1981 NBA Playoffs
Encyclopedia
The 1981 NBA Playoffs
was the postseason tournament which followed National Basketball Association
's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference
champion Boston Celtics
winning their 14th overall championship by defeating the Western Conference
champion Houston Rockets
in the 1981 NBA Finals
. Boston's Cedric Maxwell
was awarded NBA Finals MVP.
The playoffs were notable for being the only time, to date, that a team with a losing record has ever advanced to the NBA Finals
, as the Rockets won their first Western Conference championship, despite finishing with a record of 40-42 (the other Western Conference Finalist, the Kansas City Kings
, also had a 40-42 record).
The Kings' playoff series victories over the Portland Trail Blazers
and Phoenix Suns
were the last for the franchise in Kansas City. The franchise's last playoff series in Kansas City was a three-game sweep in the opening round in 1984 by the Los Angeles Lakers
. The team moved to Sacramento
after the 1984-85 season and did not win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001.
The Indiana Pacers
became the fourth and final former American Basketball Association
team to make their postseason debut, though two straight losses to the Philadelphia 76ers
brought a quick end to the Pacers' first playoff run.
This was the last year, to date, in which an NBA playoff game was played during the month of March.
The Boston Celtics replicated its 1968
playoff comeback in the conference finals by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers
in seven games after trailing 1-3. This marked the only time a team had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series against the same team twice.
1st Round
(1) Phoenix Suns and (2) San Antonio Spurs have first-round byes.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
:
Rockets win series 2-1
(4) Portland Trail Blazers
vs. (5) Kansas City Kings:
Kings win series 2-1
Conference Semifinals
(1) Phoenix Suns
vs. (5) Kansas City Kings:
Kings win series 4-3
(2) San Antonio Spurs
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
:
Rockets win series 4-3
Conference Finals
(5) Kansas City Kings vs. (6) Houston Rockets
:
Rockets win series 4-1
(1) Boston Celtics and (2) Milwaukee Bucks have first round byes.
(3) Philadelphia 76ers
vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
:
76ers win series 2-0
(4) New York Knicks
vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
:
Bulls win series 2-0
Conference Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics
vs. (4) Chicago Bulls
:
Celtics win series 4-0
(2) Milwaukee Bucks
vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
:
76ers win series 4-3
Conference Finals
(1) Boston Celtics
vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
:
Celtics win series 4-3
John Hollinger of ESPN.com ranked this the #1 greatest playoff series in NBA history
In Game 4, Philadelphia
led 93-86 midway through the 4th, when Cedric Maxwell
scored and drew a foul on Darryl Dawkins
. Maxwell completed the 3-point play. After a quick Sixers turnover, the Celtics
pushed the ball upcourt to Larry Bird
who pulled up, and drained a mid-range jumper to cut the deficit to 93-91. Then after a Dawkins miss, Bird grabs the rebound and throws a quick outlet pass to lead to a fast-break lay-up to tie the game at 93.
The two teams would trade baskets for 4 straight possessions before the Sixers seemed to gain some momementum taking a 101-97 with 4 minutes to go in the 4th. They again would trade baskets, with Julius Erving
finishing up the scoring for the Sixers with soaring dunk over Robert Parish
and some freethrows to take a 107-103 with only 2 1/2 minutes remaining. With a little over a minute to go, Caldwell Jones
loses his shoe in a scramble and ends up playing defense with a shoe in one hand. Nate Archibald
took advantage and drove right at Jones who allowed "Tiny" a free lane for the easy lay-in to cut the Sixers lead in half, 107-105 (Jones just held the shoe rather than throwing it to the baseline to have both hands free for defense, or instead of even using it to his advantage to block the shot).
