2011 NBA playoffs

The San Antonio Spurs entered their fourteenth consecutive postseason. They also entered as the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 2006, in addition to entering the postseason with 50+ regular season wins for the twelfth consecutive season.

The two-time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers entered their sixth consecutive postseason. However, this would be their first since 2007 without posting the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks entered their eleventh consecutive postseason, and their eleventh straight appearance having won 50+ games in the regular season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the playoffs with their first Northwest Division title under this incarnation.

The Denver Nuggets entered their eighth consecutive postseason and their first since 1995 without Carmelo Anthony on the roster.

The Portland Trail Blazers entered their third consecutive postseason.

The New Orleans Hornets also returned to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. However, this was also their final postseason appearance before the franchise was renamed the Pelicans before the 2013–14 season. They lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games, and would not return to the playoffs until 2015.

The Memphis Grizzlies also made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Unlike their previous three appearances, in which they were swept in the first round, The Grizzlies broke their trend by winning Game 1 of their series against the Spurs, their first playoff win in franchise history.

The Phoenix Suns, despite a run to the Western Conference finals last postseason, missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. This would also mark the start of a ten-season postseason drought for the Suns.

The Utah Jazz missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The Chicago Bulls achieved several "firsts" since 1998: 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, guaranteeing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Miami Heat entered their third consecutive postseason, and their first in the Big 3 era of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh. They would also open the playoffs at home for the first time since 2006. Their in–state rivals, the Orlando Magic, entered their fifth consecutive postseason. In addition, for the first time, both franchises would open their playoff runs at home.

The New York Knicks made the playoffs for the first time since 2004, but this was their first playoff appearance as an above-.500 team since 2001. However, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.

The Philadelphia 76ers appeared for the third time in four seasons. However, they lost in the first round to the Miami Heat.

The Indiana Pacers made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, despite posting a sub .500 record. However, they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round.

By losing Game 1 of their series against the New Orleans Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers joined the San Antonio Spurs as the first top seeds to lose an opening game of the playoffs since the 16–team playoff format was introduced.

In Game 1 of the first round series between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic tied a franchise record with 46 points (31 in the first half), tying Tracy McGrady's total in Game 2 of the 2003 First Round against the Detroit Pistons. This also marked the first home playoff game with new Amway Center (now called Kia Center)

In Game 4 of their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 23-point deficit to tie the series at 2. However, the Mavericks would go on to win the series in six games, giving the Trail Blazers their sixth consecutive first round series loss. They would not return to the playoffs until 2014.

With their first round win over the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first playoff series since relocating from Seattle. This also marked the first playoff series win for Kevin Durant.

With their first round sweep of the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics 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, in Larry Bird's final season. However, they lost to the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.

With their first round series victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat won their first playoff series since 2006, when they last won the NBA Championship. It also marked the first playoff series win for Erik Spoelstra as a head coach.

With their first round series win over the Indians Pacers, the Chicago Bulls won their first playoff series since 2007.

In Game 6 of their first round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Memphis Grizzlies followed up their first playoff win by winning their first playoff series. They became the fourth eighth seeded team to beat a top seeded team in the first round, and the second team to do so since the first round expanded to a best–of–seven format in 2003. The Golden State Warriors were the most recent team to accomplish this feat.

With their series loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic became the first team coached by Stan Van Gundy to lose a first round playoff series.

For the first time since the current NBA Playoff format was introduced in 2003, no first-round series was pushed to a Game 7.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks met in the playoffs for the first time since 1988. It also marked the lone postseason meeting that Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki would ever have. The series was extremely notable for the following reasons.

• Game 1: The Dallas Mavericks overcame a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to win the game.
• Game 2: The Los Angeles Lakers lost the first two games of a playoff series at home.
• Game 3: The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 7-point fourth quarter lead to lose 92–98.
• Game 4
• The Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record with 20 three pointers (with Jason Terry shooting nine of them).
• Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom getting ejected 45 seconds apart
• With a 122–86 victory, the Dallas Mavericks not only swept the Los Angeles Lakers, but they also made the conference finals for the first time since 2006 (and fourth overall), and vindicated themselves following their shocking first round exit four years earlier.
• This would also prove to be Phil Jackson's final game as an NBA head coach.
• Their series loss to the Dallas Mavericks marked the Los Angeles Lakers' first series loss despite having home court advantage since 1996. It also marked Phil Jackson's first time being swept in a playoff series.

Game 4 of the Heat–Celtics series was Shaquille O'Neal's final NBA game; he would announce his retirement three weeks later. It also marked the second time (the first being 2007) that his and Kobe Bryant's teams were eliminated in the same playoff series since the duo broke up in 2004.

With their conference semifinals win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls returned to the conference finals for the first time since 1998, when they last made the NBA Finals.

Game 7 of the Grizzlies–Thunder series also ensured a 12th straight postseason with at least one Game 7 played. The last without one was the 1999 NBA playoffs. The 2011 Playoffs also marked the first time since 2007 that only one series went to a Game 7. By winning this game, the Oklahoma City Thunder made their first Western Conference finals appearance since 1996 (when they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics), and their first under the current incarnation.

For the first time since 2007, no #1 or #2 seed participated in the Western Conference finals.

With their Western Conference finals series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006.

With their Eastern Conference finals series win over the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006, guaranteeing an NBA Finals rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. It also marked the first time since 1990 that the Chicago Bulls lost an Eastern Conference finals series, and the first time since 1989 that the Bulls lost the ECF at home. As of 2024, this was the Bulls' most recent Eastern Conference finals appearance.

In a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, there were some extremely notable moments.

• Game 2: The Dallas Mavericks came back from a fifteen-point deficit to win the game, 95–93. Ironically enough, they held a nine-point lead in the first half before falling behind in the second half. LeBron James only scored two points in the final quarter.
• Game 4: LeBron James did not score any points in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Mavericks won, 86–83. Dirk Nowitzki, on the other hand, played despite having a fever.
• Game 5: LeBron James scored only two points in the fourth quarter for the third time in four games, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to take a 3–2 series lead back to Miami.
• Game 6: With the win, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to win the championship. The Dallas Mavericks also became the first team in NBA History to win the NBA Finals despite trailing 1–0 and 2–1 in the same finals series. Dirk Nowitzki, despite shooting 1 for 12 in the first half of the game, was Finals MVP. The Mavericks would not win another playoff series until 2022.

{{Further|NBA Playoffs#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.

The tiebreakers that determined seedings were:

1. Division leader wins tie against team not leading a division
2. Head-to-head record
3. Division record (if all tied teams are in the same division)
4. Conference record
5. Record vs. playoff teams, own conference (top 8 of the conference east/west) (including tied teams)
6. 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)
7. Point differential, all games

— = Did not achieve

Notes

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

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.

