1972 NBA Playoffs

The 1972 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1971-1972 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, four games to one in the NBA Finals. Wilt Chamberlain was named NBA Finals MVP.

The Lakers finished the regular season with the best record in NBA history at 69-13, a mark that would go unchallenged until the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finished 72-10. Led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the Lakers won their first championship in Los Angeles; their previous title had been in 1954 as the Minneapolis Lakers, the first great dynasty in BAA/NBA history.

Additionally, the Lakers won their first NBA Finals in the last nine appearances, but ironically they did so without superstar Elgin Baylor, who had been around for each of those eight disappointments. Baylor retired nine games into the season because of his continuing knee problems.

3RoundBracket-Byes | RD1= Conference Semifinals
RD2= Conference Finals
RD3= NBA Finals
group1=Western Conference
group2=Eastern Conference

RD1-seed1=P1
RD1-team1=L.A. Lakers
RD1-score1=4
RD1-seed2=M2
RD1-team2=Chicago
RD1-score2=0

RD1-seed3=P2
RD1-team3=Golden State
RD1-score3=1
RD1-seed4=M1
RD1-team4=Milwaukee
RD1-score4=4

RD1-seed5=A1
RD1-team5=Boston
RD1-score5=4
RD1-seed6=C2
RD1-team6=Atlanta
RD1-score6=2

RD1-seed7=C1
RD1-team7=Baltimore
RD1-score7=2
RD1-seed8=A2
RD1-team8=New York
RD1-score8=4

RD2-seed1=P1
RD2-team1=L.A. Lakers
RD2-score1=4
RD2-seed2=M1
RD2-team2=Milwaukee
RD2-score2=2

RD2-seed3=A1
RD2-team3=Boston
RD2-score3=1
RD2-seed4=A2
RD2-team4=New York
RD2-score4=4

RD3-seed1=P1
RD3-team1=L.A. Lakers
RD3-score1=4
RD3-seed2=A2
RD3-team2=New York
RD3-score2=1

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1972.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1972 NBA Playoffs page]