# 2006 NBA playoffs

The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade was named NBA Finals MVP.

## Overview

This season was the last time that the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs until 2023. The Kings held the longest playoff drought in NBA playoff history at 16 years. With the MLB's Seattle Mariners qualifying for the playoffs in 2022, the Kings held the title for the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues until 2023.
The Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and advanced to the second round for the first time since 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. They came within one game of making the conference finals for the first time, but lost Game 7 to the Suns.
The Phoenix Suns became the eighth team to win a playoff series despite trailing 3–1 with their first round victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. They lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
The Denver Nuggets also appeared in the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference despite a 44–38 record (due to winning their division). However, they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, and the NBA changed how division winners are seeded starting the following season.
2006 was the playoff debut of LeBron James, who helped the Cleveland Cavaliers eke out 1–point OT victories over the Washington Wizards in Games 5 and 6 of their first-round series to advance. It was the Cavaliers first playoff appearance since 1998, and they earned their first playoff series win since 1993. The Cavaliers played against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in the next round. After being routed in Game 1 and losing Game 2 by 6, the Cavs won the next three matches in a row, and they were 1 game away from beating the Pistons. However, Detroit recovered and won the last 2, in order to take the series in 7. The Pistons and Cavaliers met in the next year's Playoffs, and the Cavaliers won that series in six games. This was the last time that the Pistons beat the Cavaliers in a playoff series, as of 2024.
This season also marked the first time that two 60–win teams met before the conference finals, due to the seeding format. The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks played against each other in the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks won the series in seven games, marking the first time the Mavericks beat the Spurs in a playoff series.
This year's NBA Finals also featured a number of firsts
* Both NBA Finalists made their first NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat, for the first time since 1971.
* Neither the Lakers nor the Spurs represented the Western Conference, for the first time since 1998.
* For the first time since 1998, the NBA Finals did not feature Tim Duncan or Kobe Bryant (although Kobe's ex–teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, returned to the Finals for the fifth time in seven seasons)
* For the first time since 2001, neither the Nets or the Pistons represented the Eastern Conference (coincidentally, these two teams were eliminated by the Miami Heat en route to their first Finals appearance)
* The Mavericks became the first team since 1977 to lose the NBA Finals despite leading 2–0. They also became the first team in NBA History to win the first two games, build a double digit lead in game 3, lose game 3, and the rest of the series.
* The Miami Heat won their first NBA Championship despite losing the first two games, the third team in NBA History to do so.
** Prior to Game 6, Pat Riley motivated his players to pack "one shirt, one suit, one tie." His effort paid off, and the Heat won that game, giving Riley his fifth NBA Championship as a head coach. He also avenged his previous NBA Finals loss in 1994, when his New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets despite leading 3–2.
The 2006 NBA Playoffs also featured several lasts.
* Game 6 of the Spurs–Kings series was the last NBA Playoff game to be played at ARCO Arena.
* The last time division winners were automatically granted a top three seed in the NBA Playoffs.
* The Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies' last playoff appearance until 2011.
* The last time the Chicago Bulls lost a first–round series following their 1998 championship.
* The last time the Los Angeles Clippers won a playoff series until 2012 (and earned home court advantage until 2013).
* The last time Shaquille O'Neal played in the NBA Finals.

## Format

With the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, in 2005, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference had 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 could be seeded second or third but face a lower seed (that did not win its division) with a better record, and the lower seed would have home-court advantage.
This was illustrated in the first round here when the 44-win Denver Nuggets won the Northwest Division and had the third seed, yet did not have home-court advantage against the sixth-seeded, 47-win Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had played the Memphis Grizzlies a week before the playoffs to determine the fifth and sixth seed. The loser of the game would face Denver, whereas the winner would face fourth-seeded Dallas, who had the second-best record in the conference. It was speculated that the Clippers lost on purpose to play Denver in the first round. Starting in the 2007 playoffs, being a division winner did not guarantee a top-3 playoff seed.

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

The Detroit Pistons clinched the best record in the NBA, earning home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, when the Pistons lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, home-court advantage in the NBA Finals went to the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, which had a better record than the Heat.

#### Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
* Detroit Pistons (64–18) (clinched Central division)
* Miami Heat (52–30) (clinched Southeast division)
* New Jersey Nets (49–33) (clinched Atlantic division)
* Cleveland Cavaliers (50–32)
* Washington Wizards (42–40)
* Indiana Pacers (41–41, 2–2 head-to-head vs. CHI, 6–10 record vs. Central Division)
* Chicago Bulls (41–41, 2–2 head-to-head vs. IND, 4–12 record vs. Central Division)
* Milwaukee Bucks (40–42)

### Western Conference
#### Best record in conference

The San Antonio Spurs clinched the best record in the Western Conference, and had home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. However, when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference semifinals, Dallas had home court advantage in the Western Conference finals.

#### Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
* San Antonio Spurs (63–19) (clinched Southwest division)
* Phoenix Suns (54–28) (clinched Pacific division)
* Denver Nuggets (44–38) (clinched Northwest division)
* Dallas Mavericks (60–22)
* Memphis Grizzlies (49–33)
* Los Angeles Clippers (47–35)
* Los Angeles Lakers (45–37)
* Sacramento Kings (44–38)

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

## TV coverage

First and second-round games were televised on ABC, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2, and NBA TV in the United States and on TSN, The Score, and Raptors NBA TV in Canada; some games were also televised on local or regional TV networks. The Eastern Conference finals aired exclusively on ESPN/ABC, and the Western Conference finals aired exclusively on TNT; TSN and The Score split coverage of the conference finals. The NBA Finals aired exclusively on ABC in the U.S. and on TSN in Canada.
ESPN offered "Full Circle" broadcasts for the opening game of the Bulls–Heat series, with ESPN2 carrying an "above the rim" camera feed, ESPNews carrying in-game analysis, ESPN360 carrying a statistics-focused feed, and additional supplemental coverage on ESPN Radio and ESPN.com.

