1981 NBA playoffs

Basketball competition August 2023 NBA playoffs 1981 1980–81 March 31–May 14, 1981 12 Boston Celtics 14 Houston Rockets Kansas City Kings Philadelphia 76ers Scoring leader(s) Moses Malone (Rockets) 26.8 PPG MVP Cedric Maxwell (Celtics) 1980 1982 The 1981 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Cedric Maxwell was named NBA Finals MVP. The playoffs are notable for being the third and final time to date that a team with a losing record advanced to the NBA Finals (the St. Louis Hawks did it first in 1957 with a 34–38 record, the Minneapolis Lakers did it in 1959 with a 33–39 record), as the Rockets won their first Western Conference title despite having a 40–42 record. This was the only time in NBA history in which two teams with a losing record played each other in a Conference Finals, though the 1957 Western Division Finals did feature two teams with losing records. The Rockets and the Kansas City Kings, both with a 40–42 record, played in the Western Conference Finals which saw the Rockets prevail 4–1. The Kings' playoff series victories over the Blazers and Suns were their last in Kansas City. Their last playoff series in Kansas City was a three-game sweep in the first round in 1984 by the Lakers. They moved to Sacramento after the 1984–85 season and did not win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001. The Pacers became the last former ABA team to make their playoff debut, but were quickly swept by the 76ers 2–0. This is the last year to date that an NBA playoff game was played in March. The Celtics replicated their 1968 comeback by beating the Sixers in 7 after trailing 3–1. This was the only time a team came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win against the same team twice until the Detroit Pistons did so in 2026. This was the last time the Los Angeles Lakers were not the number one seed in the Western Conference until 1991. It was also the only year in which the Lakers failed to win a playoff series with both Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the team. Bracket First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E4 New York 0 E5 Chicago 2 E3 Philadelphia 2 E6 Indiana 0 W4 Portland 1 W5 Kansas City 2 W3 Los Angeles 1 W6 Houston 2 E1 Boston* 4 E5 Chicago 0 E3 Philadelphia 4 E2 Milwaukee* 3 W1 Phoenix* 3 W5 Kansas City 4 W6 Houston 4 W2 San Antonio* 3 E1 Boston* 4 E3 Philadelphia 3 W5 Kansas City 1 W6 Houston 4 E1 Boston* 4 W6 Houston 2* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Indiana Pacers #eee March 31 Boxscore Indiana Pacers 108 Philadelphia 76ers 124 33–38 16–29 30–24 29–33 Billy Knight 25 Knight, C. Johnson 7 each Johnny Davis 8 Julius Erving 32 Caldwell Jones 12 Andrew Toney 11 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 7,288 John Vanak, Lee Jones Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 April 2 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 96 Indiana Pacers 85 27–23 25–18 18–24 26–20 Julius Erving 23 Caldwell Jones 11 Maurice Cheeks 6 Johnny Davis 21 Clemon Johnson 13 Billy Knight 4 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana 8,921 Earl Strom, Jack Madden Philadelphia wins series, 2–0 +Regular-season seriesPhiladelphia won 6–0 in the regular-season series#fff November 13, 1980 1980 11130 IND Philadelphia 76ers 130 Indiana Pacers 103 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis November 21, 1980 1980 11210 PHI Indiana Pacers 88 Philadelphia 76ers 97 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff December 16, 1980 1980 12160 IND Philadelphia 76ers 109 Indiana Pacers 107 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis January 21, 1981 1981 01210 PHI Indiana Pacers 104 Philadelphia 76ers 118 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff March 10, 1981 1981 03100 IND Philadelphia 76ers 103 Indiana Pacers 102 Market Square Arena, Indianapolis March 18, 1981 1981 03180 PHI Indiana Pacers 95 Philadelphia 76ers 107 Spectrum, Philadelphia This was the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and the 76ers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=IND&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Indiana Pacers versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 (4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Chicago Bulls #eee March 31 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 90 New York Knicks 80 12–24 23–16 25–18 30–22 Ricky Sobers 18 Artis Gilmore 16 Ricky Sobers 6 Ray Williams 19 Micheal Ray Richardson 13 Micheal Ray Richardson 6 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York 14,822 Chicago leads series, 1–0 April 3 Boxscore New York Knicks 114 Chicago Bulls 115 OT 36–32 26–20 25–28 19–26 8–9 Campy Russell 29 three players 6 each three players 5 each Reggie Theus 37 Dwight Jones 14 Reggie Theus 11 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 19,901 Chicago wins series, 2–0 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff October 21, 1980 1980 10210 NYK Chicago Bulls 97 New York Knicks 105 Madison Square Garden, New York City November 21, 1980 1980 11210 CHI New York Knicks 121 Chicago Bulls 130 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff December 23, 1980 1980 12230 CHI New York Knicks 114 Chicago Bulls 117 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois February 6, 1981 1981 02060 CHI New York Knicks 112 Chicago Bulls 94 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff February 28, 1981 1981 02280 NYK Chicago Bulls 101 New York Knicks 97 Madison Square Garden, New York City March 13, 1981 1981 03130 NYK Chicago Bulls 117 New York Knicks 127 Madison Square Garden, New York City This was the first playoff meeting between the Bulls and the Knicks.