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

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. The MLB’s Seattle Mariners qualified for the playoffs in 2022. The Kings held the title for the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues until 2023.The 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 forced the NBA to change how division winners are seeded starting the following season.The Los Angeles Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and advanced to the second round for the first time since 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. They came within one game of making the conference finals for the first time, but lost Game 7 to the Suns. Until 2020, this was the closest the Clippers came to making the conference finals.

The Mavericks almost blew a 3-1 series lead to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, but managed to pull out a Game 7 overtime win in San Antonio to close out the series and become the 5th NBA road team to win Game 7 after leading series 3–1. This was also the second time in NBA history that the road team won a Game 7 in overtime; the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in the same manner in the 2002 Western Conference finals. This was the most recent Game 7 went into Overtime until the 2021 Bucks vs. Nets series.

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.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.- 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)

2006 marked the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp, and the first time that major professional teams from Michigan and Ohio met in a postseason series or game since 1957. They came off a playoff series win vs the Wizards, while the Pistons came in off a 4-1 win vs the 8th seeded Bucks. Detroit was expected to win the series, and took a commanding two games to none lead with two wins at the Palace of Auburn Hills. James and the Cavaliers weren’t intimidated however, and won their two home games to tie the series at 2. Coming into Game 5, both teams were confident, but the Pistons were expected to pull out the win easily. The game was low scoring throughout as usual in this series, with Cleveland holding a 68-66 lead through 3 quarters. With the game tied at 84 with 26 seconds left in regulation, Drew Gooden came through and hit a layup to give Cleveland the lead that they never squandered. James led the Cavs with 32 and this brought the series to Cleveland up 3–2, quite shockingly. In the final minute of Game 6, Richard Hamilton grabbed two offensive rebounds and passed the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who was fouled. Detroit held on to win Game 6 by 2, and won Game 7 at home to advance. This was illustrated in the first round here when the 44-win Denver Nuggets won the Northwest Division and had the third seed, yet did not have home-court advantage against the sixth-seeded, 47-win Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had played the Memphis Grizzlies a week before the playoffs to determine the fifth and sixth seed. The loser of the game would face Denver, whereas the winner would face fourth-seeded Dallas, who had the second-best record in the conference. It was speculated that the Clippers lost on purpose to play Denver in the first round. Starting in the 2007 playoffs, being a division winner did not guarantee a top-3 playoff seed. First and second-round games were televised on ABC, TNT, ESPN, ESPN2 and NBA TV in the United States and on TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, 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 and ABC, and the Western Conference finals aired exclusively on TNT; TSN and The Score split coverage of the conference finals. The NBA Finals aired exclusively on ABC in the U.S. and on TSN in Canada. [1]The Detroit Pistons clinched the best record in the NBA, earning home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. However, when the Pistons lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, home-court advantage in the NBA Finals went to the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, which had a better record than the Heat. With the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, in 2005, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference had three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top-three playoff seed regardless of whether the team had one of the top-eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home-court advantage; a division-leading team could be seeded second or third but face a lower seed (that did not win its division) with a better record, and the lower seed would have home-court advantage. Like Milwaukee, the Boston Celtics need to wait the results of the Play-In meeting between the Heat and Hawks. As things currently stand, there’s a good chance the Beantown team gets pitted against Miami, who has dominated its seasons series with Atlanta 3-1.New York’s playoff experience could also bode well in their chances of pulling off a stunner against a Cavs team that is making the postseason for the first time in the post-LeBron James era.

The winner of the Toronto Raptors-Chicago Bulls game will play the loser of the Miami Heat-Atlanta Hawks showdown to get that final playoff spot. All four teams pose interesting match-ups for Giannis Antetokounmpo and co., though none have shown the ability to really pose a threat to the 2020-21 NBA champions.

The Eastern Conference is pretty top-heavy, with the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers expected to dominate the rest of the competition. Out West, however, is a different story since it is pretty much wide open. There is no clear-cut favorite in the conference, and considering how deep the lower-seeded teams are, there are plenty of rooms for an upset and more.The Play-In Tournament is set from April 11 to 14. After the seedings are decided following the series of Play-In games, the 2023 NBA playoffs will roll on.Considering the way Denver has played recently as well–losing to the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz–Nikola Jokic and co. are looking more vulnerable than ever.