## First round

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

### Eastern Conference first round
#### (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks

* TNT
* April 23 5:30 pm
* Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 74, Detroit Pistons 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 18–24, 19–25, 18–24 |||
| Pts: Charlie Bell 13 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 9 Asts: Ford, Bogut 3 each | Pts: Rasheed Wallace 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 17 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Eddie Rush, David Jones, Bill Spooner, Bennie Adams
* NBA TV
* April 26 7:30 pm
* Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 98, Detroit Pistons 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 25–29, 27–31, 23–17 |||
| Pts: Michael Redd 29 Rebs: Andrew Bogut 13 Asts: Andrew Bogut 4 | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Richard Hamilton 8 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Tony Brothers, Don Garretson, Derrick Stafford
* ESPN
* April 29 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 104, Milwaukee Bucks 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 27–31, 20–29, 30–34 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 26 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 6 | Pts: Michael Redd 40 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: T. J. Ford 15 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 |||
* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 18,717 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Scott Wall
* NBA TV
* May 1 7:30 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 109, Milwaukee Bucks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 24–25, 23–31, 35–23 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 34 Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 7 | Pts: Michael Redd 33 Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 12 Asts: Andrew Bogut 6 |
| Detroit leads series, 3–1 |||
* Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 16,296 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 3 6:00 pm
* Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 93, Detroit Pistons 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–39, 26–23, 17–35, 27–25 |||
| Pts: Michael Redd 23 Rebs: Michael Redd 9 Asts: T. J. Ford 6 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 40 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
| Detroit wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 26, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 85, Milwaukee Bucks 76
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
January 25, 2006
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 102, Detroit Pistons 106 (OT)
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
March 31, 2006
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 105, Detroit Pistons 112
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
April 17, 2006
Recap
Detroit Pistons 93, Milwaukee Bucks 113
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin :
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first three meetings.
Detroit leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series :
1976
Detroit Pistons 2, Milwaukee Bucks 1
1976 Western Conference First Round
1989
Detroit Pistons 4, Milwaukee Bucks 0
1989 Eastern Conference semifinals
2004
Detroit Pistons 4, Milwaukee Bucks 1
2004 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Chicago Bulls

* ESPN
* April 22 8:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 106, Miami Heat 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 27–37, 31–24, 24–24 |||
| Pts: Ben Gordon 35 Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 16 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 8 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 30 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16 Asts: Dwyane Wade 11 |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,288 Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
* TNT
* April 24 8:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 108, Miami Heat 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 31–35, 19–27, 32–20 |||
| Pts: Andrés Nocioni 35 Rebs: Tyson Chandler 9 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7 | Pts: O'Neal, Williams 22 each Rebs: Antoine Walker 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 7 |
| Miami leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,214 Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Courtney Kirkland
* TNT
* April 27 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 90, Chicago Bulls 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 19–17, 29–39, 19–22 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 26 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each | Pts: Ben Gordon 24 Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 9 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 11 |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,133 Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
* ABC
* April 30 1:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 87, Chicago Bulls 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 17–23, 19–21, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Antoine Walker 21 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 | Pts: Andrés Nocioni 24 Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 7 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,361 Referees: Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard
* TNT
* May 2 8:00 pm
* Recap
Chicago Bulls 78, Miami Heat 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 19–15, 23–21, 17–31 |||
| Pts: Andrés Nocioni 23 Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 10 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 5 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 |
| Miami leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,287 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Jack Nies
* TNT
* May 4 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 113, Chicago Bulls 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 26–22, 29–28, 29–27 |||
| Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 30 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 20 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 | Pts: Kirk Hinrich 23 Rebs: Luol Deng 6 Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6 |
| Miami wins series, 4–2 |||
* United Center, Chicago Attendance: 22,584 Referees: Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Jess Kersey
Miami won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 26, 2005
Recap
Miami Heat 100, Chicago Bulls 97
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
March 18, 2006
Recap
Miami Heat 85, Chicago Bulls 84
United Center, Chicago, Illinois
April 16, 2006
Recap
Chicago Bulls 117, Miami Heat 93
American Airlines Arena, Miami :
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first three meetings.
Chicago leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series :
1992
Chicago Bulls 3, Miami Heat 0
1992 Eastern Conference First Round
1996
Chicago Bulls 3, Miami Heat 0
1996 Eastern Conference First Round
1997
Chicago Bulls 4, Miami Heat 1
1997 Eastern Conference finals :