In the final minute Philadelphia would turn the ball over on a shot-clock violation, giving the Celtics a chance to tie or take the lead, but Parrish's turn-around jumper from the post rolled out. The rebound would be tipped between 2 Sixers players and almost goes out-bounds-before Erving saves it and gets the ball to his point-guard Maurice Cheeks
with only 30 seconds left in the game. The Sixers ran off as much time as they could, but Bobby Jones missed the runner and Maxwell grabbed the rebound with just 7 seconds left. He passed the ball ahead to "Tiny" Archibald who hurried up the court, but he forced a half-court alley-oop pass to Bird that was intercepted by Bobby Jones to end the game and give Philadelphia a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 was back in the Boston Garden
, and the Celtics
were in a must-win situation. Things did not look promising either, when Bobby Jones blocked a Gerald Henderson
shot that led to a fast-break lay-up by Andrew Toney
to give the Sixers
a 103-99 lead with under 4 minutes to go. The two teams traded 2 point trips in the next four possessions until a missed jumper from Larry Bird
and a pair of free-throws from Darryl Dawkins
gave the Sixers some breathing room with a 109-103 lead with only 1:51 remaining. A Dawkins steal gave possession right back to Philadelphia who now had complete control of the game. A game-saving block by Cedric Maxwell
prevented a Philadelphia lay-up, and led to a Nate Archibald lay-up and a foul with 1:20 to go. "Tiny" converted the 3-point play to cut the deficit in half; 109-106. Boston came up with another huge block on defense, this time Robert Parish
preventing a lay-up. The Sixers would recover the ball but lost in out of bounds just seconds later. The Celtics still had life in their season.
A driving Larry Bird lay-in cut the score to 109-108 with just 47 seconds remaining. After a Sixers timeout, Bobby Jones' inbounds pass was deflected by Bird, then tipped by Darryl Dawkins
. Larry Bird reached for the ball while Bobby Jones put up his hands to show he didn't touch it as the ball bounced out-of-bounds. The referees awarded the ball back to the Sixers much to the dismay of Bird and the Boston Garden crowd. Bird argues his point to the officials that he didn't touch the ball. The referees meet to make a decision while replays are shown on the CBS broadcast. Commentators Dick Stockton
and Kevin Loughery
believe the ball went off Dawkins and the Boston Garden crowd briefly erupts as if the referees reversed the decision, but when the replays cut back to live game coverage, possession was officially awarded to the 76ers, and this time Jones cleanly inbounds it to Dawkins. Dawkins passed to Lionel Hollins who handed it off to Andrew Toney, who almost loses the ball then almost palms the ball but the referees allow play to continue despite the jeers from the Boston crowd. Toney tries to get the ball to Julius Erving
but M.L. Carr deflects the pass out-of-bounds. Possession, however, would remain with the Sixers.
The final 29 seconds contained a couple moments that are reminiscent of earlier Boston Garden
lore. Julius Erving
stood in almost the same spot where, 16 years earlier, the 76ers' Hal Greer
had his pass stolen by the Celtics' John Havlicek
to seal the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. This time though, the 76ers had the lead in the game that could've sent them to the Finals. Erving got the ball into play but it slipped past Bobby Jones and started rolling along the sideline. With time clicking away, Bird scoops the ball up and starts driving to the basket with only Dawkins and a pursuing Jones to stop him. Jones beats Bird to the basket to challenge a floater from Bird that misses. M.L. Carr gets the rebound and misses but a whistle blows. A foul was called on Erving as Carr was in the act of shooting. With Boston's season on the line, and 20 seconds on the clock, Carr sank both pressure-packed free-throws to give Boston a 110-109 lead.
During a Sixers timeout, the CBS
cameras go literally inside the Sixers huddle, where coach Billy Cunningham
draws up a play to isolate Erving. Lionel Hollins
brings the ball upcourt, swings it to Bobby Jones who swings it to Erving. With Maxwell defending, and Bird coming over to double-team, Dr. J loses his dribble and is forced to pass out of the double-team back to Jones. With the clock ticking away, Jones drives and puts up a left-handed floater despite there still being 7 seconds on the clock, and misses. Carr grabs the rebound and dribbles the clock down to one second before Erving finally commits the foul. In a scene reminiscent to Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
, fans and members of the media spill onto the court thinking the game was over. Once the court was cleared, Carr still had some foul shots. He makes the first to extend the lead to 111-109. He intentionally missed the next 2 foul shots (there were 3 shots because of the 3-to-make-2 rule in use in 1981), and Dawkins got the board and called an immediate timeout. To make things even more eerie, now the Boston Garden crowd was literally huddled around the sidelines and baselines with 1 second left and Bobby Jones standing in nearly the exact same spot that Curtis Perry
stood before passing the ball to Gar Heard
in the famous Game 5 of 1976. This time things turned out better for the Celtics as Jones' pass was intercepted by Parish to seal the game and keep Boston's season alive. However, the Sixers still had a 3-2 series lead and were heading back home to Philadelphia.
