1982 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1982 1982NBAPlayoffsofficiallogo.png 1981–82 April 20–June 8, 1982 12 Los Angeles Lakers 8 Philadelphia 76ers San Antonio Spurs Boston Celtics Scoring leader(s) Julius Erving (76ers) 22.0 PPG MVP Magic Johnson (Lakers) 1981 1983 The 1982 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1981–82 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Magic Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time. It was the second NBA Finals meeting in three years between the Lakers and Sixers, and ended with the same result—a 4–2 Lakers victory—as the previous confrontation. They met again in 1983, with Philadelphia getting revenge in a sweep. The Sixers beat the Celtics again in the Eastern Conference Finals, the second of their three series wins in a four-year stretch. The Bullets' 2–0 sweep of the Nets was their last playoff series victory until 2005. This was the third straight year the Bucks failed to advance to the third round with the #2 seed despite a first-round bye, although they did not have the better record in each of those matchups, and thus not having home-court advantage. Bracket First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E4 New Jersey 0 E5 Washington 2 E3 Philadelphia 2 E6 Atlanta 0 W4 Denver 1 W5 Phoenix 2 W3 Seattle 2 W6 Houston 1 E1 Boston* 4 E5 Washington 1 E3 Philadelphia 4 E2 Milwaukee* 2 W1 Los Angeles* 4 W5 Phoenix 0 W3 Seattle 1 W2 San Antonio* 4 E1 Boston* 3 E3 Philadelphia 4 W1 Los Angeles* 4 W2 San Antonio* 0 E3 Philadelphia 2 W1 Los Angeles* 4* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks #eee April 21 Boxscore Atlanta Hawks 76 Philadelphia 76ers 111 20–28 16–25 22–26 18–32 John Drew 18 Dan Roundfield 11 Rory Sparrow 8 Darryl Dawkins 27 Darryl Dawkins 9 Maurice Cheeks 6 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11,250 Jack Madden, Wally Rooney Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 April 23 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 98 Atlanta Hawks 95 OT 21–20 19–19 23–29 27–22 8–5 Julius Erving 28 Dawkins, C. Jones 8 each Julius Erving 6 Dan Roundfield 29 Dan Roundfield 11 Eddie Johnson 4 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia 8,703 John Vanak, Paul Mihalak Philadelphia wins series, 2–0 This is the most recent playoff series between the 76ers & Hawks until 2021. +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff October 31, 1981 1981 10310 ATL Philadelphia 76ers 108 Atlanta Hawks 106 The Omni, Atlanta November 6, 1981 1981 11060 PHI Atlanta Hawks 106 Philadelphia 76ers 99 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff December 1, 1981 1981 12010 ATL Philadelphia 76ers 107 Atlanta Hawks 98 The Omni, Atlanta January 15, 1982 1982 01150 PHI Atlanta Hawks 96 Philadelphia 76ers 90 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff March 5, 1982 1982 03050 PHI Atlanta Hawks 80 Philadelphia 76ers 89 Spectrum, Philadelphia April 9, 1982 1982 04090 ATL Philadelphia 76ers 88 Atlanta Hawks 103 The Omni, Atlanta This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=ATL&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1980 Atlanta Hawks 1 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1980 Eastern Conference Semifinals (4) New Jersey Nets vs. (5) Washington Bullets #eee April 20 Boxscore Washington Bullets 96 New Jersey Nets 83 16–24 25–21 22–18 33–20 Jeff Ruland 18 Jeff Ruland 20 Frank Johnson 11 Buck Williams 23 Buck Williams 13 Ray Williams 8 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey 14,015 John Vanak, Hugh Evans, Joe Crawford Washington leads series, 1–0 April 23 Boxscore New Jersey Nets 92 Washington Bullets 103 30–22 20–25 18–24 24–32 Ray Williams 23 Len Elmore 9 Ray Williams 6 Kevin Grevey 23 Rick Mahorn 11 Frank Johnson 9 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Ed Rush, Jess Kersey Washington wins series, 2–0 +Regular-season seriesNew Jersey won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 26, 1981 1981 12260 NJN Washington Bullets 105 New Jersey Nets 90 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey January 5, 1982 1982 01050 WSB New Jersey Nets 114 Washington Bullets 108 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland #fff March 2, 1982 1982 03020 WSB New Jersey Nets 130 Washington Bullets 124 2OT Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland March 26, 1982 1982 03260 WSB New Jersey Nets 88 Washington Bullets 104 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland #fff April 2, 1982 1982 04020 NJN Washington Bullets 96 New Jersey Nets 98 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey April 14, 1982 1982 04140 NJN Washington Bullets 94 New Jersey Nets 98 Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Bullets.