1975 NBA Playoffs
Encyclopedia
The 1975 NBA Playoffs
was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association
's 1974-1975 season
. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference
champion Golden State Warriors
defeating the Eastern Conference
champion Washington Bullets, four games to none in the NBA Finals
. Rick Barry
of the Warriors was named NBA Finals MVP.
The Warriors won their third NBA championship, first since 1956
as the Philadelphia Warriors, and as of 2011, their most recent title.
The playoff format was revised again, as the result of which the first two finishers in each division were guaranteed playoff berths, along with the best third-place team from each conference. Once each conference's qualifiers were selected, they were seeded 1 through 5, with the fourth and fifth seeds playing in a best-of-three series, with the victor advancing to play the first seed in a best-of-seven semifinal, while the second and third seeds played the other semifinal.
The eight-year-old Seattle SuperSonics
made their playoff debut in 1975, winning the first playoff series in franchise history against the Detroit Pistons
. Seattle would go on to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 1978
and 1979
, winning the championship the latter year.
The Kansas City-Omaha Kings
made their first postseason appearance since 1967
as the Cincinnati
Royals, and the Houston Rockets
made their first playoff appearance since 1969
when they played in San Diego
.
The 1975 playoffs featured an expansion in the number of postseason qualifiers from 8 to 10 teams; it would be expanded to 12 in 1977
and again to its current number of 16 in 1984
.
At the time, this was the closest the Chicago Bulls
would ever come to an NBA title, losing in seven games to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. They wouldn't make it this far again until 1989
, this time as a member of the Eastern Conference
. They would finally win an NBA title two years later
.
1st Round
(1) Golden State Warriors, (2) Chicago Bulls & (3) Kansas City Kings have first round byes.
(4) Seattle SuperSonics
vs. (5) Detroit Pistons
:
Sonics win series 2-1
Conference Semifinals
(1) Golden State Warriors
vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics
:
Warriors win series 4-2
(2) Chicago Bulls
vs. (3) Kansas City Kings:
Bulls win series 4-2
Conference Finals
(1) Golden State Warriors
vs. (2) Chicago Bulls
:
Warriors win series 4-3
1st Round
(1) Boston Celtics, (2) Washington Bullets & (3) Buffalo Braves have first round byes.
(4) Houston Rockets
vs. (5) New York Knicks
:
Rockets win series 2-1
Conference Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics
vs. (4) Houston Rockets
:
Celtics win series 4-1
(2) Washington Bullets vs. (3) Buffalo Braves
:
Bullets win series 4-3
Conference Finals
(1) Boston Celtics
vs. (2) Washington Bullets:
Bullets win series 4-2
:
Warriors win series 4-0
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's 1974-1975 season
1974-75 NBA season
The 1974–75 NBA season was the 29th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
champion Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
defeating the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
champion Washington Bullets, four games to none in the NBA Finals
1975 NBA Finals
The 1975 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1974-75 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Golden State Warriors of the Western Conference played against the Washington Bullets of the Eastern Conference...
. Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
of the Warriors was named NBA Finals MVP.
The Warriors won their third NBA championship, first since 1956
1956 NBA Playoffs
The 1956 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1955-1956 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Western Conference champion Fort Wayne Pistons, four games to one in the NBA Finals.It was...
as the Philadelphia Warriors, and as of 2011, their most recent title.
The playoff format was revised again, as the result of which the first two finishers in each division were guaranteed playoff berths, along with the best third-place team from each conference. Once each conference's qualifiers were selected, they were seeded 1 through 5, with the fourth and fifth seeds playing in a best-of-three series, with the victor advancing to play the first seed in a best-of-seven semifinal, while the second and third seeds played the other semifinal.
The eight-year-old Seattle SuperSonics
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
made their playoff debut in 1975, winning the first playoff series in franchise history against the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. Seattle would go on to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 1978
1978 NBA Playoffs
The 1978 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1977-1978 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics four games to three in the Finals. Wes...
and 1979
1979 NBA Playoffs
The 1979 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1978-1979 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets four games to one in the Finals. The Sonics...
, winning the championship the latter year.