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=NYK&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus New York Knicks (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 Western Conference first round (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Houston Rockets #eee April 1 Boxscore Houston Rockets 111 Los Angeles Lakers 107 32–26 28–24 29–31 22–26 Moses Malone 38 Moses Malone 23 Allen Leavell 8 Magic Johnson 26 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Norm Nixon 10 The Forum, Inglewood, California 15,517 Houston leads series, 1–0 April 3 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 111 Houston Rockets 106 27–18 27–29 30–23 27–36 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 27 Magic Johnson 18 Norm Nixon 11 Moses Malone 33 Moses Malone 15 Calvin Murphy 8 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 5 Boxscore Houston Rockets 89 Los Angeles Lakers 86 27–29 22–18 22–20 18–19 Moses Malone 23 Moses Malone 15 Tom Henderson 7 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18 Magic Johnson 9 The Forum, Inglewood, California 14,813 Houston wins series, 2–1 +Regular-season seriesLos Angeles won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 12, 1980 1980 10120 LAL Houston Rockets 103 Los Angeles Lakers 114 The Forum, Inglewood, California November 12, 1980 1980 11120 HOU Los Angeles Lakers 104 Houston Rockets 107 The Summit, Houston, Texas #fff December 10, 1980 1980 12100 HOU Los Angeles Lakers 109 Houston Rockets 108 The Summit, Houston, Texas February 13, 1981 1981 02130 HOU Los Angeles Lakers 114 Houston Rockets 105 The Summit, Houston, Texas #fff February 20, 1981 1981 02200 LAL Houston Rockets 110 Los Angeles Lakers 107 The Forum, Inglewood, California This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Lakers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 (4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Kansas City Kings #eee April 1 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 98 Portland Trail Blazers 97 OT 23–18 26–30 18–29 23–13 8–7 Otis Birdsong 29 King, Lacey 12 each Sam Lacey 10 Billy Ray Bates 25 Kermit Washington 17 Kelvin Ransey 10 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon 12,666 Kansas City leads series, 1–0 April 3 Boxscore Portland Trail Blazers 124 Kansas City Kings 119 OT 22–21 33–31 39–34 18–26 12–7 Mychal Thompson 40 Kermit Washington 18 Kelvin Ransey 7 Scott Wedman 31 Sam Lacey 9 Sam Lacey 8 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 11,088 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 5 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 104 Portland Trail Blazers 95 22–29 27–19 25–20 30–27 Reggie King 28 Reggie King 15 Ernie Grunfeld 6 Billy Ray Bates 34 Kermit Washington 17 Kelvin Ransey 8 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon 12,666 Kansas City wins series, 2–1 +Regular-season seriesKansas City won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 29, 1980 1980 10290 KCK Portland Trail Blazers 98 Kansas City Kings 115 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri November 11, 1980 1980 11110 POR Kansas City Kings 102 Portland Trail Blazers 101 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon #fff January 14, 1981 1981 01140 KCK Portland Trail Blazers 110 Kansas City Kings 91 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri February 8, 1981 1981 02080 POR Kansas City Kings 123 Portland Trail Blazers 129 OT Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon #fff March 5, 1981 1981 03050 KCK Portland Trail Blazers 100 Kansas City Kings 106 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri This was the first playoff meeting between the Trail Blazers and the Kings.