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1993 NBA Playoffs

Tournament details
Dates	April 29–June 20, 1993
Season	1992–93
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Chicago Bulls (3rd title)
Runner-up	Phoenix Suns
Semifinalists	New York Knicks Seattle SuperSonics
← 1992 1994 →

The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992–93 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. This was the Suns' second Western Conference title; they made their first NBA Finals appearance since 1976, losing to the Boston Celtics.

The Knicks–Pacers rivalry started in their first-round encounter, which New York won, 3–1. But it wasn't until the next two meetings (1994 and 1995) that the rivalry became even more intense, particularly due to Reggie Miller's heroics in the Garden that made him a household name and Indiana legitimate contenders in the East.^{[citation needed]}

The Charlotte Hornets made their playoff debut. Their opening-round series versus Boston was also the last time the Celtics made the playoffs with Kevin McHale, who retired after the series, and Robert Parish, who left as a free agent. Game 1 of the series was the final game of Reggie Lewis' career, as he collapsed during the first quarter and did not play for the rest of the series; he died in July of a heart attack.

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals saw the Suns attempt sixty-four free throws while connecting on fifty-seven of them, both NBA postseason records.^[1]

First round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

E1

New York*

3

E8

Indiana

1

E1

New York*

4

E5

Charlotte

1

E4

Boston

1

E5

Charlotte

3

E1

New York*

2

E2

Chicago*

4

E3

Cleveland

3

E6

New Jersey

2

E3

Cleveland

0

E2

Chicago*

4

E2

Chicago*

3

E7

Atlanta

0

E2

Chicago*

4

W1

Phoenix*

2

W1

Phoenix*

3

W8

LA Lakers

2

W1

Phoenix*

4

W5

San Antonio

2

W4

Portland

1

W5

San Antonio

3

W1

Phoenix*

4

W3

Seattle

3

W3

Seattle

3

W6

Utah

2

W3

Seattle

4

W2

Houston*

3

W2

Houston*

3

W7

LA Clippers

2

• John Starks is ejected after headbutting Reggie Miller.

Regular-season series

New York won 3–1 in the regular-season series
December 29, 1992 Recap Indiana Pacers 91, New York Knicks 97 Madison Square Garden, New York City December 30, 1992 Recap New York Knicks 94, Indiana Pacers 90 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis March 14, 1993 Recap Indiana Pacers 90, New York Knicks 121 Madison Square Garden, New York City April 16, 1993 Recap New York Knicks 94, Indiana Pacers 100 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis

This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Knicks.^[2]

• Michael Jordan hits the half-court shot at the buzzer to end the first half.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
November 7, 1992 Recap Atlanta Hawks 100, Chicago Bulls 99 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois December 8, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 114, Atlanta Hawks 123 The Omni, Atlanta February 27, 1993 Recap Atlanta Hawks 92, Chicago Bulls 112 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois April 9, 1993 Recap Chicago Bulls 88, Atlanta Hawks 87 The Omni, Atlanta

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning both meetings.

Previous playoff series^[3]

Atlanta leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series
1967 St. Louis Hawks 3, Chicago Bulls 0 1967 Western Division Semifinals 1970 Atlanta Hawks 4, Chicago Bulls 1 1970 Western Division Semifinals

• Bernard King's final NBA game.

• Maurice Cheeks and Dražen Petrović's final NBA game; Petrović dies a month later in a car crash.
• This would be the last playoff series victory for Cleveland without LeBron James until 2024.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

December 26, 1992 Recap New Jersey Nets 119, Cleveland Cavaliers 114 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio January 13, 1993 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 98, New Jersey Nets 104 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey April 4, 1993 Recap New Jersey Nets 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 105 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio April 10, 1993 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 100, New Jersey Nets 99 Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

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

Previous playoff series^[4]

Cleveland leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1992 Cleveland Cavaliers 3, New Jersey Nets 1 1992 Eastern Conference First Round

• Celtics forward Reggie Lewis's final NBA game, he collapses on the court and did not play for the rest of the series; he dies 3 months later from a heart defect.

