# 1983 NBA playoffs

The 1983 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1982–83 season. This was the final postseason using the 12-team format and this is the final postseason held of best of 3 series in first round, before the NBA expanded the postseason to 16 teams and first round expanded of best of 5 series the next season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers defeating the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Moses Malone was named NBA Finals MVP.
Malone made a famous prediction about the Sixers' chances prior to the playoffs, saying "Fo', fo', fo'" – predicting the number of games the Sixers would need to win each of the three series they would play on the way to a championship. They nearly accomplished this prediction of a sweep of all three rounds, only losing one game (to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals) en route to the championship. The Sixers set a record for highest winning percentage in the playoffs that was not broken until the Lakers went 15–1 in 2001. The Lakers' mark, however, came after the expansion to the current 16-team, four-round playoff format, which was first implemented in the 1984 playoffs, while the Sixers avoided the first round by virtue of their top seeding.
It was the third time in four years that the Lakers and 76ers had met in the NBA Finals, with the Lakers winning the previous two series.
After missing the playoffs the previous year, the Blazers began a string of 21 straight playoff appearances in 1983 lasting until 2003. They made the playoffs 25 out of 26 years from their title-winning season of 1977–2003. The record was just one season shy of the 22-year playoff run set by the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950–1971.
The Celtics were swept out of the playoffs for the first time in team history, losing 4–0 to the Bucks in the second round.
This was the Spurs' last appearance in the Conference Finals until 1995. However, for players such as George Gervin and Artis Gilmore, the 6-game loss to the Lakers was the last chance they got at reaching the NBA Finals, let alone an NBA Championship (Gilmore did return to the conference finals with the Celtics in 1988, but played sparingly).
This was the only season of the 12-team playoff bracket in which all four division champions advanced to the conference finals.

## 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 | Philadelphia* | 4 | | | | | | |
| E4 | New Jersey | 0 | E5 | New York | 0 | | | | | | |
| E5 | New York | 2 | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | | | |
| | | | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Milwaukee* | 1 | | | |
| | | | E3 | Boston | 0 | | | | | | |
| E3 | Boston | 2 | E2 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | | | | |
| E6 | Atlanta | 1 | | | | | | | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 0 |
| | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Seattle | 0 | W5 | Portland | 1 | | | | | | |
| W5 | Portland | 2 | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | |
| | | | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | San Antonio* | 2 | | | |
| | | | W6 | Denver | 1 | | | | | | |
| W3 | Phoenix | 1 | W2 | San Antonio* | 4 | | | | | | |
| W6 | Denver | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## First round
### Eastern Conference first round
#### (3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks

* April 19
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 95, Boston Celtics 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 23–26, 25–24, 25–31 |||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 24 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 20 Asts: Johnny Davis 11 | Pts: Larry Bird 26 Rebs: Robert Parish 16 Asts: Tiny Archibald 11 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 22
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 93, Atlanta Hawks 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 22–27, 24–14, 27–26 |||
| Pts: Robert Parish 17 Rebs: Larry Bird 16 Asts: Larry Bird 9 | Pts: Dan Roundfield 19 Rebs: Tree Rollins 14 Asts: Johnny Davis 14 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 10,405
* CBS
* April 24
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 79, Boston Celtics 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 22–27, 17–19, 17–20 |||
| Pts: Tree Rollins 18 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 10 Asts: three players 3 each | Pts: Larry Bird 26 Rebs: Robert Parish 11 Asts: Larry Bird 9 |
| Boston wins series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* In the decisive Game 3, Hawks center Tree Rollins and Celtics guard Danny Ainge started a melee on the Boston Garden floor in which Rollins bit Ainge's finger.
Boston won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
October 30, 1982
Recap
Boston Celtics 112, Atlanta Hawks 97
The Omni, Atlanta
December 1, 1982
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 97, Boston Celtics 122
Boston Garden, Boston
December 18, 1982
Recap
Boston Celtics 107, Atlanta Hawks 103 (OT)
The Omni, Atlanta
February 6, 1983
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 116, Boston Celtics 111
Boston Garden, Boston
March 23, 1983
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 102, Boston Celtics 114
Boston Garden, Boston
April 5, 1983
Recap
Boston Celtics 117, Atlanta Hawks 95
The Omni, Atlanta :
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning five of the first six meetings.
Boston leads 5–1 in all-time playoff series :
1957
Boston Celtics 4, St. Louis Hawks 3
1957 NBA Finals
1958
Boston Celtics 2, St. Louis Hawks 4
1958 NBA Finals
1960
Boston Celtics 4, St. Louis Hawks 3
1960 NBA Finals
1961
Boston Celtics 4, St. Louis Hawks 1
1961 NBA Finals
1972
Atlanta Hawks 2, Boston Celtics 4
1972 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1973
Atlanta Hawks 2, Boston Celtics 4
1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