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=POR&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Portland Trail Blazers versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Chicago Bulls #eee April 5 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 109 Boston Celtics 121 23–32 29–22 29–40 28–27 Dwight Jones 19 Dwight Jones 9 Jones, Sobers 4 each Larry Bird 23 Larry Bird 12 Bird, Maxwell 5 each Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Earl Strom, Jess Kersey Boston leads series, 1–0 April 7 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 97 Boston Celtics 106 14–32 24–21 28–23 31–30 Reggie Theus 21 Gilmore, Jones 10 each three players 4 each Archibald, Parish 27 each Larry Bird 12 Larry Bird 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Hugh Evans Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee April 10 Boxscore Boston Celtics 113 Chicago Bulls 107 32–35 25–25 30–25 26–22 Larry Bird 24 Larry Bird 17 Larry Bird 10 Reggie Theus 26 David Greenwood 12 Reggie Theus 8 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 19,995 Lee Jones, Paul Mihalak Boston leads series, 3–0 April 12 Boxscore Boston Celtics 109 Chicago Bulls 103 25–24 30–29 25–27 29–23 Larry Bird 35 Larry Bird 11 Tiny Archibald 6 David Greenwood 24 Artis Gilmore 15 Theus, Sobers 7 each Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 18,249 Darell Garretson, Wally Rooney, Ed Middleton (alternate) Boston wins series, 4–0 +Regular-season seriesBoston won 5–1 in the regular-season series#fff November 9, 1980 1980 11090 BOS Chicago Bulls 105 Boston Celtics 111 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut November 18, 1980 1980 11180 CHI Boston Celtics 113 Chicago Bulls 112 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois #fff December 13, 1980 1980 12130 CHI Boston Celtics 106 Chicago Bulls 95 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois December 17, 1980 1980 12170 BOS Chicago Bulls 98 Boston Celtics 115 Boston Garden, Boston #fff January 9, 1981 1981 01090 BOS Chicago Bulls 111 Boston Celtics 117 OT Boston Garden, Boston January 29, 1981 1981 01290 CHI Boston Celtics 85 Chicago Bulls 108 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Bulls.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=CHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers #eee April 5 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 122 Philadelphia 76ers 125 37–32 26–34 27–27 32–32 Junior Bridgeman 32 Marques Johnson 14 Quinn Buckner 8 Julius Erving 38 Caldwell Jones 11 Caldwell Jones 7 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9,727 Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 April 7 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 109 Philadelphia 76ers 99 21–25 33–20 23–32 32–22 Marques Johnson 22 Bob Lanier 10 Quinn Buckner 6 Bobby Jones 22 Julius Erving 13 Maurice Cheeks 6 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,259 John Vanak, Paul Mihalak Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 10 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 108 Milwaukee Bucks 103 28–32 26–22 33–25 21–24 Erving, Dawkins 23 each Caldwell Jones 13 Maurice Cheeks 9 Marques Johnson 29 Marques Johnson 9 Marques Johnson 8 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 April 12 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 98 Milwaukee Bucks 109 21–35 28–26 24–17 25–31 Julius Erving 22 Caldwell Jones 8 Maurice Cheeks 8 Marques Johnson 35 Sidney Moncrief 10 Marques Johnson 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Joe Gushue, Paul Mihalak Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 15 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 99 Philadelphia 76ers 116 22–27 25–31 26–30 26–28 Mickey Johnson, Moncrief 20 each Mickey Johnson 13 Marques Johnson 7 Cheeks, Hollins 20 each Julius Erving 9 Maurice Cheeks 10 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,384 Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 April 17 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 86 Milwaukee Bucks 109 19–24 26–20 21–30 20–35 Julius Erving 25 Julius Erving 7 Maurice Cheeks 7 Mickey Johnson 22 Mickey Johnson 12 Lanier, Buckner 6 each MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11,052 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 19 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 98 Philadelphia 76ers 99 28–28 20–30 25–21 25–20 Marques Johnson 36 Bob Lanier 10 four players 4 each Julius Erving 28 Caldwell Jones 12 Maurice Cheeks 11 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6,704 Philadelphia wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesMilwaukee won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 10, 1980 1980 10100 PHI Milwaukee Bucks 106 Philadelphia 76ers 103 Spectrum, Philadelphia November 9, 1980 1980 11090 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 136 Milwaukee Bucks 121 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee #fff January 15, 1981 1981 01150 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 110 Milwaukee Bucks 113 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee March 8, 1981 1981 03080 PHI Milwaukee Bucks 100 Philadelphia 76ers 123 Spectrum, Philadelphia #fff March 13, 1981 1981 03130 MIL Philadelphia 76ers 104 Milwaukee Bucks 120 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bucks winning the first meeting. +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, 2015Milwaukee leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1970 Milwaukee Bucks 4 Philadelphia 76ers 1 1970 Eastern