50 Fun Facts About NBA Playoffs

Whose Game 7 buzzer-beater bounced on the rim four times before sending Toronto to the 2019 East finals?

Kawhi Leonard's corner shot was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history. It gave the Raptors a 92–90 win over Philadelphia.

Who scored an NBA playoff-record 63 points in a 1986 double-overtime loss at Boston Garden?

Michael Jordan scored 63 in a season when a broken foot had cost him 64 games. He broke Elgin Baylor's playoff record, and Chicago still lost 135–131.

Which team's refusal to take the floor after the police shooting of Jacob Blake halted the 2020 NBA playoffs?

The Milwaukee Bucks stayed off the court before Game 5 of their first-round series, and all three games scheduled that day were postponed. Blake had been shot in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Which team missed a record 27 straight three-pointers while losing Game 7 of the 2018 West finals?

The Houston Rockets led that Game 7 by 11 at halftime before the drought, then lost 101–92. No team has missed more threes in a row in a playoff game.

Which film director and Knicks fan did Reggie Miller taunt during a 25-point fourth quarter in 1994?

Spike Lee got a choke sign from Miller, who scored 39 in the Game 5 win at Madison Square Garden. A year later Miller beat the same team with eight points in 8.9 seconds.

Which Laker shot four airballs in the final minutes and overtime of a 1997 playoff elimination loss at Utah?

Kobe Bryant was an 18-year-old rookie, and all four misses were jump shots between the end of regulation and the end of overtime. He went on to win five titles with the Lakers.

Which Lakers guard caught, turned and scored with 0.4 seconds left to beat San Antonio in a 2004 playoff game?

Derek Fisher's shot came one play after Tim Duncan's fadeaway had put the Spurs ahead 73–72. The Lakers won Game 5 by a single point.

Which Bulls star refused to re-enter a 1994 playoff game because the final shot was drawn up for Toni Kukoč?

Scottie Pippen stayed on the bench with 1.8 seconds left and the score tied at 102. Kukoč hit the 23-foot winner anyway, and the Bulls' coach stormed off the court unsmiling.

Which Toronto star attended his college graduation before racing to a 2001 playoff game in Philadelphia?

Vince Carter collected his North Carolina degree during a seven-game series with the 76ers. In Game 7 he missed a potential game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds left.

Which Celtics center won all ten of the Game 7s he played across his NBA playoff career?

Bill Russell went 11–0 in winner-take-all games, counting one deciding Game 5. He won eleven championships in thirteen seasons.

Whose 31 blocks helped an eighth seed beat an NBA top seed for the first time, stunning Seattle in 1994?

Dikembe Mutombo's 31 blocks remain a record for a five-game series. His team lost the first two games, then won three straight.

Which Knicks player's four-point play with 5.7 seconds left won Game 3 of the 1999 East finals against Indiana?

Larry Johnson was fouled as he sank a three-pointer, then made the free throw. New York went on to become the first eighth seed to reach the NBA Finals.

Which guard led an eighth seed past 67-win Dallas in the 2007 NBA playoffs, the first such upset in a best-of-seven?

Baron Davis set the tone with a Game 1 win in Dallas, and the series was over in six. The Mavericks had gone 67–15, the best record in the league.

Which eighth seed beat top-seeded San Antonio in 2011 for the first playoff series win in franchise history?

The Memphis Grizzlies had been swept in all three of their earlier playoff trips. Their Game 1 win over the Spurs was the first playoff victory in franchise history.

Which Miami forward scored 56 points in Game 4 as the eighth-seeded Heat ousted the league's top seed in 2023?

Jimmy Butler scored 22 of Miami's 28 first-quarter points and 21 more in the fourth. The Heat went on to reach the NBA Finals, only the second eighth seed to get there.

Which guard ended a 2019 first-round series with a 37-foot buzzer-beater over Paul George to finish with 50 points?

Damian Lillard's three broke a 115–115 tie and eliminated Oklahoma City in Game 5. It was the second series-ending three-pointer of his career, five years after the first.

Who scored Cleveland's final 25 points, 18 of them in overtime, to win a 2007 East finals game at Detroit?