If things stay the way they are, the Grizzlies could end up facing a dangerous Lakers side that is brimming with confidence. Steven Adams’ absence will surely be felt if they end up facing LA, especially with Anthony Davis having proven to be a major headache for them. The last time Memphis and LA met (early in March, without Morant), AD dominated with 30 points and outshined Jaren Jackson Jr.

Sure enough, while Denver can be confident with their chances since they have homecourt advantage and more rest, they will have to be wary of whoever they will meet. Out of all the four teams they could face, they only have a winning record against OKC. The Pels, Wolves and Lakers all went 2-2 against the Nuggets during the season.

A battle with the Heat could prove to be difficult for Boston, especially since the Celtics had a hard time beating them during the regular season. The C’s definitely have the edge considering their depth, but don’t expect them to make easy work of the Vice City franchise should they really end up facing each other.This Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks fight in the middle of the pack could certainly become one of the most exciting battle in the East. The Cavs have homecourt advantage and are 31-10 at home to finish the regular season, so they have that going for them in this series.Perhaps it’s the reason why the Warriors targeted finishing as the sixth seed. Considering that they would have faced the Phoenix Suns had they ended up as the fifth seed, the Sacramento Kings definitely appear to be a more favorable match-up. Props to the Brooklyn Nets for maintaining a playoff position despite the midseason trades that saw Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving depart the team. No one expected them to hold on to an automatic playoff qualification spot after they basically blew up their core. The Memphis Grizzlies did well securing the second seed despite all the off-court controversies they faced, including the gun issue that led to Ja Morant’s suspension and lengthy absence. Unfortunately for them, things aren’t going to get easy right in the first round despite the fact that they got a higher seed. However, there is no denying that the Philadelphia 76ers possess overwhelming talent that they just couldn’t match. Admit it or not, Brooklyn the odd man out among all playoff contenders in the East. They lack the star power to compete, and it’s hard to see them slow down Joel Embiid and co. The New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers are playing for the final two spots in the West. The winner of the Pelicans-Thunder Play-In game and loser of the Timberwolves-Lakers showdown will be facing the Denver Nuggets as the no. 8 seed.In what should be one of the best series in this NBA playoffs bracket, the trifecta of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul play the trident of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. However, the ‘Bockers have always been a thorn to the Cavs’ side, with New York going 3-1 against Cleveland on the season. Jalen Brunson seemingly loves playing against Donovan Mitchell and the Wine and Gold as well, and we all know what happened the last time JB met Mitchell in the postseason. The Kings are making the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and so they don’t have much playoff experience. That could end up becoming their biggest downfall in what has been an otherwise phenomenal season. Still, it’s wrong to completely rule out Sacramento just because of their lack of experience. They are one of the best teams in the West, and there’s a good reason why.The NBA playoffs bracket–pending the results of the Play-In tournament–is set. And sure enough, the 2023 postseason is brewing to be another exciting affair with plenty of intriguing matchups to look forward to.

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On June 10, 1984, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to redeem themselves against the rival Boston Celtics in a win-or-go-home Game 6 of the NBA Finals at The Forum.With homecourt advantage on their side, the Lakers traded nearly shot-for-shot with the Celtics in the first quarter. Boston, however, found themselves with a slim four-point lead going into the second.

After another tightly-contested period, the Celtics entered halftime with a six-point advantage over the Lakers. Much of the same took place in the third quarter, setting up for a dramatic comeback in the final 12 minutes of play.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar propelled the team’s offensive attack with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds in 42 minutes on the floor. He converted 14 of his 26 field goal attempts and additionally dished out five assists in the contest.

All fanhood aside, any NBA follower had to recognize that D-Wade probably sent a personalized gift basket to every official involved in the 2006 NBA Finals.While I genuinely dislike the player, I couldn’t find a common thread to center this article around. Because of this, I decided to produce a rant against Dwyane Wade through a fantastic series of bullet points.