#### (3) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

* TNT
* April 23 12:30 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 90, New Jersey Nets 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 20–22, 14–19, 26–23 |||
| Pts: Stephen Jackson 19 Rebs: Jeff Foster 9 Asts: Anthony Johnson 6 | Pts: Vince Carter 31 Rebs: Vince Carter 13 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 |
| Indiana leads series, 1–0 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 18,752 Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Scott Wall, Tom Washington
* NBA TV
* April 25 7:30 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 75, New Jersey Nets 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 14–18, 17–29, 22–17 |||
| Pts: Anthony Johnson 16 Rebs: Jeff Foster 9 Asts: Johnson, Jones 4 each | Pts: Vince Carter 33 Rebs: Jason Kidd 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 13 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 18,472 Referees: Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Violet Palmer
* NBA TV
* April 27 7:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 95, Indiana Pacers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 28–29, 15–27, 25–29 |||
| Pts: Carter, Jefferson 25 each Rebs: Collins, Kidd 6 each Asts: Richard Jefferson 7 | Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 37 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 15 Asts: Anthony Johnson 8 |
| Indiana leads series, 2–1 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 14,706 Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Jess Kersey
* TNT
* April 29 3:00 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 97, Indiana Pacers 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–15, 26–22, 26–30, 21–31 |||
| Pts: Vince Carter 28 Rebs: Nenad Krstić 8 Asts: Jason Kidd 8 | Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22 Rebs: Danny Granger 8 Asts: three players 4 each |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 16,401 Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
* NBA TV
* May 2 7:00 pm
* Recap
Indiana Pacers 86, New Jersey Nets 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 21–21, 19–23, 21–20 |||
| Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 19 Rebs: Danny Granger 12 Asts: Stephen Jackson 7 | Pts: Vince Carter 34 Rebs: Vince Carter 15 Asts: Jason Kidd 15 |
| New Jersey leads series, 3–2 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 18,804 Referees: Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush
* NBA TV
* May 4 7:30 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 96, Indiana Pacers 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 20–15, 32–28, 23–21 |||
| Pts: Richard Jefferson 30 Rebs: Jason Kidd 12 Asts: Jason Kidd 11 | Pts: Anthony Johnson 40 Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 6 Asts: Anthony Johnson 5 |
| New Jersey wins series, 4–2 |||
* Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis Attendance: 16,586 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies
Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 11, 2005
Recap
New Jersey Nets 90, Indiana Pacers 102
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
January 16, 2006
Recap
Indiana Pacers 92, New Jersey Nets 97
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
February 26, 2006
Recap
Indiana Pacers 101, New Jersey Nets 91
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the first meeting.
New Jersey leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2002
Indiana Pacers 2, New Jersey Nets 3
2002 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards

* ABC
* April 22 3:00 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 86, Cleveland Cavaliers 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 16–19, 21–24, 29–23 |||
| Pts: Gilbert Arenas 26 Rebs: Antawn Jamison 7 Asts: Antonio Daniels 6 | Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: LeBron James 11 |
| Cleveland leads series, 1–0 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Marc Davis
* TNT
* April 25 7:00 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 89, Cleveland Cavaliers 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 16–15, 24–25, 28–21 |||
| Pts: Gilbert Arenas 30 Rebs: Caron Butler 9 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 6 | Pts: LeBron James 26 Rebs: Drew Gooden 16 Asts: Eric Snow 4 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: David Jones, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner
* ESPN
* April 28 8:00 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Washington Wizards 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 31–32, 21–13, 26–25 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 41 Rebs: Gooden, Ilgauskas 8 each Asts: James, Snow 3 each | Pts: Gilbert Arenas 34 Rebs: Caron Butler 11 Asts: Daniels, Jamison 3 each |
| Cleveland leads series, 2–1 |||
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard
* TNT
* April 30 8:00 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 96, Washington Wizards 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 30–20, 15–26, 24–34 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 38 Rebs: Donyell Marshall 11 Asts: LeBron James 5 | Pts: Gilbert Arenas 34 Rebs: Jared Jeffries 11 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, James Capers
* TNT
* May 3 8:30 pm
* Recap
Washington Wizards 120, Cleveland Cavaliers 121 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 24–27, 30–33, 26–22, Overtime: 13–14 |||
| Pts: Gilbert Arenas 44 Rebs: Caron Butler 11 Asts: Antonio Daniels 7 | Pts: LeBron James 45 Rebs: Drew Gooden 11 Asts: LeBron James 6 |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–2 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
* ESPN
* May 5 8:00 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Washington Wizards 113 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 31–25, 27–27, 32–31, Overtime: 7–6 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10 Asts: Larry Hughes 12 | Pts: Gilbert Arenas 36 Rebs: Caron Butler 20 Asts: Gilbert Arenas 11 |
| Cleveland wins series, 4–2 |||
* Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. Attendance: 20,173 Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
* In Game 3, LeBron James hits the game-winner over Michael Ruffin with 5.7 seconds left, and in Game 5, he hits another game-winner from the baseline with .9 seconds left.
* In Game 6, Gilbert Arenas forces overtime with a three from 32 feet with 2.3 seconds left, and in OT, Damon Jones hits the series-winning shot with 4.8 seconds left.
Washington won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 15, 2005
Recap
Washington Wizards 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 114
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
February 10, 2006
Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Washington Wizards 101
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
February 24, 2006
Recap
Washington Wizards 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 94
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 16, 2006
Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 92, Washington Wizards 104
Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
1976
Cleveland Cavaliers 4, Washington Bullets 3
1976 Eastern Conference semifinals
1977
Cleveland Cavaliers 1, Washington Bullets 2
1977 Eastern Conference First Round :

