The 2011 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
's
2010–11 season. The tournament concluded with the
Western Conference champion
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
defeating the
Eastern Conference champion
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
4 games to 2 in the
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gr ...
was named
NBA Finals MVP
The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...
.
The
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
achieved several "firsts" since
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
: the East's best record, a
Central Division title, and over 60 victories. They also clinched the NBA's best record for the first time since
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, guaranteeing home-court advantage in every round. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998, and lost the ECF for the first time since 1990.
The
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
appeared in the playoffs for the first time since
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, as did the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...
. The
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
made the playoffs for the first time since
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, but this was their first playoff appearance as an above-.500 team since
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
. The
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
and
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
appeared for the third time in 4 years. The other 11 teams were in the
2010 NBA playoffs. The
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
headed to the playoffs with their first
Northwest Division title under this incarnation.
This was the final postseason appearance for the New Orleans franchise while known as the Hornets, as the team was renamed the
Pelicans
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
before the
2013–14 season.
For the first time since the 16-team format was introduced in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, the top two seeds from the same conference (
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
and
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
of the West) lost Game 1 of the first round. The Spurs lost to the Grizzlies, who won their first playoff game in team history, while the Lakers lost Game 1 to the Hornets and were subsequently swept by the Mavericks in the next round.
Dwight Howard
Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team m ...
of the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
tied a franchise record with 46 points (31 in the first half) in Game 1 of the first round against the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
, tying
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...
's total in Game 2 of the
2003 First Round against the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
.
With a 4–1 series win over the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
, the Thunder won their first playoff series since relocating to Oklahoma City. The
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
swept a best-of-7 playoff series for the first time since winning the
1986 Eastern Conference Finals with a 4-game sweep of the Bucks; prior to the series win they had not swept a series overall since
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, in
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
's final season.
The Grizzlies followed up their first playoff-game win with their first playoff series win ever. They became the fourth 8th-seeded team ever to advance to the Conference Semifinals after defeating the Spurs in 6, and the second since the first round expanded to a best-of-7 format in 2003. In addition, this marked the first time that no first-round series was pushed to a
Game 7
A game seven is the final game of a best of seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA pl ...
since the current format was introduced. Also, the 2011 Playoffs was the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
that only one series went to a Game 7. Would be happen again until
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
without any Game 7 in the First Round of the Playoffs.
The
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, who went to the Finals the previous 3 years, were swept by the Mavericks in the second round. It was the first time that Lakers head coach
Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
had been swept in a playoff series. It would be the first time since
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
and only the second since
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
in which the Lakers lost a Western Conference playoff series despite having home court advantage.
Game 7 of the Grizzlies–Thunder series ensured a 12th straight postseason with at least one Game 7 played. The last without one was the
1999 NBA playoffs
The 1999 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York K ...
.
Format
The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualified for the playoffs. The
seedings are based on each team's record. However, a division champion is guaranteed to be ranked at least fourth, regardless of their record and their winnings.
Tiebreak procedures
The tiebreakers that determined seedings were:
#Division leader wins tie against team not leading a division
#Head-to-head record
#Division record (if all tied teams are in the same division)
#Conference record
#Record vs. playoff teams, own conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams)
#Record vs. playoff teams, other conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams) (this tiebreaker does not apply if 3 or more tied teams)
#
Point differential
Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
, all games
Playoff qualifying
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
''— = Did not achieve''
Notes
Bracket
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage for the playoffs does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams with home court advantage are shown in italics. If two teams with same record met in a round use normal tiebreakers. Tiebreakers in NBA Finals are head-to-head and record vs opposite conference.
First Round
:''All times are in
Eastern Daylight Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...
(
UTC−4)''
Eastern Conference First Round
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
;Regular-season series
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.
This series pitted the team with the best record in the regular season against the team with the worst record in the playoffs. As such this series was expected to be a very easy one for the Bulls. However, despite the Bulls winning 4-1 the series was much closer than this figure would indicate. Except for the last game each was heavily contested with each of the first 4 being decided by 6 points or less. The series could have easily gone 6 or 7 games had the Pacers been able to convert in the end of game situations in each of the first 3 games. However, despite their struggles the Bulls were able to take the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second time since the Michael Jordan era (they advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2007).
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
;Regular-season series
This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the 76ers.
