1996 NBA Playoffs















1996 NBA playoffs

1996NBAPlayoffs.png
Dates
April 25–June 16, 1996
Season
1995–96
Teams
16
Champions
Chicago Bulls (4th title)
Runners-up
Seattle SuperSonics (3rd finals appearance)
Semifinalists
  • Orlando Magic

  • Utah Jazz





The 1996 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995–96 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a record fourth time.


By winning their fourth title, the Bulls capped what many consider to be the greatest season in NBA history, as they finished a record 72–10 in the regular season, eclipsing the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers record of 69–13, helped by the addition of another future Hall of Famer to the Bulls, Dennis Rodman. It was also redemption for Jordan after his first return to the playoffs in 1995 and the Bulls' disappointing second-round loss to the Orlando Magic, a team that would be swept in the NBA Finals. With him leading the way, the Bulls swept the defending Eastern Conference champion Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning the four games by an average of 17 points en route to a combined record of 87–13 in regular season and postseason play. As for the Magic, it ended a three-year run of dominance for the team, as Shaquille O'Neal went on to sign with the Lakers the following season. The Magic did not have another 50-win season, division title and first round playoff series victory until 2008, followed the season afterward by an Eastern Conference championship and the franchise's second NBA Finals appearance in 2009 to which they lost to the Lakers.


The SuperSonics were only the tenth team in NBA history to win 64 games during the regular season, but their feat went largely unnoticed due to Chicago's record 72 wins. They made their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1979, and vindicated them as well after their stunning first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets in 1994, when they had become the first #1 seed to lose to an eighth-seed.


This was the Sacramento Kings' first playoff appearance since 1986, but would be Mitch Richmond's only one as a King (he previously appeared twice in the playoffs for the Golden State Warriors in 1989 and 1991). The Kings did not make it back until 1999, which began their seven-year string of playoff appearances. Richmond would be traded to the Wizards in 1998 and would later win his first and only championship with the Lakers in 2002 (he would retire shortly thereafter).


As for the two-time defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, their quest for a 3-peat was thwarted by Seattle. The Sonics swept the Rockets 4-0 in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Sonics were also the last team to defeat the Rockets in the playoffs before their two-year title run, in the 1993 Western Conference Semifinals (Seattle won 4–3). Also noted during their two-year title run, Houston never had to face Seattle in the playoffs as the Sonics were eliminated in the first round by both the Nuggets and the Lakers respectively.


After the Lakers' first round loss to Houston, Magic Johnson retired for good after a brief in-season comeback.


Though the Utah Jazz fell in 7 to the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals (their third appearance in 5 years), in retrospect it kickstarted their own Finals run, which they ultimately accomplished in 1997 and 1998, but lost both times to the Bulls.




Contents





  • 1 Bracket


  • 2 Playoff qualifying

    • 2.1 Western Conference

      • 2.1.1 Best record in conference


      • 2.1.2 Clinched a playoff berth



    • 2.2 Eastern Conference

      • 2.2.1 Best record in NBA


      • 2.2.2 Clinched a playoff berth




  • 3 Notes


  • 4 Western Conference

    • 4.1 First Round

      • 4.1.1 (1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (8) Sacramento Kings


      • 4.1.2 (4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets


      • 4.1.3 (3) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers


      • 4.1.4 (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Phoenix Suns



    • 4.2 Conference Semifinals

      • 4.2.1 (1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Houston Rockets


      • 4.2.2 (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Utah Jazz



    • 4.3 Conference Finals

      • 4.3.1 (1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Utah Jazz




  • 5 Eastern Conference

    • 5.1 First Round

      • 5.1.1 (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Miami Heat


      • 5.1.2 (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) New York Knicks


      • 5.1.3 (3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks


      • 5.1.4 (2) Orlando Magic vs. (7) Detroit Pistons



    • 5.2 Conference Semifinals

      • 5.2.1 (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) New York Knicks


      • 5.2.2 (2) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks



    • 5.3 Conference Finals

      • 5.3.1 (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Orlando Magic




  • 6 NBA Finals

    • 6.1 Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics



  • 7 References


  • 8 External links




Bracket









































































































































































































 
First Round

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

NBA Finals
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


1

Seattle

3
 


8
Sacramento
1
 

 

