1972 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesMarch 28–May 7, 1972
Season1971–72
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsLos Angeles Lakers (6th title)
Runner-upNew York Knicks
Semifinalists

The 1972 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1971–72 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Wilt Chamberlain was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Lakers finished the regular season with the best record in NBA history at 69–13, a mark that was unequalled until the 1996 Bulls finished 72–10. Led by Chamberlain and Jerry West, the Lakers won their first title in Los Angeles; their last title was in 1954 as the Minneapolis Lakers.

The Lakers won their first NBA Finals in their last nine appearances without superstar Elgin Baylor, who had played in each of the preceding eight losses. He retired nine games into the season because of ongoing knee problems.

The Conference Semifinals series between the Bullets and Knicks would be the last NBA playoff series in which the team with the inferior regular season record held home-court advantage based on division champions holding home-court advantage over a division runner-up through the Conference Finals. Although from 19772015, division champions were either automatically seeded higher than non-division champions or guaranteed a minimum seed regardless of record. However, home-court advantage would be based on regular season record, with division champion status being used as a possible tiebreaker to determine seeding.

Bracket

Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
         
A1 Boston* 4
C2 Atlanta 2
A1 Boston* 1
Eastern Conference
A2 New York 4
C1 Baltimore* 2
A2 New York 4
A2 New York 1
P1 Los Angeles* 4
M1 Milwaukee* 4
P2 Golden State 1
M1 Milwaukee* 2
Western Conference
P1 Los Angeles* 4
P1 Los Angeles* 4
M2 Chicago 0
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(A1) Boston Celtics vs. (C2) Atlanta Hawks

March 29
Atlanta Hawks 108, Boston Celtics 126
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 23–34, 30–33, 25–31
Pts: Lou Hudson 29
Rebs: Don Adams 12
Asts: Herm Gilliam 8
Pts: John Havlicek 32
Rebs: Dave Cowens 16
Asts: John Havlicek 10
Boston leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 12,815
March 31
Boston Celtics 104, Atlanta Hawks 113
Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 22–27, 28–31, 24–23
Pts: John Havlicek 43
Rebs: Dave Cowens 12
Asts: John Havlicek 4
Pts: Lou Hudson 41
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 18
Asts: Herm Gilliam 9
Series tied, 1–1
April 2
Atlanta Hawks 113, Boston Celtics 136
Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 26–41, 28–22, 32–40
Pts: Pete Maravich 37
Rebs: Jim Washington 11
Asts: Pete Maravich 6
Pts: John Havlicek 31
Rebs: Cowens, Finkel 11 each
Asts: Jo Jo White 11
Boston leads series, 2–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 12,094
April 4
Boston Celtics 110, Atlanta Hawks 112
Scoring by quarter: 30–26, 24–26, 26–32, 30–28
Pts: Jo Jo White 32
Rebs: Steve Kuberski 13
Asts: John Havlicek 5
Pts: Pete Maravich 36
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 15
Asts: Don Adams 4
Series tied, 2–2
April 7
Atlanta Hawks 114, Boston Celtics 124
Scoring by quarter: 23–33, 30–25, 31–31, 30–35
Pts: three players 21 each
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 13
Asts: Pete Maravich 8
Pts: John Havlicek 27
Rebs: Dave Cowens 12
Asts: John Havlicek 9
Boston leads series, 3–2
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,315
April 9
Boston Celtics 127, Atlanta Hawks 118
Scoring by quarter: 41–31, 35–33, 24–24, 27–30
Pts: Havlicek, Cowens 26 each
Rebs: Dave Cowens 20
Asts: Jo Jo White 9
Pts: Pete Maravich 37
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 15
Asts: Pete Maravich 5
Boston wins series, 4–2

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the four meetings while the Hawks were based in St. Louis.