The Kansas City-Omaha Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
made their first postseason appearance since 1967
1967 NBA Playoffs
The 1967 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1966-1967 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Western Division champion San Francisco Warriors, four games to two in the NBA Finals.It was...
as the Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
Royals, and the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
made their first playoff appearance since 1969
1969 NBA Playoffs
The 1969 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1968–1969 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, four games to three in the NBA Finals.Despite...
when they played in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
The 1975 playoffs featured an expansion in the number of postseason qualifiers from 8 to 10 teams; it would be expanded to 12 in 1977
1977 NBA Playoffs
The 1977 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1976-1977 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers four games to two in the Finals. It was...
and again to its current number of 16 in 1984
1984 NBA Playoffs
The 1984 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983-84 season. This was the first postseason allowing sixteen teams to qualify, a format that is still in use as of 2011...
.
At the time, this was the closest the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
would ever come to an NBA title, losing in seven games to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. They wouldn't make it this far again until 1989
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...
, this time as a member of the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
. They would finally win an NBA title two years later
1991 NBA Finals
The 1991 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1990–91 NBA season. It was also the first NBA Finals broadcast by NBC after 17 years with CBS....
.
Bracket
Western Conference
Champion: Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
1st Round
(1) Golden State Warriors, (2) Chicago Bulls & (3) Kansas City Kings have first round byes.
(4) Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
vs. (5) Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
:
Sonics win series 2-1
- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 90, Detroit 77
- Game 2 @ Detroit: Detroit 122, Seattle 106
- Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 100, Detroit 93
Conference Semifinals
(1) Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
:
Warriors win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Golden State: Golden State 123, Seattle 96
- Game 2 @ Golden State: Seattle 100, Golden State 99
- Game 3 @ Seattle: Golden State 105, Seattle 96
- Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 111, Golden State 94
- Game 5 @ Golden State: Golden State 124, Seattle 100
- Game 6 @ Seattle: Golden State 105, Seattle 96
(2) Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
vs. (3) Kansas City Kings:
Bulls win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 95, Kansas City 89
- Game 2 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 102, Chicago 95
- Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 93, Kansas City 90
- Game 4 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 104, Chicago 100
- Game 5 @ Chicago: Chicago 104, Kansas City 77
- Game 6 @ Kansas City: Chicago 101, Kansas City 89
Conference Finals
(1) Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
vs. (2) Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
:
Warriors win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Golden State: Golden State 107, Chicago 89
- Game 2 @ Chicago: Chicago 90, Golden State 89
- Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 108, Golden State 101
- Game 4 @ Golden State: Golden State 111, Chicago 106
- Game 5 @ Golden State: Chicago 89, Golden State 79
- Game 6 @ Chicago: Golden State 86, Chicago 72
- Game 7 @ Golden State: Golden State 83, Chicago 79
Eastern Conference
Champion: Washington Bullets1st Round
(1) Boston Celtics, (2) Washington Bullets & (3) Buffalo Braves have first round byes.
(4) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
vs. (5) New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
:
Rockets win series 2-1
- Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 99, New York 84
- Game 2 @ New York: New York 106, Houston 96
- Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 118, New York 86
Conference Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
vs. (4) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
:
Celtics win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Boston: Houston 123, Houston 106
- Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 112, Houston 100
- Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 117, Boston 102
- Game 4 @ Houston: Boston 122, Houston 117
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 128, Houston 115
(2) Washington Bullets vs. (3) Buffalo Braves
Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....
:
Bullets win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Washington: Buffalo 113, Washington 102
- Game 2 @ Buffalo: Washington 120, Buffalo 106
- Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 111, Buffalo 96
- Game 4 @ Buffalo: Buffalo 108, Washington 102
- Game 5 @ Washington: Washington 97, Buffalo 93
- Game 6 @ Buffalo: Buffalo 102, Washington 96
- Game 7 @ Washington: Washington 115, Buffalo 96
Conference Finals
(1) Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
vs. (2) Washington Bullets:
Bullets win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Boston: Washington 100, Boston 95
- Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 117, Boston 92
- Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 101, Washington 90
- Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 119, Boston 108
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 103, Washington 99
- Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 98, Boston 92
NBA finals
(1) Washington Bullets VS. (1) Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
:
Warriors win series 4-0
- Game 1 @ Washington: Golden State 101, Washington 95
- Game 2 @ Golden State: Golden State 92, Washington 91
- Game 3 @ Golden State: Golden State 109, Washington 101
- Game 4 @ Washington: Golden State 96, Washington 95