1

Seattle

4
 



 

5
Houston
0
 


4
LA Lakers
1



5

Houston

3
 


 

1

Seattle

4
 


Western Conference

 

3
Utah
3
 


3

Utah

3
 



6
Portland
2
 

 

3

Utah

4



 

2
San Antonio
2
 


2

San Antonio

3



7
Phoenix
1
 


 

W1
Seattle
2




 

E1

Chicago

4


1

Chicago

3
 



8
Miami
0
 

 

1

Chicago

4



 

5
New York
1
 


4
Cleveland
0



5

New York

3
 


 

1

Chicago

4


Eastern Conference

 

2
Orlando
0
 


3
Indiana
2
 



6

Atlanta

3
 

 

6
Atlanta
1



 

2

Orlando

4
 


2

Orlando

3



7
Detroit
0
 




Playoff qualifying



Western Conference



Best record in conference


The Seattle SuperSonics clinched the best record in the Western Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.



Clinched a playoff berth


The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:



  1. Seattle SuperSonics (clinched Pacific division)


  2. San Antonio Spurs (clinched Midwest division)

  3. Utah Jazz

  4. Los Angeles Lakers


  5. Houston Rockets 2-time defending NBA Champions

  6. Portland Trail Blazers

  7. Phoenix Suns

  8. Sacramento Kings


Eastern Conference



Best record in NBA


The Chicago Bulls clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs.



Clinched a playoff berth


The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:



  1. Chicago Bulls (clinched Central division)


  2. Orlando Magic (clinched Atlantic division)

  3. Indiana Pacers

  4. Cleveland Cavaliers

  5. New York Knicks

  6. Atlanta Hawks

  7. Detroit Pistons

  8. Miami Heat


Notes


  • For the fourth straight postseason, both #5 seeds beat their #4 seeded opponent in the first round.


Western Conference


Champion: Seattle SuperSonics



First Round



(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (8) Sacramento Kings




















































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(SEA-SAC)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 26

Seattle

97
Sacramento
85
1-0

KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

1
TNT 10:30et
2
April 28
Seattle
81

Sacramento

90
1-1
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

2
TNT 9:00et
3
April 30
Sacramento
89

Seattle

96
2-1

ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California

3
TNT 10:30et
4
May 2
Sacramento
87

Seattle

101
3-1
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California

4
TBS 10:30et
Seattle wins series 3–1

This was the first playoff meeting between the Kings and the SuperSonics.[1]



(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets




















































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(LAL-HOU)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 25
Los Angeles
83

Houston

87
0-1

Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California

1
TNT 10:30et
2
April 27

Los Angeles

104
Houston
94
1-1
Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, California

2
NBC 3:30et
3
April 30

Houston

104
Los Angeles
98
1-2

The Summit, Houston, Texas

3
TBS 9:00et
4
May 2

Houston

102
Los Angeles
94
1-3
The Summit, Houston, Texas

4
TNT 9:30et
Houston wins series 3–1

Game 4 is Magic Johnson's final NBA game.



This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece.




(3) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers






























































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(UTAH-POR)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 25

Utah

110
Portland
102
1-0

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

1
TBS 9:30et
2
April 27

Utah

105
Portland
90
2-0
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

2
TNT 10:30et
3*
April 29

Portland

94
Utah
91
2-1

Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon

3
TNT 10:30et
4
May 1

Portland

98
Utah
90
2-2
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon

4
TNT 9:30et
5
May 5

Utah

102
Portland
64
3-2
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

5
NBC 3:00et
Utah wins series 3–2

*Required overtime



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




(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Phoenix Suns




















































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(SAS-PHX)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 26

San Antonio

120
Phoenix
98
1-0

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

1
TNT 8:00et
2
April 28

San Antonio

110
Phoenix
105
2-0
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

2
NBC 3:00et
3
May 1

Phoenix

94
San Antonio
93
2-1

America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

3
TNT 10:30et
4
May 3
Phoenix
98

San Antonio

116
3-1
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

4
TNT 9:00et
San Antonio wins series 3–1

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first two meetings.




