Game 1 - #5 Seattle Supersonics at #1 Houston Rockets
Seattle struggled to get going in the first half and while they made a run, it wasn’t enough as the Rockets took down Game 1.
Moses Malone struggled to contain
Jack Sikma, but his 20-14-3-2-2 stuffed the stat sheet to co-lead Houston (Sikma had a 31-9).
Dennis Johnson led the way against his old team with 34.
ROCKETS 105, Supersonics 99 (Rockets lead 1-0)
Sonics Stats
Jack Sikma: 31 PTS, 9 REB, 11/15 FG
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 20 PTS, 14 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 9/12 FG
Dennis Johnson: 34 PTS, 6 REB, 12/22 FG, 10/12 FT
***
Game 1 - #3 San Antonio Spurs at #2 Los Angeles Lakers
Talk about a statement.
The Los Angeles Lakers decimated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, winning by a 50+ point margin. Not only did the Lakers have a 43 point quarter, but they also held San Antonio to 7 in the fourth. The Lakers had 8 players in double-digit scoring, led by
Bernard King with 27 and
Buck Williams with 25.
Ice has 21 in 17 minutes before the starting unit was benched.
LAKERS 138, Spurs 87 (Lakers lead 1-0)
Spurs Stats
George Gervin: 21 PTS, 2 STL
Lakers Stats
Bernard King: 27 PTS, 8 REB, 9/10 FG
Buck Williams: 25 PTS, 6 REB, 9/14 FG
Magic Johnson: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST
***
Game 1 - #5 Milwaukee Bucks at #1 Boston Celtics
Maybe the Bucks were tired after their grueling series against New York.
The Celtics blew out the Bucks in Game 1, scoring more points in the first quarter than Milwaukee would in the first-half. Boston led 66-34 at the half and Milwaukee never got back into it.
Bird was active, but wasn’t even the main catalyst to the Celtics big win, as
Purvis Short and
Gus Williams scored 20+ points apiece without playing even 25 minutes.
CELTICS 112, Bucks 88 (Celtics lead 1-0)
Bucks Stats
Artis Gilmore: 14 PTS, 5 REB, 4 BLK
Junior Bridgeman: 16 PTS
Celtics Stats
Gus Williams: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 2 STL, 9/15 FG
Purvis Short: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 8/14 FG
Larry Bird: 17 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST
***
Game 1 - #3 Philadelphia 76ers at #2 Indiana Pacers
Early on, it looked like an Indiana Pacer blowout as they raced to 44 1st quarter points and a 15 point lead. But the experienced Sixers, led by
Dr. J, Julius Erving, put together a strong 2nd and 3rd quarter and took the lead by the middle of the third quarter and never looked back. While Indiana’s scoring duo of
Alex English (40 PTS) and
Otis Birdsong (33 PTS) did their expected damage, the entire Sixer starting lineup played well and shot over 50% from the field, leaving Indiana in the dust.
76ers 128, PACERS 117 (76ers lead 1-0)
Sixers Stats
Julius Erving: 31 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 11/17 FG
Robert Parish: 24 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK
Maurice Cheeks: 21 PTS, 11 AST, 3 STL, 9/15 FG
Pacers Stats
Alex English: 40 PTS, 10 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 16/30 FG
Otis Birdsong: 33 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 3/6 3P
***
Game 2 - #5 Seattle Supersonics at #1 Houston Rockets (Rockets lead 1-0)
Game 2 was a low scoring defensive affair that unfortunately for Seattle, was swung by the
Moses Malone-Jack Sikma matchup. Moses pulverized Sikma and Seattle for 19 points and 22 boards, leaving Sikma 0/10 from the field. Seattle still seemingly had a shot in the 4th, but Houston pulled away. Seattle will look to gain ground in Seattle.
ROCKETS 84, Supersonics 74 (Rockets lead 2-0)
Sonics Stats
Mark Aguirre: 15 PTS, 4 REB
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 19 PTS, 22 REB, 1 BLK
Kevin Grevey: 17 PTS, 6 REB
Dennis Johnson: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
***
Game 2 - #3 San Antonio Spurs at #2 Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
In Game 2 the
Magic Man put on a show and the defending Champion Spurs couldn’t keep up. Magic led the Lakers to a 2-0 lead over the Spurs with a 28-12, finding
Jamaal Wilkes, Buck Williams and
Bernard King over and over again all night.
