6 Tony Parker 10 18,797 Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Bill Kennedy San Antonio leads series, 2–0 #eee April 28 9:30 pm ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California ESPN2 San Antonio Spurs 93 Sacramento Kings 94 Recap 20–22 21–25 23–21 29–26 Tim Duncan 29 Mike Bibby 25 Tim Duncan 12 Bonzi Wells 14 Tony Parker 6 Mike Bibby 8 17,317 Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore San Antonio leads series, 2–1 April 30 10:30 pm ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California TNT San Antonio Spurs 84 Sacramento Kings 102 Recap 24–26 19–28 21–21 20–27 Tony Parker 22 Bonzi Wells 25 Tim Duncan 8 Bonzi Wells 17 Bruce Bowen 3 Mike Bibby 7 17,317 Jimmy Clark, Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 2 9:30 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio NBA TV Sacramento Kings 98 San Antonio Spurs 109 Recap 19–21 27–22 22–37 30–29 Bonzi Wells 38 Manu Ginóbili 27 Bonzi Wells 12 Duncan, Ginóbili 9 each three players 4 each Tim Duncan 5 18,797 James Capers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford San Antonio leads series, 3–2 May 5 10:30 pm ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California ESPN San Antonio Spurs |score1=105 Sacramento Kings 83 Recap 22–20 23–18 33–24 27–21 Tony Parker 31 Mike Bibby 19 Robert Horry 7 Bonzi Wells 11 Manu Ginóbili 5 Ron Artest 4 17,317 Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer San Antonio wins series, 4–2 In Game 2, Brent Barry hit a wild three-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime. In Game 3, Kevin Martin hit the game-winning lay-up at the buzzer. Game 6 was the final playoff game played at the Arco Arena. Additionally, it was the Kings final playoff game until 2023, as they would miss the playoffs every year from 2007-2022. +Regular-season seriesSan Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 21, 2005 Recap San Antonio Spurs 96 Sacramento Kings 93 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California December 17, 2005 Recap Sacramento Kings 89 San Antonio Spurs 90 SBC Center, San Antonio #fff April 5, 2006 Recap Sacramento Kings 97 San Antonio Spurs 87 AT&T Center, San Antonio This was the first playoff meeting between the Kings and the Spurs.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=SAC&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Sacramento Kings versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016 (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers #eee April 23 3:00 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona ABC Los Angeles Lakers 102 Phoenix Suns 107 Recap 29–39 21–19 25–17 27–32 Kobe Bryant 22 Tim Thomas 22 Lamar Odom 14 Tim Thomas 15 Kobe Bryant 5 Steve Nash 10 18,422 Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Bill Kennedy Phoenix leads series, 1–0 April 26 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Lakers |score1=99 Phoenix Suns 93 Recap 24–22 29–16 21–29 25–26 Kobe Bryant 29 Steve Nash 29 Kobe Bryant 10 Marion, Thomas 9 each Bryant, Odom 5 each Steve Nash 9 18,422 Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 28 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles ESPN Phoenix Suns 92 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=99 Recap 27–31 17–18 30–28 18–22 Shawn Marion 20 Smush Parker 18 Marion, Nash 7 each Lamar Odom 17 Steve Nash 11 Kobe Bryant 7 18,997 Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 April 30 3:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles ABC Phoenix Suns 98 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=99 OT Recap 26–25 15–16 26–23 23–26 8–9 Steve Nash 22 Lamar Odom 25 Shawn Marion 12 Kwame Brown 10 Steve Nash 11 Kobe Bryant 8 18,997 Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 #eee May 2 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Lakers 97 Phoenix Suns |score2=114 Recap 25–27 22–29 21–28 29–30 Kobe Bryant 29 Boris Diaw 25 Lamar Odom 15 Boris Diaw 10 Lamar Odom 6 Boris Diaw 9 18,422 Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Leon Wood LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 May 4 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles TNT Phoenix Suns |score1=126 Los Angeles Lakers 118 OT Recap 30–37 30–20 28–28 17–20 21–13 Steve Nash 32 Kobe Bryant 50 Shawn Marion 12 Lamar Odom 11 Steve Nash 13 Lamar Odom 9 18,997 Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 6 9:00 