Every 1990-91 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.
Chicago Bulls won the 1990-91 title from a regular season record of 61-21. 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 | Portland Trail Blazers | 3-2 in games | Seattle SuperSonics | April 26 to May 4, 1991 |
| First round | Chicago Bulls | 3-0 in games | New York Knicks | April 25 to April 30, 1991 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-0 in games | Houston Rockets | April 25 to April 30, 1991 |
| First round | Boston Celtics | 3-2 in games | Indiana Pacers | April 26 to May 5, 1991 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-1 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 25 to May 2, 1991 |
| First round | Golden State Warriors | 3-1 in games | San Antonio Spurs | April 25 to May 3, 1991 |
| First round | Detroit Pistons | 3-2 in games | Atlanta Hawks | April 26 to May 5, 1991 |
| First round | Philadelphia 76ers | 3-0 in games | Milwaukee Bucks | April 25 to April 30, 1991 |
| Conf. semifinals | Portland Trail Blazers | 4-1 in games | Utah Jazz | May 7 to May 14, 1991 |
| Conf. semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | May 4 to May 14, 1991 |
| Conf. semifinals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 in games | Golden State Warriors | May 5 to May 14, 1991 |
| Conf. semifinals | Detroit Pistons | 4-2 in games | Boston Celtics | May 7 to May 17, 1991 |
| Conf. finals | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | May 18 to May 30, 1991 |
| Conf. finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-0 in games | Detroit Pistons | May 19 to May 27, 1991 |
| The Finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | June 2 to June 12, 1991 |
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.