:All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 16 |time=1:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=ESPN

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1=99

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=104

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110416/INDCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–23 |Q2=28–28 |Q3=24–20 |Q4=20–33

|points1=Danny Granger 24 |points2=Derrick Rose 39

|rebounds1=Roy Hibbert 8 |rebounds2=Joakim Noah 11

|assist1=Darren Collison 9 |assist2=Derrick Rose 6

|attendance=22,986

|referee=Joe Crawford, Violet Palmer, Bennett Salvatore

|series=Chicago leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 18 |time=9:30 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1=90

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=96

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110418/INDCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=18–17 |Q2=29–27 |Q3=20–23 |Q4=23–29

|points1=Danny Granger 19 |points2=Derrick Rose 36

|rebounds1=Hansbrough, McRoberts 6 each |rebounds2=Carlos Boozer 16

|assist1=Dunleavy, Granger 4 each |assist2=Derrick Rose 6

|attendance=22,480

|referee=Bob Delaney, Marc Davis, Rodney Mott

|series=Chicago leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 21 |time=7:00 pm |place=Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=88

|team2=Indiana Pacers |score2=84

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110421/CHIIND/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–17 |Q2=21–25 |Q3=23–22 |Q4=23–20

|points1=Derrick Rose 23 |points2=Danny Granger 21

|rebounds1=Carlos Boozer 11 |rebounds2=Paul George 12

|assist1=Luol Deng 6 |assist2=Collison, Dunleavy, George, Granger 2 each

|attendance=18,165

|referee=Mike Callahan, John Goble, Ken Mauer

|series=Chicago leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 23 |time=2:30 pm |place=Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |TV=TNT

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=84

|team2=Indiana Pacers |score2=89

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110423/CHIIND/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=19–23 |Q2=14–26 |Q3=23–18 |Q4=28–22

|points1=Joakim Noah 21 |points2=Danny Granger 24

|rebounds1=Joakim Noah 14 |rebounds2=Granger, Hibbert 10 each

|assist1=Derrick Rose 10 |assist2=Danny Granger 4

|attendance=18,165

|referee=Scott Foster, David Jones, Michael Smith

|series=Chicago leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 26 |time=8:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1=89

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=116

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110426/INDCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=25–36 |Q2=21–18 |Q3=19–30 |Q4=24–32

|points1=Danny Granger 20 |points2=Derrick Rose 25

|rebounds1=Tyler Hansbrough 11 |rebounds2=Joakim Noah 8

|assist1=Darren Collison 5 |assist2=Deng, Watson 7 each

|attendance=22,822

|referee=Dan Crawford, Zach Zarba, Bill Kennedy

|series=Chicago wins series, 4–1

}}

;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 more competitive than the outcome would indicate. Every game but the last was tightly contested; the first four games were each decided by six points or fewer. The series could easily have gone six or seven games had the Pacers been more successful in the closing moments of each of the first three games. However, the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for just the second time since the Michael Jordan era (the first being 2007).

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 16 |time=3:30 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=ABC

|team1=Philadelphia 76ers |score1=89

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=97

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110416/PHIMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=31–19 |Q2=18–35 |Q3=20–26 |Q4=20–17

|points1=Thaddeus Young 20 |points2=Chris Bosh 25

|rebounds1=Thaddeus Young 11 |rebounds2=LeBron James 14

|assist1=Andre Iguodala 9 |assist2=James, Wade 5 each

|attendance=19,600

|referee=Bob Delaney, Bill Spooner, Sean Wright

|series=Miami leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 18 |time=7:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Philadelphia 76ers |score1=73

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=94

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110418/PHIMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=13–19 |Q2=18–30 |Q3=21–26 |Q4=21–19

|points1=Thaddeus Young 18 |points2=LeBron James 29

|rebounds1=Brand, Iguodala 7 each |rebounds2=Chris Bosh 11

|assist1=Andre Iguodala 7 |assist2=LeBron James 6

|attendance=20,204

|referee=Scott Foster, Tony Brown, Ron Garretson

|series=Miami leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 21 |time=8:00 pm |place=Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia |TV=TNT

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=100

|team2=Philadelphia 76ers |score2=94

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110421/MIAPHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–29 |Q2=29–23 |Q3=23–23 |Q4=27–19

|points1=Dwyane Wade 32 |points2=Elton Brand 21

|rebounds1=LeBron James 15 |rebounds2=Elton Brand 10

|assist1=Dwyane Wade 8 |assist2=Andre Iguodala 10

|attendance=20,404

|referee=Greg Willard, David Jones, Zach Zarba

|series=Miami leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 24 |time=1:00 pm |place=Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia |TV=ABC

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=82

|team2=Philadelphia 76ers |score2=86

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110424/MIAPHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=16–28 |Q2=31–18 |Q3=19–18 |Q4=16–22

|points1=LeBron James 31 |points2=Turner, Williams 17 each

|rebounds1=Dwyane Wade 8 |rebounds2=Elton Brand 11

|assist1=LeBron James 6 |assist2=Jrue Holiday 5

|attendance=19,048

|referee=Joe Crawford, David Guthrie, Dick Bavetta

|series=Miami leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=7:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Philadelphia 76ers |score1=91

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=97

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110427/PHIMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–27 |Q2=19–18 |Q3=25–27 |Q4=24–25

|points1=Brand, Iguodala 22 each |points2=Dwyane Wade 26

|rebounds1=Iguodala, Turner 10 each |rebounds2=Bosh, Wade 11 each

|assist1=Jrue Holiday 8 |assist2=LeBron James 8

|attendance=19,896

|referee=Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Bennett Salvatore

|series=Miami wins series, 4–1

}}

;Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the 76ers.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MIA&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Miami Heat versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=March 6, 2016}}

The newly revamped Heat, with the much-publicized off-season acquisitions of All-Stars and franchise players LeBron James and Chris Bosh, 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 could compete in the playoffs after some slip-ups during the regular season (a 9–8 start, a five-game losing streak and a somewhat suspect 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, including some close losses and a come-from-behind victory in Game 4, the Heat were able to take it in five games and advance out of the first round for the first time since their NBA Championship in 2006.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 17 |time=7:00 pm |place=TD Garden, Boston |TV=TNT

|team1=New York Knicks |score1=85

|team2=Boston Celtics |score2=87

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110417/NYKBOS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–24 |Q2=28–15 |Q3=13–20 |Q4=21–28

|points1=Amar'e Stoudemire 28 |points2=Ray Allen 24

|rebounds1=Amar'e Stoudemire 11 |rebounds2=Kevin Garnett 13

|assist1=Anthony, Billups 4 each |assist2=Rajon Rondo 9

|attendance=18,624

|referee=Jason Phillips, Tom Washington, Monty McCutchen

|series=Boston leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 19|time=7:00 pm |place=TD Garden, Boston |TV=TNT

|team1=New York Knicks |score1=93

|team2=Boston Celtics |score2=96

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110419/NYKBOS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–23 |Q2=24–21 |Q3=22–30 |Q4=26–22

|points1=Carmelo Anthony 42 |points2=Rajon Rondo 30

|rebounds1=Carmelo Anthony 17 |rebounds2=Kevin Garnett 10

|assist1=Carmelo Anthony 6 |assist2=Rajon Rondo 7

|attendance=18,624

|referee=Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Michael Smith

|series=Boston leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=7:00 pm |place=Madison Square Garden, New York City |TV=ESPN

|team1=Boston Celtics |score1=113

|team2=New York Knicks |score2=96

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110422/BOSNYK/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–20 |Q2=25–24 |Q3=34–19 |Q4=27–33

