# 1984 NBA playoffs

The 1984 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983–84 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP.
This was the first postseason allowing 16 teams to qualify, a format still in use. The first round format was also changed from best-of-3 to best-of 5.
It was the first NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Lakers since 1969; they met 7 times in the Finals from 1959 to 1969, with Boston coming out on top each year. Going into the 1984 playoffs, the Lakers had already won 2 titles in the 1980s and the Celtics 1, making the revival of the Celtics–Lakers rivalry arguably inevitable and certainly highly anticipated.
Two teams made their playoff debuts and won their first playoff series: the Utah Jazz (who joined the NBA for the 1974–75 season as the New Orleans Jazz) and Dallas Mavericks, a 1980 expansion team. The Jazz did not miss the playoffs again until 2004.
The Detroit Pistons made the playoffs for the first time since 1977, starting a string of nine consecutive appearances that included five straight Conference Finals appearances (1987–1991), three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (1988, 1989, and 1990) and two NBA Championships. They did not miss the playoffs again until 1993.
The New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time in their NBA history, upsetting the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in 5. This was also the only time the road team won every game in a five-game playoff series. The Nets would not win a playoff series again until 2002.
This was the final postseason appearance for the Kansas City Kings, as the team moved to Sacramento, California two seasons later. Kemper Arena hosted its final NBA playoff game.
The Kingdome also hosted its final NBA playoff game, as the Seattle SuperSonics moved back full-time to the Seattle Center Coliseum two years later. However, the Kingdome continued to host Sonics regular season games on occasion until 1994.
The 1984 playoffs also involved two of the hottest games in NBA history. Game 5 of the First Round between the Knicks and Pistons was played at Joe Louis Arena, as the Pontiac Silverdome was unavailable, with temperatures reaching as high as 120°. Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers at Boston Garden reached temperatures as high as 100°, as the Garden lacked air-conditioning, coupled with the sweltering outdoors conditions in Boston.
This is the last postseason of using the 2-2-1-1-1 format of the NBA Finals until 2014; the 1985 NBA Finals was changed to the 2-3-2 format the next season.

## Bracket

| First Round | First Round | First Round | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Washington | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Washington | 1 | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E5 | New York | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Detroit | 2 | | | E5 | New York | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | New York | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | New York | 3 | | | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | | | | |
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | | | | | | | | | E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | | | | |
| E6 | New Jersey | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | New Jersey | 3 | | | E6 | New Jersey | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Milwaukee* | 3 | | | E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Atlanta | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Atlanta | 2 | | | | | | | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 |
| W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 3 |
| W8 | Kansas City | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Kansas City | 0 | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W4 | Dallas | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Dallas | 3 | | | W4 | Dallas | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Seattle | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Seattle | 2 | | | | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W6 | Phoenix | 2 | | | | |
| W3 | Portland | 2 | | | | | | | | | W6 | Phoenix | 2 | | | | |
| W6 | Phoenix | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Phoenix | 3 | | | W6 | Phoenix | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | Utah* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Utah* | 3 | | | W2 | Utah* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Denver | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## First round
### Eastern Conference first round
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Washington Bullets

* April 17
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 83, Boston Celtics 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 12–19, 20–22, 24–23 |||
| Pts: Ricky Sobers 24 Rebs: Rick Mahorn 14 Asts: Jeff Ruland 10 | Pts: Larry Bird 23 Rebs: Robert Parish 14 Asts: Larry Bird 12 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* April 19
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 85, Boston Celtics 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 18–30, 21–20, 17–19 |||
| Pts: Greg Ballard 20 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 10 Asts: Jeff Ruland 8 | Pts: Larry Bird 23 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Larry Bird 6 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* April 21
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 108, Washington Bullets 111 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 22–24, 17–29, 32–21, Overtime: 10–13 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Bird, Johnson 6 each | Pts: Jeff Ruland 33 Rebs: Rick Mahorn 15 Asts: Ricky Sobers 11 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 8,359 Referees: Hugh Evans, Ed Middleton
* Robert Parish hits the game-tying jumper with 21 seconds left to force OT.
* April 24
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 99, Washington Bullets 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 31–17, 18–24, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Robert Parish 20 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Larry Bird 7 | Pts: Jeff Ruland 30 Rebs: Jeff Ruland 15 Asts: Jeff Ruland 8 |
| Boston wins series, 3–1 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 13,853 Referees: John Vanak, Hue Hollins, Wally Rooney (alternate)
Boston won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 5, 1983
Recap
Boston Celtics 120, Washington Bullets 117
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
December 16, 1983
Recap
Washington Bullets 100, Boston Celtics 93
Boston Garden, Boston
January 4, 1984
Recap
Washington Bullets 104, Boston Celtics 113
Boston Garden, Boston
March 6, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 108, Washington Bullets 85
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
March 14, 1984
Recap
Washington Bullets 103, Boston Celtics 99
Boston Garden, Boston
March 27, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 106, Washington Bullets 93
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland :
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 :
1975
Boston Celtics 2, Washington Bullets 4
1975 Eastern Conference Finals
1982
Boston Celtics 4, Washington Bullets 1
1982 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