### Western Conference first round
#### (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Sacramento Kings

* ESPN
* April 22 5:30 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 88, San Antonio Spurs 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 15–41, 28–21, 21–28 |||
| Pts: Mike Bibby 17 Rebs: Shareef Abdur-Rahim 9 Asts: Ron Artest 4 | Pts: Tony Parker 25 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 17 Asts: Brent Barry 6 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
* TNT
* April 25 10:00 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 119, San Antonio Spurs 128 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 26–28, 26–31, 27–27, Overtime: 10–19 |||
| Pts: Bonzi Wells 28 Rebs: Bonzi Wells 12 Asts: Mike Bibby 6 | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 32 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tony Parker 10 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Bill Kennedy
* ESPN2
* April 28 9:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 93, Sacramento Kings 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 21–25, 23–21, 29–26 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 29 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 6 | Pts: Mike Bibby 25 Rebs: Bonzi Wells 14 Asts: Mike Bibby 8 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* April 30 10:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 84, Sacramento Kings 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 19–28, 21–21, 20–27 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 22 Rebs: Tim Duncan 8 Asts: Bruce Bowen 3 | Pts: Bonzi Wells 25 Rebs: Bonzi Wells 17 Asts: Mike Bibby 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush
* NBA TV
* May 2 9:30 pm
* Recap
Sacramento Kings 98, San Antonio Spurs 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 27–22, 22–37, 30–29 |||
| Pts: Bonzi Wells 38 Rebs: Bonzi Wells 12 Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Manu Ginóbili 27 Rebs: Duncan, Ginóbili 9 each Asts: Tim Duncan 5 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford
* ESPN
* May 5 10:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 105, Sacramento Kings 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 23–18, 33–24, 27–21 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 31 Rebs: Robert Horry 7 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 | Pts: Mike Bibby 19 Rebs: Bonzi Wells 11 Asts: Ron Artest 4 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–2 |||
* ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California Attendance: 17,317 Referees: Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer
* In Game 2, Brent Barry hit a wild three-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.
* In Game 3, Kevin Martin hit the game-winning lay-up at the buzzer.
* Game 6 was the final playoff game played at the Arco Arena.
San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series :
November 21, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 96, Sacramento Kings 93
ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
December 17, 2005
Recap
Sacramento Kings 89, San Antonio Spurs 90
SBC Center, San Antonio
April 5, 2006
Recap
Sacramento Kings 97, San Antonio Spurs 87
AT&T Center, San Antonio :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Kings and the Spurs.

#### (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

* ABC
* April 23 3:00 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Phoenix Suns 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–39, 21–19, 25–17, 27–32 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 22 Rebs: Lamar Odom 14 Asts: Kobe Bryant 5 | Pts: Tim Thomas 22 Rebs: Tim Thomas 15 Asts: Steve Nash 10 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Bill Kennedy
* TNT
* April 26 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 29–16, 21–29, 25–26 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 29 Rebs: Kobe Bryant 10 Asts: Bryant, Odom 5 each | Pts: Steve Nash 29 Rebs: Marion, Thomas 9 each Asts: Steve Nash 9 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
* ESPN
* April 28 10:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 92, Los Angeles Lakers 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 17–18, 30–28, 18–22 |||
| Pts: Shawn Marion 20 Rebs: Marion, Nash 7 each Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Smush Parker 18 Rebs: Lamar Odom 17 Asts: Kobe Bryant 7 |
| LA Lakers lead series, 2–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner
* ABC
* April 30 3:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 98, Los Angeles Lakers 99 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 15–16, 26–23, 23–26, Overtime: 8–9 |||
| Pts: Steve Nash 22 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Lamar Odom 25 Rebs: Kwame Brown 10 Asts: Kobe Bryant 8 |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 2 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 97, Phoenix Suns 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–29, 21–28, 29–30 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 29 Rebs: Lamar Odom 15 Asts: Lamar Odom 6 | Pts: Boris Diaw 25 Rebs: Boris Diaw 10 Asts: Boris Diaw 9 |
| LA Lakers lead series, 3–2 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Leon Wood
* TNT
* May 4 10:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 118 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–37, 30–20, 28–28, 17–20, Overtime: 21–13 |||
| Pts: Steve Nash 32 Rebs: Shawn Marion 12 Asts: Steve Nash 13 | Pts: Kobe Bryant 50 Rebs: Lamar Odom 11 Asts: Lamar Odom 9 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 6 9:00 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 90, Phoenix Suns 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–32, 30–28, 20–30, 25–31 |||
| Pts: Kobe Bryant 24 Rebs: Sasha Vujačić 6 Asts: Smush Parker 4 | Pts: Leandro Barbosa 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Diaw, Nash 9 each |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–3 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Forte, Steve Javie
* In Game 4, Kobe Bryant hit both a lay-up with 0.7 seconds left to force OT, and the game-winning jump shot at the buzzer in overtime.
* In Game 6, Tim Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left to force OT.
* The Suns became the 8th team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit.
* This was the first playoff series a Phil Jackson coached team lost after taking a series lead, prior to this his record was 44–0.
Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 3, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 122, Los Angeles Lakers 112
Staples Center, Los Angeles
January 20, 2006
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 93, Phoenix Suns 106
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
April 7, 2006
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 96, Phoenix Suns 107
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
April 16, 2006
Recap
Phoenix Suns 89, Los Angeles Lakers 109
Staples Center, Los Angeles :
This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning seven of the first nine meetings.
Los Angeles leads 7–2 in all-time playoff series :
1970
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 3
1970 Western Division semifinals
1980
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 1
1980 Western Conference semifinals
1982
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 0
1982 Western Conference semifinals
1984
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 2
1984 Western Conference finals
1985
Los Angeles Lakers 3, Phoenix Suns 0
1985 Western Conference First Round
1989
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 0
1989 Western Conference finals
1990
Los Angeles Lakers 1, Phoenix Suns 4
1990 Western Conference semifinals
1993
Los Angeles Lakers 2, Phoenix Suns 3
1993 Western Conference First Round
2000
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 1
2000 Western Conference semifinals :