|points1=Paul Pierce 38 |points2=Shawne Williams 17

|rebounds1=Kevin Garnett 12 |rebounds2=Carmelo Anthony 11

|assist1=Rajon Rondo 20 |assist2=Carmelo Anthony 6

|attendance=19,763

|referee=Dan Crawford, Marc Davis, Gary Zielinski

|series=Boston leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 24 |time=3:30 pm |place=Madison Square Garden, New York City |TV=ABC

|team1=Boston Celtics |score1=101

|team2=New York Knicks |score2=89

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110424/BOSNYK/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=29–23 |Q2=26–15 |Q3=27–34 |Q4=19–17

|points1=Kevin Garnett 26 |points2=Carmelo Anthony 32

|rebounds1=Kevin Garnett 10 |rebounds2=Amar'e Stoudemire 12

|assist1=Rajon Rondo 12 |assist2=Anthony Carter 4

|attendance=19,763

|referee=Mike Callahan, Derrick Collins, Ken Mauer

|series=Boston wins series, 4–0

}}

;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 and the star power of the Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, many observers predicted a first-round upset victory for New York. 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 made a game-winning three-pointer after being freed up by a controversial screen. The Celtics captured Games 3 and 4 fairly easily as injuries to both Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups took their toll on the Knicks. This was the only sweep of the first round.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 16 |time=7:00 pm |place=Amway Center, Orlando, Florida |TV=ESPN

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=103

|team2=Orlando Magic |score2=93

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110416/ATLORL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–19 |Q2=38–29 |Q3=30–23 |Q4=18–22

|points1=Joe Johnson 25 |points2=Dwight Howard 46

|rebounds1=Josh Smith 8 |rebounds2=Dwight Howard 19

|assist1=Crawford, Johnson 5 each |assist2=Hedo Türkoğlu 5

|attendance=19,108

|referee=Scott Foster, Derrick Collins, Ron Garretson

|series=Atlanta leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 19 |time=7:30 pm |place=Amway Center, Orlando, Florida |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=82

|team2=Orlando Magic |score2=88

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110419/ATLORL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=22–16 |Q2=20–32 |Q3=12–17 |Q4=28–23

|points1=Jamal Crawford 25 |points2=Dwight Howard 33

|rebounds1=Al Horford 10 |rebounds2=Dwight Howard 19

|assist1=Joe Johnson 5 |assist2=Hedo Türkoğlu 5

|attendance=19,160

|referee=Mike Callahan, David Guthrie, Bill Spooner

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=8:00 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=ESPN2

|team1=Orlando Magic |score1=84

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=88

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110422/ORLATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=25–25 |Q2=17–26 |Q3=20–15 |Q4=22–22

|points1=Dwight Howard 21 |points2=Jamal Crawford 23

|rebounds1=Dwight Howard 15 |rebounds2=Josh Smith 10

|assist1=Jameer Nelson 10 |assist2=Joe Johnson 5

|attendance=19,865

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Dick Bavetta, Leon Wood

|series=Atlanta leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 24 |time=7:00 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=TNT

|team1=Orlando Magic |score1=85

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=88

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110424/ORLATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–25 |Q2=20–21 |Q3=24–20 |Q4=24–22

|points1=Dwight Howard 29 |points2=Jamal Crawford 25

|rebounds1=Dwight Howard 17 |rebounds2=Al Horford 12

|assist1=Jameer Nelson 6 |assist2=Jamal Crawford 6

|attendance=19,490

|referee=Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher

|series=Atlanta leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 26 |time=7:30 pm |place=Amway Center, Orlando, Florida |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=76

|team2=Orlando Magic |score2=101

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110426/ATLORL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=13–26 |Q2=22–32 |Q3=18–21 |Q4=23–22

|points1=Josh Smith 22 |points2=Jason Richardson 17

|rebounds1=Al Horford 14 |rebounds2=Dwight Howard 8

|assist1=Al Horford 6 |assist2=Jameer Nelson 5

|attendance=19,091

|referee=Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Jason Phillips

|series=Atlanta leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 28 |time=7:30 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Orlando Magic |score1=81

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=84

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110428/ORLATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=18–23 |Q2=18–19 |Q3=19–20 |Q4=26–22

|points1=Dwight Howard 25 |points2=Joe Johnson 23

|rebounds1=Dwight Howard 15 |rebounds2=Al Horford 12

|assist1=Jameer Nelson 6 |assist2=Al Horford 6

|attendance=19,282

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Michael Smith, Bill Kennedy

|series=Atlanta wins series, 4–2

}}

;Regular-season series

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Magic winning the first two meetings.

Despite defeating Orlando in three of their four regular-season meetings, the Atlanta Hawks were considered underdogs entering this series against the Magic, led by Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard. The Hawks were utterly unable to contain Howard in the first game; he scored 46 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. However, by limiting the contributions of the Magic's role players, Atlanta garnered a victory and stole the home-court advantage from the Magic. Although Orlando won the next game, better play by the Hawks down the stretch and the inability of the Magic to convert three-point shots gave the Hawks a 3–1 lead (the Magic shot 2-of–23 from beyond the arc in Game 4). The teams split the next two games and the Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight year.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 17 |time=1:00 pm |place=AT&T Center, San Antonio |TV=TNT

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=101

|team2=San Antonio Spurs |score2=98

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110417/MEMSAS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–22 |Q2=18–21 |Q3=25–31 |Q4=31–24

|points1=Zach Randolph 25 |points2=Tony Parker 20

|rebounds1=Zach Randolph 14 |rebounds2=Tim Duncan 13

|assist1=Mike Conley Jr. 10 |assist2=Tony Parker 5

|attendance=18,581

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher

|series=Memphis leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 20 |time=8:30 pm |place=AT&T Center, San Antonio |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=87

|team2=San Antonio Spurs |score2=93

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110420/MEMSAS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–17 |Q2=27–24 |Q3=21–25 |Q4=22–27

|points1=Sam Young 17 |points2=Manu Ginóbili 17

|rebounds1=Marc Gasol 17 |rebounds2=Tim Duncan 10

|assist1=Conley, Mayo 4 each |assist2=Tony Parker 7

|attendance=18,760

|referee=Scott Foster, Ron Garretson, Leon Wood

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=7:30 pm|place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=ESPN

|team1=San Antonio Spurs |score1=88

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=91

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110423/SASMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=20–29 |Q2=22–23 |Q3=24–19 |Q4=22–20

|points1=Manu Ginóbili 23 |points2=Zach Randolph 25

|rebounds1=Tim Duncan 11 |rebounds2=Marc Gasol 9

|assist1=Tim Duncan 6 |assist2=Mike Conley Jr. 8

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Greg Willard, Tom Washington, John Goble

|series=Memphis leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 25 |time=8:00 pm |place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=TNT

|team1=San Antonio Spurs |score1=86

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=104

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110425/SASMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–21 |Q2=24–27 |Q3=15–30 |Q4=21–26

|points1=Tony Parker 23 |points2=Mike Conley Jr. 15

|rebounds1=Tiago Splitter 9 |rebounds2=Gasol, Randolph 9 each

|assist1=Manu Ginóbili 4 |assist2=Mike Conley Jr. 7

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Eric Lewis

|series=Memphis leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=8:30 pm |place=AT&T Center, San Antonio |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=103

