2017 NBA playoffs

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2017 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 15–June 12, 2017
Season2016–17
Teams16
Final positions
ChampionsGolden State Warriors (5th title)
Runner-upCleveland Cavaliers
Semifinalists
← 2016
2018 →

The 2017 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 2016-17 NBA season, which began on April 15, 2017 and concluded on June 12, 2017. It concluded with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, their third consecutive meeting in the Finals. Kevin Durant was named the NBA Finals MVP in his first year on the team.

The Warriors set the record for the longest playoff winning streak (15) and the best record (16–1) in NBA playoff history.

Overview

Western Conference

  • The Golden State Warriors clinched the best record in the league for 3rd straight season and entered their fifth consecutive postseason for the first time since making six straight appearances from 1947–52.
  • The San Antonio Spurs entered their 20th consecutive postseason which was the longest active playoffs streak in Major North American Sports after the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL missed the playoffs for the 1st time in 25 years, including back–to–back 60+ wins for the first time in franchise history. However, they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals after Kawhi Leonard’s ankle injury in Game 1, forcing him to miss the rest of the series.
  • The Houston Rockets entered their fifth consecutive postseason. However, they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Semifinals.
  • The Los Angeles Clippers entered their franchise record sixth consecutive postseason. However, they were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round.
  • The Utah Jazz clinched the playoffs spot for the first time since 2012 and their first playoffs series win since 2010. However, they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Semifinals.
  • The Oklahoma City Thunder entered their 2nd consecutive postseason. However, they were eliminated by the Houston Rockets in the first round, their earliest exit since 2010.
  • The Memphis Grizzlies entered their seventh consecutive postseason. However, they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round for the second straight year.
  • The 2016–17 Portland Trail Blazers entered their ninth consecutive postseason. However, they were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round.

Eastern Conference

  • The Boston Celtics entered their third consecutive postseason and clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2008. However, they were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals.
  • The defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers entered their third consecutive postseason. However, they were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, dashing their hopes of back–to–back titles.
  • The Toronto Raptors entered their fourth consecutive postseason, including back–to–back 50+ wins for the first time in franchise history. However, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Semifinals.
  • The Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks & Chicago Bulls clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2015. Milwaukee and Chicago were eliminated by Toronto and Boston, respectively. The Washington Wizards were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semifinals. It should also be noted that Game 6 of the Wizards–Celtics game was the last time before Verizon Center renames to Capital One Arena.
  • The Atlanta Hawks entered their 10th consecutive postseason, one shy of their postseason streak of 11 (1963–73). However, they were eliminated by the Washington Wizards in the first round.
  • The Indiana Pacers entered their second consecutive postseason. However, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
  • With a 4th seed in the playoffs, the Wizards had their highest seed under a 16–team playoff format.

First round

  • This was the first time, in a best–of–7 series, that an 8th seed (Chicago Bulls) went up 2–0 against a 1st seed (Boston Celtics) in the first round. It is the second time this happened overall; the Los Angeles Lakers did it against the Phoenix Suns in 1993, which was a best–of–five series that Phoenix eventually won 3 games to 2.
  • Cleveland became the first team in playoffs history to come back from a 25–point halftime deficit and win when they beat the Pacers in Game 3.
  • The Cavaliers became the first team to sweep an opponent while giving up 100+ points every game since the Houston Rockets allowed 100+ in all 4 games during their sweep of the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals.
  • The Boston Celtics became the 19th team to come back after trailing 2–0, against the Bulls. They were also the 4th team in NBA history to lose the first two games of a best–of–7 series at home and still win the series.
  • Game 7 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz ensured an 18th-straight postseason in which at least one Game 7 was played; 1999 was the last postseason to not feature a Game 7.
  • The Clippers became the first NBA team to blow five straight postseason series leads.
  • It was the first series win for the Toronto Raptors where they didn't need all the games of the series. Previously they had beaten the Knicks in 2001 in a best of 5 in five games. In 2016 their two series wins were obtained in seven games each.

Conference semifinals

  • The Houston Rockets are the first team to open their series with a blowout only to get blown out in the second game.
  • Trailing by 14 and 13 in Games 1 and 2 respectively, the Boston Celtics became the first team to come back and win back–to–back games after trailing by double digits in the first quarter.
  • The 27–point loss in Game 1 is San Antonio's largest defeat in a postseason home game.
  • Scoring 125 points in a Game 2 blowout victory against the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record for most points scored in a postseason game. Their previous record was 124, in 2010.
  • 18 of 21 conference semifinals games were decided by 10 points or more. Eight of these games were decided by over 20 points.
  • With a four–game sweep against the Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the second team to have six playoffs series sweeps in three consecutive postseasons (2015–2017) since the Lakers did it in 1987–1989. They also became the first team to start 8–0 in two straight playoffs.
  • The Cavaliers' Game 4 win over the Raptors gave them their 11th consecutive postseason win (a streak dating back to Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals), setting a franchise record.
  • With a four–game sweep against Utah, Golden State swept consecutive playoff series for the first time in franchise history and also had their best eight–game postseason start in franchise history.
  • The Cavaliers and Warriors both started the NBA postseason with 8–0 records, the first time in NBA history that two teams started 8–0 in the same postseason since switching to a seven-game format.
  • In a series–ending 114–75 loss against the Spurs, the Houston Rockets set an NBA record for fewest two–point field goals made in a game. They made 9 of 37, while the previous record was 11 of 41.

Conference finals

  • After trailing as much as 25 points, Golden State Warriors came back and won against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1. This is the second largest comeback in the Conference Finals since the Celtics came back from 26 to beat the Nets in Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals.
  • With a 36–point win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2, this is the Golden State Warriors' 2nd largest margin of victory in postseason history. (The largest is 39-point set back in 1948, which would be surpassed in the following year when the Warriors defeat Rockets by 41.)
  • After trailing as much as 21 points, the Boston Celtics surged back with a 28–10 third quarter run against the Cleveland Cavaliers to win Game 3. This was also the Cavaliers' first loss this postseason, as well as their first loss in a postseason game since Game 4 of the previous year's Finals, snapping an NBA playoff record tying 13 game winning streak.
  • With a four-game sweep against the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors earned the distinction of having a 12–0 postseason record, the first in NBA history. They are also the first team to have 3 best–of–7 series sweeps, and join the 1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers (who ironically, would get swept themselves by the Detroit Pistons) and the 2000–01 Lakers as the only teams to be undefeated going into the championship round, and the only one to have done it under the 7–7–7–7 format since it was introduced in 2003.

NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors began the finals with a playoff record of 12–0. The first two finals' games were blowouts by Golden State, game three was closer, but the Warriors still came out victors, going up 3–0 bringing them to 15–0 in the playoffs, the best ever start in NBA playoff history. The Cavs countered beating the Warriors 137–116 in Game four, with 86 points in the first half, setting an NBA Finals' record. On June 12, the Warriors bounced back and won game five at home 129–120, clinching the organization's fifth championship. Golden State's 16–1 record is an NBA playoff record since 2003 for fewest games attempted to achieve an NBA championship. The title was all–star forward Kevin Durant's first and all–stars Stephen Curry's, Klay Thompson's, and Draymond Green's second in three years. Durant, who scored over 30 points in each of five games (the first player to do so since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 with Los Angeles), was the recipient of the 2017 Bill Russell NBA Finals' MVP award.

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. Home court advantage in any round belongs to the higher-seeded team, who has the better regular season record. If two teams with the same record meet in a round, standard tiebreaker rules are used. 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.

Playoff qualifying

The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 19, 2017.[1]

Eastern Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in conference
Best record
in NBA
1 Boston Celtics 53–29 March 21[2] April 10 April 12[3]
2 Cleveland Cavaliers 51–31 March 19[1] March 24[4]
3 Toronto Raptors 51–31 March 25[5]
4 Washington Wizards 49–33 March 24 March 28[6]
5 Atlanta Hawks 43–39 April 8
6 Milwaukee Bucks 42–40 April 8
7 Indiana Pacers 42–40 April 12
8 Chicago Bulls 41–41 April 12

Western Conference

Seed Team Record Clinched
Playoff berth Division title Best record
in Conference
Best record
in NBA
1 Golden State Warriors 67--15 February 25[7] March 16[8] April 5[9] April 5[9]
2 San Antonio Spurs 61–21 March 4[10] March 31[11]
3 Houston Rockets 55–27 March 14[12]
4 Los Angeles Clippers 51–31 March 25[13]
5 Utah Jazz 51–31 March 26[14] April 7
6 Oklahoma City Thunder 47–35 March 29[15]
7 Memphis Grizzlies 43–39 March 31[16]
8 Portland Trail Blazers 41–41 April 9[17]

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
            
E1 Boston* 4
E8 Chicago 2
E1 Boston* 4
E4 Washington* 3
E4 Washington* 4
E5 Atlanta 2
E1 Boston* 1
Eastern Conference
E2 Cleveland* 4
E3 Toronto 4
E6 Milwaukee 2
E3 Toronto 0
E2 Cleveland* 4
E2 Cleveland* 4
E7 Indiana 0
E2 Cleveland* 1
W1 Golden State* 4
W1 Golden State* 4
W8 Portland 0
W1 Golden State* 4
W5 Utah* 0
W4 LA Clippers 3
W5 Utah* 4
W1 Golden State* 4
Western Conference
W2 San Antonio* 0
W3 Houston 4
W6 Oklahoma City 1
W3 Houston 2
W2 San Antonio* 4
W2 San Antonio* 4
W7 Memphis 2
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

First round

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00)

Eastern Conference first round

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Chicago Bulls

April 16
6:30 PM
Chicago Bulls 106, Boston Celtics 102
Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 25–18, 26–28, 32–28
Pts: Jimmy Butler 30
Rebs: Robin Lopez 11
Asts: Rondo, Wade 6 each
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 33
Rebs: Jae Crowder 8
Asts: Al Horford 8
Chicago leads series, 1–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald, David Guthrie
April 18
8:00 PM
Chicago Bulls 111, Boston Celtics 97
Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 23–20, 32–29, 25–22
Pts: Butler, Wade 22 each
Rebs: Rajon Rondo 9
Asts: Rajon Rondo 14
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 20
Rebs: Al Horford 11
Asts: Kelly Olynyk 7
Chicago leads series, 2–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: James Capers, John Goble, Sean Wright
April 21
7:00 PM
Boston Celtics 104, Chicago Bulls 87
Scoring by quarter: 33–15, 11–26, 32–22, 28–24
Pts: Al Horford 18
Rebs: Al Horford 8
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 9
Pts: Dwyane Wade 18
Rebs: Cristiano Felício 11
Asts: three players 3 each
Chicago leads series, 2–1
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 21,293
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Brian Forte, Bill Spooner
April 23
6:30 PM
Boston Celtics 104, Chicago Bulls 95
Scoring by quarter: 30–18, 27–28, 22–24, 25–25
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 33
Rebs: Al Horford 12
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 7
Pts: Jimmy Butler 33
Rebs: Bobby Portis 8
Asts: Jimmy Butler 9
Series tied, 2–2
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 21,863
Referees: Scott Foster, Eric Lewis, Tom Washington
April 26
8:30 PM
Chicago Bulls 97, Boston Celtics 108
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 30–29, 31–27, 16–29
Pts: Dwyane Wade 26
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 8
Pts: Bradley, Thomas 24 each
Rebs: Al Horford 7
Asts: Al Horford 9
Boston leads series, 3–2
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Danny Crawford, Sean Corbin, Ed Malloy
April 28
8:00 PM
Boston Celtics 105, Chicago Bulls 83
Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 24–18, 34–18, 17–24
Pts: Avery Bradley 23
Rebs: Horford, Olynyk 6 each
Asts: Al Horford 7
Pts: Jimmy Butler 23
Rebs: Bobby Portis 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 3
Boston wins series, 4–2
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 21,682
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy, James Williams

After trailing 2-0 in the series, the Celtics came back to tie the series as Rajon Rondo was ruled out indefinitely after breaking his right thumb in Game 2, and Al Horford scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in Game 3, and Isaiah Thomas scorched the Bulls for 33 points in Game 4. The Celtics' win in Game 5 would be the only home game victory of the series, and Avery Bradley scored 23 points in Game 6 as the Celtics eliminated the Bulls. Notably, this series began one day following the death of Chyna Thomas, younger sister of Isaiah, in a one-car accident. Thomas played all six games of the series, before returning to the state of Washington for her funeral on April 29.[18] Game 6 also marked the final game of Jimmy Butler's tenure as a Bull.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first four meetings.

