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{{Short description|Postseason tournament}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{infobox basketball tournament season
|title=NBA playoffs
|image = 2006 NBA playoffs logo.png
|year=2006
| season =[[2005–06 NBA season|2005–06]]
|dates=April 22–June 20, 2006
| num_teams =16
| winners =[[2005-06 Miami Heat season|Miami Heat]]
| count =1
| second = [[2005-06 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas Mavericks]]
| semifinal1 =[[2005-06 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit Pistons]]
| semifinal2 =[[2005-06 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix Suns]]
| prev_season =[[2005 NBA playoffs|2005]]
| next_season =[[2007 NBA playoffs|2007]]
}}
The '''2006 NBA playoffs''' was the postseason tournament of the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[2005–06 NBA season|2005–06 season]]. The tournament concluded with the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]] champion [[Miami Heat]] defeating the [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]] champion [[Dallas Mavericks]] 4 games to 2 in the [[2006 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]. [[Dwyane Wade]] was named [[Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award|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.<ref>[https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/12-longest-active-playoff-droughts-in-nfl-nba-mlb-nhl 12 LONGEST ACTIVE PLAYOFF DROUGHTS IN NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL], Fox Sports, October 1, 2022</ref>
The Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since [[1997 NBA playoffs|1997]], and advanced to the second round for the first time since [[1976 NBA playoffs|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 [[2006–07 NBA Season|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 NBA playoffs|1998]], and they earned their first playoff series win since [[1993 NBA playoffs|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 [[2007 NBA Playoffs|next year's Playoffs]], and the Cavaliers won that series in six games. The Pistons would not beat the Cavaliers in a playoff series again until [[2025 NBA playoffs|2025]].
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 NBA Finals|1971]].
* Neither the Lakers nor the Spurs represented the Western Conference, for the first time since [[1998 NBA Finals|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 [[2005–06 Miami Heat|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 NBA Finals|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 [[Sleep Train Arena|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==
{{main|NBA Playoffs}}
With the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the [[Charlotte Bobcats]], in [[2004–05 NBA season|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 (NBA)|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 (NBA)|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
# [[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==
{{16TeamBracket
| RD1=First Round
| RD2=Conference semifinals
| RD3=Conference finals
| RD4=[[2006 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]
| RD2-group1='''[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]]'''
| RD2-group2='''[[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]]'''
| RD1-seed01='''E1'''
| RD1-team01='''''[[2005–06 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]'''''*
| RD1-score01='''4'''
| RD1-seed02=E8
| RD1-team02=[[2005–06 Milwaukee Bucks season|Milwaukee]]
| RD1-score02=1
| RD1-seed03='''E4'''
| RD1-team03='''''[[2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]'''''
| RD1-score03='''4'''
| RD1-seed04=E5
| RD1-team04=[[2005–06 Washington Wizards season|Washington]]
| RD1-score04=2
| RD1-seed05='''E3'''
| RD1-team05='''''{{nowrap|[[2005–06 New Jersey Nets season|New Jersey]]}}'''''*
| RD1-score05='''4'''
| RD1-seed06=E6
| RD1-team06=[[2005–06 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| RD1-score06=2
| RD1-seed07='''E2'''
| RD1-team07='''''[[2005–06 Miami Heat season|Miami]]'''''*
| RD1-score07='''4'''
| RD1-seed08=E7
| RD1-team08=[[2005–06 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| RD1-score08=2
| RD1-seed09='''W1'''
| RD1-team09='''''{{nowrap|[[2005–06 San Antonio Spurs season|San Antonio]]}}'''''*
| RD1-score09='''4'''
| RD1-seed10=W8
| RD1-team10=[[2005–06 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| RD1-score10=2
| RD1-seed11='''W4'''
| RD1-team11='''''[[2005–06 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]'''''
| RD1-score11='''4'''
| RD1-seed12=W5
| RD1-team12=[[2005–06 Memphis Grizzlies season|Memphis]]
| RD1-score12=0
| RD1-seed13=W3
| RD1-team13=[[2005–06 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]*
| RD1-score13=1
| RD1-seed14='''W6'''
| RD1-team14='''''{{nowrap|[[2005–06 Los Angeles Clippers season|LA Clippers]]}}'''''
| RD1-score14='''4'''
| RD1-seed15='''W2'''
| RD1-team15='''''[[2005–06 Phoenix Suns season|Phoenix]]'''''*
| RD1-score15='''4'''
| RD1-seed16=W7
| RD1-team16={{nowrap|[[2005–06 Los Angeles Lakers season|LA Lakers]]}}
| RD1-score16=3
| RD2-seed01='''E1'''
| RD2-team01='''''Detroit'''''*
| RD2-score01='''4'''
| RD2-seed02=E4
| RD2-team02=Cleveland
| RD2-score02=3
| RD2-seed03=E3
| RD2-team03={{nowrap|New Jersey}}*
| RD2-score03=1
| RD2-seed04='''E2'''
| RD2-team04='''''Miami'''''*
| RD2-score04='''4'''
| RD2-seed05=W1
| RD2-team05=''{{nowrap|San Antonio}}''*
| RD2-score05=3
| RD2-seed06='''W4'''
| RD2-team06='''Dallas'''
| RD2-score06='''4'''
| RD2-seed07=W6
| RD2-team07={{nowrap|LA Clippers}}
| RD2-score07=3
| RD2-seed08='''W2'''
| RD2-team08='''''Phoenix'''''*
| RD2-score08='''4'''
| RD3-seed01=E1
| RD3-team01=''Detroit''*
| RD3-score01=2
| RD3-seed02='''E2'''
| RD3-team02='''Miami'''*
| RD3-score02='''4'''
| RD3-seed03='''W4'''
| RD3-team03='''''Dallas'''''
| RD3-score03='''4'''
| RD3-seed04=W2
| RD3-team04=Phoenix*
| RD3-score04=2
| RD4-seed01='''E2'''
| RD4-team01='''Miami'''*
| RD4-score01='''4'''
| RD4-seed02=W4
| RD4-team02=''Dallas''
| RD4-score02=2
}}{{ubl
|<nowiki>*</nowiki> Division winner
|'''Bold''' Series winner
|''Italic'' Team with home-court advantage}}
==TV coverage==
First and second-round games were televised on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[TNT (U.S. TV network)|TNT]], [[ESPN]], [[ESPN2]], and [[NBA TV]] in the United States and on [[The Sports Network|TSN]], [[The Score (television network)|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]]/[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and the Western Conference finals aired exclusively on TNT; [[The Sports Network|TSN]] and [[The Score (television network)|The Score]] split coverage of the conference finals. The NBA Finals aired exclusively on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in the U.S. and on [[The Sports Network|TSN]] in Canada. [http://www.nba.com/news/schedule_050808.html]
ESPN offered "[[ESPN Megacast|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, [[ESPN3|ESPN360]] carrying a statistics-focused feed, and additional supplemental coverage on [[ESPN Radio]] and [[ESPN.com]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-04-21 |title=ESPN coverage of playoff opener comes `Full Circle’ |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/04/21/espn-coverage-of-playoff-opener-comes-full-circle/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
==
:''All times are in [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Daylight Time]] ([[UTC−4]])''
===Eastern Conference first round===
====(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=5:30 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score1=74
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2='''92'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060423/MILDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=19–19 |Q2=18–'''24''' |Q3=19–'''25''' |Q4=18–'''24'''
|points1=[[Charlie Bell (basketball)|Charlie Bell]] 13 |points2=[[Rasheed Wallace]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Jamaal Magloire]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 17
|assist1=[[T. J. Ford|Ford]], [[Andrew Bogut|Bogut]] 3 each |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 7
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Eddie Rush, David Jones,<br /> Bill Spooner, Bennie Adams
|series=Detroit leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |time=7:30 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1=[[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score1=98
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2='''109'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060426/MILDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=23–'''32''' |Q2=25–'''29''' |Q3=27–'''31''' |Q4='''23'''–17
|points1=[[Michael Redd]] 29 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Andrew Bogut]] 13 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 11
|assist1=[[Andrew Bogut]] 4 |assist2=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 8
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Tony Brothers, Don Garretson, Derrick Stafford
|series=Detroit leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 29 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Bradley Center]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]|TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=104
|team2='''[[Milwaukee Bucks]]''' |score2='''124'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060429/DETMIL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=27–'''30''' |Q2=27–'''31''' |Q3=20–'''29''' |Q4=30–'''34'''
|points1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 26 |points2=[[Michael Redd]] 40
|rebounds1=[[Antonio McDyess]] 8 |rebounds2=''three players'' 7 each
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 6 |assist2=[[T. J. Ford]] 15
|attendance=18,717
|referee=Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Scott Wall
|series=Detroit leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 1 |time=7:30 pm |place=[[Bradley Center]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]|TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1='''[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=109'''
|team2=[[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score2=99
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060501/DETMIL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''27'''–20 |Q2=24–'''25''' |Q3=23–'''31''' |Q4='''35'''–23
|points1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 34 |points2=[[Michael Redd]] 33
|rebounds1=[[Antonio McDyess]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Jamaal Magloire]] 12
|assist1=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 7 |assist2=[[Andrew Bogut]] 6
|attendance=16,296
|referee=Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
|series=Detroit leads series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 3 |time=6:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score1=93
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2='''122'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060503/MILDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=23–'''39''' |Q2='''26'''–23 |Q3=17–'''35''' |Q4='''27'''–25
|points1=[[Michael Redd]] 23 |points2=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 40
|rebounds1=[[Michael Redd]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 14
|assist1=[[T. J. Ford]] 6 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 8
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Detroit wins series, 4–1
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 26, 2005
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124093914/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251126015 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score1= '''85'''
| team2 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score2= 76
| place = [[Bradley Center]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 25, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150041/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260125008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score1= 102
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''106''' |overtime=OT
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = March 31, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150135/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260331008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] |score1= 105
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''112'''
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 17, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150028/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260417015 Recap]