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NJN&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 Western Conference first round (3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Houston Rockets #eee April 21 Boxscore Houston Rockets 87 Seattle SuperSonics 102 25–19 19–22 16–29 27–32 Moses Malone 20 Moses Malone 15 Tom Henderson 7 Gus Williams 27 Jack Sikma 13 Gus Williams 12 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,071 Earl Strom, Jess Kersey Seattle leads series, 1–0 April 23 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 70 Houston Rockets 91 17–25 17–17 19–21 17–28 Gus Williams 18 Jack Sikma 11 four players 3 each Moses Malone 28 Moses Malone 23 Allen Leavell 6 The Summit, Houston, Texas 15,676 Jack Madden, Ed Middleton, Tommy Nunez Sr. Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 25 Boxscore Houston Rockets 83 Seattle SuperSonics 104 20–27 10–19 27–29 26–29 Moses Malone 24 Moses Malone 13 Mike Dunleavy 5 Jack Sikma 30 Jack Sikma 17 Gus Williams 12 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,071 Jake O'Donnell, Wally Rooney Seattle wins series, 2–1 +Regular-season seriesSeattle won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 27, 1981 1981 11270 SEA Houston Rockets 110 Seattle SuperSonics 117 Kingdome, Seattle December 8, 1981 1981 12080 HOU Seattle SuperSonics 107 Houston Rockets 96 The Summit, Houston #fff January 7, 1982 1982 01070 SEA Houston Rockets 107 Seattle SuperSonics 116 Kingdome, Seattle February 11, 1982 1982 02110 HOU Seattle SuperSonics 100 Houston Rockets 117 The Summit, Houston #fff March 26, 1982 1982 03260 SEA Houston Rockets 99 Seattle SuperSonics 97 Kingdome, Seattle This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the SuperSonics.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=OKC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 (4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Phoenix Suns #eee April 20 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 113 Denver Nuggets 129 30–35 29–27 21–40 33–27 Kyle Macy 22 Truck Robinson 13 Truck Robinson 6 Kiki VanDeWeghe 29 Alex English 10 English, McKinney 5 each McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,298 Darell Garretson, Ed Middleton Denver leads series, 1–0 April 23 Boxscore Denver Nuggets 110 Phoenix Suns 126 21–40 36–28 28–27 25–31 Dan Issel 26 Alex English 6 English, Gondrezick 5 each Dennis Johnson 29 Alvan Adams 9 Dennis Johnson 8 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,798 Jake O'Donnell, Mike Mathis Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 24 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 124 Denver Nuggets 119 36–31 30–39 36–25 22–24 Dennis Johnson 26 Truck Robinson 9 Rich Kelley 7 Dan Issel 26 Issel, Dunn 10 each Alex English 7 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado 17,443 Jack Madden, Paul Mihalak Phoenix wins series, 2–1 +Regular-season seriesPhoenix won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 10, 1981 1981 11100 DEN Phoenix Suns 109 Denver Nuggets 106 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado December 3, 1981 1981 12030 PHO Denver Nuggets 109 Phoenix Suns 137 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff February 26, 1982 1982 02260 PHO Denver Nuggets 122 Phoenix Suns 131 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona March 17, 1982 1982 03170 PHO Denver Nuggets 135 Phoenix Suns 133 OT Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff March 27, 1982 1982 03270 DEN Phoenix Suns 134 Denver Nuggets 140 2OT McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado This was the first playoff meeting between the Suns and the Nuggets.