1980 NBA playoffs

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1980 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 2–May 16, 1980
Season1979–80
Teams12
Final positions
ChampionsLos Angeles Lakers (7th title)
Runner-upPhiladelphia 76ers
Semifinalists
← 1979
1981 →

The 1980 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1979–80 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Lakers earned their seventh NBA title, their second since moving from Minneapolis.

NBA Finals MVP, leading L.A. to a clinching Game 6 victory with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. With center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
out with a severely sprained ankle, Johnson started at center instead, and ultimately played all five positions on the court in the game.

Philadelphia earned their third Eastern Conference championship, but were unsuccessful in capturing their third NBA title.

The Milwaukee Bucks appeared in the playoffs for the last time as a member of the West; the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs likewise appeared for the last time playing for the East. They switched conferences (along with the Chicago Bulls) in the 1980–81 season with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks. The Bucks made the playoffs for the first time since 1978, starting a string of twelve consecutive appearances that included three Conference Finals appearances (1983, 1984, and 1986) and seven consecutive division titles (1980–1986). They did not miss the playoffs again until 1992.

Bracket

First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
E1 Boston* 4
E4 Houston 2 E4 Houston 0
E5 San Antonio 1 Eastern ConferenceE1 Boston* 1
E3 Philadelphia 4
E3 Philadelphia 4
E3 Philadelphia 2 E2 Atlanta* 1
E6 Washington 0 E3 Philadelphia 2
W1 Los Angeles* 4
W1 Los Angeles* 4
W4 Phoenix 2 W4 Phoenix 1
W5 Kansas City 1 Western ConferenceW1 Los Angeles* 4
W3 Seattle 1
W3 Seattle 4
W3 Seattle 2 W2 Milwaukee* 3
W6 Portland 1
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

First round

Eastern Conference first round

(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Washington Bullets

April 2
Washington Bullets 96, Philadelphia 76ers
111
Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 21–31, 24–23, 27–32
7 Pts: Lionel Hollins 21
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 26
Asts: Maurice Cheeks 6
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 12,567
April 4
Washington Bullets
104
Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 33–26, 21–24, 27–34
7 Pts: Elvin Hayes 26
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12
Asts: Kevin Grevey 5
Philadelphia wins series, 2–0

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first two meetings.

(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) San Antonio Spurs

The Rockets gained home-court advantage due to a better record within the Central Division (20-10 to the Spurs' 14-16). Both teams had 41-41 records and split their season series 3-3.

April 2
San Antonio Spurs 85, Houston Rockets 95
Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 26–23, 11–24, 23–29
4 each Pts: Calvin Murphy 28
Rebs: Moses Malone 14
Asts: Tom Henderson 8
Houston leads series, 1–0
Houston, Texas

Attendance: 14,454
April 4
Houston Rockets 101, San Antonio Spurs 106
Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 22–27, 26–24, 27–33
10 Pts: George Gervin 44
Rebs: Mark Olberding 12
Asts: Mike Gale 9
Series tied, 1–1
San Antonio, Texas

Attendance: 12,894
April 6
San Antonio Spurs 120, Houston Rockets 141
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 28–27, 27–45, 39–38
6 Pts: Moses Malone 37
Rebs: Moses Malone 20
Asts: Tom Henderson 10
Houston wins series, 2–1
Houston, Texas

Attendance: 15,676

This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Spurs.[2]

Western Conference first round

(3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

April 2
Portland Trail Blazers 110, Seattle SuperSonics 120
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 27–28, 33–37, 25–25
12 Pts: Gus Williams 35
Rebs: three players 8 each
Asts: Gus Williams 6
Seattle leads series, 1–0
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 26,412
April 4
Seattle SuperSonics 95, Portland Trail Blazers 105 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 26–26, 24–27, 15–15, Overtime: 6–16
8 Pts: Natt, R. Brewer 27 each
Rebs: Jim Brewer 12
Asts: T. R. Dunn 4
Series tied, 1–1
April 6
Portland Trail Blazers 86, Seattle SuperSonics 103
Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 21–33, 23–23, 21–23
3 Pts: Gus Williams 21
Rebs: John Johnson 8
Asts: Williams, D. Johnson 6 each
Seattle wins series, 2–1
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 23,546

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.

(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) Kansas City Kings

April 2
Kansas City Kings 93, Phoenix Suns
96
Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 18–22, 30–31, 31–24
7 Pts: Paul Westphal 23
Rebs: Truck Robinson 14
Asts: Walter Davis 7
Phoenix leads series, 1–0
April 4
Kansas City Kings
106
Scoring by quarter: 20–33, 23–24, 30–17, 23–32
7 Pts: Scott Wedman 32
Rebs: Scott Wedman 9
Asts: Phil Ford 13
Series tied, 1–1
April 6
Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns
114
Scoring by quarter: 38–33, 19–33, 17–22, 25–26
6 Pts: Walter Davis 22
Rebs: Alvan Adams 20
Asts: Adams, Davis 7 each
Phoenix wins series, 2–1

