2016 NBA Playoffs

Overview

Format

Within each conference, the eight teams with the most wins qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record.

Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the team that has four wins advances to the next round. As stated above, all rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. Home court advantage in any round does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead to the team with the better regular season record. If two teams with the same record meet in a round, standard tiebreaker rules are used. The rule for determining home court advantage in the NBA Finals is winning percentage, then head to head record, followed by record vs. opposite conference.

Seeding

On September 8, 2015, the NBA announced changes to how playoff teams were seeded. Previously, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed, while the team with the second-best record in the conference was guaranteed no worse than the second seed even if it wasn't a division champion. Starting with the 2016 playoffs, the eight playoff qualifiers in each conference will be seeded solely based on regular-season record. If two teams finish with identical records, the team that wins the regular-season series will get the higher seed. If the regular-season series is tied and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion will get the higher seed.

Playoff qualifying

On February 27, 2016, The Golden State Warriors became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. This was the earliest a team had clinched a playoff spot in February since the 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers. The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 18, 2016.

Western Conference

Bracket

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. Teams with home court advantage are shown in Italics.

* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons

In Game 3, Kyrie Irving hit the tough corner 3 late in the 4th quarter, with only 0.7 seconds remaining on the shot clock. In Game 4, Irving also hit a three to give the Cavaliers a 4-point lead with less than a minute left. Reggie Jackson would then drive and dunk the ball to cut the lead to 2. As Irving attempted another clutch 3, it went short and the players scrambled for the ball until the Pistons came up with it. As they looked for a 3 to force Game 5, or a 2 to send it to overtime, they look to Reggie Jackson. He took a 3 over Irving, but that went short as well, and the Cavaliers move on to the second round.

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

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers

This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Pacers.

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

With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 was a close one. After Kemba Walker misses the stepback jumper over Hassan Whiteside, Courtney Lee gets the offensive rebound and hits the clutch 3 with 25.2 seconds left. The Hornets then block 2 shots to seal it. It was their first playoff road win since game 4 of the 2002 playoffs against the Orlando Magic. By then, Charlotte was on the verge of an upset, but in Game 6, Dwyane Wade wouldn't let his team down. Although he hasn't hit a three since December 2015, he hits 2 clutch shots including a three with less than a minute to go, as the series goes back to Miami for a Game 7. There, the Heat closed out the series and advance to the second round, to face the Toronto Raptors, who also moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the most recent meeting in 2014.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics

This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning ten of the first eleven meetings.

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks

In Game 2, the Cavaliers made history by hitting 18 three-pointers in the first half and 25 overall to break the record for most three-point field goals made by a team in a game. During Game 3's final minute, Jeff Teague pushed LeBron James really hard into a Hawks fan. He would later claim that he was still OK. In Game 4, both teams were locked in battle until in the final seconds, a jump ball was called between Dennis Schröder and LeBron James, and the Hawks desperately won the tip, but the game-winning shot by Paul Millsap bounced off the rim as the Cavs make a second straight sweep.

This was the third time the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the playoffs and it would be the second consecutive season the Cavaliers swept them.

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

(2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat

Even though the Raptors lost Game 1, Kyle Lowry hits a game-tying shot from half-court at the buzzer to force overtime. The play is similar to Chauncey Billups' half-court buzzer beater against the Nets in the 2004 playoffs, that also forced overtime. The end of Game 7 marks the Raptors' first ever trip to the Eastern Conference finals in their history.

Game 7 is noteworthy as being Dwyane Wade's last game with the Miami Heat as he would sign with the Chicago Bulls in the off-season.

This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Heat.

Conference Finals: (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors

Games 1 and 2 were easy victories for the Cavaliers, as they pushed their playoff winning streak to 10 consecutive games. However, in Game 3, the Raptors dominated the first half, building up an 18-point lead, the largest deficit the Cavaliers faced all playoffs long. J.R. Smith's hot three-point shooting tried to lead Cleveland back, cutting the lead to 5. But the Raptors were still confident as they came back into the series. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Bismack Biyombo grabbed a Raptors' franchise record 26 rebounds. Cleveland's winning streak was over. Things would get worse in Game 4 as the Cavs were unable to stop Kyle Lowry who scored 20 first-half points. Cleveland once again attempted a second half comeback, only this time they turned the game into a topsy-turvy battle. Lowry's drive to the basket sealed the win for Toronto, as the series was tied at two games apiece. It was time for recovery for James and the Cavaliers in Game 5. They delivered yet another blowout victory, as they took a 3-2 series lead. The Raptors, on the other hand, suffered their one of their worst losses in franchise history. The Cavaliers closed out the series in Game 6 and won their second straight Eastern Conference title. For the sixth consecutive season, LeBron advanced to the NBA Finals, along with his teammate, James Jones.

This was the first ever meeting in any professional sports league's postseason between teams from Cleveland and Toronto. Somewhat ironically, teams in a different sport from the same cities will meet again less than five months later (and again in the penultimate round of the playoffs) when the Cleveland Indians take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 American League Championship Series.

