1992 NBA playoffs

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1992 NBA playoffs

Tournament details
Dates	April 23–June 14, 1992
Season	1991–92
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Chicago Bulls (2nd title)
Runner-up	Portland Trail Blazers
Semifinalists	Cleveland Cavaliers Utah Jazz
← 1991 1993 →

The 1992 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-92 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.

The Blazers won their second Western Conference title in the past three years, and third overall in franchise history, behind the leadership of Clyde Drexler.

The Jazz made the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. They returned in 1994 and 1996 before finally breaking through in 1997.

The fourth-year Miami Heat became the first of the 1988 and 1989 expansion teams to make the playoffs, though they were swept in the first round by the Bulls. In 2006, the Heat would become the first of these teams to win the NBA title.

This was the first year since 1987 that the Bulls and Pistons did not meet in the playoffs. They did not meet again until 2007.

This was the first time since 1986, that the Pistons did not reach the Eastern Conference Finals, as well as, losing in the first round.

The Clippers made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1976, when they were the Buffalo Braves. It was also the first time since the Clippers' arrival in Los Angeles in 1984 that both of Los Angeles' NBA teams, the Clippers and Lakers, qualified for postseason play together.

Despite Magic Johnson's stunning retirement due to testing HIV positive prior to the start of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers still managed to make their 16th straight NBA playoff appearance. It was their first appearance since 1974 without Johnson, Michael Cooper, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Two games were postponed due to the Los Angeles riots following the Rodney King verdict, one being the Trail Blazers at the Lakers and the other was the Jazz at the Clippers. For safety purposes, both the Lakers and Clippers decided to move their home games to a nearby alternate venue; the Lakers played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada (formerly an alternate home arena of the Jazz in 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons; later host to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game) for Game 4, the Clippers at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California for Game 4 (the Clippers returned to Anaheim at Arrowhead Pond in 1994 as an alternate venue and played there until 1999 whenever the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was unavailable).

Game 4 of the Blazers-Suns series was the last game ever played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It was a long game that lasted two overtimes and broke the NBA's playoff game record for points scored in one game, the Trail Blazers outlasting the Suns by a score of 153–151.^[1]

The Celtics' first-round sweep of the Pacers would be their last playoff series win until 2002. After losing in the second round to Cleveland, Larry Bird retired after 13 seasons. As for the Cavs, it was their first Conference Finals appearance since 1976, but fell to the Bulls in 6 games. They would not return again until 2007.

1. Chicago Bulls (67–15)
2. Boston Celtics (51–31)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (57–25)
4. New York Knicks (51–31)
5. Detroit Pistons (48–34)
6. New Jersey Nets (40–42)
7. Indiana Pacers (40–42)
8. Miami Heat (38–44)

1. Portland Trail Blazers (57–25)
2. Utah Jazz (55–27)
3. Golden State Warriors (55–27)
4. Phoenix Suns (53–29)
5. San Antonio Spurs (47–35)
6. Seattle SuperSonics (47–35)
7. Los Angeles Clippers (45–37)
8. Los Angeles Lakers (43–39)

• The first playoff game in Miami Heat history.

Regular-season series

Chicago won 4–0 in the regular-season series
January 8, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 108, Miami Heat 106 Miami Arena, Miami January 11, 1992 Recap Miami Heat 99, Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois March 6, 1992 Recap Miami Heat 81, Chicago Bulls 123 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois March 16, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 116, Miami Heat 100 Miami Arena, Miami

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Heat.^[2]

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
November 20, 1991 Recap Indiana Pacers 101, Boston Celtics 116 Boston Garden, Boston February 23, 1992 Recap Boston Celtics 95, Indiana Pacers 102 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis February 26, 1992 Recap Indiana Pacers 109, Boston Celtics 130 Boston Garden, Boston April 3, 1992 Recap Boston Celtics 97, Indiana Pacers 101 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series^[3]

Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1991 Boston Celtics 3, Indiana Pacers 2 1991 Eastern Conference First Round

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

November 21, 1991 Recap New Jersey Nets 112, Cleveland Cavaliers 116 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio December 18, 1991 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 93, New Jersey Nets 102 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey February 15, 1992 Recap New Jersey Nets 92, Cleveland Cavaliers 128 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio April 10, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 86, New Jersey Nets 110 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was the first playoff meeting between the Cavaliers and the Nets.^[4]

• Isiah Thomas hits game-winning jumper with 7.6 seconds left.

