# 2005 NBA playoffs

The 2005 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP.

## Overview

The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards ended long playoff droughts in 2005, meeting each other in the first round. For the Washington Wizards, it was their first playoff appearance since 1997 — even more ironic their opponents for that postseason appearance were the Bulls who swept them on their way to their fifth NBA title. For the Chicago Bulls, it was their first post-Michael Jordan playoff appearance, as their last playoff game was Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. They consistently placed at or near the bottom of the Central Division in between, and their 47–35 season in 2005 was a 24–game improvement from 2004.
The Phoenix Suns returned to the NBA playoffs after a one season absence. The Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies entered their second consecutive postseason.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, it marked the first time in 11 seasons (dating back to 1994) and the fifth time in NBA history that they missed the playoffs. This was thus the last time until 2018 that the playoffs would be played entirely outside of Los Angeles. The Minnesota Timberwolves missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
This was the last time that the Seattle SuperSonics would be in the playoffs before they relocated to Oklahoma to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For the third straight year (fifth overall) the Pacers met the Celtics in the first round. Boston won in 2003 4–2, while Indiana swept Boston in 2004. This time, Indiana won 4–3. It would be Boston's last playoff appearance until 2008.
With their first round series win over the Chicago Bulls, the Washington Wizards won their first playoff series since 1982, and first playoff game since 1988. They also won a best of seven series for the first time since 1979. With their first round sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Phoenix Suns won their first playoff series since 2000.
With their conference semifinals sweep of the Washington Wizards, the Miami Heat became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds after the first round was made into a best-of-7 in the 2003 playoffs. The 2009 Cavaliers, 2010 Magic, 2012 Spurs, 2016 Cavaliers, 2017 Cavaliers and the 2017 Warriors followed suit. No team (until 2016) has made the finals after going 8–0 in the first two rounds, let alone win 12 straight games going to the NBA Finals (until the 2017 Warriors), though the Spurs came close in 2012 when they won their first 10 playoff games, then lost their next four to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and make the NBA Finals.
With their conference semifinals victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1993, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Game 6 of the Spurs–SuperSonics series was the last NBA Playoff game ever played at Key Arena.
With their Game 7 win over the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons advanced to their second consecutive NBA Finals.
The NBA Finals marked the first time since 1987 that the two previous champions met in the Finals (the Spurs won in 2003, the Pistons in 2004).
The NBA Finals went to a Game 7 for the first time since 1994.
With their Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA Championship. For the Spurs, it was their third title (they also won in the lockout–shortened season of 1998–99).

## Format

Beginning with the 2004–05 season, with the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference now has three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top three playoff seed, regardless of whether the team had one of the top eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home court advantage; a division-leading team with a poor record could be ranked number three but face a sixth seed with a better record, which would then have home court advantage. This has since been rectified by the NBA.

## Playoff qualifying
### Eastern Conference
#### Best record in conference

The Miami Heat clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

#### Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
* Miami Heat (59–23) (clinched Southeast division)
* Detroit Pistons (54–28) (clinched Central division)
* Boston Celtics (45–37) (clinched Atlantic division)
* Chicago Bulls (47–35)
* Washington Wizards (45–37)
* Indiana Pacers (44–38)
* Philadelphia 76ers (43–39)
* New Jersey Nets (42–40)

### Western Conference
#### Best record in NBA

The Phoenix Suns clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when Phoenix lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals.

#### Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
* Phoenix Suns (62–20) (clinched Pacific division)
* San Antonio Spurs (59–23) (clinched Southwest division)
* Seattle SuperSonics (52–30) (clinched Northwest division)
* Dallas Mavericks (58–24)
* Houston Rockets (51–31)
* Sacramento Kings (50–32)
* Denver Nuggets (49–33)
* Memphis Grizzlies (45–37)

## 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 | Miami* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New Jersey | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New Jersey | 0 | | | E1 | Miami* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E5 | Washington | 0 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Chicago | 2 | | | E5 | Washington | 0 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Washington | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Washington | 4 | | | | | | E1 | Miami* | 3 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Miami* | 3 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | |
| E3 | Boston* | 3 | | | | | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | |
| E6 | Indiana | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Indiana | 4 | | | E6 | Indiana | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Philadelphia | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Philadelphia | 1 | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W1 | Phoenix* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 |
| W8 | Memphis | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Memphis | 0 | | | W1 | Phoenix* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W4 | Dallas | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Dallas | 4 | | | W4 | Dallas | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Houston | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Houston | 3 | | | | | | W1 | Phoenix* | 1 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Phoenix* | 1 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| W3 | Seattle* | 4 | | | | | | | | | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | |
| W6 | Sacramento | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Sacramento | 1 | | | W3 | Seattle* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Denver | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## First round