(C1) Baltimore Bullets vs. (A2) New York Knicks

March 31
New York Knicks 105, Baltimore Bullets 108 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 24–27, 20–23, 29–25, Overtime: 6–9
Pts: Walt Frazier 31
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 14
Asts: Walt Frazier 6
Pts: Archie Clark 38
Rebs: Wes Unseld 18
Asts: Wes Unseld 6
Baltimore leads series, 1–0
April 2
Baltimore Bullets 88, New York Knicks 110
Scoring by quarter: 17–26, 21–30, 28–23, 22–31
Pts: Archie Clark 18
Rebs: Unseld, Tresvant 10 each
Asts: Archie Clark 7
Pts: Walt Frazier 30
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 14
Asts: Walt Frazier 9
Series tied, 1–1
April 4
New York Knicks 103, Baltimore Bullets 104
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 25–18, 26–31, 25–26
Pts: Earl Monroe 28
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 12
Asts: Bill Bradley 5
Pts: Archie Clark 35
Rebs: Unseld, Tresvant 12 each
Asts: Unseld, Clark 9 each
Baltimore leads series, 2–1
April 6
Baltimore Bullets 98, New York Knicks 104
Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 27–25, 26–32, 25–22
Pts: Archie Clark 22
Rebs: Wes Unseld 16
Asts: Archie Clark 6
Pts: Bill Bradley 25
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 13
Asts: Walt Frazier 8
Series tied, 2–2
April 9
New York Knicks 106, Baltimore Bullets 82
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 22–20, 27–12, 29–27
Pts: Lucas, Monroe 20 each
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 16
Asts: Jerry Lucas 6
Pts: Mike Riordan 16
Rebs: Wes Unseld 13
Asts: Archie Clark 9
New York leads series, 3–2
April 11
Baltimore Bullets 101, New York Knicks 107
Scoring by quarter: 19–27, 25–21, 30–27, 27–32
Pts: Archie Clark 31
Rebs: John Tresvant 8
Asts: Archie Clark 11
Pts: Lucas, Frazier 22 each
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 12
Asts: Frazier, Monroe 5 each
New York wins series, 4–2

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

Western Conference semifinals

(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (M2) Chicago Bulls

March 28
Chicago Bulls 80, Los Angeles Lakers 95
Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 23–26, 21–24, 19–28
Pts: Jerry Sloan 18
Rebs: Clifford Ray 17
Asts: Norm Van Lier 4
Pts: Gail Goodrich 32
Rebs: Chamberlain, Hairston 17 each
Asts: Jerry West 10
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
March 30
Chicago Bulls 124, Los Angeles Lakers 131
Scoring by quarter: 35–30, 26–38, 31–26, 32–37
Pts: Bob Love 26
Rebs: Clifford Ray 12
Asts: Norm Van Lier 10
Pts: Jerry West 37
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 21
Asts: Jerry West 11
Los Angeles leads series, 2–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
April 2
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Chicago Bulls 101
Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 26–25, 25–26, 27–26
Pts: Jerry West 31
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 14
Asts: Jerry West 9
Pts: Norm Van Lier 22
Rebs: Clifford Ray 20
Asts: Norm Van Lier 8
Los Angeles leads series, 3–0
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 17,805
April 4
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Chicago Bulls 97
Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 28–22, 31–25, 31–22
Pts: Gail Goodrich 27
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 31
Asts: Jerry West 10
Pts: Clifford Ray 20
Rebs: Clifford Ray 17
Asts: Norm Van Lier 11
Los Angeles wins series, 4–0
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 18,847

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

(M1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (P2) Golden State Warriors

March 28
Golden State Warriors 117, Milwaukee Bucks 106
Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 33–25, 31–20, 27–25
Pts: Jim Barnett 30
Rebs: Nate Thurmond 20
Asts: Thurmond, Mullins 9 each
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15
Asts: Lucius Allen 8
Golden State leads series, 1–0
March 30
Golden State Warriors 93, Milwaukee Bucks 118
Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 22–22, 20–35, 26–28
Pts: Nate Thurmond 32
Rebs: Thurmond, Lee 18 each
Asts: Mullins, Barnett 5 each
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 22
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Series tied, 1–1
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,746
April 1
Milwaukee Bucks 122, Golden State Warriors 94
Scoring by quarter: 27–18, 31–26, 28–25, 36–25
Pts: Abdul-Jabbar, Dandridge 23 each Pts: Nate Thurmond 21
Milwaukee leads series, 2–1
April 4
Milwaukee Bucks 106, Golden State Warriors 99
Scoring by quarter: 33–32, 25–19, 23–24, 25–24
Pts: Bob Dandridge 31
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20
Asts: Oscar Robertson 11
Pts: Jim Barnett 29
Rebs: Clyde Lee 16
Asts: Jeff Mullins 6
Milwaukee leads series, 3–1
April 6
Golden State Warriors 100, Milwaukee Bucks 108
Scoring by quarter: 29–34, 26–19, 27–31, 18–24
Pts: Nate Thurmond 26 Pts: Bob Dandridge 29
Milwaukee wins series, 4–1
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,746

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

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(A1) Boston Celtics vs. (A2) New York Knicks