I have recently stopped regularly watching the NBA, but it’s not for a lack of starpower. Instead, my lack of NBA enthusiasm came from a complete disinterest in the style of basketball currently played in the NBA.

Loaded down with rings from a three-peat in Los Angeles, Shaquille O’Neal arrived in Miami and instantly accelerated Dwyane Wade’s progression into an NBA superstar. This was nothing new to Shaq, however, as he previously played with one time All-Star Anfernee Hardaway and future Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant.Basketball experts will lead you to believe that Dwyane Wade led a team of misfits to an NBA title in 2006. What these experts forget is that Wade has the assistance of one of the greatest and arguably the most dominant center of all-time.

My disillusion with Dwyane Wade could stem from a number of sources. For all I know. it could have started when he wrecked my bracket at Marquette (who really had Marquette in the Elite Eight that year?).

Here are the reasons why I am glad that Dwyane Wade is out of the playoffs (and consequently can no longer be proverbially dry-humped by referees and media alike):I’m not saying D-Wade didn’t lead the Heat in 2006, but I am saying that he did it with some serious help in Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal has a savvy for turning young talented guards into superstars, and he did it again in Miami.

The NBA is in one of its largest downswings in history. The last time its fanbase got this low, Michael Jordan and crew showed up and everything was cured by the early 1990s.

Guy No. 1 should be shot, plain and simple (for more details on his completely inaccurate analysis of Dwyane Wade’s accomplishments see point No. 2 below).Last night I overheard a conversation that made me nearly throw up. The conversation was centered around the best players in basketball, and as I walked by this exchange was taking place:

Dwyane Wade committed theft in 2006, robbing the Dallas Mavericks of a should-have-been-could-have-been National Championship. I do not like the Mavericks nor have I ever been a Mavericks fan, but even I sent out my deepest condolences to Mavs’ jackass owner Mark Cuban after the 2006 NBA Finals officiating.SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot and ending the longest active playoff drought in NBA history — and the longest active postseason drought across the four major North American sports.A lot has changed since the glory days of the Sacramento Kings in the early aughts. Here’s a look at how the world was different during that 2006 playoff appearance.The last time the Kings were in the playoffs was in 2006. They were eliminated in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 on May 5, 2005. That year also marked the last time Sacramento posted a winning season — a streak that the Beam Team officially ended this season as they are knocking on the door of a long-awaited postseason bid.

Now, Minnesota has a chance to delay the Kings’ playoff chances another night as they face off with Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The Kings, just one win away, have the opportunity to end their historic playoff drought at home in what would likely be a sold-out crowd of cowbells and “Light The Beam” chants.

The Los Angeles Lakers finished the regular season with a point differential of +205. Based on their point differential and their pythagorean expectation, the Lakers could have been expected to have about 48.2 wins, or a 48-34 record in the regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers finished the regular season with a 45-37 record. They went 27-14 at home and 18-23 on the road. Including the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers went 48-41. Their final game was a loss in the Western Conference First Round to the Phoenix Suns.

We will keep you abreast of injury news, scores, analysis and other important postseason developments. You may also find details of interesting offers that we spot, such as a BetMGM bonus code.Our bracket breaks down the series scores in the opening round, the Conference Semifinals, the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. The winning team is highlighted in yellow. You will also see the seed for each team and its conference. The historical brackets can make for some fascinating viewing if you love NBA lore.

This page is regularly updated throughout the playoffs each year. If you are interested in New York sports betting on the postseason, you can follow developments at RealGM. Just click on any team and you will be transported to its dedicated news page. James threw the ball off the glass with his left hand around Donovan Mitchell, caught the ball with his left hand and threw down a two-handed dunk early in the first quarter. Since the NBA started using the top vote-getters from each conference to serve as captains and pick teams playground style in 2018, LeBron James’ teams won the first five games.Tatum won the award, scoring an All-Star record 55 points, including 27 in the third quarter. Tatum was 22-for-31 from the field and 10-for-18 on 3-pointers. He also had 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal.

James, who played in just one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ four games before the All-Star break because of a sore left ankle, did not play in the second half of Sunday’s game because of a bruised right hand. He finished with 13 points and four assists and extended his All-Star career points record to 426.

