1981 NBA Finals

The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1980–81 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the 62–20 Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the 40–42 Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. This series has the distinction of featuring for the second time in NBA history, and last to date, a team with a losing record in the Finals. The previous team was the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959.

1981 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Boston Celtics Bill Fitch 4
Houston Rockets Del Harris 2
DatesMay 5–14
MVPCedric Maxwell
(Boston Celtics)
Hall of FamersCeltics:
Nate Archibald (1991)
Larry Bird (1998)
Kevin McHale (1999)
Robert Parish (2003)
Rockets:
Moses Malone (2001)
Calvin Murphy (1993)
Coaches:
Bill Fitch (2019)
Officials:
Darell Garretson (2016)
Earl Strom (1995)
Eastern FinalsCeltics defeat 76ers, 4–3
Western FinalsRockets defeat Kings, 4–1

Background

Houston Rockets
Main article: 1980–81 Houston Rockets season

Prior to the season, the NBA moved the Rockets and San Antonio Spurs from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. The Rockets and Spurs traded places with the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. The Midwest Division also took in the expansion Dallas Mavericks.

The Rockets that season were led by Moses Malone, who practically carried the Rockets to the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Calvin Murphy, the shortest player in the league at the time, set two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 and achieving a free-throw percentage of .958, breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. Other key contributors of the 1980–81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. The Rockets clinched the last spot in the playoffs on the final night of the regular season following a loss by the Golden State Warriors to Seattle, as Golden State had the tiebreaker over Houston.[1] Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with a regular season record of 40–42 (this would be only the second time that an NBA team with a losing record would make the Finals, after 1959).

Houston's playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round. The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, with the Rockets winning both games in Los Angeles. The Western Conference Semifinals matchup featured the Rockets against the Spurs and multi-year scoring champion George Gervin in a Texas Shootout. The Rockets would win the series in seven games behind strong contributions from Murphy and Reid, including Murphy's career playoff high of 42 points in the climactic Game 7 at San Antonio. This set up an unlikely Conference Finals matchup with Kansas City, being that both teams finished the regular season with identical losing records, together compiling just 80 total victories of 164 games played. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games, and the Rockets would break into the NBA Finals for the first time, the first of four in franchise history. It would be the only time two conference finalists in the playoffs both had losing records, and the second and last time to date a team with a losing record made it all the way to the Finals round (the first being the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers).

Boston Celtics
Main article: 1980–81 Boston Celtics season

This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the bench, and key cogs in Boston's balanced offensive attack. However, the Celtics lost future Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and JoJo White to retirement. Still, the Celtics, led by Bird, won 62 games and managed to squeak past Philadelphia for the league's best record due to tiebreakers.

The Celtics's playoff run started with a first-round bye, straight into the conference semifinals. Despite the layoff, the Celtics easily swept the Artis Gilmore-led Chicago Bulls, and then faced the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers for the right to advance to The Finals. After a hard-fought and physical series, the Celtics eventually came back from a three-games-to-one deficit to defeat the Sixers, repeating a feat they accomplished in 1968. Five of the games in the series ended with the winning team on top by two points or less, including a 91-90 nail-biter in Game 7.

Both teams had met in the playoffs the year earlier, when the Rockets were in their final season in the Eastern Conference. The conference semifinal had a slightly different Celtics team, with 1970s star Dave Cowens still starting at center, perennial players Kevin McHale and Robert Parish for Boston arriving the following season, and Rick Barry for Houston was in the final season of his career with the Rockets. The Celtics blew out the Rockets in four-game sweep, by a total of 74 points.[2]

Road to the Finals
Main article: 1981 NBA Playoffs
Houston Rockets (Western Conference champion)Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Phoenix Suns5725.695–
2 y-San Antonio Spurs5230.6345
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers5428.6593
4 x-Portland Trail Blazers4537.54912
5 x-Kansas City Kings4042.48817
6 x-Houston Rockets4042.48817
7 Golden State Warriors3943.47618
8 Denver Nuggets3745.45120
9 San Diego Clippers3646.43921
10 Seattle SuperSonics3448.41523
11 Utah Jazz2854.34129
12 Dallas Mavericks1567.18342


6th seed in the West, 12th best league record

 Regular season
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Boston Celtics6220.756 –
2 y-Milwaukee Bucks6022.7322
3 x-Philadelphia 76ers6220.756–
4 x-New York Knicks5032.61012
5 x-Chicago Bulls4537.54917
6 x-Indiana Pacers4438.53718
7 Washington Bullets3943.47623
8 Atlanta Hawks3151.37831
9 Cleveland Cavaliers2854.34134
10 New Jersey Nets2458.29338
11 Detroit Pistons2161.25641