| team1 = [[Detroit Pistons]] |score1= 93
| team2 = '''[[Milwaukee Bucks]]''' |score2= '''113'''
| place = [[Bradley Center]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Wisconsin]]
}}
|}
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first three meetings.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIL&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Detroit leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1976
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' | score1 = 2
| team2 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] | score2 = 1
| place = [[1976 NBA playoffs|1976 Western Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1989
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1989 NBA playoffs|1989 Eastern Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2004
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Milwaukee Bucks]] | score2 = 1
| place = [[2004 NBA playoffs|2004 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
|}
====(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Chicago Bulls====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Chicago Bulls]] |score1=106
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''111'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060422/CHIMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=24–'''26''' |Q2=27–'''37''' |Q3='''31'''–24 |Q4=24–24
|points1=[[Ben Gordon (basketball)|Ben Gordon]] 35 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 16 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 16
|assist1=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 8 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 11
|attendance=20,288
|referee=Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
|series=Miami leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 24 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Chicago Bulls]] |score1=108
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''115'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060424/CHIMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=26–'''33''' |Q2=31–'''35''' |Q3=19–'''27''' |Q4='''32'''–20
|points1=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 35 |points2=[[Shaquille O'Neal|O'Neal]], [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Williams]] 22 each
|rebounds1=[[Tyson Chandler]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Antoine Walker]] 10
|assist1=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 7 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 7
|attendance=20,214
|referee=Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Courtney Kirkland
|series=Miami leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[United Center]], [[Chicago]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=90
|team2='''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' |score2='''109'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060427/MIACHI/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=23–'''31''' |Q2='''19'''–17 |Q3=29–'''39''' |Q4=19–'''22'''
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 26 |points2=[[Ben Gordon (basketball)|Ben Gordon]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 9
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade|Wade]], [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Williams]] 4 each |assist2=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 11
|attendance=22,133
|referee=Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
|series=Miami leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 30 |time=1:00 pm |place=[[United Center]], [[Chicago]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=87
|team2='''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' |score2='''93'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060430/MIACHI/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''23'''–21 |Q2=17–'''23''' |Q3=19–'''21''' |Q4=28–28
|points1=[[Antoine Walker]] 21 |points2=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 7
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 10 |assist2=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 9
|attendance=22,361
|referee=Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Chicago Bulls]] |score1=78
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''92'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060502/CHIMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=19–'''25''' |Q2='''19'''–15 |Q3='''23'''–21 |Q4=17–'''31'''
|points1=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 23 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 28
|rebounds1=[[Andrés Nocioni]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 10
|assist1=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 5 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 5
|attendance=20,287
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Jack Nies
|series=Miami leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 4 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[United Center]], [[Chicago]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Miami Heat]] |score1=113'''
|team2=[[Chicago Bulls]] |score2=96
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060504/MIACHI/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''29'''–19 |Q2='''26'''–22 |Q3='''29'''–28 |Q4='''29'''–27
|points1=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 30 |points2=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 23
|rebounds1=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 20 |rebounds2=[[Luol Deng]] 6
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 6 |assist2=[[Kirk Hinrich]] 6
|attendance=22,584
|referee=Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Jess Kersey
|series=Miami wins series, 4–2
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Miami won 2–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 26, 2005
| report = [https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=251213004 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score1= '''100'''
| team2 = [[Chicago Bulls]] |score2= 97
| place = [[United Center]], [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = March 18, 2006
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124094924/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260318004 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score1= '''85'''
| team2 = [[Chicago Bulls]] |score2= 84
| place = [[United Center]], [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = April 16, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110341/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260416014 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' |score1= '''117'''
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] |score2= 93
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
|}
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first three meetings.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Chicago leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1992
| team1 = '''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' | score1 = 3
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1992 NBA playoffs|1992 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1996
| team1 = '''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' | score1 = 3
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1996 NBA playoffs|1996 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1997
| team1 = '''[[Chicago Bulls]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] | score2 = 1
| place = [[1997 NBA playoffs|1997 Eastern Conference finals]]|
}}
|}
====(3) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Indiana Pacers====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=12:30 pm |place=[[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Indiana Pacers]] |score1=90'''
|team2=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score2=88
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060423/INDNJN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''30'''–24 |Q2=20–'''22''' |Q3=14–'''19''' |Q4='''26'''–23
|points1=[[Stephen Jackson]] 18 |points2=[[Vince Carter]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Jeff Foster (basketball)|Jeff Foster]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Vince Carter]] 13
|assist1=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]] 6 |assist2=[[Jason Kidd]] 8
|attendance=18,752
|referee=Bennett Salvatore, Scott Wall, Tom Washington
|series=Indiana leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 25 |time=7:30 pm |place=[[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1=[[Indiana Pacers]] |score1=75
|team2='''[[New Jersey Nets]] |score2=90'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060425/INDNJN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=22–'''26''' |Q2=14–'''18''' |Q3=17–'''29''' |Q4='''22'''–17
|points1=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]] 16 |points2=[[Vince Carter]] 33
|rebounds1=[[Jeff Foster (basketball)|Jeff Foster]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Jason Kidd]] 11
|assist1=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Johnson]], [[Fred Jones (basketball)|Jones]] 4 each |assist2=[[Jason Kidd]] 13
|attendance=18,472
|referee=Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Violet Palmer
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=7:30 pm |place=[[Conseco Fieldhouse]], [[Indianapolis]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=95
|team2='''[[Indiana Pacers]] |score2=107'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060427/NJNIND/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''27'''–22 |Q2=28–'''29''' |Q3=15–'''27''' |Q4=25–'''29'''
|points1=[[Vince Carter|Carter]], [[Richard Jefferson|Jefferson]] 25 each |points2=[[Jermaine O'Neal]] 37
|rebounds1=[[Jason Collins|Collins]], [[Jason Kidd|Kidd]] 6 each |rebounds2=[[Jermaine O'Neal]] 15
|assist1=[[Richard Jefferson]] 7 |assist2=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]] 8
|attendance=14,706
|referee=Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Jess Kersey
|series=Indiana leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 29 |time=3:00 pm |place=[[Conseco Fieldhouse]], [[Indianapolis]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=97'''
|team2=[[Indiana Pacers]] |score2=88
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060429/NJNIND/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''24'''–15 |Q2='''26'''–22 |Q3=26–'''30''' |Q4=21–'''31'''
|points1=[[Vince Carter]] 28 |points2=[[Jermaine O'Neal]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Nenad Krstić]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Danny Granger]] 8
|assist1=[[Jason Kidd]] 8 |assist2=''three players'' 4 each
|attendance=16,401
|referee=Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1=[[Indiana Pacers]] |score1=86
|team2='''[[New Jersey Nets]] |score2=92'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060502/INDNJN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=25–'''28''' |Q2=21–21 |Q3=19–'''23''' |Q4='''21'''–20
|points1=[[Jermaine O'Neal]] 19 |points2=[[Vince Carter]] 34
|rebounds1=[[Danny Granger]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Vince Carter]] 15
|assist1=[[Stephen Jackson]] 7 |assist2=[[Jason Kidd]] 15
|attendance=18,804
|referee=Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush
|series=New Jersey leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 4 |time=7:30 pm |place=[[Conseco Fieldhouse]], [[Indianapolis]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1='''[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=96'''
|team2=[[Indiana Pacers]] |score2=90
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060504/NJNIND/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=21–'''26''' |Q2='''20'''–15 |Q3='''32'''–28 |Q4='''23'''–21
|points1=[[Richard Jefferson]] 30 |points2=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]] 40
|rebounds1=[[Jason Kidd]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Jermaine O'Neal]] 6
|assist1=[[Jason Kidd]] 11 |assist2=[[Anthony Johnson (basketball)|Anthony Johnson]] 5
|attendance=16,586
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies
|series=New Jersey wins series, 4–2
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 11, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107120211/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251111011 Recap]
| team1 = [[New Jersey Nets]] |score1= 90
| team2 = '''[[Indiana Pacers]]''' |score2= '''102'''
| place = [[Conseco Fieldhouse]], [[Indianapolis]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 16, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107120102/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260116017 Recap]