Western Conference

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets

The Warriors, after game 1, went through games 2 and 3 without Stephen Curry. He injured his ankle and would be lost until game 4. In game 3's final seconds, Trevor Ariza inbounded the ball, but Shaun Livingston made the steal and Ian Clark made a layup to give the Warriors the lead, but then James Harden somehow pushes Andre Iguodala and hits the game winner with 2.7 seconds left. Klay Thompson inbounded the ball to Draymond Green, whose right foot knocked the ball out of bounds and the Rockets would come back into the series, trailing 2 games to 1 with a second left. Game 4 saw Stephen Curry injure his knee, as he slipped on a wet spot on the floor at the Toyota Center in Houston. Curry's Warriors teammates stepped up and blew out the Rockets by 27 points. They would close out the series by blowing the Rockets out again, by 33 points.

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the first meeting being in 2015, as Golden State defeated Houston 4–1 in the Western Conference finals.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies

The Spurs blew out the Grizzlies 106-74 and took a 1-0 series lead.

The Spurs again blew out the Grizzlies 94-68 in game 2 as they took a 2-0 series lead.

The Spurs took a 3-0 series lead in a close game 3 by beating the Grizzlies 96-87.

The Spurs completed a 4–0 sweep of the injury-depleted Grizzlies with a 116-95 blowout win. They would then face the Thunder, who came off a 4–1 series win of the also banged up Mavericks.

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with San Antonio winning the most recent meeting in 2013.

(3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two of the four meetings.

(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Clippers and Trail Blazers.

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers

In Game 4, when Stephen Curry came back from his knee injury, he scored 40 points, along with an NBA record 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 132–125 win. They closed out the series in Game 5, to advance and face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in their second round matchup.

This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Trail Blazers.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder

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

Conference Finals: (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder

During the Thunder-Warriors series, Draymond Green became the subject of multiple controversial plays against Oklahoma City players, most notably Steven Adams.

In game 1, the Thunder upset the Warriors 108–102 and took a 1–0 series lead thanks to a blown travel call. It marked the Warriors' first loss at Oracle Arena in Oakland in the playoffs, as well as their third home loss of the season. In game 2, the Warriors defeated the Thunder 118–91, despite the fact that the score was close at halftime before that. Television cameras appeared to show Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams in the groin while he was attempting a layup. In game 3, the Thunder blew out the Warriors 133–105. During the game, Green received a flagrant foul 1 for again appearing to kick Adams in the groin area. In game 4, the Thunder again blew out the Warriors 118–94 to take a 3–1 series lead. Green this time tripped Enes Kanter during the game. In game 5, the Warriors held on to defeat the Thunder 120-111, setting the series standings at 3 games to 2 in favor of Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant scored 40 points in the loss. In game 6, the Warriors stunned the Thunder thanks to Klay Thompson, who scored 41 points and an awful day by Kevin Durant, as the Warriors won the game 108–101 and tied the series 3-3. In game 7, Oklahoma City built a 13-point lead during the game and led 48–42 at halftime. However, the Thunder lost focus in the third quarter. They would try to comeback in the fourth quarter, but lost 88–96 and became the 10th team to blow a 3–1 series lead.

This would be the second consecutive year a team blew a 3-1 series lead and the Thunder became the first team since the 1981 Philadelphia 76ers to blow a 3–1 series lead in the Conference finals.

This was the third meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Thunder, with both teams tied at one a piece.

NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors

After winning three of the first four games in the Finals, the Warriors seemed close to repeating as champions, but in game 5, they faced the reality of playing without their new All-Star, Draymond Green. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James put on a show that stunned the crowd. They became the first teammates to score 40 or more points each in a Finals game and led the Cavaliers to a 112–97 win to force game 6. The Cavaliers tied the series at 3 games apiece by defeating Golden State, 115–101. Stephen Curry was ejected for the first time in his career, for throwing his mouthpiece at a Cavaliers fan. He also fouled out for the first time since 2013. Game 7 came down to the wire. Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 89, Andre Iguodala received a bounce pass from Curry. As Iguodala went for the layup, LeBron James blocked him from way behind, making it one of the most memorable blocks in NBA playoff history. As Kyrie Irving hit a big 3-point shot with less than a minute left to give the Cavaliers the lead for good, the city of Cleveland, Ohio's 52-year sports curse finally ended. LeBron would then make one of 2 free throws to close out the game, the series, and the NBA basketball season. The Warriors' historic 73-win season came to a disappointing end, and the Cavaliers won their first NBA title in franchise history.

This was the second meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers, with the Warriors winning the first meeting. Not only did the Cavaliers become the 11th team to rally from a 3–1 deficit to win the series after the Warriors' defeat, but they also became the first ever team to do so in the Finals.

Television

ESPN, TNT, ABC, and NBA TV broadcast the NBA playoffs nationally in the United States. In the first round, regional sports networks affiliated with the teams can also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. Throughout the first two rounds, TNT televised games Saturday through Thursday, ESPN televised games Friday and Saturday, and ABC televised select games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV aired select weekday games in the first round. TNT televised the Western Conference finals and ESPN televised the Eastern Conference finals. ABC televised the NBA Finals for the 14th consecutive year.

In Canada, national coverage is divided between the TSN and Sportsnet families of channels, with each group carrying approximately half of all games featuring the Toronto Raptors (produced independently of the U.S. national broadcasts regardless of round), and half of all other games (simulcast from the applicable U.S. broadcaster).

Radio

ESPN Radio had exclusive national radio rights to broadcast the playoffs in the United States. They broadcast mostly ABC games during the first two rounds, all of the conference finals, and the NBA Finals.

In Canada, the playoffs were carried on TSN Radio.