Division Semifinals Western Conference semifinals This was the first time both conference semifinals went seven games. This would happen again in 1994 and in 2006. (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) Kansas City Kings #eee April 7 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 80 Phoenix Suns 102 20–23 26–28 12–24 22–27 Reggie King 15 Reggie King 8 Lloyd Walton 6 Johnson, Davis 16 each Jeff Cook 12 three players 4 each Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,660 Phoenix leads series, 1–0 April 8 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 88 Phoenix Suns 83 24–20 19–23 18–20 27–20 Scott Wedman 24 Reggie King 12 Ernie Grunfeld 8 Dennis Johnson 31 Truck Robinson 8 Alvan Adams 4 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,660 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 10 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 92 Kansas City Kings 93 20–22 29–18 21–28 22–25 Johnson, Adams 19 each Dennis Johnson 9 three players 4 each Reggie King 29 Sam Lacey 12 Ernie Grunfeld 7 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 13,776 Kansas City leads series, 2–1 April 12 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 95 Kansas City Kings 102 27–33 23–22 22–23 23–24 Truck Robinson 23 Truck Robinson 13 Alvan Adams 4 Ernie Grunfeld 27 Sam Lacey 11 Sam Lacey 10 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 11,089 Kansas City leads series, 3–1 #eee April 15 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 89 Phoenix Suns 101 25–23 15–29 23–21 26–28 Reggie King 29 Douglas, Lacey 8 each Ernie Grunfeld 8 Walter Davis 20 Truck Robinson 20 Johnson, Davis 4 each Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,660 Kansas City leads series, 3–2 April 17 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 81 Kansas City Kings 76 23–21 19–16 20–20 19–19 Dennis Johnson 17 Truck Robinson 10 Alvan Adams 7 Scott Wedman 19 Sam Lacey 12 Ernie Grunfeld 8 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 15,232 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 19 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 95 Phoenix Suns 88 22–18 22–26 24–12 27–32 Grunfeld, King 23 each King, Lacey 7 each Scott Wedman 9 Dennis Johnson 28 Johnson, Adams 7 each Dennis Johnson 5 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,660 Kansas City wins series, 4–3 The Kings became the 2nd NBA road team to win Game 7 after leading series 3–1 and the 1st #5 seed to eliminate #1 seed. +Regular-season seriesKansas City won 3–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 12, 1980 1980 10120 PHO Kansas City Kings 100 Phoenix Suns 109 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona November 1, 1980 1980 11010 KCK Phoenix Suns 127 Kansas City Kings 100 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri #fff December 3, 1980 1980 12030 KCK Phoenix Suns 100 Kansas City Kings 103 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri March 8, 1981 1981 03080 KCK Phoenix Suns 68 Kansas City Kings 105 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri #fff March 25, 1981 1981 03250 PHO Kansas City Kings 110 Phoenix Suns 101 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=PHO&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Phoenix leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1979 Phoenix Suns 4 Kansas City Kings 2 1979 Western Conference Semifinals #fff 1980 Phoenix Suns 2 Kansas City Kings 1 1980 Western Conference First Round (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Houston Rockets #eee April 7 Boxscore Houston Rockets 107 San Antonio Spurs 98 26–27 36–26 22–20 23–25 Moses Malone 27 Moses Malone 10 Reid, Murphy 6 each George Gervin 30 George Johnson 12 Paul Griffin 7 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 13,319 Houston leads series, 1–0 April 8 Boxscore Houston Rockets 113 San Antonio Spurs 125 26–30 25–32 29–26 33–37 Calvin Murphy 34 Moses Malone 12 Robert Reid 10 Mark Olberding 34 G. Johnson, Griffin 7 each Dave Corzine 7 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 12,128 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 10 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 99 Houston Rockets 112 34–29 23–32 27–25 15–26 George Gervin 33 Gervin, G. Johnson 8 each Mark Olberding 5 Moses Malone 41 Moses Malone 15 Reid, Murphy 4 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Houston leads series, 2–1 April 12 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 114 Houston Rockets 112 23–25 32–28 31–24 28–35 George Gervin 33 Dave Corzine 11 Mark Olberding 6 Robert Reid 33 Moses Malone 9 Reid, Henderson 6 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 14 Boxscore Houston Rockets 123 San Antonio Spurs 117 29–29 31–27 31–28 32–33 Calvin Murphy 36 Moses Malone 13 Tom Henderson 7 Reggie Johnson 25 George Johnson 11 George Gervin 9 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 16,114 Houston leads series, 3–2 April 15 Boxscore San Antonio Spurs 101 Houston Rockets 