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1981 NBA Playoff Summary

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Playoff Summary ▪ Expanded Leaders ▪ Player Statistics ▪ Finals Statistics

Series Results

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Finals (4-2):Boston Celtics over Houston Rockets
 
Eastern Conference Finals (4-3):Boston Celtics over Philadelphia 76ers
Western Conference Finals (4-1):Houston Rockets over Kansas City Kings
 
Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-3):Philadelphia 76ers over Milwaukee Bucks
Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-0):Boston Celtics over Chicago Bulls
Western Conference Semifinals (4-3):Houston Rockets over San Antonio Spurs
Western Conference Semifinals (4-3):Kansas City Kings over Phoenix Suns
 
Eastern Conference First Round (2-0):Philadelphia 76ers over Indiana Pacers
Eastern Conference First Round (2-0):Chicago Bulls over New York Knickerbockers
Western Conference First Round (2-1):Kansas City Kings over Portland Trail Blazers
Western Conference First Round (2-1):Houston Rockets over Los Angeles Lakers

Team Statistics

Glossary ▪ CSV ▪ PRE ▪ Click column headers to sort
Rk Team G MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS PTS/G
1 San Antonio Spurs 7 1680 298 608 .490 2 12 .167 156 209 .746 100 196 296 180 41 47 107 173 754 107.7
2 Milwaukee Bucks 7 1680 292 611 .478 3 11 .273 162 212 .764 124 179 303 189 71 37 119 195 749 107.0
3 Portland Trail Blazers 3 770 134 276 .486 1 4 .250 47 70 .671 42 96 138 65 31 16 53 61 316 105.3
4 Philadelphia 76ers 16 3840 637 1309 .487 1 16 .063 394 510 .773 205 449 654 389 131 137 293 420 1669 104.3
5 Chicago Bulls 6 1465 248 529 .469 3 23 .130 122 160 .763 99 168 267 125 47 30 99 150 621 103.5
6 Boston Celtics 17 4080 700 1457 .480 10 45 .222 347 460 .754 246 509 755 388 127 112 277 420 1757 103.4
7 Los Angeles Lakers 3 720 118 255 .463 0 4 .000 68 99 .687 43 110 153 72 21 17 43 69 304 101.3
8 Houston Rockets 21 5040 819 1796 .456 8 32 .250 413 550 .751 309 547 856 474 174 113 296 466 2059 98.0
9 New York Knickerbockers 2 505 75 171 .439 1 10 .100 43 63 .683 31 52 83 37 20 4 42 57 194 97.0
10 Indiana Pacers 2 480 75 182 .412 2 6 .333 41 57 .719 37 56 93 46 22 5 39 51 193 96.5
11 Kansas City Kings 15 3650 554 1190 .466 13 48 .271 254 354 .718 178 415 593 353 132 64 252 349 1375 91.7
12 Phoenix Suns 7 1680 252 561 .449 6 16 .375 132 192 .688 99 218 317 133 50 26 115 167 642 91.7
League Average 9 2133 350 745 .470 4 19 .220 182 245 .742 126 250 376 204 72 51 145 215 886 100.3

Opponent Statistics

Glossary ▪ CSV ▪ PRE ▪ Click column headers to sort
Rk Team G MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS PTS/G
1 Phoenix Suns 7 1680 236 554 .426 5 19 .263 146 206 .709 95 192 287 146 62 34 112 172 623 89.0
2 Kansas City Kings 15 3650 580 1226 .473 8 27 .296 255 366 .697 204 453 657 307 133 65 248 326 1423 94.9
3 Boston Celtics 17 4080 645 1471 .438 7 38 .184 357 473 .755 261 457 718 356 122 103 261 412 1654 97.3
4 Houston Rockets 21 5040 835 1743 .479 9 54 .167 389 534 .728 293 616 909 508 148 117 341 490 2068 98.5
5 Los Angeles Lakers 3 720 122 285 .428 1 4 .250 61 77 .792 55 93 148 79 21 19 36 73 306 102.0
6 New York Knickerbockers 2 505 79 166 .476 0 0 47 56 .839 31 66 97 39 19 17 40 52 205 102.5
7 Philadelphia 76ers 16 3840 646 1413 .457 6 31 .194 373 497 .751 265 440 705 388 147 93 263 434 1671 104.4
8 Milwaukee Bucks 7 1680 272 564 .482 0 9 .000 187 239 .782 100 169 269 171 62 62 133 175 731 104.4
9 Portland Trail Blazers 3 770 140 268 .522 4 8 .500 37 51 .725 33 97 130 88 24 9 51 68 321 107.0
10 Chicago Bulls 6 1465 255 496 .514 7 24 .292 126 166 .759 73 172 245 135 53 33 112 150 643 107.2
11 San Antonio Spurs 7 1680 300 586 .512 3 10 .300 165 214 .771 79 171 250 178 54 37 98 174 768 109.7
12 Indiana Pacers 2 480 92 173 .532 0 3 .000 36 57 .632 24 69 93 56 22 19 40 52 220 110.0
League Average 9 2133 350 745 .470 4 19 .220 182 245 .742 126 250 376 204 72 51 145 215 886 100.3