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

### Eastern Conference first round
#### (1) Miami Heat vs. (8) New Jersey Nets

* ABC
* April 24 3:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 98, Miami Heat 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 23–32, 31–33, 25–29 |||
| Pts: Vince Carter 27 Rebs: Vince Carter 10 Asts: Vince Carter 8 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 32 Rebs: Haslem, O'Neal 11 each Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,212 Referees: Jess Kersey, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
* TNT
* April 26 8:00 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 87, Miami Heat 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 23–22, 20–28, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Nenad Krstić 27 Rebs: Collins, Krstić 8 each Asts: Best, Kidd 5 each | Pts: Alonzo Mourning 21 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,276 Referees: Bill Kennedy, Bill Spooner, Joe Crawford
* TNT
* April 28 7:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 108, New Jersey Nets 105 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 32–21, 25–24, 16–21, Overtime: 9–9, 9–6 |||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 25 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 19 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 | Pts: Vince Carter 36 Rebs: Jason Kidd 16 Asts: Jason Kidd 13 |
| Miami leads series, 3–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 20,174 Referees: Dick Bavetta, James Capers, Mike Callahan
* ABC
* May 1 3:30 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 110, New Jersey Nets 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 21–30, 27–18, 35–34 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 34 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11 Asts: Dwyane Wade 9 | Pts: Jason Kidd 25 Rebs: Vince Carter 10 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 |
| Miami wins series, 4–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 20,174 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Monty Mccutchen, Sean Corbin
Miami won 3–0 in the regular-season series :
November 3, 2004
Recap
Miami Heat 100, New Jersey Nets 77
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 3, 2005
Recap
Miami Heat 106, New Jersey Nets 90
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 12, 2005
Recap
New Jersey Nets 65, Miami Heat 90
American Airlines Arena, Miami :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Heat.

#### (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers

* ABC
* April 23 3:00 pm
* Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 85, Detroit Pistons 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–16, 18–32, 24–32, 15–26 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 30 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 18 Asts: Allen Iverson 10 | Pts: Rasheed Wallace 29 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 10 each Asts: Richard Hamilton 5 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard, Jack Nies
* NBA TV
* April 26 7:30 pm
* Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 84, Detroit Pistons 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–20, 13–22, 21–27, 27–30 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 19 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 11 Asts: Allen Iverson 10 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 23 Rebs: Ben Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Tony Brothers
* ESPN
* April 29 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 104, Philadelphia 76ers 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–24, 22–27, 24–29, 26–35 |||
| Pts: Ben Wallace 29 Rebs: Ben Wallace 16 Asts: Richard Hamilton 12 | Pts: Allen Iverson 37 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 10 Asts: Allen Iverson 15 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 |||
* Wachovia Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 16,907 Referees: Greg Willard, Monty Mccutchen, Ron Garretson
* ABC
* May 1 1:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 97, Philadelphia 76ers 92 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 20–14, 19–23, 23–22, Overtime: 14–9 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | Pts: Allen Iverson 36 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 15 Asts: Allen Iverson 8 |
| Detroit leads series, 3–1 |||
* Wachovia Center, Philadelphia Attendance: 15,894 Referees: Bob Delaney, David Jones, Steve Javie
* NBA TV
* May 3 8:00 pm
* Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 78, Detroit Pistons 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 20–22, 17–17, 17–28 |||
| Pts: Allen Iverson 34 Rebs: Samuel Dalembert 10 Asts: Allen Iverson 7 | Pts: Billups, Hamilton 23 each Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Scott Foster, Sean Corbin
Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 6, 2004
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 91, Detroit Pistons 99
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
January 15, 2005
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 95, Detroit Pistons 99
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
February 16, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 93, Philadelphia 76ers 75
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
March 23, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 84, Philadelphia 76ers 107
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. The first meeting took place while the Nationals/76ers franchise were in Syracuse and the Pistons franchise were in Fort Wayne.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
1955
Fort Wayne Pistons 3, Syracuse Nationals 4
1955 NBA Finals
2003
Detroit Pistons 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2
2003 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