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Indiana Pacers

April 15
3:00 PM
Indiana Pacers 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 109
Scoring by quarter: 29–34, 30–32, 25–26, 24–17
Pts: Paul George 29
Rebs: Thaddeus Young 9
Asts: Paul George 7
Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: Tristan Thompson 13
Asts: LeBron James 13
Cleveland leads series, 1–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Scott Foster, Matt Boland, Tony Brothers
April 17
7:00 PM
Indiana Pacers 111, Cleveland Cavaliers 117
Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 29–31, 20–33, 33–21
Pts: Paul George 32
Rebs: Paul George 8
Asts: Paul George 7
Pts: Kyrie Irving 37
Rebs: Kevin Love 11
Asts: LeBron James 7
Cleveland leads series, 2–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Marc Davis, Sean Corbin, James Williams
April 20
7:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 119, Indiana Pacers 114
Scoring by quarter: 27–37, 22–37, 35–17, 35–23
Pts: LeBron James 41
Rebs: LeBron James 13
Asts: LeBron James 12
Pts: Paul George 36
Rebs: Paul George 15
Asts: Paul George 9
Cleveland leads series, 3–0
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 17,923
Referees: Danny Crawford, Tony Brown, Ron Garretson
April 23
1:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 106, Indiana Pacers 102
Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 36–28, 30–25, 18–25
Pts: LeBron James 33
Rebs: Kevin Love 16
Asts: LeBron James 4
Pts: Lance Stephenson 22
Rebs: Thaddeus Young 10
Asts: Jeff Teague 10
Cleveland wins series, 4–0
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 17,923
Referees: Mike Callahan, David Guthrie, Leon Wood

In Game 1, LeBron James scored 32 points in a close battle; the Pacers came back in the 4th quarter, but C.J. Miles missed a game-winning three, giving the Cavaliers the win. But after winning Game 2, the Cavs were down by as many as 26 points in the first half of Game 3. The Pacers were in control until the Cavs led by James' triple-double of 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists came roaring back in the second half and took the lead late in the fourth quarter. They would end up winning Game 3, 119-114, as they made it one of the largest comebacks in NBA playoff history. With the Pacers holding a 2-point lead with over a minute left in Game 4, James hits the three over Myles Turner, giving the Cavs a one-point lead. Later, Kyle Korver's free throws increases the lead to three. The Pacers had a chance to extend the game, but Paul George missed the three, and James gets the rebound. He would make 1 of the 2 free throws to seal the Cavs' 4-game sweep over the Pacers. Game 4 would be George's final game as a Pacer.

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pacers winning the first meeting.

(3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks

April 15
5:30 PM
Milwaukee Bucks 97, Toronto Raptors 83
Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 16–29, 29–19, 22–13
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 28
Rebs: Greg Monroe 15
Asts: Khris Middleton 9
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 27
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 14
Asts: Kyle Lowry 6
Milwaukee leads series, 1–0
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,133
Referees: Ken Mauer, John Goble, Ed Malloy
April 18
7:00 PM
Milwaukee Bucks 100, Toronto Raptors 106
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 27–27, 31–29, 17–22
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 24
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 15
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 7
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 23
Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 10
Asts: Serge Ibaka 6
Series tied, 1–1
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,077
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy, Mark Lindsay
April 20
8:00 PM
Toronto Raptors 77, Milwaukee Bucks 104
Scoring by quarter: 12–32, 18–25, 16–21, 31–26
Pts: Lowry, Wright 13 each
Rebs: Pöltl, Valančiūnas 7 each
Asts: Cory Joseph 3
Pts: Khris Middleton 20
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 8
Asts: Malcolm Brogdon 9
Milwaukee leads series, 2–1
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 18,717
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Derrick Collins, Zach Zarba
April 22
3:00 PM
Toronto Raptors 87, Milwaukee Bucks 76
Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 22–22, 23–17, 23–18
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 33
Rebs: DeMar DeRozan 9
Asts: DeMar DeRozan 5
Pts: Tony Snell 19
Rebs: Khris Middleton 11
Asts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 4
Series tied, 2–2
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 18,717
Referees: Danny Crawford, Brent Barnaky, Ron Garretson
April 24
7:00 PM
Milwaukee Bucks 93, Toronto Raptors 118
Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 28–26, 25–33, 20–28
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 30
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9
Asts: Khris Middleton 6
Pts: Norman Powell 25
Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 7
Asts: Kyle Lowry 10
Toronto leads series, 3–2
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,251
Referees: James Capers, Pat Fraher, Courtney Kirkland
April 27
7:00 PM
Toronto Raptors 92, Milwaukee Bucks 89
Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 23–14, 23–23, 18–28
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 32
Rebs: Serge Ibaka 11
Asts: Kyle Lowry 4
Pts: Giannis Antetokounmpo 34
Rebs: Giannis Antetokounmpo 9
Asts: Khris Middleton 5
Toronto wins series, 4–2
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 18,717
Referees: Marc Davis, Tony Brothers, Rodney Mott

This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Bucks.[20]