#### (4) New Jersey Nets vs. (5) New York Knicks

* April 20
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 118, New Jersey Nets 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–27, 23–23, 31–26, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Bernard King 40 Rebs: Marvin Webster 11 Asts: Rory Sparrow 7 | Pts: Albert King 17 Rebs: Buck Williams 13 Asts: Cook, Birdsong 6 each |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey Attendance: 15,672 Referees: Jake Madden, Jess Kersey, Joe Crawford
* April 21
* Boxscore
New Jersey Nets 99, New York Knicks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 16–30, 31–18, 29–25 |||
| Pts: Albert King 25 Rebs: Buck Williams 10 Asts: Foots Walker 6 | Pts: Truck Robinson 22 Rebs: Truck Robinson 13 Asts: Paul Westphal 7 |
| New York wins series, 2–0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,591
New Jersey won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 9, 1982
Recap
New Jersey Nets 84, New York Knicks 82
Madison Square Garden, New York City
November 10, 1982
Recap
New York Knicks 90, New Jersey Nets 99
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
December 25, 1982
Recap
New Jersey Nets 112, New York Knicks 110 (OT)
Madison Square Garden, New York City
January 15, 1983
Recap
New York Knicks 96, New Jersey Nets 100
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
March 9, 1983
Recap
New York Knicks 103, New Jersey Nets 92
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
April 13, 1983
Recap
New Jersey Nets 100, New York Knicks 108
Madison Square Garden, New York City :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Knicks.

### Western Conference first round
#### (3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Denver Nuggets

* April 19
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 108, Phoenix Suns 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–23, 24–39, 21–28, 31–31 |||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 32 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 12 Asts: English, Evans 4 each | Pts: Dennis Johnson 28 Rebs: Dennis Johnson 12 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 11,901
* April 21
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 99, Denver Nuggets 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 26–35, 26–25, 25–26 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 31 Rebs: James Edwards 9 Asts: Dennis Johnson 5 | Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 26 Rebs: Dan Issel 11 Asts: Rob Williams 9 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 15,903
* April 24
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 117, Phoenix Suns 112 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 30–27, 28–32, 19–16, Overtime: 11–6 |||
| Pts: Alex English 42 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 12 Asts: Dunn, Williams 6 each | Pts: Walter Davis 29 Rebs: Larry Nance 12 Asts: Alvan Adams 9 |
| Denver wins series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 14,660
* Mike Evans hits the game-tying 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to force OT.
Denver won 4–1 in the regular-season series :
October 31, 1982
Recap
Phoenix Suns 110, Denver Nuggets 114
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
November 18, 1982
Recap
Denver Nuggets 118, Phoenix Suns 107
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
January 1, 1983
Recap
Phoenix Suns 125, Denver Nuggets 127
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
March 22, 1983
Recap
Phoenix Suns 117, Denver Nuggets 130
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
March 26, 1983
Recap
Denver Nuggets 110, Phoenix Suns 124
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 :
1982
Denver Nuggets 1, Phoenix Suns 2
1982 Western Conference First Round :