1st seed in the East, best league record

Defeated the (3) Los Angeles Lakers, 2–1 First Round Earned first-round bye
Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3 Conference Semifinals Defeated the (5) Chicago Bulls, 4–0
Defeated the (5) Kansas City Kings, 4–1 Conference Finals Defeated the (2) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–3

(*)The Celtics were tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA's best record, but the Celtics earned the division title and the overall top seed based on tie-breakers.

Regular season series

The Boston Celtics won both games in the regular season series:

December 19, 1980
Houston Rockets 119, Boston Celtics 133

Series summary
GameDateHome TeamResultRoad Team
Game 1Tuesday, May 5Boston Celtics98–95 (1–0)Houston Rockets
Game 2Thursday, May 7Boston Celtics90–92 (1–1)Houston Rockets
Game 3Saturday, May 9Houston Rockets71–94 (1–2)Boston Celtics
Game 4Sunday, May 10Houston Rockets91–86 (2–2)Boston Celtics
Game 5Tuesday, May 12Boston Celtics109–80 (3–2)Houston Rockets
Game 6Thursday, May 14Houston Rockets91–102 (2–4)Boston Celtics

Game 1
May 5
7:35 p.m. EDT
Houston Rockets 95, Boston Celtics 98
Scoring by quarter: 29–24, 28–27, 24–25, 14–22
Pts: Robert Reid 27
Rebs: Moses Malone 15
Asts: Mike Dunleavy 7		 Pts: Larry Bird 18
Rebs: Larry Bird 21
Asts: Larry Bird 9
Boston leads the series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston
Attendance: 15,320
Referees:
  • No. 10 Darell Garretson
  • No. 9 John Vanak

No one figured this series to be much of a Finals. Houston, in fact, had lost its previous dozen games to the Celtics, including a 4–0 series sweep in the previous years' playoffs. But Malone, who had averaged nearly 28 points and 15 rebounds over the season, would have none of the "Boston Curse". He came into the series fired up, going so far as to call the Celtics "chumps". The Celtics, meanwhile, were coming off three close games in the Eastern Conference Finals in upsetting the heavily favored Philadelphia 76ers. So, the Celtics were understandably flat.

Houston led 57–51 at the half and kept that intensity through the game. Late in the fourth period, with the Celtics trailing 87-84, Bird put up an 18-footer from the right side. As soon as he turned it loose, he immediately rushed in for the rebound. He caught the ball in midair as his momentum was carrying him out of bounds on the baseline just right of the lane. In an instant, he switched the ball to his left hand (a right-handed shot would have hit the side of the backboard) and flipped it in the basket. Bird would finish with 18 points, 21 rebounds, and nine assists. Moses Malone would grab 15 rebounds, but was held to 13 points.

The crowd went nuts over Bird's shot, with general manager Red Auerbach leading the cheers. Bill Russell, who was broadcasting the game for CBS, looked on in disbelief.

"Larry was able to make the play", said Russell, "because he not only knew where the ball was going to land, he knew that he knew."

The shot carried Boston to a 98–95 win and Auerbach proclaimed, "It was one of the best shots I've ever seen a player make."

Game 2
May 7
7:35 p.m. EDT
Houston Rockets 92, Boston Celtics 90
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 23–23, 23–19, 24–22
Pts: Moses Malone 31
Rebs: Moses Malone 15
Asts: 3 players, 3 each		 Pts: Larry Bird 19
Rebs: Larry Bird 21
Asts: Nate Archibald, Gerald Henderson 4 each
Series tied, 1–1
Boston Garden, Boston
Attendance: 15,320
Referees:
  • No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush

Malone would come up big in this game, scoring 31 points and pulling down another 15 boards. Bill Willoughby would add 14 off the bench to make up for poor shooting by Robert Reid (0 for 7) and Calvin Murphy (4 for 13). Reserve guard Allen Leavell's late basket would give the Rockets the 92–90 victory. Bird would lead the Celtics once again with 19 points and 21 rebounds. The victory was Houston's eighth road win of the playoffs, a record that stood until the 1995 Rockets won nine playoff games en route to winning the championship.