(4) Washington Wizards vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

April 16
1:00 PM
Atlanta Hawks 107, Washington Wizards 114
Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 19–20, 28–38, 31–31
Pts: Dennis Schröder 25
Rebs: Dwight Howard 14
Asts: Dennis Schröder 9
Pts: John Wall 32
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 10
Asts: John Wall 14
Washington leads series, 1–0
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Derrick Collins, Zach Zarba
April 19
7:00 PM
Atlanta Hawks 101, Washington Wizards 109
Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 19–28, 35–23, 23–35
Pts: Paul Millsap 27
Rebs: Paul Millsap 10
Asts: Dennis Schröder 9
Pts: John Wall 32
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 10
Asts: John Wall 9
Washington leads series, 2–0
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Marc Davis, Sean Corbin, David Guthrie
April 22
5:30 PM
Washington Wizards 98, Atlanta Hawks 116
Scoring by quarter: 20–38, 26–26, 21–26, 31–26
Pts: John Wall 29
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 8
Asts: John Wall 7
Pts: Paul Millsap 29
Rebs: Paul Millsap 14
Asts: Dennis Schröder 9
Washington leads series, 2–1
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 18,866
Referees: James Capers, Kane Fitzgerald, Pat Fraher
April 24
8:00 PM
Washington Wizards 101, Atlanta Hawks 111
Scoring by quarter: 35–28, 15–31, 27–18, 24–34
Pts: Bradley Beal 32
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 18
Asts: John Wall 10
Pts: Paul Millsap 19
Rebs: Dwight Howard 15
Asts: Bazemore, Millsap 7 each
Series tied, 2–2
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 18,676
Referees: Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Leroy Richardson
April 26
6:00 PM
Atlanta Hawks 99, Washington Wizards 103
Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 24–27, 30–33, 20–20
Pts: Dennis Schröder 29
Rebs: Paul Millsap 11
Asts: Dennis Schröder 11
Pts: Bradley Beal 27
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 10
Asts: John Wall 14
Washington leads series, 3–2
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Monty McCutchen, James Williams, Sean Wright
April 28
7:30 PM
Washington Wizards 115, Atlanta Hawks 99
Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 35–23, 24–36, 26–17
Pts: John Wall 42
Rebs: Morris, Porter 8 each
Asts: John Wall 8
Pts: Paul Millsap 31
Rebs: Paul Millsap 10
Asts: Dennis Schröder 10
Washington wins series, 4–2
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 18,849
Referees: Danny Crawford, John Goble, Bill Spooner

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Wizards/Bullets winning three of the first five meetings.

Western Conference first round

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers

April 16
3:30 PM
Portland Trail Blazers 109, Golden State Warriors 121
Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 29–24, 32–32, 21–33
Pts: CJ McCollum 41
Rebs: Evan Turner 10
Asts: Turner, Vonleh 4 each
Pts: Kevin Durant 32
Rebs: Draymond Green 12
Asts: Draymond Green 9
Golden State leads series, 1–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, Ron Garretson
April 19
10:30 PM
Portland Trail Blazers 81, Golden State Warriors 110
Scoring by quarter: 17–33, 29–22, 12–28, 23–27
Pts: Maurice Harkless 15
Rebs: Maurice Harkless 8
Asts: Evan Turner 7
Pts: Stephen Curry 19
Rebs: Draymond Green 12
Asts: Draymond Green 10
Golden State leads series, 2–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Michael Smith
April 22
10:30 PM
Golden State Warriors 119, Portland Trail Blazers 113
Scoring by quarter: 30–37, 24–30, 33–21, 32–25
Pts: Stephen Curry 34
Rebs: Draymond Green 8
Asts: Stephen Curry 8
Pts: CJ McCollum 32
Rebs: Jusuf Nurkić 8
Asts: Lillard, Nurkić 4 each
Golden State leads series, 3–0
Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 20,177
Referees: Ken Mauer, Leroy Richardson, Zach Zarba
April 24
10:30 PM
Golden State Warriors 128, Portland Trail Blazers 103
Scoring by quarter: 45–22, 27–26, 34–32, 22–23
Pts: Stephen Curry 37
Rebs: Curry, Pachulia 7 each
Asts: Stephen Curry 8
Pts: Damian Lillard 34
Rebs: Noah Vonleh 14
Asts: Damian Lillard 6
Golden State wins series, 4–0
Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 19,902
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Bennie Adams, Sean Wright

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with Golden State winning the first meeting in 2016.[22]

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies

April 15
8:00 PM
Memphis Grizzlies 82, San Antonio Spurs 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 19–27, 15–32, 18–27
Pts: Marc Gasol 32
Rebs: Conley, Gasol 5 each
Asts: Mike Conley 7
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 32
Rebs: Dewayne Dedmon 8
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 5
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Josh Tiven
April 17
9:30 PM
Memphis Grizzlies 82, San Antonio Spurs 96
Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 21–27, 28–19, 17–21
Pts: Mike Conley 24
Rebs: Zach Randolph 10
Asts: Mike Conley 8
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 37
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 11
Asts: Ginóbili, Mills 3 each
San Antonio leads series, 2–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Danny Crawford, Rodney Mott, Bill Spooner
April 20
9:30 PM
San Antonio Spurs 94, Memphis Grizzlies 105
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 25–29, 17–31, 31–24
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 18
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 11
Asts: three players 3 each
Pts: Mike Conley 24
Rebs: Zach Randolph 8
Asts: Mike Conley 8
San Antonio leads series, 2–1
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: James Capers, Pat Fraher, Courtney Kirkland
April 22
8:00 PM
San Antonio Spurs 108, Memphis Grizzlies 110 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 25–32, 20–19, 25–22, Overtime: 12–14
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 43
Rebs: Pau Gasol 11
Asts: Tony Parker 5
Pts: Mike Conley 35
Rebs: Marc Gasol 12
Asts: Mike Conley 8
Series tied, 2–2
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Bennie Adams, John Goble
April 25
9:00 PM
Memphis Grizzlies 103, San Antonio Spurs 116
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 26–32, 27–32, 27–29
Pts: Mike Conley 26
Rebs: Marc Gasol 7
Asts: Zach Randolph 6
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 28
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 9
Asts: Leonard, Parker 6 each
San Antonio leads series, 3–2
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Mike Callahan, Tony Brothers, Derrick Collins
April 27
9:30 PM
San Antonio Spurs 103, Memphis Grizzlies 96
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 21–28, 30–24, 28–22
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 28
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 12
Asts: Leonard, Parker 4 each
Pts: Mike Conley 26
Rebs: Zach Randolph 11
Asts: Marc Gasol 6
San Antonio wins series, 4–2
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 18,119
Referees: Scott Foster, Brian Forte, Zach Zarba

In game 4, Marc Gasol hits the game winning shot with 0.7 seconds left in overtime.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with San Antonio winning three of the four meetings.

