2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2006-07 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Tony Parker was named NBA Finals MVP, making him the first Spur other than Tim Duncan and the first European-born player to receive the award.
Contents
- 1 Seeding
- 2 Playoff qualifying
- 3 Bracket
- 4 Eastern Conference
- 5 Western Conference
- 6 NBA Finals: (W3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers
- 7 Broadcasters
- 8 Notes
- 9 External links
Seeding
The playoffs are conducted in 4 rounds of best-of-7 series. The 3 division winners in each conference, along with the 5 best non-division winners in each conference, qualify for the playoffs. The division winners and top second-place team are seeded 1–4 based on record, with the remaining teams seeded 5–8 on record.
Up until 2006, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the third seed, while the non-division winners could do no better than the fourth seed regardless of record. This was the source of controversy in the 2006 NBA Playoffs, when the 63-win Spurs and 60-win Dallas Mavericks--the teams with the second-best and third-best records in the entire league--met in the conference semifinals. In response, the NBA changed the seeding system so that the teams with the two best records in the conference are guaranteed the top two seeds even if the second-best team isn't a division champion. Meanwhile, the division champions are guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed. This ensures that the teams with the two best records in the conference cannot meet until the conference finals at the earliest.[1]
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
- Detroit Pistons (53 wins, clinched Central division)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (50 wins, best record in the conference outside the division winners)
- Toronto Raptors (47 wins, clinched Atlantic division)
- Miami Heat (44 wins, clinched Southeast division)
- Chicago Bulls (49 wins)
- New Jersey Nets (41 wins)
- Washington Wizards (41 wins)
- Orlando Magic (40 wins)
Western Conference
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
- Dallas Mavericks (67 wins, clinched Southwest division and home-court advantage throughout playoffs)
- Phoenix Suns (61 wins, clinched Pacific division)
- San Antonio Spurs (58 wins, best record in the conference outside the division winners)
- Utah Jazz (51 wins, clinched Northwest division)
- Houston Rockets (52 wins)
- Denver Nuggets (45 wins)
- Los Angeles Lakers (42 wins)
- Golden State Warriors (42 wins)
Bracket
This is the outlook for the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Teams in italics have home court advantage. Teams in bold advance to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original playoffs seeding in their respective conferences. Numbers to the right of each team indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions possess an asterisk (*)
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | *Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Orlando | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | *Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | *Miami | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | *Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New Jersey | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | *Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New Jersey | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | *Dallas | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | *Utah | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | *Utah | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | *Utah | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | *Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | *Phoenix | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Denver | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Notes
- Houston and Chicago had home court advantage in the first round despite being lower seeds. Both teams had better regular season records than their opponents, but did not have the best record of the non-division-champion playoff teams in their respective conferences.
Eastern Conference
First Round
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Orlando Magic
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April 21
7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 92, Detroit Pistons 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 27–23, 24–30, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 17 Rebs: Dwight Howard 19 Asts: Grant Hill 5 |
Pts: Hamilton, Billups 22 each Rebs: Antonio McDyess 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 11 |
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April 23
7:00 pm |
| Orlando Magic 90, Detroit Pistons 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 22–19, 15–24, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Hedo Türkoğlu 22 Rebs: Dwight Howard 11 Asts: Hill, Arroyo 4 each |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard |
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TNT
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April 26
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 93, Orlando Magic 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 25–19, 23–19, 22–16 | ||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 23 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 5 |
Pts: Jameer Nelson 27 Rebs: Dwight Howard 12 Asts: Nelson, Türkoğlu 4 each |
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TNT
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April 28
3:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 97, Orlando Magic 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 25–21, 26–21, 24–26 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 25 Rebs: Chris Webber 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
Pts: Dwight Howard 29 Rebs: Dwight Howard 17 Asts: Hedo Türkoğlu 5 |
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| Detroit wins series, 4–0 | ||
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Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Referees: Tony Brothers, Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2003 Eastern Conference First Round (Detroit won 4–3)
The Orlando Magic's first playoff trip in 4 seasons was short lived as the top ranked Detroit Pistons dispatched the upstart Magic in 4 games. The Pistons recorded their first series sweep since sweeping Indiana in the first round of the 1990 NBA Playoffs. The series was also the first time Orlando forward Grant Hill had appeared in the postseason since leaving Detroit after the 2000 season.
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Washington Wizards
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April 22
12:30 pm |
| Washington Wizards 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 21–21, 26–26, 15–23 | ||
| Pts: Antawn Jamison 28 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 14 Asts: Antonio Daniels 11 |
Pts: Larry Hughes 27 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
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April 25
8:00 pm |
| Washington Wizards 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 25–28, 15–24, 39–34 | ||
| Pts: Antawn Jamison 31 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 10 Asts: Antonio Daniels 11 |
Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: Drew Gooden 14 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Derek Richardson, Greg Willard |
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TNT
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April 28
5:30 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 98, Washington Wizards 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 35–22, 16–31, 21–17 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Drew Gooden 12 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Antawn Jamison 38 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 11 Asts: Antonio Daniels 13 |
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NBA TV
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April 30
7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Washington Wizards 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 22–24, 22–20, 31–23 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 31 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 19 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Antawn Jamison 31 Rebs: Antonio Daniels 6 Asts: Antonio Daniels 12 |
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| Cleveland wins series, 4–0 | ||
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Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Referees: Sean Corbin, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2006 Eastern Conference First Round (Cleveland won 4–2)
A rematch of the previous year's first round series was spoiled when Wizards stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler were both forced out of the playoffs due to injuries received in the later parts of the regular season. Without Arenas and Butler, the Wizards were unable to stop LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers from sweeping them out of the playoffs. It was Cleveland's first playoff sweep in franchise history.