|team2=San Antonio Spurs |score2=110 |overtime=OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110427/MEMSAS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=14–20 |Q2=28–30 |Q3=26–15 |Q4=29–32 |OT=6–13

|points1=Zach Randolph 26 |points2=Manu Ginóbili 33

|rebounds1=Marc Gasol 17 |rebounds2=Tim Duncan 12

|assist1=Zach Randolph 6 |assist2=Tony Parker 9

|attendance=18,581

|referee=Bob Delaney, David Jones, Ken Mauer

|series=Memphis leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 29 |time=9:00 pm |place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=ESPN

|team1=San Antonio Spurs |score1=91

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=99

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110429/SASMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=16–24 |Q2=27–22 |Q3=23–24 |Q4=25–29

|points1=Tony Parker 23 |points2=Zach Randolph 31

|rebounds1=Tim Duncan 10 |rebounds2=Marc Gasol 13

|assist1=Tony Parker 4 |assist2=Mike Conley Jr. 3

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Dan Crawford, Jason Phillips, Bennett Salvatore

|series=Memphis wins series, 4–2

}}

;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 by defeating the top-seeded Spurs 101–98 in Game 1. The Spurs evened the series in Game 2, but the Grizzlies won Games 3 and 4 to take a 3–1 lead. With San Antonio 1.7 seconds away from elimination in Game 5, Gary Neal connected on a three-point buzzer beater to force overtime. The Spurs would win in OT, 110–103. However, the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs in Game 6, 99–91, to win a playoff series for the first time. In so doing, Memphis became just the second eighth-seeded team to knock off a top-seeded team since the NBA began using a best-of-seven format in the first round.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries1/index.html?ls=st Grizzlies vs. Spurs | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs]. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 17 |time=3:30 pm |place=Staples Center, Los Angeles |TV=ABC

|team1=New Orleans Hornets |score1=109

|team2=Los Angeles Lakers |score2=100

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110417/NOHLAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–24 |Q2=29–23 |Q3=18–25 |Q4=36–28

|points1=Chris Paul 33 |points2=Kobe Bryant 34

|rebounds1=Ariza, Paul 7 each |rebounds2=Ron Artest 11

|assist1=Chris Paul 14 |assist2=Pau Gasol 6

|attendance=18,997

|referee=Dan Crawford, Greg Willard, Greg Zielinski

|series=New Orleans leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 20 |time=10:30 pm |place=Staples Center, Los Angeles |TV=TNT

|team1=New Orleans Hornets |score1=78

|team2=Los Angeles Lakers |score2=87

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110420/NOHLAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–23 |Q2=18–24 |Q3=15–16 |Q4=22–24

|points1=Trevor Ariza 22 |points2=Andrew Bynum 17

|rebounds1=Aaron Gray 8 |rebounds2=Andrew Bynum 11

|assist1=Chris Paul 9 |assist2=Steve Blake 5

|attendance=18,997

|referee=Steve Javie, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 22 |time=9:30 pm |place=New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana |TV=ESPN

|team1=Los Angeles Lakers |score1=100

|team2=New Orleans Hornets |score2=86

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110422/LALNOH/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=30–23 |Q2=21–19 |Q3=24–26 |Q4=25–18

|points1=Kobe Bryant 30 |points2=Carl Landry 23

|rebounds1=Andrew Bynum 11 |rebounds2=Trevor Ariza 12

|assist1=Derek Fisher 5 |assist2=Chris Paul 8

|attendance=18,340

|referee=Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Sean Wright

|series=LA Lakers lead series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 24 |time=9:30 pm |place=New Orleans Arena, New Orleans |TV=TNT

|team1=Los Angeles Lakers |score1=88

|team2=New Orleans Hornets |score2=93

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110424/LALNOH/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=25–22 |Q2=20–27 |Q3=22–20 |Q4=21–24

|points1=Kobe Bryant 17 |points2=Chris Paul 27

|rebounds1=Andrew Bynum 9 |rebounds2=Chris Paul 13

|assist1=Kobe Bryant 8 |assist2=Chris Paul 15

|attendance=18,083

|referee=Bob Delaney, Marc Davis, Zach Zarba

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 26 |time=10:30 pm |place=Staples Center, Los Angeles |TV=TNT

|team1=New Orleans Hornets |score1=90

|team2=Los Angeles Lakers |score2=106

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110426/NOHLAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=32–23 |Q2=19–31 |Q3=21–25 |Q4=18–27

|points1=Trevor Ariza 22 |points2=Kobe Bryant 19

|rebounds1=Aaron Gray 6 |rebounds2=Andrew Bynum 10

|assist1=Chris Paul 12 |assist2=Bryant, Gasol 4 each

|attendance=18,997

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Rodney Mott

|series=LA Lakers lead series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 28 |time=8:00 pm |place=New Orleans Arena, New Orleans |TV=TNT

|team1=Los Angeles Lakers |score1=98

|team2=New Orleans Hornets |score2=80

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110428/LALNOH/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=18–16 |Q2=22–18 |Q3=29–23 |Q4=29–23

|points1=Kobe Bryant 24 |points2=Carl Landry 19

|rebounds1=Andrew Bynum 12 |rebounds2=Chris Paul 8

|assist1=Ron Artest 5 |assist2=Chris Paul 11

|attendance=17,949

|referee=Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson, Tom Washington

|series=LA Lakers win series, 4–2

}}

;Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=NOH&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus New Orleans Pelicans (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=March 6, 2016}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 16 |time=9:30 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas |TV=ESPN

|team1=Portland Trail Blazers |score1=81

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=89

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110416/PORDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=22–21 |Q2=15–26 |Q3=20–14 |Q4=24–28

|points1=LaMarcus Aldridge 27 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 28

|rebounds1=Marcus Camby 18 |rebounds2=Dirk Nowitzki 10

|assist1=Andre Miller 6 |assist2=Jason Kidd 4

|attendance=20,541

|referee=Mike Callahan, David Jones, Ken Mauer

|series=Dallas leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 19 |time=9:30 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas |TV=TNT

|team1=Portland Trail Blazers |score1=89

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=101

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110419/PORDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=24–22 |Q2=28–28 |Q3=20–23 |Q4=17–28

|points1=LaMarcus Aldridge 24 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 33

|rebounds1=LaMarcus Aldridge 10 |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 10

|assist1=Andre Miller 8 |assist2=Jason Kidd 8

|attendance=20,620

|referee=Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Pat Fraher

|series=Dallas leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 21 |time=10:30 pm |place=Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |TV=TNT

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=92

|team2=Portland Trail Blazers |score2=97

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110421/DALPOR/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–28 |Q2=29–26 |Q3=20–21 |Q4=20–22

|points1=Jason Terry 29 |points2=Wesley Matthews 25

|rebounds1=Dirk Nowitzki 9 |rebounds2=Gerald Wallace 11

|assist1=Jason Terry 7 |assist2=Andre Miller 7

|attendance=20,217

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Eric Lewis, Jason Phillips

|series=Dallas leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 23 |time=5:00 pm |place=Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |TV=TNT