#### (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks

* April 17
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 16–25, 21–30, 28–20 |||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 21 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 10 Asts: Johnny Davis 7 | Pts: Sidney Moncrief 19 Rebs: Paul Mokeski 9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 6 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,107
* April 19
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 87, Milwaukee Bucks 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–24, 27–29, 26–24, 20–24 |||
| Pts: Dominique Wilkins 22 Rebs: Roundfield, Rollins 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson 8 | Pts: Marques Johnson 27 Rebs: Alton Lister 10 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* April 21
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 94, Atlanta Hawks 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 26–22, 19–31, 25–25 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 28 Rebs: M. Johnson, Lanier 10 each Asts: three players 3 each | Pts: Dan Roundfield 25 Rebs: Roundfield, Brown 7 each Asts: Eddie Johnson 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 |||
* Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 5,395
* April 24
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 97, Atlanta Hawks 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 23–24, 30–23, 22–26 |||
| Pts: Junior Bridgeman 20 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 13 Asts: Mike Dunleavy 6 | Pts: Wilkins, Rivers 19 each Rebs: Dan Roundfield 13 Asts: Johnny Davis 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 6,435
* April 26
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 89, Milwaukee Bucks 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 21–32, 23–31, 27–33 |||
| Pts: Doc Rivers 21 Rebs: Dominique Wilkins 13 Asts: Doc Rivers 6 | Pts: Sidney Moncrief 20 Rebs: Bob Lanier 11 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 8 |
| Milwaukee wins series, 3–2 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 6, 1983
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 84, Milwaukee Bucks 97
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
January 6, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 87, Atlanta Hawks 91
The Omni, Atlanta
January 18, 1984
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 90, Milwaukee Bucks 99
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
January 25, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 105, Atlanta Hawks 109
The Omni, Atlanta
March 6, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 109, Atlanta Hawks 104 (OT)
The Omni, Atlanta
March 11, 1984
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 108, Milwaukee Bucks 94
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Bucks.

#### (3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

* April 18
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–29, 25–27, 22–19, 30–26 |||
| Pts: Buck Williams 25 Rebs: Buck Williams 16 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 | Pts: Andrew Toney 24 Rebs: Moses Malone 11 Asts: Julius Erving 8 |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 12,511 Referees: Dick Bavetta, Hugh Evans
* April 20
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 116, Philadelphia 76ers 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 35–21, 22–23, 27–29 |||
| Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson 32 Rebs: Buck Williams 9 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 | Pts: Moses Malone 25 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: Toney, Richardson 4 each |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 14,025 Referees: John Vanak, Hue Hollins
* April 22
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 108, New Jersey Nets 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 26–24, 27–23, 30–24 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Erving, Cheeks 5 each | Pts: Buck Williams 21 Rebs: Buck Williams 17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 11 |
| New Jersey leads series, 2–1 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 12,399 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Lee Jones
* April 24
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 110, New Jersey Nets 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 18–22, 28–25, 30–33 |||
| Pts: Malone, Erving 22 each Rebs: Moses Malone 15 Asts: Julius Erving 8 | Pts: Albert King 20 Rebs: Buck Williams 18 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 20,149 Referees: Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis
* April 26
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 101, Philadelphia 76ers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 19–28, 26–23, 25–22 |||
| Pts: Richardson, Birdsong 24 each Rebs: Buck Williams 16 Asts: Richardson, Birdsong 6 each | Pts: Andrew Toney 22 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 |
| New Jersey wins series, 3–2 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 17,921 Referees: Jack Madden, Jess Kersey
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 5, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 119, New Jersey Nets 112
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
December 9, 1983
Recap
New Jersey Nets 100, Philadelphia 76ers 93
Spectrum, Philadelphia
January 6, 1984
Recap
New Jersey Nets 104, Philadelphia 76ers 108
Spectrum, Philadelphia
February 17, 1984
Recap
New Jersey Nets 109, Philadelphia 76ers 114
Spectrum, Philadelphia
February 21, 1984
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 116, New Jersey Nets 119 (OT)
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
April 10, 1984
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 102, New Jersey Nets 106
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting.
Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1979
New Jersey Nets 0, Philadelphia 76ers 2
1979 Eastern Conference First Round :