(3) Houston Rockets vs. (6) Oklahoma City Thunder

April 16
9:00 PM
Oklahoma City Thunder 87, Houston Rockets 118
Scoring by quarter: 29–27, 25–32, 20–30, 13–29
Pts: Russell Westbrook 22
Rebs: Russell Westbrook 11
Asts: Russell Westbrook 7
Pts: James Harden 37
Rebs: Ryan Anderson 12
Asts: James Harden 9
Houston leads series, 1–0
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,055
Referees: James Capers, Courtney Kirkland, Sean Wright
April 19
8:00 PM
Oklahoma City Thunder 111, Houston Rockets 115
Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 33–36, 21–24, 22–29
Pts: Russell Westbrook 51
Rebs: Russell Westbrook 10
Asts: Russell Westbrook 13
Pts: James Harden 35
Rebs: Clint Capela 10
Asts: James Harden 8
Houston leads series, 2–0
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,055
Referees: Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte, Tony Brothers
April 21
9:30 PM
Houston Rockets 113, Oklahoma City Thunder 115
Scoring by quarter: 25–34, 33–31, 25–28, 30–22
Pts: James Harden 44
Rebs: Patrick Beverley 7
Asts: James Harden 6
Pts: Russell Westbrook 32
Rebs: Russell Westbrook 13
Asts: Russell Westbrook 11
Houston leads series, 2–1
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Scott Foster, Mark Lindsay, Tom Washington
April 23
3:30 PM
Houston Rockets 113, Oklahoma City Thunder 109
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 32–32, 19–19, 40–32
Pts: Nenê 28
Rebs: Nenê 10
Asts: James Harden 8
Pts: Russell Westbrook 35
Rebs: Russell Westbrook 14
Asts: Russell Westbrook 14
Houston leads series, 3–1
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Attendance: 18,203
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Brian Forte, Josh Tiven
April 25
8:00 PM
Oklahoma City Thunder 99, Houston Rockets 105
Scoring by quarter: 22–16, 22–35, 33–21, 22–33
Pts: Russell Westbrook 47
Rebs: Russell Westbrook 11
Asts: Russell Westbrook 9
Pts: James Harden 34
Rebs: Clint Capela 9
Asts: James Harden 4
Houston wins series, 4–1
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,055
Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, Zach Zarba

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Thunder/SuperSonics winning six of the first seven meetings.

(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Utah Jazz

April 15
10:30 PM
Utah Jazz 97, Los Angeles Clippers 95
Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 30–28, 22–18, 23–25
Pts: Joe Johnson 21
Rebs: Gordon Hayward 10
Asts: Boris Diaw 6
Pts: Blake Griffin 26
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 15
Asts: Chris Paul 11
Utah leads series, 1–0
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,060
Referees: Danny Crawford, Rodney Mott, Bill Spooner

In Game 1, Joe Johnson hits the game-winner at the buzzer.

April 18
10:30 PM
Utah Jazz 91, Los Angeles Clippers 99
Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 24–22, 28–28, 21–20
Pts: Gordon Hayward 20
Rebs: Favors, Hill 7 each
Asts: George Hill 4
Pts: Blake Griffin 24
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 15
Asts: Chris Paul 10
Series tied, 1–1
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,060
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Kane Fitzgerald, Pat Fraher
April 21
10:00 PM
Los Angeles Clippers 111, Utah Jazz 106
Scoring by quarter: 21–34, 28–24, 33–26, 29–22
Pts: Chris Paul 34
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 13
Asts: Chris Paul 10
Pts: Gordon Hayward 40
Rebs: Gordon Hayward 8
Asts: Joe Ingles 5
LA Clippers lead series, 2–1
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Mike Callahan, Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis
April 23
9:00 PM
Los Angeles Clippers 98, Utah Jazz 105
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 26–31, 28–22, 18–28
Pts: Chris Paul 27
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 10
Asts: Chris Paul 12
Pts: Joe Johnson 28
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 13
Asts: Joe Ingles 11
Series tied, 2–2
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Marc Davis, Bill Kennedy, James Williams
April 25
10:30 PM
Utah Jazz 96, Los Angeles Clippers 92
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 27–22, 18–15, 32–34
Pts: Gordon Hayward 27
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 11
Asts: George Hill 7
Pts: Chris Paul 28
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 12
Asts: Chris Paul 9
Utah leads series, 3–2
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,171
Referees: Scott Foster, Ron Garretson, John Goble
April 28
10:30 PM
Los Angeles Clippers 98, Utah Jazz 93
Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 27–23, 31–25, 20–23
Pts: Chris Paul 29
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 18
Asts: Chris Paul 8
Pts: Gordon Hayward 31
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 9
Asts: Gordon Hayward 4
Series tied, 3–3
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Monty McCutchen, James Capers, Tom Washington
April 30
3:30 PM
Utah Jazz 104, Los Angeles Clippers 91
Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 22–15, 33–24, 25–28
Pts: Gordon Hayward 26
Rebs: Derrick Favors 11
Asts: Hill, Johnson 5 each
Pts: DeAndre Jordan 24
Rebs: DeAndre Jordan 17
Asts: Chris Paul 9
Utah wins series, 4–3
  • Game 7 is Paul Pierce's final NBA game. It is also Chris Paul's final game with the Clippers before being traded to the Rockets during the offseason.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the previous two meetings.