In Game 6, Philadelphia
was looking to end the series on their home court, and at one point it looked like they would, holding a lead by as many as 17 points. But with their season once again on the line, the Celtics would fight back into the game. Late in the 4th, with the scored tied at 87, Julius Erving
was blocked from behind by Larry Bird
right underneath the basket. On the Celtics
end of the court Nate Archibald
missed a jumper from 15 feet, but followed his own miss and took it right back up for a lay-up to break the tie. Maurice Cheeks
would respond by scoring on a nice reverse lay-up to again tie the score at 89. That would be the last score from Cheeks as he fouled out on the Celtics following possession. Robert Parish would drain both foul shots to give Boston a 91-89 lead. After a Sixers turnover and the Celtics failing to capitalize off that turnover, Erving would tie the game in typical Dr. J fashion, with a soaring lay-in over Parish. After a Bird travelling violation, Darryl Dawkins would draw a foul and make both foul shots to take a 93-91 lead. The lead was short-lived, though, as Parish drained a mid-range, baseline jumper, and drew the foul. He completes the 3-point play to give Boston the 94-93 lead with under 3 minutes to go in this back-and-forth game.
A Dawkins dunk, and two "Tiny" Archibald free-throws, further swayed the lead back-and-forth further. A miss from Lionel Hollins
gave the Celtics a chance to add to their lead, but Parrish was called for an offensive foul, which fouled him out of the game with 21 points. That would bring in rookie Kevin McHale
to guard the powerful Dawkins. The Sixers take it right at McHale but he plays good defense and forces a Dawkins miss. On the Celtics possession, Bird would pump-fake to get the defender Hollins in the air, and then he nails a 20-foot leaner that bounces off the front rim and the backboard before finally falling to give the Celtics a 98-95 lead with just over a minute to go. Rookie Andrew Toney would answer right back by draining a gutsy 20-footer with 54 seconds remaining. Toney would come up with another big play by stealing the ball from Bird with only 29 seconds on the clock and the Sixers trailing by one. Feeling confident, Toney would be the one to take shot, but the Celtics' rookie McHale would get a finger-tip block on Toney and recover the ball with 14 seconds left. He passed the ball ahead to "Tiny" and the Celtics played keep away; not allowing the Sixers to foul until there were only 2 seconds on the clock. Cedric Maxwell
would make both foul shots to give the Celtics a 100-97 lead. After a timeout, the Sixers would inbound the ball at midcourt.
The first attempted inbounds pass was deflected out-of-bounds by Bird but still two seconds showed on the game clock. The deflection, however, moved the position of the inbounds pass upcourt, making Sixers coach Billy Cunningham decide to take their final timeout to draw up a play from the new positioning. Defense from McHale prevented Bobby Jones from inbounding the ball to the primary target, Toney, in the corner, but he found Dr. J at the top of the key, who is immediately fouled by Archibald, who prevented Erving from handling the ball cleanly to even try to draw a 3-shot foul. So now, with one second now on the clock, Erving had two foul shots while trailing by three points. The Sixers still had a chance though if Erving makes the first and misses the second, but Dr. J missed the all-important first free-throw. Erving decided to go ahead and make the second to make the score 100-98, but with only 1 second left, it was too little to late. After a timeout, the Celtics cleanly inbound the ball from midcourt and, incredibly, after trailing by 17 points earlier in the game, and at one point trailing the series 3-1, tie the series at 3 heading back to Boston for Gme 7.
Typical of this series, Game 7 to determine the Eastern Conference champions, came down to the wire. It looked like it might finally be Philadelphia
's night as they led by 7 points with 4:34 left in the game. Cedric Maxwell
(1 for 2) and Nate Archibald
(2 for 2) brought the Celtics within 4 points from the foul line. A Robert Parish
steal on defense, and a turn-around jumper on offense cut the deficit to 89-87. Another great defensive play by Parish by blocking a Darryl Dawkins
lay-up attempt, led to a fast-break, but Maxwell lost his balanced and travelled with no-one between him and the basket. "Tiny" Archibald would get a steal on defense leading to a Larry Bird
dunk attempt that missed, but he was fouled by Julius Erving
; his fifth foul. Bird missed the first but made the next two (there were 3 shots because of the 3-to-make-2 rule at the time) to tie the game at 89 with 2:51 remaining.