(3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
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April 21
12:30 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 96, Toronto Raptors 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 28–19, 27–24, 18–26 | ||
| Pts: Richard Jefferson 28 Rebs: Jason Kidd 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 15 |
Pts: Chris Bosh 22 Rebs: Radoslav Nesterović 10 Asts: José Calderón 8 |
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April 24
7:00 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 83, Toronto Raptors 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–14, 24–19, 27–25, 20–31 | ||
| Pts: Vince Carter 19 Rebs: Carter, Kidd 11 each Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
Pts: Anthony Parker 26 Rebs: Chris Bosh 13 Asts: T. J. Ford 6 |
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Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster |
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April 27
7:00 pm |
| Toronto Raptors 89, New Jersey Nets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 20–27, 29–21, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: T. J. Ford 27 Rebs: Chris Bosh 11 Asts: T. J. Ford 8 |
Pts: Vince Carter 37 Rebs: Jason Kidd 16 Asts: Jason Kidd 19 |
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich |
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April 29
7:30 pm |
| Toronto Raptors 81, New Jersey Nets 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–32, 22–24, 19–30, 25–16 | ||
| Pts: Andrea Bargnani 16 Rebs: Chris Bosh 10 Asts: T. J. Ford 5 |
Pts: Vince Carter 27 Rebs: Jason Kidd 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 13 |
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Dick Bavetta, David Jones, Ken Mauer |
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TNT
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May 1
7:00 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 96, Toronto Raptors 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–33, 29–26, 25–20, 29–19 | ||
| Pts: Vince Carter 30 Rebs: Mikki Moore 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 10 |
Pts: José Calderón 25 Rebs: Joey Graham 10 Asts: José Calderón 8 |
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Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen |
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ESPN
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May 4
8:00 pm |
| Toronto Raptors 97, New Jersey Nets 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 25–22, 22–32, 29–23 | ||
| Pts: Chris Bosh 23 Rebs: Morris Peterson 8 Asts: Chris Bosh 9 |
Pts: Richard Jefferson 24 Rebs: Kidd, Moore 8 each Asts: Jason Kidd 15 |
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| New Jersey wins series, 4–2 | ||
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy |
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Raptors and Nets.
The Nets won the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs in their sixth straight appearance in the NBA Playoffs. The series was the only one in the Eastern Conference first round not to result in a sweep.
The series was notable for pitting ex-Raptor Vince Carter, who was traded to the Nets in 2004 after an acrimonious split, against his former team. So great was the Toronto crowd's disdain for Carter, that he was booed every time he touched the ball. The Nets took home court advantage in Game 1, holding off a late Raptors rally in the fourth quarter. The Raptors pulled away in Game 2 and tied the series at 1. When the series shifted to New Jersey, the Nets took charge of the series, winning Games 3 and 4 in routs. New Jersey had a chance to win the series in Game 5 in Toronto, but the Raptors took a 20-point lead after one quarter. Still, New Jersey managed to chip away, and had a chance to win it, but Bostjan Nachbar's 3 missed at the buzzer. Needing to win in New Jersey to force a Game 7, Toronto held a one-point lead with under a minute to play in Game 6, but Richard Jefferson hit a layup with 8 seconds left. Toronto attempted to try for the game-winning shot, but Jefferson intercepted the pass to seal the series for the Nets.
(4) Miami Heat vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
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April 21
2:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 91, Chicago Bulls 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 18–22, 16–23, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 21 Rebs: O'Neal, Haslem 6 each Asts: Five players 3 each |
Pts: Luol Deng 33 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Ben Gordon 11 |
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April 24
7:00 pm |
| Miami Heat 89, Chicago Bulls 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–31, 31–24, 19–30, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 21 Rebs: O'Neal, Posey 8 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 |
Pts: Ben Gordon 27 Rebs: Ben Gordon 7 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 8 |
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United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Luis Grillo, Steve Javie, Ken Mauer |
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April 27
8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 104, Miami Heat 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–23, 16–29, 27–24, 32–20 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 27 Rebs: Luol Deng 11 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6 |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 |
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ABC
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April 29
1:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 92, Miami Heat 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 21–20, 24–16, 24–15 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 24 Rebs: Luol Deng 12 Asts: Gordon, Hinrich 4 each |
Pts: Dwyane Wade 24 Rebs: James Posey 18 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 |
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| Chicago wins series, 4–0 | ||
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American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2006 Eastern Conference First Round (Miami won 4–2)
The Bulls won their first playoff series since the 1998 NBA Finals and the retirement of Michael Jordan. This was the Bulls first 4-game sweep, since sweeping the Magic in the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Miami became the first defending champion since 1957 to be swept in the First Round the following season.
In addition, Southeast Division champions Miami and other division qualifiers Washington and Orlando were swept (0–12) by Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit respectively, all from the Central Division (12–0).