| team1 = [[Indiana Pacers]] |score1= 92
| team2 = '''[[New Jersey Nets]]''' |score2= '''97'''
| place = [[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 26, 2006
| report = [https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=260226017 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Indiana Pacers]]''' |score1= '''101'''
| team2 = [[New Jersey Nets]] |score2= 91
| place = [[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]
}}
|}
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nets winning the first meeting.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=IND&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Indiana Pacers (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!New Jersey leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2002
| team1 = [[Indiana Pacers]] | score1 = 2
| team2 = '''[[New Jersey Nets]]''' | score2 = 3
| place = [[2002 NBA playoffs|2002 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
|}
====(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=3:00 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Washington Wizards]] |score1=86
|team2='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=97'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060422/WASCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–'''31''' |Q2=16–'''19''' |Q3=21–'''24''' |Q4='''29'''–23
|points1=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 26 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 32
|rebounds1=[[Antawn Jamison]] 7 |rebounds2=[[LeBron James]] 11
|assist1=[[Antonio Daniels]] 6 |assist2=[[LeBron James]] 11
|attendance=20,562
|referee=Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Marc Davis
|series=Cleveland leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 25 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Washington Wizards]] |score1=89'''
|team2=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=84
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060425/WASCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=21–'''23''' |Q2='''16'''–15 |Q3=24–'''25''' |Q4='''28'''–21
|points1=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 30 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 26
|rebounds1=[[Caron Butler]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Drew Gooden (basketball)|Drew Gooden]] 16
|assist1=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 6 |assist2=[[Eric Snow]] 4
|attendance=20,562
|referee=David Jones, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 28 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Capital One Arena|Verizon Center]], Washington, D.C. |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=97'''
|team2=[[Washington Wizards]] |score2=96
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060428/CLEWAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=19–'''26''' |Q2=31–'''32''' |Q3='''21'''–13 |Q4='''26'''–25
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 41 |points2=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 34
|rebounds1=[[Drew Gooden (basketball)|Gooden]], [[Žydrūnas Ilgauskas|Ilgauskas]] 8 each |rebounds2=[[Caron Butler]] 11
|assist1=[[LeBron James|James]], [[Eric Snow|Snow]] 3 each |assist2=[[Antonio Daniels|Daniels]], [[Antawn Jamison|Jamison]] 3 each
|attendance=20,173
|referee=Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard
|series=Cleveland leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 30 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Capital One Arena|Verizon Center]], Washington, D.C. |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=96
|team2='''[[Washington Wizards]] |score2=106'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060430/CLEWAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''27'''–26 |Q2='''30'''–20 |Q3=15–'''26''' |Q4=24–'''34'''
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 38 |points2=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 34
|rebounds1=[[Donyell Marshall]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Jared Jeffries]] 11
|assist1=[[LeBron James]] 5 |assist2=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 6
|attendance=20,173
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, James Capers
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 3 |time=8:30 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Washington Wizards]] |score1=120
|team2='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=121''' |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060503/WASCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''27'''–25 |Q2=24–'''27''' |Q3=30–'''33''' |Q4='''26'''–22 |OT=13–'''14'''
|points1=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 44 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 45
|rebounds1=[[Caron Butler]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Drew Gooden (basketball)|Drew Gooden]] 11
|assist1=[[Antonio Daniels]] 7 |assist2=[[LeBron James]] 6
|attendance=20,562
|referee=Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich
|series=Cleveland leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 5 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Capital One Arena|Verizon Center]], Washington, D.C. |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=114'''
|team2=[[Washington Wizards]] |score2=113 |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060505/CLEWAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''24''' |Q2='''31'''–25 |Q3=27–27 |Q4='''32'''–31 |OT='''7'''–6
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 32 |points2=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 36
|rebounds1=[[Anderson Varejão]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Caron Butler]] 20
|assist1=[[Larry Hughes]] 12 |assist2=[[Gilbert Arenas]] 11
|attendance=20,173
|referee=Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
|series=Cleveland wins series, 4–2
}}
* 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.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Washington won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 15, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107160037/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251115005 Recap]
| team1 = [[Washington Wizards]] |score1= 99
| team2 = '''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]]''' |score2= '''114'''
| place = [[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 10, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107160047/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260210027 Recap]
| team1 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1= 89
| team2 = '''[[Washington Wizards]]''' |score2= '''101'''
| place = [[Capital One Arena|Verizon Center]], Washington, D.C.
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 24, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107160025/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260224005 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Washington Wizards]]''' |score1= '''102'''
| team2 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2= 94
| place = [[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 16, 2006
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124142410/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260416027 Recap]
| team1 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1= 92
| team2 = '''[[Washington Wizards]]''' |score2= '''104'''
| place = [[Capital One Arena|Verizon Center]], Washington, D.C.
}}
|}
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1976
| team1 = '''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Washington Bullets]] | score2 = 3
| place = [[1976 NBA playoffs|1976 Eastern Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1977
| team1 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] | score1 = 1
| team2 = '''[[Washington Bullets]]''' | score2 = 2
| place = [[1977 NBA playoffs|1977 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
|}
===Western Conference first round===
====(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Sacramento Kings====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=5:30 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Sacramento Kings]] |score1=88
|team2='''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2='''122'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060422/SACSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=24–'''32''' |Q2=15–'''41''' |Q3='''28'''–21 |Q4=21–'''28'''
|points1=[[Mike Bibby]] 17 |points2=[[Tony Parker]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Shareef Abdur-Rahim]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Nazr Mohammed]] 17
|assist1=[[Ron Artest]] 4 |assist2=[[Brent Barry]] 6
|attendance=18,797
|referee=Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen
|series=San Antonio leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 25 |time=10:00 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Sacramento Kings]] |score1=119
|team2='''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2='''128''' |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060425/SACSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''30'''–23 |Q2=26–'''28''' |Q3=26–'''31''' |Q4=27–27 |OT=10–'''19'''
|points1=[[Bonzi Wells]] 28 |points2=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 32
|rebounds1=[[Bonzi Wells]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan]] 13
|assist1=[[Mike Bibby]] 6 |assist2=[[Tony Parker]] 10
|attendance=18,797
|referee=[[Dick Bavetta]], Joe Forte, Bill Kennedy
|series=San Antonio leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 28 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[ARCO Arena]], [[Sacramento, California]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN#ESPN2|ESPN2]]
|team1=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=93
|team2='''[[Sacramento Kings]]''' |score2='''94'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060428/SASSAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–'''22''' |Q2=21–'''25''' |Q3='''23'''–21 |Q4='''29'''–26
|points1=[[Tim Duncan]] 29 |points2=[[Mike Bibby]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Tim Duncan]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Bonzi Wells]] 14
|assist1=[[Tony Parker]] 6 |assist2=[[Mike Bibby]] 8
|attendance=17,317
|referee=Sean Corbin, [[Ken Mauer]], [[Bennett Salvatore]]
|series=San Antonio leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 30 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[ARCO Arena]], [[Sacramento, California]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=84
|team2='''[[Sacramento Kings]]''' |score2='''102'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060430/SASSAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=24–'''26''' |Q2=19–'''28''' |Q3=21–21 |Q4=20–'''27'''
|points1=[[Tony Parker]] 22 |points2=[[Bonzi Wells]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Tim Duncan]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Bonzi Wells]] 17
|assist1=[[Bruce Bowen]] 3 |assist2=[[Mike Bibby]] 7
|attendance=17,317
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA TV]]
|team1=[[Sacramento Kings]] |score1=98
|team2='''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2='''109'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060502/SACSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=19–'''21''' |Q2='''27'''–22 |Q3=22–'''37''' |Q4='''30'''–29
|points1=[[Bonzi Wells]] 38 |points2=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 27
|rebounds1=[[Bonzi Wells]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan|Duncan]], [[Manu Ginóbili|Ginóbili]] 9 each
|assist1=''three players'' 4 each |assist2=[[Tim Duncan]] 5
|attendance=18,797
|referee=James Capers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford
|series=San Antonio leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 5 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[ARCO Arena]], [[Sacramento, California]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=105'''
|team2=[[Sacramento Kings]] |score2=83
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060505/SASSAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''22'''–20 |Q2='''23'''–18 |Q3='''33'''–24 |Q4='''27'''–21
|points1=[[Tony Parker]] 31 |points2=[[Mike Bibby]] 19
|rebounds1=[[Robert Horry]] 7 |rebounds2=[[Bonzi Wells]] 11
|assist1=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 5 |assist2=[[Ron Artest]] 4
|attendance=17,317
|referee=Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer
|series=San Antonio wins series, 4–2
}}
*In Game 2, [[Brent Barry]] hit a wild three-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.