#### (4) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) New York Knicks

* April 17
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 94, Detroit Pistons 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–31, 23–22, 24–23, 30–17 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 36 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 11 Asts: Darrell Walker 7 | Pts: Kelly Tripucka 26 Rebs: Kent Benson 14 Asts: Isiah Thomas 9 |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan Attendance: 14,127
* April 19
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 105, Detroit Pistons 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–38, 30–30, 21–24, 21–21 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 46 Rebs: Truck Robinson 11 Asts: Ray Williams 9 | Pts: Bill Laimbeer 31 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 15 Asts: Isiah Thomas 13 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan Attendance: 14,275
* April 22
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 113, New York Knicks 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 20–28, 36–32, 41–34 |||
| Pts: Kelly Tripucka 40 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 5 | Pts: Bernard King 46 Rebs: Bernard King 10 Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 |
| New York leads series, 2–1 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 16,354 Referees: Jess Kersey, Hue Hollins, Dick Bavetta (alternate)
* April 25
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 119, New York Knicks 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35-34, 30–33, 24–21, 30–24 |||
| Pts: Isiah Thomas 22 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Isiah Thomas 16 | Pts: Bernard King 41 Rebs: Truck Robinson 12 Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 18,205
* April 27
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 127, Detroit Pistons 123 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 28–25, 26–18, 29–35, Overtime: 13–9 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 44 Rebs: Bernard King 12 Asts: Ray Williams 12 | Pts: Isiah Thomas 35 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 17 Asts: Isiah Thomas 12 |
| New York wins series, 3–2 |||
* Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 21,208 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom, Ed Middleton (alternate)
* Bernard King/Isiah Thomas Duel. King put up 44 points while having the flu and both middle fingers dislocated, while Thomas scored 16 points in the last 93 seconds of regulation to force OT.
Detroit won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 19, 1983
Recap
Detroit Pistons 101, New York Knicks 104 (OT)
Madison Square Garden, New York City
December 28, 1983
Recap
Detroit Pistons 111, New York Knicks 108
Madison Square Garden, New York City
January 6, 1984
Recap
New York Knicks 107, Detroit Pistons 118
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
February 22, 1984
Recap
New York Knicks 111, Detroit Pistons 114
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
March 2, 1984
Recap
New York Knicks 117, Detroit Pistons 102
Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
April 6, 1984
Recap
Detroit Pistons 115, New York Knicks 107
Madison Square Garden, New York City :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Knicks.

### Western Conference first round
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Kansas City Kings

* April 18
* Boxscore
Kansas City Kings 105, Los Angeles Lakers 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 18–27, 20–32, 41–27 |||
| Pts: Eddie Johnson 25 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson 7 Asts: Larry Drew 7 | Pts: Magic Johnson 26 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 13,918
* April 20
* Boxscore
Kansas City Kings 102, Los Angeles Lakers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 18–26, 32–25, 29–28 |||
| Pts: LaSalle Thompson 23 Rebs: LaSalle Thompson 14 Asts: Reggie Theus 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 14,986
* April 22
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Kansas City Kings 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–24, 24–19, 25–29, 24–30 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Rebs: M. Johnson, Worthy 10 each Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Theus, Woodson 22 each Rebs: Larry Micheaux 10 Asts: Reggie Theus 7 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 3–0 |||
* Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri Attendance: 7,261
Los Angeles won 5–0 in the regular-season series :
October 28, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 117, Kansas City Kings 107
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
December 8, 1983
Recap
Kansas City Kings 106, Los Angeles Lakers 129
The Forum, Inglewood, California
January 12, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 95, Kansas City Kings 89
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
March 21, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Kansas City Kings 116
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
April 6, 1984
Recap
Kansas City Kings 97, Los Angeles Lakers 112
The Forum, Inglewood, California :
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first six meetings. All previous series took place while the Lakers franchise were in Minneapolis and the Royals/Kings franchise in Rochester.
Los Angeles/ Minneapolis leads 5–1 in all-time playoff series :
1949
Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 0
1949 Western Division Finals
1951
Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 3
1951 Western Division Finals
1952
Minneapolis Lakers 3, Rochester Royals 1
1952 Western Division Finals
1954
Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 0
1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals
1954
Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 1
1954 Western Division Finals
1955
Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 1
1955 Western Division Semifinals :