Conference Semifinals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
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May 5
7:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 69, Detroit Pistons 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 18–25, 16–16, 12–25 | ||
| Pts: Luol Deng 18 Rebs: B. Wallace, Deng 8 each Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6 |
Pts: Hamilton, Billups 20 each Rebs: Antonio McDyess 10 Asts: Lindsey Hunter 6 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore |
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TNT
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May 7
8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 87, Detroit Pistons 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–34, 25–24, 19–25, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Tyrus Thomas 18 Rebs: Ben Wallace 7 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 |
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 25 Rebs: Richard Hamilton 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Leon Wood |
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May 10
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 81, Chicago Bulls 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 10–24, 32–17, 21–13 | ||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 23 Rebs: Prince, R. Wallace 11 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: Luol Deng 21 Rebs: Luol Deng 14 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 |
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May 13
2:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 87, Chicago Bulls 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 24–23, 13–27, 31–25 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 23 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
Pts: Luol Deng 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 17 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 10 |
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United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Monty McCutchen |
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TNT
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May 15
8:00 pm |
| Chicago Bulls 108, Detroit Pistons 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 28–26, 33–20, 16–21 | ||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 28 Rebs: P. J. Brown 8 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 13 |
Pts: Chauncey Billups 17 Rebs: Chris Webber 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Jim Clark, Luis Grillo, Eddie Rush |
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ESPN
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May 17
7:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 95, Chicago Bulls 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 15–25, 31–21, 21–16 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 23 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
Pts: P. J. Brown 20 Rebs: Ben Wallace 7 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 11 |
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| Detroit wins series, 4–2 | ||
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United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Referees: Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Eastern Conference Finals (Chicago won 4–0)
In a renewal of a rivalry from the late '80s and early '90s, the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons faced off against each other. The series began fairly one-sided as the Pistons took Games 1 and 2 in Detroit in blowout fashion, followed by another convincing victory in Game 3 in Chicago. In all 3 games, the Bulls looked severely outmatched against the more experienced Pistons squad. Expectations were low for the Bulls, since no NBA team has ever won a seven-game series after being down 3–0. (It has only happened five times total in sports history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, 2004 Boston Red Sox, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.)
Despite the huge obstacle, the Bulls rallied to take Game 4 in a romp, and then proceeded to shock everyone with a blow-out victory in Detroit in Game 5. Despite the renewed momentum, the Pistons' playoff experience ultimately won out as they closed out the Bulls in a 95-85 Game 6 win. The Pistons advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fifth straight year.
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
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May 6
1:00 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 21–20, 18–16, 18–22 | ||
| Pts: Vince Carter 21 Rebs: Vince Carter 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 9 |
Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: Gooden, Ilgauskas 14 each Asts: LeBron James 7 |
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May 8
8:00 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 92, Cleveland Cavaliers 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 17–24, 28–26, 19–28 | ||
| Pts: Vince Carter 26 Rebs: Jason Kidd 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
Pts: LeBron James 36 Rebs: Drew Gooden 14 Asts: LeBron James 12 |
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith |
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May 12
5:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 85, New Jersey Nets 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–22, 28–23, 21–28, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: Larry Hughes 23 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 8 Asts: LeBron James 12 |
Pts: Jefferson, Kidd, Carter 23 each Rebs: Jason Kidd 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 14 |
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson |
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TNT
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May 14
7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 87, New Jersey Nets 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 23–26, 29–23, 16–16 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 11 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Carter, Moore 25 each Rebs: Jason Kidd 17 Asts: Vince Carter 9 |
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Mark Wunderlich |
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TNT
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May 16
8:00 pm |
| New Jersey Nets 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 72 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 23–21, 30–20, 6–13 | ||
| Pts: Jason Kidd 20 Rebs: Jason Kidd 9 Asts: Vince Carter 10 |
Pts: LeBron James 20 Rebs: LeBron James 9 Asts: LeBron James 5 |
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney |
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ESPN
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May 18
7:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 88, New Jersey Nets 72 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–15, 21–23, 8–22, 27–12 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 23 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
Pts: Jason Kidd 19 Rebs: Jason Kidd 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
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| Cleveland wins series, 4–2 | ||
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Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Referees: Jim Clark, Joe DeRosa, Eddie Rush |
Last Playoff Meeting: 1993 Eastern Conference First Round (Cleveland won 3–2)
The Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992, while the Nets lost in the Conference Semifinals in three out of the last four years. Game 6 was the final playoff game at the Continental Airlines Arena, while also the last NBA playoff game ever played in New Jersey (the Prudential Center never hosted an NBA playoff game during the Nets' tenure from 2010–12).
New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd averaged a triple double the entire playoffs, scoring 14.6 points, grabbing 10.9 rebounds and dishing out 10.9 assists per game.
Conference Finals: (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
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May 21
8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 76, Detroit Pistons 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 17–16, 14–21, 21–23 | ||
| Pts: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 22 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 12 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 9 |
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TNT
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May 24
8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 76, Detroit Pistons 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 34–18, 13–22, 13–19 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 19 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 14 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 16 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Jim Clark, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich |
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TNT
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May 27
8:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 21–24, 20–16, 19–26 | ||
| Pts: Rasheed Wallace 16 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 9 Asts: Billups, Webber, Murray 3 each |
Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 9 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
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TNT
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May 29
8:00 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 87, Cleveland Cavaliers 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 21–24, 24–15, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 23 Rebs: Chauncey Billups 9 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 4 |
Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Drew Gooden 8 Asts: LeBron James 11 |
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Joe Forte |
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TNT
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May 31
8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 109, Detroit Pistons 107 (2OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 28–23, 19–18, 21–21, Overtime: 9–9, 9–7 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 48 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 16 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
Pts: Richard Hamilton 26 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 9 Asts: Richard Hamilton 5 |
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The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Referees: Bob Delaney, Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore |
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TNT
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June 2
8:30 pm |
| Detroit Pistons 82, Cleveland Cavaliers 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 27–21, 18–19, 16–31 | ||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 29 Rebs: Prince, Webber, McDyess 6 each Asts: Tayshaun Prince 6 |
Pts: Daniel Gibson 31 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: LeBron James 8 |
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| Cleveland wins series, 4–2 | ||
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Jack Nies, Eddie Rush |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Detroit won 4–3)
In a rematch of the thrilling 2006 second-round series, the Pistons and Cavaliers matched up in perhaps one of the most closely contested series in NBA history, with the first five games being decided by six points or less. The spotlight fell on LeBron James. Despite gaining some momentum in the opening games of the series against the experienced Pistons, key last-second decisions by James led to Cleveland losses in Games 1 and 2 in Detroit, by identical scores, in which Cleveland led for most of the two games. They faced a 0–2 deficit for the second straight year, but would easily remember from the year before that they could win three straight games to get back into the series.