#### (3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers

* ESPN
* April 22 10:30 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 87, Los Angeles Clippers 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 19–23, 21–22, 21–13 |||
| Pts: Anthony, Miller 25 each Rebs: Marcus Camby 10 Asts: Andre Miller 6 | Pts: Elton Brand 21 Rebs: Chris Kaman 13 Asts: Sam Cassell 7 |
| LA Clippers lead series, 1–0 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 19,162 Referees: Ron Garretson, Rodney Mott, Greg Willard
* TNT
* April 24 10:30 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 87, Los Angeles Clippers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–32, 21–24, 25–19, 28–23 |||
| Pts: Anthony, Camby 16 each Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Andre Miller 6 | Pts: Cuttino Mobley 21 Rebs: Elton Brand 11 Asts: Sam Cassell 11 |
| LA Clippers lead series, 2–0 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,794 Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
* TNT
* April 27 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 87, Denver Nuggets 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–24, 29–21, 28–25, 17–24 |||
| Pts: Corey Maggette 23 Rebs: Brand, Livingston 8 each Asts: Brand, Livingston 4 each | Pts: Carmelo Anthony 24 Rebs: Marcus Camby 14 Asts: Andre Miller 7 |
| LA Clippers lead series, 2–1 |||
* Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,099 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Leon Wood
* ESPN
* April 29 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 100, Denver Nuggets 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 32–24, 22–19, 22–22 |||
| Pts: Corey Maggette 19 Rebs: Elton Brand 10 Asts: Shaun Livingston 6 | Pts: Carmelo Anthony 17 Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11 Asts: Andre Miller 9 |
| LA Clippers lead series, 3–1 |||
* Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,099 Referees: Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jess Kersey
* TNT
* May 1 10:30 pm
* Recap
Denver Nuggets 83, Los Angeles Clippers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 17–25, 17–25, 26–30 |||
| Pts: Carmelo Anthony 23 Rebs: Marcus Camby 11 Asts: Andre Miller 8 | Pts: Maggette, Mobley 23 each Rebs: Elton Brand 13 Asts: Shaun Livingston 14 |
| LA Clippers win series, 4–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,648 Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Bill Spooner
Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 25, 2005
Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 95, Denver Nuggets 105
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
January 27, 2006
Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 105, Denver Nuggets 87
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
January 28, 2006
Recap
Denver Nuggets 79, Los Angeles Clippers 112
Staples Center, Los Angeles
April 4, 2006
Recap
Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Clippers 111
Staples Center, Los Angeles :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Clippers. For the Clippers franchise, it was their first playoff series win in three decades, since the old Buffalo Braves defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round back in 1976.

#### (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies

* TNT
* April 23 8:00 pm
* Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 93, Dallas Mavericks 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 29–32, 27–23, 15–20 |||
| Pts: Pau Gasol 24 Rebs: Jake Tsakalidis 8 Asts: Gasol, Jackson 4 each | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Erick Dampier 12 Asts: Jason Terry 4 |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,340 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Joe Forte
* TNT
* April 26 8:00 pm
* Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 79, Dallas Mavericks 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–32, 12–24, 13–20, 23–18 |||
| Pts: Pau Gasol 16 Rebs: Pau Gasol 7 Asts: Pau Gasol 5 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Jason Terry 9 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,612 Referees: James Capers, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
* TNT
* April 29 5:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 94, Memphis Grizzlies 89 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 21–23, 22–15, 16–15, Overtime: 18–13 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 36 Rebs: three players 9 each Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5 | Pts: Chucky Atkins 20 Rebs: Lorenzen Wright 10 Asts: Eddie Jones 5 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–0 |||
* FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 17,871 Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 1 8:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 102, Memphis Grizzlies 76 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 22–16, 31–22, 23–15 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27 Rebs: Josh Howard 9 Asts: Stackhouse, Terry 5 each | Pts: Pau Gasol 25 Rebs: Shane Battier 7 Asts: Chucky Atkins 4 |
| Dallas wins series, 4–0 |||
* FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 15,104 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, David Jones
* In Game 3, Dirk Nowitzki hit the game-tying 3 with 15.7 seconds left to force OT.
Dallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 26, 2005
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 112, Dallas Mavericks 92
American Airlines Center, Dallas
December 9, 2005
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 90, Memphis Grizzlies 83
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
February 1, 2006
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 81, Memphis Grizzlies 80
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
February 23, 2006
Recap
Memphis Grizzlies 87, Dallas Mavericks 97
American Airlines Center, Dallas :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Grizzlies.

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

* ABC
* May 7 3:30 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 32–43, 15–25, 23–19 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 22 Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8 Asts: James, Murray 4 each | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner
* TNT
* May 9 7:00 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Detroit Pistons 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–23, 20–29, 24–26, 31–19 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 30 Rebs: LeBron James 14 Asts: LeBron James 7 | Pts: Rasheed Wallace 29 Rebs: Ben Wallace 15 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Derrick Stafford, Jess Kersey
* ESPN
* May 13 5:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 25–18, 14–17, 21–33 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Billups, Hamilton 5 each | Pts: LeBron James 21 Rebs: LeBron James 10 Asts: LeBron James 10 |
| Detroit leads series, 2–1 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
* TNT
* May 15 7:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 74 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 19–20, 21–17, 13–21 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 30 Rebs: Ben Wallace 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | Pts: LeBron James 22 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: LeBron James 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 17 7:00 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 30–25, 18–21, 18–18 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: Donyell Marshall 13 Asts: Eric Snow 7 | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 21 Rebs: Ben Wallace 13 Asts: Chauncey Billups 5 |
| Cleveland leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
* ESPN
* May 19 7:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 82 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 18–18, 25–24, 21–21 |||
| Pts: Rasheed Wallace 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 10 Asts: Billups, Wallace 4 each | Pts: LeBron James 32 Rebs: LeBron James 11 Asts: Eric Snow 7 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Attendance: 20,562 Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
* ABC
* May 21 3:30 pm
* Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 61, Detroit Pistons 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 23–19, 10–18, 13–21 |||
| Pts: LeBron James 27 Rebs: LeBron James 8 Asts: Larry Hughes 5 | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 20 Rebs: Ben Wallace 9 Asts: Billups, Prince 3 each |
| Detroit wins series, 4–3 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
2006 marked the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp, and the first time that major professional teams from Michigan and Ohio met in a postseason series or game since 1957. They came off a playoff series win vs the Wizards, while the Pistons came in off a 4–1 win vs the 8th seeded Bucks. Detroit was expected to win the series, and took a commanding two games to none lead with two wins at the Palace of Auburn Hills. James and the Cavaliers weren't intimidated however, and won their two home games to tie the series at 2. Coming into Game 5, both teams were confident, but the Pistons were expected to pull out the win easily. The game was low scoring throughout as usual in this series, with Cleveland holding a 68–66 lead through 3 quarters. With the game tied at 84 with 26 seconds left in regulation, Drew Gooden came through and hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead that they never squandered. James led the Cavs with 32 and this brought the series to Cleveland up 3–2, quite shockingly. In the final minute of Game 6, Richard Hamilton grabbed two offensive rebounds and passed the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who was fouled. Detroit held on to win Game 6 by 2, and won Game 7 at home to advance.
Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
December 31, 2005
Recap
Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 97
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
February 26, 2006
Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 78, Detroit Pistons 90
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
February 27, 2006
Recap
Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 72
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 12, 2006
Recap
Cleveland Cavaliers 73, Detroit Pistons 96
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Pistons.

