# 1976 NBA playoffs

The 1976 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1975–76 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The series was highlighted by Game 5, a 3-OT victory by Boston. The Celtics won their 13th NBA title, second in the Dave Cowens era. Jo Jo White was named NBA Finals MVP.
This is the last postseason that had a 10 team format before the 1977 playoffs expanded to 12 teams.
The Suns earned their first two playoff series victories in franchise history to advance to the NBA Finals; they won their second Western Conference title in 1993, and their third title in 2021.
The sixth-year Cleveland Cavaliers made their first playoff appearance and won their first playoff series. They wouldn't win another playoff series until 1992.
This was the final playoff appearance for the Buffalo Braves franchise in Buffalo until 1992, when they returned as the Los Angeles Clippers.
This would prove the last Conference Finals appearance for the Golden State Warriors until 2015 under the leadership of Steph Curry.
The Philadelphia 76ers made the playoffs for the first time since 1971, starting a 12-season run that included four NBA Finals appearances (1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983 (winning in the latter year)). The Sixers did not miss the playoffs again until 1988.
Despite winning their division with a losing record of 38–44, the Milwaukee Bucks were forced to play in the best of three first round against the Detroit Pistons.
This is also noted to be the most recent NBA Playoffs that did not include a sweep and the last time a team from Texas did not appear in the playoffs (until 2023).

## Bracket

| First Round | First Round | First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Philadelphia | 1 | E5 | Buffalo | 2 | | | | | | |
| E5 | Buffalo | 2 | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | |
| | | | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Cleveland* | 2 | | | |
| | | | E3 | Washington | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | E2 | Cleveland* | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | W3 | Phoenix | 2 |
| | | | W1 | Golden State* | 4 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Milwaukee* | 1 | W5 | Detroit | 2 | | | | | | |
| W5 | Detroit | 2 | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Golden State* | 3 | | | |
| | | | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W3 | Phoenix | 4 | | | |
| | | | W3 | Phoenix | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | W2 | Seattle | 2 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## First round
### Eastern Conference first round
#### (4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Buffalo Braves

* April 15
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 95, Philadelphia 76ers 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 23–25, 22–25, 22–17 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 36 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 21 Asts: Randy Smith 13 | Pts: Fred Carter 30 Rebs: George McGinnis 15 Asts: George McGinnis 4 |
| Buffalo leads series, 1–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 14,352
* April 16
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 131, Buffalo Braves 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–24, 34–24, 32–37, 36–21 |||
| Pts: George McGinnis 34 Rebs: George McGinnis 11 Asts: Fred Carter 6 | Pts: Randy Smith 27 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 13 Asts: Randy Smith 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 12,049
* April 18
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 124, Philadelphia 76ers 123 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 23–32, 32–25, 24–22, Overtime: 13–12 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 34 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 22 Asts: Randy Smith 11 | Pts: Fred Carter 32 Rebs: George McGinnis 15 Asts: Fred Carter 6 |
| Buffalo wins series, 2–1 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 13,087
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

### Western Conference first round
#### (4) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Detroit Pistons

* April 13
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 107, Milwaukee Bucks 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 31–30, 23–28, 28–29 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 25 Rebs: Bob Lanier 15 Asts: Lanier, Clark 6 each | Pts: Gary Brokaw 36 Rebs: Elmore Smith 13 Asts: Brian Winters 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 8,912
* April 15
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 123, Detroit Pistons 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 31–26, 30–32, 35–34 |||
| Pts: Winters, Dandridge 31 each Rebs: Bob Dandridge 9 Asts: Gary Brokaw 12 | Pts: Bob Lanier 35 Rebs: Curtis Rowe 10 Asts: Money, Clark 5 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 8,330
* April 18
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 107, Milwaukee Bucks 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 36–29, 20–26, 24–27, 27–22 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 28 Rebs: Bob Lanier 12 Asts: Eric Money 8 | Pts: Brian Winters 33 Rebs: Dave Meyers 10 Asts: Gary Brokaw 7 |
| Detroit wins series, 2–1 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 8,213
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Buffalo Braves