#### (2) Utah Jazz vs. (7) Denver Nuggets

* April 17
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 121, Utah Jazz 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 28–28, 28–41, 38–25 |||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 33 Rebs: Dan Issel 10 Asts: Rob Williams 8 | Pts: Adrian Dantley 30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 9 Asts: Rickey Green 12 |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 10,255 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Lee Jones
* April 19
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 132, Utah Jazz 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 38–29, 32–32, 32–26, 30–29 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 33 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 10 Asts: Rob Williams 5 | Pts: Adrian Dantley 27 Rebs: Dantley, Wilkins 6 each Asts: Rickey Green 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,413 Referees: Jess Kersey, Tommy Nunez
* April 22
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 117, Denver Nuggets 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 36–25, 28–35, 24–30, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 29 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 11 Asts: Rickey Green 12 | Pts: Alex English 29 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 10 Asts: Alex English 6 |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 |||
* McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 14,681 Referees: Paul Mihalak, Joe Crawford, Tommy Nunez (alternate)
* April 24
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 129, Denver Nuggets 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 36–37, 26–29, 32–24 |||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 39 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 8 Asts: Adrian Dantley 7 | Pts: Dan Issel 32 Rebs: Alex English 10 Asts: Alex English 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 16,108 Referees: Hugh Evans, Bill Oakes, Bruce Alexander (alternate)
* April 26
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 111, Utah Jazz 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–41, 31–31, 29–31, 24–34 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 25 Rebs: Alex English 11 Asts: Alex English 9 | Pts: Adrian Dantley 30 Rebs: Adrian Dantley 12 Asts: Rickey Green 16 |
| Utah wins series, 3–2 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,731 Referees: Earl Strom, Ed Middleton
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
October 28, 1983
Recap
Utah Jazz 125, Denver Nuggets 139
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
November 25, 1983
Recap
Denver Nuggets 124, Utah Jazz 126
Salt Palace Acord Arena, Salt Lake City
December 23, 1983
Recap
Denver Nuggets 116, Utah Jazz 118
Salt Palace Acord Arena, Salt Lake City
December 30, 1983
Recap
Utah Jazz 130, Denver Nuggets 135
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
March 3, 1984
Recap
Utah Jazz 122, Denver Nuggets 131
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
April 10, 1984
Recap
Denver Nuggets 120, Utah Jazz 135
Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Jazz.

#### (3) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

* April 18
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 113, Portland Trail Blazers 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–30, 29–26, 26–22 |||
| Pts: James Edwards 23 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Walter Davis 13 | Pts: Kenny Carr 24 Rebs: Calvin Natt 9 Asts: Thompson, Valentine 6 each |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
* April 20
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 116, Portland Trail Blazers 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 37–34, 21–30, 25–39, 33–19 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 25 Rebs: Lucas, Davis 5 each Asts: Alvan Adams 5 | Pts: Jim Paxson 27 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 13 Asts: Darnell Valentine 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
* April 22
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 103, Phoenix Suns 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 32–26, 26–20, 23–33 |||
| Pts: Darnell Valentine 29 Rebs: Thompson, Carr 8 each Asts: Darnell Valentine 10 | Pts: Walter Davis 27 Rebs: Nance, Lucas 10 each Asts: Walter Davis 10 |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 11,531
* April 24
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 113, Phoenix Suns 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–26, 24–26, 29–32, 28–26 |||
| Pts: Calvin Natt 30 Rebs: Calvin Natt 8 Asts: Darnell Valentine 13 | Pts: Walter Davis 29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 10 Asts: Davis, Macy 7 each |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660
* April 26
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 117, Portland Trail Blazers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–25, 23–33, 25–17, 34–30 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 29 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 12 Asts: Walter Davis 10 | Pts: Jim Paxson 24 Rebs: Natt, Drexler 10 each Asts: Darnell Valentine 5 |
| Phoenix wins series, 3–2 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
Portland won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 6, 1983
Recap
Phoenix Suns 96, Portland Trail Blazers 122
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
December 21, 1983
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 116, Phoenix Suns 112
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
February 1, 1984
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 106, Phoenix Suns 109
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
February 5, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 82, Portland Trail Blazers 97
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
March 23, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 98, Portland Trail Blazers 124
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
April 10, 1984
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 88, Phoenix Suns 100
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 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 :
1979
Phoenix Suns 2, Portland Trail Blazers 1
1979 Western Conference First Round :