#### (2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New Jersey Nets

* TNT
* May 8 8:00 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 100, Miami Heat 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 38–21, 26–25, 20–18, 16–24 |||
| Pts: Vince Carter 27 Rebs: Jason Kidd 9 Asts: Jason Kidd 7 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 25 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10 Asts: Wade, Williams 3 each |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,208 Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 10 8:00 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 89, Miami Heat 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–41, 21–19, 27–24, 22–27 |||
| Pts: Vince Carter 22 Rebs: Nenad Krstić 7 Asts: Jason Kidd 6 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,227 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson
* ESPN
* May 12 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 103, New Jersey Nets 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 27–22, 18–23, 31–20 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 30 Rebs: James Posey 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 | Pts: Vince Carter 43 Rebs: Jason Collins 11 Asts: Jason Kidd 12 |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 20,102 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster
* ABC
* May 14 3:30 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 102, New Jersey Nets 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 27–24, 22–25, 26–19 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11 Asts: Dwyane Wade 8 | Pts: Vince Carter 26 Rebs: Nenad Krstić 14 Asts: Jason Kidd 12 |
| Miami leads series, 3–1 |||
* Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 19,474 Referees: Bernie Fryer, Anthony Jordan, Greg Willard, Jess Kersey
* TNT
* May 16 8:00 pm
* Recap
New Jersey Nets 105, Miami Heat 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 21–30, 28–31, 23–21 |||
| Pts: Carter, Jefferson 33 each Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Jason Kidd 8 | Pts: Antoine Walker 23 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 |
| Miami wins series, 4–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,255 Referees: Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Jack Nies
New Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
November 7, 2005
Recap
New Jersey Nets 89, Miami Heat 90
American Airlines Arena, Miami
December 23, 2005
Recap
New Jersey Nets 95, Miami Heat 88
American Airlines Arena, Miami
February 4, 2006
Recap
Miami Heat 92, New Jersey Nets 105
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
April 2, 2006
Recap
Miami Heat 78, New Jersey Nets 90
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey :
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 :
2005
Miami Heat 4, New Jersey Nets 0
2005 Eastern Conference First Round :

### Western Conference semifinals

This was the first time both conference semifinals went seven games since 1994.

#### (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

* ABC
* May 7 1:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 85, San Antonio Spurs 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 23–20, 20–25, 13–16 |||
| Pts: Jerry Stackhouse 24 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14 Asts: Marquis Daniels 3 | Pts: Tim Duncan 31 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Duncan, Parker 4 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich
* TNT
* May 9 9:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 113, San Antonio Spurs 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 32–16, 26–28, 29–25 |||
| Pts: Josh Howard 27 Rebs: Howard, Nowitzki 9 each Asts: three players 3 each | Pts: Tim Duncan 28 Rebs: Tim Duncan 9 Asts: Tim Duncan 3 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Steve Javie, David Jones, Eddie F. Rush
* ABC
* May 13 8:00 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 103, Dallas Mavericks 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–27, 30–26, 21–20, 34–31 |||
| Pts: Tim Duncan 35 Rebs: Tim Duncan 12 Asts: Tony Parker 4 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Jason Terry 4 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,865 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bill Spooner
* TNT
* May 15 9:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 118, Dallas Mavericks 123 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–19, 27–34, 27–31, 31–27, Overtime: 7–12 |||
| Pts: Tony Parker 33 Rebs: Tim Duncan 13 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 | Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Dampier, Nowitzki 9 each Asts: Devin Harris 6 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,969 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Derrick Stafford
* TNT
* May 17 9:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 97, San Antonio Spurs 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 33–28, 21–24, 19–17 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Jason Terry 5 | Pts: Tim Duncan 36 Rebs: Tim Duncan 10 Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Attendance: 18,797 Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
* ESPN
* May 19 9:30 pm
* Recap
San Antonio Spurs 91, Dallas Mavericks 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 21–22, 26–20, 24–19 |||
| Pts: Manu Ginóbili 30 Rebs: Manu Ginóbili 10 Asts: Tony Parker 3 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 21 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,986 Referees: Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 22 8:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 119, San Antonio Spurs 111 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 37–27, 27–23, 20–28, 20–26, Overtime: 15–7 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 37 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 6 | Pts: Tim Duncan 41 Rebs: Tim Duncan 15 Asts: Tim Duncan 6 |
| Dallas wins series, 4–3 |||
* AT&T Center, San Antonio Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Steve Javie
The Mavericks almost blew a 3–1 series lead to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, but managed to pull out a Game 7 overtime win in San Antonio to close out the series and become the 5th NBA road team to win Game 7 after leading series 3–1. This was also the second time in NBA history that the road team won a Game 7 in overtime; the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in the same manner in the 2002 Western Conference finals. This was the most recent Game 7 to go into Overtime until the 2021 Bucks vs. Nets series.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 5, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 84, Dallas Mavericks 103
American Airlines Center, Dallas
December 1, 2005
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 92, Dallas Mavericks 90
American Airlines Center, Dallas
March 2, 2006
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 89, San Antonio Spurs 98
AT&T Center, San Antonio
April 7, 2006
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 92, San Antonio Spurs 86
AT&T 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 :
2001
Dallas Mavericks 1, San Antonio Spurs 4
2001 Western Conference semifinals
2003
Dallas Mavericks 2, San Antonio Spurs 4
2003 Western Conference finals :