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Houston Rockets

April 9
Houston Rockets 101, Boston Celtics 119
Scoring by quarter: 23–39, 33–22, 22–23, 23–35
: three players 4 each Pts:
Tiny Archibald
9
Boston leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Ed Rush, Bob Rakel, Joe Crawford
April 11
Houston Rockets 75, Boston Celtics 95
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 22–23, 16–25, 16–24
4 Pts:
Tiny Archibald
7
Boston leads series, 2–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
April 13
Boston Celtics 100, Houston Rockets 81
Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 26–19, 26–20, 29–24
Tiny Archibald
10
Pts: Moses Malone 28
Rebs: Moses Malone 9
Asts: Henderson, Leavell 5 each
Boston leads series, 3–0
Houston, Texas

Attendance: 14,243
Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Hugh Evans, Bill Saar
April 14
Boston Celtics 138, Houston Rockets 121
Scoring by quarter: 39–29, 27–35, 32–21, 40–36
Tiny Archibald
10
Pts: Moses Malone 28
Rebs: Moses Malone 15
Asts: Reid, Leavell 8 each
Boston wins series, 4–0
Houston, Texas

Attendance: 13,106
Referees: Jack Madden, Wally Rooney

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.

(2) Atlanta Hawks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers

April 6
Atlanta Hawks 104, Philadelphia 76ers 107
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 28–28, 17–20, 29–31
6 Pts: Julius Erving 28
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 13
Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 10,561
April 9
Atlanta Hawks 92, Philadelphia 76ers 99
Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 19–27, 28–22, 18–28
: three players 3 each Pts: Darryl Dawkins 22
Rebs: Bobby Jones 9
Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7
Philadelphia leads series, 2–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
April 10
Philadelphia 76ers 93, Atlanta Hawks 105
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 25–24, 27–28, 20–30
4 Pts: Eddie Johnson 19
Rebs: Tree Rollins 17
Asts: three players 6 each
Philadelphia leads series, 2–1
Atlanta, Georgia

Attendance: 15,617
April 13
Philadelphia 76ers 107, Atlanta Hawks 83
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 22–20, 35–17, 26–20
5 Pts: Dan Roundfield 17
Rebs: Dan Roundfield 12
Asts: three players 4 each
Philadelphia leads series, 3–1
Atlanta, Georgia

Attendance: 15,617
April 15
Atlanta Hawks 100, Philadelphia 76ers 105
Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 23–19, 20–35, 27–27
5 Pts: Dawkins, Erving 30 each
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 13
Asts: Lionel Hollins 7
Philadelphia wins series, 4–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
Referees: Earl Strom, Ed Middleton

This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the 76ers.[6]

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Phoenix Suns

April 8
Phoenix Suns 110, Los Angeles Lakers 119
Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 21–26, 32–37, 31–30
9 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30
Rebs: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 12 each
Asts: Magic Johnson 16
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0
April 9
Phoenix Suns 128, Los Angeles Lakers 131 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 28–27, 34–34, 32–32, Overtime: 8–11
12 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32
Rebs: Magic Johnson 13
Asts: Norm Nixon 12
Los Angeles leads series, 2–0
April 11
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Phoenix Suns 105
Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 23–32, 26–20, 33–29
8 Pts: Walter Davis 28
Rebs: Gar Heard 11
Asts: Davis, Buse 5 each
Los Angeles leads series, 3–0
April 13
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Phoenix Suns 127
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 22–35, 28–26, 26–35
13 Pts: Paul Westphal 25
Rebs: Gar Heard 9
Asts: Buse, Adams 6 each
Los Angeles leads series, 3–1
April 15
Phoenix Suns 101, Los Angeles Lakers 126
Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 24–34, 34–37, 25–29
7 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16
Asts: Norm Nixon 13
Los Angeles wins series, 4–1

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.

(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

April 8
Milwaukee Bucks 113, Seattle SuperSonics 114 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 29–31, 19–21, 27–25, Overtime: 10–11
8 Pts: Gus Williams 30
Rebs: Jack Sikma 11
Asts: John Johnson 6
Seattle leads series, 1–0
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 13,648
April 9
Milwaukee Bucks 114, Seattle SuperSonics 112 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 33–30, 31–25, 29–27, 15–26Overtime: 6–4
5 Pts: Lonnie Shelton 25
Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 9
Asts: Williams, J. Johnson 7 each
Series tied, 1–1
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 14,050
April 11
Seattle SuperSonics 91, Milwaukee Bucks 95
Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 21–28, 20–16, 24–19
7 each Pts: Bob Lanier 24
Rebs: Marques Johnson 10
Asts: Quinn Buckner 7
Milwaukee leads series, 2–1
April 13
Seattle SuperSonics 112, Milwaukee Bucks 107
Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 27–22, 30–28, 27–35
7 Pts: Marques Johnson 31
Rebs: Lanier, Meyers 9 each
Asts: Junior Bridgeman 8
Series tied, 2–2
April 15
Milwaukee Bucks 108, Seattle SuperSonics 97
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 31–27, 26–19, 23–25
6 Pts: Gus Williams 22
Rebs: Jack Sikma 9
Asts: Dennis Johnson 7
Milwaukee leads series, 3–2
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 40,172
  • Attendance of 40,172 was a previous NBA record.[8]
April 18
Seattle SuperSonics 86, Milwaukee Bucks 85
Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 26–15, 23–32, 15–18
7 Pts: Marques Johnson 22
Rebs: Bob Lanier 12
Asts: Brian Winters 7
Series tied, 3–3
April 20
Milwaukee Bucks 94, Seattle SuperSonics 98
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 25–20, 22–19, 22–28
7 Pts: Gus Williams 33
Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 15
Asts: Dennis Johnson 5
Seattle wins series, 4–3
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 14,050