#### (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Seattle SuperSonics

* April 17
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 86, Dallas Mavericks 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–23, 18–20, 21–26, 14–19 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 37 Rebs: Danny Vranes 8 Asts: Gus Williams 8 | Pts: Mark Aguirre 20 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 11 Asts: Brad Davis 10 |
| Dallas leads series, 1–0 |||
* Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007
Rolando Blackman scored a jump shot with eight seconds remaining to give Dallas the lead and ultimately the win in their first playoff game.
* April 19
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 95, Dallas Mavericks 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–21, 29–26, 20–22, 19–23 |||
| Pts: Tom Chambers 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Gus Williams 11 | Pts: Rolando Blackman 28 Rebs: Mark Aguirre 17 Asts: Rolando Blackman 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007
* Gus Williams banks in the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
* April 21
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 94, Seattle SuperSonics 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 32–28, 16–31, 21–21 |||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 27 Rebs: Jay Vincent 10 Asts: Rolando Blackman 5 | Pts: Jack Sikma 23 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: Gus Williams 15 |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 10,229
* April 24
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle SuperSonics 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 22–23, 30–22, 28–31 |||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 29 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 11 each Asts: Brad Davis 8 | Pts: Jack Sikma 27 Rebs: Jack Sikma 14 Asts: Gus Williams 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Kingdome, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 11,893
Scheduling conflicts meant that Game 4 was played at the old home of the Sonics with the Kingdome.
* April 26
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 104, Dallas Mavericks 105 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 27–23, 22–23, 24–23, Overtime: 9–10 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 27 Rebs: Danny Vranes 11 Asts: Gus Williams 14 | Pts: Rolando Blackman 29 Rebs: Jay Vincent 10 Asts: Rolando Blackman 8 |
| Dallas wins series, 3–2 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 9,007
Game 5 was not played at Reunion Arena because it was booked for a World Championship Tennis event. After considering the Dallas Convention Center, they elected to play it at Moody Coliseum, where they had played their training camp; they had to play the game on SMU's college court, which meant having to measure and tape down an improvised 3-point line. Blackman forced a jump shot with time expiring to force overtime. The final play wound up lasting fourteen minutes. With one second left on the clock at mid-court trying to inbound the ball, Jay Vincent tried bounce the ball off Tom Chambers to run out the clock but Chambers caught the ball at mid-court and missed the shot. Dallas walked off the court believing the game was over. However, referee Mike Mathis and co-officials Jake O’Donnell and Tommy Nunez debated for several minutes what to do because the clock never actually started on the play. Somehow, Seattle was ruled to have the ball to inbound from midcourt with one second that saw the Mavericks ordered back on the court. The Mavericks foiled the subsequent inbound attempt to end the game. Earning the nickname "Moody Madness" among Maverick fans, the victory was the first playoff series victory for the Mavericks in franchise history.
Seattle won 4–1 in the regular-season series :
December 9, 1983
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 124, Seattle SuperSonics 132
Kingdome, Seattle
January 4, 1984
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 102, Dallas Mavericks 105
Reunion Arena, Dallas
January 18, 1984
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 107, Seattle SuperSonics 114
Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
February 5, 1984
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 96, Seattle SuperSonics 104
Kingdome, Seattle
February 29, 1984
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 127, Dallas Mavericks 124 (2OT)
Reunion Arena, Dallas :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the SuperSonics.

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) New York Knicks

* April 29
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 92, Boston Celtics 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 22–33, 24–28, 24–18 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 26 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Rory Sparrow 6 | Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Larry Bird 12 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* May 2
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 102, Boston Celtics 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 30–32, 21–25, 24–25 |||
| Pts: Bill Cartwright 25 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 11 Asts: Rory Sparrow 5 | Pts: Larry Bird 37 Rebs: Bird, Parish 11 each Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* May 4
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 92, New York Knicks 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 27–17, 18–27, 22–23 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 24 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 4 | Pts: Bill Cartwright 25 Rebs: King, Robinson 9 each Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,591
* May 6
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–36, 30–30, 28–21, 30–31 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 29 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 | Pts: Bernard King 43 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Ray Williams 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 15,840
* May 9
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 99, Boston Celtics 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–32, 25–34, 31–22, 23–33 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 30 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 10 Asts: Ray Williams 10 | Pts: Larry Bird 26 Rebs: Robert Parish 10 Asts: Larry Bird 10 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* May 11
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 104, New York Knicks 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 23–29, 24–23, 29–24 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 35 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Gerald Henderson 8 | Pts: Bernard King 44 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 14 Asts: Rory Sparrow 11 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,591
* May 13
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 104, Boston Celtics 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 26–31, 23–29, 29–25 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 24 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Ray Williams 7 | Pts: Larry Bird 39 Rebs: Larry Bird 12 Asts: Larry Bird 10 |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 18, 1983
Recap
New York Knicks 110, Boston Celtics 103
Boston Garden, Boston
November 22, 1983
Recap
Boston Celtics 113, New York Knicks 117 (2OT)
Madison Square Garden, New York City
December 13, 1983
Recap
Boston Celtics 102, New York Knicks 100
Madison Square Garden, New York City
February 29, 1984
Recap
New York Knicks 102, Boston Celtics 98
Boston Garden, Boston
March 22, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 108, New York Knicks 100
Madison Square Garden, New York City
April 11, 1984
Recap
New York Knicks 96, Boston Celtics 102
Boston Garden, Boston :
This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning five series apiece.
Tied 5–5 in all-time playoff series :
1951
Boston Celtics 0, New York Knicks 2
1951 Eastern Division Semifinals
1952
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 2
1952 Eastern Division Semifinals
1953
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 3
1953 Eastern Division Finals
1954
Boston Celtics 2, New York Knicks 0
1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals
1955
Boston Celtics 2, New York Knicks 1
1955 Eastern Division Semifinals
1967
Boston Celtics 3, New York Knicks 1
1967 Eastern Division Semifinals
1969
Boston Celtics 4, New York Knicks 2
1969 Eastern Division Finals
1972
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 4
1972 Eastern Conference Finals
1973
Boston Celtics 3, New York Knicks 4
1973 Eastern Conference Finals
1974
Boston Celtics 4, New York Knicks 1
1974 Eastern Conference Finals :