#### (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers

* TNT
* May 8 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 123, Phoenix Suns 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 36–27, 30–37, 32–37 |||
| Pts: Elton Brand 40 Rebs: Elton Brand 9 Asts: Shaun Livingston 9 | Pts: Steve Nash 31 Rebs: Shawn Marion 15 Asts: Steve Nash 12 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Monty McCutchen
* TNT
* May 10 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 122, Phoenix Suns 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 38–22, 27–29, 33–28, 24–18 |||
| Pts: Elton Brand 27 Rebs: Chris Kaman 16 Asts: Sam Cassell 6 | Pts: Raja Bell 20 Rebs: Shawn Marion 6 Asts: Steve Nash 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
* ESPN
* May 12 10:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 94, Los Angeles Clippers 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–20, 24–15, 22–28 |||
| Pts: Shawn Marion 32 Rebs: Shawn Marion 19 Asts: Steve Nash 10 | Pts: Elton Brand 20 Rebs: Corey Maggette 14 Asts: Elton Brand 8 |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 19,877 Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore
* TNT
* May 14 8:00 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 107, Los Angeles Clippers 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 23–28, 31–29, 25–24 |||
| Pts: Raja Bell 33 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Elton Brand 30 Rebs: Corey Maggette 15 Asts: Sam Cassell 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 19,897 Referees: Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
* TNT
* May 16 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 118, Phoenix Suns 125 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 21–32, 26–26, 23–17, Overtime: 10–10, 7–14 |||
| Pts: Elton Brand 33 Rebs: Elton Brand 15 Asts: Brand, Cassell 5 each | Pts: Shawn Marion 36 Rebs: Shawn Marion 20 Asts: Steve Nash 13 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie
* ESPN
* May 18 10:00 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 106, Los Angeles Clippers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–31, 18–31, 31–26, 25–30 |||
| Pts: Shawn Marion 34 Rebs: Diaw, Marion 9 each Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Elton Brand 30 Rebs: Elton Brand 13 Asts: Sam Cassell 8 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 19,985 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Tom Washington, Greg Willard
* TNT
* May 22 10:30 pm
* Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 107, Phoenix Suns 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 29–33, 22–29, 28–33 |||
| Pts: Elton Brand 36 Rebs: Brand, Maggette 9 each Asts: Sam Cassell 6 | Pts: Shawn Marion 30 Rebs: Shawn Marion 9 Asts: Steve Nash 11 |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–3 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Eddie F. Rush
* In Game 4, Sam Cassell hit two three-pointers down the stretch, including one with 27 seconds left, after the Suns had rallied from 13 down to within one with under a minute to play.
* In Game 5, Raja Bell tied the game at 111 on a three-pointer from the corner with 1.1 seconds left to force the second overtime, this after telling his teammates during a timeout he would make it. The Suns, who blew a 19-point third quarter lead, never trailed in the second extra session.
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
December 10, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 91, Los Angeles Clippers 101
Staples Center, Los Angeles
January 18, 2006
Recap
Phoenix Suns 112, Los Angeles Clippers 102
Staples Center, Los Angeles
March 15, 2006
Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 95, Phoenix Suns 126
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
April 5, 2006
Recap
Los Angeles Clippers 119, Phoenix Suns 105
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Suns.

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

* ESPN
* May 23 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 91, Detroit Pistons 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 15–19, 18–17, 25–25 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 25 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 | Pts: Richard Hamilton 22 Rebs: Ben Wallace 14 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner
* ESPN
* May 25 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 88, Detroit Pistons 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 12–25, 25–23, 19–22, 32–22 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 32 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Payton, Wade 5 each | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24 Rebs: Ben Wallace 12 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies
* ESPN
* May 27 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 83, Miami Heat 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 14–23, 24–25, 21–24 |||
| Pts: Chauncey Billups 31 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10 Asts: Tayshaun Prince 4 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 35 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Antoine Walker 4 |
| Miami leads series, 2–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,245 Referees: Dan Crawford, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
* ABC
* May 29 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 21–21, 22–18, 18–27 |||
| Pts: Tayshaun Prince 15 Rebs: Ben Wallace 11 Asts: Chauncey Billups 7 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 31 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 5 |
| Miami leads series, 3–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,248 Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard
* ESPN
* May 31 8:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 78, Detroit Pistons 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 23–22, 22–26, 13–18 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10 Asts: Jason Williams 6 | Pts: Tayshaun Prince 29 Rebs: Richard Hamilton 10 Asts: Chauncey Billups 10 |
| Miami leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan Attendance: 22,076 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte
* ESPN
* June 2 8:00 pm
* Recap
Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 16–22, 17–25, 25–23 |||
| Pts: Richard Hamilton 33 Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 8 Asts: Chauncey Billups 8 | Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 28 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16 Asts: Dwyane Wade 10 |
| Miami wins series, 4–2 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,258 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series :
December 29, 2005
Recap
Miami Heat 101, Detroit Pistons 106
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
February 12, 2006
Recap
Detroit Pistons 98, Miami Heat 100
American Airlines Arena, Miami
March 22, 2006
Recap
Miami Heat 73, Detroit Pistons 82
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
April 6, 2006
Recap
Detroit Pistons 95, Miami Heat 82
American Airlines Arena, Miami :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
2000
Detroit Pistons 0, Miami Heat 3
2000 Eastern Conference First Round
2005
Detroit Pistons 4, Miami Heat 3
2005 Eastern Conference finals :