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Washington Wizards

April 30
1:00 PM
Washington Wizards 111, Boston Celtics 123
Scoring by quarter: 38–24, 26–35, 16–36, 31–28
Pts: Bradley Beal 27
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 13
Asts: John Wall 16
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 33
Rebs: Al Horford 9
Asts: Al Horford 10
Boston leads series, 1–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Scott Foster, Courtney Kirkland, Zach Zarba
May 2
8:00 PM
Washington Wizards 119, Boston Celtics 129 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 42–29, 25–35, 22–20, 25–30Overtime: 5–15
Pts: John Wall 40
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 10
Asts: John Wall 13
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 53
Rebs: Al Horford 12
Asts: Marcus Smart 5
Boston leads series, 2–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Marc Davis, Rodney Mott, Tom Washington
May 4
8:00 PM
Boston Celtics 89, Washington Wizards 116
Scoring by quarter: 17–39, 23–24, 29–32, 20–21
Pts: Al Horford 16
Rebs: Jae Crowder 7
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 4
Pts: John Wall 24
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 16
Asts: John Wall 8
Boston leads series, 2–1
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brown, James Capers
May 7
6:30 PM
Boston Celtics 102, Washington Wizards 121
Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 24–28, 20–42, 34–31
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 19
Rebs: Crowder, Rozier 7 each
Asts: Marcus Smart 6
Pts: Bradley Beal 29
Rebs: Markieff Morris 10
Asts: John Wall 12
Series tied, 2–2
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Danny Crawford, Sean Corbin, Ron Garretson
May 10
8:00 PM
Washington Wizards 101, Boston Celtics 123
Scoring by quarter: 21–33, 30–34, 25–26, 25–30
Pts: John Wall 21
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 11
Asts: three players 4 each
Pts: Avery Bradley 29
Rebs: Marcus Smart 11
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 9
Boston leads series, 3–2
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Mike Callahan, Ed Malloy, Sean Wright
May 12
8:00 PM
Boston Celtics 91, Washington Wizards 92
Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 25–19, 27–25, 22–26
Pts: Bradley, Thomas 27 each
Rebs: Kelly Olynyk 8
Asts: Jae Crowder 8
Pts: Bradley Beal 33
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 13
Asts: John Wall 8
Series tied, 3–3
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,356
Referees: Ken Mauer, Tony Brothers, John Goble
  • In Game 6, John Wall hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left.
May 15
8:00 PM
Washington Wizards 105, Boston Celtics 115
Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 32–26, 24–32, 26–30
Pts: Bradley Beal 38
Rebs: Marcin Gortat 11
Asts: John Wall 11
Pts: Isaiah Thomas 29
Rebs: Horford, Smart 6 each
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 12
Boston wins series, 4–3
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Zach Zarba

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning two of the first three meetings. Memorably, during the first quarter of Game 1, Isaiah Thomas was struck in the mouth by the elbow of Otto Porter, immediately knocking out one tooth, and causing further damage to his mouth. As Porter prepared to shoot a pair of free throws, Thomas calmly retrieved and pocketed his fallen tooth, then hit two three-point field goals in the following two minutes, before being pulled from the game for medical attention. Thomas went on to play the entire seven-game series, including a 53-point effort to lead his team to an overtime victory in game 2, all while wearing temporary protection in his mouth. He underwent extensive oral surgery after the playoffs to mitigate the damage.

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Toronto Raptors

May 1
7:00 PM
Toronto Raptors 105, Cleveland Cavaliers 116
Scoring by quarter: 18–30, 30–32, 26–34, 31–20
Pts: Kyle Lowry 20
Rebs: P. J. Tucker 11
Asts: Kyle Lowry 11
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Tristan Thompson 14
Asts: Kyrie Irving 10
Cleveland leads series, 1–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eric Lewis, Derrick Stafford
May 3
7:00 PM
Toronto Raptors 103, Cleveland Cavaliers 125
Scoring by quarter: 22–34, 26–28, 25–37, 30–26
Pts: Jonas Valančiūnas 23
Rebs: Cory Joseph 6
Asts: Kyle Lowry 5
Pts: LeBron James 39
Rebs: Tristan Thompson 9
Asts: Kyrie Irving 11
Cleveland leads series, 2–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Danny Crawford, Sean Corbin, Sean Wright
May 5
7:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 115, Toronto Raptors 94
Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 21–28, 30–25, 36–17
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Kevin Love 13
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: DeMar DeRozan 37
Rebs: Jonas Valančiūnas 8
Asts: Cory Joseph 6
Cleveland leads series, 3–0
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,384
Referees: Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald, Bill Kennedy
May 7
3:30 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Toronto Raptors 102
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 33–21, 24–31, 24–22
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: LeBron James 9
Asts: Kyrie Irving 9
Pts: Serge Ibaka 23
Rebs: P. J. Tucker 12
Asts: Cory Joseph 12
Cleveland wins series, 4–0
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,307
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Pat Fraher

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with Cleveland winning the first meeting in 2016.[27]

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Utah Jazz

May 2
10:30 PM
Utah Jazz 94, Golden State Warriors 106
Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 25–31, 27–26, 21–22
Pts: Rudy Gobert 13
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 13
Asts: three players 4 each
Pts: Stephen Curry 22
Rebs: Draymond Green 8
Asts: David West 7
Golden State leads series, 1–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Mike Callahan, John Goble, David Guthrie
May 4
10:30 PM
Utah Jazz 104, Golden State Warriors 115
Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 32–27, 35–32, 22–23
Pts: Gordon Hayward 33
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 16
Asts: Hayward, Mack 4 each
Pts: Kevin Durant 25
Rebs: Kevin Durant 11
Asts: Curry, Durant 7 each
Golden State leads series, 2–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Derrick Collins, Zach Zarba
May 6
8:30 PM
Golden State Warriors 102, Utah Jazz 91
Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 22–33, 23–20, 30–21
Pts: Kevin Durant 38
Rebs: Kevin Durant 13
Asts: Draymond Green 5
Pts: Gordon Hayward 29
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 15
Asts: Gordon Hayward 6
Golden State leads series, 3–0
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennie Adams, Ed Malloy
May 8
9:00 PM
Golden State Warriors 121, Utah Jazz 95
Scoring by quarter: 39–17, 21–35, 33–27, 28–16
Pts: Stephen Curry 30
Rebs: Draymond Green 10
Asts: Draymond Green 11
Pts: Gordon Hayward 25
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 13
Asts: Hayward, Ingles 3 each
Golden State wins series, 4–0
Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 19,911
Referees: Monty McCutchen, James Capers, James Williams
  • This was Gordon Hayward's last game in Utah as he joined the Boston Celtics during the following offseason.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning two of the first three meetings.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Houston Rockets