• Xavier McDaniel hits the game-tying jumper with 25.8 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT; Kevin McHale hits the game-tying jumper with 6 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

• Alonzo Mourning hits the series-winning shot with 4 tenths left; also Kevin McHale's final NBA game.

Regular-season series

Boston won 3–1 in the regular-season series
November 11, 1992 Recap Boston Celtics 109, Charlotte Hornets 99 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina November 27, 1992 Recap Charlotte Hornets 102, Boston Celtics 111 Boston Garden, Boston January 5, 1993 Recap Boston Celtics 107, Charlotte Hornets 103 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina March 14, 1993 Recap Charlotte Hornets 96, Boston Celtics 93 Boston Garden, Boston

This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Hornets.^[5]

• Dan Majerle hits the game-tying shot with 13.6 seconds left to force OT; After losing the first two games of the series, at the post game press conference Suns head coach Paul Westphal said that they would go to LA and win the next two games and then come back to Phoenix and win game 5, "and everyone will say what a great series it was."

Regular-season series

Phoenix won 5–0 in the regular-season series

December 4, 1992 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 93, Phoenix Suns 103 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona December 18, 1992 Recap Phoenix Suns 116, Los Angeles Lakers 100 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California February 5, 1993 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 104, Phoenix Suns 132 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona March 24, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 120, Los Angeles Lakers 105 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California April 6, 1993 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 114, Phoenix Suns 115 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first seven meetings.

Previous playoff series^[6]

Los Angeles leads 6–1 in all-time playoff series.

1970 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 3 1970 Western Division Semifinals 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 1 1980 Western Conference Semifinals 1982 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 0 1982 Western Conference Semifinals 1984 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 2 1984 Western Conference Finals 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Phoenix Suns 0 1985 Western Conference First Round 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 0 1989 Western Conference Finals 1990 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Phoenix Suns 4 1990 Western Conference Semifinals

Regular-season series

Houston won 4–0 in the regular-season series.

November 24, 1992 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 83, Houston Rockets 88 The Summit, Houston, Texas January 12, 1993 Recap Houston Rockets 113, Los Angeles Clippers 103 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles March 2, 1993 Recap Houston Rockets 99, Los Angeles Clippers 83 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles April 6, 1993 Recap Los Angeles Clippers 101, Houston Rockets 114 The Summit, Houston, Texas

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

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
January 14, 1993 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 89, Utah Jazz 96 Delta Center, Salt Lake City January 18, 1993 Recap Utah Jazz 96, Seattle SuperSonics 106 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle February 11, 1993 Recap Utah Jazz 101, Seattle SuperSonics 96 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle March 19, 1993 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 108, Utah Jazz 97 Delta Center, Salt Lake City

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

Previous playoff series^[8]

Utah leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1992 Seattle SuperSonics 1, Utah Jazz 4 1992 Western Conference Semifinals

• Sean Elliott hits the game-tying lay-up with 1:27 left to force OT.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

November 24, 1992 Recap San Antonio Spurs 91, Portland Trail Blazers 95 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon January 9, 1993 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 93, San Antonio Spurs 109 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio March 13, 1993 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 99, San Antonio Spurs 108 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio April 18, 1993 Recap San Antonio Spurs 101, Portland Trail Blazers 105 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon

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

Previous playoff series^[9]

Portland leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1990 Portland Trail Blazers 4, San Antonio Spurs 3 1990 Western Conference Semifinals

• Alonzo Mourning hits the game-tying shot with 30.9 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT, then hits the game-tying free throws with 12 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT)

Regular-season series

New York won 3–1 in the regular-season series

December 10, 1992 Recap Charlotte Hornets 110, New York Knicks 103 (OT) Madison Square Garden, New York City January 20, 1993 Recap Charlotte Hornets 91, New York Knicks 114 Madison Square Garden, New York City February 17, 1993 Recap New York Knicks 124, Charlotte Hornets 116 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina April 14, 1993 Recap New York Knicks 111, Charlotte Hornets 107 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hornets and the Knicks.^[10]

• Michael Jordan hits the series-winning shot at the buzzer against Cleveland for the second time in his career.

