Every 1984-85 NBA playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
Los Angeles Lakers won the 1984-85 title from a regular season record of 62-20. 16 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from NBA.com; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Boston Celtics | 3-1 in games | Cleveland Cavaliers | April 18 to April 25, 1985 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-0 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 18 to April 23, 1985 |
| First round | Milwaukee Bucks | 3-1 in games | Chicago Bulls | April 19 to April 26, 1985 |
| First round | Philadelphia 76ers | 3-1 in games | Washington Bullets | April 17 to April 26, 1985 |
| First round | Denver Nuggets | 3-2 in games | San Antonio Spurs | April 18 to April 28, 1985 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-2 in games | Houston Rockets | April 19 to April 28, 1985 |
| First round | Detroit Pistons | 3-0 in games | New Jersey Nets | April 18 to April 24, 1985 |
| First round | Portland Trail Blazers | 3-1 in games | Dallas Mavericks | April 18 to April 25, 1985 |
| Conf. semifinals | Boston Celtics | 4-2 in games | Detroit Pistons | April 28 to May 10, 1985 |
| Conf. semifinals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 27 to May 7, 1985 |
| Conf. semifinals | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-0 in games | Milwaukee Bucks | April 28 to May 5, 1985 |
| Conf. semifinals | Denver Nuggets | 4-1 in games | Utah Jazz | April 30 to May 7, 1985 |
| Conf. finals | Boston Celtics | 4-1 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | May 12 to May 22, 1985 |
| Conf. finals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 in games | Denver Nuggets | May 11 to May 22, 1985 |
| The Finals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 in games | Boston Celtics | May 27 to June 9, 1985 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.