Conference Semifinals



(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Houston Rockets




















































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(SEA-HOU)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 4

Seattle

108
Houston
75
1-0

KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

1
NBC 3:30et
2
May 6

Seattle

105
Houston
101
2-0
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

2
TNT 9:00et
3
May 10
Houston
112

Seattle

115
3-0

The Summit, Houston, Texas

3
TNT 9:30et
4*
May 12
Houston
107

Seattle

114
4-0
The Summit, Houston, Texas

4
NBC 3:00et
Seattle wins series 4–0

*Required overtime



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




(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Utah Jazz








































































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(SAS-UTAH)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 7
San Antonio
75

Utah

95
0-1

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

1
TNT 7:00et
2
May 9

San Antonio

88
Utah
77
1-1
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

2
TNT 8:00et
3
May 11

Utah

105
San Antonio
75
1-2

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

3
NBC 3:30et
4
May 12

Utah

101
San Antonio
86
1-3
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

4
TNT 8:30et
5
May 14

San Antonio

98
Utah
87
2-3
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

5
TBS 9:00et
6
May 16

Utah

108
San Antonio
81
2-4
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

6
TNT 9:00et
Utah wins series 4–2

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




Conference Finals



(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Utah Jazz


The SuperSonics led the series 3-1 after an 88–86 victory at the Delta Center in Game 4. However, the Jazz shocked the Sonics in Seattle in Game 5 98-95 and would handily win Game 6 118-83, Seattle's worst playoff loss in team history. Game 7 was a close affair and the Sonics pulled away late to win 90-86 and advance to their first NBA Finals since 1979. This is the most recent conference final played entirely outside of Texas and California.


















































































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(SEA-UTAH)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 18

Seattle

102
Utah
72
1-0

KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

1
NBC 3:30et
2
May 20

Seattle

91
Utah
87
2-0
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

2
TNT 9:00et
3
May 24

Utah

96
Seattle
76
2-1

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

3
NBC 9:00et
4
May 26
Utah
86

Seattle

88
3-1
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

4
NBC 3:30et
5*
May 28
Seattle
95

Utah

98
3-2
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

5
NBC 9:00et
6
May 30

Utah

118
Seattle
83
3-3
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

6
NBC 9:00et
7
June 2

Seattle

90
Utah
86
4-3
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

7
NBC 7:30et
Seattle wins series 4–3

*Required overtime



This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.




Eastern Conference


Champion: Chicago Bulls



First Round



(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Miami Heat










































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(CHI-MIA)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 26

Chicago

102
Miami
85
1-0

United Center, Chicago

1
TBS 9:30et
2
April 28

Chicago

106
Miami
75
2-0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

2
NBC 5:30et
3
May 1
Miami
91

Chicago

112
3-0

Miami Arena, Miami, Florida

3
TNT 8:00et
Chicago wins series 3–0

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




(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) New York Knicks










































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(CLE-NYK)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 25
Cleveland
83

New York

106
0-1

Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

1
TBS 7:00et
2
April 27
Cleveland
80

New York

84
0-2
Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

2
NBC 1:00et
3
May 1

New York

81
Cleveland
76
0-3

Madison Square Garden, New York City

3
TBS 7:00et
New York wins series 3–0

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first two meetings.