LeBron James forced overtime with a dunk in the last ten seconds of regulation and won it on a layup with 2.2 seconds left in the second overtime. He went on to score more playoff points than anyone in NBA history.

Which Celtic stole a Detroit inbound pass in the final seconds to win Game 5 of the 1987 East finals?

Larry Bird's steal came with Boston trailing 107–106, and his pass to a cutting teammate produced the layup with one second left.

Which Celtic tipped away a 76ers inbound pass late in Game 7 in 1965, inspiring Johnny Most's famous radio call?

John Havlicek spun, leaped and tipped Hal Greer's pass to a teammate. The NBA has called "Havlicek stole the ball!" the most famous radio call in basketball history.

Which team opened the 2017 NBA playoffs with a record 15 straight wins and finished the postseason 16–1?

The Golden State Warriors lost only Game 4 of the Finals, to Cleveland. Their 16–1 mark edged the 15–1 run of the 2001 Lakers.

Which team was the first to erase 3–1 series deficits twice in one NBA postseason, both inside the 2020 bubble?

The Denver Nuggets rallied past Utah in the first round and did it again in the conference semifinals. Jamal Murray had two 50-point games in the Utah series.

Which eighth seed erased a record 31-point deficit to win a 2019 NBA playoff game on the road?

The LA Clippers trailed 94–63 with 7:31 left in the third quarter, then outscored the defending champions 72–37 the rest of the way.

Which team's 2023 return to the NBA playoffs ended a 16-season absence, the longest drought in league history?

The Sacramento Kings had last qualified in 2006. De'Aaron Fox scored 38 points in his playoff debut to give them their first postseason win in 17 years.

Which team overcame a 20-point deficit to win a 2024 Game 7 and eliminate the defending NBA champions?

Minnesota's rally set a record for the largest Game 7 comeback in NBA playoff history. In Game 6 the Timberwolves had beaten the same opponent by 45 points.

Which team won a quadruple-overtime game in the 2019 conference semifinals, the NBA's longest playoff game since 1953?

Portland's win was only the second four-overtime playoff game in NBA history and the first of the shot-clock era. The other was played in 1953 between Boston and Syracuse.

Which coach's career ended when Dallas swept his two-time defending champion Lakers out of the 2011 NBA playoffs?

Phil Jackson had never been swept in a playoff series before that second-round loss. The 122–86 defeat in Game 4 was his final game as an NBA head coach.

Which Dallas forward went 24-for-24 at the free-throw line in Game 1 of the 2011 West finals, a playoff record?

Dirk Nowitzki broke the mark of 21 free throws without a miss that Paul Pierce had set in 2003. Dallas went on to win the 2011 championship.

Which coach led San Antonio during its run of 22 straight NBA playoff appearances from 1998 to 2019?

Gregg Popovich named himself head coach in December 1996 and had a winning record in each of his first 22 full seasons. The streak tied an NBA record set by the Syracuse and Philadelphia franchise.

Whose putback with 0.1 seconds left won Game 6 of the 2023 East finals after Boston had trailed the series 3–0?

Derrick White's tip-in made Boston the fourth team ever to force a Game 7 after trailing 0–3. Miami still won the series and reached the NBA Finals.

Which center became the first player to lead a single NBA postseason in total points, rebounds and assists, in 2023?

Nikola Jokić finished with 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists. He had been the 41st pick of the 2014 draft, the lowest selection ever named Finals MVP.

The NBA's Western Conference finals MVP trophy, first awarded in 2022, is named for which 1980s Lakers star?

Magic Johnson shares the honor with his great rival of that decade, whose name is on the Eastern trophy. Stephen Curry was the first winner in the West.

Whose toe on the three-point line turned a would-be Game 7 winner into a tying two for Brooklyn in 2021?

Kevin Durant's fadeaway with one second left only forced overtime, where his tying attempt fell short as an airball. That spring he had the first 45-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist playoff game.

Whose three-pointer at the overtime buzzer capped a 43-point triple-double for Dallas in the 2020 NBA playoffs?

Luka Dončić finished with 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists after his team had trailed by one. Earlier in the series his 42 points had set a record for a playoff debut.