* April 21
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 98, Boston Celtics 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–29, 20–26, 25–29, 22–23 |||
| Pts: Randy Smith 27 Rebs: Randy Smith 10 Asts: Randy Smith 12 | Pts: Dave Cowens 30 Rebs: Dave Cowens 17 Asts: Jo Jo White 8 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,919
* April 23
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 96, Boston Celtics 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 24–27, 25–24, 23–22 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 40 Rebs: John Shumate 11 Asts: Randy Smith 7 | Pts: Dave Cowens 27 Rebs: Dave Cowens 18 Asts: Charlie Scott 6 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 25
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 93, Buffalo Braves 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–12, 23–36, 25–24, 21–26 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 26 Rebs: Dave Cowens 14 Asts: Charlie Scott 7 | Pts: Randy Smith 29 Rebs: Randy Smith 14 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 10 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 12,079
* April 28
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 122, Buffalo Braves 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–39, 34–28, 20–27, 34–30 |||
| Pts: Dave Cowens 29 Rebs: Dave Cowens 26 Asts: Jo Jo White 11 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 30 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 17 Asts: Randy Smith 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 16,193
* April 30
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 88, Boston Celtics 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 19–26, 29–30, 23–23 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 23 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 14 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 6 | Pts: Dave Cowens 30 Rebs: Paul Silas 22 Asts: Jo Jo White 6 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* May 2
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 104, Buffalo Braves 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 20–28, 27–23, 27–22 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 23 Rebs: Paul Silas 18 Asts: Charlie Scott 8 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 28 Rebs: John Shumate 16 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 8 |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 16,261
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1974
Boston Celtics 4, Buffalo Braves 2
1974 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

#### (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Washington Bullets

* April 13
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 37–19, 19–16, 22–25, 22–35 |||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 28 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 18 Asts: Dave Bing 5 | Pts: Jim Chones 23 Rebs: Campy Russell 11 Asts: Jim Cleamons 8 |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 19,974
* April 15
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 80, Washington Bullets 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 12–22, 27–17, 17–16 |||
| Pts: Bingo Smith 17 Rebs: Nate Thurmond 10 Asts: Bingo Smith 4 | Pts: Phil Chenier 19 Rebs: Unseld, Robinson 13 each Asts: Dave Bing 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 17,988
* Bingo Smith hits game winning jumper to tie series.
* April 17
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 76, Cleveland Cavaliers 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 22–24, 17–22, 22–21 |||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 17 Rebs: Wes Unseld 13 Asts: four players 3 each | Pts: Smith, Carr 17 each Rebs: Jim Brewer 12 Asts: Jim Brewer 6 |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–1 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,061
* April 21
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 98, Washington Bullets 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 22–25, 19–27, 28–31 |||
| Pts: Campy Russell 22 Rebs: Jim Brewer 10 Asts: Foots Walker 6 | Pts: Clem Haskins 22 Rebs: Unseld, Hayes 14 each Asts: Wes Unseld 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 17,542
* April 22
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 91, Cleveland Cavaliers 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 26–25, 22–28, 20–16 |||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 25 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13 Asts: Dave Bing 6 | Pts: Dick Snyder 26 Rebs: Jim Brewer 12 Asts: Cleamons, Snyder 4 each |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–2 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,312
* Jim Cleamons hits game-winning tip-in.
* April 26
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 98, Washington Bullets 102 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 25–19, 21–22, 23–17, Overtime: 10–14 |||
| Pts: Austin Carr 27 Rebs: Jim Brewer 12 Asts: Cleamons, Carr 5 each | Pts: Elvin Hayes 28 Rebs: Wes Unseld 18 Asts: Wes Unseld 8 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,035
* April 29
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 85, Cleveland Cavaliers 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 21–19, 24–21, 14–18 |||
| Pts: Phil Chenier 31 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 11 Asts: Wes Unseld 4 | Pts: Dick Snyder 23 Rebs: Jim Brewer 16 Asts: Jim Cleamons 6 |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–3 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,564
* Dick Snyder hits the series-winning shot with 4 seconds left.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Detroit Pistons

* April 20
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 103, Golden State Warriors 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–34, 20–31, 24–27, 28–35 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 18 Rebs: Bob Lanier 16 Asts: Chris Ford 7 | Pts: Phil Smith 26 Rebs: Clifford Ray 12 Asts: Rick Barry 14 |
| Golden State leads series, 1–0 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
* April 22
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 123, Golden State Warriors 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–37, 31–29, 29–18, 24–27 |||
| Pts: Curtis Rowe 33 Rebs: Curtis Rowe 10 Asts: Chris Ford 9 | Pts: Rick Barry 27 Rebs: Clifford Ray 12 Asts: Rick Barry 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
* April 24
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 113, Detroit Pistons 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 28–22, 31–27, 29–21 |||
| Pts: Phil Smith 34 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 18 Asts: Rick Barry 10 | Pts: Bob Lanier 23 Rebs: Bob Lanier 16 Asts: Eric Money 8 |
| Golden State leads series, 2–1 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 10,022
* April 26
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 102, Detroit Pistons 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 17–25, 21–32, 33–21 |||
| Pts: Phil Smith 31 Rebs: Clifford Ray 8 Asts: Rick Barry 6 | Pts: Bob Lanier 30 Rebs: Bob Lanier 11 Asts: Eric Money 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 11,389
* April 28
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 109, Golden State Warriors 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 26–32, 32–33, 29–35 |||
| Pts: Howard Porter 20 Rebs: Bob Lanier 12 Asts: Archie Clark 5 | Pts: Phil Smith 28 Rebs: Clifford Ray 14 Asts: Rick Barry 11 |
| Golden State leads series, 3–2 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
* April 30
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 118, Detroit Pistons 116 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 25–32, 27–22, 28–25, Overtime: 8–6 |||
| Pts: Phil Smith 37 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Phil Smith 7 | Pts: Bob Lanier 30 Rebs: Bob Lanier 16 Asts: Eric Money 9 |
| Golden State wins series, 4–2 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 10,361
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the only meeting when both teams were based in Philadelphia and Fort Wayne respectively.
Golden State/ Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1956
Fort Wayne Pistons 1, Philadelphia Warriors 4
1956 NBA Finals :

