2006 NBA Playoffs

The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Heat's Dwyane Wade was named Finals MVP.

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the playoffs' biggest surprises in 2006, as they not only made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 but they advanced to the second round for the first time since 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. They came within one game of making it to the conference finals for the first time ever, but lost Game 7 to the Phoenix Suns.

2006 marked the playoff debut of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, who helped the Cavs eke out one-point overtime victories over the Washington Wizards in Games 5 and 6 of their first-round series to advance to the second round. It was the Cavaliers' first playoff appearance since 1998, and they earned their first playoff series win since 1993. Against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons, the Cavaliers were routed in Game 1 of the semifinal series and lost by six in Game 2 before coming back to win the following three games and come within one game of handing the Pistons a playoff defeat. The Pistons recovered and won the last two games of the series for a seven-game series win.

Contents

Format

Main article: NBA playoffs

Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involve nearly two months of play and between 60 and 105 games under the current format. The playoffs were conducted in four rounds of best of seven series. In each series, the team with the better record (or which wins a tiebreaker, in the event that teams with identical records are matched) held home court advantage, meaning that the seventh game, if played, is held in their home arena.

The first two games in each series were played in the home arena of the team with home court advantage. The third and fourth games were played in the other arena. The fifth, sixth, and seventh games alternated between the two arenas. However, in the NBA Finals, the team with home court advantage hosted the first two and last two games, while the other team hosted the middle three games.

With the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, in 2004, 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 ranked third or even second but face a lower seed (that did not win its division) with a better record, which would then have the home court advantage. This was illustrated in the first round this year 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 in fact, played the Memphis Grizzlies a week before the playoffs for the fifth and sixth seed. However, the loser of the game would have faced Denver, while the winner would face fourth seeded Dallas, who had the second best record in the league that year. It was speculated that the Clippers lost on purpose to play Denver in the first round. However, starting in the 2007 playoffs, being a division-leading team did not guarantee a top three playoff seed.

Bracket

Teams that advanced to the next round are boldfaced; those with home court advantage are in italics.

  First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
                                     
1  Detroit 4  
8  Milwaukee 1  
  1  Detroit 4  
 
  4  Cleveland 3  
4  Cleveland 4
5  Washington 2  
  1  Detroit 2  
Eastern Conference
  2  Miami 4  
3  New Jersey 4  
6  Indiana 2  
  3  New Jersey 1
 
  2  Miami 4  
2  Miami 4
7  Chicago 2  
  E2  Miami 4
  W4  Dallas 2
1  San Antonio 4  
8  Sacramento 2  
  1  San Antonio 3
 
  4  Dallas 4  
4  Dallas 4
5  Memphis 0  
  4  Dallas 4
Western Conference
  2  Phoenix 2  
3  Denver 1  
6  L.A. Clippers 4  
  6  L.A. Clippers 3
 
  2  Phoenix 4  
2  Phoenix 4
7  L.A. Lakers 3  

Playoff qualifying

Eastern Conference

Best record in NBA

The Detroit Pistons clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when the Pistons lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, home court advantage in the NBA Finals switched to the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, who had a better record than the Heat.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

  1. Detroit Pistons (64-18) (clinched Central division)
  2. Miami Heat (52-30) (clinched Southeast division)
  3. New Jersey Nets (49-33) (clinched Atlantic division)
  4. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32)
  5. Washington Wizards (42-40)
  6. Indiana Pacers (41-41)
  7. Chicago Bulls (41-41)
  8. 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 clinched a playoff berth in the West:

  1. San Antonio Spurs (63-19) (clinched Southwest division)
  2. Phoenix Suns (54-28) (clinched Pacific division)
  3. Denver Nuggets (44-38) (clinched Northwest division)
  4. Dallas Mavericks (60-22)
  5. Memphis Grizzlies (49-33)
  6. Los Angeles Clippers (47-35)
  7. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
  8. Sacramento Kings (44-38)

TV coverage

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]

Eastern Conference

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

First round

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks

April 23
5:30 pm		 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 74, Detroit Pistons 92    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Eddie Rush, David Jones,
Bill Spooner, Bennie Adams		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 19–19, 18–24, 19–25, 18–24
Pts: Charlie Bell 13
Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 9
Asts: Ford, Bogut 3 each		 Pts: Rasheed Wallace 22
Rebs: Ben Wallace 17
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
April 26
7:30 pm		 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 98, Detroit Pistons 109    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Tony Brothers, Don Garretson, Derrick Stafford		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 25–29, 27–31, 23–17
Pts: Michael Redd 29
Rebs: Andrew Bogut 13
Asts: Andrew Bogut 4		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 22
Rebs: Ben Wallace 11
Asts: Richard Hamilton 8
April 29
8:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 104, Milwaukee Bucks 124    Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 18,717
Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe Forte, Scott Wall		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 27–31, 20–29, 30–34
Pts: Chauncey Billups 26
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 6		 Pts: Michael Redd 40
Rebs: Ford, Magloire, Smith 7 each
Asts: T. J. Ford 15
May 1
7:30 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 109, Milwaukee Bucks 99    Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 16,296
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 27–20, 24–25, 23–31, 35–23
Pts: Chauncey Billups 34
Rebs: Antonio McDyess 11
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 7		 Pts: Michael Redd 33
Rebs: Jamaal Magloire 12
Asts: Andrew Bogut 6
May 3
6:00 pm		 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 93, Detroit Pistons 122    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 23–39, 26–23, 17–35, 27–25
Pts: Michael Redd 23
Rebs: Michael Redd 9
Asts: T. J. Ford 6		 Pts: Richard Hamilton 40
Rebs: Ben Wallace 14
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
Detroit wins series, 4–1
Regular season series

Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

November 26, 2005 Recap Detroit Pistons 85, Milwaukee Bucks 76    Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
January 25, 2006 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 102, Detroit Pistons 106 OT  The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
March 31, 2006 Recap Milwaukee Bucks 105, Detroit Pistons 112    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
April 17, 2006 Recap Detroit Pistons 93, Milwaukee Bucks 113    Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2004 Eastern Conference First Round (Detroit won 4–1)

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Chicago Bulls

April 22
8:00 pm		 Recap Chicago Bulls 106, Miami Heat 111    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,288
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 27–37, 31–24, 24–24
Pts: Ben Gordon 35
Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 16
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 8		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 30
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16
Asts: Dwyane Wade 11
April 24
8:00 pm		 Recap Chicago Bulls 108, Miami Heat 115    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,214
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Courtney Kirkland		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 31–35, 19–27, 32–20
Pts: Andrés Nocioni 35
Rebs: Tyson Chandler 9
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 7		 Pts: O'Neal, Williams 22 each
Rebs: Antoine Walker 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 7
April 27
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 90, Chicago Bulls 109    United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 22,133
Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 23–31, 19–17, 29–39, 19–22
Pts: Dwyane Wade 26
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10
Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each		 Pts: Ben Gordon 24
Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 9
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 11
April 30
1:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 87, Chicago Bulls 93    United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 22,361
Referees: Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 17–23, 19–21, 28–28
Pts: Antoine Walker 21
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9
Asts: Dwyane Wade 10		 Pts: Andrés Nocioni 24
Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 7
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 9
May 2
8:00 pm		 Recap Chicago Bulls 78, Miami Heat 92    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,287
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Jack Nies		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 19–15, 23–21, 17–31
Pts: Andrés Nocioni 23
Rebs: Andrés Nocioni 10
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 5		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 28
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 5
May 4
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 113, Chicago Bulls 96    United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 22,584
Referees: Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Jess Kersey		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 29–19, 26–22, 29–28, 29–27
Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 30
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 20
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6		 Pts: Kirk Hinrich 23
Rebs: Luol Deng 6
Asts: Kirk Hinrich 6
Miami wins series, 4–2
Regular-season series

Miami won 2–1 in the regular-season series:

November 26, 2005 Recap Miami Heat 100, Chicago Bulls 97    United Center, Chicago, Illinois
March 18, 2006 Recap Miami Heat 85, Chicago Bulls 84    United Center, Chicago, Illinois
April 16, 2006 Recap Chicago Bulls 117, Miami Heat 93    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

Previous Playoffs meeting: 1997 Eastern Conference Finals (Chicago won 4–1)

(3) New Jersey Nets vs. (6) Indiana Pacers

April 23
12:30 pm		 Recap Indiana Pacers 90, New Jersey Nets 88    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 18,752
Referees: Bennett Salvatore, Scott Wall, Tom Washington		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 20–22, 14–19, 26–23
Pts: Stephen Jackson 19
Rebs: Jeff Foster 9
Asts: Anthony Johnson 6		 Pts: Vince Carter 31
Rebs: Vince Carter 13
Asts: Jason Kidd 8
April 25
7:30 pm		 Recap Indiana Pacers 75, New Jersey Nets 90    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 18,472
Referees: Steve Javie, Ken Mauer, Violet Palmer		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 14–18, 17–29, 22–17
Pts: Anthony Johnson 16
Rebs: Jeff Foster 9
Asts: Johnson, Jones 4 each		 Pts: Vince Carter 33
Rebs: Jason Kidd 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 13
April 27
7:30 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 95, Indiana Pacers 107    Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 14,706
Referees: Dan Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Jess Kersey		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 28–29, 15–27, 25–29
Pts: Carter, Jefferson 25 each
Rebs: Collins, Kidd 6 each
Asts: Richard Jefferson 7		 Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 37
Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 15
Asts: Anthony Johnson 8
April 29
3:00 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 97, Indiana Pacers 88    Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 16,401
Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 24–15, 26–22, 26–30, 21–31
Pts: Vince Carter 28
Rebs: Nenad Krstić 8
Asts: Jason Kidd 8		 Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 22
Rebs: Danny Granger 8
Asts: Croshere, Jasikevičius, Johnson 4 each
May 2
7:00 pm		 Recap Indiana Pacers 86, New Jersey Nets 92    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 18,804
Referees: Mike Callahan, Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 21–21, 19–23, 21–20
Pts: Jermaine O'Neal 19
Rebs: Danny Granger 12
Asts: Stephen Jackson 7		 Pts: Vince Carter 34
Rebs: Vince Carter 15
Asts: Jason Kidd 15
May 4
7:30 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 96, Indiana Pacers 90    Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 16,586
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 20–15, 32–28, 23–21
Pts: Richard Jefferson 30
Rebs: Jason Kidd 12
Asts: Jason Kidd 11		 Pts: Anthony Johnson 40
Rebs: Jermaine O'Neal 6
Asts: Anthony Johnson 5
New Jersey wins series, 4–2
Regular-season series