Ice led the Spurs with 33, but the Spurs just couldn’t hang and suddenly find themselves in a situation where they need to beat LA four out of five times. At least the series is going back to Texas.
LAKERS 124, Spurs 114 (Lakers lead 2-0)
Spurs Stats
George Gervin: 33 PTS, 8 REB, 1 STL, 12/21 FG
James Silas: 18 PTS, 8 AST
Lakers Stats
Magic Johnson: 28 PTS, 12 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 8/12 FG, 12/12 FT
Jamaal Wilkes: 28 PTS, 13/21 FG
Bernard King: 18 PTS
Buck Williams: 18 PTS
***
Game 2 - #5 Milwaukee Bucks at #1 Boston Celtics (Celtics lead 1-0)
It was another show from
MVP Larry Bird as Bird destroyed the Bucks to lead Boston to a 2-0 lead. Bird went for a 27-10-7-3-2 and no one on Milwaukee had any way to challenge him.
Purvis Short added 25. Milwaukee needs to figure out something to get back in this series.
CELTICS 109, Bucks 93 (Celtics lead 2-0)
Bucks Stats
Marques Johnson: 16 PTS, 6 REB
Walter Davis: 15 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST
Sidney Moncrief: 5 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
Celtics Stats
Larry Bird: 27 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK, 10/18 FG, 6/6 FT
Purvis Short: 25 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Cedric Maxwell: 20 PTS, 7 REB
***
Game 2 - #3 Philadelphia 76ers at #2 Indiana Pacers (76ers lead 1-0)
After how Game 1 went down, pundits had the Sixers rolling over Indiana. Interestingly, Game 2 began the same way, heck, even better, for the Pacers as Game 1. Indiana led 44-16 at the end of the first and again blew this massive advantage. The Sixers tied the game by the end of the third, setting up a close and gritty 4th. Only the Pacers, led by
Alex English’s 39 points, took care of business by winning the quarter, and the game, by 13. Indiana needs to find a way to stop blowing these leads if they want to have any chance in Philadelphia.
PACERS 114, 76ers 101 (Series tied 1-1)
Sixers Stats
Robert Parish: 28 PTS, 12 REB, 5 BLK, 11/19 FG, 6/6 FT
Maurice Cheeks: 18 PTS, 10 AST, 5 STL
Bobby Jones: 14 PTS, 8 REB, 5 BLK
Pacers Stats
Alex English: 39 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 15/20 FG
Otis Birdsong: 18 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Dudley Bradley: 17 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
James Edwards: 15 PTS, 12 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
***
Game 3 - #1 Houston Rockets at #5 Seattle Supersonics (Rockets lead 2-0)
The Sonics broke through in the third quarter of Game 3, taking a double-digit lead and holding on as the Rockets again struggled to score the basketball. It wasn’t pretty, but
Maurice Lucas founds his way to 20 points to lead Seattle.
Jack Sikma played
Moses to a near draw, which seemingly was enough to hold the #1 seeded Rockets at bay.
SUPERSONICS 97, Rockets 87 (Rockets lead 2-1)
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 16 PTS, 12 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK
Dennis Johnson: 23 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Sonics Stats
Maurice Lucas: 20 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST
Jim Paxson: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
Jack Sikma: 12 PTS, 10 REB, 2 STL
***
Game 1 - #3 San Antonio Spurs at #2 Los Angeles Lakers
It was a wild one in San Antonio!
The Spurs had broken the game open with 49 points in the third quarter, taking a double-digit lead behind a masterpiece of a game from
Ice, but
Magic and the Lakers stormed back in the fourth and were down just two, 129-127, with 1:41 to go. Ice missed a jumper to put the Spurs back up two possession, but
John Lucas made a huge defensive play, stripping Magic as Magic drove through the lane. Gervin drew a triple-team and found
Bill Laimbeer with 48 seconds left to put the Spurs up 131-127.
Laimbeer mauls
Alvan Adams on the other end, and Adams makes two free throws, again making it a two point game. Ice takes it himself as time ticks down and no one can stop him, forcing
Buck Williams to knock him down in the paint, nearly starting a riot. Gervin drains both free throws (
points 50 and 51 for him) and with 22 seconds left it looks like SA will survive. Buck Williams finds a basket with 5 seconds left and the Lakers foul
James Silas with pretty much no time on the clock. Silas only makes one, making it a three point game, but the Lakers have no time for a shot and the defending champs send the Lakers a statement that it’s not their conference…yet.