The Sixers next trip down the court was a wild one. Dr. J almost travelled, a pass got deflected out of bounds, Caldwell Jones
got an offensive rebound off a Dr. J miss, and a Bird block on Erving, led to a mad scramble for the ball that saw bodies flying all over the court. The ball eventually rolled to Lionel Hollins
who barely got a shot off before the 24-second clock went off, but he missed. A battle for the rebound almost saw Bird tip the ball out-of-bounds, but as the ball bounced precariously near the baseline, Bird recovered it and got it to his point-guard "Tiny" to give the Celtics a chance to take the lead.
On the Celtics possession, Parrish would throw up an airball that bounced off Hollins out-of-bounds, giving the Celtics a second chance. "Tiny" Archibald, however, missed a long-range 2-pointer, and this time the rebound bounced off the Celtics giving the 76ers possession. The Sixers put the ball in the hands of their two best offensive weapons Erving and Dawkins as they traded the ball back and forth to wear down the Celtics defense. The combination of Parrish, Maxwell, and Bird played tough defense, forcing a Dawkins miss underneath that was rebounded by Bird. He led the fast-break himself and pulled-up for a mid-range bank shot that scores and gives the Celtics the lead at 91-89 with 1:03 left in the game.
With Philadelphia looking to tie or take the lead, Dr. J throws an errant pass that gets intercepted by M.L. Carr with 47 seconds left. However, Boston was without point-guard "Tiny" Archibald who got injured a couple plays previously. The less experienced Gerald Henderson had the ball poked away by Hollins to Maurice Cheeks
who kept the ball on the fast-break and didn't see Hollins up ahead of him. Cheeks drove all the way to the basket and gets fouled on a missed lay-up attempt. Cheeks lands hard and takes several moments to finally get to his feet, apparently shaken-up. He guts it out, though, and heads to the line with a chance to tie game 7 with 29 seconds left. However, he misses the first and makes the second to give the Celtics possession, clinging to a 1-point lead.
The 76ers elect not to foul and instead play tough defense. The Celtics use up the entire shot-clock before Carr finally takes the shot with 7 seconds on the clock. He misses, but Parrish momentarily has a game-sealing offensive rebound but loses it. Bobby Jones finally gets the rebound and calls timeout with 1 second on the clock. So with a chance to win the game, again it will be Jones to inbound the ball with fans, security, and members of the media huddled around the floor of the Boston Garden
. With Bird defending, Jones tries to lob a high pass towards the basket, but its too high for even Dr. J as it bounced high off the backboard and is tipped by Maxwell to assure that the final second ticks away as the Boston crowd storms the court in jubilation. Larry Bird is literally swarmed by Boston fans as he as well as the fans jump up-and-down in celebration, having completed the improbable comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. They become just the 4th team in NBA history to complete such a feat.
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
:
Celtics win series 4-2
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
was the postseason tournament which followed National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's 1980–81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
champion Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
winning their 14th overall championship by defeating the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
champion Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
in the 1981 NBA Finals
1981 NBA Finals
The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.-Houston Rockets:...
. Boston's Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...
was awarded NBA Finals MVP.
The playoffs were notable for being the only time, to date, that a team with a losing record has ever advanced to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
, as the Rockets won their first Western Conference championship, despite finishing with a record of 40-42 (the other Western Conference Finalist, the Kansas City Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, also had a 40-42 record).
The Kings' playoff series victories over the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
and Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
were the last for the franchise in Kansas City. The franchise's last playoff series in Kansas City was a three-game sweep in the opening round in 1984 by the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. The team moved to Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
after the 1984-85 season and did not win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001.
The Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
became the fourth and final former American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
team to make their postseason debut, though two straight losses to the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
brought a quick end to the Pacers' first playoff run.
This was the last year, to date, in which an NBA playoff game was played during the month of March.
The Boston Celtics replicated its 1968
1968 NBA Playoffs
The 1968 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1967–1968 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, four games to two in the NBA Finals.The Celtics won...
playoff comeback in the conference finals by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
in seven games after trailing 1-3. This marked the only time a team had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series against the same team twice.
Bracket
Western Conference
Champion: Houston RocketsHouston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
1st Round
(1) Phoenix Suns and (2) San Antonio Spurs have first-round byes.
