The 1981 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1980-81 NBA season, pitting the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets.
Background
For the 1980-81 season Houston Rockets (head coached by Del Harris), Moses Malone practically carried the Rockets to the NBA finals. Meanwhile, Calvin Murphy, the shortest player in the league, 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 members of the 80-81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with a regular season record of 40-42.
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, then got past the San Antonio Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the Western Conference Semifinals. This set up an unlikely Conference Finals matchup with Kansas City. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games.
Games
| Game |
Date |
Home Team |
Away Team |
Score |
| 1 |
May 5 |
Boston Celtics |
Houston Rockets |
98-95 |
| 2 |
May 7 |
Boston Celtics |
Houston Rockets |
90-92 |
| 3 |
May 9 |
Houston Rockets |
Boston Celtics |
71-94 |
| 4 |
May 10 |
Houston Rockets |
Boston Celtics |
91-86 |
| 5 |
May 12 |
Boston Celtics |
Houston Rockets |
109-80 |
| 6 |
May 14 |
Houston Rockets |
Boston Celtics |
91-102 |
- Boston Celtics win series in 6 games (4-2)
Trivia
- Robert Reid and Allen Leavell also played for the Rockets in the 1986 NBA Finals, which similarly ended in a 4-2 series win for the Boston Celtics. Reid, who wore No. 50 in the 1981 Finals, switched to No. 33 when he rejoined the Rockets in 1983, at the same time as Ralph Sampson, who wore No. 50 at this point.
Television coverage
- Before 2003, the 1981 NBA Finals received the lowest television rating of all-time. 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. 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.
- Brent Musburger narrated the duration of the 1981 NBA Playoffs on film, known as "The Dynasty Renewed".
Team rosters
See also
External links
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Boston Celtics |
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| Founded in 1946 • Based in Boston, Massachusetts |
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Houston Rockets |
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| Formerly the San Diego Rockets • Founded in 1967 • Based in Houston, Texas |
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Western Conference
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