96 27–33 35–24 17–23 22–16 George Gervin 26 three players 8 each Mark Olberding 8 Moses Malone 36 Moses Malone 10 Reid, Henderson 7 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 17 Boxscore Houston Rockets 105 San Antonio Spurs 100 34–30 23–36 22–12 26–22 Calvin Murphy 42 Moses Malone 16 Tom Henderson 8 George Gervin 21 George Johnson 10 Johnny Moore 10 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas 16,114 Houston wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff November 28, 1980 1980 11280 SAS Houston Rockets 124 San Antonio Spurs 115 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio December 17, 1980 1980 12170 HOU San Antonio Spurs 113 Houston Rockets 107 The Summit, Houston, Texas #fff February 11, 1981 1981 02110 HOU San Antonio Spurs 89 Houston Rockets 108 The Summit, Houston, Texas March 1, 1981 1981 03010 SAS Houston Rockets 86 San Antonio Spurs 102 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio #fff March 25, 1981 1981 03250 HOU San Antonio Spurs 111 Houston Rockets 117 The Summit, Houston, Texas March 29, 1981 1981 03290 SAS Houston Rockets 109 San Antonio Spurs 135 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Rockets winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=SAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Houston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1980 Houston Rockets 2 San Antonio Spurs 1 1980 Eastern Conference First Round Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers John Hollinger of ESPN.com ranked this as the greatest playoff series in NBA historyHollinger John Ranking the greatest series ever https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2011/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=greatestseries-1-5 ESPN 18 August 2011 #eee April 21 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 105 Boston Celtics 104 24–32 31–22 22–25 28–25 Andrew Toney 26 Julius Erving 9 Maurice Cheeks 8 Larry Bird 33 Robert Parish 13 Tiny Archibald 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 John Vanak, Wally Rooney Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 April 22 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 99 Boston Celtics 118 22–30 25–36 26–25 26–27 Andrew Toney 35 Dawkins, Toney 7 each Andrew Toney 7 Larry Bird 34 Larry Bird 16 Larry Bird 5 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Lee Jones Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 24 Boxscore Boston Celtics 100 Philadelphia 76ers 110 20–31 27–31 26–27 27–21 Larry Bird 22 Larry Bird 13 Tiny Archibald 5 Julius Erving 22 Caldwell Jones 14 Maurice Cheeks 8 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,276 Joe Gushue, Ed T. Rush Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 April 26 Boxscore Boston Celtics 105 Philadelphia 76ers 107 27–34 21–31 31–17 26–25 Cedric Maxwell 20 Larry Bird 17 Tiny Archibald 14 Julius Erving 20 Caldwell Jones 10 Maurice Cheeks 10 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,276 Jake O'Donnell, Bill Saar Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 #eee April 29 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 109 Boston Celtics 111 22–24 37–25 26–35 24–27 Lionel Hollins 23 Darryl Dawkins 8 Erving, Hollins 5 each Larry Bird 32 Larry Bird 11 Tiny Archibald 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Earl Strom, Hugh Evans Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 May 1 Boxscore Boston Celtics 100 Philadelphia 76ers 98 18–31 24–20 28–22 30–25 Larry Bird 25 Larry Bird 16 Tiny Archibald 6 Darryl Dawkins 24 Caldwell Jones 8 Maurice Cheeks 8 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,276 Jack Madden, Paul Mihalak Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 3 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 90 Boston Celtics 91 31–26 22–22 22–23 15–20 Julius Erving 23 Caldwell Jones 15 Maurice Cheeks 7 Larry Bird 23 Larry Bird 11 Tiny Archibald 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell Boston wins series, 4–3 +Regular-season seriesTied 3–3 in the regular-season series#fff November 1, 1980 1980 11010 PHI Boston Celtics 113 Philadelphia 76ers 117 OT Spectrum, Philadelphia January 28, 1981 1981 01280 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 101 Boston Celtics 104 Boston Garden, Boston #fff February 4, 1981 1981 02040 PHI Boston Celtics 104 Philadelphia 76ers 107 Spectrum, Philadelphia March 1, 1981 1981 03010 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 107 Boston Celtics 114 Boston Garden, Boston #fff March 22, 1981 1981 03220 PHI Boston Celtics 94 Philadelphia 76ers 126 Spectrum, Philadelphia March 29, 1981 1981 03290 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 94 Boston Celtics 98 Boston Garden, Boston This was the 16th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 15 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 8–7 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 1981 03290 BOS 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 In Game 