#### (3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

* ESPN
* April 23 8:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 82, Boston Celtics 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–18, 11–39, 25–29, 26–16 |||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 25 Rebs: Dale Davis 10 Asts: Anthony Johnson 5 | Pts: Raef LaFrentz 21 Rebs: Paul Pierce 9 Asts: Gary Payton 7 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Tim Donaghy
* TNT
* April 25 7:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 82, Boston Celtics 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 17–20, 17–27, 18–10 |||
| Pts: Reggie Miller 28 Rebs: Anthony Johnson 7 Asts: Anthony Johnson 7 | Pts: Paul Pierce 32 Rebs: Pierce, Walker 7 each Asts: Paul Pierce 5 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Jack Nies, Joe Forte, Scott Wall
* NBA TV
* April 28 7:30 pm
* Recap
Boston Celtics 76, Indiana Pacers 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 19–31, 21–16, 17–28 |||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 19 Rebs: Antoine Walker 9 Asts: Gary Payton 6 | Pts: Reggie Miller 33 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 11 Asts: Anthony Johnson 8 |
| Indiana leads series, 2–1 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Kennedy, Tom Washington
* ESPN
* April 30 7:00 pm
* Recap
Boston Celtics 110, Indiana Pacers 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 25–27, 22–16, 32–16 |||
| Pts: Paul Pierce 30 Rebs: Jefferson, Pierce 7 Asts: Paul Pierce 8 | Pts: Stephen Jackson 24 Rebs: James Jones 9 Asts: Anthony Johnson 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Michael Smith, Mike Callahan
* TNT
* May 3 7:30 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 90, Boston Celtics 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 27–21, 20–23, 20–20 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 19 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 10 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 7 | Pts: Paul Pierce 27 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: four players 3 each |
| Indiana leads series, 3–2 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Ken Mauer, Monty Mccutchen, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* May 5 7:00 pm
* Recap
Boston Celtics 92, Indiana Pacers 89 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 29–16, 21–19, 14–22, Overtime: 8–5 |||
| Pts: Antoine Walker 24 Rebs: Al Jefferson 14 Asts: Paul Pierce 6 | Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 26 Rebs: Dale Davis 14 Asts: Anthony Johnson 4 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bill Spooner, Scott Foster, Steve Javie
* TNT
* May 7 7:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 97, Boston Celtics 70 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 13–12, 29–18, 33–20 |||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 24 Rebs: Jeff Foster 12 Asts: Jermaine O'Neal 6 | Pts: Antoine Walker 20 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Gary Payton 7 |
| Indiana wins series, 4–3 |||
* FleetCenter, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford, Greg Willard
Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 5, 2004
Recap
Indiana Pacers 100, Boston Celtics 94
FleetCenter, Boston
November 23, 2004
Recap
Boston Celtics 96, Indiana Pacers 106
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
January 26, 2005
Recap
Indiana Pacers 86, Boston Celtics 100
FleetCenter, Boston :
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the first four meetings.
Boston leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series :
1991
Boston Celtics 3, Indiana Pacers 2
1991 Eastern Conference First Round
1992
Boston Celtics 3, Indiana Pacers 0
1992 Eastern Conference First Round
2003
Boston Celtics 4, Indiana Pacers 2
2003 Eastern Conference First Round
2004
Boston Celtics 0, Indiana Pacers 4
2004 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards

* TNT
* April 24 4:30 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 94, Chicago Bulls 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 26–29, 30–24, 12–26 |||
| Pts: Larry Hughes 31 Rebs: Kwame Brown 9 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 8 | Pts: Ben Gordon 30 Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 18 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 |
| Chicago leads series, 1–0 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,655 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Michael Smith, Mike Callahan
* NBA TV
* April 27 7:30 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 103, Chicago Bulls 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 21–38, 20–24, 33–32 |||
| Pts: Gilbert Arenas 39 Rebs: Larry Hughes 10 Asts: Larry Hughes 5 | Pts: Kirk Hinrich 34 Rebs: Chris Duhon 8 Asts: Chris Duhon 7 |
| Chicago leads series, 2–0 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,605 Referees: David Jones, Monty Mccutchen, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* April 30 3:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 99, Washington Wizards 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 32–26, 22–33, 22–27 |||
| Pts: Tyson Chandler 15 Rebs: Antonio Davis 11 Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Gilbert Arenas 32 Rebs: Haywood, Thomas 9 each Asts: Gilbert Arenas 7 |
| Chicago leads series, 2–1 |||
* MCI Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington, Tony Brothers
* TNT
* May 2 7:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 99, Washington Wizards 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–29, 22–32, 23–19, 39–26 |||
| Pts: Hinrich, Pargo 18 each Rebs: Tyson Chandler 13 Asts: Gordon, Hinrich 5 each | Pts: Juan Dixon 35 Rebs: Etan Thomas 9 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 5 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* MCI Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Dan Crawford, James Capers, Joe Forte
* TNT
* May 4 6:00 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 112, Chicago Bulls 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–28, 29–21, 23–24, 26–37 |||
| Pts: Larry Hughes 33 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 10 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 8 | Pts: Ben Gordon 27 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 10 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 |
| Washington leads series, 3–2 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,250 Referees: Bob Delaney, Derrick Stafford, Greg Willard
* ESPN
* May 6 8:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 91, Washington Wizards 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 28–29, 20–16, 17–26 |||
| Pts: Hinrich, Nocioni 22 each Rebs: Tyson Chandler 11 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 9 | Pts: Larry Hughes 21 Rebs: Ruffin, Haywood 8 each Asts: Gilbert Arenas 7 |
| Washington wins series, 4–2 |||
* MCI Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies, Jim Clark
* Gilbert Arenas hits the game-winning buzzer beater in Game 5.
Washington won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
December 4, 2004
Recap
Chicago Bulls 88, Washington Wizards 95
MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
February 25, 2005
Recap
Washington Wizards 90, Chicago Bulls 97
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
April 13, 2005
Recap
Chicago Bulls 82, Washington Wizards 93
MCI Center, Washington, D.C. :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.
Chicago leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1997
Chicago Bulls 3, Washington Bullets 0
1997 Eastern Conference First Round :

