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.
Champion: Los Angeles Lakers
Conference Semifinals
(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (M2) Chicago Bulls: Lakers win series 4-0
Game 1 @ Los Angeles (March 28): Los Angeles 95, Chicago 88
Game 2 @ Los Angeles (March 30): Los Angeles 131, Chicago 124
Game 3 @ Chicago (April 2): Los Angeles 108, Chicago 101
Game 4 @ Chicago (April 4): Los Angeles 108, Chicago 97
Last playoff meeting: 1971 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-3)
(M1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (P2) Golden State Warriors: Bucks win series 4-1
Game 1 @ Milwaukee (March 28): Golden State 117, Milwaukee 106
Game 2 @ Milwaukee (March 30): Milwaukee 118, Golden State 93
Game 3 @ Golden State (April 1): Milwaukee 122, Golden State 94
Game 4 @ Golden State (April 4): Milwaukee 106, Golden State 99
Game 5 @ Milwaukee (April 6): Milwaukee 108, Golden State 100
Last playoff meeting: 1971 Western Conference Semifinals (Milwaukee won 4-1)
Conference Finals
(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (M1) Milwaukee Bucks: Lakers win series 4-2
Game 1 @ Los Angeles (April 9): Milwaukee 93, Los Angeles 72
Game 2 @ Los Angeles (April 12): Los Angeles 135, Milwaukee 134
Game 3 @ Milwaukee (April 14): Los Angeles 108, Milwaukee 105
Game 4 @ Milwaukee (April 16): Milwaukee 114, Los Angeles 88
Game 5 @ Los Angeles (April 18): Los Angeles 115, Milwaukee 90
Game 6 @ Milwaukee (April 22): Los Angeles 104, Milwaukee 100
Last playoff meeting: 1971 Western Conference Finals (Milwaukee won 4-1)
Champion: New York Knicks
Conference Semifinals
(A1) Boston Celtics vs. (C2) Atlanta Hawks: Celtics win series 4-2
Game 1 @ Boston (March 29): Boston 126, Atlanta 108
Game 2 @ Atlanta (March 31): Atlanta 113, Boston 104
Game 3 @ Boston (April 2): Boston 136, Atlanta 113
Game 4 @ Atlanta (April 4): Atlanta 112, Boston 110
Game 5 @ Boston (April 7): Boston 124, Atlanta 114
Game 6 @ Atlanta (April 9): Boston 127, Atlanta 118
(C1) Baltimore Bullets vs. (A2) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 4-2
Game 1 @ Baltimore (March 31): Baltimore 108, New York 105 (OT)
Game 2 @ New York (April 2): New York 110, Baltimore 88
Game 3 @ Baltimore (April 4): Baltimore 104, New York 103
Game 4 @ New York (April 6): New York 104, Baltimore 98
Game 5 @ Baltimore (April 9): New York 106, Baltimore 82
Game 6 @ New York (April 11): New York 107, Baltimore 101
Conference Finals
(A1) Boston Celtics vs. (A2) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 4-1
Game 1 @ Boston (April 13): New York 116, Boston 94
Game 2 @ New York (April 16): New York 106, Boston 105
Game 3 @ Boston (April 19): Boston 115, New York 109
Game 4 @ New York (April 21): New York 116, Boston 98
Game 5 @ Boston (April 23): New York 111, Boston 103
(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (A2) New York Knicks: Lakers win series 4-1
Game 1 @ Los Angeles (April 26): New York 114, Los Angeles 92
Game 2 @ Los Angeles (April 30): Los Angeles 106, New York 92
Game 3 @ New York (May 3): Los Angeles 107, New York 96
Game 4 @ New York (May 5): Los Angeles 116, New York 111 (OT)
Game 5 @ Los Angeles (May 7): Los Angeles 114, New York 100 (The Lakers win their first title after moving to L.A.)