Indiana won 2–1 in the regular-season series:

November 11, 2005 Recap New Jersey Nets 90, Indiana Pacers 102    Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
January 16, 2006 Recap Indiana Pacers 92, New Jersey Nets 97    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
February 26, 2006 Recap Indiana Pacers 101, New Jersey Nets 91    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2002 Eastern Conference First Round (New Jersey won 3–2)

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Washington Wizards

April 22
3:00 pm		 Recap Washington Wizards 86, Cleveland Cavaliers 97    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Steve Javie, Derrick Stafford, Marc Davis		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 16–19, 21–24, 29–23
Pts: Gilbert Arenas 26
Rebs: Antawn Jamison 7
Asts: Antonio Daniels 6		 Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: LeBron James 11
April 25
7:00 pm		 Recap Washington Wizards 89, Cleveland Cavaliers 84    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: David Jones, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 16–15, 24–25, 18–31
Pts: Gilbert Arenas 30
Rebs: Caron Butler 9
Asts: Gilbert Arenas 6		 Pts: LeBron James 26
Rebs: Drew Gooden 16
Asts: Eric Snow 4
April 28
8:00 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 97, Washington Wizards 96    Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,173
Referees: Ron Garretson, Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 31–32, 21–13, 26–15
Pts: LeBron James 41
Rebs: Gooden, Ilgauskas 8 each
Asts: James, Snow 3 each		 Pts: Gilbert Arenas 34
Rebs: Caron Butler 11
Asts: Daniels, Jamison 3 each
April 30
8:00 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 96, Washington Wizards 106    Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,173
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, James Capers		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 30–20, 15–26, 34–24
Pts: LeBron James 38
Rebs: Donyell Marshall 11
Asts: LeBron James 5		 Pts: Gilbert Arenas 34
Rebs: Jared Jeffries 11
Asts: Gilbert Arenas 6
May 3
8:30 pm		 Recap Washington Wizards 120, Cleveland Cavaliers 121 OT  Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Mark Wunderlich		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 24–27, 30–33, 26–22, OT: 13–14
Pts: Gilbert Arenas 44
Rebs: Caron Butler 11
Asts: Antonio Daniels 7		 Pts: LeBron James 45
Rebs: Drew Gooden 11
Asts: LeBron James 6
May 5
8:00 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 114, Washington Wizards 113 OT  Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 20,173
Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 31–25, 27–27, 32–31, OT: 7–6
Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 10
Asts: Larry Hughes 12		 Pts: Gilbert Arenas 36
Rebs: Caron Butler 20
Asts: Gilbert Arenas 11
Cleveland wins the series, 4–2
Regular-season series

Washington won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

November 15, 2005 Recap Washington Wizards 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 114    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
February 10, 2006 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 89, Washington Wizards 101    Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
February 24, 2006 Recap Washington Wizards 102, Cleveland Cavaliers 94    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 16, 2006 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 92, Washington Wizards 104    Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.

Previous Playoffs meeting: 1977 Eastern Conference First Round (Washington won 3–1)

Conference Semifinals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers

May 7
3:30 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 113    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 32–43, 15–25, 23–19
Pts: LeBron James 22
Rebs: Anderson Varejão 8
Asts: James, Murray 4 each		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24
Rebs: Ben Wallace 11
Asts: Chauncey Billups 10
May 9
7:00 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Detroit Pistons 97    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Derrick Stafford, Jess Kersey		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 16–23, 20–29, 24–26, 31–19
Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: LeBron James 14
Asts: LeBron James 7		 Pts: Rasheed Wallace 29
Rebs: Ben Wallace 15
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
May 13
5:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 86    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Tom Washington		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 25–18, 14–17, 21–33
Pts: Richard Hamilton 22
Rebs: Ben Wallace 13
Asts: Billups, Hamilton 5 each		 Pts: LeBron James 21
Rebs: LeBron James 10
Asts: LeBron James 10
May 15
7:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 72, Cleveland Cavaliers 74    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Eddie F. Rush, Bennett Salvatore		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 19–20, 21–17, 13–21
Pts: Richard Hamilton 30
Rebs: Ben Wallace 10
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7		 Pts: LeBron James 22
Rebs: LeBron James 8
Asts: LeBron James 9
May 17
7:00 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 86, Detroit Pistons 84    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 30–25, 18–21, 18–18
Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: Donyell Marshall 13
Asts: Eric Snow 7		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 21
Rebs: Ben Wallace 13
Asts: Chauncey Billups 5
May 19
7:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 82    Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 20,562
Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 18–18, 25–24, 21–21
Pts: Rasheed Wallace 24
Rebs: Ben Wallace 10
Asts: Billups, Wallace 4 each		 Pts: LeBron James 32
Rebs: LeBron James 11
Asts: Eric Snow 7
May 21
3:30 pm		 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 61, Detroit Pistons 79    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 23–19, 10–18, 13–21
Pts: LeBron James 27
Rebs: LeBron James 8
Asts: Larry Hughes 5		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 20
Rebs: Ben Wallace 9
Asts: Billups, Prince 3 each
Detroit wins the series, 4–3