*In Game 3, [[Kevin Martin (basketball, born 1983)|Kevin Martin]] hit the game-winning lay-up at the buzzer.
*Game 6 was the final playoff game played at the [[Arco Arena]].
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 21, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107123222/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251121023 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score1= '''96'''
| team2 = [[Sacramento Kings]] |score2= 93
| place = [[ARCO Arena]], [[Sacramento, California]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = December 17, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107123208/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251217024 Recap]
| team1 = [[Sacramento Kings]] |score1= 89
| team2 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2= '''90'''
| place = [[SBC Center]], [[San Antonio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = April 5, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107123148/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260405024 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Sacramento Kings]]''' |score1= '''97'''
| team2 = [[San Antonio Spurs]] |score2= 87
| place = [[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]]
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Kings and the Spurs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=SAC&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Sacramento Kings versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
====(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=3:00 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1=102
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2='''107'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060423/LALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=29–'''39''' |Q2='''21'''–19 |Q3='''25'''–17 |Q4=27–'''32'''
|points1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 22 |points2=[[Tim Thomas (basketball)|Tim Thomas]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Lamar Odom]] 14 |rebounds2=[[Tim Thomas (basketball)|Tim Thomas]] 15
|assist1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 5 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 10
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Bill Kennedy
|series=Phoenix leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1=99'''
|team2=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=93
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060426/LALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''24'''–22 |Q2='''29'''–16 |Q3=21–'''29''' |Q4=25–'''26'''
|points1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 29 |points2=[[Steve Nash]] 29
|rebounds1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion|Marion]], [[Tim Thomas (basketball)|Thomas]] 9 each
|assist1=[[Kobe Bryant|Bryant]], [[Lamar Odom|Odom]] 5 each |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 9
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 28 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=92
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score2=99'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060428/PHXLAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=27–'''31''' |Q2=17–'''18''' |Q3='''30'''–28 |Q4=18–'''22'''
|points1=[[Shawn Marion]] 20 |points2=[[Smush Parker]] 18
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion|Marion]], [[Steve Nash|Nash]] 7 each |rebounds2=[[Lamar Odom]] 17
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2=[[Kobe Bryant]] 7
|attendance=18,997
|referee=Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner
|series=LA Lakers lead series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 30 |time=3:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=98
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score2=99''' |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060430/PHXLAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''26'''–25 |Q2=15–'''16''' |Q3='''26'''–23 |Q4=23–'''26''' |OT=8–'''9'''
|points1=[[Steve Nash]] 22 |points2=[[Lamar Odom]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Kwame Brown]] 10
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2= [[Kobe Bryant]] 8
|attendance=18,997
|referee=Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
|series=LA Lakers lead series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1=97
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=114'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060502/LALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=25–'''27''' |Q2=22–'''29''' |Q3=21–'''28''' |Q4=29–'''30'''
|points1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 29 |points2=[[Boris Diaw]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Lamar Odom]] 15 |rebounds2=[[Boris Diaw]] 10
|assist1=[[Lamar Odom]] 6 |assist2=[[Boris Diaw]] 9
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Leon Wood
|series=LA Lakers lead series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 4 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=126'''
|team2=[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score2=118 |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060504/PHXLAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=30–'''37''' |Q2='''30'''–20 |Q3=28–28 |Q4=17–'''20''' |OT='''21'''–13
|points1=[[Steve Nash]] 32 |points2=[[Kobe Bryant]] 50
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Lamar Odom]] 11
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 13 |assist2=[[Lamar Odom]] 9
|attendance=18,997
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford
|series=Series tied, 3–3
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 6 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1=90
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=121'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060506/LALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=15–'''32''' |Q2='''30'''–28 |Q3=20–'''30''' |Q4=25–'''31'''
|points1=[[Kobe Bryant]] 24 |points2=[[Leandro Barbosa]] 26
|rebounds1=[[Sasha Vujačić]] 6 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 10
|assist1=[[Smush Parker]] 4 |assist2=[[Boris Diaw|Diaw]], [[Steve Nash|Nash]] 9 each
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Mike Callahan, Joe Forte, Steve Javie
|series=Phoenix wins series, 4–3
}}
*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 (basketball)|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Phoenix Clinches Series Over Lakers|url=http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/series_phxlal.html|publisher=NBA|access-date=2016-02-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724154728/http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/series_phxlal.html|archive-date=2008-07-24|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*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.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 3, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105322/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251103013 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score1= '''122'''
| team2 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score2= 112
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 20, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105332/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260120021 Recap]
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1= 93
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2= '''106'''
| place = [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = April 7, 2006
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124060829/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260407021 Recap]
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] |score1= 96
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2= '''107'''
| place = [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 16, 2006
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124091322/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260416013 Recap]
| team1 = [[Phoenix Suns]] |score1= 89
| team2 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' |score2= '''109'''
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
|}
This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning seven of the first nine meetings.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Los Angeles leads 7–2 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1970
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 3
| place = [[1970 NBA playoffs|1970 Western Division semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1980
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 1
| place = [[1980 NBA playoffs|1980 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1982
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1982 NBA playoffs|1982 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1984
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 2
| place = [[1984 NBA playoffs|1984 Western Conference finals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1985
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 3
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1985 NBA playoffs|1985 Western Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1989
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[1989 NBA playoffs|1989 Western Conference finals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1990
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] | score1 = 1
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' | score2 = 4
| place = [[1990 NBA playoffs|1990 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 1993
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers]] | score1 = 2
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' | score2 = 3
| place = [[1993 NBA playoffs|1993 Western Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2000
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Lakers]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] | score2 = 1
| place = [[2000 NBA playoffs|2000 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
|}
====(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Denver Nuggets]] |score1=87
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=89'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060422/DENLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=26–'''31''' |Q2=19–'''23''' |Q3=21–'''22''' |Q4='''21'''–13
|points1=[[Carmelo Anthony|Anthony]], [[Andre Miller|Miller]] 25 each |points2=[[Elton Brand]] 21
|rebounds1=[[Marcus Camby]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Chris Kaman]] 13
|assist1=[[Andre Miller]] 6 |assist2=[[Sam Cassell]] 7
|attendance=19,162
|referee=Ron Garretson, Rodney Mott, Greg Willard
|series=LA Clippers lead series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 24 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Denver Nuggets]] |score1=87
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=98'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060424/DENLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=13–'''32''' |Q2=21–'''24''' |Q3='''25'''–19 |Q4='''28'''–23
|points1=[[Carmelo Anthony|Anthony]], [[Marcus Camby|Camby]] 16 each |points2=[[Cuttino Mobley]] 21
|rebounds1=[[Marcus Camby]] 14 |rebounds2=[[Elton Brand]] 11
|assist1=[[Andre Miller]] 6 |assist2=[[Sam Cassell]] 11
|attendance=18,794
|referee=Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
|series=LA Clippers lead series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Pepsi Center]], [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=87
|team2='''[[Denver Nuggets]] |score2=94'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060427/LACDEN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=13–'''24''' |Q2='''29'''–21 |Q3='''28'''–25 |Q4=17–'''24'''
|points1=[[Corey Maggette]] 23 |points2=[[Carmelo Anthony]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Elton Brand|Brand]], [[Shaun Livingston|Livingston]] 8 each |rebounds2=[[Marcus Camby]] 14
|assist1=[[Elton Brand|Brand]], [[Shaun Livingston|Livingston]] 4 each |assist2=[[Andre Miller]] 7
|attendance=19,099
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Leon Wood
|series=LA Clippers lead series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 29 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Pepsi Center]], [[Denver]], [[Colorado]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=100'''
|team2=[[Denver Nuggets]] |score2=86
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060429/LACDEN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''24'''–21 |Q2='''32'''–24 |Q3='''22'''–19 |Q4=22–22
|points1=[[Corey Maggette]] 19 |points2=[[Carmelo Anthony]] 17
|rebounds1=[[Elton Brand]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Carmelo Anthony]] 11
|assist1=[[Shaun Livingston]] 6 |assist2=[[Andre Miller]] 9
|attendance=19,099
|referee=Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jess Kersey
|series=LA Clippers lead series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 1 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Denver Nuggets]] |score1=83
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=101'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060501/DENLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''23'''–21 |Q2=17–'''25''' |Q3=17–'''25''' |Q4=26–'''30'''