Miscellaneous Statistics

Glossary ▪ CSV ▪ PRE ▪ Click column headers to sort
Offense Four Factors Defense Four Factors
Rk Team G W L W-L% W Pyth L Pyth ORtg DRtg Pace eFG% TOV% ORB% FT/FGA eFG% TOV% DRB% FT/FGA
1 Boston Celtics 17 12 5 .706 11.9 5.1 107.9 101.6 95.8 .484 .143 .350 .238 .441 .135 .661 .243
2 Houston Rockets 21 12 9 .571 10.2 10.8 105.0 105.5 93.4 .458 .127 .334 .230 .482 .147 .651 .223
3 Philadelphia 76ers 16 9 7 .563 7.9 8.1 106.0 106.2 98.4 .487 .160 .318 .301 .459 .139 .629 .264
4 Kansas City Kings 15 7 8 .467 5.7 9.3 98.8 102.2 91.5 .471 .158 .282 .213 .476 .152 .670 .208
5 Phoenix Suns 7 3 4 .429 4.2 2.8 99.9 96.9 91.8 .455 .151 .340 .235 .431 .148 .696 .264
6 Milwaukee Bucks 7 3 4 .429 4.1 2.9 110.9 108.2 96.5 .480 .145 .423 .265 .482 .166 .642 .332
7 San Antonio Spurs 7 3 4 .429 3.1 3.9 111.1 113.1 97.0 .492 .133 .369 .257 .515 .126 .713 .282
8 Chicago Bulls 6 2 4 .333 2.3 3.7 105.4 109.1 96.5 .472 .142 .365 .231 .521 .164 .697 .254
9 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1 2 .333 1.4 1.6 103.9 104.6 97.5 .463 .126 .316 .267 .430 .101 .667 .214
10 Portland Trail Blazers 3 1 2 .333 1.3 1.7 102.7 104.3 95.9 .487 .147 .302 .170 .530 .149 .744 .138
11 New York Knickerbockers 2 0 2 .000 0.6 1.4 97.2 102.8 94.8 .442 .174 .320 .251 .476 .173 .627 .283
12 Indiana Pacers 2 0 2 .000 0.3 1.7 93.3 106.4 103.4 .418 .158 .349 .225 .532 .168 .700 .208
League Average 8.8 4.4 4.4 .500 4.4 4.4 104.8 104.8 95.2 .473 .145 .336 .244 .473 .145 .664 .244

Playoff Leaders

Glossary ▪ Rate statistic requirements

Minutes Played

1.Moses Malone*-HOU955
2.Robert Reid-HOU868
3.Larry Bird*-BOS750
4.Billy Paultz-HOU720
5.Scott Wedman-KCK657

Field Goals

1.Moses Malone*-HOU207
2.Larry Bird*-BOS147
3.Julius Erving*-PHI143
4.Calvin Murphy*-HOU142
5.Robert Reid-HOU139

Field Goal Attempts

1.Moses Malone*-HOU432
2.Larry Bird*-BOS313
3.Robert Reid-HOU303
4.Julius Erving*-PHI301
5.Scott Wedman-KCK297

Field Goal Pct

1.Mychal Thompson-POR.608
2.Bob Lanier*-MIL.588
3.Dave Greenwood-CHI.586
4.Artis Gilmore-CHI.583
5.Cedric Maxwell-BOS.581