Regular-season series

Cleveland won 3–2 in the regular-season series

November 6, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 101, Cleveland Cavaliers 96 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio December 9, 1992 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois January 6, 1993 Recap Chicago Bulls 95, Cleveland Cavaliers 117 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio February 13, 1993 Recap Cleveland Cavaliers 116, Chicago Bulls 111 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois April 18, 1993 Recap Chicago Bulls 94, Cleveland Cavaliers 103 The Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio

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

Previous playoff series^[11]

Chicago leads 3–0 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 1992 Chicago Bulls 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 2 1992 Eastern Conference Finals

• Charles Barkley hits the series-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left, also the Spurs played their final game at the HemisFair Arena before moving to the Alamodome the following season.

Regular-season series

Phoenix won 3–1 in the regular-season series.
January 3, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 113, San Antonio Spurs 114 (OT) HemisFair Arena, San Antonio January 29, 1993 Recap San Antonio Spurs 110, Phoenix Suns 125 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona February 23, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 105, San Antonio Spurs 103 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio April 24, 1993 Recap San Antonio Spurs 97, Phoenix Suns 99 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

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

Previous playoff series^[12]

Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series.
1992 Phoenix Suns 3, San Antonio Spurs 0 1992 Western Conference First Round

• This Game mark the final time the NBA Playoffs aired only Locally.

• Ricky Pierce hits the game-tying shot with 23.9 seconds left to force OT.

Regular-season series

Seattle won 3–1 in the regular-season series
November 6, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 111, Houston Rockets 94 Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan November 7, 1992 Recap Houston Rockets 85, Seattle SuperSonics 89 Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japan March 21, 1993 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 100, Houston Rockets 89 The Summit, Houston, Texas April 17, 1993 Recap Houston Rockets 86, Seattle SuperSonics 81 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle

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

Previous playoff series^[13]

Seattle leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series
1982 Houston Rockets 1, Seattle SuperSonics 2 1982 Western Conference First Round 1987 Houston Rockets 2, Seattle SuperSonics 4 1987 Western Conference Semifinals 1989 Houston Rockets 0, Seattle SuperSonics 3 1989 Western Conference First Round

• John Starks' famous dunk on Horace Grant and Michael Jordan with 47.3 seconds left in the game.

• Michael Jordan scores 54 points, the most against the Knicks in a playoff game by any player.

• B. J. Armstrong hits the clutch 3 with 1:16 left; Charles Smith gets blocked 4 straight times by Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen at the end of the game.

Regular-season series

New York won 3–1 in the regular-season series.
November 28, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 75, New York Knicks 112 Madison Square Garden, New York City December 25, 1992 Recap New York Knicks 77, Chicago Bulls 89 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois February 12, 1993 Recap New York Knicks 104, Chicago Bulls 98 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois April 25, 1993 Recap Chicago Bulls 84, New York Knicks 89 Madison Square Garden, New York City

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

Previous playoff series^[14]

Chicago leads 4–0 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 1992 Chicago Bulls 4, New York Knicks 3 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Regular-season series

Seattle won 3–2 in the regular-season series.

November 16, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 108, Phoenix Suns 117 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona December 26, 1992 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 110, Phoenix Suns 113 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona January 12, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 113, Seattle SuperSonics 122 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle February 13, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 94, Seattle SuperSonics 95 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle April 16, 1993 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 108, Phoenix Suns 102 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

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

Previous playoff series^[15]

Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series
1976 Phoenix Suns 4, Seattle SuperSonics 2 1976 Western Conference Semifinals 1979 Phoenix Suns 3, Seattle SuperSonics 4 1979 Western Conference Finals

• The team with home-court advantage in the NBA Finals loses the first two games at home for the first time ever.