|points1=[[Carmelo Anthony]] 23 |points2=[[Corey Maggette|Maggette]], [[Cuttino Mobley|Mobley]] 23 each
|rebounds1=[[Marcus Camby]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Elton Brand]] 13
|assist1=[[Andre Miller]] 8 |assist2=[[Shaun Livingston]] 14
|attendance=18,648
|referee=Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Bill Spooner
|series=LA Clippers win series, 4–1
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 25, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107180404/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251125007 Recap]
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1= 95
| team2 = '''[[Denver Nuggets]]''' |score2= '''105'''
| place = [[Pepsi Center]], [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 27, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107180446/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260127007 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]''' |score1= '''105'''
| team2 = [[Denver Nuggets]] |score2= 87
| place = [[Pepsi Center]], [[Denver]], [[Colorado]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = January 28, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107180417/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260128012 Recap]
| team1 = [[Denver Nuggets]] |score1= 79
| team2 = '''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]''' |score2= '''112'''
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 4, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107180419/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260404012 Recap]
| team1 = [[Denver Nuggets]] |score1= 109
| team2 = '''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]''' |score2= '''111'''
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the Clippers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=LAC&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Clippers (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref> 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====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score1=93
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=103'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060423/MEMDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=22–'''28''' |Q2=29–'''32''' |Q3='''27'''–23 |Q4=15–'''20'''
|points1=[[Pau Gasol]] 24 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Jake Tsakalidis]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Erick Dampier]] 12
|assist1=[[Pau Gasol|Gasol]], [[Bobby Jackson (basketball)|Jackson]] 4 each |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 4
|attendance=20,340
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Joe Forte
|series=Dallas leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score1=79
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=94'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060426/MEMDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=31–'''32''' |Q2=12–'''24''' |Q3=13–'''20''' |Q4='''23'''–18
|points1=[[Pau Gasol]] 16 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Pau Gasol]] 7 |rebounds2=''three players'' 6 each
|assist1=[[Pau Gasol]] 5 |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 9
|attendance=20,612
|referee=James Capers, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
|series=Dallas leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 29 |time=5:30 pm |place=[[FedExForum]], [[Memphis, Tennessee]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=94'''
|team2=[[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score2=89 |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060429/DALMEM/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''23''' |Q2=21–'''23''' |Q3='''22'''–15 |Q4='''16'''–15 |OT='''18'''–13
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 36 |points2=[[Chucky Atkins]] 20
|rebounds1=''three players'' 9 each |rebounds2=[[Lorenzen Wright]] 10
|assist1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 5 |assist2=[[Eddie Jones (basketball)|Eddie Jones]] 5
|attendance=17,871
|referee=Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford
|series=Dallas leads series, 3–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 1 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[FedExForum]], [[Memphis, Tennessee]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=102'''
|team2=[[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score2=76
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060501/DALMEM/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''26'''–23 |Q2='''22'''–16 |Q3='''31'''–22 |Q4='''23'''–15
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 27 |points2=[[Pau Gasol]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Josh Howard]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Shane Battier]] 7
|assist1=[[Jerry Stackhouse|Stackhouse]], [[Jason Terry|Terry]] 5 each |assist2=[[Chucky Atkins]] 4
|attendance=15,104
|referee=Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, David Jones
|series=Dallas wins series, 4–0
}}
*In Game 3, [[Dirk Nowitzki]] hit the game-tying 3 with 15.7 seconds left to force OT.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Dallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 26, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107141436/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251126006 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Memphis Grizzlies]]''' |score1= '''112'''
| team2 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2= 92
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = December 9, 2005
| report = [https://archive.today/20130124202256/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251209029 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score1= '''90'''
| team2 = [[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score2= 83
| place = [[FedExForum]], [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 1, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107141430/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260201029 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score1= '''81'''
| team2 = [[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score2= 80
| place = [[FedExForum]], [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 23, 2006
| report = [http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=2602230063 Recap]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
| team1 = [[Memphis Grizzlies]] |score1= 87
| team2 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score2= '''97'''
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Grizzlies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=MEM&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Memphis Grizzlies (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
==Conference semifinals==
===Eastern Conference semifinals===
====(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 7 |time=3:30 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=86
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2='''113'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060507/CLEDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=16–'''26''' |Q2=32–'''43''' |Q3=15–'''25''' |Q4='''23'''–19
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 22 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Anderson Varejão]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 11
|assist1=[[LeBron James|James]], [[Ronald Murray|Murray]] 4 each |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 10
|attendance=22,076
|referee=James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner
|series=Detroit leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 9 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=91
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2='''97'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060509/CLEDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=16–'''23''' |Q2=20–'''29''' |Q3=24–'''26''' |Q4='''31'''–19
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 30 |points2=[[Rasheed Wallace]] 29
|rebounds1=[[LeBron James]] 14 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 15
|assist1=[[LeBron James]] 7 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 7
|attendance=22,076
|referee= Dick Bavetta, Derrick Stafford, Jess Kersey
|series=Detroit leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 13 |time=5:00 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=77
|team2='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=86'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060513/DETCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''18''' |Q2='''25'''–18 |Q3=14–'''17''' |Q4=21–'''33'''
|points1=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 22 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 21
|rebounds1=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 13 |rebounds2=[[LeBron James]] 10
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups|Billups]], [[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Hamilton]] 5 each |assist2=[[LeBron James]] 10
|attendance=20,562
|referee=Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington
|series=Detroit leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 15 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=72
|team2='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=74'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060515/DETCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''19'''–16 |Q2=19–'''20''' |Q3='''21'''–17 |Q4=13–'''21'''
|points1=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 30 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 10 |rebounds2=[[LeBron James]] 8
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 7 |assist2=[[LeBron James]] 9
|attendance=20,562
|referee=Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 17 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=86'''
|team2=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score2=84
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060517/CLEDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–20 |Q2='''30'''–25 |Q3=18–'''21''' |Q4=18–18
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 32 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 21
|rebounds1=[[Donyell Marshall]] 13 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 13
|assist1=[[Eric Snow]] 7 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 5
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
|series=Cleveland leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 19 |time=7:00 pm |place=[[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=84'''
|team2=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2=82
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060519/DETCLE/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''20'''–19 |Q2=18–18 |Q3='''25'''–24 |Q4=21–21
|points1=[[Rasheed Wallace]] 24 |points2=[[LeBron James]] 32
|rebounds1=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 10 |rebounds2=[[LeBron James]] 11
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups|Billups]], [[Rasheed Wallace|Wallace]] 4 each |assist2=[[Eric Snow]] 7
|attendance=20,562
|referee=Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
|series=Series tied, 3–3
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 21 |time=3:30 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1=61
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]] |score2=79'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060521/CLEDET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=15–'''21''' |Q2='''23'''–19 |Q3=10–'''18''' |Q4=13–'''21'''
|points1=[[LeBron James]] 27 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 20
|rebounds1=[[LeBron James]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 9
|assist1=[[Larry Hughes]] 5 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups|Billups]], [[Tayshaun Prince|Prince]] 3 each
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
|series=Detroit wins series, 4–3
}}
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 NFL Championship Game|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 (basketball)|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.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = December 31, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150005/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251231005 Recap]
| team1 = [[Detroit Pistons]] |score1= 84
| team2 = '''[[Cleveland Cavaliers]]''' |score2= '''97'''
| place = [[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 26, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150009/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260226008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1= 78
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''90'''
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 27, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107150112/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260227005 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score1= '''84'''
| team2 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score2= 72
| place = [[Quicken Loans Arena]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 12, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107145942/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260412008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] |score1= 73