### Western Conference first round
#### (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies

* TNT
* April 24 9:30 pm
* Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 103, Phoenix Suns 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–39, 22–20, 28–28, 25–27 |||
| Pts: Mike Miller 19 Rebs: Shane Battier 9 Asts: Jason Williams 5 | Pts: Shawn Marion 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 13 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bob Delaney, Sean Corbin
* TNT
* April 27 7:30 pm
* Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 103, Phoenix Suns 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–29, 23–31, 23–22, 26–26 |||
| Pts: Pau Gasol 28 Rebs: Pau Gasol 16 Asts: Pau Gasol 5 | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 34 Rebs: Shawn Marion 13 Asts: Steve Nash 15 |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–0 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Blane Reichelt, Eddie F. Rush, Joe DeRosa
* ESPN2
* April 29 8:00 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 110, Memphis Grizzlies 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–30, 26–17, 26–20, 27–23 |||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 30 Rebs: Shawn Marion 13 Asts: Steve Nash 8 | Pts: Lorenzen Wright 14 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Jason Williams 6 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–0 |||
* FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 18,119 Referees: Joe Forte, Steve Javie, Tim Donaghy
* TNT
* May 1 7:00 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 123, Memphis Grizzlies 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–20, 24–36, 28–26, 32–33 |||
| Pts: Joe Johnson 25 Rebs: Shawn Marion 11 Asts: Steve Nash 9 | Pts: Pau Gasol 28 Rebs: Dahntay Jones 5 Asts: Jason Williams 8 |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–0 |||
* FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 17,243 Referees: Ken Mauer, Mark Wunderlich, Ron Garretson
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
December 23, 2004
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 102, Phoenix Suns 109
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
January 19, 2005
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 88, Phoenix Suns 79
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
February 1, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 97, Memphis Grizzlies 108
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
March 20, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 97, Memphis Grizzlies 91
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Suns.

#### (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets

* TNT
* April 24 7:00 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 93, San Antonio Spurs 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 29–25, 21–23, 20–12 |||
| Pts: Andre Miller 31 Rebs: Marcus Camby 12 Asts: Andre Miller 5 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 23 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 15 Asts: Tony Parker 6 |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bill Spooner, David Jones, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* April 27 7:00 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 76, San Antonio Spurs 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 14–34, 30–23, 14–18 |||
| Pts: DeMarr Johnson 12 Rebs: Marcus Camby 12 Asts: Andre Miller 7 | Pts: Tim Duncan 24 Rebs: Duncan, Horry 9 each Asts: Tony Parker 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich, Steve Javie
* ESPN
* April 30 8:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 86, Denver Nuggets 78 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 26–21, 11–17, 25–20 |||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Brent Barry 4 | Pts: Carmelo Anthony 19 Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Andre Miller 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,913 Referees: Dan Crawford, Leon Wood, Scott Foster
* NBA TV
* May 2 8:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 126, Denver Nuggets 115 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 29–24, 30–29, 20–27, Overtime: 19–8 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 39 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Tony Parker 7 | Pts: Earl Boykins 32 Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Anthony, Boykins 5 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 |||
* Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,776 Referees: Bennie Adams, Derrick Stafford, Dick Bavetta
* TNT
* May 4 8:30 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 89, San Antonio Spurs 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 22–20, 24–26, 22–28 |||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 25 Rebs: Marcus Camby 10 Asts: Andre Miller 6 | Pts: Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 13 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Jim Clark, Luis Grillo, Mike Callahan
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 26, 2004
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 89, Denver Nuggets 75
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
January 8, 2005
Recap
Denver Nuggets 90, San Antonio Spurs 99
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
March 12, 2005
Recap
Denver Nuggets 90, San Antonio Spurs 87
SBC Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 1, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 84, Denver Nuggets 102
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado :
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning three of the first four meetings.
San Antonio leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series :
1983
Denver Nuggets 1, San Antonio Spurs 4
1983 Western Conference Semifinals
1985
Denver Nuggets 3, San Antonio Spurs 2
1985 Western Conference First Round
1990
Denver Nuggets 0, San Antonio Spurs 3
1990 Western Conference First Round
1995
Denver Nuggets 0, San Antonio Spurs 3
1995 Western Conference First Round :