With media circles on his back for his complacency in these games (James had a then playoff career low 10 points in Game 1), James came back to will the Cavs to close victories in Games 3 and 4 in Cleveland, evening the series at 2. The series shifted back to Detroit for a Game 5 that proved to be one of the most memorable postseason games in recent NBA history. In a match that went into double overtime, the Cavaliers stunned the Pistons on their home court, thanks to LeBron James' playoff career-high 48-point performance. James scored the Cavaliers' final 25 points, including all 18 points in overtime, forced the second OT with a driving dunk and made a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left in the second OT to silence the Palace crowd. A game tying buzzer beater by Chauncey Billups rimmed out making it two straight 2-point wins at the Palace in Game 5.
The Cavaliers took advantage of their home court in 2007 and exploded in Game 6 to close out the Pistons, and to clinch the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. Rookie Daniel Gibson scored a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers, to lift the Cavs in the second half behind a roaring home crowd.
Western Conference
First Round
(1) Dallas Mavericks vs. (8) Golden State Warriors
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April 22
8:30 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 97, Dallas Mavericks 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–17, 15–21, 34–28, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Baron Davis 33 Rebs: Baron Davis 14 Asts: Baron Davis 8 |
Pts: Josh Howard 21 Rebs: Josh Howard 13 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 4 |
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TNT
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April 25
8:30 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 99, Dallas Mavericks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 22–26, 22–33, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 30 Rebs: Jason Richardson 10 Asts: Jason Richardson 3 |
Pts: Jason Terry 28 Rebs: Josh Howard 11 Asts: Harris, Stackhouse 4 each |
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American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: James Capers, Sean Corbin, Bennett Salvatore |
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April 27
7:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 91, Golden State Warriors 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 28–32, 23–38, 20–20 | ||
| Pts: Nowitzki, Howard 20 each Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Terry, Harris 5 each |
Pts: Jason Richardson 30 Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 10 Asts: Stephen Jackson 6 |
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TNT
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April 29
7:00 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 99, Golden State Warriors 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 22–28, 28–28, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 23 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Jason Terry 5 |
Pts: Baron Davis 33 Rebs: Baron Davis 8 Asts: Baron Davis 4 |
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Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Michael Smith, Derrick Stafford |
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TNT
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May 1
8:30 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 112, Dallas Mavericks 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–38, 27–24, 32–28, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Baron Davis 27 Rebs: Mickaël Piétrus 10 Asts: Baron Davis 9 |
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Devin Harris 7 |
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American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees: Jim Clark, Bernie Fryer, Ken Mauer |
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TNT
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May 3
7:30 pm |
| Dallas Mavericks 86, Golden State Warriors 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 23–22, 15–36, 23–25 | ||
| Pts: Howard, Stackhouse 20 each Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 10 Asts: Devin Harris 9 |
Pts: Stephen Jackson 33 Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 12 Asts: Matt Barnes 7 |
|
| Golden State wins series, 4–2 | ||
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Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Ron Garretson, Steve Javie, Mark Wunderlich |
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Mavericks and Warriors.
The Warriors qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the second longest such streak in league history. However, the Warriors were heavy underdogs against the Dallas Mavericks despite sweeping the regular season series between the teams, as Dallas had one of the best records in NBA regular season history. Expectations of a short series were immediately dashed by Golden State's Game 1 victory in Dallas, behind guard Baron Davis and his rather frantic style of play. The Mavericks came back to win Game 2 to tie the series at 1.
But when the series shifted to Oakland for the next two games, a new X-factor emerged for the Warriors: their home crowd at the Oracle Arena. The electric crowd, which was the highest paid attendance crowd for an NBA game in the history of that arena, gave the Warriors a huge lift as they blew out Dallas in Game 3, and edged out a close victory in Game 4. As the series shifted back to Dallas, the top-ranked Mavericks found themselves one game from seeing their record breaking season end prematurely. The Mavericks gave their all and staved off elimination in Game 5, but had nothing left in Game 6 in Oakland. The Warriors used a third-quarter 18–0 run, sparked by Stephen Jackson's 13 straight points en route to a franchise playoff record seven 3-pointers, and an unexpected collapse from MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki (2–13 from the field with 8 points) to finish Dallas and become the first #8 seed to win a best-of-7 series in the first round, and just the third overall in NBA history, following the Denver Nuggets in 1994 and the New York Knicks en route to the 1999 NBA Finals. The Warriors also won their first playoff series since 1991. The Mavericks also became the second team who had a 65+ winning record not to win a championship, the first being the 1972-73 Boston Celtics. To date, they are the only one being eliminated in the first round.
