Home court advantage belongs to the team with the better regular season record, regardless of seed. The If there were more than two teams tied, the team that wins the tiebreaker gets the highest seed, while the other teams were "re-broken" from the first step until all ties were resolved. Rondo led the Celtics with a career-high 44 points, along with 8 rebounds and 10 assists. However, the Spurs quickly cut the lead to 7 with 36.4 seconds before the half, with the half ending with a 10-point Clipper lead. With the Celtics leading by 1 with less than a minute to go, Pierce knocked down a crucial three-pointer that gave the Celtics the lead for good. The Celtics still held a 2-point lead in the dying seconds, but Wade missed a potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer, giving the Celtics a 93–91 win to tie the series going back to Miami. In the second quarter, Garnett picked up his third foul, giving the Heat a chance to try and take a lead. The LeBron-led Cavs also faced the Celtics in 2010 only to be defeated 4–2, which led to James' arrival on the Heat. The Heat had a 10-point lead after 1. This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first five meetings. Game 3 was close throughout the first half, with the Spurs leading only by 2 after the first half.
However, with James and Wade missing key chances, the Pacers tied the series with a 78–75 win. The Celtics never recovered as the Heat booked a return trip to the Finals with a 101–88 Game 7 win in Miami.
However, the Celtics eventually came back, winning Game 1 by a point to take a 1–0 series lead.
James had one of his best playoff games, scoring 45 points and getting 15 rebounds, 30 of his 45 came in the first half alone. Teams with home court advantage are shown in italics in the chart below. Totals; Per Game; Per 36 Minutes; Per 100 Possessions; Advanced; East Conf 1st Round. Game 6 - OKC thunder vs San antonio Spurs.
Then, with the Clippers holding on to a 12-point lead with 9:39 to go in the 3rd, the Spurs unleashed a ferocious 24–0 run to take a 69–57 lead with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. However, out of timeouts, the Clippers were forced to take a long inbound pass. Manu Ginobili sealed the deal by hitting a three-pointer that extended the Spurs' lead to 10 with about a minute and a half to go. Match du 3 Juin 2012.
The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. However, the Spurs took control on both ends in the fourth quarter to stay perfect in the playoffs. However, the Spurs quickly took control in the 2nd and 3rd quarters as they defeated the Clippers, 108–92, and took a 1–0 series lead. The odds were stacked against the Jazz as no team in NBA history have managed to win a series after trailing 3–0. Match du 2 Juin 2012.
Game 3 marked one of the worst playoff games for Wade, as he scored just 5 points on 2-of-13 shooting. In Game 4, the Celtics led by as much as 18 in the third quarter. He tried to come back in the third quarter but he aggravated his injury after fouling James.
Game 5 saw Brandon Bass score 27 points, including 18 in the third quarter as the Celtics blew out the Sixers, 101–85, to push them a win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat defeated the Knicks in Game 1 by 33 points.
It eventually sent the game to OT, with James missing two chances to win the game. Celtics proceeded to lead the series, 3–2, with a 94–90 win in Game 5. Then, after the third period, West left the game with a knee injury. New Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat; Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks; West Conf Semis.