SPURS 134, Lakers 131 (Lakers lead 2-1)
Lakers Stats
Magic Johnson: 14 PTS, 13 AST, 5 REB
Bernard King: 36 PTS, 8 REB, 11/18 FG, 14/17 FT
Buck Williams: 17 PTS, 8 REB, 6/9 FG
Spurs Stats
George Gervin: 51 PTS, 4 STL, 16/23 FG, 1/1 3P, 18/20 FT
Campy Russell: 24 PTS, 8/10 FG
***
Game 3 - #1 Boston Celtics at #5 Milwaukee Bucks (Celtics lead 2-0)
What looked like the Bucks best chance to get back into the series fell apart in the second half. Milwaukee seemingly found its groove, leading 54-44 at the half. The Celtics completely turned the tables in the second half, winning the third 35-24 and the fourth 20-11, resulting in a commanding 3-0 series lead. The key match-up of the series seems to be the battle of the defensive point guards.
Sidney Moncrief has the reputation as one of the best defensive guards in the game while
Gus Williams is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Gus has been handily winning that battle, and he outright led all scorers with 23 too. It looks over for the Bucks.
Celtics 99, BUCKS 89 (Celtics lead 3-0)
Celtics Stats
Gus Williams: 23 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL
Larry Bird: 16 PTS, 12 REB, 9 AST
Jawann Oldham: 9 PTS, 10 REB, 5 BLK
Bucks Stats
Sidney Moncrief: 14 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST
Herb Williams: 16 PTS, 9 REB
Marques Johnson: 14 PTS, 12 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK
***
Game 3 - #2 Indiana Pacers at #3 Philadelphia 76ers (Series tied 1-1)
Any momentum Indiana built from Game 2 disappeared quickly as
Dr. J and
Robert Parish dominated Game 3.
Alex English and
Otis Birdsong went a combined 19 for 54 and the Pacers just never had a chance. Erving looked like the Dr. J of old, with 32 points to go with 9 boards and 6 assists.
76ERS 113, Pacers 98 (76ers lead 2-1)
Pacers Stats
Alex English: 28 PTS, 16 REB, 7 AST, 2 BLK, 9/25 FG
Otis Birdsong: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL, 10/29 FG
James Edwards: 14 PTS, 13 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK
Sixers Stats
Julius Erving: 32 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL, 14/26 FG
Robert Parish: 25 PTS, 13 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK
Maurice Cheeks: 16 PTS, 11 AST, 3 STL
***
Game 4 - #1 Houston Rockets at #5 Seattle Supersonics (Rockets lead 2-1)
We have a series! The Sonics suddenly went on a run right before halftime and never looked back. Seattle, for the third straight time, held the Rockets to under 90 points and tied the series at 2 apiece.
Jack Sikma got the better of the former
three-time MVP Moses Malone with a 24-9 against an 18-14 (but on 6/22 FG). Aiding Sikma was
Mark Aguirre with 24 points of his own. Game five returns to Houston.
SUPERSONICS 103, Rockets 82 (Series tied 2-2)
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 18 PTS, 14 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Dennis Johnson: 14 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Allen Leavell: 14 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
Sonics Stats
Jack Sikma: 24 PTS, 9 REB, 4 BLK
Mark Aguirre: 24 PTS, 7 REB, 10/14 FG
***
Game 4 - #2 Los Angeles Lakers at #3 San Antonio Spurs (Lakers lead 2-1)
It may be time to rename the Hemisfair Arena to the
Ice Palace as George Gervin put on another show to tie the series against the Lakers.
The Spurs stormed to a 49-34 first quarter lead and never looked back, dropping 130+ on the Lakers for the second straight game. Gervin scored 38.
Bernard King, being fed all night by
Magic was able to go toe-to-toe with Ice, but the rest of the Spurs outplayed the rest of the Lakers. We’re headed towards a pivotal Game 5 between these two rivals.