#### (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

* April 29
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 106, Milwaukee Bucks 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 23–22, 33–23, 29–27 |||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 32 Rebs: Buck Williams 17 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 8 | Pts: Marques Johnson 23 Rebs: Bob Lanier 10 Asts: Marques Johnson 8 |
| New Jersey leads series, 1–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* May 1
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 94, Milwaukee Bucks 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 16–20, 27–24, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Buck Williams 21 Rebs: Buck Williams 18 Asts: Williams, Richardson 5 each | Pts: Sidney Moncrief 28 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 8 Asts: Johnson, Pressey 5 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* May 3
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 100, New Jersey Nets 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 25–20, 21–23, 28–29 |||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 27 Rebs: Alton Lister 12 Asts: Moncrief, Johnson 4 each | Pts: Darryl Dawkins 31 Rebs: Buck Williams 14 Asts: Richardson, Cook 6 each |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 15,868
* May 5
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 99, New Jersey Nets 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 34–29, 16–17, 19–35 |||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 26 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 9 Asts: Bob Lanier 7 | Pts: Micheal Ray Richardson 24 Rebs: Buck Williams 10 Asts: Otis Birdsong 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 14,623
* May 8
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 82, Milwaukee Bucks 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 20–30, 21–18, 21–22 |||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 20 Rebs: Williams, Dawkins 8 each Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 6 | Pts: Marques Johnson 22 Rebs: Lister, Lanier 10 each Asts: Paul Pressey 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* May 10
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 98, New Jersey Nets 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 20–22, 30–21, 25–30 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 25 Rebs: Marques Johnson 13 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 7 | Pts: Darryl Dawkins 29 Rebs: Buck Williams 12 Asts: Micheal Ray Richardson 9 |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–2 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 15,283
Milwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 11, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 103, New Jersey Nets 107
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
December 2, 1983
Recap
New Jersey Nets 107, Milwaukee Bucks 122
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
December 28, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 89, New Jersey Nets 85
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 7, 1984
Recap
New Jersey Nets 106, Milwaukee Bucks 100
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 21, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 102, New Jersey Nets 95
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
April 3, 1984
Recap
New Jersey Nets 92, Milwaukee Bucks 109
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the Nets.

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

* April 28
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 91, Los Angeles Lakers 134 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 17–32, 28–31, 25–35 |||
| Pts: Mark Aguirre 16 Rebs: Kurt Nimphius 10 Asts: Davis, Turner 4 each | Pts: Mike McGee 25 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 13,512
* May 1
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 101, Los Angeles Lakers 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 26–25, 22–35, 29–27 |||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 27 Rebs: Dale Ellis 8 Asts: Mark Aguirre 5 | Pts: Magic Johnson 27 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 15,298
* May 4
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 115, Dallas Mavericks 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 23–33, 36–32, 26–25 |||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 24 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 14 | Pts: Rolando Blackman 31 Rebs: Pat Cummings 14 Asts: Davis, Harper 6 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007
* May 6
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 122, Dallas Mavericks 115 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–30, 27–23, 29–26, 18–29, Overtime: 14–7 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 11 each Asts: Magic Johnson 16 | Pts: Mark Aguirre 34 Rebs: Aguirre, Vincent 7 each Asts: Blackman, Aguirre 6 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas Attendance: 17,007 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Ed Middleton, Hue Hollins (alternate)
* Pat Cummings hits the game-tying layup with 31 seconds left before Derek Harper made a mistake by dribbling out the clock thinking Dallas was ahead by one, when the score was actually tied.
* May 8
* Boxscore
Dallas Mavericks 99, Los Angeles Lakers 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 25–29, 25–39, 30–14 |||
| Pts: Rolando Blackman 25 Rebs: Dale Ellis 10 Asts: Brad Davis 6 | Pts: Mike McGee 27 Rebs: three players 6 each Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 16,644
Dallas won 3–2 in the regular-season series :
November 5, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Dallas Mavericks 107
Reunion Arena, Dallas
November 9, 1983
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 106, Los Angeles Lakers 120
The Forum, Inglewood, California
December 2, 1983
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 133, Los Angeles Lakers 118
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 9, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 121, Dallas Mavericks 120 (2OT)
Reunion Arena, Dallas
April 13, 1984
Recap
Dallas Mavericks 104, Los Angeles Lakers 103
The Forum, Inglewood, California :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Lakers.

