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1993 NBA playoffs

The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992–93 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. This was the Suns' second Western Conference title; they made their first NBA Finals appearance since 1976, losing to the Boston Celtics. John Paxson made the series-clinching three-point shot in Game Six of the NBA Finals, securing the Bulls' first of two three-peats during the decade. However, Michael Jordan would retire following the season due to the death of his father.

This edition of the playoffs featured the third of four straight seasons the Bulls and the Knicks faced off. This time the tables were turned as the Bulls had the lower seed in the playoffs as the previous two seasons had Chicago as the higher seed. The Knicks were seeded 8th in 1991 and 4th in 1992. But the result was about the same as the Bulls outlasted the Knicks 4 games to 2 in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks–Pacers rivalry started in their first-round encounter, which New York won, 3–1. But it wasn't until the next two meetings (1994 and 1995) that the rivalry became even more intense, particularly due to Reggie Miller's heroics in the Garden that made him a household name and Indiana legitimate contenders in the East.

The Charlotte Hornets made their playoff debut. Their opening-round series versus Boston was also the last time the Celtics made the playoffs with Kevin McHale, who retired after the series, and Robert Parish, who left as a free agent. Game 1 of the series was the final game of Reggie Lewis' career, as he collapsed during the first quarter and did not play for the rest of the series; he died in July of a heart attack.

This was the first edition of the playoffs since 1983 to not feature the Detroit Pistons, who previously made nine straight appearances from 1984 to 1992.

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals saw the Suns attempt sixty-four free throws while connecting on fifty-seven of them, both NBA postseason records.

Bracket

First round

Eastern Conference first round

(1) New York Knicks vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Knicks.

(2) Chicago Bulls vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks

  • Michael Jordan hits the half-court shot at the buzzer to end the first half.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning both meetings.

(3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first meeting.

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Charlotte Hornets

  • Celtics forward Reggie Lewis' final NBA game, he collapses on the court and did not play for the rest of the series; he dies 3 months later from a heart defect.
  • Xavier McDaniel hits the game-tying jumper with 25.8 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT; Kevin McHale hits the game-tying jumper with 6 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Hornets.

Western Conference first round

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Los Angeles Lakers

  • Dan Majerle hits the game-tying shot with 13.6 seconds left to force OT; After losing the first two games of the series, at the post game press conference Suns head coach Paul Westphal said that they would go to LA and win the next two games and then come back to Phoenix and win game 5, "and everyone will say what a great series it was."

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first seven meetings.

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (7) Los Angeles Clippers

This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Clippers.

(3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Utah Jazz

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first meeting.

(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

  • Sean Elliott hits the game-tying lay-up with 1:27 left to force OT.

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first meeting.

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) New York Knicks vs. (5) Charlotte Hornets

  • Alonzo Mourning hits the game-tying shot with 30.9 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT, then hits the game-tying free throws with 12 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hornets and the Knicks.

(2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Michael Jordan hits the series-winning shot at the buzzer against Cleveland for the second time in his career.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first three meetings.

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.

(2) Houston Rockets vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

  • This game marked the final time the NBA Playoffs aired exclusively on local TV.
  • Ricky Pierce hits the game-tying shot with 23.9 seconds left to force OT.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first three meetings.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Chicago Bulls

  • Michael Jordan scores 54 points, the most against the Knicks in a playoff game by any player.

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first four meetings.

Western Conference finals

(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series.

NBA Finals: (W1) Phoenix Suns vs. (E2) Chicago Bulls

  • The team with home-court advantage in the NBA Finals loses the first two games at home for the first time ever.
  • This game marks the second time in NBA Finals history that a game goes to triple OT after game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals (in which the Suns lost to the Boston Celtics); Horace Grant hits the game-tying 3-point play with 1:33 left in regulation to force the first OT; Tom Chambers hits the game-tying lay-up with 50.9 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT; Dan Majerle hits the game-tying shot with 3.2 seconds left in the second OT to force the third OT.
  • The last NBA Finals game in Chicago Stadium.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Suns.

Statistical leaders

Notes

  • The league's best team during the regular season, the Phoenix Suns, were on the verge of playoff elimination after losing the first two games at home against the #8 seeded Los Angeles Lakers. However, they recovered to win Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles to tie the series at 2–2. In Game 5, Dan Majerie hit an off-balance mid-range to force overtime. The Suns eventually pulled away to win Game 5, 112–104, at home to avoid becoming the first #1 seed to lose to a #8 seed. This would happen the following postseason, when the #8 Denver Nuggets defeated the #1 Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 (the Nuggets came back from a 2–0 series deficit to pull it off).
  • Both #5 seeds, Charlotte and San Antonio, beat their #4 seeded opponent in the first round.
  • The fifth-year Charlotte Hornets made their playoff debut, and became the first of the 1988/89 expansion teams (Charlotte, Orlando, Minnesota, and Miami) to win a playoff series, beating Boston 3–1.
  • The New York Knicks took a 2–0 series lead over the Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals. However, headlines in New York papers and tabloids angered and energized Bulls superstar Michael Jordan, who torched the Knicks for 54 points in Game 4 after shooting 3–18 in Game 3 to even up the series. This performance surpassed Sam Jones's 51-point game against the 1967 Knicks as the most points ever scored by a player against the Knicks in a playoff game. The Bulls went to Madison Square Garden, won Game 5 97–94, and clinched the series at home in Game 6 with a 96–88 victory.
  • Celtics' star Reggie Lewis fainted on the court during Game 1 against the Hornets. He briefly returned to the game before sitting out the rest of the series. He died less than three months later from a heart condition.
  • After the Suns defeated the Sonics in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, there were complaints about the free throw comparison between the two teams.
  • Game 6 of the Suns–Spurs series was the last game ever played at the HemisFair Arena.
  • The Cavaliers defeated the Nets in the Eastern Conference First Round, which was their last playoff series victory until 2006, and their last without LeBron James until 2024. Game 5 of that series was also the last game played by Dražen Petrović, who died in a car accident five weeks later.

References

External links