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''96'''
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Pistons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
====(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New Jersey Nets====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 8 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=100'''
|team2=[[Miami Heat]] |score2=88|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060508/NJNMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''38'''–21 |Q2='''26'''–25 |Q3='''20'''–18 |Q4=16–'''24'''
|points1=[[Vince Carter]] 27 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 25
|rebounds1=[[Jason Kidd]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 10
|assist1=[[Jason Kidd]] 7 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade|Wade]], [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Williams]] 3 each
|attendance=20,208
|referee=Sean Corbin, [[Ken Mauer]], [[Bennett Salvatore]]
|series=New Jersey leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 10 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=89
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]] |score2=111'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060510/NJNMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=19–'''41''' |Q2='''21'''–19 |Q3='''27'''–24 |Q4=22–'''27'''
|points1=[[Vince Carter]] 22 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Nenad Krstić]] 7 |rebounds2=[[Udonis Haslem]] 10
|assist1=[[Jason Kidd]] 6 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 6
|attendance=20,227
|referee=Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 12 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Miami Heat]] |score1=103'''
|team2=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score2=92
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060512/MIANJN/recap.htm Recap]
|Q1=27–27 |Q2='''27'''–22 |Q3=18–'''23''' |Q4='''31'''–20
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 30 |points2=[[Vince Carter]] 43
|rebounds1=[[James Posey]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Jason Collins]] 11
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 10 |assist2=[[Jason Kidd]] 12
|attendance=20,102
|referee=[[Dick Bavetta]], Mike Callahan, Scott Foster
|series=Miami leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 14 |time=3:30 pm |place=[[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1='''[[Miami Heat]] |score1=102'''
|team2=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score2=92
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060514/MIANJN/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''27'''–24 |Q2='''27'''–24 |Q3=22–'''25''' |Q4='''26'''–19
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 31 |points2=[[Vince Carter]] 26
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Nenad Krstić]] 14
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 8 |assist2=[[Jason Kidd]] 12
|attendance=19,474
|referee=Bernie Fryer, Anthony Jordan, Greg Willard, Jess Kersey
|series=Miami leads series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 16 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[New Jersey Nets]] |score1=105
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]] |score2=106'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060516/NJNMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''33'''–24 |Q2=21–'''30''' |Q3=28–'''31''' |Q4='''23'''–21
|points1=[[Vince Carter|Carter]], [[Richard Jefferson|Jefferson]] 33 each |points2=[[Antoine Walker]] 23
|rebounds1=''three players'' 7 each |rebounds2=[[Udonis Haslem]] 10
|assist1=[[Jason Kidd]] 8 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 6
|attendance=20,255
|referee=Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Jack Nies
|series=Miami wins series, 4–1
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!New Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 7, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110513/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251107014 Recap]
| team1 = [[New Jersey Nets]] |score1= 89
| team2 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2= '''90'''
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = December 23, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110437/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251223014 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[New Jersey Nets]]''' |score1= '''95'''
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] |score2= 88
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 4, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110423/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260204017 Recap]
| team1 = [[Miami Heat]] |score1= 92
| team2 = '''[[New Jersey Nets]]''' |score2= '''105'''
| place = [[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 2, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110307/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260402017 Recap]
| team1 = [[Miami Heat]] |score1= 78
| team2 = '''[[New Jersey Nets]]''' |score2= '''90'''
| place = [[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]
}}
|}
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2005
| team1 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[New Jersey Nets]] | score2 = 0
| place = [[2005 NBA playoffs|2005 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
|}
===Western Conference semifinals===
This was the first time both conference semifinals went seven games since [[1994 NBA playoffs|1994]].
====(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 7 |time=1:00 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=85
|team2='''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2='''87'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060507/DALSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''29'''–26 |Q2='''23'''–20 |Q3=20–'''25''' |Q4=13–'''16'''
|points1=[[Jerry Stackhouse]] 24 |points2=[[Tim Duncan]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 14 |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan]] 13
|assist1=[[Marquis Daniels]] 3 |assist2=[[Tim Duncan|Duncan]], [[Tony Parker|Parker]] 4 each
|attendance=18,797
|referee=Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich
|series=San Antonio leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 9 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=113'''
|team2=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score2=91
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060509/DALSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''26'''–22 |Q2='''32'''–16 |Q3=26–'''28''' |Q4='''29'''–25
|points1=[[Josh Howard]] 27 |points2=[[Tim Duncan]] 28
|rebounds1=[[Josh Howard|Howard]], [[Dirk Nowitzki|Nowitzki]] 9 each |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan]] 9
|assist1=''three players'' 3 each |assist2=[[Tim Duncan]] 3
|attendance=18,797
|referee=Steve Javie, David Jones, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 13 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=103
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=104'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060513/SASDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=18–'''27''' |Q2='''30'''–26 |Q3='''21'''–20 |Q4='''34'''–31
|points1=[[Tim Duncan]] 35 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 27
|rebounds1=[[Tim Duncan]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 15
|assist1=[[Tony Parker]] 4 |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 4
|attendance=20,865
|referee=Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bill Spooner
|series=Dallas leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 15 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=118
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=123''' |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060515/SASDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''26'''–19 |Q2=27–'''34''' |Q3=27–'''31''' |Q4='''31'''–27 |OT=7–'''12'''
|points1=[[Tony Parker]] 33 |points2=[[Jason Terry]] 32
|rebounds1=[[Tim Duncan]] 13 |rebounds2=[[Erick Dampier|Dampier]], [[Dirk Nowitzki|Nowitzki]] 9 each
|assist1=[[Tim Duncan]] 6 |assist2=[[Devin Harris]] 6
|attendance=20,969
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Derrick Stafford
|series=Dallas leads series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 17 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=97
|team2='''[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score2=98'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060517/DALSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=24–'''29''' |Q2='''33'''–28 |Q3=21–'''24''' |Q4='''19'''–17
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 31 |points2=[[Tim Duncan]] 36
|rebounds1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan]] 10
|assist1=[[Jason Terry]] 5 |assist2=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 5
|attendance=18,797
|referee=Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson
|series=Dallas leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 19 |time=9:30 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=''' [[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1=91'''
|team2=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=86
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060519/SASDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–'''25''' |Q2=21–'''22''' |Q3='''26'''–20 |Q4='''24'''–19
|points1=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 30 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 26
|rebounds1=[[Manu Ginóbili]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 21
|assist1=[[Tony Parker]] 3 |assist2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 5
|attendance=20,986
|referee=Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Series tied, 3–3
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 22 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=119'''
|team2=[[San Antonio Spurs]] |score2=111 |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060522/DALSAS/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''37'''–27 |Q2='''27'''–23 |Q3=20–'''28''' |Q4=20–'''26''' |OT='''15'''–7
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 37 |points2=[[Tim Duncan]] 41
|rebounds1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 15 |rebounds2=[[Tim Duncan]] 15
|assist1=[[Jerry Stackhouse]] 6 |assist2=[[Tim Duncan]] 6
|attendance=
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Steve Javie
|series=Dallas wins series, 4–3
}}
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 [[NBA Conference finals|Conference finals]]. This was the most recent [[Game seven|Game 7]] to go into [[Overtime (sports)|Overtime]] until the [[2021 NBA playoffs|2021]] [[2020–21 Milwaukee Bucks season|Bucks]] vs. [[2020–21 Brooklyn Nets season|Nets]] series.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 5, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107142154/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251105006 Recap]
| team1 = [[San Antonio Spurs]] |score1= 84
| team2 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score2= '''103'''
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = December 1, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107142227/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251201006 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score1= '''92'''
| team2 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2= 90
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = March 2, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107123148/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260405024 Recap]
| team1 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1= 89
| team2 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' |score2= '''98'''
| place = [[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 7, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107142207/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260407024 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score1= '''92'''
| team2 = [[San Antonio Spurs]] |score2= 86
| place = [[AT&T Center]], [[San Antonio]]
}}
|}
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first two meetings.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!San Antonio leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2001
| team1 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] | score1 = 1
| team2 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' | score2 = 4
| place = [[2001 NBA playoffs|2001 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2003
| team1 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] | score1 = 2
| team2 = '''[[San Antonio Spurs]]''' | score2 = 4
| place = [[2003 NBA playoffs|2003 Western Conference finals]]|
}}
|}
====(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 8 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=123
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2='''130'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060508/LACPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=25–'''29''' |Q2='''36'''–27 |Q3=30–'''37''' |Q4=32–'''37'''
|points1=[[Elton Brand]] 40 |points2=[[Steve Nash]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Elton Brand]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 15
