1994 NBA Playoffs
| 1994 NBA playoffs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 1993–94 | ||||
| Teams | 16 | ||||
| Champions | Houston Rockets (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | New York Knicks (7th finals appearance) | ||||
| Semifinalists | |||||
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The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP.
This was also the first time that the Boston Celtics since 1979, and Los Angeles Lakers since 1976, missed the playoffs and their first-ever absence since the playoff field expanded to 16 teams in 1984. This was the first time that both missed the playoffs in the same year. This would not occur again until 2014.
The biggest upset came in the first round, when the Denver Nuggets came back from a 2–0 deficit to beat the Seattle SuperSonics in five games, marking the first time in NBA history that an eighth seed had defeated a #1 seed. Denver stretched their improbable playoff run with the Utah Jazz to seven games after being down 0–3, but Utah defeated them in Game 7 91–81.
The playoffs also featured the very first playoff series victory for the Indiana Pacers in their 18-year NBA existence, as they swept the Orlando Magic (who were making their first playoff appearance in franchise history) in the first round, then eliminated the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 4–2 in the second round. The Pacers advanced within one game of the NBA Finals, but lost Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Knicks.
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