Both 2006 NBA Finalists (Dallas and Miami) were eliminated in the first round. This was the first time since 1956 that this had happened.
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
|
April 22
12:00 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 87, Phoenix Suns 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–18, 25–21, 29–35, 10–21 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 39 Rebs: Lamar Odom 16 Asts: Luke Walton 6 |
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 23 Rebs: Shawn Marion 16 Asts: Steve Nash 10 |
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|
April 24
7:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 98, Phoenix Suns 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 22–37, 23–27, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 15 Rebs: Andrew Bynum 12 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 |
Pts: Leandro Barbosa 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Steve Nash 14 |
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US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Marc Davis, Joe Forte |
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TNT
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April 26
7:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 89, Los Angeles Lakers 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–17, 20–31, 19–26, 19–21 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 24 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 10 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 45 Rebs: Lamar Odom 16 Asts: Kobe Bryant 6 |
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|
ABC
|
|
April 29
12:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 113, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 25–23, 27–20, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 27 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 21 Asts: Steve Nash 23 |
Pts: Kobe Bryant 31 Rebs: Lamar Odom 19 Asts: Kobe Bryant 9 |
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Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson |
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TNT
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May 2
7:30 pm |
| Los Angeles Lakers 110, Phoenix Suns 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 29–32, 33–27, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 34 Rebs: Odom, Turiaf 10 each Asts: Odom, Farmar 2 each |
Pts: Shawn Marion 26 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 16 Asts: Steve Nash 10 |
|
| Phoenix wins series, 4–1 | ||
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US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Scott Foster, Eddie Rush, Greg Willard |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2006 Western Conference First Round (Phoenix won 4–3)
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers went up against the high powered Phoenix Suns in a rematch of the previous year's first round series, which saw the Lakers take a 3–1 lead before the Suns took the series in 7. Unlike the previous series, the Suns had near complete control of the series, taking the series in 5. The Suns advanced to their third straight conference semifinals by eliminating the Lakers in the first round for the second straight year. In Game 4, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash made a run at the record for most assists in a playoff game, finishing one shy of the record 24 shared by Magic Johnson and John Stockton.
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
|
April 22
6:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 95, San Antonio Spurs 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–16, 23–26, 23–24, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 31 Rebs: Nenê 12 Asts: Allen Iverson 5 |
Pts: Tony Parker 19 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Tony Parker 8 |
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TNT
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April 25
6:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 88, San Antonio Spurs 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 23–25, 19–25, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 26 Rebs: Marcus Camby 18 Asts: Steve Blake 7 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 22 Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 10 Asts: Tony Parker 6 |
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Derrick Collins, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen |
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April 28
6:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 96, Denver Nuggets 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 21–15, 32–27, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 6 |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 28 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 12 Asts: Steve Blake 7 |
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TNT
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April 30
8:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 96, Denver Nuggets 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 22–23, 25–23, 29–16 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 22 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Duncan, Ginóbili 6 each |
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 29 Rebs: Marcus Camby 17 Asts: Allen Iverson 7 |
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Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Eddie Rush |
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TNT
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May 2
7:00 pm |
| Denver Nuggets 78, San Antonio Spurs 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 27–19, 11–19, 19–30 | ||
| Pts: Iverson, Anthony 21 each Rebs: Marcus Camby 19 Asts: Allen Iverson 8 |
Pts: Michael Finley 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 10 |
|
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 | ||
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Sean Corbin, Joe DeRosa, Tom Washington |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2005 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 4–1)
The Nuggets duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson got Denver off to a fast start, winning Game 1 and taking home-court advantage away from Tim Duncan and the Spurs. Despite the early letdown, the Spurs showed their championship mettle and bounced back for a 97-88 win in Game 2. In the pivotal Game 3, the Nuggets built an eight-point first-quarter lead before Manu Ginóbili's eight second-quarter points put San Antonio up 43-40 at halftime. A back-and-forth contest turned in the final 2:24 of the third quarter: Michael Finley hit two 3-pointers, and Robert Horry later hit a 3 that gave the Spurs a 75-67 lead at the end of the quarter. They hung on for a 96-91 win.
Denver started strong again in Game 4 and led by eight at halftime. But San Antonio stormed back after Anthony went to the bench in the third quarter with his fourth foul. The Spurs held a one-point lead with 30 seconds left when Horry, playing for his seventh championship ring, hit a 3 from the right corner to help seal a 96-89 win. The stunned Nuggets did not recover from the Game 4 letdown. Finley was the hero in Game 5, hitting a team-playoff-record eight threes for 26 points as San Antonio won 93-78 to end the series, marking the Nuggets' fourth straight season where they lost in the first round in five games. This is the second time in three seasons that the Nuggets lost the first-round series to the Spurs, after taking Game 1 in San Antonio (the first also happened in five games).