|assist1=[[Shaun Livingston]] 9 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 12
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Monty McCutchen
|series=Phoenix leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 10 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=122'''
|team2=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=97
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060510/LACPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''38'''–22 |Q2=27–'''29''' |Q3='''33'''–28 |Q4='''24'''–18
|points1=[[Elton Brand]] 27 |points2=[[Raja Bell]] 20
|rebounds1=[[Chris Kaman]] 16 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 6
|assist1=[[Sam Cassell]] 6 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 8
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 12 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=94'''
|team2=[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=91
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060512/PHXLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=26–'''28''' |Q2='''22'''–20 |Q3='''24'''–15 |Q4=22–'''28'''
|points1=[[Shawn Marion]] 32 |points2=[[Elton Brand]] 20
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 19 |rebounds2=[[Corey Maggette]] 14
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 10 |assist2=[[Elton Brand]] 8
|attendance=19,877
|referee=Tony Brothers, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Phoenix leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 14 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=107
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=114'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060514/PHXLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=28–'''33''' |Q2=23–'''28''' |Q3='''31'''–29 |Q4='''25'''–24
|points1=[[Raja Bell]] 33 |points2=[[Elton Brand]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Corey Maggette]] 15
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2=[[Sam Cassell]] 9
|attendance=19,897
|referee=Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 16 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=118
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=125''' |overtime=2OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060516/LACPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''31'''–26 |Q2=21–'''32''' |Q3=26–26 |Q4='''23'''–17 |OT=10–10, 7–'''14'''
|points1=[[Elton Brand]] 33 |points2=[[Shawn Marion]] 36
|rebounds1=[[Elton Brand]] 15 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 20
|assist1=[[Elton Brand|Brand]], [[Sam Cassell|Cassell]] 5 each |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 13
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Mike Callahan, Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie
|series=Phoenix leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 18 |time=10:00 pm |place=[[Staples Center]], Los Angeles |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=106
|team2='''[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2=118'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060518/PHXLAC/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''32'''–31 |Q2=18–'''31''' |Q3='''31'''–26 |Q4=25–'''30'''
|points1=[[Shawn Marion]] 34 |points2=[[Elton Brand]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Boris Diaw|Diaw]], [[Shawn Marion|Marion]] 9 each |rebounds2=[[Elton Brand]] 13
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2=[[Sam Cassell]] 8
|attendance=19,985
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Tom Washington, Greg Willard
|series=Series tied, 3–3
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 22 |time=10:30 pm |place=[[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1=107
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=127'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060522/LACPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=28–'''32''' |Q2=29–'''33''' |Q3=22–'''29''' |Q4=28–'''33'''
|points1=[[Elton Brand]] 36 |points2=[[Shawn Marion]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Elton Brand|Brand]], [[Corey Maggette|Maggette]] 9 each |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 9
|assist1=[[Sam Cassell]] 6 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 11
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Phoenix wins series, 4–3
}}
*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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marion leads Suns past Clips in 2 OTs; L.A. on brink|url=http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=260516021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315211159/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=260516021|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 15, 2011|publisher=ESPN|date=May 18, 2006}}</ref> The Suns, who blew a 19-point third quarter lead, never trailed in the second extra session.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = December 10, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105359/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251210012 Recap]
| team1 = [[Phoenix Suns]] |score1= 91
| team2 = '''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]''' |score2= '''101'''
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 18, 2006
| report = [https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=260118012 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score1= '''112'''
| team2 = [[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score2= 102
| place = [[Staples Center]], Los Angeles
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = March 15, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105247/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260315021 Recap]
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Clippers]] |score1= 95
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2= '''126'''
| place = [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 5, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105328/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260405021 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]''' |score1= '''119'''
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] |score2= 105
| place = [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Suns.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAC&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
==Conference finals==
===Eastern Conference finals===
====(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Miami Heat====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 23 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1='''[[Miami Heat]] |score1=91'''
|team2=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score2=86
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060523/MIADET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''33'''–25 |Q2=15–'''19''' |Q3='''18'''–17 |Q4=25–25
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 25 |points2=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 22
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 14
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 5 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 7
|attendance=22,076
|referee=[[Ken Mauer]], [[Bennett Salvatore]], Bill Spooner
|series=Miami leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 25 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=88
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]] |score2=92'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060525/MIADET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=12–'''25''' |Q2='''25'''–23 |Q3=19–'''22''' |Q4='''32'''–22
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 32 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 12
|assist1=[[Gary Payton|Payton]], [[Dwyane Wade|Wade]] 5 each |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 8
|attendance=22,076
|referee=[[Dick Bavetta]], Ron Garretson, Jack Nies
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 27 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=83
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''98'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060527/DETMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=24–'''26''' |Q2=14–'''23''' |Q3=24–'''25''' |Q4=21–'''24'''
|points1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 31 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 35
|rebounds1=[[Rasheed Wallace]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 12
|assist1=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 4 |assist2=[[Antoine Walker]] 4
|attendance=20,245
|referee=Dan Crawford, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich
|series=Miami leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 29 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=78
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''89'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060529/DETMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''23''' |Q2=21–21 |Q3='''22'''–18 |Q4=18–'''27'''
|points1=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 15 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 31
|rebounds1=[[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] 11 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 9
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 7 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 5
|attendance=20,248
|referee=Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard
|series=Miami leads series, 3–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 31 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=78
|team2='''[[Detroit Pistons]] |score2=91'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060531/MIADET/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–'''25''' |Q2='''23'''–22 |Q3=22–'''26''' |Q4=13–'''18'''
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 23 |points2=[[Tayshaun Prince]] 29
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 10
|assist1=[[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Jason Williams]] 6 |assist2=[[Chauncey Billups]] 10
|attendance=22,076
|referee=Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte
|series=Miami leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=June 2 |time=8:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ESPN|ESPN]]
|team1=[[Detroit Pistons]] |score1=78
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2='''95'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060602/DETMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=20–'''25''' |Q2=16–'''22''' |Q3=17–'''25''' |Q4='''25'''–23
|points1=[[Richard Hamilton (basketball)|Richard Hamilton]] 33 |points2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 28
|rebounds1=[[Rasheed Wallace]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 16
|assist1=[[Chauncey Billups]] 8 |assist2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 10
|attendance=20,258
|referee=Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Miami wins series, 4–2
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = December 29, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110456/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251229008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Miami Heat]] |score1= 101
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''106'''
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 12, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110326/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260212014 Recap]
| team1 = [[Detroit Pistons]] |score1= 98
| team2 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' |score2= '''100'''
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = March 22, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110155/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260322008 Recap]
| team1 = [[Miami Heat]] |score1= 73
| team2 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score2= '''82'''
| place = [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]], [[Auburn Hills, Michigan]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 6, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110525/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260406014 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' |score1= '''95'''
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] |score2= 82
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
|}
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2000
| team1 = [[Detroit Pistons]] | score1 = 0
| team2 = '''[[Miami Heat]]''' | score2 = 3
| place = [[2000 NBA playoffs|2000 Eastern Conference First Round]]|
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2005
| team1 = '''[[Detroit Pistons]]''' | score1 = 4
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] | score2 = 3
| place = [[2005 NBA playoffs|2005 Eastern Conference finals]]|
}}
|}
===Western Conference finals===
====(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks====
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 24 |time=8:30 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=121'''
|team2=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=118
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060524/PHXDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''35'''–29 |Q2=27–'''29''' |Q3='''29'''–27 |Q4=30–'''33'''
