2010 NBA Playoffs
| 2010 NBA playoffs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 2009–10 | ||||
| Teams | 16 | ||||
| Champions | Los Angeles Lakers (16th title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Boston Celtics (21st finals appearance) | ||||
| Semifinalists | |||||
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The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2009-10 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.
For the 2nd time in 3 seasons and the first time since 2008, all Western Conference playoff teams had at least 50 wins. The 7 games separating 1–8 was tied for the smallest margin, also from 2008.
Cleveland's 61 wins in the NBA was the smallest win total for best record since the Pacers won 61 in 2004. The Cavaliers' second round playoff exit (4–2 vs. Boston) was the earliest for the top seed since the Dallas Mavericks' first round loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2007.
Many teams avenged previous losses by defeating teams who defeated them in recent years. The Spurs defeated the Mavericks, who beat them twice in the previous 4 seasons. The Cavaliers beat the Bulls for the first time since The Shot. The Suns defeated the Spurs, who won the previous 4 meetings in the last decade. The Lakers beat the Suns, who defeated them in the first round in 2006 and 2007. The Celtics defeated the Magic, who eliminated them in 2009. And in the finals, the Lakers beat the Celtics who defeated them in the 2008 NBA Finals.
Game 5 of the Magic-Celtics series was the last game played at Amway Arena (formerly known as Orlando Arena and TD Waterhouse Centre). The Magic, who last year upset the top-seeded Cavaliers in 6 after they went 8-0 through the first two rounds, also went 8-0 through two playoff series, only to suffer the same fate as the Cavaliers last year, losing to Boston in 6. The Cavs loss led to the LeBron James decision to join the Miami Heat. This was the last playoff appearance for the Cavs until 2015 when James returned to Cleveland and, along with Kyrie Irving, faced again his common rivals the Celtics and Bulls.
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