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Lakers 90 Phoenix Suns |score2=121 Recap 15–32 30–28 20–30 25–31 Kobe Bryant 24 Leandro Barbosa 26 Sasha Vujačić 6 Shawn Marion 10 Smush Parker 4 Diaw, Nash 9 each 18,422 Mike Callahan, Joe Forte, Steve Javie Phoenix wins series, 4–3 In Game 4, Kobe Bryant hit both a lay-up with 0.7 seconds left to force OT, and the game-winning jump shot at the buzzer in overtime. In Game 6, Tim Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left to force OT. The Suns became the 8th team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit.Phoenix Clinches Series Over Lakers http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/series_phxlal.html NBA 2016-02-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080724154728/http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/series_phxlal.html 2008-07-24 dead This was the first playoff series a Phil Jackson-coached team lost after taking a series lead, prior to this his record was 44–0. +Regular-season seriesPhoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 3, 2005 Recap Phoenix Suns 122 Los Angeles Lakers 112 Staples Center, Los Angeles January 20, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 93 Phoenix Suns 106 US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona #fff April 7, 2006 https://archive.today/20130124060829/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260407021 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 96 Phoenix Suns 107 US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona April 16, 2006 https://archive.today/20130124091322/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260416013 Recap Phoenix Suns 89 Los Angeles Lakers 109 Staples Center, Los Angeles This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning seven of the first nine meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Los Angeles leads 7–2 in all-time playoff series#fff 1970 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 3 1970 Western Division semifinals #fff 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 1 1980 Western Conference semifinals #fff 1982 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 0 1982 Western Conference semifinals #fff 1984 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 2 1984 Western Conference finals #fff 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 3 Phoenix Suns 0 1985 Western Conference First Round #fff 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 0 1989 Western Conference finals #fff 1990 Los Angeles Lakers 1 Phoenix Suns 4 1990 Western Conference semifinals #fff 1993 Los Angeles Lakers 2 Phoenix Suns 3 1993 Western Conference First Round #fff 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 1 2000 Western Conference semifinals (3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers #eee April 22 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles ESPN Denver Nuggets 87 Los Angeles Clippers |score2=89 Recap 26–31 19–23 21–22 21–13 Anthony, Miller 25 each Elton Brand 21 Marcus Camby 10 Chris Kaman 13 Andre Miller 6 Sam Cassell 7 19,162 Ron Garretson, Rodney Mott, Greg Willard LA Clippers lead series, 1–0 April 24 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles TNT Denver Nuggets 87 Los Angeles Clippers |score2=98 Recap 13–32 21–24 25–19 28–23 Anthony, Camby 16 each Cuttino Mobley 21 Marcus Camby 14 Elton Brand 11 Andre Miller 6 Sam Cassell 11 18,794 Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith LA Clippers lead series, 2–0 #eee April 27 10:30 pm Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado TNT Los Angeles Clippers 87 Denver Nuggets |score2=94 Recap 13–24 29–21 28–25 17–24 Corey Maggette 23 Carmelo Anthony 24 Brand, Livingston 8 each Marcus Camby 14 Brand, Livingston 4 each Andre Miller 7 19,099 Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Leon Wood LA Clippers lead series, 2–1 April 29 10:30 pm Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado ESPN Los Angeles Clippers |score1=100 Denver Nuggets 86 Recap 24–21 32–24 22–19 22–22 Corey Maggette 19 Carmelo Anthony 17 Elton Brand 10 Carmelo Anthony 11 Shaun Livingston 6 Andre Miller 9 19,099 Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jess Kersey LA Clippers lead series, 3–1 #eee May 1 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles TNT Denver Nuggets 83 Los Angeles Clippers |score2=101 Recap 23–21 17–25 17–25 26–30 Carmelo Anthony 23 