#### (2) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

* April 29
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 95, Utah Jazz 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 30–30, 21–27, 23–19 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 21 Rebs: James Edwards 8 Asts: Walter Davis 7 | Pts: Adrian Dantley 36 Rebs: Thurl Bailey 13 Asts: Rickey Green 16 |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,403 Referees: Paul Mihalak, Wally Rooney
* May 2
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 102, Utah Jazz 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 35–26, 20–17, 22–24 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 28 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 15 Asts: Kyle Macy 7 | Pts: Adrian Dantley 26 Rebs: Mark Eaton 9 Asts: Rickey Green 6 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,689 Referees: Jess Kersey, Tommy Nunez
* May 4
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 94, Phoenix Suns 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 25–30, 18–33, 30–17 |||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 31 Rebs: Mark Eaton 11 Asts: Rickey Green 4 | Pts: Walter Davis 30 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 14 Asts: Kyle Macy 7 |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell
* May 6
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 110, Phoenix Suns 111 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–33, 22–22, 25–22, 27–26, Overtime: 7–8 |||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 37 Rebs: Mark Eaton 12 Asts: Darrell Griffith 8 | Pts: Walter Davis 32 Rebs: Alvan Adams 15 Asts: Maurice Lucas 6 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Hugh Evans, Mike Mathis, Joe Crawford (alternate)
* Walter Davis hits the game-tying 3 pointer with 3 seconds left to force OT.
* May 8
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 106, Utah Jazz 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 29–35, 30–22, 26–26 |||
| Pts: Maurice Lucas 19 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 12 Asts: Macy, Westphal 6 each | Pts: Adrian Dantley 46 Rebs: Mark Eaton 11 Asts: Rickey Green 14 |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,560 Referees: Earl Strom, John Vanak
* May 10
* Boxscore
Utah Jazz 82, Phoenix Suns 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–27, 25–27, 24–26, 17–22 |||
| Pts: Adrian Dantley 23 Rebs: Mark Eaton 10 Asts: Rickey Green 6 | Pts: Walter Davis 21 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Macy, Davis 6 each |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660 Referees: Jess Kersey, Paul Mihalak
Utah won 4–1 in the regular-season series :
November 29, 1983
Recap
Phoenix Suns 110, Utah Jazz 114
Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada
December 2, 1983
Recap
Utah Jazz 116, Phoenix Suns 113
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
January 10, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 98, Utah Jazz 107
Salt Palace Acord Arena, Salt Lake City
February 2, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 95, Utah Jazz 116
Salt Palace Acord Arena, Salt Lake City
February 28, 1984
Recap
Utah Jazz 100, Phoenix Suns 113
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Suns and the Jazz.

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks

* May 15
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 96, Boston Celtics 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 25–32, 27–30, 27–35 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 18 Rebs: Bob Lanier 11 Asts: Marques Johnson 4 | Pts: Larry Bird 24 Rebs: Kevin McHale 7 Asts: Gerald Henderson 7 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* May 17
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 110, Boston Celtics 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 27–35, 31–25, 31–33 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 29 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 7 Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Larry Bird 32 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Larry Bird 7 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* May 19
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 109, Milwaukee Bucks 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 23–34, 32–22, 27–15 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Larry Bird 6 | Pts: Sidney Moncrief 22 Rebs: Paul Mokeski 12 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 6 |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* May 21
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 113, Milwaukee Bucks 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 17–31, 31–29, 36–32 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 32 Rebs: Larry Bird 10 Asts: Larry Bird 8 | Pts: Paul Pressey 22 Rebs: Mokeski, Lister 9 each Asts: Bob Lanier 8 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* May 23
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 108, Boston Celtics 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 17–28, 27–30, 29–23 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 24 Rebs: Moncrief, Lister 8 each Asts: Paul Pressey 4 | Pts: Larry Bird 21 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Bird, Maxwell 4 each |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890
* Bob Lanier's final NBA game.
Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
November 2, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 105, Boston Celtics 119
Boston Garden, Boston
January 15, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 87, Milwaukee Bucks 106
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
January 22, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 98, Boston Celtics 109
Boston Garden, Boston
March 9, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 129, Milwaukee Bucks 128 (2OT)
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 16, 1984
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 99, Boston Celtics 109
Boston Garden, Boston
April 10, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 96, Milwaukee Bucks 95
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee :
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 :
1974
Boston Celtics 4, Milwaukee Bucks 3
1974 NBA Finals
1983
Boston Celtics 0, Milwaukee Bucks 4
1983 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