Game 3
May 9
2:35 p.m. CDT
Boston Celtics 94, Houston Rockets 71
Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 20–13, 24–18, 29–23
Pts: Cedric Maxwell 19
Rebs: Larry Bird 13
Asts: Larry Bird 10		 Pts: Moses Malone 23
Rebs: Moses Malone 15
Asts: 3 players, 2 each
Boston leads the series, 2–1
The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,121
Referees:
  • No. 9 John Vanak
  • No. 12 Earl Strom

With the series back in Houston, Robert Reid, matched up with Larry Bird, would begin to garner attention for his defense on the Celtics star, holding him to three baskets and eight points. But, the Celtics would not need Bird's scoring in this one. The Rockets shot a paltry 3 for 17 in the second quarter, fell behind by 17, and never recovered.

Cedric Maxwell led six Celtics in double figures with 19 points. His teammates, meanwhile, played some pretty good defense of their own, holding the Rockets to 71 points, the lowest output for an NBA team in a Finals game since the Syracuse Nationals scored 71 in the 1955 NBA Finals (which was, incidentally, the year the shot clock was introduced).

Game 4
May 10
12:05 p.m. CDT
Boston Celtics 86, Houston Rockets 91
Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 24–24, 17–25, 19–16
Pts: Cedric Maxwell 24
Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 14
Asts: Larry Bird 7		 Pts: Mike Dunleavy 28
Rebs: Moses Malone 22
Asts: Tom Henderson 9
Series tied, 2–2
The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,121
Referees:
  • No. 10 Darell Garretson
  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush

Reid continued his air-tight defense on Bird, holding him to another eight points, while scoring 19 himself. The star of this game was Mike Dunleavy, Sr., who had 28 points. Malone would add 24 points and 22 rebounds as the Rockets tied the series. Another key was the Rockets' relentless offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities; they grabbed 28 offensive rebounds (Reid had 10 and Malone 9 with 4 put-back dunks) on the way to out-shooting the Celtics in attempts, 103 to 74.

Game 5
May 12
9:05 p.m. EDT
Houston Rockets 80, Boston Celtics 109
Scoring by quarter: 19–34, 18–25, 18–18, 25–32
Pts: Moses Malone 20
Rebs: Moses Malone 11
Asts: Allen Leavell 6		 Pts: Cedric Maxwell 28
Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 15
Asts: Larry Bird 8
Boston leads the series, 3–2
Boston Garden, Boston
Attendance: 15,320
Referees:
No. 12 Earl Strom
No. 22 Paul Mihalik
No. 7 Joe Gushue (alternate)

The Rockets had a losing regular season record at 40–42, but, up to Game 5, they showed they definitely belonged in the finals with the Celtics. So, no one could blame Moses Malone for doing some trash-talking. Earlier, he had simply declared, "Boston ain't that good." Before Game 5, though, Malone went a little too far, saying, "I could get four guys off the street in Petersburg (Virginia, Malone's hometown) and beat them." This was all coach Bill Fitch would need to motivate his troops.

With Bird still struggling offensively, Cedric Maxwell shouldered the load, scoring 28 points and pulling down 15 rebounds and sparking several fast breaks to a Celtics rout, 109-80.

Game 6
May 14
9:05 p.m. CDT
Boston Celtics 102, Houston Rockets 91
Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 28–23, 29–20, 20–24
Pts: Larry Bird 27
Rebs: Larry Bird 13
Asts: Nate Archibald 12		 Pts: Robert Reid 27
Rebs: Moses Malone 16
Asts: Tom Henderson, Robert Reid 5 each
Boston wins the series, 4–2
The Summit, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,121
Referees:
  • No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
  • No. 14 Jack Madden

Motivated from Malone's previous barbs, the Celtics took it right to the Rockets back at The Summit, leading 84–67 in the final period. However, as coach Fitch looked on in disgust, the Celtics went five minutes without a basket as the Rockets, led by Calvin Garrett, reeled off 13 unanswered points in a furious comeback and eventually cut the lead to only 3, with the Houston crowd erupting louder after each basket. Larry Bird then finally broke out of his shooting doldrums to personally blunt the Rockets' rally. Bird hit a 15-foot jumper, fed series MVP Maxwell for a basket, and hit a back-breaking, 24-foot, three-point shot to put the Rockets away for good and send Boston to its 14th NBA Championship, and at last a championship ring for 11-year veteran Nate Archibald.

