| ||||||||||
| Dates: | May 5–14 | |||||||||
| MVP: | Cedric Maxwell (Boston Celtics) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Celtics: Nate Archibald (1991) Larry Bird (1998) Kevin McHale (1999) Robert Parish (2003) Rockets: Calvin Murphy (1993) Moses Malone (2001) Rudy Tomjanovich (2020; coach) Coaches: Bill Fitch (2019) Del Harris (2022) Officials: Earl Strom (1995) Darell Garretson (2016) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals: | Celtics defeated 76ers, 4–3 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Rockets defeated Kings, 4–1 | |||||||||
| NBA Finals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← 1980 | ||||||||||
| 1982 → | ||||||||||
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. The Celtics won the series in six games. 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 Playoffs[]
| Houston Rockets (Western Conference Champion) | Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference Champion) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–42 (.488)
2nd Midwest, 6th West, 12th Overall |
Regular season | 62–20 (.756)
1st Atlantic, 1st East, 1st Overall | ||
| 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 | ||
Series summary[]
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 5 | Boston | 98–95 | Houston |
| Game 2 | May 7 | Boston | 90–92 | Houston |
| Game 3 | May 9 | Houston | 71–94 | Boston |
| Game 4 | May 10 | Houston | 91–86 | Boston |
| Game 5 | May 12 | Boston | 109–80 | Houston |
| Game 6 | May 14 | Houston | 91–102 | Boston |
| Preceded by 1980 |
NBA Finals 1981 |
Succeeded by 1982 |