4, the Sixers led 93–86 midway through the fourth quarter, when Cedric Maxwell scored and drew the foul on Darryl Dawkins. He completed the three-point play. Larry Bird pushed the ball up court after a Sixers turnover. He pulled up and hit a mid-range shot to make it 93–91. Then after a Dawkins miss, Bird grabbed the rebound and threw a quick outlet pass that led to a fast-break layup to tie it at 93. The teams traded baskets for four straight trips before the Sixers took a 101–97 lead with 4 minutes left. They traded baskets again, with Julius Erving finishing the scoring for the 76ers with a dunk over Robert Parish and two free throws for a 107–103 lead with 2:30 left. With over a minute left, Caldwell Jones lost his shoe in a scramble and played defense with it in one hand. Nate Archibald took advantage and drove right at Jones, who allowed him a free lane for an easy lay-up to make it 107–105 (he held the shoe instead of tossing it away to have both hands free or using it to his advantage to block the shot). In the final minute, Philadelphia committed a shot-clock violation, giving Boston a chance to tie or go ahead. But Parish's turn-around shot rolled out. The rebound was tipped between two Sixers players and almost went out-of-bounds before Erving got it to Maurice Cheeks with 30 seconds left. The Sixers used as much time as they could, but Bobby Jones missed a runner and Maxwell got the rebound with 7 seconds left. He passed it to Archibald, who forced a half-court pass to Bird that Bobby Jones intercepted to end the game and give Philadelphia a 3–1 series lead. Game 5 was back in Boston, and the Celtics were in a must-win situation. Bobby Jones' block on Gerald Henderson led to a fast-break lay-up by Andrew Toney to give the 76ers a 103–99 lead. The teams traded buckets the next four trips until a missed jumper by Bird and two Dawkins free throws made it 109–103 with 1:51 left. Dawkins got a steal, but Maxwell's game-saving block prevented a Philadelphia lay-up and led to an Archibald three-point play with 1:20 left that made it 109–106. Boston then got another block by Parish. The Sixers recovered the ball, but lost it out-of-bounds seconds later. Bird's lay-up made it 109–108 with 47 seconds left. After a Sixers timeout, Bobby Jones' inbounds pass was deflected by Bird, then tipped by Dawkins. Bird reached for the ball while Jones put his hands up to show he didn't touch it as the ball went out-of-bounds. The referees gave the 76ers the ball, much to Bird's dismay. He argued to the refs that he didn't touch it. They met to make a decision. After a few minutes, possession was awarded to the 76ers, and Jones cleanly inbounded to Dawkins. He passed to Hollins, who gave it to Toney, who almost lost and palmed the ball, but the referees let play continue despite the jeers from the crowd. Toney tried to get the ball to Erving, but M.L. Carr deflected it out-of-bounds. The last 29 seconds had a few moments that were reminiscent of earlier Boston Garden lore. Erving stood in almost the same spot where Hal Greer had his pass stolen by John Havlicek to seal the 1965 Eastern Division Finals. However, the 76ers were ahead this time. Erving inbounded the ball, but it got past Jones and started rolling along the sideline. Bird grabbed it and drove to the hoop with only Jones to stop him. He beat Bird to the hoop to challenge his floater. Carr got the rebound and missed, but a foul was called on Erving. With the season on the line and 20 seconds left, Carr hit both to give Boston a 110–109 lead. After a timeout, Lionel Hollins took the ball up court and passed to Bobby Jones, who passed it to Erving. With Maxwell defending and Bird coming to double-team, Erving passed back out to Jones. With the clock ticking away, he drove and missed a floater with 7 seconds left. Carr got the rebound and ran the clock down to 1 second before Erving fouled him. Like Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, the fans and media ran onto the court thinking it was over. Once it was cleared, Carr had to shoot the free throws. He hit the first to make it 111–109, then intentionally missed the next two (the 3-to-make-2 rule). Dawkins got the rebound and called timeout. The crowd huddled around the court with 1 second left and Jones standing in nearly the same spot that Curtis Perry stood before passing the ball to Gar Heard. This time, things turned out better as Parish stole it to keep Boston alive. But the Sixers still led 3–2 and were going back home. In Game 6, Philadelphia was looking to clinch at home, and it looked like they would, as they were up by 17 at one point. But with the season on the line yet again, the Celtics fought back. With the game tied at 87 late in the fourth, Erving was blocked from behind by Bird underneath the basket. On the Celtics' end of the court, Archibald missed a 15-footer, but followed his own miss and went right back up for a layup. Cheeks hit a reverse lay-up to tie it at 89. He fouled out on the next