A report on 1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season, 1996 NBA Finals and 1995–96 Sacramento Kings season

The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls holding home court advantage.

In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Kings faced the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics.

The Sonics would reach the NBA Finals, but would lose in six games to the Chicago Bulls.

The SuperSonics defeated the Sacramento Kings three games to one in the Western Conference First Round, advancing to the second round for the first time in three years.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, they swept the 5th-seeded and reigning champions Houston Rockets in four straight games to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in seven games to reach their first NBA Finals since 1979.

Seattle began its playoff run with a four-game win over the Sacramento Kings, followed by a dominant sweep of the defending champion Houston Rockets, headed by a 33 point win in Game 1 where they held Hakeem Olajuwon to 5 points.