1995 NBA playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic four games to none in the NBA Finals. The Rockets became the fourth consecutive team to win championships back-to-back (after the Los Angeles Lakers of 1987 and '88, Detroit Pistons of '89 and '90 and Chicago Bulls of '91, '92 and '93). It would happen a fifth time, with the Bulls winning three more starting the next year.
The sixth-seeded Rockets (47-35) took out four very impressive opponents on their way to the title, defeating the third-seeded Utah Jazz (60-22), the second-seeded Phoenix Suns (59-23), the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs (62-20) and the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic (57-25) in the NBA Finals. In the second round against the Suns, the Rockets came back from a 3-1 series deficit and did it without the benefit of home-court advantage, winning Games 5 and 7 in Phoenix. Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon dominated league MVP David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal in consecutive series to bring home the championship.
The 1995 playoffs featured the first three playoff series victories in the history of the Magic, as they defeated the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers to win their first Eastern Conference championship.
The 1995 playoffs featured the return of Michael Jordan to the playoff stage after a year's absence, and the only time the Bulls would fail to win a championship with him on board since they started their string of titles in 1991. After this tournament the Bulls would win three more titles in '96, '97 and '98.
Game 4 of the Celtics-Magic series was the final NBA game ever played at Boston Garden. However, it would be seven years before the Celtics returned to the playoffs, this time in the new FleetCenter (now TD Garden).
Game 3 of the Blazers-Suns series was the last game ever played at the Memorial Coliseum. The Blazers continued their playoff streak at Rose Garden for the next seven years.
The Indiana Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year (and finally defeated the New York Knicks on their way to doing so), but this time found the Magic too powerful to overcome as they had the previous year. Coincidentally, in this postseason the Pacers met all three of the playoff opponents (Orlando, Atlanta and New York) as they had the previous year—just in a different order.
Since the NBA expanded the NBA playoffs to a 16-team format in 1984, the Utah Jazz became just the second team (along with the 1994 Seattle SuperSonics) to win at least 60 regular season games and lose in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, when they were lost to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets.
Bracket
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | San Antonio | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Denver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | San Antonio | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | L.A. Lakers | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Seattle | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | San Antonio | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Utah | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Houston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Portland | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| W6 | Houston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Orlando | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Orlando | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Boston | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Orlando | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Charlotte | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Orlando | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Indiana | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Cleveland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Indiana | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Indiana | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Atlanta | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference
Champion: Houston Rockets
1st Round
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Denver Nuggets: Spurs win series 3-0
- Game 1 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (April 28): San Antonio 104, Denver 88
- Game 2 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (April 30): San Antonio 122, Denver 96
- Game 3 @ McNichols Sports Arena, Denver (May 2): San Antonio 99, Denver 95
Last Playoff Meeting: 1990 Western Conference First Round (San Antonio won 3-0)
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Portland Trail Blazers: Suns win series 3-0
- Game 1 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (April 28): Phoenix 129, Portland 102
- Game 2 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (April 30): Phoenix 103, Portland 94
- Game 3 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (May 2): Phoenix 117, Portland 109
Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Western Conference Semifinals (Portland won 4-1)
(3) Utah Jazz vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 3-2
- Game 1 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (April 27): Utah 102, Houston 100
- Game 2 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (April 29): Houston 140, Utah 126
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 3): Utah 95, Houston 82
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 5): Houston 123, Utah 106
- Game 5 @ Delta Center, Salt Lake City (May 7): Houston 95, Utah 91
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Western Conference Finals (Houston won 4-1)
(4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers win series 3-1
- Game 1 @ Tacoma Dome, Tacoma (April 27): Seattle 96, Los Angeles 71
- Game 2 @ Tacoma Dome, Tacoma (April 29): Los Angeles 84, Seattle 82
- Game 3 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 1): Los Angeles 105, Seattle 101
- Game 4 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 4): Los Angeles 114, Seattle 110
Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-0)
Conference Semifinals
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Spurs win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 6): San Antonio 110, Los Angeles 94
- Game 2 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 8): San Antonio 97, Los Angeles 90 (OT)
- Game 3 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 12): Los Angeles 92, San Antonio 85
- Game 4 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 14): San Antonio 80, Los Angeles 71
- Game 5 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 16): Los Angeles 98, San Antonio 96 (OT) (Nick Van Exel nails 3-point game-winning with 0.5 seconds remaining in OT)
- Game 6 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 18): San Antonio 100, Los Angeles 88
Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Western Conference First Round (Los Angeles won 3-0)
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 9): Phoenix 130, Houston 108
- Game 2 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 11): Phoenix 118, Houston 94
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 13): Houston 118, Phoenix 85
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 14): Phoenix 114, Houston 110
- Game 5 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 16): Houston 103, Phoenix 97 (OT)
- Game 6 @ The Summit, Houston (May 18): Houston 116, Phoenix 103
- Game 7 @ America West Arena, Phoenix (May 20): Houston 115, Phoenix 114 (Mario Elie hits a 3 with 7.1 seconds to play. Then-NBC commentator Greg Gumbel called it the 'Kiss of Death' after Elie's gesture to the Suns fans.)