May 1
9:30 PM
Houston Rockets 126, San Antonio Spurs 99
Scoring by quarter: 34–23, 35–16, 27–28, 30–32
Pts: Trevor Ariza 23
Rebs: Clint Capela 13
Asts: James Harden 14
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 21
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 11
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 6
Houston leads series, 1–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy, Josh Tiven
May 3
9:30 PM
Houston Rockets 96, San Antonio Spurs 121
Scoring by quarter: 30–33, 25–32, 28–23, 13–33
Pts: Ryan Anderson 18
Rebs: Ryan Anderson 8
Asts: James Harden 10
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 34
Rebs: Pau Gasol 13
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 8
Series tied, 1–1
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Bill Spooner
May 5
9:30 PM
San Antonio Spurs 103, Houston Rockets 92
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 24–18, 29–27, 31–26
Pts: Aldridge, Leonard 26 each
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 10
Asts: Kawhi Leonard 7
Pts: James Harden 43
Rebs: Clint Capela 16
Asts: Ariza, Harden 5 each
San Antonio leads series, 2–1
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,187
Referees: Danny Crawford, Marc Davis, Brian Forte
May 7
9:00 PM
San Antonio Spurs 104, Houston Rockets 125
Scoring by quarter: 22–34, 31–23, 23–34, 28–34
Pts: Jonathon Simmons 17
Rebs: Pau Gasol 7
Asts: Patty Mills 5
Pts: James Harden 28
Rebs: Clint Capela 9
Asts: James Harden 12
Series tied, 2–2
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,055
Referees: Mike Callahan, John Goble, Sean Wright
May 9
8:00 PM
Houston Rockets 107, San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 29–32, 31–26, 25–28, 16–15, Overtime: 6–9
Pts: James Harden 33
Rebs: Capela, Harden 11 each
Asts: James Harden 10
Pts: Kawhi Leonard 22
Rebs: Kawhi Leonard 15
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5
San Antonio leads series, 3–2
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,418
Referees: Derrick Stafford, Rodney Mott, Zach Zarba
May 11
8:00 PM
San Antonio Spurs 114, Houston Rockets 75
Scoring by quarter: 31–24, 30–18, 26–22, 27–11
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 34
Rebs: LaMarcus Aldridge 12
Asts: Patty Mills 7
Pts: Trevor Ariza 20
Rebs: Clint Capela 12
Asts: James Harden 7
San Antonio wins series, 4–2
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 18,055
Referees: Scott Foster, James Capers, Ron Garretson

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first three meetings.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers

May 17
8:30 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 117, Boston Celtics 104
Scoring by quarter: 30–19, 31–20, 31–36, 25–29
Pts: LeBron James 38
Rebs: Kevin Love 12
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Bradley, Crowder 21 each
Rebs: Jaylen Brown 9
Asts: Isaiah Thomas 10
Cleveland leads series, 1–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Mike Callahan, John Goble, Sean Wright
May 19
8:30 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 130, Boston Celtics 86
Scoring by quarter: 32–18, 40–13, 31–28, 27–27
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: Kevin Love 12
Asts: LeBron James 7
Pts: Jaylen Brown 19
Rebs: three players 5 each
Asts: Marcus Smart 7
Cleveland leads series, 2–0
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Ron Garretson
  • This was Isaiah Thomas' last game in Boston as a hip injury would not allow him to dress for the remainder of the playoffs. He and teammate Jae Crowder would be traded to the Cavaliers during the following offseason.
May 21
8:00 PM
Boston Celtics 111, Cleveland Cavaliers 108
Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 26–31, 32–21, 29–21
Pts: Marcus Smart 27
Rebs: Jae Crowder 11
Asts: Marcus Smart 7
Pts: Kyrie Irving 29
Rebs: Tristan Thompson 13
Asts: Kyrie Irving 7
Cleveland leads series, 2–1
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Danny Crawford, Marc Davis, David Guthrie
  • In Game 3, Avery Bradley hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left.
May 23
8:30 PM
Boston Celtics 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 112
Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 28–28, 23–40, 19–25
Pts: Avery Bradley 19
Rebs: Jae Crowder 8
Asts: Al Horford 7
Pts: Kyrie Irving 42
Rebs: Kevin Love 17
Asts: LeBron James 6
Cleveland leads series, 3–1
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Pat Fraher, Derrick Stafford
May 25
8:30 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 135, Boston Celtics 102
Scoring by quarter: 43–27, 32–30, 34–17, 26–28
Pts: LeBron James 35
Rebs: Kevin Love 11
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Avery Bradley 23
Rebs: Jae Crowder 6
Asts: Terry Rozier 7
Cleveland wins series, 4–1
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 18,624
Referees: Ken Mauer, Kane Fitzgerald, Ed Malloy

This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning four of the first six meetings.

Western Conference finals

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs

May 14
3:30 PM
San Antonio Spurs 111, Golden State Warriors 113
Scoring by quarter: 30–16, 32–26, 28–39, 21–32
Pts: LaMarcus Aldridge 28
Rebs: Aldridge, Leonard 8 each
Asts: three players 3 each
Pts: Stephen Curry 40
Rebs: Zaza Pachulia 9
Asts: Draymond Green 7
Golden State leads series, 1–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Danny Crawford, Marc Davis, Tom Washington
May 16
9:00 PM
San Antonio Spurs 100, Golden State Warriors 136
Scoring by quarter: 16–33, 28–39, 31–34, 25–30
Pts: Jonathon Simmons 22
Rebs: Dewayne Dedmon 9
Asts: Dejounte Murray 6
Pts: Stephen Curry 29
Rebs: Draymond Green 9
Asts: Stephen Curry 7
Golden State leads series, 2–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Ken Mauer, Kane Fitzgerald, Ed Malloy
May 20
9:00 PM
Golden State Warriors 120, San Antonio Spurs 108
Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 35–22, 36–33, 20–20
Pts: Kevin Durant 33
Rebs: Kevin Durant 10
Asts: Draymond Green 7
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 21
Rebs: Pau Gasol 10
Asts: Patty Mills 6
Golden State leads series, 3–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,792
Referees: Monty McCutchen, James Capers, Bill Kennedy
May 22
9:00 PM
Golden State Warriors 129, San Antonio Spurs 115
Scoring by quarter: 31–19, 34–32, 31–27, 33–37
Pts: Stephen Curry 36
Rebs: Kevin Durant 12
Asts: Draymond Green 8
Pts: Kyle Anderson 20
Rebs: Pau Gasol 9
Asts: Ginóbili, Murray 7 each
Golden State wins series, 4–0
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,466
Referees: Mike Callahan, Sean Corbin, Zach Zarba