(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks






























































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(IND-ATL)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 25
Indiana
80

Atlanta

92
0-1

Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana

1
TNT 8:00et
2*
April 27

Indiana

102
Atlanta
94
1-1
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana

2
TNT 8:00et
3
April 29

Atlanta

90
Indiana
83
1-2

Omni Coliseum, Atlanta

3
TNT 8:00et
4
May 2
Atlanta
75

Indiana

83
2-2
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia

4
TNT 7:00et
5
May 5
Indiana
87

Atlanta

89
2-3
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana

5
NBC 12:30et
Atlanta wins series 3–2

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



*Required overtime



(2) Orlando Magic vs. (7) Detroit Pistons










































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(ORL-DET)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
April 26

Orlando

112
Detroit
92
1-0

Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

1
TBS 7:00et
2
April 28

Orlando

92
Detroit
77
2-0
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

2
NBC 12:30et
3
April 30
Detroit
98

Orlando

101
3-0

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

3
TNT 8:00et
Orlando wins series 3–0

This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Magic.[11]



Conference Semifinals



(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) New York Knicks






























































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(CHI-NYK)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 5

Chicago

91
New York
84
1-0

United Center, Chicago

1
NBC 5:30et
2
May 7

Chicago

91
New York
80
2-0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

2
TNT 9:30et
3*
May 11

New York

102
Chicago
99
2-1

Madison Square Garden, New York City

3
NBC 1:00et
4
May 12
New York
91

Chicago

94
3-1
Madison Square Garden, New York

4
NBC 5:30et
5
May 14

Chicago

94
New York
81
4-1
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

5
TNT 9:30et
Chicago wins series 4–1

*Required overtime


  • In Game 4, Bill Wennington hits the game-winner with 36.9 seconds left.

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




(2) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks






























































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(ORL-ATL)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 8

Orlando

117
Atlanta
95
1-0

Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

1
TNT 8:00et
2
May 10

Orlando

120
Atlanta
94
2-0
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

2
TNT 7:00et
3
May 12
Atlanta
96

Orlando

102
3-0

Omni Coliseum, Atlanta

3
NBC 12:30et
4
May 13

Atlanta

104
Orlando
99
3-1
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia

4
TNT 8:00et
5
May 15

Orlando

96
Atlanta
88
4-1
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

5
TNT 8:00et
Orlando wins series 4–1

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Magic.[13]



Conference Finals



(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Orlando Magic




















































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(CHI-ORL)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
May 19

Chicago

121
Orlando
83
1–0

United Center, Chicago

1
NBC 3:30et
2
May 21

Chicago

93
Orlando
88
2–0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

2
TNT 8:30et
3
May 25
Orlando
67

Chicago

86
3–0

Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

3
NBC 3:30et
4
May 27
Orlando
101

Chicago

106
4–0
Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

4
NBC 3:30et
Chicago wins series 4-0
  • In Game 2, the Bulls overcame an 18-point lead by the Magic to win (64–46).

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




NBA Finals




Chicago Bulls vs. Seattle SuperSonics


  • Seattle battled to a Game 6 after trailing 3-0 in the series, only the second team in NBA Finals history to do so (1951 New York Knicks forced a Game 7).






































































Game
Date
Home
Score
Visitor
Score
Record

(CHI-SEA)


Venue
Recap
Television
1
June 5

Chicago

107
Seattle
90
1-0

United Center, Chicago

1
NBC 9:00et
2
June 7

Chicago

92
Seattle
88
2-0
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

2
NBC 9:00et
3
June 9
Seattle
86

Chicago

108
3-0

KeyArena, Seattle

3
NBC 7:30et
4
June 12

Seattle

107
Chicago
86
3-1
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

4
NBC 9:00et
5
June 14

Seattle

89
Chicago
78
3-2
KeyArena, Seattle, Washington

5
NBC 9:00et
6
June 16

Chicago

87
Seattle
75
4-2
United Center, Chicago, Illinois

6
NBC 7:30et
Chicago wins NBA Finals series 4–2

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the SuperSonics.[15]



References




  1. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  2. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  3. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Portland Trail Blazers versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  4. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  5. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  6. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  7. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Utah Jazz (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  8. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  9. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  10. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  11. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  12. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  13. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  14. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Orlando Magic (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 


  15. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015. 




External links


  • Basketball-Reference.com's 1996 Playoffs section






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