1970 NBA Playoffs

The 1970 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1969-70 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New York Knicks defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Willis Reed was named NBA Finals MVP.

It was the first NBA title for the Knicks in franchise history, and was their first appearance in the Finals since losing their third consecutive Finals in 1953, ironically, to the Lakers while they were still in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For the Lakers, it was the third straight Western Division title, and the second straight year they lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers dropped their eighth straight NBA Finals series (the previous 7 to the Boston Celtics) and were denied their first NBA championship since 1954.

The 1970 playoffs featured the postseason debut of the second-year Milwaukee Bucks, and they managed a first-round defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics failed to make the playoffs in 1970, despite being the defending champions.

Western Division

Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

Division Semifinals

(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (4) Chicago Bulls: Hawks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 129, Chicago 111
• Game 2 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 124, Chicago 104
• Game 3 @ Chicago: Atlanta 106, Chicago 101
• Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 131, Atlanta 120
• Game 5 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 113, Chicago 107

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Lakers win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 128, Phoenix 112
• Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Phoenix 114, Los Angeles 101
• Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 112, Los Angeles 98
• Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 112, Los Angeles 102
• Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 138, Phoenix 121
• Game 6 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 104, Phoenix 93
• Game 7 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 129, Phoenix 94 (The Lakers become the second team to come back from a 3-1 series deficit.)

Division Finals

(1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers win series 4-0

• Game 1 @ Atlanta: Los Angeles 119, Atlanta 115
• Game 2 @ Atlanta: Los Angeles 105, Atlanta 94
• Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, Atlanta 114 (OT)
• Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 133, Atlanta 114

Eastern Division

Champion: New York Knicks

Division Semifinals

(1) New York Knicks vs. (3) Baltimore Bullets: Knicks win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ New York: New York 120, Baltimore 117 (2OT)
• Game 2 @ Baltimore: New York 106, Baltimore 99
• Game 3 @ New York: Baltimore 127, New York 113
• Game 4 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 102, New York 92
• Game 5 @ New York: New York 101, Baltimore 80
• Game 6 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 96, New York 87
• Game 7 @ New York: New York 127, Baltimore 114

(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (4) Philadelphia 76ers: Bucks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 125, Philadelphia 118
• Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Philadelphia 112, Milwaukee 105
• Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Milwaukee 156, Philadelphia 120
• Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Milwaukee 118, Philadelphia 111
• Game 5 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 115, Philadelphia 106

Division Finals

(1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks: Knicks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ New York: New York 110, Milwaukee 102
• Game 2 @ New York: New York 112, Milwaukee 111
• Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 101, New York 96
• Game 4 @ Milwaukee: New York 117, Milwaukee 105
• Game 5 @ New York: New York 132, Milwaukee 96

NBA Finals

(1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers: Knicks win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ New York: New York 124, Los Angeles 112
• Game 2 @ New York: Los Angeles 105, New York 103
• Game 3 @ Los Angeles: New York 111, Los Angeles 108 (OT; Jerry West sank a desperation buzzer-beating 60-foot shot to tie the game and send it to OT.)
• Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 121, New York 115 (OT)
• Game 5 @ New York: New York 107, Los Angeles 100
• Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 135, New York 113
• Game 7 @ New York: New York 113, Los Angeles 99

In Game 7, Willis Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause and inspiring the Knicks to win the title.

External links

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1970 NBA Playoffs page