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series. San Antonio led by as many as 25 points in Game 1 before Kawhi Leonard had to leave the game and the series after he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot, re-aggravating his existing ankle injury.

2017 NBA Finals: (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors

June 1
9:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Golden State Warriors 113
Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 22–25, 20–33, 19–20
Pts: LeBron James 28
Rebs: Kevin Love 21
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Kevin Durant 38
Rebs: Draymond Green 11
Asts: Stephen Curry 10
Golden State leads series, 1–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Danny Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Zach Zarba
June 4
8:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 113, Golden State Warriors 132
Scoring by quarter: 34–40, 30–27, 24–35, 25–30
Pts: LeBron James 29
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: LeBron James 14
Pts: Kevin Durant 33
Rebs: Kevin Durant 13
Asts: Stephen Curry 11
Golden State leads series, 2–0
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, James Capers
June 7
9:00 PM
Golden State Warriors 118, Cleveland Cavaliers 113
Scoring by quarter: 39–32, 28–29, 22–33, 29–19
Pts: Kevin Durant 31
Rebs: Stephen Curry 13
Asts: Draymond Green 7
Pts: LeBron James 39
Rebs: Kevin Love 13
Asts: LeBron James 9
Golden State leads series, 3–0
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Ed Malloy, Ken Mauer
June 9
9:00 PM
Golden State Warriors 116, Cleveland Cavaliers 137
Scoring by quarter: 33–49, 35–37, 28–29, 20–22
Pts: Kevin Durant 35
Rebs: Draymond Green 14
Asts: Stephen Curry 10
Pts: Kyrie Irving 40
Rebs: James, Thompson 10 each
Asts: LeBron James 11
Golden State leads series, 3–1
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Mike Callahan, Marc Davis, John Goble
June 12
9:00 PM
Cleveland Cavaliers 120, Golden State Warriors 129
Scoring by quarter: 37–33, 23–38, 33–27, 27–31
Pts: LeBron James 41
Rebs: LeBron James 13
Asts: LeBron James 8
Pts: Kevin Durant 39
Rebs: Draymond Green 12
Asts: Stephen Curry 10
Golden State wins series, 4–1
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Attendance: 19,596
Referees: Danny Crawford, Ed Malloy, Derrick Stafford

This was the third meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers with each team winning one series.

Statistical leaders

Category Game High Average
Player Team High Player Team Avg. GP
Points Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics 53 Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 37.4 5
Rebounds Kevin Love Cleveland Cavaliers 21 DeAndre Jordan Los Angeles Clippers 14.4 7
Assists John Wall Washington Wizards 16 Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 10.8 5
Steals Thaddeus Young
Kawhi Leonard
Stephen Curry
Kevin Love
Indiana Pacers
San Antonio Spurs
Golden State Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers
6 Russell Westbrook
André Roberson
Oklahoma City Thunder 2.40 5
Blocks Draymond Green Golden State Warriors 6 André Roberson Oklahoma City Thunder 3.40 5

Media coverage

Television

ESPN, TNT, ABC, ESPN2 and NBA TV broadcast the 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 selected games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV and ESPN2 has aired select weekday games in the first round. TNT televised the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was televised on ABC, while Games 2 through 4 were televised on ESPN. ABC had exclusive television rights to the NBA Finals for the 15th consecutive year.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Kyrie Irving scores 46 and Cavs clinch playoff berth in 125-120 win over Lakers". Cleveland.com. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  2. ^ "Playoff bound! Boston Celtics clinch postseason berth". Wcvb.com. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  3. ^ "Celtics clinch No. 1 seed in East, beat Bucks 112-94". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "James, Cavs score 112-105 victory over Hornets; clinch Central Division title". Fox8.com. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "Raptors clinch Eastern playoff spot with win over Mavs". Thestar.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ^ "Wizards beat Lakers 119-108 to clinch division title". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Warriors cruise past Nets without Kevin Durant to secure a playoff berth". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "Warriors Clinch Pacific Division Title". Warriors.com. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Golden State Warriors clinch West's No. 1 seed for third consecutive season". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  10. ^ "Kawhi Leonard helps Spurs beat Timberwolves in OT". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "Russ Registers 39th TD But Spurs Clinch Comeback Victory; DeRozan Powers Raptors". India.NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "Houston Rockets Clinch Playoff Berth". Spacecityscoop.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "Clippers clinch playoff berth with 108-95 victory over Jazz". ESPN.com. March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  14. ^ "Utah Jazz Clinch Playoff Berth with Nuggets' Loss to Pelicans". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  15. ^ "Oklahoma City Thunder Clinch Playoff Berth With Victory Over Magic". Bleacherreport.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "Grizzlies clinch playoff spot with 99-90 win over Mavericks". ESPN.com. March 31, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  17. ^ Holdahl, Casey. "Trail Blazers Clinch 8th Seed With Nuggets Loss, Will Face Warriors In First Round". Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Thomsen, Ian. "Sister of Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas killed in one-car accident | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  19. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  20. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Toronto Raptors versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  21. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  23. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  24. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  25. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  26. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  27. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Toronto Raptors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  28. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  29. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  30. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  31. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  32. ^ "Golden State Warriors versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  33. ^ "2017 NBA PLAYOFFS TV SCHEDULE ON ESPN, ABC, TNT AND NBA TV". Sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.

External links