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DEN&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Washington Bullets #eee April 25 Boxscore Washington Bullets 91 Boston Celtics 109 27–29 25–21 15–24 24–35 Spencer Haywood 17 Greg Ballard 9 Frank Johnson 6 M. L. Carr 21 Larry Bird 12 Tiny Archibald 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Boston leads series, 1–0 April 28 Boxscore Washington Bullets 103 Boston Celtics 102 22–20 22–31 33–23 26–28 Johnson, Haywood 26 each Jeff Ruland 10 Frank Johnson 8 Larry Bird 26 Bird, Parish 10 each Tiny Archibald 6 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Series tied, 1–1 Frank Johnson hits the game-winning 3 pointer with 3 seconds left. #eee May 1 Boxscore Boston Celtics 92 Washington Bullets 83 28–18 20–20 23–22 21–23 Robert Parish 25 Parish, Archibald 13 each Tiny Archibald 5 Spencer Haywood 19 Rick Mahorn 14 Frank Johnson 8 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 15,035 Boston leads series, 2–1 May 2 Boxscore Boston Celtics 103 Washington Bullets 99 OT 24–26 20–23 25–24 22–18 12–8 Robert Parish 28 Robert Parish 15 Tiny Archibald 4 Spencer Haywood 28 Rick Mahorn 10 Frank Johnson 7 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 16,295 Boston leads series, 3–1 #eee May 5 Boxscore Washington Bullets 126 Boston Celtics 131 2OT 22–27 30–25 21–34 33–20 13–13, 7–12 Jeff Ruland 33 Jeff Ruland 13 Frank Johnson 10 Robert Parish 33 Robert Parish 13 Tiny Archibald 11 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Jake O'Donnell, Mike Mathis, Bill Saar Boston wins series, 4–1 Jeff Ruland hits the game-tying free throws with 24 seconds left to force OT. +Regular-season seriesBoston won 6–0 in the regular-season series#fff October 30, 1981 1981 10300 BOS Washington Bullets 100 Boston Celtics 124 Boston Garden, Boston November 10, 1981 1981 11100 WSB Boston Celtics 90 Washington Bullets 84 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland #fff November 27, 1981 1981 11270 BOS Washington Bullets 100 Boston Celtics 113 Boston Garden, Boston December 18, 1981 1981 12180 WSB Boston Celtics 99 Washington Bullets 98 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland #fff March 16, 1982 1982 03160 WSB Boston Celtics 98 Washington Bullets 97 OT Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland March 31, 1982 1982 03310 BOS Washington Bullets 109 Boston Celtics 119 Boston Garden, Boston This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Washington leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1975 Boston Celtics 2 Washington Bullets 4 1975 Eastern Conference Finals (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers #eee April 25 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 122 Philadelphia 76ers 125 38–35 28–32 32–30 24–28 Mickey Johnson 28 Marques Johnson 7 Brian Winters 5 Julius Erving 34 Caldwell Jones 16 Maurice Cheeks 10 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10,086 Ed Rush, Hugh Evans Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 April 28 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 108 Philadelphia 76ers 120 22–31 22–26 26–30 38–33 Brian Winters 21 Bob Lanier 11 Winters, May 5 each Andrew Toney 31 Caldwell Jones 9 Maurice Cheeks 8 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 14,716 Jake O'Donnell, Jess Kersey Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 #eee May 1 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 91 Milwaukee Bucks 92 16–29 21–19 24–19 30–25 Maurice Cheeks 19 Caldwell Jones 6 Maurice Cheeks 8 Mickey Johnson 21 Marques Johnson 11 Marques Johnson 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Darell Garretson, Mike Mathis Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 Sidney Moncrief hits the game-winning buzzer beater. May 2 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 100 Milwaukee Bucks 93 29–29 27–20 19–22 25–22 Julius Erving 21 Julius Erving 11 Julius Erving 9 Marques Johnson 23 Moncrief, Mickey Johnson 7 each Mickey Johnson 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Wally Rooney, Paul Mihalak Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 #eee May 5 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 110 Philadelphia 76ers 98 28–25 23–26 28–28 31–19 Bob Lanier 27 Alton Lister 11 Brian Winters 7 Julius Erving 28 Julius Erving 10 Maurice Cheeks 9 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 16,668 Jack Madden, Ed Middleton Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 May 7 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 102 Milwaukee Bucks 90 23–27 27–14 26–25 26–24 Maurice Cheeks 26 Caldwell Jones 12 Julius Erving 7 Bob Lanier 19 Bob Lanier 10 Brian Winters 6 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Earl Strom, John Vanak Philadelphia wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesMilwaukee won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 18, 1981 1981 11180 PHI Milwaukee Bucks 100 Philadelphia 76ers 102 Spectrum, Philadelphia December 13, 1981 1981 12130 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 108 Milwaukee Bucks 127 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin #fff January 13, 1982 1982 01130 PHI Milwaukee Bucks 111 Philadelphia 76ers 107 Spectrum, Philadelphia March 16, 1982 1982 03160 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 91 Milwaukee Bucks 106 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee #fff March 30, 1982 1982 03300 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 114 Milwaukee Bucks 116 OT MECCA Arena, Milwaukee April 18, 1982 1982 04180 PHI Milwaukee Bucks 86 Philadelphia 76ers 110 Spectrum, Philadelphia This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=MIL&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series#fff 1970 Milwaukee Bucks 4 Philadelphia 76ers 1 1970 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1981 Milwaukee Bucks 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1981 Eastern Conference Semifinals Western Conference semifinals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Phoenix Suns #eee April 27 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 96 Los Angeles Lakers 115 20–32 33–26 24–30 19–27 D. Johnson, Adams 20 each Truck Robinson 14 three players 4 each Jamaal Wilkes 28 Bob McAdoo 12 Magic Johnson 10 The Forum, Inglewood, California 13,623 Wally Rooney, Mike Mathis Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 April 28 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 98 Los Angeles Lakers 117 16–28 30–28 29–35 23–26 Dennis Johnson 27 Larry Nance 11 Dennis Johnson 6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Magic Johnson 12 Magic Johnson 12 The Forum, Inglewood, California 15,558 Darell Garretson, Hue Hollins Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 #eee April 30 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 114 Phoenix Suns 106 36–36 23–20 29–21 26–29 Jamaal Wilkes 26 Magic Johnson 14 Magic Johnson 9 Alvan Adams 23 Alvan Adams 12 three players 5 each Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 14,660 Hugh Evans, Joe Crawford Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 May 2 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 112 Phoenix Suns 107 36–24 21–30 30–30 25–23 Jamaal Wilkes 24 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13 Magic Johnson 12 Dennis Johnson 31 Macy, Nance 6 each Alvan Adams 8 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 11,932 Ed Rush, Ed Middleton Los Angeles wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 6, 1981 1981 11060 LAL Phoenix Suns 101 Los Angeles Lakers 99 The Forum, Inglewood, California November 14, 1981 1981 11140 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 98 Phoenix Suns 97 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona #fff December 25, 1981 1981 12250 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 104 Phoenix Suns 101 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona January 28, 1982 1982 01280 LAL Phoenix Suns 87 Los Angeles Lakers 97 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff April 2, 1982 1982 04020 LAL Phoenix Suns 109 Los Angeles Lakers 99 The Forum, Inglewood, California April 18, 1982 1982 04180 PHO Los Angeles Lakers 120 Phoenix Suns 115 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Los Angeles leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1970 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 3 1970 Western Division Semifinals #fff 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Phoenix Suns 1 1980 Western Conference Semifinals (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics #eee April 27 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 95 Seattle SuperSonics 93 23–22 21–23 34–16 17–32 George Gervin 31 Mike Mitchell 11 Johnny Moore 8 Jack Sikma 26 Jack Sikma 12 Hanzlik, Brown 4 each Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 14,457 Ed Rush, Hue Hollins San Antonio leads series, 1–0 April 28 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 99 Seattle SuperSonics 114 32–28 20–30 27–27 20–29 George Gervin 24 G. Johnson, Corzine 8 each Johnny Moore 14 Gus Williams 34 Lonnie Shelton 11 Gus Williams 9 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 19,403 Bill Saar, Hugh