• This game marks the second time in NBA Finals history that a game goes to triple OT after game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals (in which the Suns lost to the Boston Celtics); Horace Grant hits the game-tying 3-point play with 1:33 left in regulation to force the first OT; Tom Chambers hits the game-tying lay-up with 50.9 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT; Dan Majerle hits the game-tying shot with 3.2 seconds left in the second OT to force the third OT.

• The last NBA Finals game in Chicago Stadium.

• John Paxson hits the title-winning 3 with 3.9 seconds left; Horace Grant then blocks Kevin Johnson just before the buzzer.

Regular-season series

Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series
November 22, 1992 Recap Chicago Bulls 128, Phoenix Suns 111 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona March 30, 1993 Recap Phoenix Suns 113, Chicago Bulls 109 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Suns.^[16]

Category	Game High			Average
	Player	Team	High	Player	Team	Avg.	GP
Points	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	55	Michael Jordan	Chicago Bulls	35.1	19
Rebounds	Charles Barkley	Phoenix Suns	24	A.C. Green	Los Angeles Lakers	14.6	5
Assists	Kevin Johnson	Phoenix Suns	16	John Stockton	Utah Jazz	11.0	5
Steals	Charles Barkley	Phoenix Suns	7	Ron Harper	Los Angeles Clippers	3.0	5
Blocks	Derrick Coleman Hakeem Olajuwon	New Jersey Nets Houston Rockets	9	Hakeem Olajuwon	Houston Rockets	4.8	12

• The league's best team during the regular season, the Phoenix Suns, were on the verge of playoff elimination after losing the first two games at home against the #8 seeded Los Angeles Lakers. However, they recovered to win Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles to tie the series at 2–2. In Game 5, Dan Majerie hit an off-balance mid-range to force overtime. The Suns eventually pulled away to win Game 5, 112–104, at home to avoid becoming the first #1 seed to lose to a #8 seed. This would happen the following postseason, when the #8 Denver Nuggets defeated the #1 Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 (the Nuggets came back from a 2–0 series deficit to pull it off).
• Both #5 seeds, Charlotte and San Antonio, beat their #4 seeded opponent in the first round.
• The fifth-year Charlotte Hornets made their playoff debut, and became the first of the 1988/89 expansion teams (Charlotte, Orlando, Minnesota, and Miami) to win a playoff series, beating Boston 3–1.
• The New York Knicks took a 2–0 series lead over the Chicago Bulls in the Conference Finals. However, headlines in New York papers and tabloids angered and energized Bulls superstar Michael Jordan, who torched the Knicks for 54 points in Game 4 ^[17] after shooting 3–18 in Game 3 to even up the series.^[18] This performance surpassed Sam Jones's 51-point game against the 1967 Knicks as the most points ever scored by a player against the Knicks in a playoff game.^[19] The Bulls went to Madison Square Garden, won Game 5 97–94, and clinched the series at home in Game 6 with a 96–88 victory.^[20]
• Celtics' star Reggie Lewis fainted on the court during Game 1 against the Hornets. He briefly returned to the game before sitting out the rest of the series. He died less than three months later from a heart condition.^{[citation needed]}
• After the Suns defeated the Sonics in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, there were complaints^{[by whom?]} about the free throw comparison between the two teams.^{[citation needed]}
• Game 6 of the Suns–Spurs series was the last game ever played at the HemisFair Arena.
• The Cavaliers defeated the Nets in the Eastern Conference First Round, which was their last playoff series victory until 2006, and their last without LeBron James until 2024. Game 5 of that series was also the last game played by Dražen Petrović, who died in a car accident five weeks later.

• NBA records

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1993 NBA Playoffs page
• Eastern Conf. Semifinals Game 4 "Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavs" on YouTube
• Eastern Conf. Finals Game 5 "Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks" on YouTube