2006 marked the first time the Cavaliers had made the playoffs since 1998 with Shawn Kemp. 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 would not be intimidated however, and won their two games at home to tie the series 2–2. 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 to 66 lead throughout 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 would never squander. 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 a 2 point win to win game 6, and won game 7 at home to seal the deal. Previous Playoffs meeting: This was the first time both teams encountered in the playoffs.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) New Jersey Nets

May 8
8:00 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 100, Miami Heat 88    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,208
Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 38–21, 26–25, 20–18, 16–24
Pts: Vince Carter 27
Rebs: Jason Kidd 9
Asts: Jason Kidd 7		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 25
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 10
Asts: Wade, Williams 3 each
May 10
8:00 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 89, Miami Heat 111    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,227
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tim Donaghy, Ron Garretson		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 19–41, 21–19, 27–24, 22–27
Pts: Vince Carter 22
Rebs: Nenad Krstić 7
Asts: Jason Kidd 6		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 31
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6
May 12
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 103, New Jersey Nets 92    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 20,102
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Scott Foster		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 27–22, 18–23, 31–20
Pts: Dwyane Wade 30
Rebs: James Posey 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 10		 Pts: Vince Carter 43
Rebs: Jason Collins 11
Asts: Jason Kidd 12
May 14
3:30 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 102, New Jersey Nets 92    Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 19,474
Referees: Bernie Fryer, Anthony Jordan, Greg Willard, Jess Kersey		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 27–24, 22–25, 26–19
Pts: Dwyane Wade 31
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 11
Asts: Dwyane Wade 8		 Pts: Vince Carter 26
Rebs: Nenad Krstić 14
Asts: Jason Kidd 12
May 16
8:00 pm		 Recap New Jersey Nets 105, Miami Heat 106    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,255
Referees: Joe Crawford, Bob Delaney, Jack Nies		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 21–30, 21–30, 28–31
Pts: Carter, Jefferson 33 each
Rebs: Carter, Jefferson
Murray 7 each
Asts: Jason Kidd 8		 Pts: Antoine Walker 23
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6
Miami wins the series, 4–1

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2005 Eastern Conference First Round (Miami won 4–0)

Conference Finals

(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (2) Miami Heat

May 23
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 91, Detroit Pistons 86    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 15–19, 18–17, 25–25
Pts: Dwyane Wade 25
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9
Asts: Dwyane Wade 5		 Pts: Richard Hamilton 22
Rebs: Ben Wallace 14
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7
May 25
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 88, Detroit Pistons 92    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Ron Garretson, Jack Nies		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 12–25, 25–23, 19–22, 32–22
Pts: Dwyane Wade 32
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12
Asts: Payton, Wade 5 each		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 24
Rebs: Ben Wallace 12
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8
May 27
8:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 83, Miami Heat 98    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,245
Referees: Dan Crawford, Tom Washington, Mark Wunderlich		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 14–23, 24–25, 21–24
Pts: Chauncey Billups 31
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 10
Asts: Tayshaun Prince 4		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 35
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12
Asts: Antoine Walker 4
May 29
8:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 89    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,248
Referees: Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 21–21, 22–18, 18–27
Pts: Tayshaun Prince 15
Rebs: Ben Wallace 11
Asts: Chauncey Billups 7		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 31
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 9
Asts: Antoine Walker 5
May 31
8:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 78, Detroit Pistons 91    The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Attendance: 22,076
Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Joe Forte		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 23–22, 22–26, 13–18
Pts: Dwyane Wade 23
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 10
Asts: Jason Williams 6		 Pts: Tayshaun Prince 29
Rebs: Richard Hamilton 10
Asts: Chauncey Billups 10
June 2
8:00 pm		 Recap Detroit Pistons 78, Miami Heat 95    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,258
Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 16–22, 17–25, 25–23
Pts: Richard Hamilton 33
Rebs: Rasheed Wallace 8
Asts: Chauncey Billups 8		 Pts: Shaquille O'Neal 28
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 16
Asts: Dwyane Wade 10
Miami wins the series, 4–2

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2005 Eastern Conference Finals (Detroit won 4–3)