possession. Parish hit both free throws to give Boston a 91–89 lead. After Boston failed to capitalize on a Sixers turnover, Erving tied it at 91 with a layup over Parish. After Bird traveled, Dawkins was fouled and hit both free throws to give the Sixers a 93–91 lead. This was short-lived, as Parish hit a baseline jumper and drew the foul. He completed the 3-point play to give Boston a 94–93 lead with under 3 minutes left. A Dawkins dunk and two Archibald free throws further swayed the lead. A Hollins miss gave Boston a chance to build the lead, but Parish left after being called for an offensive foul, his sixth. That brought in rookie Kevin McHale to guard Dawkins. The Sixers went right at him, but he played good defense and forced Dawkins to miss. Bird hit an 18-footer to give Boston a 98–95 lead with 1 minute left. Toney answered by hitting a 20-footer with 54 seconds and stealing the ball from Bird with 29 seconds left and the Sixers down 1. He went for the lead, but McHale blocked it and got the ball with 14 seconds left. He passed the ball ahead to Archibald and Boston played keep away. The Sixers didn't foul until 2 seconds left. Maxwell made both foul shots to give Boston a 100–97 lead. After a timeout, the Sixers inbounded at midcourt. The first attempt was deflected out-of-bounds by Bird, but 2 seconds still showed on the clock. However, it moved the position of the inbounds pass upcourt, making Billy Cunningham decide to take their final timeout to draw up a play from the new position. McHale's defense prevented Jones from inbounding to Toney in the corner, but he found Dr. J at the top of the key, who was immediately fouled by Archibald to prevent him from handling the ball cleanly to even try to shoot a 3. So with 1 second left, Erving had two foul shots while down 3. The Sixers still had a chance if he made the first and missed the second. He missed the first. Erving hit the second to make it 100–98. After a timeout, the Celtics inbounded from midcourt and tied the series at 3 heading back home for Game 7. Like the last three games, Game 7 came down to the wire. It finally looked like the 76ers' night as they led by 7 with 4:34 left. Maxwell and Archibald brought Boston within 4 from the line. A Parish steal and a turn-around jumper cut it to 2. Parish blocked Dawkins' lay-up, which led to a fast-break, but Maxwell lost his balance and traveled. "Tiny" Archibald got a steal leading to a Bird dunk attempt that missed, but was fouled by Erving; his fifth. Bird missed the first, but made the next two to tie it at 89 with 2:51 left. The 76ers' next trip downcourt was a wild one. Dr. J almost traveled, a pass got deflected out of bounds, Caldwell Jones got the offensive rebound off a Dr. J miss, and a Bird block on Erving, led to a scramble for the ball that saw bodies fly all over the court. It eventually rolled to Hollins, who got it off before the shot clock expired, but missed. A battle for the rebound almost saw Bird tip it out-of-bounds, but as the ball bounced precariously near the baseline, he grabbed it and got it to "Tiny" to give Boston a chance to take the lead. On Boston's possession, Parish threw up an airball that went out-of-bounds off Hollins, giving the Celtics a second chance. However, "Tiny" missed a long-range 2, and the rebound bounced off Boston. The Sixers then put the ball in the hands of Erving and Dawkins as they traded the ball back and forth to wear down the Celtics defense. Parish, Maxwell, and Bird played tough defense, and forced a Dawkins miss that Bird rebounded. He led the fast-break himself and hit a mid-range bank shot to give Boston a 91–89 lead with 1:03 left. With the 76ers looking to tie or go ahead, Erving's pass was stolen by Carr with 47 seconds left. But Boston was without Archibald, who got injured a couple plays back. Henderson had the ball poked away by Hollins to Cheeks, who kept it on the fast-break. He drove to the basket and got fouled hard on a missed lay-up. He took a few moments to get up. He gutted it out though, and went to the line with a chance to tie it with 29 seconds left. He split the pair to make it 91–90. The 76ers chose not to foul and played tough defense. Boston used up the entire shot-clock before Carr finally took a shot with 7 seconds. He missed, but Parish momentarily had a series-ending offensive rebound, but lost it. Bobby Jones finally got the rebound and called time with 1 second left. So with a chance to win, he had to inbound the ball with fans, security, and media huddled around the court. With Bird defending, Jones lobbed a pass towards the basket, but it hit the top of the backboard. Cedric Maxwell tipped it to end the series as the Garden crowd stormed the court. Boston became the fourth team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit, and the third team to do so in the Conference Finals. Western Conference finals (5) Kansas City Kings vs. (6) Houston Rockets #eee April 21 Boxscore Houston Rockets 97 Kansas City Kings 78 20–23 24–18 