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=82

|team2=Portland Trail Blazers |score2=84

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110423/DALPOR/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=16–11 |Q2=21–24 |Q3=30–14 |Q4=15–35

|points1=Dirk Nowitzki 20 |points2=Brandon Roy 24

|rebounds1=Shawn Marion 11 |rebounds2=Gerald Wallace 11

|assist1=Jason Kidd 4 |assist2=Brandon Roy 5

|attendance=20,357

|referee=Steve Javie, Bill Kennedy, Tony Brothers

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 25 |time=8:30 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas |TV=NBA TV

|team1=Portland Trail Blazers |score1=82

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=93

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110425/PORDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=20–15 |Q2=23–29 |Q3=20–31 |Q4=19–18

|points1=Andre Miller 18 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 25

|rebounds1=Aldridge, Wallace 9 each |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 20

|assist1=Andre Miller 7 |assist2=Jason Kidd 14

|attendance=20,837

|referee=Scott Foster, John Goble, Tom Washington

|series=Dallas leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 28 |time=10:30 pm |place=Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon |TV=TNT

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=103

|team2=Portland Trail Blazers |score2=96

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110428/DALPOR/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=19–27 |Q2=33–16 |Q3=23–19 |Q4=28–34

|points1=Dirk Nowitzki 33 |points2=Gerald Wallace 32

|rebounds1=Dirk Nowitzki 11 |rebounds2=Gerald Wallace 12

|assist1=Jason Terry 8 |assist2=Andre Miller 4

|attendance=20,494

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Greg Willard, Gary Zielinski

|series=Dallas wins series, 4–2

}}

;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, but the Trail Blazers won Games 3 and 4 to tie the series. Portland played most of Game 4 from behind, including trailing Dallas by 23 points late in the third quarter. Although the Mavericks held a 67–49 lead after three quarters, the Trail Blazers pulled off their biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history and won, 84–82, behind 18 points from Brandon Roy in the final quarter. Dallas recovered quickly from their Game 4 collapse, however, winning Games 5 and 6 to eliminate Portland.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries3/index.html?ls=st Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks | Western Conference First Round | 2011 NBA Playoffs]. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 17 |time=9:30 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=TNT

|team1=Denver Nuggets |score1=103

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=107

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110417/DENOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=33–24 |Q2=27–35 |Q3=22–27 |Q4=21–21

|points1=Nenê 22 |points2=Kevin Durant 41

|rebounds1=Chandler, Nenê 8 each |rebounds2=Kevin Durant 9

|assist1=Raymond Felton 8 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 7

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Steve Javie, Zach Zarba, Bill Kennedy

|series=Oklahoma City leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 20 |time=8:00 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=TNT

|team1=Denver Nuggets |score1=89

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=106

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110420/DENOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=15–31 |Q2=29–28 |Q3=22–22 |Q4=23–25

|points1=Ty Lawson 20 |points2=Kevin Durant 23

|rebounds1=Nenê 9 |rebounds2=Serge Ibaka 12

|assist1=Ty Lawson 3 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 7

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Dick Bavetta, Rodney Mott

|series=Oklahoma City leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 23 |time=10:00 pm |place=Pepsi Center, Denver |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=97

|team2=Denver Nuggets |score2=94

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110423/OKCDEN/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–31 |Q2=30–18 |Q3=15–24 |Q4=26–21

|points1=Kevin Durant 26 |points2=Martin, Nenê, Smith 15 each

|rebounds1=Serge Ibaka 16 |rebounds2=Nenê 10

|assist1=Russell Westbrook 8 |assist2=Felton, Lawson, Nenê 4 each

|attendance=19,958

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Jason Phillips, Eric Lewis

|series=Oklahoma City leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|date=April 25 |time=10:30 pm |place=Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado |TV=TNT

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=101

|team2=Denver Nuggets |score2=104

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110425/OKCDEN/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=20–26 |Q2=25–19 |Q3=24–26 |Q4=32–33

|points1=Kevin Durant 31 |points2=Ty Lawson 27

|rebounds1=Serge Ibaka 14 |rebounds2=Martin, Nenê 9 each

|assist1=Harden, Westbrook 5 each |assist2=Danilo Gallinari 4

|attendance=19,155

|referee=Greg Willard, Ron Garretson, Michael Smith

|series=Oklahoma City leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 27 |time=9:30 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=TNT

|team1=Denver Nuggets |score1=97

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=100

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110427/DENOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=28–25 |Q2=22–25 |Q3=26–22 |Q4=21–28

|points1=Arron Afflalo 15 |points2=Kevin Durant 41

|rebounds1=Kenyon Martin 10 |rebounds2=Kendrick Perkins 9

|assist1=Felton, Lawson 4 each |assist2=Russell Westbrook 4

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Scott Foster, Bill Spooner, Pat Fraher

|series=Oklahoma City wins series, 4–1

}}

;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.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2|time=8:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=103

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=95

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110502/ATLCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=28–18 |Q2=23–32 |Q3=21–21 |Q4=31–24

|points1=Joe Johnson 34 |points2=Derrick Rose 24

|rebounds1=Al Horford 13 |rebounds2=Joakim Noah 9

|assist1=Jeff Teague 5 |assist2=Derrick Rose 10

|attendance=22,890

|referee=Monty McCutchen, John Goble, Ken Mauer

|series=Atlanta leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 4|time=8:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=73

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=86

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110504/ATLCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=19–25 |Q2=18–23 |Q3=21–17 |Q4=15–21

|points1=Jeff Teague 21 |points2=Derrick Rose 25

|rebounds1=Al Horford 14 |rebounds2=Joakim Noah 14

|assist1=Al Horford 6 |assist2=Derrick Rose 10

|attendance=22,872

|referee=Scott Foster, Mike Callahan, Sean Wright

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 6 |time=7:00 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=ESPN

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=99

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=82

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110506/CHIATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=29–23 |Q2=27–20 |Q3=24–20 |Q4=19–19

|points1=Derrick Rose 44 |points2=Jeff Teague 21

|rebounds1=Joakim Noah 15 |rebounds2=Josh Smith 13

|assist1=Derrick Rose 7 |assist2=Josh Smith 4

|attendance=19,521

|referee=Greg Willard, Marc Davis, Ron Garretson

|series=Chicago leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 8 |time= 8:00 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=TNT

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=88

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=100

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110508/CHIATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–28 |Q2=20–19 |Q3=23–20 |Q4=19–33

|points1=Derrick Rose 34 |points2=Joe Johnson 24

|rebounds1=Joakim Noah 11 |rebounds2=Josh Smith 16

|assist1=Derrick Rose 10 |assist2=Josh Smith 8

|attendance=19,263

|referee=Dan Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Gary Zielinski

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 10 |time=8:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Atlanta Hawks |score1=83

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=95

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110510/ATLCHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–32 |Q2=21–16 |Q3=26–21 |Q4=15–26

|points1=Jeff Teague 21 |points2=Derrick Rose 33

|rebounds1=Al Horford 10 |rebounds2=Carlos Boozer 12

|assist1=Jeff Teague 7 |assist2=Derrick Rose 9

|attendance=22,980

|referee=Steve Javie, Tom Washington, Bill Kennedy

|series=Chicago leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 12 |time=8:00 pm |place=Philips Arena, Atlanta |TV=ESPN