#### (4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

* April 20
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 108, Seattle SuperSonics 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 28–19, 27–29, 22–23 |||
| Pts: Thompson, Paxson 25 each Rebs: Calvin Natt 11 Asts: Mychal Thompson 8 | Pts: Gus Williams 34 Rebs: Jack Sikma 15 Asts: Williams, Sikma 7 each |
| Portland leads series, 1–0 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 9,211
* April 22
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 96, Portland Trail Blazers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 15–31, 25–29, 28–22 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 31 Rebs: Danny Vranes 18 Asts: Jack Sikma 4 | Pts: Jim Paxson 26 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 12 Asts: Thompson, Lever 6 each |
| Portland wins series, 2–0 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
December 21, 1982
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle SuperSonics 99
Kingdome, Seattle
December 25, 1982
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 88, Portland Trail Blazers 95
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
January 9, 1983
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 101, Portland Trail Blazers 110
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
January 14, 1983
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 102, Seattle SuperSonics 99
Kingdome, Seattle
April 10, 1983
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 102, Portland Trail Blazers 93
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
April 12, 1983
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 101, Seattle SuperSonics 106
Kingdome, Seattle :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first two meetings.
Seattle leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1978
Portland Trail Blazers 2, Seattle SuperSonics 4
1978 Western Conference Semifinals
1980
Portland Trail Blazers 1, Seattle SuperSonics 2
1980 Western Conference First Round :

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) New York Knicks

* April 24
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 102, Philadelphia 76ers 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 31–29, 21–26, 26–25 |||
| Pts: Bill Cartwright 17 Rebs: Bill Cartwright 8 Asts: Rory Sparrow 10 | Pts: Moses Malone 38 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 10 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 14,375 Referees: Ed Rush, John Vanak
* April 27
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 91, Philadelphia 76ers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 29–21, 9–24, 23–33 |||
| Pts: Truck Robinson 22 Rebs: Truck Robinson 14 Asts: Rory Sparrow 8 | Pts: Moses Malone 30 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 6 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 15,829 Referees: Darell Garretson, Joe Crawford
* April 30
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 107, New York Knicks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 27–24, 26–26, 29–28 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 | Pts: Bernard King 21 Rebs: Truck Robinson 15 Asts: Rory Sparrow 6 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 17,735 Referees: Hugh Evans, Wally Rooney, Dick Bavetta
* May 1
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 105, New York Knicks 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 29–21, 21–27, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 29 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 | Pts: Bernard King 35 Rebs: Truck Robinson 15 Asts: Sparrow, Westphal 8 each |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 15,457 Referees: Earl Strom, Hue Hollins, Lee Jones
Philadelphia won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
October 29, 1982
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 104, New York Knicks 89
Madison Square Garden, New York City
December 17, 1982
Recap
New York Knicks 95, Philadelphia 76ers 109
Spectrum, Philadelphia
February 20, 1983
Recap
New York Knicks 89, Philadelphia 76ers 104
Spectrum, Philadelphia
March 1, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 106, New York Knicks 94
Madison Square Garden, New York City
March 22, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 76, New York Knicks 89
Madison Square Garden, New York City
April 10, 1983
Recap
New York Knicks 97, Philadelphia 76ers 113
Spectrum, Philadelphia :
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning five of the first seven meetings.
Philadelphia leads 5–2 in all-time playoff series :
1950
New York Knicks 1, Syracuse Nationals 2
1950 Eastern Division Finals
1951
New York Knicks 3, Syracuse Nationals 2
1951 Eastern Division Finals
1952
New York Knicks 3, Syracuse Nationals 1
1952 Eastern Division Finals
1954
New York Knicks 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals
1959
New York Knicks 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1959 Eastern Division Semifinals
1968
New York Knicks 2, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1968 Eastern Division Semifinals
1978
New York Knicks 0, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1978 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