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Western Conference Semifinals (Houston won 4-3)
Conference Finals
(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 22): Houston 94, San Antonio 93 (Robert Horry hits the game-winner with 6.5 seconds remaining)
- Game 2 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 24): Houston 106, San Antonio 96
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 26): San Antonio 107, Houston 102
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 28): San Antonio 103, Houston 81
- Game 5 @ Alamodome, San Antonio (May 30): Houston 111, San Antonio 90
- Game 6 @ The Summit, Houston (June 1): Houston 100, San Antonio 95
Last Playoff Meeting: 1981 Western Conference Semifinals (Houston won 4-3)
Eastern Conference
Champion: Orlando Magic
1st Round
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Boston Celtics: Magic win series 3-1
- Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 28): Orlando 124, Boston 77
- Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (April 30): Boston 99, Orlando 92
- Game 3 @ Boston Garden, Boston (May 3): Orlando 82, Boston 77
- Game 4 @ Boston Garden, Boston (May 5): Orlando 95, Boston 92
Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)
(2) Indiana Pacers vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks: Pacers win series 3-0
- Game 1 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (April 27): Indiana 90, Atlanta 82
- Game 2 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (April 29): Indiana 105, Atlanta 97
- Game 3 @ The Omni, Atlanta (May 2): Indiana 105, Atlanta 89
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Indiana won 4-2)
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Cleveland Cavaliers: Knicks win series 3-1
- Game 1 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (April 27): New York 103, Cleveland 79
- Game 2 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (April 29): Cleveland 90, New York 84
- Game 3 @ Gund Arena, Cleveland (May 1): New York 83, Cleveland 81
- Game 4 @ Gund Arena, Cleveland (May 4): New York 93, Cleveland 80
Last Playoff Meeting: 1978 Eastern Conference First Round (New York won 2-0)
(4) Charlotte Hornets vs. (5) Chicago Bulls: Bulls win series 3-1
- Game 1 @ Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte (April 28): Chicago 108, Charlotte 100 (OT)
- Game 2 @ Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte (April 30): Charlotte 106, Chicago 89
- Game 3 @ United Center, Chicago (May 2): Chicago 103, Charlotte 80
- Game 4 @ United Center, Chicago (May 4): Chicago 85, Charlotte 84
Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)
Conference Semifinals
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Chicago Bulls: Magic win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 7): Orlando 94, Chicago 91 (Nick Anderson's clutch steal off Michael Jordan lead to his comments on Jordan's jersey number, which he thought he was playing like a 45-year old).
- Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 10): Chicago 104, Orlando 94
- Game 3 @ United Center, Chicago (May 12): Orlando 110, Chicago 101
- Game 4 @ United Center, Chicago (May 14): Chicago 106, Orlando 95
- Game 5 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 16): Orlando 103, Chicago 95
- Game 6 @ United Center, Chicago (May 18): Orlando 108, Chicago 102
Last Playoff Meeting: Not available (first playoff series)
(2) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) New York Knicks: Pacers win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 7): Indiana 107, New York 105 (Reggie Miller scores 8 points in a span of 8.9 seconds, including 2 consecutive three-pointers in 5.5 seconds, to rally Pacers from a 6-point deficit in the last 18.7 seconds)
- Game 2 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 9): New York 96, Indiana 77
- Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 11): Indiana 97, New York 95 (OT)
- Game 4 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 13): Indiana 98, New York 84
- Game 5 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 17): New York 96, Indiana 95
- Game 6 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 19): New York 92, Indiana 82
- Game 7 @ Madison Square Garden, New York City (May 21): Indiana 97, New York 95
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Eastern Conference Finals (New York won 4-3)
Conference Finals
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: Magic win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 23): Orlando 105, Indiana 101
- Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 25): Orlando 119, Indiana 114
- Game 3 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 27): Indiana 105, Orlando 100
- Game 4 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (May 29): Indiana 94, Orlando 93 (Four consecutive clutch shots to end the game; 1st: Brian Shaw's 3 with 13.3 seconds left; 2nd; Reggie Miller's 3 with 5.2 seconds left; 3rd: Penny Hardaway's 3 with 1.3 seconds left; Finally, Rik Smits' shot at the buzzer)
- Game 5 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (May 31): Orlando 108, Indiana 106
- Game 6 @ Market Square Arena, Indianapolis (June 2): Indiana 123, Orlando 96
- Game 7 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (June 4): Orlando 105, Indiana 81
Last Playoff Meeting: 1994 Eastern Conference First Round (Indiana won 3-0)
NBA finals
(1) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 4-0
- Game 1 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (June 7): Houston 120, Orlando 118 (OT) (Nick Anderson missed four straight free throws to set up Kenny Smith's clutch three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to send the game into OT; In OT, Hakeem Olajuwon tips in a missed layup by Clyde Drexler with 0.3 seconds left to win it)
- Game 2 @ Orlando Arena, Orlando (June 9): Houston 117, Orlando 106
- Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (June 11): Houston 106, Orlando 103 (Robert Horry hit a 3 to make it 104-100 with 14.1 seconds left)
- Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (June 14): Houston 113, Orlando 101
Notes
- For the third straight postseason, both #5 seeds beat their #4 seeded opponent in the first round.
- The Rockets are the lowest seeded team to ever win a title.