Every 1995-96 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 1995-96 title from a regular season record of 72-10. 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 | Chicago Bulls | 3-0 in games | Miami Heat | April 26 to May 1, 1996 |
| First round | Seattle SuperSonics | 3-1 in games | Sacramento Kings | April 26 to May 2, 1996 |
| First round | Orlando Magic | 3-0 in games | Detroit Pistons | April 26 to April 30, 1996 |
| First round | San Antonio Spurs | 3-1 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 26 to May 3, 1996 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-2 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 25 to May 5, 1996 |
| First round | Houston Rockets | 3-1 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | April 25 to May 2, 1996 |
| First round | Atlanta Hawks | 3-2 in games | Indiana Pacers | April 25 to May 5, 1996 |
| First round | New York Knicks | 3-0 in games | Cleveland Cavaliers | April 25 to May 1, 1996 |
| Conf. semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | New York Knicks | May 5 to May 14, 1996 |
| Conf. semifinals | Seattle SuperSonics | 4-0 in games | Houston Rockets | May 4 to May 12, 1996 |
| Conf. semifinals | Orlando Magic | 4-1 in games | Atlanta Hawks | May 8 to May 15, 1996 |
| Conf. semifinals | Utah Jazz | 4-2 in games | San Antonio Spurs | May 7 to May 16, 1996 |
| Conf. finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-0 in games | Orlando Magic | May 19 to May 27, 1996 |
| Conf. finals | Seattle SuperSonics | 4-3 in games | Utah Jazz | May 18 to June 2, 1996 |
| The Finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 in games | Seattle SuperSonics | June 5 to June 16, 1996 |
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.