#### (2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Phoenix Suns

* April 13
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 99, Seattle SuperSonics 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 26–22, 26–28, 26–23 |||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 24 Rebs: Gar Heard 10 Asts: Paul Westphal 10 | Pts: Fred Brown 34 Rebs: Fred Brown 7 Asts: Slick Watts 8 |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 12,408
* April 15
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 116, Seattle SuperSonics 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 35–28, 22–29, 29–25 |||
| Pts: Alvan Adams 23 Rebs: Curtis Perry 12 Asts: Alvan Adams 7 | Pts: Fred Brown 45 Rebs: Tommy Burleson 12 Asts: Slick Watts 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,096
* April 18
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 91, Phoenix Suns 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 31–24, 14–27, 30–25 |||
| Pts: Slick Watts 18 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Slick Watts 7 | Pts: Heard, Westphal 16 each Rebs: Gar Heard 14 Asts: Westphal, Adams 6 each |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,036
* April 20
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 114, Phoenix Suns 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 21–29, 25–30, 42–40 |||
| Pts: Fred Brown 33 Rebs: Tommy Burleson 20 Asts: Herm Gilliam 7 | Pts: Paul Westphal 39 Rebs: Gar Heard 11 Asts: Ricky Sobers 8 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,036
* April 25
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 108, Seattle SuperSonics 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 27–28, 30–30, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 27 Rebs: Dennis Awtrey 12 Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Bruce Seals 28 Rebs: Willie Norwood 13 Asts: Slick Watts 12 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,096
* April 27
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 112, Phoenix Suns 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–25, 27–35, 24–34, 38–29 |||
| Pts: Seals, Watts 24 each Rebs: Bruce Seals 7 Asts: Slick Watts 11 | Pts: Keith Erickson 20 Rebs: Heard, Adams 9 each Asts: Alvan Adams 10 |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,192
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers

* May 6
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 99, Boston Celtics 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–32, 28–25, 29–20, 22–34 |||
| Pts: Snyder, Russell 21 each Rebs: Nate Thurmond 16 Asts: Jim Cleamons 6 | Pts: John Havlicek 26 Rebs: Dave Cowens 12 Asts: Dave Cowens 7 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,264
* May 9
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Boston Celtics 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 29–20, 23–24, 18–26 |||
| Pts: Snyder, Smith 16 each Rebs: Jim Brewer 9 Asts: Foots Walker 6 | Pts: Jo Jo White 24 Rebs: Paul Silas 19 Asts: three players 4 each |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 12,098
* May 11
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 78, Cleveland Cavaliers 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–16, 22–27, 16–15, 24–25 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 22 Rebs: Paul Silas 21 Asts: Jo Jo White 7 | Pts: Jim Cleamons 18 Rebs: Jim Brewer 15 Asts: Nate Thurmond 6 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,564
* May 14
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 87, Cleveland Cavaliers 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 28–22, 19–24, 17–33 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 23 Rebs: Dave Cowens 18 Asts: Dave Cowens 4 | Pts: Bingo Smith 27 Rebs: Jim Brewer 11 Asts: Jim Cleamons 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,564
* May 16
* Boxscore
Cleveland Cavaliers 94, Boston Celtics 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 19–20, 22–26, 30–31 |||
| Pts: Jim Cleamons 18 Rebs: Nate Thurmond 10 Asts: Cleamons, Smith 4 each | Pts: Dave Cowens 26 Rebs: Paul Silas 13 Asts: Dave Cowens 6 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 12,951
* May 18
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 94, Cleveland Cavaliers 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–19, 21–27, 24–23, 27–18 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 29 Rebs: Dave Cowens 18 Asts: White, Cowens 5 each | Pts: Austin Carr 26 Rebs: Nate Thurmond 14 Asts: Thurmond, Cleamons 5 each |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio Attendance: 21,564
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Phoenix Suns