(3) Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
:
Rockets win series 2-1
- Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Houston 111, Los Angeles 107
- Game 2 @ Houston: Los Angeles 111, Houston 106
- Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Houston 89, Los Angeles 86
(4) Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
vs. (5) Kansas City Kings:
Kings win series 2-1
- Game 1 @ Portland: Kansas City 98, Portland 97 (OT)
- Game 2 @ Kansas City: Portland 124, Kansas City 119 (OT)
- Game 3 @ Portland: Kansas City 104, Portland 95
Conference Semifinals
(1) Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
vs. (5) Kansas City Kings:
Kings win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 102, Kansas City 80
- Game 2 @ Phoenix: Kansas City 88, Phoenix 83
- Game 3 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 93, Phoenix 92
- Game 4 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 102, Phoenix 95
- Game 5 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 101, Kansas City 89
- Game 6 @ Kansas City: Phoenix 81, Kansas City 76
- Game 7 @ Phoenix: Kansas City 95, Phoenix 88
(2) San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
:
Rockets win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ San Antonio: Houston 107, San Antonio 98
- Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 125, Houston 113
- Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 112, San Antonio 99
- Game 4 @ Houston: San Antonio 114, Houston 112
- Game 5 @ San Antonio: Houston 123, San Antonio 117
- Game 6 @ Houston: San Antonio 101, Houston 96
- Game 7 @ San Antonio: Houston 105, San Antonio 100
Conference Finals
(5) Kansas City Kings vs. (6) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
:
Rockets win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Kansas City: Houston 97, Kansas City 78
- Game 2 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 88, Houston 79
- Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 92, Kansas City 88
- Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 100, Kansas City 89
- Game 5 @ Kansas City: Houston 97, Kansas City 88
Eastern Conference
Champion: Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
(1) Boston Celtics and (2) Milwaukee Bucks have first round byes.
(3) Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
:
76ers win series 2-0
- Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 124, Indiana 108
- Game 2 @ Indiana: Philadelphia 96, Indiana 85
(4) New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
vs. (5) Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
:
Bulls win series 2-0
- Game 1 @ New York: Chicago 90, New York 80
- Game 2 @ Chicago: Chicago 115, New York 114 (OT)
Conference Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
vs. (4) Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
:
Celtics win series 4-0
- Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 121, Chicago 109
- Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 106, Chicago 97
- Game 3 @ Chicago: Boston 113, Chicago 107
- Game 4 @ Chicago: Boston 109, Chicago 103
(2) Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
:
76ers win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 125, Milwaukee 122
- Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Milwaukee 109, Philadelphia 99
- Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Philadelphia 108, Milwaukee 103
- Game 4 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 109, Philadelphia 98
- Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 116, Milwaukee 99
- Game 6 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 109, Philadelphia 86
- Game 7 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 99, Milwaukee 98
Conference Finals
(1) Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
:
Celtics win series 4-3
John Hollinger of ESPN.com ranked this the #1 greatest playoff series in NBA history
- Game 1 @ Boston: Philadelphia 105, Boston 104
- Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 118, Philadelphia 99
- Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 110, Boston 100
- Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 107, Boston 105
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 111, Philadelphia 109
- Game 6 @ Philadelphia: Boston 100, Philadelphia 98
- Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 91, Philadelphia 90
In Game 4, Philadelphia
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
led 93-86 midway through the 4th, when Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...
scored and drew a foul on Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...
. Maxwell completed the 3-point play. After a quick Sixers turnover, the Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
pushed the ball upcourt to Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
who pulled up, and drained a mid-range jumper to cut the deficit to 93-91. Then after a Dawkins miss, Bird grabs the rebound and throws a quick outlet pass to lead to a fast-break lay-up to tie the game at 93.
The two teams would trade baskets for 4 straight possessions before the Sixers seemed to gain some momementum taking a 101-97 with 4 minutes to go in the 4th. They again would trade baskets, with Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
finishing up the scoring for the Sixers with soaring dunk over Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
and some freethrows to take a 107-103 with only 2 1/2 minutes remaining. With a little over a minute to go, Caldwell Jones
Caldwell Jones
Caldwell "Pops" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player.Jones was drafted from Albany State University by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 14th pick in the 1973 NBA Draft...
loses his shoe in a scramble and ends up playing defense with a shoe in one hand. Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
took advantage and drove right at Jones who allowed "Tiny" a free lane for the easy lay-in to cut the Sixers lead in half, 107-105 (Jones just held the shoe rather than throwing it to the baseline to have both hands free for defense, or instead of even using it to his advantage to block the shot).