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=93

|team2=Atlanta Hawks |score2=73

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110512/CHIATL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–17 |Q2=18–18 |Q3=25–18 |Q4=23–20

|points1=Carlos Boozer 23 |points2=Joe Johnson 19

|rebounds1=Carlos Boozer 10 |rebounds2=Zaza Pachulia 13

|assist1=Derrick Rose 12 |assist2=Joe Johnson 4

|attendance=19,378

|referee=Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Bob Delaney

|series=Chicago wins series, 4–2

}}

;Regular-season series

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

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 1 |time=3:30 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=ABC

|team1=Boston Celtics |score1=90

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=99

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110501/BOSMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=14–20 |Q2=22–31 |Q3=26–25 |Q4=28–23

|points1=Ray Allen 25 |points2=Dwyane Wade 38

|rebounds1=Kevin Garnett 8 |rebounds2=Chris Bosh 12

|assist1=Rajon Rondo 7 |assist2=James, Wade 5 each

|attendance=20,021

|referee=Dan Crawford, Ed Malloy, Derrick Collins

|series=Miami leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 3 |time=7:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Boston Celtics |score1=91

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=102

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110503/BOSMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–27 |Q2=16–20 |Q3=25–25 |Q4=24–30

|points1=Rajon Rondo 20 |points2=LeBron James 35

|rebounds1=Jermaine O'Neal 9 |rebounds2=Chris Bosh 11

|assist1=Rajon Rondo 12 |assist2=Chris Bosh 4

|attendance=20,104

|referee=Joe Crawford, Jason Phillips, Greg Willard

|series=Miami leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 7 |time=8:00 pm |place=TD Garden, Boston |TV=ABC

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=81

|team2=Boston Celtics |score2=97

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110507/MIABOS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–27 |Q2=25–17 |Q3=15–28 |Q4=20–25

|points1=Dwyane Wade 23 |points2=Kevin Garnett 28

|rebounds1=Joel Anthony 11 |rebounds2=Kevin Garnett 18

|assist1=Dwyane Wade 7 |assist2=Rajon Rondo 11

|attendance=18,624

|referee=Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Bill Kennedy

|series=Miami leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 9 |time=7:00 pm |place=TD Garden, Boston |TV=TNT

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=98

|team2=Boston Celtics |score2=90 |overtime=OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110509/MIABOS/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=28–31 |Q2=22–22 |Q3=19–20 |Q4=17–13 |OT=12–4

|points1=LeBron James 35 |points2=Paul Pierce 27

|rebounds1=LeBron James 14 |rebounds2=Kevin Garnett 10

|assist1=Dwyane Wade 4 |assist2=Rajon Rondo 5

|attendance=18,624

|referee=Tony Brothers, Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford

|series=Miami leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 11 |time=7:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Boston Celtics |score1=87

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=97

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110511/BOSMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=24–16 |Q2=25–31 |Q3=24–24 |Q4=14–26

|points1=Ray Allen 18 |points2=Dwyane Wade 34

|rebounds1=Kevin Garnett 11 |rebounds2=Chris Bosh 11

|assist1=Paul Pierce 4 |assist2=Dwyane Wade 5

|attendance=20,208

|referee=Scott Foster, Ron Garretson, Bill Spooner

|series=Miami wins series, 4–1

}}

• Game 4 is Shaquille O'Neal'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 an opportunity for Heat small forward LeBron James to exact revenge on the Celtics after Boston eliminated James' former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2008 and 2010. 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..."[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/eastseries6/index.html?ls=st Celtics vs. Heat | Easter Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 Playoffs]. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011

The Heat won the first two games, but the Celtics won Game 3, 97–81. In that game, Boston point guard Rajon Rondo dislocated his left elbow on a bizarre play in the third quarter where he became tangled up with Dwyane Wade. Rondo still contributed to the Celtics' victory, scoring four points in the fourth quarter after the injury and finishing with 11 assists. However, his left arm was visibly limp for the remainder of the series and he was unable to play at his usual level of ability.

Miami bounced back after the Game 3 loss to win the series, 4–1, returning to their first Eastern Conference finals since the 2006 NBA playoffs.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 2|time=10:30 pm |place=Staples Center, Los Angeles |TV=TNT

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=96

|team2=Los Angeles Lakers |score2=94

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110502/DALLAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=25–23 |Q2=19–30 |Q3=27–25 |Q4=25–16

|points1=Dirk Nowitzki 28 |points2=Kobe Bryant 36

|rebounds1=Dirk Nowitzki 14 |rebounds2=Lamar Odom 12

|assist1=Jason Kidd 11 |assist2=Pau Gasol 7

|attendance=18,997

|referee=Steve Javie, Bob Delaney, Michael Smith

|series=Dallas leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 4|time=10:30 pm |place=Staples Center, Los Angeles |TV=TNT

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=93

|team2=Los Angeles Lakers |score2=81

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110504/DALLAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–20 |Q2=25–29 |Q3=17–13 |Q4=25–19

|points1=Dirk Nowitzki 24 |points2=Kobe Bryant 23

|rebounds1=Shawn Marion 9 |rebounds2=Andrew Bynum 13

|assist1=Jason Kidd 6 |assist2=Derek Fisher 5

|attendance=18,997

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Bill Spooner

|series=Dallas leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 6 |time=9:30 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ESPN

|team1=Los Angeles Lakers |score1=92

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=98

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110506/LALDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–29 |Q2=24–18 |Q3=21–19 |Q4=20–32

|points1=Andrew Bynum 21 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 32

|rebounds1=Andrew Bynum 10 |rebounds2=Dirk Nowitzki 9

|assist1=Kobe Bryant 6 |assist2=Jason Kidd 9

|attendance=21,156

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Ed Malloy, Tom Washington

|series=Dallas leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 8 |time=3:30 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ABC

|team1=Los Angeles Lakers |score1=86

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=122

|report= [http://www.nba.com/games/20110508/LALDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–27 |Q2=16–36 |Q3=23–23 |Q4=24–36

|points1= Kobe Bryant 17 |points2= Jason Terry 32

|rebounds1= Pau Gasol 8 |rebounds2= Tyson Chandler 9

|assist1= Pau Gasol 6 |assist2= José Juan Barea 8

|attendance= 21,087

|referee= Jason Phillips, Ron Garretson, Scott Foster

|series=Dallas wins series, 4–0

}}

;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 in Los Angeles, including overcoming a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter of Game 1. Dallas overcame another second-half deficit to win Game 3, 98–92. In Game 4, the Mavericks blew out the Lakers, 122–86, sweeping the two-time defending NBA champions. Dallas equaled an NBA record in that game by sinking 20 three-pointers. Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry led the team in scoring with 32 points while making nine of his ten long-range attempts, tying another NBA playoff record that would go unequaled for nearly five years.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries6/index.html?ls=st Mavericks vs. Lakers | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs]. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011 Also in the same game, Andrew Bynum was ejected—and eventually fined and suspended for five games of the next season—after committing a flagrant foul on J. J. Barea.[https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6522694 Andrew Bynum suspended, fined]. ESPN. Retrieved 14 June 2011