* May 2
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 103, Golden State Warriors 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 20–28, 24–31, 31–39 |||
| Pts: Curtis Perry 22 Rebs: Alvan Adams 14 Asts: Alvan Adams 6 | Pts: Rick Barry 38 Rebs: Clifford Ray 11 Asts: Gus Williams 6 |
| Golden State leads series, 1–0 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 12,475
* May 5
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 108, Golden State Warriors 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 18–18, 35–29, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 31 Rebs: Gar Heard 12 Asts: Alvan Adams 9 | Pts: Rick Barry 44 Rebs: George Johnson 11 Asts: Rick Barry 4 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
* May 7
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 99, Phoenix Suns 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 24–31, 26–18, 25–20 |||
| Pts: Jamaal Wilkes 22 Rebs: Rick Barry 7 Asts: Barry, Smith 6 each | Pts: Paul Westphal 24 Rebs: Alvan Adams 14 Asts: Ricky Sobers 6 |
| Golden State leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,306
* May 9
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 129, Phoenix Suns 133 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–36, 33–29, 24–26, 25–21, Overtime: 7–7, 10–14 |||
| Pts: Phil Smith 30 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 14 Asts: Phil Smith 8 | Pts: Keith Erickson 28 Rebs: Gar Heard 18 Asts: Paul Westphal 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,884
* May 12
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 95, Golden State Warriors 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–40, 26–29, 22–15, 23–27 |||
| Pts: Curtis Perry 23 Rebs: Curtis Perry 18 Asts: Westphal, Sobers 4 each | Pts: Phil Smith 25 Rebs: Clifford Ray 16 Asts: Phil Smith 6 |
| Golden State leads series, 3–2 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
* May 14
* Boxscore
Golden State Warriors 104, Phoenix Suns 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 31–26, 21–31, 26–20 |||
| Pts: Rick Barry 30 Rebs: Clifford Ray 12 Asts: Barry, Smith 6 each | Pts: Ricky Sobers 21 Rebs: Gar Heard 15 Asts: three players 6 each |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,396
* May 16
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 94, Golden State Warriors 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 20–22, 25–17, 27–21 |||
| Pts: Gar Heard 21 Rebs: Alvan Adams 20 Asts: Westphal, Perry 4 each | Pts: Rick Barry 20 Rebs: Wilkes, Ray 13 each Asts: Phil Smith 6 |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–3 |||
* Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 13,067
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W3) Phoenix Suns

* May 23
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 87, Boston Celtics 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 19–22, 27–27, 21–27 |||
| Pts: Alvan Adams 26 Rebs: Curtis Perry 10 Asts: Ricky Sobers 7 | Pts: Dave Cowens 25 Rebs: Dave Cowens 21 Asts: Dave Cowens 10 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell
* May 27
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 90, Boston Celtics 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 16–22, 16–34, 33–25 |||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 28 Rebs: Alvan Adams 15 Asts: Westphal, Adams 5 each | Pts: John Havlicek 23 Rebs: Paul Silas 17 Asts: Jo Jo White 9 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Earl Strom, Joe Gushue
* May 30
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 98, Phoenix Suns 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 22–26, 26–26, 33–27 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 24 Rebs: Dave Cowens 17 Asts: Charlie Scott 5 | Pts: Alvan Adams 33 Rebs: Alvan Adams 14 Asts: Paul Westphal 6 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,884 Referees: Richie Powers, Paul Mihalak
* June 2
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 107, Phoenix Suns 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 27–25, 23–27, 27–22 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 25 Rebs: Paul Silas 14 Asts: Jo Jo White 5 | Pts: Paul Westphal 28 Rebs: Gar Heard 15 Asts: Paul Westphal 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,306 Referees: Don Murphy, Manny Sokol
* June 4
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 126, Boston Celtics 128 (3OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–36, 27–25, 27–16, 23–18, Overtime: 6–6, 11–11, 14–16 |||
| Pts: Westphal, Sobers 25 each Rebs: Curtis Perry 15 Asts: Perry, Sobers 6 each | Pts: Jo Jo White 33 Rebs: Dave Cowens 19 Asts: Jo Jo White 9 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Richie Powers, Don Murphy, Bob Rakel
* As John Havlicek hit the clutch shot as time ran out for Boston in the second OT, the fans crowded the floor in celebration, thinking that the game was over. However, the clock was supposed to stop on the basket, and the referees had to bring the Celtics back onto the floor and put one second back on the clock. Meanwhile, Paul Westphal called a timeout that the Suns didn't have which would result in a technical foul, forcing Jo Jo White to shoot and make the technical free throw which put the Celtics up by 2, and then Gar Heard hit the game-tying buzzer-beater to force the third OT.
* June 6
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 87, Phoenix Suns 80 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 18–13, 19–23, 30–24 |||
| Pts: Charlie Scott 25 Rebs: Dave Cowens 17 Asts: Jo Jo White 6 | Pts: Alvan Adams 20 Rebs: Gar Heard 10 Asts: Alvan Adams 6 |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 13,306 Referees: Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.