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Chris Ford6630.7.500.222.7782.72.30.70.010.5
Cedric Maxwell6637.8.568.000.7599.52.80.21.017.7
Larry Bird6642.8.419.500.81315.37.02.30.515.3
Kevin McHale6013.8.387.000.5713.30.80.00.74.7
Tiny Archibald6633.8.364.000.8751.25.50.70.010.3
Rick Robey6016.3.559.000.5633.70.30.00.27.8
Gerald Henderson6015.8.559.000.8331.71.70.70.37.2
Robert Parish6627.8.506.000.6327.71.01.22.015.0
M.L. Carr6018.3.459.000.7501.71.00.70.74.7
Terry Duerod401.5.429.000.0000.00.00.30.01.5
Eric Fernsten402.5.000.000.6671.00.30.30.00.5
Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tom Henderson6632.2.395.000.7332.24.20.70.26.8
Allen Leavell5014.6.303.000.7141.43.40.60.65.0
Robert Reid6640.7.375.000.6967.53.32.00.814.7
Mike Dunleavy6627.5.415.429.8002.33.21.70.217.7
Billy Paultz6632.7.403.000.6256.01.31.20.711.2
Moses Malone6644.8.403.000.67316.31.30.82.222.2
Bill Willoughby6022.3.269.000.7394.51.21.00.87.5
Calvin Murphy4022.0.395.000.8331.00.81.00.09.8
Calvin Garrett4010.8.556.0001.0001.80.30.50.33.0
Major Jones306.0.500.000.3331.70.30.30.33.0
Rudy Tomjanovich305.7.125.000.0001.30.00.00.00.7

[3]

Television coverage
  • Before 2003, the 1981 NBA Finals received the lowest television rating in NBA history. The 1981 Finals drew a 6.7 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. Meanwhile, the 2003 Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets drew a 6.5 rating. Due to this, the 1981 finals were the last to be broadcast on tape-delay, with weeknight games airing after the late local news in most cities. Games 3 and 4 were played back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10, to give CBS two live Finals games. Game 3 remains the last Finals contest played on a Saturday. Game 4 tipped off at noon Central (1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific) in order for CBS to telecast golf following the game. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at 1 p.m. Eastern.
  • Following the Finals, Gary Bender became the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS' coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, while Rick Barry's contract, following his questionable racial comments about Bill Russell during the Finals, was not renewed. Russell would remain the main color analyst for the next two years alongside newly promoted main play-by-play commentator Dick Stockton. Curiously, Barry and Russell would reunite, this time on the NBA on TBS during the mid-1980s. Russell was replaced as CBS' lead analyst following the 1983 Finals by former Celtics teammate Tom Heinsohn.
  • Brent Musburger narrated the duration of the 1981 NBA Playoffs on film, known as "The Dynasty Renewed". The 1981 film was expanded from 30 minutes to one hour, with more highlights from rounds prior to the finals.

Team rosters

Boston Celtics
Roster listing
1980–81 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G 7 Archibald, Nate 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1948–09–02 UTEP
F 33 Bird, Larry (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State
F 30 Carr, M.L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951–01–09 Guilford
G 40 Duerod, Terry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956–07–29 Detroit
C 45 Fernsten, Eric 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1953–11–01 San Francisco
G 42 Ford, Chris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1949–01–11 Villanova
G 43 Henderson, Gerald 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1956–01–16 Virginia Commonwealth
F 31 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–11–21 Charlotte
F 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota
C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary
C 53 Robey, Rick 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1956–01–30 Kentucky
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Houston Rockets
Roster listing
1980–81 Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G 10 Dunleavy, Sr., Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1954–03–21 South Carolina
F 00 Garrett, Calvin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1956–07–11 Oral Roberts
G 6 Henderson, Tom 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1952–01–26 Hawaiʻi
F 11 Jones, Major 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1953–07–09 Albany State
G 30 Leavell, Allen 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1957–05–27 Oklahoma City
C 24 Malone, Moses 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1955–03–23 Petersburg (HS)
G 23 Murphy, Calvin 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1948–05–09 Niagara
C 5 Paultz, Billy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1948–07–30 St. John's
F 33 Reid, Robert 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) 1955–08–30 Virginia
F 45 Tomjanovich, Rudy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) 1948–11–24 Michigan
F 32 Willoughby, Bill 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1957–05–20 Dwight Morrow (HS)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

See also

References
  1. https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/1981_games.html
  2. https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1980_ECS.html#BOS-HOU
  3. https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1981-nba-finals-rockets-vs-celtics.html
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