3-Pt Field Goals

1.Scott Wedman-KCK9
2.Chris Ford-BOS7
3.Mike Dunleavy-HOU6
4.Kyle Macy-PHO4
5.Larry Bird*-BOS3

3-Pt Field Goal Attempts

1.Scott Wedman-KCK32
2.Chris Ford-BOS25
3.Mike Dunleavy-HOU15
4.Andrew Toney-PHI9
 Reggie Theus-CHI9

3-Pt Field Goal Pct

1.Mike Dunleavy-HOU.400
2.Scott Wedman-KCK.281
3.Chris Ford-BOS.280

Free Throws

1.Moses Malone*-HOU148
2.Julius Erving*-PHI81
3.Larry Bird*-BOS76
 Tiny Archibald*-BOS76
5.Reggie King-KCK75

Free Throw Attempts

1.Moses Malone*-HOU208
2.Julius Erving*-PHI107
3.Reggie King-KCK102
4.Tiny Archibald*-BOS94
5.Robert Reid-HOU92

Free Throw Pct

1.Dwight Jones-CHI1.000
2.Calvin Murphy*-HOU.967
3.Campy Russell-NYK.941
4.Steve Mix-PHI.923
 Johnny Davis-IND.923

Offensive Rebounds

1.Moses Malone*-HOU125
2.Cedric Maxwell-BOS61
3.Robert Reid-HOU56
 Reggie King-KCK56
5.Billy Paultz-HOU53

Defensive Rebounds

1.Larry Bird*-BOS189
2.Moses Malone*-HOU180
3.Caldwell Jones-PHI118
4.Robert Parish*-BOS96
5.Billy Paultz-HOU94

Total Rebounds

1.Moses Malone*-HOU305
2.Larry Bird*-BOS238
3.Caldwell Jones-PHI155
4.Reggie King-KCK149
5.Billy Paultz-HOU147

Assists

1.Maurice Cheeks-PHI116
2.Tiny Archibald*-BOS107
3.Tom Henderson-HOU104
4.Larry Bird*-BOS103
5.Robert Reid-HOU98

Steals

1.Robert Reid-HOU50
2.Maurice Cheeks-PHI40
3.Larry Bird*-BOS39
4.Ernie Grunfeld-KCK30
5.Sam Lacey-KCK28

Blocks

1.Julius Erving*-PHI41
2.Robert Parish*-BOS39
3.Moses Malone*-HOU34
4.Caldwell Jones-PHI31
5.Billy Paultz-HOU27

Turnovers

1.Larry Bird*-BOS62
2.Moses Malone*-HOU59
3.Julius Erving*-PHI55
4.Andrew Toney-PHI54
5.Tiny Archibald*-BOS50

Personal Fouls

1.Robert Reid-HOU80
2.Robert Parish*-BOS74
3.Darryl Dawkins-PHI71
4.Billy Paultz-HOU69
 Calvin Murphy*-HOU69

Points

1.Moses Malone*-HOU562
2.Larry Bird*-BOS373
3.Julius Erving*-PHI367
4.Calvin Murphy*-HOU344
5.Robert Reid-HOU339

Minutes Per Game

1.Moses Malone*-HOU45.5
2.Larry Bird*-BOS44.1
3.Scott Wedman-KCK43.8
4.Ernie Grunfeld-KCK42.2
5.Robert Reid-HOU41.3
 Reggie King-KCK41.3

Points Per Game

1.George Gervin*-SAS27.1
2.Moses Malone*-HOU26.8
3.Marques Johnson-MIL24.7
4.Julius Erving*-PHI22.9
5.Larry Bird*-BOS21.9

Rebounds Per Game

1.Kermit Washington-POR17.3
2.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*-LAL16.7
3.Moses Malone*-HOU14.5
4.Larry Bird*-BOS14.0
5.Artis Gilmore-CHI11.2

Assists Per Game

1.Norm Nixon-LAL8.7
2.Kelvin Ransey-POR8.3
3.Maurice Cheeks-PHI7.2
4.Reggie Theus-CHI6.3
5.Tiny Archibald*-BOS6.3