Maggette, Mobley 23 each Marcus Camby 11 Elton Brand 13 Andre Miller 8 Shaun Livingston 14 18,648 Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Bill Spooner LA Clippers win series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 25, 2005 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 95 Denver Nuggets 105 Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado January 27, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 105 Denver Nuggets 87 Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado #fff January 28, 2006 Recap Denver Nuggets 79 Los Angeles Clippers 112 Staples Center, Los Angeles April 4, 2006 Recap Denver Nuggets 109 Los Angeles Clippers 111 Staples Center, Los Angeles This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Clippers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=LAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Clippers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016 For the Clippers franchise, it was their first playoff series win in three decades, since the old Buffalo Braves defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round back in 1976. (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies #eee April 23 8:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Memphis Grizzlies 93 Dallas Mavericks |score2=103 Recap 22–28 29–32 27–23 15–20 Pau Gasol 24 Dirk Nowitzki 31 Jake Tsakalidis 8 Erick Dampier 12 Gasol, Jackson 4 each Jason Terry 4 20,340 Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Joe Forte Dallas leads series, 1–0 April 26 8:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Memphis Grizzlies 79 Dallas Mavericks |score2=94 Recap 31–32 12–24 13–20 23–18 Pau Gasol 16 Dirk Nowitzki 31 Pau Gasol 7 three players 6 each Pau Gasol 5 Jason Terry 9 20,612 James Capers, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington Dallas leads series, 2–0 #eee April 29 5:30 pm FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=94 Memphis Grizzlies 89 OT Recap 17–23 21–23 22–15 16–15 18–13 Dirk Nowitzki 36 Chucky Atkins 20 three players 9 each Lorenzen Wright 10 Dirk Nowitzki 5 Eddie Jones 5 17,871 Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford Dallas leads series, 3–0 May 1 8:00 pm FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=102 Memphis Grizzlies 76 Recap 26–23 22–16 31–22 23–15 Dirk Nowitzki 27 Pau Gasol 25 Josh Howard 9 Shane Battier 7 Stackhouse, Terry 5 each Chucky Atkins 4 15,104 Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, David Jones Dallas wins series, 4–0 In Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki hit the game-tying 3 with 15.7 seconds left to force OT. +Regular-season seriesDallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 26, 2005 Recap Memphis Grizzlies 112 Dallas Mavericks 92 American Airlines Center, Dallas December 9, 2005 https://archive.today/20130124202256/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251209029 Recap Dallas Mavericks 90 Memphis Grizzlies 83 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee #fff February 1, 2006 Recap Dallas Mavericks 81 Memphis Grizzlies 80 FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee February 23, 2006 RecapJanuary 2025 medicmedic Memphis Grizzlies 87 Dallas Mavericks 97 American Airlines Center, Dallas This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Grizzlies.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=MEM&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Memphis Grizzlies (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers #eee May 7 3:30 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 86 Detroit Pistons 113 Recap 16–26 32–43 15–25 23–19 LeBron James 22 Tayshaun Prince 24 Anderson Varejão 8 Ben Wallace 11 James, Murray 4 each Chauncey Billups 10 22,076 James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner Detroit leads series, 1–0 May 9 7:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT Cleveland Cavaliers 91 Detroit Pistons 97 Recap 16–23 20–29 24–26 31–19 LeBron James 30 Rasheed Wallace 29 LeBron James 14 Ben Wallace 15 LeBron James 7 Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 Dick Bavetta, Derrick Stafford, Jess Kersey Detroit leads series, 2–0 #eee May 13 5:00 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN Detroit Pistons 77 Cleveland Cavaliers |score2=86 Recap 17–18 25–18 14–17 21–33 Richard Hamilton 22 LeBron James 21 Ben Wallace 13 LeBron James 10 