Western Conference

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

First round

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Sacramento Kings

April 22
5:30 pm		 Recap Sacramento Kings 88, San Antonio Spurs 122    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Mike Callahan, Dan Crawford, Monty McCutchen		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 24–32, 15–41, 28–21, 21–28
Pts: Mike Bibby 17
Rebs: Shareef Abdur-Rahim 9
Asts: Ron Artest 4		 Pts: Tony Parker 25
Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 17
Asts: Brent Barry 6
April 25
10:00 pm		 Recap Sacramento Kings 119, San Antonio Spurs 128 OT  AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe Forte, Bill Kennedy		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 26–28, 26–31, 27–27, OT: 10–19
Pts: Bonzi Wells 28
Rebs: Bonzi Wells 12
Asts: Mike Bibby 6		 Pts: Manu Ginóbili 32
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Tony Parker 10
April 28
9:30 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 93, Sacramento Kings 94    ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 17,317
Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore		 ESPN2
Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 21–25, 23–21, 29–26
Pts: Tim Duncan 29
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Tony Parker 6		 Pts: Mike Bibby 25
Rebs: Bonzi Wells 14
Asts: Mike Bibby 8
April 30
10:30 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 84, Sacramento Kings 102    ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 17,317
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 19–28, 21–21, 20–27
Pts: Tony Parker 22
Rebs: Tim Duncan 8
Asts: Bruce Bowen 3		 Pts: Bonzi Wells 25
Rebs: Bonzi Wells 17
Asts: Mike Bibby 7
May 2
9:30 pm		 Recap Sacramento Kings 98, San Antonio Spurs 109    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: James Capers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford		 NBA TV
Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 27–22, 22–37, 30–29
Pts: Bonzi Wells 38
Rebs: Bonzi Wells 12
Asts: Artest, Bibby, Miller 4 each		 Pts: Manu Ginóbili 27
Rebs: Duncan, Ginóbili 9 each
Asts: Tim Duncan 5
May 5
10:30 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 105, Sacramento Kings 83    ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 17,317
Referees: Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, Bernie Fryer		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 23–18, 33–24, 27–21
Pts: Tony Parker 31
Rebs: Robert Horry 7
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5		 Pts: Mike Bibby 19
Rebs: Bonzi Wells 11
Asts: Ron Artest 4
San Antonio wins the series, 4–2
Regular-season series

San Antonio won 2–1 in the regular-season series:

November 21, 2005 Recap San Antonio Spurs 96, Sacramento Kings 93    ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California
December 17, 2005 Recap Sacramento Kings 89, San Antonio Spurs 90    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
April 5, 2005 Recap Sacramento Kings 97, San Antonio Spurs 87    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

Previous Playoffs meeting: This was the first time both teams encountered in the playoffs.

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

April 23
3:00 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 102, Phoenix Suns 107    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Bill Kennedy		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 29–39, 21–19, 25–17, 27–32
Pts: Kobe Bryant 22
Rebs: Lamar Odom 14
Asts: Kobe Bryant 5		 Pts: Tim Thomas 22
Rebs: Tim Thomas 15
Asts: Steve Nash 10
April 25
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns 93    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 29–16, 21–29, 25–26
Pts: Kobe Bryant 29
Rebs: Kobe Bryant 10
Asts: Bryant, Odom 5 each		 Pts: Steve Nash 29
Rebs: Marion, Thomas 9 each
Asts: Steve Nash 9
April 28
10:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 92, Los Angeles Lakers 99    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Tim Donaghy, Eddie F. Rush, Bill Spooner		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 17–18, 30–28, 18–22
Pts: Shawn Marion 20
Rebs: Marion, Nash 7 each
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Smush Parker 18
Rebs: Lamar Odom 17
Asts: Kobe Bryant 7
April 30
3:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 98, Los Angeles Lakers 99 OT  Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Sean Corbin, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 15–16, 26–23, 23–26, OT: 8–9
Pts: Steve Nash 22
Rebs: Shawn Marion 12
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Lamar Odom 25
Rebs: Kwame Brown 10
Asts: Kobe Bryant 8
May 2
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 97, Phoenix Suns 114    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Ron Garretson, Greg Willard, Leon Wood		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–29, 21–28, 29–30
Pts: Kobe Bryant 29
Rebs: Lamar Odom 15
Asts: Lamar Odom 6		 Pts: Boris Diaw 25
Rebs: Boris Diaw 10
Asts: Boris Diaw 9
May 4
10:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 118 OT  Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,997
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 30–37, 30–20, 28–28, 17–20, OT: 21–13
Pts: Steve Nash 32
Rebs: Shawn Marion 12
Asts: Steve Nash 13		 Pts: Kobe Bryant 50
Rebs: Lamar Odom 11
Asts: Lamar Odom 9
May 6
9:00 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 90, Phoenix Suns 121    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Mike Callahan, Joe Forte, Steve Javie		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 15–32, 30–28, 20–30, 25–31
Pts: Kobe Bryant 24
Rebs: Sasha Vujačić 6
Asts: Smush Parker 4		 Pts: Leandro Barbosa 26
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Diaw, Nash 9 each
Phoenix wins the series, 4–3
Regular-season series

Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

November 3, 2005 Recap Phoenix Suns 122, Los Angeles Lakers 112    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
January 20, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 93, Phoenix Suns 106    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
April 7, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 96, Phoenix Suns 107    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
April 16, 2006 Recap Phoenix Suns 89, Los Angeles Lakers 109    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2000 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4–1)