* May 12
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 94, Los Angeles Lakers 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 20–28, 16–21, 26–32 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 24 Rebs: Larry Nance 15 Asts: Kyle Macy 10 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 20 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Michael Cooper 10 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 12,825
* May 15
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 102, Los Angeles Lakers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 18–30, 30–31, 26–31 |||
| Pts: Larry Nance 29 Rebs: Larry Nance 9 Asts: Walter Davis 8 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 24 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 16,578
* Magic Johnson's 24 assists sets an NBA playoff record for assists in a game.
* May 18
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 127, Phoenix Suns 135 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–42, 33–20, 27–29, 28–28, Overtime: 8–16 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Walter Davis 34 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 17 Asts: Kyle Macy 6 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-tying sky-hook with 22 seconds left to force OT.
* May 20
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 126, Phoenix Suns 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 37–36, 32–22, 30–29, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: three players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 15 | Pts: Larry Nance 27 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 10 Asts: Walter Davis 7 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660
* May 23
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 38–30, 29–26, 26–34 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 27 Rebs: Larry Nance 13 Asts: Kyle Macy 12 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 16,848 Referees: Paul Mihalak, Earl Strom
* May 25
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 22–30, 29–23, 22–19 |||
| Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Walter Davis 26 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 13 Asts: Kyle Macy 8 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660
* Paul Westphal's final NBA game.
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 11, 1983
Recap
Phoenix Suns 105, Los Angeles Lakers 119
The Forum, Inglewood, California
December 15, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Phoenix Suns 114
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
January 19, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Phoenix Suns 138
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
January 24, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 110, Los Angeles Lakers 116
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 31, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 119, Phoenix Suns 97
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
April 15, 1984
Recap
Phoenix Suns 123, Los Angeles Lakers 114
The Forum, Inglewood, California :
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
Los Angeles leads 3–0 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 :

## NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers

* May 27
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 115, Boston Celtics 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–22, 31–30, 27–36, 23–21 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 | Pts: Kevin McHale 25 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 5 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Hugh Evans, John Vanak
* May 31
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 121, Boston Celtics 124 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 33–25, 28–29, 26–23, Overtime: 8–11 |||
| Pts: James Worthy 29 Rebs: Magic Johnson 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 | Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Ainge, Henderson 5 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak (alternate)
* Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass and made a layup to tie the game with 13 seconds left and eventually force OT; Scott Wedman hits the clutch shot with 14 seconds left in OT.
* June 3
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 104, Los Angeles Lakers 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 20–28, 33–47, 25–33 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 30 Rebs: Robert Parish 12 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 5 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 21 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Paul Mihalak, Earl Strom
* Magic Johnson 21 assists sets an NBA Finals record for assists in a game.
* June 6
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 129, Los Angeles Lakers 125 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–33, 26–35, 30–22, 25–23, Overtime: 16–12 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 29 Rebs: Larry Bird 21 Asts: Dennis Johnson 14 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 17 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Darell Garretson, Jess Kersey, Earl Strom (alternate)
* Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis; Larry Bird hits the game-tying free throws with 16 seconds left in regulation to force OT, then hits the clutch jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds left in OT after Magic misses two clutch free throws that would give the Lakers the lead with 34 seconds left in OT; M. L. Carr steals James Worthy's inbound pass and dunks it with 6 seconds left in OT.
* June 8
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 103, Boston Celtics 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 27–29, 24–33, 26–33 |||
| Pts: James Worthy 22 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Larry Bird 17 Asts: Gerald Henderson 9 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Hugh Evans, Earl Strom, John Vanak (alternate)
* The Heat Game.
* June 10
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–29, 32–30, 22–24, 21–36 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 28 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Larry Bird 8 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Jack Madden, Jake O'Donnell
* June 12
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 22–28, 26–33, 24–20 |||
| Pts: James Worthy 21 Rebs: Kurt Rambis 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 | Pts: Cedric Maxwell 24 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Cedric Maxwell 8 |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,890 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom, Jake O'Donnell (alternate)
Los Angeles won 2–0 in the regular-season series :
February 8, 1984
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 111, Boston Celtics 109
Boston Garden, Boston
February 24, 1984
Recap
Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 116
The Forum, Inglewood, California :
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first seven meetings.
Boston leads 7–0 in all-time playoff series :
1959
Boston Celtics 4, Minneapolis Lakers 0
1959 NBA Finals
1962
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1962 NBA Finals
1963
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2
1963 NBA Finals
1965
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1
1965 NBA Finals
1966
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1966 NBA Finals
1968
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2
1968 NBA Finals
1969
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1969 NBA Finals :