#### (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Boston Celtics

* April 27
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 116, Boston Celtics 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 31–24, 32–24, 30–23 |||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 22 Rebs: Bob Lanier 10 Asts: Marques Johnson 5 | Pts: Tiny Archibald 23 Rebs: Parish, Maxwell 12 each Asts: Tiny Archibald 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 29
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 95, Boston Celtics 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 20–29, 32–25, 21–9 |||
| Pts: Sidney Moncrief 20 Rebs: Marques Johnson 9 Asts: Sidney Moncrief 4 | Pts: Danny Ainge 25 Rebs: Robert Parish 10 Asts: Gerald Henderson 8 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* May 1
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 99, Milwaukee Bucks 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–27, 22–30, 25–26, 18–24 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 21 Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Maxwell, Bird 6 each | Pts: Sidney Moncrief 26 Rebs: Junior Bridgeman 10 Asts: Bob Lanier 6 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052 Referees: Walter Rooney, Jess Kersey
* May 2
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 93, Milwaukee Bucks 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 18–23, 26–29, 30–32 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 18 Rebs: Larry Bird 11 Asts: Larry Bird 8 | Pts: Marques Johnson 33 Rebs: Alton Lister 11 Asts: Marques Johnson 6 |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052
* First time the Celtics were swept in a playoff series since 1954.
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 10, 1982
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 105, Boston Celtics 101
Boston Garden, Boston
November 14, 1982
Recap
Boston Celtics 100, Milwaukee Bucks 98
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
November 28, 1982
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 109, Boston Celtics 124
Boston Garden, Boston
December 3, 1982
Recap
Boston Celtics 112, Milwaukee Bucks 115
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 22, 1983
Recap
Boston Celtics 108, Milwaukee Bucks 116
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
April 1, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 83, Boston Celtics 97
Boston Garden, Boston :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1974
Boston Celtics 4, Milwaukee Bucks 3
1974 NBA Finals :

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

* April 24
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 97, Los Angeles Lakers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 30–26, 28–26, 16–30 |||
| Pts: Mychal Thompson 22 Rebs: Thompson, Natt 9 each Asts: three players 7 each | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Johnson, Rambis 9 each Asts: Magic Johnson 18 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 13,891
* April 26
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 106, Los Angeles Lakers 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–37, 26–20, 31–28, 17–27 |||
| Pts: Calvin Natt 26 Rebs: Wayne Cooper 7 Asts: Darnell Valentine 15 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 37 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 9 Asts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 16,239
* April 29
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 115, Portland Trail Blazers 109 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–28, 22–19, 18–28, 26–23, Overtime: 17–11 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | Pts: Paxson, Natt 22 each Rebs: Natt, Cooper 10 each Asts: Darnell Valentine 14 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
* May 1
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 95, Portland Trail Blazers 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 29–35, 28–22, 19–20 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 9 Asts: Magic Johnson 8 | Pts: Jim Paxson 20 Rebs: Calvin Natt 10 Asts: Darnell Valentine 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666 Referees: Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis, Tommy Nuñez
* May 3
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 108, Los Angeles Lakers 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–39, 17–27, 24–24, 42–26 |||
| Pts: Jim Paxson 32 Rebs: Calvin Natt 11 Asts: Darnell Valentine 8 | Pts: Norm Nixon 36 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 16,739 Referees: John Vanak, Ed Rush
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 7, 1982
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 89, Los Angeles Lakers 103
The Forum, Inglewood, California
December 3, 1982
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 100, Los Angeles Lakers 115
The Forum, Inglewood, California
December 14, 1982
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 103, Portland Trail Blazers 107
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
January 25, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 125, Portland Trail Blazers 120
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
April 5, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Portland Trail Blazers 107
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
April 17, 1983
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 119, Los Angeles Lakers 108
The Forum, Inglewood, California :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first meeting.
Portland leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1977
Los Angeles Lakers 0, Portland Trail Blazers 4
1977 Western Conference Finals :