#### (3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Sacramento Kings

* ESPN
* April 23 5:30 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 82, Seattle SuperSonics 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 18–25, 24–15, 18–17 |||
| Pts: Peja Stojaković 24 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 8 Asts: Mike Bibby 4 | Pts: Ray Allen 28 Rebs: Evans, James 15 each Asts: Daniels, Ridnour 4 each |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Bennie Adams, Jim Clark, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* April 26 7:30 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 93, Seattle SuperSonics 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 22–29, 18–33, 31–17 |||
| Pts: Bobby Jackson 17 Rebs: Peja Stojaković 10 Asts: Mike Bibby 8 | Pts: Ray Allen 26 Rebs: Jerome James 9 Asts: Allen, Ridnour 6 each |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bob Delaney, Sean Corbin
* ESPN
* April 29 7:30 pm
* Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 104, Sacramento Kings 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 26–23, 36–38, 23–24 |||
| Pts: Ray Allen 33 Rebs: Jerome James 9 Asts: Allen, Ridnour 5 each | Pts: Mike Bibby 31 Rebs: Bibby, Thomas 7 each Asts: Mike Bibby 4 |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Blane Reichelt, Eddie F. Rush, Joe DeRosa
* TNT
* May 1 7:30 pm
* Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 115, Sacramento Kings 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 36–37, 24–16, 35–18 |||
| Pts: Ray Allen 45 Rebs: James, Lewis 8 each Asts: Allen, Daniels 6 each | Pts: Peja Stojaković 25 Rebs: Kenny Thomas 14 Asts: Mike Bibby 7 |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Bill Spooner, Jack Nies
* TNT
* May 3 10:00 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 118, Seattle SuperSonics 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 33–31, 36–30, 25–32 |||
| Pts: Peja Stojaković 38 Rebs: Miller, Thomas 6 each Asts: Brad Miller 11 | Pts: Ray Allen 30 Rebs: Nick Collison 9 Asts: Antonio Daniels 8 |
| Seattle wins series, 4–1 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 10, 2004
Recap
Sacramento Kings 78, Seattle SuperSonics 108
KeyArena, Seattle
February 1, 2005
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 106, Sacramento Kings 101
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
February 10, 2005
Recap
Sacramento Kings 107, Seattle SuperSonics 115
KeyArena, Seattle
April 5, 2005
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 101, Sacramento Kings 122
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1996
Sacramento Kings 1, Seattle SuperSonics 3
1996 Western Conference First Round :

#### (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Houston Rockets

* ESPN
* April 23 12:30 pm
* Recap
Houston Rockets 98, Dallas Mavericks 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–16, 26–24, 18–23, 28–23 |||
| Pts: Tracy McGrady 34 Rebs: Mutombo, Yao 8 each Asts: Tracy McGrady 6 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 21 Rebs: Josh Howard 10 Asts: Nowitzki, Terry 3 each |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,678 Referees: Dan Crawford, James Capers, Ken Mauer
* TNT
* April 25 9:30 pm
* Recap
Houston Rockets 113, Dallas Mavericks 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–30, 26–26, 24–32, 29–23 |||
| Pts: Yao Ming 33 Rebs: McGrady, Yao 8 each Asts: Tracy McGrady 10 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Erick Dampier 9 Asts: Jason Terry 6 |
| Houston leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,884 Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* April 28 8:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 106, Houston Rockets 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–27, 22–22, 24–34, 28–19 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Daniels, Terry 4 each | Pts: Tracy McGrady 28 Rebs: Bob Sura 11 Asts: McGrady, Sura 6 each |
| Houston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,199 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Jess Kersey, Scott Foster
* TNT
* April 30 4:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 97, Houston Rockets 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 22–29, 29–26, 20–16 |||
| Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 7 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 6 | Pts: Tracy McGrady 36 Rebs: Dikembe Mutombo 7 Asts: Tracy McGrady 5 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,211 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jim Clark, Luis Grillo
* TNT
* May 2 9:30 pm
* Recap
Houston Rockets 100, Dallas Mavericks 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 22–28, 24–24, 32–27 |||
| Pts: Yao Ming 30 Rebs: Tracy McGrady 9 Asts: Tracy McGrady 6 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 23 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Jason Terry 7 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,894 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Joe DeRosa, Tony Brothers
* TNT
* May 5 9:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 83, Houston Rockets 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 19–34, 25–17, 13–32 |||
| Pts: Jerry Stackhouse 21 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Nowitzki, Terry 4 each | Pts: Tracy McGrady 37 Rebs: Dikembe Mutombo 10 Asts: Tracy McGrady 7 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Attendance: 18,215 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Joe Forte, Sean Corbin
* TNT
* May 7 9:30 pm
* Recap
Houston Rockets 76, Dallas Mavericks 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–32, 24–27, 20–33, 12–24 |||
| Pts: Yao Ming 33 Rebs: Yao Ming 10 Asts: Tracy McGrady 7 | Pts: Jason Terry 31 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14 Asts: Armstrong Stackhouse 4 each |
| Dallas wins series, 4–3 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,884 Referees: Bill Spooner, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
December 2, 2004
Recap
Houston Rockets 106, Dallas Mavericks 113 (OT)
American Airlines Center, Dallas
December 11, 2004
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 102, Houston Rockets 78
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
January 12, 2005
Recap
Houston Rockets 124, Dallas Mavericks 114
American Airlines Center, Dallas
March 6, 2005
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 69, Houston Rockets 90
Toyota Center, Houston, Texas :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first meeting.
Dallas leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1988
Dallas Mavericks 3, Houston Rockets 1
1988 Western Conference First Round :