SPURS 138, Lakers 114 (Series tied 2-2)
Lakers Stats
Bernard King: 35 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Magic Johnson: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 12 AST, 9 TOs
Spurs Stats
George Gervin: 38 PTS, 12/16 FG, 13/16 FT
John Lucas: 24 PTS, 7 AST
James Silas: 16 PTS, 6 AST
***
Game 4 - #1 Boston Celtics at #5 Milwaukee Bucks (Celtics lead 3-0)
This was never happening for the Bucks. While the
Squid played
Gus Williams to a draw, that’s all that seemingly went well for Milwaukee.
Walter Davis, the prized mid-season acquisition that was supposed to get the Bucks over the hump, went down with a hamstring injury just five minutes into the game.
Marques Johnson, okay at best all series, again barely made an impact with 12 points.
Larry Bird continued his torturing of
Junior Bridgeman with a 17-13-10 triple-double. The Bucks waited a year and went through a war with the Knicks to get this rematch. We’ll have to see how they’ll retool next year because this was a massacre.
CELTICS 99, Bucks 77 (Celtics win 4-0)
Celtics Stats
Larry Bird: 17 PTS, 13 REB, 10 AST
Gus Williams: 23 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 6 STL
Bucks Stats
Sidney Moncrief: 26 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
***
Game 4 - #2 Indiana Pacers at #3 Philadelphia 76ers (76ers lead 2-1)
Alex English did all he could, but the Pacers fell behind in the first and never caught up. English’s 43 wasn’t enough to offset a combined 58 points from
Chief and
Dr. J.
Otis Birdsong was solid with 20, but
Mo Cheeks outscored him with 21. Indiana needs to win three-in-a-row or they will fail to win a playoff series for the fourth straight year. At least Game 5 is in Indiana. The Sixers are eyeing an Atlantic Division showdown with
Bird and the Celtics.
76ERS 126, Pacers 119 (76ers lead 3-1)
Pacers Stats
Alex English: 43 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Otis Birdsong: 20 PTS
Sixers Stats
Robert Parish: 30 PTS, 16 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK
Julius Erving: 28 PTS, 7 REB, 2 STL, 10/19 FG
Maurice Cheeks: 21 PTS, 6 REB, 13 AST, 5 STL
***
Game 5 - #5 Seattle Supersonics at #1 Houston Rockets (Series tied 2-2)
The Sonics looked like they may have the upset in them as they took a small lead into halftime, but a rough 10 point quarter allowed Houston to regain the advantage and never lose it. Seattle hung tough, but they fell just short, losing by six. Unfortunately for the Sonics, the
Moses Malone-Jack Sikma battle once again determined things, as Sikma got nothing going with 7 points and 8 rebounds, while Moses destroyed everything in his path for a 20-17-6-3. The Rockets had two other scorers with over 20 points,
DJ and
Kevin Grevey, and it was just a bit too much. Still, the road team has yet to win this series. If Seattle can keep that going we’ll be back in Houston for Game 7.
ROCKETS 102, Supersonics 96 (Rockets lead 3-2)
Sonics Stats
Jim Paxson: 21 PTS
Mark Aguirre: 18 PTS
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 20 PTS, 17 REB, 6 AST, 3 BLK
Kevin Grevey: 22 PTS, 10/15 FG
Dennis Johnson: 28 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST
***
Game 5 - #3 San Antonio Spurs at #2 Los Angeles Lakers (Series tied 2-2)
The media was calling this the most important game of
Magic Johnson’s young career, and Magic delivered big time. His 27-8-8 led the Lakers to a scoring flurry that the Spurs couldn’t match on the road. Powered by a 72 point first-half, the Lakers never trailed and put the defending champion Spurs on the brink of elimination. Like the Seattle-Houston series, the home team has won every game. We will see if
Ice has another monster game in San Antiono to make it a winner-take-all situation.
LAKERS 120, Spurs 101 (Lakers lead 3-2)
Spurs Stats
George Gervin 25 PTS, 4 REB
John Lucas: 14 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST
Lakers Stats
Magic Johnson: 27 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 9/16 FG, 9/11 FT
Bernard King: 23 PTS, 6 REB
Magic Johnson: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST
***
Game 5 - #3 Philadelphia 76ers at #2 Indiana Pacers (76ers lead 3-1)
For whatever reason, the Sixers just didn’t have it back in Indiana and the Pacers cruised to an easy victory.
Alex English was able to slow down a bit as
Otis Birdsong led Indy in scoring with 27, and
James Edwards chipped in 22. Indiana needs to find a win in Philly as they’re still down 3-2, but at least their season isn’t over.