April 13
New York Knicks 116, Boston Celtics 94
Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 27–19, 32–31, 31–27
Pts: Walt Frazier 36
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 11
Asts: Jerry Lucas 8
Pts: Jo Jo White 19
Rebs: Dave Cowens 15
Asts: Jo Jo White 5
New York leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,292
April 16
Boston Celtics 105, New York Knicks 106
Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 22–24, 24–29, 29–22
Pts: John Havlicek 29
Rebs: Dave Cowens 18
Asts: John Havlicek 6
Pts: Dave DeBusschere 24
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 17
Asts: three players 4 each
New York leads series, 2–0
April 19
New York Knicks 109, Boston Celtics 115
Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 25–34, 36–25, 26–35
Pts: Bill Bradley 29
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 12
Asts: Dave DeBusschere 6
Pts: Jo Jo White 29
Rebs: Dave Cowens 16
Asts: John Havlicek 11
New York leads series, 2–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,315
April 21
Boston Celtics 98, New York Knicks 116
Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 24–27, 21–29, 25–30
Pts: John Havlicek 27
Rebs: Havlicek, Nelson 9 each
Asts: John Havlicek 6
Pts: Earl Monroe 26
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 16
Asts: Jerry Lucas 7
New York leads series, 3–1
April 23
New York Knicks 111, Boston Celtics 103
Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 27–28, 33–24, 28–24
Pts: Dave DeBusschere 24
Rebs: Frazier, DeBusschere 11 each
Asts: Walt Frazier 7
Pts: John Havlicek 32
Rebs: Dave Cowens 15
Asts: Jo Jo White 9
New York wins series, 4–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,315

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

Western Conference finals

(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (M1) Milwaukee Bucks

April 9
Milwaukee Bucks 93, Los Angeles Lakers 72
Scoring by quarter: 19-19, 18–15, 31–8, 25–30
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33
Rebs: Curtis Perry 23
Asts: Oscar Robertson 10
Pts: Happy Hairston 16
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24
Asts: Jerry West 6
Milwaukee leads series, 1–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
April 12
Milwaukee Bucks 134, Los Angeles Lakers 135
Scoring by quarter: 38–37, 28–35, 30–34, 38–29
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 40
Rebs: Curtis Perry 12
Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson 7 each
Pts: Jim McMillian 42
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 17
Asts: Jerry West 13
Series tied, 1–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
April 14
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Milwaukee Bucks 105
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 30–22, 26–31, 26–24
Pts: Gail Goodrich 30
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 14
Asts: Jerry West 8
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21
Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Allen 6 each
Los Angeles leads series, 2–1
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,746
April 16
Los Angeles Lakers 88, Milwaukee Bucks 114
Scoring by quarter: 21–32, 24-24, 20–21, 23–37
Pts: Jerry West 24
Rebs: Chamberlain, Hairston 11 each
Asts: Chamberlain, West 4 each
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31
Rebs: Curtis Perry 19
Asts: Oscar Robertson 10
Series tied, 2–2
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,746
April 18
Milwaukee Bucks 90, Los Angeles Lakers 115
Scoring by quarter: 24-24, 22–31, 23–35, 21–25
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 28
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16
Asts: Bob Dandridge 4
Pts: Jim McMillian 25
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 26
Asts: Jerry West 10
Los Angeles leads series, 3–2
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
April 22
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Milwaukee Bucks 100
Scoring by quarter: 25-25, 26–27, 21–25, 32–23
Pts: Jerry West 25
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24
Asts: Jerry West 9
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 37
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25
Asts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8
Los Angeles wins series, 4–2
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,746

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

NBA Finals: (P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (A2) New York Knicks

April 26
New York Knicks 114, Los Angeles Lakers 92
Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 34–21, 19–19, 28–24
Pts: Bill Bradley 29
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 18
Asts: Walt Frazier 11
Pts: Gail Goodrich 20
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 19
Asts: Jerry West 7
New York leads series, 1–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
Referees: Richie Powers, Ed Rush
April 30
New York Knicks 92, Los Angeles Lakers 106
Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 24–21, 11–28, 31–27
Pts: Walt Frazier 21
Rebs: Lucas, Jackson 11 each
Asts: Walt Frazier 7
Pts: Gail Goodrich 31
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24
Asts: Jerry West 13
Series tied, 1–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Jack Madden
May 3
Los Angeles Lakers 107, New York Knicks 96
Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 29–19, 28–18, 27–31
Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 26
Rebs: Chamberlain, Hairston 20 each
Asts: Jerry West 8
Pts: Walt Frazier 25
Rebs: Jerry Lucas 14
Asts: Jerry Lucas 6
Los Angeles leads series, 2–1
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,588
Referees: Don Murphy, Richie Powers
May 5
Los Angeles Lakers 116, New York Knicks 111 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 27–28, 25–25, 23–20, Overtime: 15–10
Pts: Jerry West 28
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24
Asts: Jerry West 7
Pts: Bill Bradley 26
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 13
Asts: Jerry Lucas 11
Los Angeles leads series, 3–1
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 19,588
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Jake O'Donnell
May 7
New York Knicks 100, Los Angeles Lakers 114
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 29–27, 25–30, 22–31
Pts: Walt Frazier 31
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 14
Asts: Walt Frazier 10
Pts: Gail Goodrich 25
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 29
Asts: Jerry West 9
Los Angeles wins series, 4–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
Referees: Richie Powers, Jack Madden
  • The Lakers win their first title after moving to Los Angeles.

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

See also

References

  1. "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Boston Celtics (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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