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Washington Wizards

* ABC
* May 8 3:30 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 86, Miami Heat 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 29–23, 17–33, 22–23 |||
| Pts: Gilbert Arenas 25 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 8 Asts: Larry Hughes 3 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 20 Rebs: Eddie Jones 8 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,151 Referees: Blane Reichelt, Dick Bavetta, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 10 7:00 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 102, Miami Heat 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–30, 27–24, 24–26, 31–28 |||
| Pts: Antawn Jamison 32 Rebs: Hughes, Ruffin 8 each Asts: Gilbert Arenas 5 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13 Asts: Dwyane Wade 15 |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,205 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Joe DeRosa, Scott Foster
* ESPN
* May 12 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 102, Washington Wizards 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 28–27, 30–19, 23–25 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Alonzo Mourning 13 Asts: D. Jones, Wade 6 each | Pts: Antawn Jamison 21 Rebs: Brendan Haywood 8 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 14 |
| Miami leads series, 3–0 |||
* MCI Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Jess Kersey, Ken Mauer
* ABC
* May 14 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 99, Washington Wizards 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–26, 24–25, 40–25, 12–19 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 42 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13 Asts: Damon Jones 6 | Pts: Gilbert Arenas 25 Rebs: Brendan Haywood 15 Asts: Larry Hughes 5 |
| Miami wins series, 4–0 |||
* MCI Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Monty Mccutchen
Miami won 4–0 in the regular-season series :
November 6, 2004
Recap
Miami Heat 118, Washington Wizards 106
MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
November 9, 2004
Recap
Washington Wizards 93, Miami Heat 103
American Airlines Arena, Miami
December 13, 2004
Recap
Washington Wizards 83, Miami Heat 106
American Airlines Arena, Miami
December 15, 2004
Recap
Miami Heat 98, Washington Wizards 93
MCI Center, Washington, D.C. :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the Wizards.

#### (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

* TNT
* May 9 8:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 81, Detroit Pistons 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 18–29, 19–20, 24–24 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Rebs: Jeff Foster 13 Asts: Johnson, Miller 3 each | Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Jess Kersey, Jim Clark
* TNT
* May 11 8:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 92, Detroit Pistons 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–33, 22–17, 28–19, 24–14 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Rebs: Jeff Foster 20 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 12 | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 16 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Sean Corbin
* ESPN
* May 13 6:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 74, Indiana Pacers 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 11–17, 17–25, 17–16, 29–21 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 23 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 6 | Pts: Reggie Miller 17 Rebs: Jeff Foster 12 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 6 |
| Indiana leads series, 2–1 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Tom Washington
* ABC
* May 15 2:30 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 89, Indiana Pacers 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–13, 26–21, 25–22, 17–20 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 29 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 12 Asts: Richard Hamilton 7 | Pts: Stephen Jackson 23 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 13 Asts: Anthony Johnson 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bob Delaney, Luis Grillo, Steve Javie
* TNT
* May 17 7:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 67, Detroit Pistons 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 14–19, 11–27, 21–17 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 14 Rebs: Dale Davis 12 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 5 | Pts: Ben Wallace 19 Rebs: Tayshaun Prince 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Detroit leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Jack Nies, Joe Crawford
* ABC
* May 19 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 88, Indiana Pacers 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 20–25, 23–17, 26–16 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 11 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | Pts: Reggie Miller 27 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 11 Asts: Jamaal Tinsley 10 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 18,345 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner, Ken Mauer
* Game 6 is Reggie Miller's final NBA game.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 19, 2004
Recap
Indiana Pacers 97, Detroit Pistons 82
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
December 25, 2004
Recap
Detroit Pistons 98, Indiana Pacers 93
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
January 27, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 88, Indiana Pacers 76
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
March 23, 2005
Recap
Indiana Pacers 94, Detroit Pistons 81
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first two meetings.
Detroit leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1990
Detroit Pistons 3, Indiana Pacers 0
1990 Eastern Conference First Round
2004
Detroit Pistons 4, Indiana Pacers 2
2004 Eastern Conference Finals :

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

* TNT
* May 9 10:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 102, Phoenix Suns 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 25–34, 26–36, 29–28 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 4 | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 40 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 16 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Monty Mccutchen
* TNT
* May 11 10:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 108, Phoenix Suns 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 20–24, 26–36, 28–24 |||
| Pts: Michael Finley 31 Rebs: Dampier, Nowitzki 12 each Asts: Finley, Stackhouse 5 each | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 30 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 16 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Greg Willard, Dick Bavetta, Tony Brothers
* ESPN
* May 13 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 119, Dallas Mavericks 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 33–28, 27–23, 32–20 |||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 37 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 14 Asts: Steve Nash 17 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 21 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 13 Asts: Jason Terry 7 |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,896 Referees: Eddie F. Rush, Jim Clark, Sean Corbin
* TNT
* May 15 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 109, Dallas Mavericks 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 28–36, 29–27, 30–26 |||
| Pts: Steve Nash 48 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Steve Nash 5 | Pts: Josh Howard 29 Rebs: Erick Dampier 11 Asts: Jason Terry 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,894 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Joe DeRosa, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 18 6:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 108, Phoenix Suns 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 26–23, 22–28, 31–38 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 34 Rebs: Erick Dampier 14 Asts: Jason Terry 8 | Pts: Steve Nash 34 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 18 Asts: Steve Nash 12 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
* ESPN
* May 20 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 130, Dallas Mavericks 126 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 25–30, 24–22, 34–27, Overtime: 19–15 |||
| Pts: Steve Nash 39 Rebs: Shawn Marion 16 Asts: Steve Nash 12 | Pts: Jason Terry 36 Rebs: Josh Howard 14 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 6 |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,915 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Derrick Stafford, Ron Garretson
Phoenix won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 16, 2004
Recap
Phoenix Suns 107, Dallas Mavericks 101
American Airlines Center, Dallas
February 17, 2005
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 119, Phoenix Suns 113
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
February 26, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 124, Dallas Mavericks 123
American Airlines Center, Dallas :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Suns.