PACERS 109, 76ers 77 (76ers lead 3-2)
Sixers Stats
Julius Erving: 22 PTS, 7 REB
Robert Parish: 11 PTS, 10 REB
Pacers Stats
Otis Birdsong: 27 PTS, 8 REB
James Edwards: 22 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 4 BLK
***
Game 6 - #1 Houston Rockets at #5 Seattle Supersonics (Rockets lead 3-2)
Seattle again proved to be no pushover at home, winning Game 6 with a strong second half and sending the series back to Houston for the deciding Game 7. Once again the Rockets struggled to score, only producing 90 points.
Jack Sikma patrolled the paint effectively, recording 6 blocked shots and holding
Moses to 5/15 FG. Seattle got 24 from
Paxson and 20 from
Aguirre to put enough points on the board that Houston couldn’t keep up. Seattle has a chance at a massive upset.
SUPERSONICS 102, Rockets 90 (Series tied 3-3)
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 19 PTS, 11 REB
Dennis Johnson: 26 PTS, 7 AST, 12/19 FG
Sonics Stats
Jack Sikma: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 6 BLK
Maurice Lucas: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST
Mark Aguirre: 20 PTS, 7 REB
Jim Paxson: 24 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
***
Game 6 - #2 Los Angeles Lakers at #3 San Antonio Spurs (Lakers lead 3-2)
This time, there was too much
Magic for
Ice to make up for.
The Lakers finished off the defending champions on the road.
Magic Johnson followed up his brilliant 27-8-8 with another playoff masterpiece, a 36-7-14 with 20 free throws and the Spurs just had no shot.
Gervin scored 35, but unfortunately the Spurs needed another 50 pointer to get to Game 7. The Spurs received a standing ovation for a tough title defense. Magic and the Lakers head to the Conference Finals for the third straight year and will face either the team they beat them two seasons ago in the Rockets, or a feisty Supersonics team that would serve as a rematch from the Semis last year.
Lakers 125, SPURS 111 (Lakers win 4-2)
Lakers Stats
Magic Johnson: 36 PTS, 7 REB, 14 AST, 2 STL, 20/23 FT
Bernard King: 21 PTS, 8 REB
Alvan Adams: 20 PTS, 10 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 8/14 FG
Spurs Stats
George Gervin: 35 PTS, 6 REB, 13/18 FG
Steve Johnson: 25 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
James Silas: 21 PTS, 7/10 FG
***
Game 6 - #2 Indiana Pacers at #3 Philadelphia 76ers (76ers lead 3-2)
Indiana was not going quietly.
With 3:42 left,
Dudley Bradley hit two free throws to give Indiana a 108-107 lead as they fight for their life.
Bobby Jones was quick to score to give the Sixers back the lead, and
Otis Birdsong loses the ball to
Steve Mix.
Mo Cheeks misses a jumper…but makes up for it by stealing the ball from Otis (again!). This time he finds
Ron Brewer and Brewer hits a jumper to make it 111-108 Sixers with 2:43 left.
Alex English looks to take over, but he misses a jumper…only to tip in his own miss! The Sixers miss on the other way down but Jones grabs the rebound.
James Edwards blocks Jones’ shot though, but when Jones tries to put it up again he’s fouled by
Michael Cooper. Jones hits both free throws, and it’s 113-110 with 1:43 left. Cooper makes up for it though. As Philly presses Dudley Bradley can’t get the ball to English, but finds Cooper who drills a three to tie the game!
Dr. J quickly drives in for a jam that lights up Philly, but the Pacers, showing great restraint, quickly get their own dunk via Bradley! It’s 115-115!
Dr. J misses and English corrals the rebound. English takes it himself but misses. Otis grabs the offensive rebound and the ball makes it back to English, but Jones does a great job and English misses again, leaving 32 seconds on the clock and Philly with the ball. Dr. J finds Mo Cheeks, who
hits a shot with 10 seconds left to give Philly the lead! Indiana only has 10 seconds but come out of the time out
completely fooling Dr. J! Erving goes for the double on English, and English finds Cooper for the
game tying shot! Erving gets one more chance at winning the series, but it’s short and we go to
overtime!