In the final minute Philadelphia would turn the ball over on a shot-clock violation, giving the Celtics a chance to tie or take the lead, but Parrish's turn-around jumper from the post rolled out. The rebound would be tipped between 2 Sixers players and almost goes out-bounds-before Erving saves it and gets the ball to his point-guard Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks is a retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008...
with only 30 seconds left in the game. The Sixers ran off as much time as they could, but Bobby Jones missed the runner and Maxwell grabbed the rebound with just 7 seconds left. He passed the ball ahead to "Tiny" Archibald who hurried up the court, but he forced a half-court alley-oop pass to Bird that was intercepted by Bobby Jones to end the game and give Philadelphia a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 was back in the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
, and the Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
were in a must-win situation. Things did not look promising either, when Bobby Jones blocked a Gerald Henderson
Gerald Henderson
Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson, Sr. is a retired American basketball player. He was a shooting guard who had a 13-year career in the NBA from 1979 until 1992. He played for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and...
shot that led to a fast-break lay-up by Andrew Toney
Andrew Toney
Andrew Toney is an American former professional basketball player who played for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers from 1980 to 1988...
to give the Sixers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
a 103-99 lead with under 4 minutes to go. The two teams traded 2 point trips in the next four possessions until a missed jumper from Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
and a pair of free-throws from Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...
gave the Sixers some breathing room with a 109-103 lead with only 1:51 remaining. A Dawkins steal gave possession right back to Philadelphia who now had complete control of the game. A game-saving block by Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...
prevented a Philadelphia lay-up, and led to a Nate Archibald lay-up and a foul with 1:20 to go. "Tiny" converted the 3-point play to cut the deficit in half; 109-106. Boston came up with another huge block on defense, this time Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
preventing a lay-up. The Sixers would recover the ball but lost in out of bounds just seconds later. The Celtics still had life in their season.
A driving Larry Bird lay-in cut the score to 109-108 with just 47 seconds remaining. After a Sixers timeout, Bobby Jones' inbounds pass was deflected by Bird, then tipped by Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...
. Larry Bird reached for the ball while Bobby Jones put up his hands to show he didn't touch it as the ball bounced out-of-bounds. The referees awarded the ball back to the Sixers much to the dismay of Bird and the Boston Garden crowd. Bird argues his point to the officials that he didn't touch the ball. The referees meet to make a decision while replays are shown on the CBS broadcast. Commentators Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
and Kevin Loughery
Kevin Loughery
Kevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:...
believe the ball went off Dawkins and the Boston Garden crowd briefly erupts as if the referees reversed the decision, but when the replays cut back to live game coverage, possession was officially awarded to the 76ers, and this time Jones cleanly inbounds it to Dawkins. Dawkins passed to Lionel Hollins who handed it off to Andrew Toney, who almost loses the ball then almost palms the ball but the referees allow play to continue despite the jeers from the Boston crowd. Toney tries to get the ball to Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
but M.L. Carr deflects the pass out-of-bounds. Possession, however, would remain with the Sixers.
The final 29 seconds contained a couple moments that are reminiscent of earlier Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
lore. Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
stood in almost the same spot where, 16 years earlier, the 76ers' Hal Greer
Hal Greer
Harold Everett Greer is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958...
had his pass stolen by the Celtics' John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
to seal the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. This time though, the 76ers had the lead in the game that could've sent them to the Finals. Erving got the ball into play but it slipped past Bobby Jones and started rolling along the sideline. With time clicking away, Bird scoops the ball up and starts driving to the basket with only Dawkins and a pursuing Jones to stop him. Jones beats Bird to the basket to challenge a floater from Bird that misses. M.L. Carr gets the rebound and misses but a whistle blows. A foul was called on Erving as Carr was in the act of shooting. With Boston's season on the line, and 20 seconds on the clock, Carr sank both pressure-packed free-throws to give Boston a 110-109 lead.
During a Sixers timeout, the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
cameras go literally inside the Sixers huddle, where coach Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
draws up a play to isolate Erving. Lionel Hollins
Lionel Hollins
-External links:***...