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets
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April 21
8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 75, Houston Rockets 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 23–13, 11–26, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: Williams, Fisher 15 each Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 9 |
Pts: Yao Ming 28 Rebs: Yao Ming 13 Asts: Rafer Alston 8 |
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April 23
8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 90, Houston Rockets 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 15–22, 21–28, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 41 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 7 |
Pts: Tracy McGrady 31 Rebs: Chuck Hayes 12 Asts: Alston, McGrady 5 each |
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Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: James Capers, Sean Corbin, Bob Delaney |
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April 26
7:00 pm |
| Houston Rockets 67, Utah Jazz 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 25–25, 10–13, 15–20 | ||
| Pts: Yao Ming 26 Rebs: Yao Ming 14 Asts: Rafer Alston 5 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer 22 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 8 |
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ESPN
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April 28
8:30 pm |
| Houston Rockets 85, Utah Jazz 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–19, 24–31, 17–33, 23–15 | ||
| Pts: Yao Ming 20 Rebs: Alston, Yao 9 each Asts: Rafer Alston 6 |
Pts: Deron Williams 25 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 10 Asts: Deron Williams 7 |
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EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Scott Foster, Bill Kennedy, Eddie Rush |
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TNT
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April 30
7:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 92, Houston Rockets 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–22, 28–25, 20–28 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 26 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 9 Asts: Deron Williams 6 |
Pts: Tracy McGrady 26 Rebs: Yao Ming 15 Asts: Tracy McGrady 16 |
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Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: Steve Javie, Courtney Kirkland, Jack Nies |
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TNT
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May 3
6:00 pm |
| Houston Rockets 82, Utah Jazz 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 21–26, 19–22, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 26 Rebs: Tracy McGrady 10 Asts: Shane Battier 4 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer 22 Rebs: Okur, Boozer 9 each Asts: Deron Williams 8 |
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EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Ken Mauer |
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TNT
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May 5
8:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 103, Houston Rockets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 24–21, 22–24, 28–32 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 35 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 14 Asts: Deron Williams 14 |
Pts: McGrady, Yao 29 each Rebs: Juwan Howard 7 Asts: Tracy McGrady 13 |
|
| Utah wins series, 4–3 | ||
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Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Referees: Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington |
Last Playoff Meeting: 1998 Western Conference First Round (Utah won 3–2)
The resurgent Utah Jazz, fresh off one of their best seasons since the John Stockton/Karl Malone years, faced Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets, who were seeking their first playoff series victory in 10 years. Home court advantage proved to be the key as the series progressed, as both the Rockets and the Jazz won closely contested matches in front of their home crowds.
As a result, the series had to go to a seventh and deciding game, which was played in Houston since the Rockets had the better record and thereby earned home court advantage, despite the division-winning Jazz being the higher-seeded team. Nevertheless, Utah overcame the Houston crowd and stunned the Rockets for the win on the road. The Jazz became only the second road team in history to win Game 7 of a seven-game series in which the home team won each of the first six games. Houston's Tracy McGrady lost his sixth straight post-season series (out of 10 seasons) and has not been out of the first round in his entire career.
After losing the series, the Rockets failed to reach a new contract agreement with their head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who was subsequently fired.[2]
Conference Semifinals
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
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May 6
12:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 111, Phoenix Suns 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 24–27, 26–22, 34–31 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Tony Parker 8 |
Pts: Steve Nash 31 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 18 Asts: Steve Nash 8 |
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May 8
7:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 81, Phoenix Suns 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 17–30, 22–22, 17–30 | ||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 |
Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 27 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Steve Nash 16 |
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US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Jim Clark, Dan Crawford, Bill Kennedy |
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ABC
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May 12
7:00 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 101, San Antonio Spurs 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 23–30, 19–25, 29–28 | ||
| Pts: Shawn Marion 26 Rebs: Kurt Thomas 12 Asts: Steve Nash 11 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 19 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
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TNT
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May 14
8:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 104, San Antonio Spurs 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 16–23, 32–35, 32–18 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Steve Nash 15 |
Pts: Tony Parker 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jack Nies |
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TNT
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May 16
7:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 88, Phoenix Suns 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–24, 20–20, 23–18, 32–23 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
Pts: Shawn Marion 24 Rebs: Shawn Marion 17 Asts: Steve Nash 12 |
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US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson, Michael Smith |
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May 18
9:30 pm |
| Phoenix Suns 106, San Antonio Spurs 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 28–30, 16–28, 39–33 | ||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 38 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 12 Asts: Steve Nash 14 |
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Parker, Ginóbili 6 each |
|
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 | ||
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Tom Washington |
Last Playoff Meeting: 2005 Western Conference Finals (San Antonio won 4–1)
The highly anticipated match-up between the high-powered Phoenix Suns, led by 2-time MVP Steve Nash, and the fundamentally sound San Antonio Spurs, led by 3-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, had high expectations before the series tip-off. The Suns were looking to make the conference finals for the third straight year, and also looking for their first Finals berth since 1993. The Spurs on the other hand, were looking for their third trip in five years, and their fourth NBA title overall. The series received international interest with a playoff-record of 12 players originating outside the US.[3] When the series ended, it had become one of the most hotly contested and controversial series in recent NBA history.
The Suns had their home court advantage quickly taken away as the Spurs took a tight Game 1, a game that saw Nash missing the final minutes for Phoenix due to a gash to his nose, which bled profusely. Nash and the Suns recovered to take Game 2 but after the game, Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire accused the Spurs, especially Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginóbili, of being a dirty team. Despite the added scrutiny by the media circles, the Spurs won Game 3. The Suns, trying to overcome their recent failures against Texas teams in the playoffs (the Spurs and the Mavericks both defeated them in the Conference Finals), willed themselves to a come-from-behind victory in Game 4 to tie the series at 2.
However, the celebration was short-lived. In the closing minute of Game 4, with the Suns up 3, Nash brought up the ball and was shoved into the press table by Robert Horry, creating a momentary ruckus, wherein Raja Bell received a technical. As this took place, Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Suns bench. Although they were not involved in the altercation, they broke an established NBA rule that prohibits players from leaving the bench during an altercation. As a result, the NBA suspended Stoudemire and Diaw for one game, while Horry received a two-game suspension for the flagrant foul and ejection. Severely undermanned, the Suns came into Game 5 with the task of beating the Spurs without their star big man.