Philly goes ahead with 2:17 left on a Mo Cheeks jumper from the free throw line, 122-121. Otis responds though as the pressure starts to build. Pacers lead by one. Michael Cooper robs Erving, but English can’t convert. Sixers knock the ball out of bounds though and Indiana gets to kill some clock. Otis ends up not getting a shot off and gets called for the shot clock violation. Still, it’s Indiana 123, Sixers 122 with 1:09 left in OT.
Mo Cheeks finds Bobby Jones for the lead! English looks to take it himself, but he gets doubled and a wide open Dudley Bradley scores to put Indiana back up by one with 25 seconds left. Dr. J drives to try to end the series and James Edwards fouls him on the way up with just 11 seconds left. Shockingly, on his home court,
Erving misses both free throws and English grabs the board! Chaos ensues as English gets the ball to Otis and the Sixers fail to send Indiana to the line…and the Pacers escape with perhaps their biggest win in franchise history as they send the series back to Indiana!
Dr. J sits near center court with his hands on his head, shocked that he blew both free throw attempts!
Pacers 125, 76ERS 124 (OT) (Series tied 3-3)
Pacers Stats
Alex English: 27 PTS, 16 REB, 7 AST
Michael Cooper: 20 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL, 2 BLK
Otis Birdsong: 25 PTS
Sixers Stats
Robert Parish: 33 PTS, 14 REB, 5 BLK, 15/21 FG
Bobby Jones: 22 PTS, 12 REB
Julius Erving: 20 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST
Ron Brewer: 24 PTS, 4 STL
Mo Cheeks: 14 PTS, 9 REB, 14 AST, 11 TO
***
Game 7 - #5 Seattle Supersonics at #1 Houston Rockets (Series tied 3-3)
It’s only fitting that these two teams go down to the wire. It didn’t look that way at first as the Rockets led 40-25 at the end of the first, but Seattle brought it all the way back. Seattle and Houston traded the lead multiple times in the 4th before Houston went on a small run.
Mark Aguirre hit a shot with 2:18 left to bring Seattle back within three, 111-108.
Jack Sikma grabs a rebound off a
Allen Leavell miss and
Jim Paxson buries a three to tie the game at 111 with 1:40 left!
DJ gets two chances to convert, but can’t on either as Sikma grabs another board with just 50 seconds left. The Summit gets awfully quiet as
James Bailey misses…but
Sikma gets a tip in over Moses to give Seattle a two-point lead with 30 seconds left! The crowd continues to go crazy as Houston’s play looks to be an absolute mess. DJ can’t find a shot, and the Rockets can’t get Moses a good look either. Time is running out on the shot clock and
Allen Leavell heaves a three…AND HITS IT! Just seven seconds left! Seattle calls timeout as the Summit is shaking with cheering fans.
The Sonics have one more chance and
Maurice Lucas gets a good look from the free throw line…but it rims out! DJ grabs the rebound and that’s it. The Rockets barely, just barely…survive the Supersonics!
ROCKETS 114, Supersonics 113 (Rockets win 4-3)
Sonics Stats
Mark Aguirre: 28 PTS, 4 REB, 9/14 FG
Jim Paxson: 27 PTS, 9/16 FG, 2/4 3P, 7/7 FT
Rockets Stats
Moses Malone: 30 PTS, 15 REB, 9/17 FG
Dennis Johnson: 27 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 11/18 FG
Allen Leavell: 22 PTS, 5/10 FG, ½ 3P, 11/12 FT
***
Game 7 - #3 Philadelphia 76ers at #2 Indiana Pacers (Series tied 3-3)
The Sixers took an early lead, looking to end this Pacer momentum and head to Boston, but the Pacers stormed back with a big 37-point third quarter and took a two-point lead into the fourth. Both teams went back-and-forth in the deciding quarter of the series.
Mo Cheeks hit a jumper to put Philly up three with 3 minutes to go, 120-117.
Bobby Jones steals the ball from
Alex English, but
Mo Cheeks can’t convert.
Otis Birdsong, having arguably his best game as a Pacer at just the right time, finds
Dudley Bradley and Indiana brings it within one. The Sixers again can’t convert, and
Alex English gets to the line. English hits both free throws as the Pacers go up 121-120 with just 1:47 to play. Mo Cheeks finds
Ron Brewer, who hits a jumper from the free throw line to put Philly back up with 1:24 to play. Bradley gets to the line on the other end and makes one, tying the game at 122. Brewer mishandles a pass from
Julius Erving, and
Alex English hits a jumper with 44 seconds left to give Indiana a 124-122 lead!