“It’s a lifetime of work,” Lillard said. “I’ve been shooting deep since I was a kid. Even before I was a great shooter I could shoot the ball far with my form.”

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a sprained right wrist in Thursday’s victory against Chicago. While he says he’s fine, he did not participate in the Skills Challenge on Saturday, and after starting the All-Star Game and dunking 15 seconds into the game, he immediately fouled Luka Doncic and exited the game with 11:40 left in the first quarter. He did not return.”I tried to get one little chase-down block, and got my finger caught in the rim,” James said. “But I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s too much to worry about. For precautionary reasons, I just had to take the rest of the night off.”

Mitchell scored 40 points and had 10 assists, and Lillard had 26 points for Team Giannis. Boston’s Jaylen Brown led Team LeBron with 35 points and 14 rebounds, and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Dallas’ Kyrie Irving each added 32 points. Irving also had 15 assists.

Using the target of 182 – because Team Giannis had a 158-141 lead after three quarters and the target score is “the leading team’s total score after the first three quarters plus 24 points,” according to the NBA – Portland’s Damian Lillard closed out the game with a 3-pointer.Team LeBron chose Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah as his local charity, and Team Giannis selected Raise the Future. Each team started the game with a $150,000 donation to their charity, and the winner of each quarter donated an additional $100,000 to its charity and if a quarter ended in a tie, each charity received $50,000.The Miami Heat had escaped with a 101-100 victory in a thrilling Game 5 of the NBA Finals to take a 3-2 lead and move just one victory away from the first title in franchise history.Dwyane Wade scored a playoff career-high 42 points and singlehandedly fueled a series-saving comeback as the Heat rallied for a 98-96 victory over the stunned Dallas Mavericks that made the NBA Finals interesting again.

A big question coming into this series for the Knicks is Julius Randle. His status for Game 1 and beyond remains in question due to a sprained left ankle. Can Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett provide the offensive spark?When the Suns have their big four of Durant, Paul, Booker and Ayton on the floor, they average 122.3 points per 100 possessions and 105.0 points allowed per 100 possessions in 159 minutes. The Clippers, however, rank fourth in offensive efficiency 119.8 points per 100 possessions since Paul George was inactive after suffering a knee injury.Kings vs. Warriors: The Kings are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Led by Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray, this team can score. Sacramento led the NBA in offensive rating this season by a wide margin: 118.6 points per 100 possessions, the highest in history.

The Kings, however, are facing the defending champion Warriors, who will have a full lineup. Andrew Wiggins is returning to the lineup for Game 1, after not playing since Feb. 13. Despite Golden State’s record being 44-38 entering the playoffs, this is a team that has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who know how to raise their level during the postseason.Grizzlies vs. Lakers: James and the Lakers are back in the playoffs after missing it last year. The Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 in overtime during the Play-In, overcoming a 15-point second-half deficit.

This year’s NBA playoffs get underway on April 15. The NBA conference semifinals begin on May 1 and 2, with the conference finals starting on May 16 and 17. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 1.George is expected to be sidelined for at least the beginning of the first round playoff series against the Suns. Can LA produce on offense in George’s absence? Can the Clippers slow down the Suns’ offensive weapons? This is a rematch of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, which the Suns won in six games.

There’s no shortage of storylines entering this postseason. Will the Warriors repeat as NBA champions? How will LeBron James perform in the playoffs? Will the Bucks and Nuggets continue their winning ways? Or will we have a surprise champion?

Los Angeles enters the playoffs having won 10 of 12 games. They lead the season series against the Grizzlies 2-1. The Lakers ranked No. 2 in the league in defense post trade deadline. They are going to need their defense to step up to contain Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. The Lakers are trying to become the first team to win a playoff series after advancing through the Play-In.

The NBA Playoffs are in a bracket format. The winner of the No. 1 seed-No. 8 seed matchup will play the winner of the No. 4 seed-No. 5 seed matchup. The No. 2 seed-No. 7 seed winner will take on the No. 3 seed-No. 6 seed winner.

The top eight teams in each conference are seeded one through eight. The No. 1 seed plays the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed plays the No. 7 seed and so on. The top four seeds have home-court advantage.