Although the Suns were able to control most of the game without the suspended players, even taking a 16-point lead on the Spurs at one point, the Spurs came back to win an incredibly close Game 5. Diaw and Stoudemire did return for the Suns in Game 6, though that didn't help the Suns to force a Game 7 and the Spurs eliminated them to advance to the Western Conference Finals with a 114-106 win.
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (8) Golden State Warriors
|
May 7
8:30 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 112, Utah Jazz 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–37, 31–26, 23–21, 23–32 | ||
| Pts: Baron Davis 24 Rebs: Barnes, Richardson 10 each Asts: Baron Davis 7 |
Pts: Deron Williams 31 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 20 Asts: Deron Williams 8 |
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TNT
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May 9
7:00 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 117, Utah Jazz 127 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–35, 31–27, 24–23, Overtime: 4–14 | ||
| Pts: Baron Davis 36 Rebs: Matt Barnes 7 Asts: Baron Davis 7 |
Pts: Carlos Boozer 30 Rebs: Mehmet Okur 18 Asts: Deron Williams 14 |
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EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster, Steve Javie |
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May 11
6:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 105, Golden State Warriors 125 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 22–40, 36–34, 20–21 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 19 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 11 Asts: Deron Williams 6 |
Pts: Baron Davis 32 Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 13 Asts: Baron Davis 9 |
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TNT
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May 13
6:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 115, Golden State Warriors 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 25–26, 25–29, 40–23 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 34 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 13 |
Pts: Jackson, Harrington 24 each Rebs: Andris Biedriņš 10 Asts: Baron Davis 7 |
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|
Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Referees: Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan, Tom Washington |
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TNT
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May 15
8:30 pm |
| Golden State Warriors 87, Utah Jazz 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 22–23, 19–25, 14–23 | ||
| Pts: Baron Davis 21 Rebs: Jason Richardson 8 Asts: Baron Davis 8 |
Pts: Boozer, Kirilenko 21 each Rebs: Carlos Boozer 14 Asts: Deron Williams 7 |
|
| Utah wins series, 4–1 | ||
|
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: James Capers, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Western Conference First Round (Golden State won 3–0)
Fresh off their stunning upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors faced a very different team in Utah. The Warriors continued the frantic style of play they exhibited against the Mavericks, but the Jazz, a more defensive-minded team, managed to shut them down to take Game 1. The Warriors tried to bounce back in Game 2, and took the Jazz to overtime. But the Jazz were able to prevail, due to the inspired clutch play of guard Derek Fisher, who arrived at halftime after being with his family in New York City because of his daughter's emergency eye cancer surgery.
The series shifted back to Oakland and the raucous Oracle Arena crowd, which lifted the Warriors to a resounding blowout in Game 3, a game which saw the Warriors hit a playoff record 11 threes in the first half. However, the Jazz shrugged off the crowd and handed the Warriors their only playoff home loss of the year in Game 4. The Warriors' playoff run ended as the Jazz finished them off in Game 5. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998.
Conference Finals: (3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Utah Jazz
|
May 20
2:30 pm |
| Utah Jazz 100, San Antonio Spurs 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 16–31, 26–24, 38–30 | ||
| Pts: Deron Williams 34 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 9 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 10 |
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|
May 22
8:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 96, San Antonio Spurs 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 17–32, 24–23, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Carlos Boozer 33 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 15 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
Pts: Tim Duncan 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 14 Asts: Tony Parker 14 |
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|
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Sean Corbin, Jack Nies, Bennett Salvatore |
|
ABC
|
|
May 26
6:30 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 83, Utah Jazz 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 24–28, 20–32, 16–34 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 25 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
Pts: Deron Williams 31 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Deron Williams 8 |
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|
ESPN
|
|
May 28
7:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 91, Utah Jazz 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–20, 29–22, 13–20, 28–17 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 22 Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 11 Asts: Jacque Vaughn 4 |
Pts: Deron Williams 27 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 9 Asts: Deron Williams 10 |
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|
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Referees: Bob Delaney, Monty McCutchen, Eddie Rush |
|
ESPN
|
|
May 30
8:00 pm |
| Utah Jazz 84, San Antonio Spurs 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–34, 24–21, 17–28, 28–26 | ||
| Pts: Andrei Kirilenko 13 Rebs: Carlos Boozer 12 Asts: Carlos Boozer 4 |
Pts: Duncan, Parker 21 each Rebs: Fabricio Oberto 10 Asts: Jacque Vaughn 6 |
|
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 | ||
|
AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Greg Willard |
Last Playoff Meeting: 1998 Western Conference Semifinals (Utah won 4–1)
For the first time since 1990, neither the #1 nor #2 seed participated in the Western Conference Finals. However, the series pitted youth against experience as the up-and-coming Utah Jazz faced off against the seasoned San Antonio Spurs. Coming into the series, the Jazz were not given much of a chance due to their inexperience. However, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and the Jazz were able to hold their own against San Antonio for a good part of the series.
Unfortunately, it was not enough. The series' first 2 games - both San Antonio home victories - saw the Spurs blow big first-half leads and the Jazz mount last-gasp rallies that were thwarted by San Antonio's clutch shooting. When the Spurs' 19-point first-half lead dwindled to 95-87 late in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili came through with timely shots down the stretch. When San Antonio's 22-point edge shrank to 83-76 late in Game 2, Bruce Bowen broke Utah's rhythm with a 3 from the left corner and another from the right to end the threat.