Michael Cooper’s tremendous defense on Erving stifles the Sixers as Cheeks is forced to take a jumper to tie, but misses. Dr. J grabs the rebound but Cooper is all over him. Eventually the ball gets to
Robert Parish who shoots as time expires…and MISSES! The Indiana Pacers complete the 3-1 comeback and advance to play Boston! One has to wonder what could have been for Philly had Erving hit those free throws in Game 6.
Otis Birdsong, stranded on the Kings at the beginning of the season, hugs
Alex English in the middle of Market Square Arena as the Sixers walk off, dejected.
PACERS 124, 76ers 122 (Pacers win 4-3)
Sixers Stats
Julius Erving: 31 PTS, 6 REB, 10/18 FG, 11/14 FT
Robert Parish: 20 PTS, 12 REB, 6 BLK, 8 TO
Maurice Cheeks: 22 PTS, 4 REB, 14 AST, 5 STL, 7/14 FG
Pacers Stats
Otis Birdsong: 40 PTS, 7 REB, 18/32 FG
Alex English: 23 PTS, 4 AST, 9/18 FG
Billy Knight: 21 PTS, 10 REB
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Playoff Preview
Western Conference Finals
Best of Seven
#2 Los Angeles Lakers (56-26) vs. #1 Houston Rockets (57-25)
Series Preview
It all comes down to this. A rematch of the 1981 Western Conference Finals where
Moses and the Rockets made short work of the Lakers. This is quite a different match-up now though, as the Lakers have more firepower with
Buck Williams and
Bernard King. The trade-off of course is that
Alvan Adams, not
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar patrols the middle. Adams is a very good player, but when
Moses Malone is on the other side you’ll need all the help one can get. Of course, the Rockets have to make a decision too. Can they trust
Allen Leavel, who just hit the biggest shot of his career against Seattle, to at least somewhat slow down
Magic Johnson? Or do the Rockets put
Dennis Johnson on Magic and let King or
Jamaal Wilkes get their points. This is a series that can go either way and both teams are hungry to get to the Finals. Houston, of course, would like to regain their crown on top of the NBA while this is the third straight Western Conference Finals appearance for the Lakers. You’d think they want to break through and finally secure a Finals berth. It’s Moses and DJ vs. Magic and Bernard. It should be a great series.
Season Review
11/10 – LAKERS 118, Rockets 116
2/1 – LAKERS 108, Rockets 103
2/9 – ROCKETS 117, Lakers 107
3/4 – ROCKETS 106, Lakers 83
3/25 – LAKERS 128, Rockets 115
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 56-26
PPG: 115.9 (1st)
oPPG: 108 (20th)
Offensive Eff: 109.2 (1st)
Defensive Eff: 102 (13th)
eFG: 51.1% (1st)
Reb%: 55.2% (1st)
Starters/Key Players
C – Alvan Adams – 15.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG
PF – Buck Williams – 18.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG
SF – Bernard King – 23.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG
SG – Jamaal Wilkes – 19.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG
PG – Magic Johnson – 24.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1st Team, All-Star
6th – Cliff Levingston – 8.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Key Injuries
None
Houston Rockets
Record: 57-25
PPG: 100.3 (15th)
oPPG: 95.3 (1st)
Offensive Eff: 102.1 (11th)
Defensive Eff: 97.2 (4th)
eFG: 45.8% (15th)
Reb%: 53.3% (2nd)
Starters/Key Players
C – Moses Malone – 23.3 PPG, 15.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1st Team, All-Star
PF – Rudy Tomjanovich – 5.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG
SF – Kevin Grevey – 12.9 PPG
SG – Dennis Johnson – 22.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 3rd Team, All-Star
PG – Allen Leavell – 12.4 PPG, 6.5 APG, 2.2 SPG
6th – Wes Unseld – 5.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG
Key Injuries
None
Eastern Conference Finals
Best of Seven
#2 Indiana Pacers (52-30) vs. #1 Boston Celtics (62-20)
Series Preview
At first this looks like an easy series for Boston, but Indiana has a surprising number of positives doing their way that may tip their hand. For one, Indiana played Boston very well this season, even after the
Purvis Short trade to Boston.