(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers

April 22
10:30 pm		 Recap Denver Nuggets 87, Los Angeles Clippers 89    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,162
Referees: Ron Garretson, Rodney Mott, Greg Willard		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 19–23, 21–22, 21–13
Pts: Anthony, Miller 25 each
Rebs: Marcus Camby 10
Asts: Andre Miller 6		 Pts: Elton Brand 21
Rebs: Chris Kaman 13
Asts: Sam Cassell 7
April 24
10:30 pm		 Recap Denver Nuggets 87, Los Angeles Clippers 98    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,794
Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 13–21, 21–24, 25–19, 28–23
Pts: Anthony, Camby 16 each
Rebs: Marcus Camby 14
Asts: Andre Miller 6		 Pts: Cuttino Mobley 21
Rebs: Elton Brand 11
Asts: Sam Cassell 11
April 27
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 87, Denver Nuggets 94    Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,099
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Leon Wood		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 13–24, 29–21, 28–25, 17–24
Pts: Corey Maggette 23
Rebs: Brand, Livingston 8 each
Asts: Brand, Livingston 4 each		 Pts: Carmelo Anthony 24
Rebs: Marcus Camby 14
Asts: Andre Miller 7
April 29
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 100, Denver Nuggets 86    Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 19,099
Referees: Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Jess Kersey		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 32–24, 22–19, 22–22
Pts: Corey Maggette 19
Rebs: Elton Brand 10
Asts: Shaun Livingston 6		 Pts: Carmelo Anthony 17
Rebs: Carmelo Anthony 11
Asts: Andre Miller 9
May 1
10:30 pm		 Recap Denver Nuggets 83, Los Angeles Clippers 101    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 18,648
Referees: Tony Brothers, Dan Crawford, Bill Spooner		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 17–25, 17–25, 26–30
Pts: Carmelo Anthony 23
Rebs: Marcus Camby 11
Asts: Andre Miller 8		 Pts: Maggette, Mobley 23 each
Rebs: Elton Brand 13
Asts: Shaun Livingston 14
Los Angeles wins the series, 4–1
Regular-season series

Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

November 25, 2005 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 95, Denver Nuggets 105    Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
January 27, 2006 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 105, Denver Nuggets 87    Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
January 28, 2006 Recap Denver Nuggets 79, Los Angeles Clippers 112    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
April 4, 2006 Recap Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Clippers 111    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Previous Playoffs meeting: this was the first time these teams encountered in the playoffs.

(4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Memphis Grizzlies

April 23
8:00 pm		 Recap Memphis Grizzlies 93, Dallas Mavericks 103    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,340
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Sean Corbin, Joe Forte		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 29–32, 27–23, 15–20
Pts: Pau Gasol 24
Rebs: Jake Tsakalidis 8
Asts: Gasol, Jackson 4 each		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31
Rebs: Erick Dampier 12
Asts: Jason Terry 4
April 25
8:00 pm		 Recap Memphis Grizzlies 79, Dallas Mavericks 94    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,612
Referees: James Capers, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 31–32, 12–24, 13–20, 23–18
Pts: Pau Gasol 16
Rebs: Pau Gasol 7
Asts: Pau Gasol 5		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31
Rebs: Dampier, Howard, Terry 6 each
Asts: Jason Terry 9
April 29
5:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 94, Memphis Grizzlies 89 OT  FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 17,871
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Crawford, Derrick Stafford		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 21–23, 22–15, 16–15, OT: 18–13
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 36
Rebs: Dampier, Griffin, Nowitzki 9 each
Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5		 Pts: Chucky Atkins 20
Rebs: Lorenzen Wright 10
Asts: Eddie Jones 5
May 1
8:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 102, Memphis Grizzlies 76    FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 15,104
Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, David Jones		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 22–16, 31–22, 23–15
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27
Rebs: Josh Howard 9
Asts: Stackhouse, Terry 5 each		 Pts: Pau Gasol 25
Rebs: Shane Battier 7
Asts: Chucky Atkins 4
Dallas wins the series, 4–0
Regular-season series

Dallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series:

November 26, 2005 Recap Memphis Grizzlies 112, Dallas Mavericks 92    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
December 9, 2005 Recap Dallas Mavericks 90, Memphis Grizzlies 83    FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
February 1, 2006 Recap Dallas Mavericks 81, Memphis Grizzlies 80    FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
February 23, 2006 Recap Memphis Grizzlies 87, Dallas Mavericks 97    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Previous Playoffs meeting: this was the first time these teams encountered in the playoffs.

