Every 1996-97 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 1996-97 title from a regular season record of 69-13. 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 | Washington Bullets | April 25 to April 30, 1997 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-0 in games | Los Angeles Clippers | April 24 to April 28, 1997 |
| First round | Miami Heat | 3-2 in games | Orlando Magic | April 24 to May 4, 1997 |
| First round | Houston Rockets | 3-0 in games | Minnesota Timberwolves | April 24 to April 29, 1997 |
| First round | New York Knicks | 3-0 in games | Charlotte Hornets | April 24 to April 28, 1997 |
| First round | Seattle SuperSonics | 3-2 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 25 to May 3, 1997 |
| First round | Atlanta Hawks | 3-2 in games | Detroit Pistons | April 25 to May 4, 1997 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-1 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 25 to May 2, 1997 |
| Conf. semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | Atlanta Hawks | May 6 to May 13, 1997 |
| Conf. semifinals | Utah Jazz | 4-1 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | May 4 to May 12, 1997 |
| Conf. semifinals | Miami Heat | 4-3 in games | New York Knicks | May 7 to May 18, 1997 |
| Conf. semifinals | Houston Rockets | 4-3 in games | Seattle SuperSonics | May 5 to May 17, 1997 |
| Conf. finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-1 in games | Miami Heat | May 20 to May 28, 1997 |
| Conf. finals | Utah Jazz | 4-2 in games | Houston Rockets | May 19 to May 29, 1997 |
| The Finals | Chicago Bulls | 4-2 in games | Utah Jazz | June 1 to June 13, 1997 |
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.