Billups, Hamilton 5 each LeBron James 10 20,562 Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington Detroit leads series, 2–1 May 15 7:00 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio TNT Detroit Pistons 72 Cleveland Cavaliers |score2=74 Recap 19–16 19–20 21–17 13–21 Richard Hamilton 30 LeBron James 22 Ben Wallace 10 LeBron James 8 Chauncey Billups 7 LeBron James 9 20,562 Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 17 7:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan TNT Cleveland Cavaliers |score1=86 Detroit Pistons 84 Recap 20–20 30–25 18–21 18–18 LeBron James 32 Tayshaun Prince 21 Donyell Marshall 13 Ben Wallace 13 Eric Snow 7 Chauncey Billups 5 22,076 Jimmy Clark, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer Cleveland leads series, 3–2 May 19 7:00 pm Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio ESPN Detroit Pistons |score1=84 Cleveland Cavaliers 82 Recap 20–19 18–18 25–24 21–21 Rasheed Wallace 24 LeBron James 32 Ben Wallace 10 LeBron James 11 Billups, Wallace 4 each Eric Snow 7 20,562 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 21 3:30 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ABC Cleveland Cavaliers 61 Detroit Pistons |score2=79 Recap 15–21 23–19 10–18 13–21 LeBron James 27 Tayshaun Prince 20 LeBron James 8 Ben Wallace 9 Larry Hughes 5 Billups, Prince 3 each 22,076 Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa Detroit wins series, 4–3 2006 marked the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp, and the first time that major professional teams from Michigan and Ohio met in a postseason series or game since 1957. They came off a playoff series win vs the Wizards, while the Pistons came in off a 4–1 win vs the 8th seeded Bucks. Detroit was expected to win the series, and took a commanding two games to none lead with two wins at the Palace of Auburn Hills. James and the Cavaliers weren't intimidated however, and won their two home games to tie the series at 2. Coming into Game 5, both teams were confident, but the Pistons were expected to pull out the win easily. The game was low scoring throughout as usual in this series, with Cleveland holding a 68–66 lead through 3 quarters. With the game tied at 84 with 26 seconds left in regulation, Drew Gooden came through and hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead that they never squandered. James led the Cavs with 32 and this brought the series to Cleveland up 3–2, quite shockingly. In the final minute of Game 6, Richard Hamilton grabbed two offensive rebounds and passed the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who was fouled. Detroit held on to win Game 6 by 2, and won Game 7 at home to advance. +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 31, 2005 Recap Detroit Pistons 84 Cleveland Cavaliers 97 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio February 26, 2006 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 78 Detroit Pistons 90 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan #fff February 27, 2006 Recap Detroit Pistons 84 Cleveland Cavaliers 72 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio April 12, 2006 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 73 Detroit Pistons 96 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Pistons.https://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 February 17, 2016 (2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New Jersey Nets #eee May 8 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT New Jersey Nets |score1=100 Miami Heat 88 Recap 38–21 26–25 20–18 16–24 Vince Carter 27 Dwyane Wade 25 Jason Kidd 9 Shaquille O'Neal 10 Jason Kidd 7 Wade, Williams 3 each 20,208 Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore New Jersey leads series, 1–0 May 10 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT New Jersey Nets 89 Miami Heat |score2=111 Recap 19–41 21–19 27–24 22–27 Vince Carter 22 Dwyane Wade 31 Nenad Krstić 7 Udonis Haslem 10 Jason Kidd 6 Dwyane Wade 6 20,227 Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 12 8:00 pm Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey ESPN Miami Heat |score1=103 New Jersey Nets 92 Recap 27–27 27–22 18–23 31–20 Dwyane Wade 30 Vince Carter 43 James Posey 10 Jason Collins 11 Dwyane Wade 10 Jason Kidd 12 20,102 Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster Miami leads series, 2–1 May 14 3:30 pm Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey ABC Miami Heat |score1=102 New Jersey Nets 92 Recap 27–24 27–24 22–25 26–19 Dwyane Wade 31 Vince Carter 26 Udonis Haslem 11 Nenad Krstić 14 Dwyane Wade 8 Jason Kidd 12 19,474 Bernie Fryer, Anthony Jordan, Greg Willard, Jess Kersey Miami leads series, 3–1 #eee May 16 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami TNT New Jersey Nets 105 Miami Heat |score2=106 Recap 33–24 21–30 28–31 23–21 Carter, Jefferson 33 each Antoine Walker 23 three players 7 each Udonis Haslem 10 Jason Kidd 8 Dwyane Wade 6 20,255 Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Jack Nies Miami wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesNew Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 7, 2005 Recap New Jersey Nets 89 Miami Heat 90 American Airlines Arena, Miami December 23, 2005 Recap New Jersey Nets 95 Miami Heat 88 American Airlines Arena, Miami #fff February 4, 2006 Recap Miami Heat 92 New Jersey Nets 105 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey April 2, 2006 Recap Miami Heat 78 New Jersey Nets 90 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2005 Miami Heat 4 New Jersey Nets 0 2005 Eastern Conference First Round Western Conference semifinals This was the first time both conference semifinals went seven games since 1994. (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks #eee May 7 1:00 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio ABC Dallas Mavericks 85 San Antonio Spurs 87 Recap 29–26 23–20 20–25 13–16 Jerry Stackhouse 24 Tim Duncan 31 Dirk Nowitzki 14 Tim Duncan 13 Marquis Daniels 3 Duncan, Parker 4 each 18,797 Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich San Antonio leads series, 1–0 May 9 9:30 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=113 San Antonio Spurs 91 Recap 26–22 32–16 26–28 29–25 Josh Howard 27 Tim Duncan 28 Howard, Nowitzki 9 each Tim Duncan 9 three players 3 each Tim Duncan 3 18,797 Steve Javie, David Jones, Eddie F. Rush Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 13 8:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas ABC San Antonio Spurs 103 Dallas Mavericks |score2=104 Recap 18–27 30–26 21–20 34–31 Tim Duncan 35 Dirk Nowitzki 27 Tim Duncan 12 Dirk Nowitzki 15 Tony Parker 4 Jason Terry 4 20,865 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bill Spooner Dallas leads series, 2–1 May 15 9:30 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT San Antonio Spurs 118 Dallas Mavericks |score2=123 OT Recap 26–19 27–34 27–31 31–27 7–12 Tony Parker 33 Jason Terry 32 Tim Duncan 13 Dampier, Nowitzki 9 each Tim Duncan 6 Devin Harris 6 20,969 Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Derrick Stafford Dallas leads series, 3–1 #eee May 17 9:30 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Dallas Mavericks 97 San Antonio Spurs |score2=98 Recap 24–29 33–28 21–24 19–17 Dirk Nowitzki 31 Tim Duncan 36 Dirk Nowitzki 12 Tim Duncan 10 Jason Terry 5 Manu Ginóbili 5 18,797 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson Dallas leads series, 3–2 May 19 9:30 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas ESPN San Antonio Spurs |score1=91 Dallas Mavericks 86 Recap 20–25 21–22 26–20 24–19 Manu Ginóbili 30 Dirk Nowitzki 26 Manu Ginóbili 10 Dirk Nowitzki 21 Tony Parker 3 Dirk Nowitzki 5 20,986 Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 22 8:00 pm AT&T Center, San Antonio TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=119 San Antonio Spurs 111 OT Recap 37–27 27–23 20–28 20–26 15–7 Dirk Nowitzki 37 Tim Duncan 41 Dirk Nowitzki 15 Tim Duncan 15 Jerry Stackhouse 6 Tim Duncan 6 Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Steve Javie Dallas wins series, 4–3 The Mavericks almost blew a 3–1 series lead to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, but managed to pull out a Game 7 overtime win in San Antonio to close out the series and become the 5th NBA road team to win Game 7 after leading series 3–1. This was also the second time in NBA history that the road team won a Game 7 in overtime; the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in the same manner in the 2002 Western Conference finals. This was the most recent Game 7 to go into Overtime until the 2021 Bucks vs. Nets series. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 5, 2005 Recap San Antonio Spurs 84 Dallas Mavericks 103 American Airlines Center, Dallas December 1, 2005 Recap San Antonio Spurs 92 Dallas Mavericks 90 American Airlines Center, Dallas #fff March 2, 2006 Recap Dallas Mavericks 89 San Antonio Spurs 98 AT&T Center, San Antonio April 7, 2006 Recap Dallas Mavericks 92 San Antonio Spurs 86 AT&T Center, San Antonio This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016San Antonio leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2001 Dallas Mavericks 1 San Antonio Spurs 4 2001 Western Conference semifinals #fff 2003 Dallas Mavericks 2 San Antonio Spurs 4 2003 Western Conference finals (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers #eee May 8 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Clippers 123 Phoenix Suns 130 Recap 25–29 36–27 30–37 32–37 Elton Brand 40 Steve Nash 31 Elton Brand 9 Shawn Marion 15 Shaun Livingston 9 Steve Nash 12 18,422 Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Monty McCutchen Phoenix leads series, 1–0 May 10 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Clippers |score1=122 Phoenix Suns 97 Recap 38–22 27–29 33–28 24–18 Elton Brand 27 Raja Bell 20 Chris Kaman 16 Shawn Marion 6 Sam Cassell 6 Steve Nash 8 18,422 Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 12 10:30 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles ESPN Phoenix Suns |score1=94 Los Angeles Clippers 91 Recap 26–28 22–20 24–15 22–28 Shawn Marion 32 Elton Brand 20 Shawn Marion 19 Corey Maggette 14 Steve Nash 10 Elton Brand 8 19,877 Tony Brothers, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore Phoenix leads series, 2–1 May 14 8:00 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles TNT Phoenix Suns 107 Los Angeles Clippers |score2=114 Recap 28–33 23–28 31–29 25–24 Raja Bell 33 Elton Brand 30 Shawn Marion 10 Corey Maggette 15 Steve Nash 11 Sam Cassell 9 19,897 Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 16 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Clippers 118 Phoenix Suns |score2=125 2OT Recap 31–26 21–32 26–26 23–17 10–10, 7–14 Elton Brand 33 Shawn Marion 36 Elton Brand 15 Shawn Marion 20 Brand, Cassell 5 each Steve Nash 13 18,422 Mike Callahan, Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie Phoenix leads series, 3–2 May 18 10:00 pm Staples Center, Los Angeles ESPN Phoenix Suns 106 Los Angeles Clippers |score2=118 Recap 32–31 18–31 31–26 25–30 Shawn Marion 34 Elton Brand 30 Diaw, Marion 9 each Elton Brand 13 Steve Nash 11 Sam Cassell 8 19,985 Dick Bavetta, Tom Washington, Greg Willard Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 22 10:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Los Angeles Clippers 107 Phoenix Suns |score2=127 Recap 28–32 29–33 22–29 28–33 Elton Brand 36 Shawn Marion 30 Brand, Maggette 9 each Shawn Marion 9 Sam Cassell 6 Steve Nash 11 18,422 Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Eddie F. Rush Phoenix wins series, 4–3 In Game 4, Sam Cassell hit two three-pointers down the stretch, including one with 27 seconds left, after the Suns had rallied from 13 down to within one with under a minute to play. In Game 5, Raja Bell tied the game at 111 on a three-pointer from the corner with 1.1 seconds left to force the second overtime, this after telling his teammates during a timeout he would make it.Marion leads Suns past Clips in 2 OTs; L.A. on brink http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=260516021 https://web.archive.org/web/20110315211159/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=260516021 dead March 15, 2011 ESPN May 18, 2006 The Suns, who blew a 19-point third quarter lead, never trailed in the second extra session. +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 10, 2005 Recap Phoenix Suns 91 Los Angeles Clippers 101 Staples Center, Los Angeles January 18, 2006 Recap Phoenix Suns 112 Los Angeles Clippers 102 Staples Center, Los Angeles #fff March 15, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 95 Phoenix Suns 126 US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona April 5, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 119 Phoenix Suns 105 US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Suns.