2007 NBA playoffs
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The 2007 NBA Playoffs is the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2006-2007 season.
There will be four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket, but not always by basis of a better record. Nevertheless, the team with the better record in a matchup has home court advantage.
All of the games will be aired on either ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT, or NBA TV or on TSN, The Score Television Network, and Raptors TV in Canada.
Format
Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involve nearly two months of play. The playoffs are conducted in four rounds of best-of-seven series. The three division winners in each conference, along with the five best non-division winners in each conference, qualify for the playoffs. The division winners and top second-place team are seeded first through fourth based on record, with the remaining teams seeded fifth through eighth on record. Up until last year, the division winners earned the top three seeds in the conference; this was amended by the NBA on August 2, 2006 to rectify the problem highlighted by controversy in last year's playoffs.[1] Under this new system, the teams with the two best records in the conference cannot meet until the conference finals, unlike last year, when the 63-win San Antonio Spurs and the 60-win Dallas Mavericks met in the conference semifinals.
In each series, the team with the better record (or which wins a tiebreaker, in the event that teams with identical records are matched) holds home court advantage, meaning that the seventh game, if played, is held in their home arena. The first two games in each series are played in the home arena of the team with home court advantage. The third and fourth games are played in the other arena. The fifth, sixth, and seventh games alternate between the two arenas. However, in the NBA Finals, the team with home court advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 6 and 7, while the other team hosts Games 3, 4 and 5.
Playoff qualifying
- Note: Teams in italics have clinched home court advantage in the second round.
Eastern Conference
Best record in conference
The Detroit Pistons clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and have home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Clinched a playoff berth
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:
- Detroit Pistons (clinched Central division)
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Toronto Raptors (clinched Atlantic division)
- Miami Heat (clinched Southeast division)
- Chicago Bulls
- New Jersey Nets
- Washington Wizards
- Orlando Magic
Western Conference
Best record in NBA
The Dallas Mavericks clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Mavericks in the First Round, in one of the greatest upsets in playoff history[2][3][4], home court advantage for the remainder of the playoffs switched to the Phoenix Suns.
Clinched a playoff berth
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:
- Dallas Mavericks (clinched Southwest division)
- Phoenix Suns (clinched Pacific division)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz (clinched Northwest division)
- Houston Rockets
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Golden State Warriors
Bracket
This will be the outlook for the 2007 NBA playoffs. Teams in italics have home court advantage. Teams in bold advance to the next round.
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Orlando | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Miami | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Washington | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cleveland | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New Jersey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Dallas | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Golden State | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Utah | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Phoenix | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Denver | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Notes
- Golden State reached the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season. It was the second longest such streak in league history.
- Golden State defeated Dallas to become the third #8 seed to defeat a #1 seed in the NBA Playoffs, and the first team to do so in a best-of-seven series. It was also the Warriors' first playoff series victory in 16 years.
- Houston and Chicago had home court advantage in the first round despite being lower seeds. Both teams had better regular season records than their opponents, but did not hold one of the top two records within their respective divisions.
- Miami became the first defending champion to be swept in the First Round the following season when they lost their series 0-4 to Chicago. It is worth noting, however, that there are defending champions who have not returned to the playoffs the following season. In the process, the Bulls also won their first playoff series since the franchise's dynasty.
- Both of last year's conference champions, Dallas (West) and Miami (East) were eliminated in the First Round of this year's playoffs.
- In the First Round, all Southeast division teams in the playoffs (Miami, Washington, Orlando were swept (0-12) by their opponents (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit respectively), all from the Central division (12-0).
Eastern Conference
First Round
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Orlando Magic
The Pistons recorded their first series sweep since sweeping Indiana in the first round of the 1990 NBA Playoffs. The series was the first time Orlando forward Grant Hill had appeared in the postseason since leaving Detroit after the 1999-2000 NBA season.
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Washington Wizards
The Wizards were defeated with both Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler missing from this year's series because of injuries. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers completed a playoff sweep for the first time in franchise history.
(3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
(4) Miami Heat vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
The Bulls won their first playoff series since the 1998 NBA Finals and the retirement of Michael Jordan. Meanwhile, Miami became the first defending champion in NBA history to be swept in the First Round the following season.
In addition, Southeast Division champions Miami and other division qualifiers Washington and Orlando were swept (0-12) by their Central Division opponents (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit respectively), all from the Central division (12-0).
Conference Semifinals
(1) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Raptors/Nets
Conference Finals
Western Conference
First Round
(1) Dallas Mavericks vs. (8) Golden State Warriors
The Warriors qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1994, the second longest such streak in league history, where they've won their first playoffs series since 1991 and by knocking off top-seeded Dallas. Golden State became the first eighth-seeded team to win a best-of-seven series, and just the third overall in NBA history.
It is worthy to note that both of last year's conference champions, Dallas (West) and Miami (East) were eliminated in the First Round of this year's playoffs.
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
The Suns advanced to their third straight conference semifinals by eliminating the Lakers in the first round for the second straight year.
(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets lost in the first round for the fourth straight year. The Spurs again eliminated the Nuggets in 5 game since 2005 despite losing to the Nuggets in the first game.
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Conference Semifinals
(4) Utah Jazz/(5) Houston Rockets vs. (8) Golden State Warriors
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
Conference Finals
NBA Finals
Notes
- ^ Associated Press (2006-08-02). "NBA announces postseason seeding format change". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ espn.com Nowitzki stumbles to 2-for-13 shooting in Game 6, accessed May 4, 2007.
- ^ espn.com, Jackson keys third-quarter run in Warriors' rout of Mavs, accessed May 4, 2007.
- ^ espn.com, Mavs' flameout leaves Dirk frustrated, Nellie avenged, accessed May 4, 2007.