The newly revamped Heat, with the much publicized acquisition of all stars and franchise players LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the off-season, were heavy favorites going into this series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Along with Dwyane Wade, James and Bosh comprised the "Big 3", and were eager to show critics that they were a team that could compete in the playoffs after some slip-ups during the regular season (a 9-8 start, a 5-game losing streak, and a not so favorable record against the best teams in the league). However, many pundits believed that the end of the season showed the Heat playing the best they had all season. Although the Sixers offered some resistance to the Heat, including some close games and a come from behind victory the Heat were able to take it in five and advance out of the first round for the first time since their NBA Championship in 2006.
(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
;Regular-season series
This was the 14th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning seven of the first 13 meetings.
Due to the Celtics' struggles at the end of the regular season as well as the star power of the New York Knicks in
Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
and
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...
this was a favorite first round upset for many. In the first two games the Knicks were indeed able to show they could contend with the defending Eastern Conference champions. In Game 1,
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in ...
made a game winning three-pointer after being freed up by a controversial screen. The next two games the Celtics took fairly easily as injuries to both
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...
and Amar'e Stoudemire took their toll on the Knicks. This was the only sweep of the first round.
(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
;Regular-season series
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first two meetings.
Despite having won the season series against the Magic the Atlanta Hawks were touted as underdogs against the Orlando Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. In the first game of the series the Hawks were unable to contain Howard as he scored 46 points – however, by limiting the contributions of the Magic's role players they were able to get a victory and steal home court advantage from the Magic. Although the Magic won the next game, better play by the Hawks down the stretch and the inability of the Magic to convert on 3-point shots (the Magic shot 2-23 from beyond the arc in game 4) gave the Hawks a 3-1 lead. The next two games were split and the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the third straight year.
Western Conference First Round
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
;Regular-season series
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting.
The eighth seeded Grizzlies won their first playoff game in franchise history after they defeated the top seeded Spurs 101-98 in Game 1. The Spurs evened the series up in Game 2, but the Grizzlies won Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. In Game 5 with only 1.7 seconds left in regulation,
Gary Neal
Gary Neal (born October 3, 1984) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball at La Salle University and Towson University. He began his professional career abroad with teams in Turkey, Spain and ...
tied the game with a 3-point
buzzer beater
In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...
to force OT. The Spurs won in OT 110-103. In Game 6, the Grizzlies won their first ever playoff series in franchise history when they defeated the Spurs 99-91, winning the series 4-2. In addition, the Grizzlies became just the second eighth seeded team to knock off a top seeded team since the NBA went to a best-of-seven series in the first round.
[Grizzlies vs. Spurs , Western Conference First Round , 2011 NBA Playoffs](_blank)
NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
;Regular-season series
This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers
;Regular-season series
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning two of the first three meetings.
The Mavericks won the first two games of the series, but the Trail Blazers won Games 3 and 4 to tie the series 2-2. In Game 4, the Trail Blazers played from behind most of the game, at one point trailing the Mavericks by 23 points late in the third quarter. Entering the final quarter down 67-49, the Trail Blazers, with the help of
Brandon Roy
Brandon Dawayne Roy (born July 23, 1984) is an American basketball coach and former player. He serves as the head coach of the boys' basketball team at Garfield High School in Seattle. Roy played six seasons in the National Basketball Associati ...
's 18 fourth quarter points, embarked on their biggest fourth quarter comeback in franchise history to win the game 84-82. However, the Mavericks recovered from their Game 4 collapse and won Games 5 and 6 to win the series 4-2.
[Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks , Western Conference First Round , 2011 NBA Playoffs](_blank)
NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (5) Denver Nuggets
;Regular-season series
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nuggets winning two of the first three meetings. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
.
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference Semifinals
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
;Regular-season series
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the each team winning two series apiece.
(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Boston Celtics
*Game 4 is
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
's final NBA game.
;Regular-season series
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
The series was seen as a way for Heat small forward
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
to exact revenge on the Celtics after Boston eliminated James' former team the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. James called the series "personal", saying "...You don't want to keeping getting beat by the same team, the same team keep sending you home to plan a vacation..."
[Celtics vs. Heat , Easter Conference Semi-Finals , 2011 Playoffs]
NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
The Heat won the first two games of the series to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Celtics cut the series lead in half by winning Game 3 97-81. In that game, Boston point guard
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...
dislocated his left elbow on a bizarre play where he became tangled up with Dwyane Wade. Despite his injury, Rondo still contributed to the Celtics' victory with his 11 assists and 4 points in the fourth quarter, however his left arm was visibly limp the rest of the series and he was unable to play at his customarily high level.