This series was the one and only time a team coached by Phil Jackson was swept out of the NBA Playoffs.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 1 |time=1:00 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=ABC

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=114

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=101

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110501/MEMOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=28–24 |Q2=29–23 |Q3=27–24 |Q4=30–30

|points1=Zach Randolph 34 |points2=Kevin Durant 33

|rebounds1=Marc Gasol 13 |rebounds2=Durant, Ibaka 11 each

|assist1=Mike Conley Jr. 7 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 6

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Joe Crawford, Marc Davis, Zach Zarba

|series=Memphis leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 3|time=9:30 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=TNT

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=102

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=111

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110503/MEMOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–28 |Q2=27–26 |Q3=24–22 |Q4=34–35

|points1=Mike Conley Jr. 24 |points2=Kevin Durant 26

|rebounds1=Marc Gasol 10 |rebounds2=Nick Collison 7

|assist1=Mike Conley Jr. 8 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 6

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Derrick Stafford, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 7 |time=5:00 pm |place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=93

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=101 |overtime=OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110507/OKCMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=20–22 |Q2=31–21 |Q3=25–20 |Q4=10–23 |OT=7–15

|points1=Russell Westbrook 23 |points2=Zach Randolph 21

|rebounds1=Kendrick Perkins 13 |rebounds2=Zach Randolph 21

|assist1=Russell Westbrook 12 |assist2= Conley, Mayo 4 each

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Mike Callahan, Ken Mauer, Pat Fraher

|series=Memphis leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 9 |time=9:30 pm |place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=TNT

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=133

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=123 |overtime=3OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110509/OKCMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=16–28 |Q2=33–25 |Q3=22–19 |Q4=25–24 |OT=13–13, 10–10, 14–4

|points1=Russell Westbrook 40 |points2=Zach Randolph 34

|rebounds1=Kevin Durant 13 |rebounds2=Marc Gasol 21

|assist1=James Harden 7 |assist2=Conley, Mayo 5 each

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Greg Willard, John Goble, Bill Spooner

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 11 |time=9:30 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=TNT

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=72

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=99

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110511/MEMOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–17 |Q2=18–29 |Q3=17–25 |Q4=20–28

|points1=Marc Gasol 15 |points2=Kevin Durant 19

|rebounds1=Zach Randolph 17 |rebounds2=Nick Collison 10

|assist1=Conley, Mayo 4 each |assist2=Eric Maynor 9

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Bennett Salvatore, Jason Phillips

|series=Oklahoma City leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 13 |time=9:00 pm |place=FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=83

|team2=Memphis Grizzlies |score2=95

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110513/OKCMEM/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–23 |Q2=33–21 |Q3=14–28 |Q4=15–23

|points1=Russell Westbrook 27 |points2=Zach Randolph 30

|rebounds1=Durant, Perkins 7 each |rebounds2=Zach Randolph 13

|assist1=James Harden 5 |assist2=Mike Conley Jr. 12

|attendance=18,119

|referee=Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Ron Garretson

|series=Series tied, 3–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 15 |time=3:30 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=ABC

|team1=Memphis Grizzlies |score1=90

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=105

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110515/MEMOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–21 |Q2=17–21 |Q3=24–30 |Q4=32–33

|points1=Mike Conley Jr. 18 |points2=Kevin Durant 39

|rebounds1=Zach Randolph 10 |rebounds2=Nick Collison 12

|assist1=Mike Conley Jr. 6 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 14

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Steve Javie, Ed Malloy, Mike Callahan

|series=Oklahoma City wins series, 4–3

}}

;Regular-season series

This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Thunder.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MEM&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y|title=Team Rivalry Finder — Memphis Grizzlies versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)|publisher=basketball-reference.com|access-date=March 6, 2016}}

The Grizzlies and Thunder split the first two games. Memphis took a 2–1 series lead after overcoming a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter of Game 3. The Thunder tied the series back up in Game 4 with a 133–123 victory in triple overtime. Oklahoma City blew out the Grizzlies in Game 5, 99–72, but Memphis tied the series again in Game 6. The Thunder finally advanced to their first conference finals since they moved from Seattle by eliminating the Grizzlies in seven games. In the finale, Russell Westbrook became the fifth player to record a triple double in a Game 7.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries5/index.html?ls=st Grizzlies vs. Thunder | Western Conference Semi-Finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs]. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 15 |time=8:00 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=82

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=103

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110515/MIACHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=23–20 |Q2=25–28 |Q3=15–24 |Q4=19–31

|points1=Chris Bosh 30 |points2=Derrick Rose 28

|rebounds1=Chris Bosh 9 |rebounds2=Joakim Noah 14

|assist1=LeBron James 6 |assist2=Derrick Rose 6

|attendance=22,874

|referee=Dan Crawford, Michael Smith, Ken Mauer

|series=Chicago leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 18 |time=8:30 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=85

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=75

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110518/MIACHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=19–26 |Q2=29–20 |Q3=23–19 |Q4=14–10

|points1=LeBron James 29 |points2=Derrick Rose 21

|rebounds1=LeBron James 10 |rebounds2=Boozer, Noah 8 each

|assist1=LeBron James 5 |assist2=Derrick Rose 8

|attendance=23,007

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, Jason Phillips

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 22 |time=8:30 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=85

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=96

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110522/CHIMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=15–18 |Q2=25–25 |Q3=25–25 |Q4=20–28

|points1=Carlos Boozer 26 |points2=Chris Bosh 34

|rebounds1=Carlos Boozer 17 |rebounds2=Dwyane Wade 9

|assist1=Joakim Noah 6 |assist2=LeBron James 10

|attendance=20,123

|referee=Steve Javie, Mike Callahan, Ron Garretson

|series=Miami leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 24 |time=8:30 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=TNT

|team1=Chicago Bulls |score1=93

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=101 |overtime=OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110524/CHIMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=19–16 |Q2=27–28 |Q3=22–19 |Q4=17–22 |OT=8–16

|points1=Derrick Rose 23 |points2=LeBron James 35

|rebounds1=Joakim Noah 14 |rebounds2=Haslem, Miller 9 each

|assist1=Noah, Rose 6 each |assist2=LeBron James 6

|attendance=20,125

|referee=Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Bennett Salvatore

|series=Miami leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 26 |time=8:30 pm |place=United Center, Chicago |TV=TNT

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=83

|team2=Chicago Bulls |score2=80

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110526/MIACHI/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–25 |Q2=17–20 |Q3=19–17 |Q4=26–18

|points1=LeBron James 28 |points2=Derrick Rose 25

|rebounds1=LeBron James 11 |rebounds2=Noah, Thomas 8 each

|assist1=LeBron James 6 |assist2=Derrick Rose 8

|attendance=23,057

|referee=Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Greg Willard

|series=Miami wins series, 4–1

}}

;Regular-season series

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

Chicago swept Miami in the regular season en route to the league's best record and also blew out the Heat in Game 1 of the conference finals, 103–82. However, Miami advanced to the NBA Finals by capturing the next four games. In Game 5, the Heat erased a 12-point deficit with three minutes remaining to eliminate the Bulls, 83–80.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/eastseries7/index.html?ls=st Heat vs. Bulls | Eastern Conference finals | 2011 NBA Finals]. NBA.com. Retrieved 19 June 2011

This series marked the only time all season that the Bulls lost more than two consecutive games.