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAC&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016 Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Miami Heat #eee May 23 8:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN Miami Heat |score1=91 Detroit Pistons 86 Recap 33–25 15–19 18–17 25–25 Dwyane Wade 25 Richard Hamilton 22 Udonis Haslem 9 Ben Wallace 14 Dwyane Wade 5 Chauncey Billups 7 22,076 Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner Miami leads series, 1–0 May 25 8:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN Miami Heat 88 Detroit Pistons |score2=92 Recap 12–25 25–23 19–22 32–22 Dwyane Wade 32 Tayshaun Prince 24 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Ben Wallace 12 Payton, Wade 5 each Chauncey Billups 8 22,076 Dick Bavetta, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 27 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ESPN Detroit Pistons 83 Miami Heat 98 Recap 24–26 14–23 24–25 21–24 Chauncey Billups 31 Dwyane Wade 35 Rasheed Wallace 10 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Tayshaun Prince 4 Antoine Walker 4 20,245 Dan Crawford, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich Miami leads series, 2–1 May 29 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ABC Detroit Pistons 78 Miami Heat 89 Recap 17–23 21–21 22–18 18–27 Tayshaun Prince 15 Dwyane Wade 31 Ben Wallace 11 Shaquille O'Neal 9 Chauncey Billups 7 Dwyane Wade 5 20,248 Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard Miami leads series, 3–1 #eee May 31 8:00 pm The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan ESPN Miami Heat 78 Detroit Pistons |score2=91 Recap 20–25 23–22 22–26 13–18 Dwyane Wade 23 Tayshaun Prince 29 Udonis Haslem 10 Richard Hamilton 10 Jason Williams 6 Chauncey Billups 10 22,076 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte Miami leads series, 3–2 June 2 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ESPN Detroit Pistons 78 Miami Heat 95 Recap 20–25 16–22 17–25 25–23 Richard Hamilton 33 Shaquille O'Neal 28 Rasheed Wallace 8 Shaquille O'Neal 16 Chauncey Billups 8 Dwyane Wade 10 20,258 Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush Miami wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesDetroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series#fff December 29, 2005 Recap Miami Heat 101 Detroit Pistons 106 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan February 12, 2006 Recap Detroit Pistons 98 Miami Heat 100 American Airlines Arena, Miami #fff March 22, 2006 Recap Miami Heat 73 Detroit Pistons 82 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan April 6, 2006 Recap Detroit Pistons 95 Miami Heat 82 American Airlines Arena, Miami This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 2000 Detroit Pistons 0 Miami Heat 3 2000 Eastern Conference First Round #fff 2005 Detroit Pistons 4 Miami Heat 3 2005 Eastern Conference finals Western Conference finals (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks #eee May 24 8:30 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Phoenix Suns |score1=121 Dallas Mavericks 118 Recap 35–29 27–29 29–27 30–33 Boris Diaw 34 Devin Harris 30 Shawn Marion 13 Dirk Nowitzki 19 Steve Nash 16 Terry, Stackhouse 3 each 20,789 Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard Phoenix leads series, 1–0 May 26 8:30 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Phoenix Suns 98 Dallas Mavericks |score2=105 Recap 17–22 35–25 25–28 21–30 Boris Diaw 25 Dirk Nowitzki 30 Shawn Marion 19 Dirk Nowitzki 14 Steve Nash 11 Dirk Nowitzki 6 20,934 Jimmy Clark, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 28 8:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=95 Phoenix Suns 88 Recap 22–25 25–27 25–16 23–20 Dirk Nowitzki 28 Steve Nash 21 Dirk Nowitzki 17 Shawn Marion 18 Dirk Nowitzki 5 Steve Nash 7 18,422 Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush Dallas leads series, 2–1 May 30 8:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Dallas Mavericks 86 Phoenix Suns |score2=106 Recap 28–28 18–23 21–28 19–27 Josh Howard 16 Leandro Barbosa 24 Josh Howard 9 Boris Diaw 9 Devin Harris 5 Steve Nash 7 18,422 Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington Series tied, 2–2 #eee June 1 8:30 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas TNT Phoenix Suns 101 Dallas Mavericks |score2=117 Recap 23–36 32–22 26–24 20–35 Tim Thomas 26 Dirk Nowitzki 50 Shawn Marion 10 Dirk Nowitzki 12 Steve Nash 11 Jason Terry 9 20,977 Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies Dallas leads series, 3–2 June 3 8:30 pm US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona TNT Dallas Mavericks |score1=102 Phoenix Suns 93 Recap 14–29 25–22 23–15 40–27 Dirk Nowitzki 24 Boris Diaw 30 Josh Howard 15 Diaw, Marion 11 each Nowitzki, Terry 