[
Miami bounced back after the Game 3 loss and won Games 4 and 5, winning the series 4-1 and returning to their first Eastern Conference Finals since the ]2006 NBA playoffs
The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks ...
.[
]
Western Conference Semifinals
(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Dallas Mavericks
;Regular-season series
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
The Mavericks won the first two games of the series in Los Angeles, including overcoming a 16-point late third-quarter deficit in Game 1. The Mavericks then overcame another second-half deficit in Game 3 to win 98–92. In Game 4, the Mavericks blew out the Lakers 122–86, sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions from the playoffs. In that game, Dallas scored 20 three-pointers
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a Field goal (basketball), field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, i ...
, equaling an NBA record. Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry
Jason Eugene Terry (born September 15, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 19 seasons in the NBA as a combo guard and is ...
led the team in scoring with 32 points while making 9 of his 10 3-point attempts, tying another NBA playoff record that would go unequaled for nearly five years.[Mavericks vs. Lakers , Western Conference Semi-Finals , 2011 NBA Playoffs](_blank)
NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011 Also in the same game, Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After they selected him in the first roun ...
was ejected and eventually fined and suspended for five games of the next season after he committed a flagrant foul
In basketball, a flagrant foul is a personal foul that involves excessive or violent contact that could injure the fouled player. A flagrant foul may be unintentional or purposeful; the latter type is also called an "intentional foul" in the Nati ...
on J. J. Barea.[Andrew Bynum suspended, fined](_blank)
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Retrieved 14 June 2011
This series was the first time a team coached by Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...
was swept in the playoffs.
(4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
;Regular-season series
This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Thunder.
The Grizzlies and Thunder split the first 2 games of the series. In Game 3, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead after overcoming a 16-point deficit late in the 3rd quarter. The Thunder tied the series in Game 4 after winning in triple OT 133-123. The Thunder blew out the Grizzlies in Game 5 99-72, but the Grizzlies tied the series at 3 when they defeated the Thunder 95-83 in Game 6. The Thunder finally advanced to their first conference finals since they moved from Seattle when they eliminated the Grizzlies 105-90 in Game 7. In that game, Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...
became the fifth player to record a triple double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
in a Game 7.[Grizzlies vs. Thunder , Western Conference Semi-Finals , 2011 NBA Playoffs](_blank)
NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference Finals
(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat
;Regular-season series
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning four of the first five meetings.
Going into the series, Chicago had swept Miami in the regular season. The Bulls took Game 1 by blowing out the Heat 103-82. However, Miami won the next four consecutive games to win the series 4-1. In Game 5, Miami came back from a 12-point deficit with only three minutes left in the fourth quarter to win the game 83-80.
NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011
This series marked the first time the Bulls lost 4 consecutive games in the season.[
]
Western Conference Finals
(3) Dallas Mavericks vs. (4) Oklahoma City Thunder
;Regular-season series
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. All previous meetings took place while the Thunder franchise were still known as the Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gr ...
of the Dallas Mavericks set a playoff record for most free throws made without a miss with 24, previously held by Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...
(21) in 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
. The Mavericks won 121-112. The Thunder and Mavericks then split the next two games. In Game 4, the Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit with only five minutes left in regulation to win the game in OT and take a 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks then overcame another late 4th quarter deficit in Game 5 to win the game 100-96 and the series 4-1 and reach their first finals since 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.[Thunder vs. Mavericks , Western Conference Finals , 2011 NBA Playoffs](_blank)
. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011. It would be the last time that neither the 1st seed or the 2nd seed reached the Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to:
* NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association
* NHL Conference Finals
The National Hockey League (NHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship series of the NHL. ...
until 2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
.
NBA Finals: (E2) Miami Heat vs. (W3) Dallas Mavericks
;Regular-season series
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.
Statistic leaders
References
External links
2011 playoffs at NBA.com
2011 NBA Playoffs at ESPN
{{2010–11 NBA season by team
Playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
National Basketball Association playoffs
Sports in Portland, Oregon
ABS-CBN television specials
fi:NBA-kausi 2010–2011#Pudotuspelit