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 17 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=112

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=121

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110517/OKCDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–20 |Q2=21–35 |Q3=31–35 |Q4=33–31

|points1=Kevin Durant 40 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 48

|rebounds1=Kevin Durant 8 |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 8

|assist1=Kevin Durant 5 |assist2=Jason Kidd 11

|attendance=20,911

|referee=Joe Crawford, Bill Kennedy, Zach Zarba

|series=Dallas leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 19 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=106

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=100

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110519/OKCDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=26–31 |Q2=33–26 |Q3=18–19 |Q4=29–24

|points1=Kevin Durant 24 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 29

|rebounds1=Collison, Harden 7 each |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 13

|assist1=Durant, Harden, Westbrook 4 each |assist2=Jason Kidd 7

|attendance=21,051

|referee=Greg Willard, Bill Spooner, Tom Washington

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 21 |time=9:00 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=ESPN

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=93

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=87

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110521/DALOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–12 |Q2=25–24 |Q3=18–20 |Q4=23–31

|points1=Marion, Nowitzki 18 each |points2=Russell Westbrook 30

|rebounds1=Tyson Chandler 15 |rebounds2=Kevin Durant 12

|assist1=Jason Kidd 8 |assist2=Kevin Durant 5

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Bob Delaney

|series=Dallas leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=May 23 |time=9:00 pm |place=Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City |TV=ESPN

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=112

|team2=Oklahoma City Thunder |score2=105 |overtime=OT

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110523/DALOKC/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=22–31 |Q2=32–28 |Q3=23–22 |Q4=24–20 |OT=11–4

|points1=Dirk Nowitzki 40 |points2=Kevin Durant 29

|rebounds1=Tyson Chandler 8 |rebounds2=Kevin Durant 15

|assist1=Jason Kidd 7 |assist2=Russell Westbrook 8

|attendance=18,203

|referee=Dan Crawford, Tony Brothers, Ken Mauer

|series=Dallas leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 25 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ESPN

|team1=Oklahoma City Thunder |score1=96

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=100

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110525/OKCDAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=27–26 |Q2=28–26 |Q3=21–20 |Q4=20–28

|points1=Russell Westbrook 31 |points2=Marion, Nowitzki 26 each

|rebounds1=Nick Collison 12 |rebounds2=Chandler, Nowitzki 9 each

|assist1=James Harden 6 |assist2=Jason Kidd 10

|attendance=21,092

|referee=Monty McCutchen, Jason Phillips, Derrick Stafford

|series=Dallas wins series, 4–1

}}

;Regular-season series

This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with each team having won one of the prior series. Both previous meetings took place when the Thunder franchise was still known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas set a playoff record for most free throws made without a miss with 24, previously held by Paul Pierce (21) in 2003. The Mavericks won, 121–112. The Thunder and Mavericks then split the next two games. In Game 4, Dallas rallied from a 15-point deficit with five minutes left in regulation to win in overtime for a 3–1 series lead. The Mavericks then wiped out another deficit late in Game 5 to win the game, 100–96, and reach their first NBA Finals since 2006.[http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries7/ Thunder vs. Mavericks | Western Conference finals | 2011 NBA Playoffs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518181446/http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/westseries7/ |date=2016-05-18 }}. NBA.com. Retrieved 14 June 2011. It would be the last time that neither a #1 seed nor a #2 seed reached a Conference finals until 2020.

{{Main article|2011 NBA Finals}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 31 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=ABC

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=84

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=92

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110531/DALMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=17–16 |Q2=27–27 |Q3=17–22 |Q4=23–27

|points1= Dirk Nowitzki 27 |points2=LeBron James 24

|rebounds1=Shawn Marion 10 |rebounds2=Dwyane Wade 10

|assist1=Jason Kidd 6 |assist2=Dwyane Wade 6

|attendance=20,003

|referee=Steve Javie, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy

|series=Miami leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=June 2 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=ABC

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1= 95

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=93

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110602/DALMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=28–28 |Q2=23–23 |Q3=20–24 |Q4=24–18

|points1= Dirk Nowitzki 24 |points2=Dwyane Wade 36

|rebounds1= Dirk Nowitzki 11 |rebounds2= James, Bosh 8 each

|assist1= Terry, Kidd 5 each |assist2= Dwyane Wade 6

|attendance=20,003

|referee=Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Ken Mauer

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 5 |time=8:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ABC

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=88

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=86

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110605/MIADAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=29–22 |Q2=18–20 |Q3=20–22 |Q4=21–22

|points1=Dwyane Wade 29 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 34

|rebounds1=Dwyane Wade 11 |rebounds2=Chandler, Nowitzki 11 each

|assist1=LeBron James 9 |assist2=Jason Kidd 10

|attendance=20,340

|referee=Dan Crawford, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford

|series=Miami leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=June 7 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ABC

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=83

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=86

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110607/MIADAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=21–21 |Q2=26–24 |Q3=22–20 |Q4=14–21

|points1=Dwyane Wade 32 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 21

|rebounds1=LeBron James 9 |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 16

|assist1=LeBron James 7 |assist2=José Juan Barea 4

|attendance=20,340

|referee=Monty Mccutchen, Marc Davis, Greg Willard

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 9 |time=9:00 pm |place=American Airlines Center, Dallas |TV=ABC

|team1=Miami Heat |score1=103

|team2=Dallas Mavericks |score2=112

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110609/MIADAL/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=31–30 |Q2=26–30 |Q3=22–24 |Q4=24–28

|points1=Dwyane Wade 23 |points2=Dirk Nowitzki 29

|rebounds1=James, Bosh 10 each |rebounds2=Tyson Chandler 7

|assist1=LeBron James 10 |assist2=Kidd, Terry 6 each

|attendance=20,340

|referee=Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy

|series=Dallas leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox |date=June 12 |time=8:00 pm |place=American Airlines Arena, Miami |TV=ABC

|team1=Dallas Mavericks |score1=105

|team2=Miami Heat |score2=95

|report=[http://www.nba.com/games/20110612/DALMIA/gameinfo.html Recap]

|Q1=32–27 |Q2=21–24 |Q3=28–21 |Q4=24–23

|points1=Jason Terry 27 |points2=LeBron James 21

|rebounds1=Dirk Nowitzki 11 |rebounds2=Udonis Haslem 9

|assist1=Jason Kidd 8 |assist2=Mario Chalmers 7

|attendance=20,003

|referee=Steve Javie, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford

|series=Dallas wins series, 4–2

}}

;Regular-season series

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

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110524183705/http://www.nba.com/playoffs/2011/index.html 2011 playoffs at NBA.com]
• [https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2011/matchup/_/teams 2011 NBA Playoffs at ESPN]
• [https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2011.html 2011 NBA Playoffs at Basketball Reference]

{{NBAPlayoffs}}

{{2010–11 NBA season by team}}

Playoffs

Category:NBA playoffs

Category:Sports in Portland, Oregon

Category:ABS-CBN television specials

fi:NBA-kausi 2010–2011#Pudotuspelit