22–19 31–18 Moses Malone 29 Moses Malone 12 Mike Dunleavy 6 Ernie Grunfeld 20 Reggie King 12 Lacey, Ford 7 each Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 13,885 Houston leads series, 1–0 April 22 Boxscore Houston Rockets 79 Kansas City Kings 88 26–22 22–25 13–21 18–20 Moses Malone 18 Moses Malone 15 Tom Henderson 7 Reggie King 31 Reggie King 10 King, Lacey 6 each Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 14,326 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 24 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 88 Houston Rockets 92 16–24 22–23 20–25 30–20 Wedman, King 22 each Reggie King 8 Scott Wedman 7 Reid, Paultz 20 each Malone, Paultz 12 each Mike Dunleavy 10 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Houston leads series, 2–1 April 26 Boxscore Kansas City Kings 89 Houston Rockets 100 19–20 26–26 24–29 20–25 Reggie King 24 King, Lacey 8 each Phil Ford 10 Moses Malone 42 Moses Malone 23 Robert Reid 9 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Houston leads series, 3–1 #eee April 29 Boxscore Houston Rockets 97 Kansas City Kings 88 20–25 30–25 23–27 24–11 Moses Malone 36 Moses Malone 11 Tom Henderson 6 Scott Wedman 20 Reggie King 16 Sam Lacey 7 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri 14,640 Houston wins series, 4–1 +Regular-season seriesKansas City won 4–2 in the regular-season series#fff October 23, 1980 1980 10230 HOU Kansas City Kings 105 Houston Rockets 96 The Summit, Houston, Texas December 5, 1980 1980 12050 KCK Houston Rockets 100 Kansas City Kings 108 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri #fff January 7, 1981 1981 01070 HOU Kansas City Kings 114 Houston Rockets 108 The Summit, Houston, Texas January 23, 1981 1981 01230 KCK Houston Rockets 107 Kansas City Kings 113 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri #fff March 22, 1981 1981 03220 KCK Houston Rockets 114 Kansas City Kings 108 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri March 27, 1981 1981 03270 HOU Kansas City Kings 84 Houston Rockets 91 The Summit, Houston, Texas This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Kings.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=HOU&opp_id=SAC&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 24, 2015 NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W6) Houston Rockets 1981 NBA Finals #eee May 5 Boxscore Houston Rockets 95 Boston Celtics 98 29–24 28–27 24–25 14–22 Robert Reid 27 Larry Bird 18 Moses Malone 15 Larry Bird 21 Mike Dunleavy 7 Larry Bird 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Jack Madden Boston leads series, 1–0 Larry Bird's famous play of following a missed jumper, jumping for the rebound, and switching ball from his right to left hand as his momentum was carrying him out of bounds as he scored. May 7 Boxscore Houston Rockets 92 Boston Celtics 90 22–26 23–23 23–19 24–22 Moses Malone 31 Larry Bird 19 Moses Malone 15 Larry Bird 21 three players 3 each Archibald, Henderson 4 each Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Jake O'Donnell, Joe Gushue Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 9 Boxscore Boston Celtics 94 Houston Rockets 71 21–17 20–13 24–18 29–23 Cedric Maxwell 19 Moses Malone 23 Larry Bird 13 Moses Malone 15 Larry Bird 10 three players 2 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 John Vanak, Earl Strom Boston leads series, 2–1 May 10 Boxscore Boston Celtics 86 Houston Rockets 91 26–26 24–24 17–25 19–16 Cedric Maxwell 24 Mike Dunleavy 28 Cedric Maxwell 14 Moses Malone 22 Larry Bird 7 Tom Henderson 9 The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Darell Garretson, Ed T. Rush Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 12 Boxscore Houston Rockets 80 Boston Celtics 109 19–34 18–25 18–18 25–32 Moses Malone 20 Cedric Maxwell 28 Moses Malone 11 Cedric Maxwell 15 Allen Leavell 6 Larry Bird 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Earl Strom, Paul Mihalik, Joe Gushue Boston leads series, 3–2 May 14 Boxscore Boston Celtics 102 Houston Rockets 91 25–24 28–23 29–20 20–24 Larry Bird 27 Robert Reid 27 Larry Bird 13 Moses Malone 16 Tiny Archibald 12 Henderson, Reid 5 each The Summit, Houston, Texas 16,121 Jake O'Donnell, Jack Madden Boston wins series, 4–2 +Regular-season seriesBoston won 2–0 in the regular-season series#fff December 19, 1980 1980 12190 BOS Houston Rockets 119 Boston Celtics 133 Boston Garden, Boston March 4, 1981 1981 03040 HOU Boston Celtics 108 Houston Rockets 101 The Summit, Houston, Texas This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=HOU&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com May 23, 2015Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1975 Boston Celtics 4 Houston Rockets 1 1975 Eastern Conference Semifinals #fff 1980 Boston Celtics 4 Houston Rockets 0 1980 Eastern Conference Semifinals References External links Basketball-Reference.com Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs Category:Sports in Portland, Oregon fi:NBA-kausi 1980–1981#Pudotuspelit