#### (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Denver Nuggets

* April 26
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 133, San Antonio Spurs 152 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–39, 29–43, 37–34, 28–36 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 28 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 11 Asts: English, Williams 7 each | Pts: George Gervin 42 Rebs: Gene Banks 11 Asts: Johnny Moore 17 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 10,116
* April 27
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 109, San Antonio Spurs 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–36, 32–34, 26–28, 20–28 |||
| Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 22 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 8 Asts: Mike Evans 9 | Pts: George Gervin 30 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 12 Asts: Johnny Moore 20 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 10,690
* April 29
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 127, Denver Nuggets 126 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–35, 27–27, 30–32, 28–24, Overtime: 9–8 |||
| Pts: Johnny Moore 39 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 14 Asts: Johnny Moore 12 | Pts: Alex English 39 Rebs: Kiki VanDeWeghe 14 Asts: English, Williams 7 each |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–0 |||
* McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 16,965
* May 2
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 114, Denver Nuggets 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–40, 21–32, 35–26, 29–26 |||
| Pts: Johnny Moore 27 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 11 Asts: Johnny Moore 9 | Pts: Kiki VanDeWeghe 37 Rebs: Kiki VanDeWeghe 11 Asts: Alex English 11 |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 |||
* McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 15,035
* May 4
* Boxscore
Denver Nuggets 105, San Antonio Spurs 145 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 25–37, 29–40, 30–33 |||
| Pts: Billy McKinney 20 Rebs: T. R. Dunn 8 Asts: Mike Evans 6 | Pts: George Gervin 26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 15 Asts: Johnny Moore 13 |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–1 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 12,736 Referees: Earl Strom, Jess Kersey
San Antonio won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 23, 1982
Recap
Denver Nuggets 126, San Antonio Spurs 136
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
November 24, 1982
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 123, Denver Nuggets 129
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
December 16, 1982
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 120, Denver Nuggets 108
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
January 18, 1983
Recap
Denver Nuggets 124, San Antonio Spurs 143
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
March 8, 1983
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 118, Denver Nuggets 129
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
March 29, 1983
Recap
Denver Nuggets 129, San Antonio Spurs 136
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Spurs.

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks

* May 8
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 111 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–35, 34–24, 24–26, 23–19, Overtime: 5–7 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 30 Rebs: Bob Lanier 9 Asts: Moncrief, Lanier 6 each | Pts: Maurice Cheeks 26 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,482 Referees: Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis
* Junior Bridgeman hits the game-tying shot with 42 seconds left to force OT.
* May 11
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 81, Philadelphia 76ers 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–20, 21–23, 22–28, 20–16 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 25 Rebs: Marques Johnson 11 Asts: Lanier, Winters 4 each | Pts: Moses Malone 26 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Cheeks, Toney 4 each |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,482 Referees: Earl Strom, Ed Rush
* May 14
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 104, Milwaukee Bucks 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 22–20, 26–24, 33–24 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 26 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9 | Pts: Junior Bridgeman 24 Rebs: Sidney Moncrief 10 Asts: Brian Winters 7 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052 Referees: Jack Madden, Hugh Evans
* May 15
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 94, Milwaukee Bucks 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–25, 29–25, 21–29 |||
| Pts: Andrew Toney 24 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 8 | Pts: Marques Johnson 19 Rebs: Marques Johnson 10 Asts: Marques Johnson 8 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 11,052 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey
* May 18
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–31, 25–28, 25–29, 24–27 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 21 Rebs: Alton Lister 12 Asts: Junior Bridgeman 5 | Pts: Andrew Toney 30 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 8 |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–1 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,482 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom
Philadelphia won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
November 19, 1982
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 121
Spectrum, Philadelphia
January 12, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 121, Philadelphia 76ers 122
Spectrum, Philadelphia
January 23, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 96, Milwaukee Bucks 107
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 19, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 105, Milwaukee Bucks 97
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 23, 1983
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 101, Philadelphia 76ers 104 (OT)
Spectrum, Philadelphia
April 5, 1983
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 116, Milwaukee Bucks 108
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee :
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning two of the first three meetings.
Philadelphia leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series :
1970
Milwaukee Bucks 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1
1970 Eastern Division Semifinals
1981
Milwaukee Bucks 3, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1981 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1982
Milwaukee Bucks 2, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1982 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs

* May 8
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 107, Los Angeles Lakers 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 31–26, 22–29, 24–32 |||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell 26 Rebs: George Gervin 9 Asts: Johnny Moore 18 | Pts: Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon 30 each Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Magic Johnson 12 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 15,063 Referees: Jack Madden, Hugh Evans
* May 10
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 122, Los Angeles Lakers 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 25–31, 37–32, 25–24 |||
| Pts: George Gervin 32 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: Johnny Moore 15 | Pts: Johnson, Nixon 28 each Rebs: Magic Johnson 12 Asts: Norm Nixon 11 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey
* May 13
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 113, San Antonio Spurs 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 24–24, 34–19, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Jamaal Wilkes 26 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Mike Mitchell 23 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 14 Asts: Johnny Moore 9 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 15,782
* May 15
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 129, San Antonio Spurs 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 36–29, 35–30, 27–37, 31–25 |||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 31 Rebs: Magic Johnson 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 17 | Pts: Mike Mitchell 35 Rebs: Mike Mitchell 11 Asts: Johnny Moore 17 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 15,782 Referees: Earl Strom, Ed Rush
* May 18
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 117, Los Angeles Lakers 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–34, 31–29, 33–28, 22–21 |||
| Pts: Mike Mitchell 26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 14 Asts: Johnny Moore 17 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Magic Johnson 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 19 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Jack Madden
* May 20
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 101, San Antonio Spurs 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 35–29, 22–26, 15–19 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28 Rebs: Magic Johnson 15 Asts: Magic Johnson 16 | Pts: George Gervin 25 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 18 Asts: Johnny Moore 14 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 15,782
San Antonio won 4–1 in the regular-season series :
November 30, 1982 (completed April 13, 1983)
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 114, San Antonio Spurs 117
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
January 21, 1983
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 110, Los Angeles Lakers 119
The Forum, Inglewood, California
February 15, 1983
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 124, Los Angeles Lakers 103
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 25, 1983
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 132, Los Angeles Lakers 120
The Forum, Inglewood, California
April 13, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 109, San Antonio Spurs 114
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.
Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1982
Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 0
1982 Western Conference Finals :

## NBA Finals: (E1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers

* May 22
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 107, Philadelphia 76ers 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–30, 37–24, 26–31, 24–28 |||
| Pts: Norm Nixon 26 Rebs: Mark Landsberger 10 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 | Pts: Moses Malone 27 Rebs: Moses Malone 18 Asts: Julius Erving 9 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,482 Referees: Jack Madden, Ed T. Rush
* May 26
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 93, Philadelphia 76ers 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 26–25, 20–28, 18–24 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Rebs: Magic Johnson 8 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Moses Malone 24 Rebs: Moses Malone 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 8 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 |||
* Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,482 Referees: Darell Garretson, John Vanak, Earl Strom
* May 29
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 111, Los Angeles Lakers 94 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 28–20, 23–20, 39–22 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 19 Asts: Moses Malone 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Jess Kersey, Jake O'Donnell
* May 31
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 115, Los Angeles Lakers 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 27–39, 31–28, 33–15 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 24 Rebs: Moses Malone 23 Asts: Andrew Toney 9 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28 Rebs: four players 7 each Asts: Magic Johnson 15 |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Hugh Evans, Earl Strom, Jess Kersey
Philadelphia won 2–0 in the regular-season series :
December 5, 1982
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 114, Los Angeles Lakers 104
The Forum, Inglewood, California
January 5, 1983
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 120, Philadelphia 76ers 122 (OT)
Spectrum, Philadelphia :
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings.
Los Angeles leads 4–0 in all-time playoff series :
1950
Minneapolis Lakers 4, Syracuse Nationals 2
1950 NBA Finals
1954
Minneapolis Lakers 4, Syracuse Nationals 3
1954 NBA Finals
1980
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2
1980 NBA Finals
1982
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2
1982 NBA Finals :