Every 2011-12 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.
Miami Heat won the 2011-12 title from a regular season record of 46-20. 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 | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 in games | Chicago Bulls | April 28 to May 10, 2012 |
| First round | San Antonio Spurs | 4-0 in games | Utah Jazz | April 29 to May 7, 2012 |
| First round | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-0 in games | Dallas Mavericks | April 28 to May 5, 2012 |
| First round | Miami Heat | 4-1 in games | New York Knicks | April 28 to May 9, 2012 |
| First round | Indiana Pacers | 4-1 in games | Orlando Magic | April 28 to May 8, 2012 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 in games | Denver Nuggets | April 29 to May 12, 2012 |
| First round | Los Angeles Clippers | 4-3 in games | Memphis Grizzlies | April 29 to May 13, 2012 |
| First round | Boston Celtics | 4-2 in games | Atlanta Hawks | April 29 to May 10, 2012 |
| Conf. semifinals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-0 in games | Los Angeles Clippers | May 15 to May 20, 2012 |
| Conf. semifinals | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-1 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | May 14 to May 21, 2012 |
| Conf. semifinals | Miami Heat | 4-2 in games | Indiana Pacers | May 13 to May 24, 2012 |
| Conf. semifinals | Boston Celtics | 4-3 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | May 12 to May 26, 2012 |
| Conf. finals | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-2 in games | San Antonio Spurs | May 27 to June 6, 2012 |
| Conf. finals | Miami Heat | 4-3 in games | Boston Celtics | May 28 to June 9, 2012 |
| The Finals | Miami Heat | 4-1 in games | Oklahoma City Thunder | June 12 to June 21, 2012 |
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.