1993 NBA Playoffs

Tournament details
Dates	April 29–June 20, 1993
Season	1992–93
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Chicago Bulls(3rd title)
Runners-up	Phoenix Suns
Semifinalists	New York Knicks Seattle SuperSonics
← 1992 1994 →

The1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of theNational Basketball Association's1992–93 season. The tournament concluded with theEastern Conference championChicago Bulls defeating theWestern Conference championPhoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in theNBA Finals.Michael Jordan was namedNBA Finals MVP for the third straight year. This was the Suns' second Western Conference title; they made their first NBA Finals appearance since1976, losing to theBoston Celtics.John Paxson made the series-clinching three-point shot in Game Six of the NBA Finals, securing the Bulls' first of two three-peats during the decade. However, Michael Jordan would retire following the season due to thedeath of his father.

This edition of the playoffs featured the third of four straight seasons the Bulls and theKnicks faced off. This time the tables were turned as the Bulls had the lower seed in the playoffs as the previous two seasons had Chicago as the higher seed. The Knicks were seeded8th in 1991 and4th in 1992. But the result was about the same as the Bulls outlasted the Knicks 4 games to 2 in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals.

TheKnicks–Pacers rivalry started in their first-round encounter, which New York won, 3–1. But it wasn't until the next two meetings (1994 and1995) that the rivalry became even more intense, particularly due toReggie Miller's heroics in the Garden that made him a household name and Indiana legitimate contenders in the East.^{[citation needed]}

TheCharlotte Hornets made their playoff debut. Their opening-round series versus Boston was also the last time the Celtics made the playoffs withKevin McHale, who retired after the series, andRobert Parish, who left as a free agent. Game 1 of the series was the final game ofReggie Lewis' career, as he collapsed during the first quarter and did not play for the rest of the series; he died in July of a heart attack.

This was the first edition of the playoffs since1983 to not feature theDetroit Pistons, who previously made nine straight appearances from1984 to1992.

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals saw the Suns attempt sixty-four free throws while connecting on fifty-seven of them, both NBA postseason records.^[1]

• John Starks is ejected after headbuttingReggie Miller.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Knicks.^[2]

• Michael Jordan hits the half-court shot at the buzzer to end the first half.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning both meetings.

• Bernard King's final NBA game.

• Maurice Cheeks andDražen Petrović's final NBA game; Petrović dies a month later in a car crash.
• This would be the last playoff series victory for Cleveland withoutLeBron James until2024.

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

• Celtics forwardReggie Lewis' final NBA game, he collapses on the court and did not play for the rest of the series; he dies 3 months later from a heart defect.

• Xavier McDaniel hits the game-tying jumper with 25.8 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT;Kevin McHale hits the game-tying jumper with 6 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

• Alonzo Mourning hits the series-winning shot with 4 tenths left; alsoKevin McHale's final NBA game.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Hornets.^[5]

• Dan Majerle hits the game-tying shot with 13.6 seconds left to force OT; After losing the first two games of the series, at the post game press conference Suns head coachPaul Westphal said that they would go to LA and win the next two games and then come back to Phoenix and win game 5, "and everyone will say what a great series it was."

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first seven meetings.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Clippers.^[7]

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

• Sean Elliott hits the game-tying lay-up with 1:27 left to force OT.

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

• Alonzo Mourning hits the game-tying shot with 30.9 seconds left in regulation to force the first OT, then hits the game-tying free throws with 12 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hornets and the Knicks.^[10]

• Michael Jordan hits the series-winning shot at the buzzer against Cleveland for the second time in his career.

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

• Charles Barkley hits the series-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left, also theSpurs played their final game at theHemisFair Arena before moving to theAlamodome the following season.

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

• This game marked the final time the NBA Playoffs aired exclusively on local TV.

• Ricky Pierce hits the game-tying shot with 23.9 seconds left to force OT.

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

• John Starks' famous dunk onHorace Grant with 47.3 seconds left in the game.

• Michael Jordan scores 54 points, the most against the Knicks in a playoff game by any player.

• B. J. Armstrong hits the clutch three with 1:16 left;Charles Smith gets denied four straight times (Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, andScottie Pippen) near the end of the game.

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