### Western Conference finals
#### (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

* TNT
* May 24 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 121, Dallas Mavericks 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–29, 27–29, 29–27, 30–33 |||
| Pts: Boris Diaw 34 Rebs: Shawn Marion 13 Asts: Steve Nash 16 | Pts: Devin Harris 30 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 19 Asts: Terry, Stackhouse 3 each |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,789 Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard
* TNT
* May 26 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 98, Dallas Mavericks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 35–25, 25–28, 21–30 |||
| Pts: Boris Diaw 25 Rebs: Shawn Marion 19 Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,934 Referees: Jimmy Clark, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
* TNT
* May 28 8:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 95, Phoenix Suns 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 25–27, 25–16, 23–20 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 17 Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5 | Pts: Steve Nash 21 Rebs: Shawn Marion 18 Asts: Steve Nash 7 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
* TNT
* May 30 8:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 86, Phoenix Suns 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 18–23, 21–28, 19–27 |||
| Pts: Josh Howard 16 Rebs: Josh Howard 9 Asts: Devin Harris 5 | Pts: Leandro Barbosa 24 Rebs: Boris Diaw 9 Asts: Steve Nash 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
* TNT
* June 1 8:30 pm
* Recap
Phoenix Suns 101, Dallas Mavericks 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 32–22, 26–24, 20–35 |||
| Pts: Tim Thomas 26 Rebs: Shawn Marion 10 Asts: Steve Nash 11 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 50 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12 Asts: Jason Terry 9 |
| Dallas leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,977 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies
* TNT
* June 3 8:30 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 102, Phoenix Suns 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–29, 25–22, 23–15, 40–27 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24 Rebs: Josh Howard 15 Asts: Nowitzki, Terry 3 each | Pts: Boris Diaw 30 Rebs: Diaw, Marion 11 each Asts: Steve Nash 9 |
| Dallas wins series, 4–2 |||
* US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 18,422 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer
Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series :
November 1, 2005
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 111, Phoenix Suns 108 (2OT)
America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
December 14, 2005
Recap
Phoenix Suns 96, Dallas Mavericks 102
American Airlines Center, Dallas
March 5, 2006
Recap
Phoenix Suns 115, Dallas Mavericks 107
American Airlines Center, Dallas
April 13, 2006
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 104, Phoenix Suns 117
US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.
Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
2005
Dallas Mavericks 2, Phoenix Suns 4
2005 Western Conference semifinals :

## NBA Finals: (W4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (E2) Miami Heat

    All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
* ABC
* June 8 9:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 80, Dallas Mavericks 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 13–23, 24–24, 12–20 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 28 Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9 Asts: Dwyane Wade 6 | Pts: Jason Terry 32 Rebs: Josh Howard 12 Asts: three players 4 each |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,475 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore
* ABC
* June 11 9:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 85, Dallas Mavericks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 17–32, 24–32, 27–17 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 23 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8 Asts: Payton, Williams 4 each | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16 Asts: Jason Terry 9 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–0 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,459 Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
* ABC
* June 13 9:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 96, Miami Heat 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 22–23, 34–16, 19–30 |||
| Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30 Rebs: Erick Dampier 9 Asts: Jason Terry 5 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 42 Rebs: Dwyane Wade 13 Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 5 |
| Dallas leads series, 2–1 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies
* ABC
* June 15 9:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 74, Miami Heat 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 19–24, 23–24, 7–20 |||
| Pts: Jason Terry 17 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9 Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 4 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13 Asts: Jason Williams 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer
* ABC
* June 18 9:00 pm
* Recap
Dallas Mavericks 100, Miami Heat 101 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 30–19, 20–27, 22–23, Overtime: 7–8 |||
| Pts: Jason Terry 35 Rebs: Josh Howard 10 Asts: Marquis Daniels 4 | Pts: Dwyane Wade 43 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each |
| Miami leads series, 3–2 |||
* American Airlines Arena, Miami Attendance: 20,145 Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore
* ABC
* June 20 9:00 pm
* Recap
Miami Heat 95, Dallas Mavericks 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 26–18, 22–20, 24–24 |||
| Pts: Dwyane Wade 36 Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12 Asts: Jason Williams 7 | Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29 Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15 Asts: Jason Terry 5 |
| Miami wins series, 4–2 |||
* American Airlines Center, Dallas Attendance: 20,522 Referees: Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
Dallas won 2–0 in the regular-season series :
November 25, 2005
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 103, Miami Heat 90
American Airlines Arena, Miami
February 9, 2006
Recap
Miami Heat 76, Dallas Mavericks 112
American Airlines Center, Dallas :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Heat.
This NBA Finals featured two teams that never made it to the finals before. The last time this happened was in 1971, when the Milwaukee Bucks met the Baltimore Bullets.

## Statistic leaders

| Category | High | High | High | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played |
| Points | Dirk Nowitzki Kobe Bryant | Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Lakers | 50 | Gilbert Arenas | Washington Wizards | 34.0 | 6 |
| Rebounds | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 21 | Bonzi Wells | Sacramento Kings | 12.0 | 6 |
| Assists | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 16 | Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 10.2 | 20 |
| Steals | Shawn Marion Vince Carter | Phoenix Suns New Jersey Nets | 6 | Larry Hughes | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2.2 | 9 |
| Blocks | James Jones Zydrunas Ilgauskas Tim Duncan | Phoenix Suns Cleveland Cavaliers San Antonio Spurs | 6 | Marcus Camby | Denver Nuggets | 2.8 | 5 |