Otis Birdsong is an odd mismatch even for
Defensive Player of the Year Gus Williams, as Birdsong is a swingman playing the point guard position. Also, the whole point of obtaining
Michael Cooper for Indiana was likely in case they had to play
David Thompson in New York or
Larry Bird in this series. Lastly, while Indiana has some tools to mess with Bird, can the Celtics stop
Alex English? English had a fantastic series against Philadelphia with
All-Defensive Team member Bobby Jones all over him. English finished that series averaging 31.1 PPG, keeping Indiana alive. Of course, the flip side to all of this is that
Larry Bird has been nearly unstoppable all season. Bird is the
MVP of the league after all…and as a bonus for the Celtics Bird is also Indiana basketball royalty. Smart money is probably on the Celtics, but again, the Pacers look more prepared than one would think.
Season Review
12/13 – PACERS 108, Celtics 99
1/15 – CELTICS 116, Pacers 109
2/7 – PACERS 114, Celtics 112
3/20 – Pacers 132, CELTICS 126
4/20 – CELTICS 107, Pacers 99
Indiana Pacers
Record: 52-30
PPG: 110.1 (5th)
oPPG: 105 (18th)
Offensive Eff: 104.9 (6th)
Defensive Eff: 99.9 (8th)
eFG: 47.0% (8th)
Reb%: 48.9% (17th)
Starters/Key Players
C – James Edwards – 12.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.4 BPG
PF – Alex English – 28.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 1.1 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 3rd Team, All-Star
SF – Michael Cooper – 13.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.4 APG, 2.3 SPG, Defense 1st Team
SG – Dudley Bradley – 7.7 PPG (Defensive Specialist)
PG – Otis Birdsong – 22.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.3 SPG
6th – Billy Knight – 15.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG
Key Injuries
None
Boston Celtics
Record: 62-20
PPG: 112.6 (2nd)
oPPG: 101.8 (13th)
Offensive Eff: 106.3 (4th)
Defensive Eff: 96.2 (2nd)
eFG: 50.4% (3rd)
Reb%: 50.7% (7th)
Starters/Key Players
C – Caldwell Jones – 4.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG
PF – Cedric Maxwell – 10 PPG, 5.8 RPG
SF – Larry Bird – 31.9 PPG, 11 RPG, 7.8 APG, 2 SPG, MVP, 1st Team, Defensive 2nd Team, All-Star
SG – Purvis Short – 15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG
PG – Gus Williams – 16.5 PPG, 4.4 APG, 2.6 SPG, DPOTY, Defensive 1st Team
6th – Ricky Sobers – 9.4 PPG
Key Injuries
None
Prediction Contest – ONLY PREDICT THE CONFERENCE FINALS
1st Round – Picking the Winning Team is worth 10 Points, Picking the Exact Amount of Games is worth 2 Points
Results
Newcomer AlanSmithee1981 has an early lead, predicting three series correctly (although missed all the exact game guesses…first round is only best of five!) for 30 points. Dubb hit two on the head exactly for 24 points.
Semi-Finals – Picking the Winning Team is worth 25 Points, Picking the Exact Amount of Games is worth 5 Points
Results
Both
@AlanSmithee1981 and
@Dubble J put on strong showings, with the Sixers-Pacers series being the difference . Dubb nearly perfected the round, getting each series correct and getting the Lakers and Pacers series to the game. This gave Dubb 110 points for the round and 134 points total. Alansmithee was strong in hitting 3/4 series but none to the game, still good for 75 points on the round and 105 total. No one else has predicted, but with the point values getting higher and higher anyone can join in and contend.
Conference Finals – Picking the Winning is worth 50 Points, Picking the Exact Amount of Games is worth 10 Points
NBA Finals – Picking the Winning Team is Worth 100 Points, Picking the Exact Amount of Games is worth 20 Points
Guessing the Finals MVP: Worth 20 Points
Winning the Competition Each Year: Worth +10%
The goal for prediction results: when we get into the late 2020s and 2030s, to allow users to create their own rookies based on the prediction points they built up.
Past Prediction Results
@Dubble J : 302 Points (1x Champion: 1981)
1981: 302 (Champion)
@The Grimch : 145 Points (1x Champion: 1980)
1980: 55 (Champion)
1981: 90
@Joey Bananas : 55 Points
1981: 55
Stats Site