#### (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

* TNT
* May 8 8:00 pm
* Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 81, San Antonio Spurs 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–35, 13–27, 22–13, 24–28 |||
| Pts: Rashard Lewis 19 Rebs: Collison, Evans 7 each Asts: Luke Ridnour 4 | Pts: Tony Parker 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Tim Duncan 5 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, David Jones, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 10 9:30 pm
* Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 91, San Antonio Spurs 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 26–26, 23–25, 26–29 |||
| Pts: Ray Allen 25 Rebs: Reggie Evans 12 Asts: Antonio Daniels 6 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 28 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 10 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bob Delaney, Dan Crawford, James Capers
* ESPN
* May 12 7:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 91, Seattle SuperSonics 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–21, 22–28, 24–26, 16–17 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 23 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Tony Parker 8 | Pts: Ray Allen 20 Rebs: Rashard Lewis 10 Asts: Ray Allen 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 15 4:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 89, Seattle SuperSonics 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 14–18, 26–36, 23–19 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 35 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Bowen, Parker 3 each | Pts: Ray Allen 32 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Antonio Daniels 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Bill Spooner, Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson
* TNT
* May 17 8:30 pm
* Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 90, San Antonio Spurs 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 32–25, 18–28, 22–25 |||
| Pts: Ray Allen 19 Rebs: Danny Fortson 9 Asts: Ray Allen 6 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 39 Rebs: Tim Duncan 14 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 6 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Blane Reichelt, Dick Bavetta, Luis Grillo
* ESPN
* May 19 7:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 98, Seattle SuperSonics 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 32–22, 20–26, 26–23 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 | Pts: Ray Allen 25 Rebs: Reggie Evans 9 Asts: Antonio Daniels 5 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* KeyArena, Seattle Attendance: 17,072 Referees: Dan Crawford, Gary Forest, Greg Willard
* Tim Duncan made the series-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left in Game 6.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 7, 2004
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 94, Seattle SuperSonics 113
KeyArena, Seattle
December 8, 2004
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 102, San Antonio Spurs 96
SBC Center, San Antonio
January 31, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 103, Seattle SuperSonics 84
KeyArena, Seattle
March 30, 2005
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 76, San Antonio Spurs 89
SBC Center, San Antonio :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first two meetings.
San Antonio leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1982
San Antonio Spurs 4, Seattle SuperSonics 1
1982 Western Conference Semifinals
2002
San Antonio Spurs 3, Seattle SuperSonics 2
2002 Western Conference First Round :

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Miami Heat vs. (2) Detroit Pistons

* TNT
* May 23 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 90, Miami Heat 81 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 20–18, 30–24, 16–14 |||
| Pts: Rasheed Wallace 20 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Carlos Arroyo 7 | Pts: Eddie Jones 22 Rebs: Eddie Jones 8 Asts: Damon Jones 5 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,203 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Bob Delaney, Mike Callahan
* TNT
* May 25 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 86, Miami Heat 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 13–23, 27–15, 23–30 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 40 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,228 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 29 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 113, Detroit Pistons 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 31–27, 26–24, 34–29 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: D. Jones, Wade 7 each Asts: D. Jones, O'Neal 5 each | Pts: Richard Hamilton 33 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 8 Asts: Richard Hamilton 5 |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Joe Forte
* TNT
* May 31 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 96, Detroit Pistons 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 25–35, 23–19, 27–27 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Eddie Jones 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 28 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Richard Hamilton 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Jack Nies, Joe Crawford
* TNT
* June 2 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 76, Miami Heat 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 13–25, 21–20, 16–15 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 21 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 9 Asts: Richard Hamilton 5 | Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 20 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 13 Asts: Damon Jones 6 |
| Miami leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,225 Referees: Ken Mauer, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie
* TNT
* June 4 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 66, Detroit Pistons 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 16–27, 13–24, 21–23 |||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 24 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Damon Jones 6 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Prince, R. Wallace 9 each Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bernie Fryer, Dan Crawford
* TNT
* June 6 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 88, Miami Heat 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 24–17, 19–26, 24–16 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 27 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 4 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–3 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,241 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Joe Crawford
The Pistons beat the Heat in seven games in part because of the comeback mounted in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Finals by Chauncey Billups. Dwyane Wade also missed Game 6 of the series due to a rib injury.
To date, this is the last time the Pistons won the Eastern Conference championship.
Detroit won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 26, 2004
Recap
Miami Heat 77, Detroit Pistons 78
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
December 30, 2004
Recap
Miami Heat 89, Detroit Pistons 78
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
April 10, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 80, Miami Heat 72
American Airlines Arena, Miami :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.
Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2000
Detroit Pistons 0, Miami Heat 3
2000 Eastern Conference First Round :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs

* ABC
* May 22 12:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 121, Phoenix Suns 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 25–29, 23–33, 43–32 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 41 Rebs: Marion, Stoudemire 9 each Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Jack Nies, Jim Clark, Joe Crawford
* ESPN
* May 24 6:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 111, Phoenix Suns 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–21, 22–33, 27–31, 31–23 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 30 Rebs: Duncan, Mohammed 8 each Asts: Tony Parker 5 | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 37 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Steve Nash 15 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner, Ken Mauer
* ESPN
* May 28 8:00 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 92, San Antonio Spurs 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–38, 10–18, 24–24, 29–22 |||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 34 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 11 Asts: Johnson, Nash 3 each | Pts: Tim Duncan 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tony Parker 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Derrick Stafford, Ron Garretson Steve Javie
* ABC
* May 30 7:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 111, San Antonio Spurs 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 26–36, 35–21, 24–26 |||
| Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 31 Rebs: Shawn Marion 14 Asts: Steve Nash 12 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 28 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Joe DeRosa, Mike Callahan
* ESPN
* June 1 6:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 101, Phoenix Suns 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 25–26, 29–20, 23–25 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 31 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 6 | Pts: Amar'e Stoudemire 42 Rebs: Amar'e Stoudemire 16 Asts: Steve Nash 10 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 |||
* America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Greg Willard
San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
December 28, 2004
Recap
Phoenix Suns 94, San Antonio Spurs 115
SBC Center, San Antonio
January 21, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 128, Phoenix Suns 123 (OT)
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
March 9, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 101, Phoenix Suns 107
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece.
Tied 3–3 in all-time playoff series :
1992
Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 0
1992 Western Conference First Round
1993
Phoenix Suns 4, San Antonio Spurs 2
1993 Western Conference Semifinals
1996
Phoenix Suns 1, San Antonio Spurs 3
1996 Western Conference First Round
1998
Phoenix Suns 1, San Antonio Spurs 3
1998 Western Conference First Round
2000
Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 1
2000 Western Conference First Round
2003
Phoenix Suns 2, San Antonio Spurs 4
2003 Western Conference First Round :

## NBA Finals: (W2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
* ABC
* June 9 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 69, San Antonio Spurs 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 17–18, 14–20, 18–29 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 25 Rebs: Ben Wallace 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 17 Asts: Horry, Parker 3 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Steve Javie, Ron Garretson, Mike Callahan
* ABC
* June 12 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 76, San Antonio Spurs 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 23–28, 21–21, 13–18 |||
| Pts: Antonio McDyess 15 Rebs: B. Wallace, R. Wallace 8 each Asts: Rasheed Wallace 4 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 27 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Dan Crawford, Jack Nies
* ABC
* June 14 9:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 79, Detroit Pistons 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 15–20, 23–29, 14–26 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 21 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Duncan, Parker 4 each | Pts: Richard Hamilton 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bob Delaney, Joe Crawford
* ABC
* June 16 9:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 71, Detroit Pistons 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 19–28, 21–23, 14–28 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 16 Rebs: Tim Duncan 16 Asts: Bowen, Parker 4 each | Pts: Billups, Hunter 17 each Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Joe DeRosa
* ABC
* June 19 9:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 96, Detroit Pistons 95 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 21–19, 22–21, 25–26, Overtime: 7–6 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 26 Rebs: Tim Duncan 19 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 9 | Pts: Chauncey Billups 34 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Steve Javie
* ABC
* June 21 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 95, San Antonio Spurs 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 23–24, 25–20, 24–19 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 23 Rebs: Ben Wallace 9 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | Pts: Duncan, Ginóbili 21 each Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tony Parker 5 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Bernie Fryer, Dan Crawford
* ABC
* June 23 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 74, San Antonio Spurs 81 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 23–20, 18–19, 17–24 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 15 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | Pts: Tim Duncan 25 Rebs: Tim Duncan 11 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 4 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–3 |||
* SBC Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Eddie F. Rush, Joe Crawford
Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series :
December 3, 2004
Recap
Detroit Pistons 77, San Antonio Spurs 80
SBC Center, San Antonio
March 20, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 101, Detroit Pistons 110
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Spurs.
* Robert Horry hit the game-winning shot with 5.9 seconds left in Game 5.
The Finals were broadcast in the United States on ABC and in Canada on TSN. For a list of international broadcasters see the NBA international TV site. Jennifer Lopez's "Get Right" music video became the anthem song for the playoffs and the conclusion song at the end of the regular season.

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Game High | Game High | Game High | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | High | Player | Team | Avg. | GP |
| Points | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 48 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 31.2 | 5 |
| Rebounds | Jeff Foster | Indiana Pacers | 20 | Samuel Dalembert | Philadelphia 76ers | 12.8 | 5 |
| Assists | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 17 | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 11.3 | 15 |
| Steals | Gilbert Arenas | Washington Wizards | 6 | Andre Iguodala | Philadelphia 76ers | 2.8 | 5 |
| Blocks | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons | 7 | Marcus Camby | Denver Nuggets | 3.2 | 5 |