brings the ball upcourt, swings it to Bobby Jones who swings it to Erving. With Maxwell defending, and Bird coming over to double-team, Dr. J loses his dribble and is forced to pass out of the double-team back to Jones. With the clock ticking away, Jones drives and puts up a left-handed floater despite there still being 7 seconds on the clock, and misses. Carr grabs the rebound and dribbles the clock down to one second before Erving finally commits the foul. In a scene reminiscent to Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
, fans and members of the media spill onto the court thinking the game was over. Once the court was cleared, Carr still had some foul shots. He makes the first to extend the lead to 111-109. He intentionally missed the next 2 foul shots (there were 3 shots because of the 3-to-make-2 rule in use in 1981), and Dawkins got the board and called an immediate timeout. To make things even more eerie, now the Boston Garden crowd was literally huddled around the sidelines and baselines with 1 second left and Bobby Jones standing in nearly the exact same spot that Curtis Perry
Curtis Perry
Curtis R. Perry is a retired American basketball player. He attended Southwest Missouri State University and played at forward....
stood before passing the ball to Gar Heard
Gar Heard
Garfield "Gar" Heard, is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA Draft...
in the famous Game 5 of 1976. This time things turned out better for the Celtics as Jones' pass was intercepted by Parish to seal the game and keep Boston's season alive. However, the Sixers still had a 3-2 series lead and were heading back home to Philadelphia.
In Game 6, Philadelphia
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
was looking to end the series on their home court, and at one point it looked like they would, holding a lead by as many as 17 points. But with their season once again on the line, the Celtics would fight back into the game. Late in the 4th, with the scored tied at 87, Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
was blocked from behind by Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
right underneath the basket. On the Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
end of the court Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
missed a jumper from 15 feet, but followed his own miss and took it right back up for a lay-up to break the tie. Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks is a retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008...
would respond by scoring on a nice reverse lay-up to again tie the score at 89. That would be the last score from Cheeks as he fouled out on the Celtics following possession. Robert Parish would drain both foul shots to give Boston a 91-89 lead. After a Sixers turnover and the Celtics failing to capitalize off that turnover, Erving would tie the game in typical Dr. J fashion, with a soaring lay-in over Parish. After a Bird travelling violation, Darryl Dawkins would draw a foul and make both foul shots to take a 93-91 lead. The lead was short-lived, though, as Parish drained a mid-range, baseline jumper, and drew the foul. He completes the 3-point play to give Boston the 94-93 lead with under 3 minutes to go in this back-and-forth game.
A Dawkins dunk, and two "Tiny" Archibald free-throws, further swayed the lead back-and-forth further. A miss from Lionel Hollins
Lionel Hollins
-External links:***...
gave the Celtics a chance to add to their lead, but Parrish was called for an offensive foul, which fouled him out of the game with 21 points. That would bring in rookie Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale
Kevin Edward McHale is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Houston Rockets. After his playing career, he worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves as the team's general manager and later its coach. He was fired as coach in June 2009...
to guard the powerful Dawkins. The Sixers take it right at McHale but he plays good defense and forces a Dawkins miss. On the Celtics possession, Bird would pump-fake to get the defender Hollins in the air, and then he nails a 20-foot leaner that bounces off the front rim and the backboard before finally falling to give the Celtics a 98-95 lead with just over a minute to go. Rookie Andrew Toney would answer right back by draining a gutsy 20-footer with 54 seconds remaining. Toney would come up with another big play by stealing the ball from Bird with only 29 seconds on the clock and the Sixers trailing by one. Feeling confident, Toney would be the one to take shot, but the Celtics' rookie McHale would get a finger-tip block on Toney and recover the ball with 14 seconds left. He passed the ball ahead to "Tiny" and the Celtics played keep away; not allowing the Sixers to foul until there were only 2 seconds on the clock. Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...
would make both foul shots to give the Celtics a 100-97 lead. After a timeout, the Sixers would inbound the ball at midcourt.
The first attempted inbounds pass was deflected out-of-bounds by Bird but still two seconds showed on the game clock. The deflection, however, moved the position of the inbounds pass upcourt, making Sixers coach Billy Cunningham decide to take their final timeout to draw up a play from the new positioning. Defense from McHale prevented Bobby Jones from inbounding the ball to the primary target, Toney, in the corner, but he found Dr. J at the top of the key, who is immediately fouled by Archibald, who prevented Erving from handling the ball cleanly to even try to draw a 3-shot foul. So now, with one second now on the clock, Erving had two foul shots while trailing by three points. The Sixers still had a chance though if Erving makes the first and misses the second, but Dr. J missed the all-important first free-throw. Erving decided to go ahead and make the second to make the score 100-98, but with only 1 second left, it was too little to late. After a timeout, the Celtics cleanly inbound the ball from midcourt and, incredibly, after trailing by 17 points earlier in the game, and at one point trailing the series 3-1, tie the series at 3 heading back to Boston for Gme 7.
