The 3 division winners and 5 other teams with the most wins from each conference qualify for the playoffs. After Hedo Türkoğlu hit a stepback 3-point shot, Howard blocked Gasol's jumper, giving him a single-game NBA Finals record with 9 blocked shots. This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the Cavaliers.This was the first time the Celtics lost a series when leading 3–2. On the bench to witness it was a previous record holder, his assistant coach Out of the timeout, the Lakers elected to take the ball out at three-quarters court instead of half-court in order to space out the floor.

In the opening frame, all 5 starters scored and assisted on at least one field goal, but the Lakers pulled to within 2 at the quarter break. Game 5 was marked by several hard fouls and technical fouls. This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two series apiece. However, the Heat managed to rebound from the loss and won Game 2 on the road to tie the series. Are you a … In Game 4, two clutch free throws by LeBron James sent the game into overtime. This win marked the first Finals win in Magic franchise history, losing their first 6 Finals games (being swept in their first appearance and losing Games 1 and 2) Down 40–36 with 7:11 in the 2nd quarter, the Lakers went on a 16–0 run, fueled by two 3-pointers and solid defensive play from Coming out of the half, Orlando cut the lead to 5 with 7:45 remaining in the 3rd on a 3-pointer by The series was the third straight championship that the Lakers clinched on the road (after For the Magic, Game 3 marked their first Finals game victory; the franchise lost their first six Finals games after being swept in their first Finals appearance in This is the seventh time in NBA Finals history that a team that lost the championship the previous season has won the Finals the very next year.

The Cavaliers opened the series with a rout on Game 1, as This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings. League leaders for the 2008-09 NBA season. The tradition began in The series win brought the Lakers' franchise championship total to 15, trailing only to the By virtue of their win this year and loss in the previous year, this marked tenth occurrence that the winners of the NBA Finals were losers in the preceding year's Finals, previously the The Lakers' only offseason change was the acquisition of The Magic again won 59 games and the division title in the The Hawks opened the series with a 26-point win after leading by as much as 20 points at halftime. 2008-09 NBA Teams Full list of teams that played in the NBA in 2008-2009 with results, regular season series and players stats. In Game 2, Ben Gordon poured in 42 points, but lost the duel to Ray Allen. However, despite the incredible shooting percentage, the Lakers managed to stay close for much of the game.

Both teams got off to a slow start and were tied at 15 after the first quarter, setting a record-low for combined score (30) in the first quarter of an NBA Finals game. This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Magic.Conference Finals: (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Orlando MagicConference Finals: (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver NuggetsNBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Orlando MagicConference Finals: (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Orlando MagicConference Finals: (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Denver NuggetsNBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Orlando Magic The Bulls had to come back from being down 8 in the final 2 minutes of regulation, and did so behind John Salmons. Both regular-season games and three of the NBA Finals games were close contests, decided by six points or fewer or in overtime. In Game 3, the Magic dominated at home, leading to a 10-point victory behind Dwight Howard's 24 points. After a win in Game 6, the Magic received their second NBA Finals berth in franchise history.

This was the first playoff meeting between the Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets franchise.The Nuggets routed the Hornets in Game 1, led by hometown player The Nuggets then pulled a 58-point win in Game 4. Game 5 was marked with an elbowing incident by Howard on This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first meeting. After coming so close, the Magic lost a chance to tie the series, a fact not lost upon the arena staff in Orlando. This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first four meetings.