• Patrick Ewing hits the game-tying shot with 13.4 seconds left.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

November 22, 1991 Recap New York Knicks 99, Detroit Pistons 90 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan November 30, 1991 Recap Detroit Pistons 96, New York Knicks 103 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 7, 1992 Recap Detroit Pistons 103, New York Knicks 94 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 12, 1992 Recap New York Knicks 61, Detroit Pistons 72 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.

Previous playoff series^[5]

Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
1984 Detroit Pistons 2, New York Knicks 3 1984 Eastern Conference First Round 1990 Detroit Pistons 4, New York Knicks 1 1990 Eastern Conference Semifinals

• Terry Porter hits the game-tying 3 with 29.6 seconds left to force OT.

Lakers played a home game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas due to 1992 Los Angeles riots

Regular-season series

Portland won 4–1 in the regular-season series

December 28, 1991 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 98, Los Angeles Lakers 88 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California January 21, 1992 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 92, Portland Trail Blazers 131 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon March 3, 1992 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 101, Portland Trail Blazers 105 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon March 18, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 98, Los Angeles Lakers 93 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California April 18, 1992 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 109, Portland Trail Blazers 101 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings.

Previous playoff series^[6]

Los Angeles leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series

1977 Los Angeles Lakers 0, Portland Trail Blazers 4 1977 Western Conference Finals 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1983 Western Conference Semifinals 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1985 Western Conference Semifinals 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 0 1989 Western Conference First Round 1991 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1991 Western Conference Finals

Los Angeles Clippers played a home game at Anaheim Convention Center due to 1992 Los Angeles riots

Regular-season series

Utah won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 9, 1991 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 84, Utah Jazz 101 Delta Center, Salt Lake City December 13, 1991 Recap Utah Jazz 101, Los Angeles Clippers 102 (OT) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles December 26, 1991 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 115, Utah Jazz 123 Delta Center, Salt Lake City February 25, 1992 Recap Utah Jazz 106, Los Angeles Clippers 101 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles

This was the first playoff meeting between the Clippers and the Jazz.^[7]

• Gary Payton's famous alley-oop to Shawn Kemp.

• Shawn Kemp's famous dunk on Alton Lister.

Regular-season series

Golden State won 3–2 in the regular-season series

November 26, 1991 Recap Golden State Warriors 130, Seattle SuperSonics 136 (OT) Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle December 21, 1991 Recap Golden State Warriors 112, Seattle SuperSonics 120 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle February 15, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 122, Golden State Warriors 140 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California March 17, 1992 Recap Golden State Warriors 119, Seattle SuperSonics 107 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle April 19, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 106, Golden State Warriors 108 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series^[8]

Golden State leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1975 Golden State Warriors 4, Seattle SuperSonics 2 1975 Western Conference Semifinals

Regular-season series

Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series

December 13, 1991 Recap Phoenix Suns 112, San Antonio Spurs 107 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio December 20, 1991 Recap San Antonio Spurs 91, Phoenix Suns 116 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona March 7, 1992 Recap Phoenix Suns 109, San Antonio Spurs 122 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio April 16, 1992 Recap San Antonio Spurs 101, Phoenix Suns 121 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona

This was the first playoff meeting between the Suns and the Spurs.^[9]

• The Knicks' only playoff victory in Chicago to date.

• This game featured Michael Jordan's famous steal and strip.

Regular-season series

Chicago won 4–0 in the regular-season series
December 13, 1991 Recap New York Knicks 89, Chicago Bulls 99 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois February 13, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 106, New York Knicks 85 Madison Square Garden, New York City February 15, 1992 Recap New York Knicks 98, Chicago Bulls 99 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois March 31, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 96, New York Knicks 90 Madison Square Garden, New York City

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first three meetings.

Previous playoff series^[10]

Chicago leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series
1981 Chicago Bulls 2, New York Knicks 0 1981 Eastern Conference First Round 1989 Chicago Bulls 4, New York Knicks 2 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals 1991 Chicago Bulls 3, New York Knicks 0 1991 Eastern Conference First Round

• Larry Nance hits the game-tying free throws with 29.3 seconds left to force OT.

• Larry Bird's final NBA game.