Steals Per Game

1.Reggie Theus-CHI2.5
 Maurice Cheeks-PHI2.5
3.Robert Reid-HOU2.4
4.Larry Bird*-BOS2.3
5.Ernie Grunfeld-KCK2.0

Blocks Per Game

1.Artis Gilmore-CHI2.8
2.Julius Erving*-PHI2.6
3.Robert Parish*-BOS2.3
4.George Johnson-SAS2.3
5.Caldwell Jones-PHI1.9

Player Efficiency Rating

1.Marques Johnson-MIL27.6
2.Bob Lanier*-MIL22.5
3.Moses Malone*-HOU22.4
4.Larry Bird*-BOS21.8
5.Artis Gilmore-CHI20.7

True Shooting Pct

1.Cedric Maxwell-BOS.644
2.Artis Gilmore-CHI.641
3.Mychal Thompson-POR.636
4.Bob Lanier*-MIL.621
5.Caldwell Jones-PHI.612

Effective Field Goal Pct

1.Mychal Thompson-POR.608
2.Bob Lanier*-MIL.588
3.Dave Greenwood-CHI.586
4.Artis Gilmore-CHI.583
5.Cedric Maxwell-BOS.580

Offensive Rebound Pct

1.George Johnson-SAS18.0
2.Marques Johnson-MIL17.7
3.Mickey Johnson-MIL16.2
4.Larry Kenon-CHI16.1
5.Moses Malone*-HOU14.3

Defensive Rebound Pct

1.Kermit Washington-POR35.4
2.George Johnson-SAS28.9
3.Dave Corzine-SAS27.3
4.Larry Bird*-BOS26.7
5.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*-LAL24.1

Total Rebound Pct

1.George Johnson-SAS23.5
2.Kermit Washington-POR23.3
3.Moses Malone*-HOU18.2
4.Truck Robinson-PHO17.9
5.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar*-LAL17.9

Assist Pct

1.Maurice Cheeks-PHI32.4
2.Norm Nixon-LAL31.0
3.Allen Leavell-HOU30.1
4.Johnny Moore-SAS29.4
5.Phil Ford-KCK27.6

Steal Pct

1.Allen Leavell-HOU4.3
2.Johnny Moore-SAS4.0
3.Maurice Cheeks-PHI3.8
4.Reggie Theus-CHI3.2
5.Quinn Buckner-MIL3.0

Block Pct

1.Harvey Catchings-MIL6.1
2.George Johnson-SAS5.7
3.Kevin McHale*-BOS4.8
4.Robert Parish*-BOS4.5
5.Artis Gilmore-CHI4.3

Turnover Pct

1.M.L. Carr-BOS6.7
2.Marques Johnson-MIL8.0
3.Dave Greenwood-CHI8.9
4.Billy Paultz-HOU9.2
5.John Lambert-KCK9.6

Usage Pct

1.Andrew Toney-PHI31.8
2.George Gervin*-SAS29.5
3.Walter Davis-PHO29.0
4.Julius Erving*-PHI28.6
5.Calvin Murphy*-HOU28.4

Offensive Rating

1.Marques Johnson-MIL128.6
2.Bob Lanier*-MIL123.2
3.Cedric Maxwell-BOS122.3
4.Artis Gilmore-CHI120.7
5.Mychal Thompson-POR120.7

Defensive Rating

1.Rich Kelley-PHO91.3
2.Truck Robinson-PHO94.5
3.Larry Bird*-BOS94.9
4.Robert Parish*-BOS95.7
5.Magic Johnson*-LAL96.6

Offensive Win Shares

1.Moses Malone*-HOU2.4
2.Cedric Maxwell-BOS1.8
3.Larry Bird*-BOS1.4
4.Marques Johnson-MIL1.3
5.Bobby Jones-PHI1.2

Defensive Win Shares

1.Larry Bird*-BOS1.7
2.Robert Parish*-BOS1.1
3.Robert Reid-HOU1.0
4.Moses Malone*-HOU1.0
5.Sam Lacey-KCK1.0

Win Shares

1.Moses Malone*-HOU3.4
2.Larry Bird*-BOS3.1
3.Cedric Maxwell-BOS2.5
4.Robert Reid-HOU2.0
5.Reggie King-KCK1.9