3 each Steve Nash 9 18,422 Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer Dallas wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesTied 2–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 1, 2005 Recap Dallas Mavericks 111 Phoenix Suns 108 2OT America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona December 14, 2005 Recap Phoenix Suns 96 Dallas Mavericks 102 American Airlines Center, Dallas #fff March 5, 2006 Recap Phoenix Suns 115 Dallas Mavericks 107 American Airlines Center, Dallas April 13, 2006 Recap Dallas Mavericks 104 Phoenix Suns 117 US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 2005 Dallas Mavericks 2 Phoenix Suns 4 2005 Western Conference semifinals This is the most recent playoff series between the Suns & Mavericks until 2022. NBA Finals: (W4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (E2) Miami Heat All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) 2006 NBA Finals #eee June 8 9:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas ABC Miami Heat 80 Dallas Mavericks |score2=90 Recap 31–23 13–23 24–24 12–20 Dwyane Wade 28 Jason Terry 32 Udonis Haslem 9 Josh Howard 12 Dwyane Wade 6 three players 4 each 20,475 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore Dallas leads series, 1–0 June 11 9:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas ABC Miami Heat 85 Dallas Mavericks |score2=99 Recap 17–18 17–32 24–32 27–17 Dwyane Wade 23 Dirk Nowitzki 26 Dwyane Wade 8 Dirk Nowitzki 16 Payton, Williams 4 each Jason Terry 9 20,459 Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush Dallas leads series, 2–0 #eee June 13 9:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ABC Dallas Mavericks 96 Miami Heat |score2=98 Recap 21–29 22–23 34–16 19–30 Dirk Nowitzki 30 Dwyane Wade 42 Erick Dampier 9 Dwyane Wade 13 Jason Terry 5 Shaquille O'Neal 5 20,145 Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies Dallas leads series, 2–1 June 15 9:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ABC Dallas Mavericks 74 Miami Heat |score2=98 Recap 25–30 19–24 23–24 7–20 Jason Terry 17 Dwyane Wade 36 Dirk Nowitzki 9 Shaquille O'Neal 13 Jerry Stackhouse 4 Jason Williams 6 20,145 Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer Series tied, 2–2 #eee June 18 9:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami ABC Dallas Mavericks 100 Miami Heat |score2=101 OT Recap 21–24 30–19 20–27 22–23 7–8 Jason Terry 35 Dwyane Wade 43 Josh Howard 10 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Marquis Daniels 4 Wade, Williams 4 each 20,145 Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore Miami leads series, 3–2 June 20 9:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas ABC Miami Heat |score1=95 Dallas Mavericks 92 Recap 23–30 26–18 22–20 24–24 Dwyane Wade 36 Dirk Nowitzki 29 Shaquille O'Neal 12 Dirk Nowitzki 15 Jason Williams 7 Jason Terry 5 20,522 Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush Miami wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesDallas won 2–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 25, 2005 Recap Dallas Mavericks 103 Miami Heat 90 American Airlines Arena, Miami February 9, 2006 Recap Miami Heat 76 Dallas Mavericks 112 American Airlines Center, Dallas This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Heat.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Miami Heat (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 17, 2016 This NBA Finals featured two teams that never made it to the finals before. The last time this happened was in 1971, when the Milwaukee Bucks met the Baltimore Bullets. Statistic leaders Category High AveragePlayer Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played Points Dirk NowitzkiKobe Bryant Dallas MavericksLos Angeles Lakers 50 Gilbert Arenas Washington Wizards 34.0 6 Rebounds Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 21 Bonzi Wells Sacramento Kings 12.0 6 Assists Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 16 Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 10.2 20 Steals Shawn MarionVince Carter Phoenix SunsNew Jersey Nets 6 Larry Hughes Cleveland Cavaliers 2.2 9 Blocks James JonesZydrunas IlgauskasTim Duncan Phoenix SunsCleveland CavaliersSan Antonio Spurs 6 Marcus Camby Denver Nuggets 2.8 5 References External links Official website of the 2006 NBA Playoffs ESPN's NBA page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 2005–2006#Pudotuspelit