Conference Semifinals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

May 7
1:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 85, San Antonio Spurs 87    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Mark Wunderlich		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 23–20, 20–25, 13–16
Pts: Jerry Stackhouse 24
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14
Asts: Marquis Daniels 3		 Pts: Tim Duncan 31
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Duncan, Parker 4 each
May 9
9:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 113, San Antonio Spurs 91    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Steve Javie, David Jones, Eddie F. Rush		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 32–16, 26–28, 29–25
Pts: Josh Howard 27
Rebs: Howard, Nowitzki 9 each
Asts: Daniels, Harris, Terry 3 each		 Pts: Tim Duncan 28
Rebs: Tim Duncan 9
Asts: Tim Duncan 3
May 13
8:00 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 103, Dallas Mavericks 104    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,865
Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bill Spooner		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 18–27, 30–26, 21–20, 34–31
Pts: Tim Duncan 35
Rebs: Tim Duncan 12
Asts: Tony Parker 4		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 27
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15
Asts: Jason Terry 4
May 15
9:30 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 118, Dallas Mavericks 123 OT  American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,969
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Jimmy Clark, Derrick Stafford		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 26–19, 27–34, 27–31, 31–27, OT: 7–12
Pts: Tony Parker 33
Rebs: Tim Duncan 13
Asts: Tim Duncan 6		 Pts: Jason Terry 32
Rebs: Dampier, Nowitzki 9 each
Asts: Devin Harris 6
May 17
9:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 97, San Antonio Spurs 98    AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 18,797
Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Ron Garretson		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 33–28, 21–24, 19–17
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 31
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12
Asts: Jason Terry 5		 Pts: Tim Duncan 36
Rebs: Tim Duncan 10
Asts: Manu Ginóbili 5
May 19
9:30 pm		 Recap San Antonio Spurs 91, Dallas Mavericks 86    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,986
Referees: Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 21–22, 26–20, 24–19
Pts: Manu Ginóbili 30
Rebs: Manu Ginóbili 10
Asts: Tony Parker 3		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 21
Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5
May 22
8:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 119, San Antonio Spurs 111 OT  AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Steve Javie		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 37–27, 27–23, 20–28, 20–26, OT: 15–7
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 37
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15
Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 6		 Pts: Tim Duncan 41
Rebs: Tim Duncan 15
Asts: Tim Duncan 6
Dallas wins the series, 4–3

The Mavericks almost gave up a 3-1 series lead to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals but managed to pull out a Game 7 overtime win in San Antonio to close out the series. This was just 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.

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2003 Western Conference Finals (San Antonio won 4–2)

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Los Angeles Clippers

May 8
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 123, Phoenix Suns 130    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer, Monty McCutchen		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 25–29, 36–27, 30–37, 32–37
Pts: Elton Brand 40
Rebs: Elton Brand 9
Asts: Shaun Livingston 9		 Pts: Steve Nash 31
Rebs: Shawn Marion 15
Asts: Steve Nash 12
May 10
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 122, Phoenix Suns 97    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Joe Crawford, Jack Nies, Michael Smith		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 38–22, 27–29, 33–28, 24–18
Pts: Elton Brand 27
Rebs: Chris Kaman 16
Asts: Sam Cassell 6		 Pts: Raja Bell 20
Rebs: Shawn Marion 6
Asts: Steve Nash 8
May 12
10:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 94, Los Angeles Clippers 91    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,877
Referees: Tony Brothers, Joe Forte, Bennett Salvatore		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 22–20, 24–15, 22–28
Pts: Shawn Marion 32
Rebs: Shawn Marion 19
Asts: Steve Nash 10		 Pts: Elton Brand 20
Rebs: Corey Maggette 14
Asts: Elton Brand 8
May 14
8:00 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 107, Los Angeles Clippers 114    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,897
Referees: Sean Corbin, Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 23–28, 31–29, 25–24
Pts: Raja Bell 33
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Elton Brand 30
Rebs: Corey Maggette 15
Asts: Sam Cassell 9
May 16
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 118, Phoenix Suns 125 2OT  US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Mike Callahan,Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 21–32, 26–26, 23–17, OT: 17–24
Pts: Elton Brand 33
Rebs: Elton Brand 15
Asts: Brand, Cassell 5 each		 Pts: Shawn Marion 36
Rebs: Shawn Marion 20
Asts: Steve Nash 13
May 18
10:00 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 106, Los Angeles Clippers 118    Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 19,985
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Tom Washington, Greg Willard		 ESPN
Scoring by quarter: 32–31, 18–31, 31–26, 25–30
Pts: Shawn Marion 34
Rebs: Diaw, Marion 9 each
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Elton Brand 30
Rebs: Elton Brand 13
Asts: Sam Cassell 8
May 22
10:30 pm		 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 107, Phoenix Suns 127    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ron Garretson, Eddie F. Rush		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 29–33, 22–29, 28–33
Pts: Elton Brand 36
Rebs: Brand, Maggette 9 each
Asts: Sam Cassell 6		 Pts: Shawn Marion 30
Rebs: Shawn Marion 9
Asts: Steve Nash 11
Phoenix wins the series, 4–3

Previous Playoffs meeting: This was the first time these teams encountered in the playoffs.