Typical of this series, Game 7 to determine the Eastern Conference champions, came down to the wire. It looked like it might finally be Philadelphia
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
's night as they led by 7 points with 4:34 left in the game. Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Maxwell
Cedric Bryan Maxwell is a retired American professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the NBA, and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.-College career:Maxwell was a star forward/center for the Charlotte 49ers...
(1 for 2) and Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
(2 for 2) brought the Celtics within 4 points from the foul line. A Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
steal on defense, and a turn-around jumper on offense cut the deficit to 89-87. Another great defensive play by Parish by blocking a Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl Dawkins is a retired American professional basketball player, most noted for his days with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career...
lay-up attempt, led to a fast-break, but Maxwell lost his balanced and travelled with no-one between him and the basket. "Tiny" Archibald would get a steal on defense leading to a Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
dunk attempt that missed, but he was fouled by Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
; his fifth foul. Bird missed the first but made the next two (there were 3 shots because of the 3-to-make-2 rule at the time) to tie the game at 89 with 2:51 remaining.
The Sixers next trip down the court was a wild one. Dr. J almost travelled, a pass got deflected out of bounds, Caldwell Jones
Caldwell Jones
Caldwell "Pops" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player.Jones was drafted from Albany State University by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 14th pick in the 1973 NBA Draft...
got an offensive rebound off a Dr. J miss, and a Bird block on Erving, led to a mad scramble for the ball that saw bodies flying all over the court. The ball eventually rolled to Lionel Hollins
Lionel Hollins
-External links:***...
who barely got a shot off before the 24-second clock went off, but he missed. A battle for the rebound almost saw Bird tip the ball out-of-bounds, but as the ball bounced precariously near the baseline, Bird recovered it and got it to his point-guard "Tiny" to give the Celtics a chance to take the lead.
On the Celtics possession, Parrish would throw up an airball that bounced off Hollins out-of-bounds, giving the Celtics a second chance. "Tiny" Archibald, however, missed a long-range 2-pointer, and this time the rebound bounced off the Celtics giving the 76ers possession. The Sixers put the ball in the hands of their two best offensive weapons Erving and Dawkins as they traded the ball back and forth to wear down the Celtics defense. The combination of Parrish, Maxwell, and Bird played tough defense, forcing a Dawkins miss underneath that was rebounded by Bird. He led the fast-break himself and pulled-up for a mid-range bank shot that scores and gives the Celtics the lead at 91-89 with 1:03 left in the game.
With Philadelphia looking to tie or take the lead, Dr. J throws an errant pass that gets intercepted by M.L. Carr with 47 seconds left. However, Boston was without point-guard "Tiny" Archibald who got injured a couple plays previously. The less experienced Gerald Henderson had the ball poked away by Hollins to Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks is a retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008...
who kept the ball on the fast-break and didn't see Hollins up ahead of him. Cheeks drove all the way to the basket and gets fouled on a missed lay-up attempt. Cheeks lands hard and takes several moments to finally get to his feet, apparently shaken-up. He guts it out, though, and heads to the line with a chance to tie game 7 with 29 seconds left. However, he misses the first and makes the second to give the Celtics possession, clinging to a 1-point lead.
The 76ers elect not to foul and instead play tough defense. The Celtics use up the entire shot-clock before Carr finally takes the shot with 7 seconds on the clock. He misses, but Parrish momentarily has a game-sealing offensive rebound but loses it. Bobby Jones finally gets the rebound and calls timeout with 1 second on the clock. So with a chance to win the game, again it will be Jones to inbound the ball with fans, security, and members of the media huddled around the floor of the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
. With Bird defending, Jones tries to lob a high pass towards the basket, but its too high for even Dr. J as it bounced high off the backboard and is tipped by Maxwell to assure that the final second ticks away as the Boston crowd storms the court in jubilation. Larry Bird is literally swarmed by Boston fans as he as well as the fans jump up-and-down in celebration, having completed the improbable comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. They become just the 4th team in NBA history to complete such a feat.
NBA finals
(1) Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
vs. (6) Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
:
Celtics win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 98, Houston 95
- Game 2 @ Boston: Houston 92, Boston 90
- Game 3 @ Houston: Boston 94, Houston 71
- Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 91, Boston 86
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 109, Houston 80
- Game 6 @ Houston: Boston 102, Houston 91