The Jazz, who were undefeated at home in the postseason coming into the series, had their most cohesive effort in a 109-83 Game 3 rout. Utah pestered Duncan into early foul trouble and got baskets from players other than Williams and Boozer, who had combined for 57.7% of their team's points through the first two games. But Jazz fans' euphoria over the team's only series victory gave way to frustration in Game 4 - with most of it aimed at Ginóbili and his flopping. 11 of his 16 fourth-quarter points came at the foul line in an ugly overall team performance in which the Spurs made more free throws (30) than field goals (28). Contributing to that discrepancy were four technical fouls called against Utah in the fourth. The subsequent ejections of Utah headcoach Jerry Sloan and Jazz guard Derek Fisher had a charged-up EnergySolutions Arena crowd raining debris onto the court in protest.
The unflappable Spurs responded with yet another commanding start in Game 5. They outscored the Jazz by 19 in the first quarter and led by as many as 29. Not even another late-game arrival of Fisher (from New York again) could help the Jazz enough and the Spurs won a 109-84 series-clinching victory and an eventual date in the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers.
NBA Finals: (W3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Cleveland Cavaliers
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June 7
8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 76, San Antonio Spurs 85 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–20, 20–20, 14–24, 27–21 | ||
| Pts: Daniel Gibson 16 Rebs: LeBron James 7 Asts: James, Gibson 4 each |
Pts: Tony Parker 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
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ABC
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June 10
8:00 pm |
| Cleveland Cavaliers 92, San Antonio Spurs 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–28, 16–30, 29–31, 30–14 | ||
| Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
Pts: Tony Parker 30 Rebs: Duncan, Horry 9 each Asts: Tim Duncan 8 |
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AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Joe DeRosa |
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ABC
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June 12
9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 75, Cleveland Cavaliers 72 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 24–20, 15–12, 20–22 | ||
| Pts: Tony Parker 17 Rebs: Bowen, Duncan 9 each Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 |
Pts: LeBron James 25 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 18 Asts: LeBron James 7 |
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ABC
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June 14
9:00 pm |
| San Antonio Spurs 83, Cleveland Cavaliers 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 20–14, 21–18, 23–30 | ||
| Pts: Manu Ginobili 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Bowen, Duncan, Ginóbili 3 each |
Pts: LeBron James 24 Rebs: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 13 Asts: LeBron James 10 |
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| San Antonio wins NBA Championship series 4–0 | ||
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Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Joe Forte, Eddie Rush, Bennett Salvatore |
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Cavaliers and Spurs.
The Cavaliers, led by superstar LeBron James, entered the 2007 Finals looking for their first franchise championship, as well as the first championship for a pro team based out of Cleveland since the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 National Football League Championship. However, the Cavs were considered heavy underdogs against the 3-time champion Spurs. The Spurs' veteran leadership and championship experience overwhelmed the Cavs, who were swept by the Spurs after two blowouts in San Antonio and two close games in Cleveland.
Broadcasters
Eastern Conference First Round
National television
| Year | Teams | Network | Play-by-play announcer
–Marv Albert |
Color analyst(s) | Sideline reporter(s) | Studio host | Studio analyst(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cleveland-Washington | TNT (Games 1, 3) NBA TV (Games 2, 4) |
Local television
| Year | Teams | Network | Play-by-play announcer | Color analyst(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cleveland-Washington | Fox Sports Ohio and WUAB-TV (Cleveland area) | |||
| Comcast SportsNet (Washington D.C. area) |
Local radio
| Year | Teams | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
| 2007 | Detroit-Orlando | WDFN-AM (Detroit) | ||
| WDBO-AM (Orlando) | ||||
| Chicago-Miami | WCKG-FM (Chicago) | |||
| WIOD-AM (Miami) | ||||
| Cleveland-Washington | WTAM-AM (Cleveland) | Joe Tait | ||
| WTEM-AM (Washington) | ||||
| New Jersey-Toronto | WFAN-AM (New Jersey) | |||
| CJCL-AM (Toronto) |
Western Conference First Round
Eastern Conference Semifinals
National television
| Year | Teams | Network | Play-by-play announcer | Color analyst(s) | Sideline reporter(s) | Studio host | Studio analyst(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cleveland-New Jersey | ABC (Game 1) TNT (Games 2, 4-5) ESPN (Games 3, 6) |
Local television
| Year | Teams | Network | Play-by-play announcer | Color analyst(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cleveland-New Jersey | Fox Sports Ohio and WUAB-TV (Cleveland area) (Games 3, 6) | |||
| YES Network (New Jersey) (New York area) (Games 3, 6) |
National radio
| Year | Teams | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
| 2007 | Detroit-Chicago | |||
| Cleveland-New Jersey | ESPN (Game 1) |
Local radio
| Year | Teams | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) |
| 2007 | Detroit-Chicago | WDFN-AM (Detroit) | ||
| WCKG-FM (Chicago) | ||||
| Cleveland-New Jersey | WTAM-AM (Cleveland) | Joe Tait | ||
| WFAN-AM (New Jersey) |
Western Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference Finals
Western Conference Finals
NBA Finals
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Houston Rockets and Jeff Van Gundy to Part Ways, nba.com, accessed May 18, 2007
- ↑ espn.com, Spurs-Suns series highlights NBA's international scope