Evans Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 30 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 97 San Antonio Spurs 99 29–24 30–18 12–28 26–29 Gus Williams 25 Jack Sikma 15 Gus Williams 11 George Gervin 36 Mike Mitchell 12 Johnny Moore 12 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 14,019 Jake O'Donnell, John Vanak San Antonio leads series, 2–1 May 2 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 113 San Antonio Spurs 115 34–37 30–23 26–23 23–32 Gus Williams 33 James Donaldson 16 Gus Williams 7 Mike Mitchell 22 Olberding, Banks 9 each Mike Bratz 10 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 15,002 Jack Madden, Joe Crawford San Antonio leads series, 3–1 #eee May 5 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 109 Seattle SuperSonics 103 30–34 28–21 25–21 26–27 George Gervin 26 Dave Corzine 11 Moore, Bratz 9 each Gus Williams 36 Jack Sikma 11 Gus Williams 9 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington 23,180 Darell Garretson, Jess Kersey San Antonio wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesSan Antonio won 4–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 13, 1981 1981 11130 SEA San Antonio Spurs 119 Seattle SuperSonics 112 Kingdome, Seattle November 18, 1981 1981 11180 SAS Seattle SuperSonics 93 San Antonio Spurs 101 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio #fff December 9, 1981 1981 12090 SAS Seattle SuperSonics 99 San Antonio Spurs 110 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio February 14, 1982 1982 02140 SAS Seattle SuperSonics 94 San Antonio Spurs 114 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio #fff April 2, 1982 1982 04020 SEA San Antonio Spurs 86 Seattle SuperSonics 111 Kingdome, Seattle This was the first playoff meeting between the Spurs and the SuperSonics.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=OKC&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers #eee May 9 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 81 Boston Celtics 121 24–30 21–32 11–31 25–28 Andrew Toney 15 four players 7 each Andrew Toney 4 Bird, Parish 24 each Larry Bird 15 Larry Bird 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Ed Rush, Hugh Evans Boston leads series, 1–0 Held on Mother's Day, Game 1 was infamously known as the "Mother's Day Massacre" as Boston beat Philadelphia by 40 points, which remains the 76ers' worst playoff loss to date.https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/how-bad-was-it-a-look-at-some-bleak-76ers-stats-after-gruesome-loss-to-celtics/727508/ How bad was it? A look at some bleak 76ers stats after gruesome loss to Celtics Reuben Frank April 19, 2026 May 6, 2026 NBC Sports Philadelphia May 12 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 121 Boston Celtics 113 31–29 31–27 26–34 33–23 Andrew Toney 30 Caldwell Jones 11 Maurice Cheeks 14 Tiny Archibald 24 Larry Bird 14 Tiny Archibald 13 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Earl Strom, Paul Mihalak Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 15 Boxscore Boston Celtics 97 Philadelphia 76ers 99 28–24 19–25 23–31 27–19 Cedric Maxwell 18 Larry Bird 13 Larry Bird 11 Julius Erving 19 Caldwell Jones 12 Maurice Cheeks 10 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Jack Madden, Wally Rooney Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 May 16 Boxscore Boston Celtics 94 Philadelphia 76ers 119 20–32 28–23 25–30 21–34 Robert Parish 18 Larry Bird 9 Gerald Henderson 7 Andrew Toney 39 Caldwell Jones 11 Maurice Cheeks 11 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 #eee May 19 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 85 Boston Celtics 114 22–33 15–24 27–28 21–29 Andrew Toney 18 Darryl Dawkins 10 Lionel Hollins 7 Robert Parish 26 Larry Bird 20 Larry Bird 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Ed Rush Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 May 21 Boxscore Boston Celtics 88 Philadelphia 76ers 75 20–26 22–22 19–16 27–11 Kevin McHale 17 Larry Bird 17 Danny Ainge 7 Julius Erving 24 Caldwell Jones 17 Maurice Cheeks 7 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Jake O'Donnell, Jack Madden Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 23 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 120 Boston Celtics 106 30–28 22–21 31–22 37–35 Andrew Toney 34 Caldwell Jones 10 Maurice Cheeks 11 Robert Parish 23 Robert Parish 14 Larry Bird 