The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four games to none in the Finals, earning their first NBA championship. Joe Dumars of the Pistons was named the NBA Finals MVP.
The Pistons had one of the most dominating playoff runs in NBA history, finishing 15-2 with their only two losses to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers won the Western Conference championship without losing a game. They would be swept in the Finals by the Pistons, due in part to season-ending injuries suffered by Magic Johnson and Byron Scott. The Lakers thus earned the distinction of being the only team to sweep the first 3 playoff rounds, hen be swept in the NBA Finals.
The Chicago Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1975 (and for the first time in Michael Jordan's career), but their season was ended by the Pistons for the second of what would ultimately be three consecutive years. Two rounds earlier, Jordan made "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer to beat the Cavs.
The Boston Celtics' first-round playoff sweep by the Pistons was the first time the Celtics failed to get past the round of 16.
Former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan would make the first of 19 playoff appearances in a 22-year tenure. The only times he missed the playoffs with the Jazz was from 2004 to 2006. His previous playoff appearance was in 1981 with the Bulls. His Jazz were ousted by the Golden State Warriors in a three-game sweep, the second time a seventh seed had beaten the second seed in the playoffs. Under Don Nelson, the Warriors became famous for their up-tempo game that made up for an undersized lineup, as well as their ability to create mismatches. The Warriors would make history as the only team to beat either of the top two seeds thrice in the NBA Playoffs; they also ousted the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in 1991 and the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks (a team Nelson also coached) in 2007.
Contents |
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Portland | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Houston | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Denver | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Phoenix | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Golden State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Utah | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Golden State | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | L.A. Lakers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Boston | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Milwaukee | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Atlanta | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Milwaukee | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Cleveland | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New York | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Champion: Los Angeles Lakers
1st Round
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers: Lakers win series 3-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-1)
(2) Utah Jazz vs. (7) Golden State Warriors: Warriors win series 3-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1987 Western Conference First Round (Golden State won 3-2)
(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Denver Nuggets: Suns win series 3-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1983 Western Conference First Round (Denver won 2-1)
(4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Houston Rockets: Sonics win series 3-1
Last Playoff Meeting: 1987 Western Conference Semifinals (Seattle won 4-2)
Conference Semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics: Lakers win series 4-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1987 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4-0)
(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Golden State Warriors: Suns win series 4-1
Last Playoff Meeting: 1976 Western Conference Finals (Phoenix won 4-3)
Conference Finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Lakers win series 4-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1985 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-0)
Champion: Detroit Pistons
1st Round
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Boston Celtics: Pistons win series 3-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4-2)
(2) New York Knicks vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers: Knicks win series 3-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1983 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Philadelphia won 4-0)
(3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (6) Chicago Bulls: Bulls win series 3-2
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 3-2)
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks win series 3-2
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference First Round (Atlanta won 3-2)
Conference Semifinals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Milwaukee Bucks: Pistons win series 4-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1976 Western Conference First Round (Detroit won 2-1)
(2) New York Knicks vs. (6) Chicago Bulls: Bulls win series 4-2
Last Playoff Meeting: 1981 Eastern Conference First Round (Chicago won 2-0)
Conference Finals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Chicago Bulls: Pistons win series 4-2
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Detroit won 4-1)
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (1) Los Angeles Lakers: Pistons win series 4-0
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 NBA Finals (Los Angeles won 4-3)
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