|points1=[[Boris Diaw]] 34 |points2=[[Devin Harris]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 13 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 19
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 16 |assist2=[[Jason Terry|Terry]], [[Jerry Stackhouse|Stackhouse]] 3 each
|attendance=20,789
|referee=Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard
|series=Phoenix leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 26 |time=8:30 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=98
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=105'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060526/PHXDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''22''' |Q2='''35'''–25 |Q3=25–'''28''' |Q4=21–'''30'''
|points1=[[Boris Diaw]] 25 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 19 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 14
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 6
|attendance=20,934
|referee=Jimmy Clark, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa
|series=Series tied, 1–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 28 |time=8:30 pm |place= [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=95'''
|team2=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=88
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060528/DALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=22–'''25''' |Q2=25–'''27''' |Q3='''25'''–16 |Q4='''23'''–20
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 28 |points2=[[Steve Nash]] 21
|rebounds1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 17 |rebounds2=[[Shawn Marion]] 18
|assist1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 5 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 7
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Dallas leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=May 30 |time=8:30 pm |place= [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=86
|team2='''[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=106'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060530/DALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=28–28 |Q2=18–'''23''' |Q3=21–'''28''' |Q4=19–'''27'''
|points1=[[Josh Howard]] 16 |points2=[[Leandro Barbosa]] 24
|rebounds1=[[Josh Howard]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Boris Diaw]] 9
|assist1=[[Devin Harris]] 5 |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 7
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 1 |time=8:30 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score1=101
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=117'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060601/PHXDAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=23–'''36''' |Q2='''32'''–22 |Q3='''26'''–24 |Q4=20–'''35'''
|points1=[[Tim Thomas (basketball)|Tim Thomas]] 26 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 50
|rebounds1=[[Shawn Marion]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 12
|assist1=[[Steve Nash]] 11 |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 9
|attendance=20,977
|referee=Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies
|series=Dallas leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=June 3 |time=8:30 pm |place= [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]] |TV=[[NBA on TNT|TNT]]
|team1='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=102'''
|team2=[[Phoenix Suns]] |score2=93
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060603/DALPHX/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=14–'''29''' |Q2='''25'''–22 |Q3='''23'''–15 |Q4='''40'''–27
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 24 |points2=[[Boris Diaw]] 30
|rebounds1=[[Josh Howard]] 15 |rebounds2=[[Boris Diaw|Diaw]], [[Shawn Marion|Marion]] 11 each
|assist1=[[Dirk Nowitzki|Nowitzki]], [[Jason Terry|Terry]] 3 each |assist2=[[Steve Nash]] 9
|attendance=18,422
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer
|series=Dallas wins series, 4–2
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 1, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105306/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251101021 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score1= '''111'''
| team2 = [[Phoenix Suns]] |score2= 108 |overtime=2OT
| place = [[America West Arena]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = December 14, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105401/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251214006 Recap]
| team1 = [[Phoenix Suns]] |score1= 96
| team2 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score2= '''102'''
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = March 5, 2006
| report = [https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=260305006 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score1= '''115'''
| team2 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2= 107
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = April 13, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105357/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260413021 Recap]
| team1 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1= 104
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' |score2= '''117'''
| place = [[US Airways Center]], [[Phoenix, Arizona]]
}}
|}
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Previous playoff series<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
|-
!Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = 2005
| team1 = [[Dallas Mavericks]] | score1 = 2
| team2 = '''[[Phoenix Suns]]''' | score2 = 4
| place = [[2005 NBA playoffs|2005 Western Conference semifinals]]|
}}
|}
==NBA Finals: (W4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (E2) Miami Heat==
:''All times are in [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Daylight Time]] ([[UTC−4]])''
{{main|2006 NBA Finals}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 8 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=80
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=90'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060608/MIADAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1='''31'''–23 |Q2=13–'''23''' |Q3=24–24 |Q4=12–'''20'''
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 28 |points2=[[Jason Terry]] 32
|rebounds1=[[Udonis Haslem]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Josh Howard]] 12
|assist1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 6 |assist2=''three players'' 4 each
|attendance=20,475
|referee=Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Dallas leads series, 1–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=June 11 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Miami Heat]] |score1=85
|team2='''[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=99'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060611/MIADAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=17–'''18''' |Q2=17–'''32''' |Q3=24–'''32''' |Q4='''27'''–17
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 23 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 26
|rebounds1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 8 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 16
|assist1=[[Gary Payton|Payton]], [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Williams]] 4 each |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 9
|attendance=20,459
|referee=Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Dallas leads series, 2–0
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 13 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=96
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]] |score2=98'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060613/DALMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=21–'''29''' |Q2=22–'''23''' |Q3='''34'''–16 |Q4=19–'''30'''
|points1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 30 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 42
|rebounds1=[[Erick Dampier]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 13
|assist1=[[Jason Terry]] 5 |assist2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 5
|attendance=20,145
|referee=Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies
|series=Dallas leads series, 2–1
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=June 15 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=74
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]] |score2=98'''
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060615/DALMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=25–'''30''' |Q2=19–'''24''' |Q3=23–'''24''' |Q4=7–'''20'''
|points1=[[Jason Terry]] 17 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 36
|rebounds1=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 9 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 13
|assist1=[[Jerry Stackhouse]] 4 |assist2=[[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Jason Williams]] 6
|attendance=20,145
|referee=Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer
|series=Series tied, 2–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 18 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score1=100
|team2='''[[Miami Heat]] |score2=101''' |overtime=OT
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060618/DALMIA/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=21–'''24''' |Q2='''30'''–19 |Q3=20–'''27''' |Q4=22–'''23''' |OT=7–'''8'''
|points1=[[Jason Terry]] 35 |points2=[[Dwyane Wade]] 43
|rebounds1=[[Josh Howard]] 10 |rebounds2=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 12
|assist1=[[Marquis Daniels]] 4|assist2=[[Dwyane Wade|Wade]], [[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Williams]] 4 each
|attendance=20,145
|referee=Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore
|series=Miami leads series, 3–2
}}
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=June 20 |time=9:00 pm |place=[[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]] |TV=[[NBA on ABC|ABC]]
|team1='''[[Miami Heat]] |score1=95'''
|team2=[[Dallas Mavericks]] |score2=92
|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20060620/MIADAL/recap.html Recap]
|Q1=23–'''30''' |Q2='''26'''–18 |Q3='''22'''–20 |Q4=24–24
|points1=[[Dwyane Wade]] 36 |points2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 29
|rebounds1=[[Shaquille O'Neal]] 12 |rebounds2=[[Dirk Nowitzki]] 15
|assist1=[[Jason Williams (basketball, born 1975)|Jason Williams]] 7 |assist2=[[Jason Terry]] 5
|attendance=20,522
|referee=Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush
|series=Miami wins series, 4–2
}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+Regular-season series
|-
!Dallas won 2–0 in the regular-season series
|-
|
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = November 25, 2005
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110446/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=251125014 Recap]
| team1 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score1= '''103'''
| team2 = [[Miami Heat]] |score2= 90
| place = [[American Airlines Arena]], [[Miami]]
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 9, 2006
| report = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090107110426/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260209006 Recap]
| team1 = [[Miami Heat]] |score1= 76
| team2 = '''[[Dallas Mavericks]]''' |score2= '''112'''
| place = [[American Airlines Center]], [[Dallas]]
}}
|}
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Heat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DAL&opp_id=MIA&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Dallas Mavericks versus Miami Heat (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 17, 2016}}</ref>
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 (1963–73)|Baltimore Bullets]].
==Statistic leaders==
{|class=wikitable style="text-align:left;"
|-
!rowspan=2|Category !!colspan=3|High !!colspan=4|Average
|-
!Player !! Team !! Total !! Player !! Team !! Avg. !! Games played
|-
| [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| [[Dirk Nowitzki]]<br />[[Kobe Bryant]] || [[Dallas Mavericks]]<br />[[Los Angeles Lakers]] || 50
| [[Gilbert Arenas]] || [[Washington Wizards]] || 34.0 || 6
|-
| [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| [[Dirk Nowitzki]] || [[Dallas Mavericks]] || 21
| [[Bonzi Wells]] || [[Sacramento Kings]] || 12.0 || 6
|-
| [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| [[Steve Nash]] || [[Phoenix Suns]] || 16
| [[Steve Nash]] || [[Phoenix Suns]] || 10.2 || 20
|-
| [[Steal (basketball)|Steals]]
| [[Shawn Marion]]<br>[[Vince Carter]] || [[Phoenix Suns]]<br>[[New Jersey Nets]] || 6
| [[Larry Hughes]] || [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] || 2.2 || 9
|-
| [[Block (basketball)|Blocks]]
| [[James Jones (basketball, born 1980)|James Jones]]<br>[[Zydrunas Ilgauskas]]<br>[[Tim Duncan]] || [[Phoenix Suns]]<br>[[Cleveland Cavaliers]]<br>[[San Antonio Spurs]] || 6
| [[Marcus Camby]] || [[Denver Nuggets]] || 2.8 || 5
|}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100819112619/http://www.nba.com/playoffs2006/ Official website of the 2006 NBA Playoffs]
* [https://www.espn.com/nba/index ESPN's NBA page]
{{NBAPlayoffs}}
{{2005–06 NBA season by team}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:2006 Nba Playoffs}}
[[Category:NBA playoffs]]
[[Category:2005–06 NBA season|Playoffs]]
[[fi:NBA-kausi 2005–2006#Pudotuspelit]]
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