The 2001 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 2000-01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion

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 ...

defeating the Eastern Conference champion

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 ...

4 games to 1.

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 ...

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 ...

for the second straight year. Since 2001, the 76ers have not returned to the NBA Finals. This was the 76ers' first Finals appearance since

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A cen ...

and

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

led the 1983 team to the NBA title (coincidentally, last defeating the Lakers) in the famous "fo', fo', fo'" year (it ended up being "fo', fi', fo'", as Philadelphia lost one second-round game to the Milwaukee Bucks that year). However, it was the Lakers' turn to put together the most dominant postseason in NBA history, going 15–1 with their only loss coming in OT to the Sixers in Game 1 of the Finals. They set many records, including going undefeated in regulation and on the road (finishing 8–0 in the latter category). They were the second NBA champion to defeat four 50-win or better teams on their way to the title as the Rockets did it first in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

. The Lakers also equaled the previous records set by their 1989 team by winning their first 11 post-season games and sweeping three series in the post-season. Their playoff dominance would be bested after the first round of playoffs was extended to a best of seven format instead of the best of five in the

2003 NBA playoffs The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2002–03 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey ...

by the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors who would go 16-1 on their way to their fifth championship. The

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

won their first playoff series since 1989, made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

and won the division for the first time since that year. The

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 ...

made the playoffs for the first time 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 ...

. Along the way they had many abysmal seasons, including back-to-back years with 11 and 13 wins. By beating Utah in the first round, they won their first playoff series since

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The venu ...

, their home court for 21 years, hosted its last game (Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs); they moved to

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas S ...

, the next season. The

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

won their first playoff series since

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

(when they were the Kansas City Kings) and the first since moving to Sacramento. The

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

won their first playoff series in franchise history 3–2 over 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 ...

. For the first time since

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, the Knicks failed to win a first-round playoff series.

Bracket

Playoff qualifying

Western Conference

Best record in NBA

The

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 ( ...

clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when they lost to the

in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals. San Antonio's 58 games remains the lowest for a team with home court advantage throughout the playoffs, being 3 games fewer than the Pacers and Cavs' 61 in 2004 and 2010, respectively.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West: #

(58-24, clinched Midwest division) #

(56-26, clinched Pacific division) #

(55-27) #

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

(53-29) #

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

(51-31) #

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

(50-32) #

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

(47-35)

Eastern Conference

Best record in conference

The

clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clinched a playoff berth

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East: #

(56-26, clinched Atlantic division) #

(52-30, clinched Central division) #

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 ...

(50-32) #

(48-34) #

(47-35) #

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

(46-36) #

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 ...

(43-39) #

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 ...

(41-41)

First Round

:''Note: Times are EDT ( UTC−4) as listed by NBA.

Eastern Conference First Round

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Indiana Pacers

*In Game 1,

Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-p ...

hit the game-winning 3 with 2.9 seconds left. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pacers winning two of the first three meetings.

(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (7) Orlando Magic

*In Game 3, Ray Allen sends the game to overtime with a dunk over Tracy McGrady with 3.5 seconds left. This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the Magic.

(3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats franchise.

(4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

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

Western Conference First Round

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves

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

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers

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

(3) Sacramento Kings vs. (6) Phoenix Suns

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

(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

*In Game 5,

Calvin Booth Calvin Lawrence Booth (born May 7, 1976) is an American basketball executive and a former professional basketball player who currently serves as the General Manager for the Denver Nuggets. College career Booth attended Penn State University afte ...

made the series winning layup with 9.6 seconds left. The Mavs would then not only become the 8th team in playoff history to overcome an 0–2 deficit, but also win their first playoff series since 1988. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first meeting.

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Toronto Raptors

*76ers ended a 16-year drought by advancing to the conference finals when

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

's long jumper at the buzzer bounced off the rim. This was the first playoff meeting between the 76ers and the Raptors.

(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hornets and the Bucks.

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Spurs.

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Sacramento Kings

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

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks

This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning five of the first eight meetings.

Western Conference Finals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers

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

NBA Finals: (W2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E1) Philadelphia 76ers

*In Game 1,

Allen Iverson Allen Ezail Iverson (; born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iver ...

scored 48 points in his first-ever Finals game as the 76ers ended Lakers' 11-game playoff winning streak (19 overall) and ended the Lakers' perfect playoff run that season. This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings.

References

External links

NBA.com's 2001 Playoffs coverage
{{2000–01 NBA season by team National Basketball Association playoffs

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 ...

Sports in Portland, Oregon fi:NBA-kausi 2000–2001#Pudotuspelit