Regular-season series

Boston won 3–1 in the regular-season series
January 3, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 111, Boston Celtics 100 Boston Garden, Boston January 20, 1992 Recap Boston Celtics 107, Cleveland Cavaliers 102 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio March 18, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 94, Boston Celtics 96 Boston Garden, Boston April 7, 1992 Recap Boston Celtics 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 97 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings.

Previous playoff series^[11]

Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series
1976 Boston Celtics 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 2 1976 Eastern Conference Finals 1985 Boston Celtics 3, Cleveland Cavaliers 1 1985 Eastern Conference First Round

• Terry Porter hits the game-tying 3-point play with 33.6 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT; Kevin Johnson hits the game-tying jumper with 2.7 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

Regular-season series

Phoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series

November 2, 1991 Recap Phoenix Suns 100, Portland Trail Blazers 76 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon January 19, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 128, Phoenix Suns 132 (OT) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona February 12, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 107, Phoenix Suns 97 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona February 18, 1992 Recap Phoenix Suns 116, Portland Trail Blazers 129 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon March 31, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 111, Phoenix Suns 128 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning two of the first three meetings.

Previous playoff series^[12]

Phoenix leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series
1979 Phoenix Suns 2, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1979 Western Conference First Round 1984 Phoenix Suns 3, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1984 Western Conference First Round 1990 Phoenix Suns 2, Portland Trail Blazers 4 1990 Western Conference Finals

Regular-season series

Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series
November 7, 1991 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 103, Utah Jazz 95 Delta Center, Salt Lake City January 25, 1992 Recap Utah Jazz 104, Seattle SuperSonics 103 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle February 27, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 130, Utah Jazz 124 (OT) Delta Center, Salt Lake City March 31, 1992 Recap Utah Jazz 103, Seattle SuperSonics 122 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle

This was the first playoff meeting between the SuperSonics and the Jazz.^[13]

Regular-season series

Chicago won 3–2 in the regular-season series

December 4, 1991 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 102, Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois January 16, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 85 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio February 17, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 113, Chicago Bulls 112 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois March 28, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 102, Chicago Bulls 126 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois April 14, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 100, Cleveland Cavaliers 115 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first two meetings.

Previous playoff series^[14]

Chicago leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series
1988 Chicago Bulls 3, Cleveland Cavaliers 2 1988 Eastern Conference First Round 1989 Chicago Bulls 3, Cleveland Cavaliers 2 1989 Eastern Conference First Round

• Delaney Rudd hits the game-tying 3 with 5.5 seconds left to force OT.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
January 2, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 103, Utah Jazz 107 Delta Center, Salt Lake City February 24, 1992 Recap Utah Jazz 107, Portland Trail Blazers 110 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon March 21, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 77, Utah Jazz 95 Delta Center, Salt Lake City April 2, 1992 Recap Utah Jazz 86, Portland Trail Blazers 118 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece.

Previous playoff series^[15]

Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
1988 Portland Trail Blazers 1, Utah Jazz 3 1988 Western Conference First Round 1991 Portland Trail Blazers 4, Utah Jazz 1 1991 Western Conference Semifinals

• Michael Jordan scores 35 points in the first half, along with a then-record six 3-pointers.

• Kevin Duckworth hits the game-tying shot with 17.3 seconds left.

• Chicago overcomes a 79–64 deficit at the start of the 4th quarter to win their second straight title.

Regular-season series

Chicago won 2–0 in the regular-season series
November 29, 1991 Recap Chicago Bulls 116, Portland Trail Blazers 114 (2OT) Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon March 1, 1992 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 91, Chicago Bulls 111 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series^[16]

Portland leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1977 Chicago Bulls 1, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1977 Western Conference First Round

Category	Game High			Average
	Player	Team	High	Player	Team	Avg.	GP
Points	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	56	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	34.5	22
Rebounds	Shawn Kemp	Seattle SuperSonics	20	Detlef Schrempf	Indiana Pacers	13.0	3
Assists	John Stockton	Utah Jazz	21	John Stockton	Utah Jazz	13.6	16
Steals	Tim Hardaway	Golden State Warriors	8	Mookie Blaylock	New Jersey Nets	3.8	4
Blocks	Antoine Carr	San Antonio Spurs	7	Antoine Carr	San Antonio Spurs	3.7	3

• NBA records

• Basketball-Reference's 1992 Playoffs page

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