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Jack Madden Philadelphia wins series, 4–3 The Celtics were not able to overcome a 3–1 series deficit like they had in last season's Eastern Conference finals, losing Game 7 at home. The Sixers became the 2nd team to ever beat the Celtics in a Game 7 in the Garden (after the New York Knicks did in 1973) and the 3rd NBA road team to win Game 7 after leading series 3–1. The Boston Garden crowd in Game 7 chanted "Beat LA! Beat LA!" to the victorious Sixers. +Regular-season seriesBoston won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff December 4, 1981 1981 12040 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 103 Boston Celtics 111 Boston Garden, Boston December 19, 1981 1981 12190 PHI Boston Celtics 118 Philadelphia 76ers 123 OT Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff January 8, 1982 1982 01080 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 90 Boston Celtics 96 Boston Garden, Boston March 21, 1982 1982 03210 PHI Boston Celtics 123 Philadelphia 76ers 111 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff March 28, 1982 1982 03280 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 116 Boston Celtics 98 Boston Garden, Boston April 11, 1982 1982 04110 PHI Boston Celtics 110 Philadelphia 76ers 109 OT Spectrum, Philadelphia This was the 17th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning nine of the first 16 meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Boston leads 9–7 in all-time playoff series#fff 1953 Boston Celtics 2 Syracuse Nationals 0 1953 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1954 Boston Celtics 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin semifinals #fff 1954 Boston Celtics 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1955 Boston Celtics 1 Syracuse Nationals 3 1955 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1956 Boston Celtics 1 Syracuse Nationals 2 1956 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1957 Boston Celtics 3 Syracuse Nationals 0 1957 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1959 Boston Celtics 4 Syracuse Nationals 3 1959 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1961 Boston Celtics 4 Syracuse Nationals 1 1961 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1965 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 3 1965 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1966 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 1 1966 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1967 Boston Celtics 1 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1967 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1968 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 3 1968 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1969 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 1 1969 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1977 Boston Celtics 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1980 Boston Celtics 1 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1980 Eastern Conference Finals #fff 1981 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 3 1981 Eastern Conference Finals Western Conference finals (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs #eee May 9 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 117 Los Angeles Lakers 128 31–32 22–31 38–35 26–30 George Gervin 34 Dave Corzine 11 Johnny Moore 12 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Magic Johnson 16 Magic Johnson 14 The Forum, Inglewood, California 15,700 Paul Mihalak, Wally Rooney, Hue Hollins Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 May 11 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 101 Los Angeles Lakers 110 19–26 26–23 34–29 22–32 Mike Mitchell 34 Dave Corzine 13 Johnny Moore 11 Nixon, Wilkes 22 each Kurt Rambis 15 Nixon, M. Johnson 9 each The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jake O'Donnell, Hugh Evans Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 #eee May 14 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 118 San Antonio Spurs 108 23–24 32–24 26–31 37–29 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 M. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 10 each Nixon, M. Johnson 10 each George Gervin 39 George Gervin 15 Johnny Moore 12 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 15,800 Ed Rush, Darell Garretson Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 May 15 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 128 San Antonio Spurs 123 36–27 30–37 30–31 32–28 Norm Nixon 30 M. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 9 each Norm Nixon 10 George Gervin 38 Mike Mitchell 10 Johnny Moore 10 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 15,800 Earl Strom, Hugh Evans, John Vanak Los Angeles wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesSan Antonio won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff November 10, 1981 1981 11100 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 102 San Antonio Spurs 128 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio November 20, 1981 1981 11200 LAL San Antonio Spurs 116 Los Angeles Lakers 136 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff November 25, 1981 1981 11250 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 117 San Antonio Spurs 96 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio February 12, 1982 1982 02120 LAL San Antonio Spurs 100 Los Angeles Lakers 94 The Forum, Inglewood, California #fff March 26, 1982 1982 03260 SAS Los Angeles Lakers 105 San Antonio Spurs 110 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio This was the first playoff meeting between the Lakers and the Spurs.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 NBA Finals: (E3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers 1982 NBA Finals #eee May 27 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 124 Philadelphia 76ers 117 30–32 20–29 41–28 33–28 Nixon, Wilkes 24 each Julius Erving 27 Magic Johnson 14 Caldwell Jones 11 Norm Nixon 10 Cheeks, Toney 9 each Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Jake O'Donnell, Hugh Evans Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 May 30 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 94 Philadelphia 76ers 110 26–34 21–23 29–31 18–22 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Julius Erving 24 Magic Johnson 11 Julius Erving 14 Norm Nixon 10 Andrew Toney 11 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Darell Garretson, Earl Strom Series tied, 1–1 #eee June 1 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 108 Los Angeles Lakers 129 20–32 28–28 22–31 38–38 Andrew Toney 36 Norm Nixon 29 Darryl Dawkins 13 Magic Johnson 9 Maurice Cheeks 9 Magic Johnson 8 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Ed Rush, Wally Rooney Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 June 3 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 101 Los Angeles Lakers 111 18–29 24–28 30–30 29–24 Andrew Toney 28 Johnson, Wilkes 24 each Bobby Jones 9 Abdul-Jabbar, Rambis 11 each Andrew Toney 11 Norm Nixon 14 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Jack Madden, Paul Mihalak Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 #eee June 6 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 102 Philadelphia 76ers 135 20–20 34–34 27–37 21–44 Bob McAdoo 23 Andrew Toney 31 Magic Johnson 10 Julius Erving 12 Norm Nixon 13 Toney, Cheeks 8 each Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,364 Jake O'Donnell, Ed Rush Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 June 8 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 104 Los Angeles Lakers 114 26–30 31–36 22–20 25–28 Julius Erving 30 Jamaal Wilkes 27 Caldwell Jones 9 Magic Johnson 13 Maurice Cheeks 9 Magic Johnson 13 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,505 Darell Garretson, Jack Madden Los Angeles wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesTied 1–1 in the regular-season series#fff February 26, 1982 1982 02260 LAL Philadelphia 76ers 114 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=116 2OT The Forum, Inglewood, California March 7, 1982 1982 03070 PHI Los Angeles Lakers 113 Philadelphia 76ers |score2=119 Spectrum, Philadelphia This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAL&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Los Angeles leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1950 Minneapolis Lakers 4 Syracuse Nationals 2 1950 NBA Finals #fff 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 4 Syracuse Nationals 3 1954 NBA Finals #fff 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 4 Philadelphia 76ers 2 1980 NBA Finals References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1982 NBA Playoffs page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 1981–1982#Pudotuspelit