Which Pacers guard flashed Reggie Miller's choke sign at the New York crowd after a last-second shot in 2025?

Tyrese Haliburton thought he had won the game, but his toes were on the three-point line and the shot only forced overtime. Miller was at the game as a broadcaster.

Which guard made a then-record 11 three-pointers in Game 6 at Oklahoma City to keep his team alive in 2016?

Klay Thompson scored 41 as his team, down 3–2 in the West finals, won on the road and then took Game 7. It was the tenth club to erase a 3–1 series deficit.

Which Boston guard scored 53 points in a 2017 playoff overtime win days after flying to his sister's funeral?

Isaiah Thomas had also lost a tooth to an elbow in Game 1 of that series against Washington. His 53 points were the second-highest playoff total in Celtics history at the time.

Which Boston forward scored 51 points against Philadelphia in 2023, setting a record for an NBA Game 7?

Jayson Tatum broke a record that was two weeks old: Stephen Curry had just scored the first 50-point Game 7 in league history. Tatum also committed no turnovers.

Which Laker hit a buzzer-beating three after Vlade Divac batted a rebound out to him in the 2002 West finals?

Robert Horry's shot over Chris Webber tied the series at two games each. He had already ended an earlier series that spring with a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left.

Which Knicks coach ended up clinging to Alonzo Mourning's leg during a fight in a 1998 playoff game against Miami?

Jeff Van Gundy grabbed on as Mourning fought a former Charlotte teammate at the end of Game 4. The seventh-seeded Knicks won that game 90–85 and went on to take the series.

Which Orlando star said it felt good 'to get into the second round' while leading 3–1 in 2003, then lost to Detroit?

Tracy McGrady spoke after Game 4, apparently unaware the first round had just been lengthened to best-of-seven. Detroit won the next three, and did the same thing to Orlando again in 2026.

Which home-and-away pattern does every NBA playoff series follow, the Finals included since 2014?

2–2–1–1–1 gives the team with home-court advantage Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. The Finals used a 2–3–2 pattern until owners voted unanimously to change it in October 2013.

The NBA's Eastern Conference championship trophy was renamed in 2022 for which Celtics guard and union pioneer?

Bob Cousy was instrumental in starting the National Basketball Players Association. The Western trophy honors Oscar Robertson, who also advanced the union's cause.

Which Phoenix guard took a body-check late in a 2007 playoff game that led to suspensions for two of his teammates?

Steve Nash was hit by a San Antonio forward in Game 4. Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw each got a one-game ban for leaving the bench, though neither was directly involved.

Which player set an NBA playoff record with 12 blocks in one game during the 2026 conference semifinals?

Victor Wembanyama added 15 rebounds and 11 points in that Game 1. It was his first postseason, and he had opened it with 35 points in his playoff debut.

Which guard scored a playoff-record 29 points in one quarter to beat the Lakers in a 1987 conference semifinal game?

Sleepy Floyd scored 39 points in the second half of that Game 4, a 129–121 win. It was the only game Los Angeles lost on its way to the 1987 Finals.

Which team reached the 1953 NBA playoffs despite a 16–54 record, winning fewer than a quarter of its games?

The Baltimore Bullets' .229 winning percentage is the lowest of any 50-loss team to reach the postseason. Only a handful of clubs have qualified with that many defeats.

Which guard's 18 fourth-quarter points capped a rally from 23 down against Dallas in a 2011 NBA playoff game?

Brandon Roy's team trailed 67–49 after three quarters and won 84–82. It was the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history.

Which Spur hit the 1999 West finals three-pointer known as the Memorial Day Miracle?

Sean Elliott's shot with nine seconds left finished a comeback from 18 points down in Game 2. San Antonio went on to become the first former ABA team to win an NBA title.

Which Knick was denied on four straight shots at the rim late in a 1993 playoff loss to Chicago?

Charles Smith was turned away by three different Bulls defenders in the East finals. New York was the top seed that year, and Chicago the second.

Which coach was the first in NBA history to have three teams lose a best-of-seven series after leading 3–1?

Doc Rivers saw the third collapse inside the 2020 bubble, seventeen years after the first. In between he won the 2008 championship with Boston.