Conference Finals

(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks

May 24
8:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 121, Dallas Mavericks 118    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,789
Referees: Joe Forte, Bernie Fryer, Greg Willard		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 35–29, 27–29, 29–27, 30–23
Pts: Boris Diaw 34
Rebs: Shawn Marion 13
Asts: Steve Nash 16		 Pts: Devin Harris 30
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 19
Asts: Terry, Stackhouse 3 each
May 26
8:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 98, Dallas Mavericks 105    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,934
Referees: Jimmy Clark, Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 35–25, 25–28, 21–30
Pts: Boris Diaw 25
Rebs: Shawn Marion 19
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 14
Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 6
May 28
8:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 95, Phoenix Suns 88    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Mike Callahan, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 25–27, 25–16, 23–20
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 28
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 17
Asts: Dirk Nowitzki 5		 Pts: Steve Nash 21
Rebs: Shawn Marion 18
Asts: Steve Nash 7
May 30
8:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 86, Phoenix Suns 106    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Ron Garretson, Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 18–23, 21–28, 19–27
Pts: Josh Howard 16
Rebs: Josh Howard 9
Asts: Devin Harris 5		 Pts: Leandro Barbosa 24
Rebs: Boris Diaw 9
Asts: Steve Nash 7
June 1
8:30 pm		 Recap Phoenix Suns 101, Dallas Mavericks 117    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,977
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 23–36, 32–22, 26–24, 20–35
Pts: Tim Thomas 26
Rebs: Shawn Marion 10
Asts: Steve Nash 11		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 50
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 12
Asts: Jason Terry 9
June 3
8:30 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 102, Phoenix Suns 93    US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Attendance: 18,422
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Bob Delaney, Bernie Fryer		 TNT
Scoring by quarter: 14–29, 25–22, 23–15, 40–27
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 24
Rebs: Josh Howard 15
Asts: Nowitzki, Terry 3 each		 Pts: Boris Diaw 30
Rebs: Diaw, Marion 11 each
Asts: Steve Nash 9
Dallas wins the series, 4–2

Previous Playoffs meeting: 2005 Western Conference Semifinals (Phoenix won 4–2)

NBA finals: (W4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (E2) Miami Heat

All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
Main article: 2006 NBA Finals
June 8
9:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 80, Dallas Mavericks 90    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,475
Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 13–23, 24–24, 12–20
Pts: Dwyane Wade 28
Rebs: Udonis Haslem 9
Asts: Dwyane Wade 6		 Pts: Jason Terry 32
Rebs: Josh Howard 12
Asts: Howard, Stackhouse, Nowitzki 4 each
June 10
9:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 85, Dallas Mavericks 99    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,459
Referees: Bob Delaney, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 17–32, 24–32, 27–17
Pts: Dwyane Wade 23
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 8
Asts: Payton, Williams 4 each		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 26
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 16
Asts: Jason Terry 9
June 13
9:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 96, Miami Heat 98    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,145
Referees: Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Jack Nies		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 21–29, 22–23, 34–16, 19–30
Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 30
Rebs: Erick Dampier 9
Asts: Jason Terry 5		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 42
Rebs: Dwyane Wade 13
Asts: Shaquille O'Neal 5
June 15
9:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 74, Miami Heat 98    American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,145
Referees: Dick Bavetta, Mike Callahan, Bernie Fryer		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 19–24, 23–24, 7–20
Pts: Jason Terry 17
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 9
Asts: Jerry Stackhouse 4		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 36
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 13
Asts: Jason Williams 6
June 18
9:00 pm		 Recap Dallas Mavericks 100, Miami Heat 101 OT  American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 20,145
Referees: Joe Crawford, Joe DeRosa, Bennett Salvatore		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 30–19, 20–27, 22–23, OT: 7–8
Pts: Jason Terry 35
Rebs: Josh Howard 10
Asts: Marquis Daniels 4		 Pts: Dwyane Wade 43
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12
Asts: Wade, Williams 4 each
June 20
9:00 pm		 Recap Miami Heat 95, Dallas Mavericks 92    American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 20,522
Referees: Dan Crawford, Steve Javie, Eddie F. Rush		 ABC
Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 26–18, 22–20, 24–24
Pts: Dwyane Wade 36
Rebs: Shaquille O'Neal 12
Asts: Jason Williams 7		 Pts: Dirk Nowitzki 29
Rebs: Dirk Nowitzki 15
Asts: Jason Terry 5
Miami wins the NBA Finals, 4–2

This NBA Finals featured two teams that never made the finals in the past. The last time this happened was in 1971 when the Milwaukee Bucks met the Baltimore Bullets. This has happened 5 times in the history of the NBA, the very first of them between the Philadelphia Warriors and the Chicago Stags. This also happened between the Minneapolis Lakers & the Washington Capitols in 1949 and between the New York Knickerbockers & the Rochester Royals in 1951.

With the help of Dwyane Wade, the Heat earned their first NBA Finals appearance.

Statistic leaders

Category High Average
Player Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played
Points Dirk Nowitzki
Kobe Bryant		 Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Lakers		 50 Gilbert Arenas Washington Wizards 34.0 6
Rebounds Shaquille O'Neal
Caron Butler
Shawn Marion		 Miami Heat
Washington Wizards
Phoenix Suns		 20 Bonzi Wells Sacramento Kings 12.0 6
Assists Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 16 Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 10.2 20

Music

The song "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter was played in arenas when the road team was eliminated (à la "American Idol"). This idea spread over to other sports competitions that year such as the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and sometimes even during the 2006 MLB season.

External links

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