This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the SuperSonics.[9]

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers

April 18
Philadelphia 76ers 96, Boston Celtics 93
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 22–27, 32–20, 20–21
6 each Pts:
Tiny Archibald
7
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Joe Gushue, Ed Middleton, Ralph Lembo
April 20
Philadelphia 76ers 90, Boston Celtics 96
Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 28–25, 14–20, 26–22
5 Pts:
Tiny Archibald
8
Series tied, 1–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Jack Madden, Lee Jones, Dick Bavetta
April 23
Boston Celtics 97, Philadelphia 76ers 99
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 19–19, 19–33, 31–21
Tiny Archibald
7
Pts: Julius Erving 28
Rebs: Julius Erving 11
Asts: Lionel Hollins 9
Philadelphia leads series, 2–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
April 25
Boston Celtics 90, Philadelphia 76ers 102
Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 31–31, 22–27, 16–16
6 Pts: Julius Erving 30
Rebs: Julius Erving 10
Asts: Maurice Cheeks 10
Philadelphia leads series, 3–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
April 27
Philadelphia 76ers 105, Boston Celtics 94
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 28–24, 25–21, 22–21
Pts: Lionel Hollins 24
Rebs: three players 9 each
Asts: Lionel Hollins
7
Pts:
Tiny Archibald
9
Philadelphia wins series, 4–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Earl Strom, Wally Rooney, Mike Mathis

This was the 15th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 14 meetings.

Western Conference finals

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

April 22
Seattle SuperSonics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 107
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 23–24, 30–31, 31–26
9 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26
Rebs: three players 8 each
Asts: Norm Nixon 11
Seattle leads series, 1–0
  • Jack Sikma hits a game-winning free throw with 2 seconds left.
April 23
Seattle SuperSonics 99, Los Angeles Lakers 108
Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 23–24, 21–30, 25–23
8 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16
Asts: Norm Nixon 12
Series tied, 1–1
April 25
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Seattle SuperSonics 100
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 20–25, 24–16, 32–32
10 each Pts: Gus Williams 23
Rebs: John Johnson 9
Asts: Gus Williams 11
Los Angeles leads series, 2–1
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 8,524
April 27
Los Angeles Lakers 98, Seattle SuperSonics 93
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 17–31, 33–18, 26–18
8 Pts: Gus Williams 25
Rebs: Dennis Johnson 9
Asts: Gus Williams 7
Los Angeles leads series, 3–1
Seattle, Washington

Attendance: 8,524
April 30
Seattle SuperSonics 105, Los Angeles Lakers 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 32–22, 22–28, 21–29
6 each Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11
Asts: Magic Johnson 10
Los Angeles wins series, 4–1
  • Games 3 & 4 were not played at either the
    Seattle Center Coliseum
    due to being unavailable.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first two meetings.

NBA Finals: (W1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (E3) Philadelphia 76ers

May 4
Philadelphia 76ers 102, Los Angeles Lakers 109
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 25–27, 17–31, 32–25
8 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14
Asts: Magic Johnson 10
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0
May 10
Los Angeles Lakers 111, Philadelphia 76ers 101
Scoring by quarter: 31–18, 27–26, 26–21, 27–36
7 Pts: Julius Erving 24
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 11
Asts: Lionel Hollins 9
Los Angeles leads series, 2–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,726
Referees: Darell Garretson, Ed T. Rush
May 11
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Philadelphia 76ers 105
Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 30–21, 25–32, 26–24
9 Pts: Darryl Dawkins 26
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 10
Asts: Lionel Hollins 13
Series tied, 2–2
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,726
Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak
May 14
Philadelphia 76ers 103, Los Angeles Lakers 108
Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 31–25, 20–31, 30–27
10 Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 40
Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson 15 each
Asts: Magic Johnson 10
Los Angeles leads series, 3–2
May 16
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Philadelphia 76ers 107
Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 28–31, 33–23, 30–24
9 Pts: Julius Erving 27
Rebs: Bobby Jones 9
Asts: Maurice Cheeks 8
Los Angeles wins series, 4–2
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,726
Referees: Joe Gushue, Jack Madden

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first two meetings. These series took place prior to the relocation of the Lakers (1960) and 76ers (formerly Nationals) (1963).

See also

  • NBA records

References

  1. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  2. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Houston Rockets versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  4. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  5. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  6. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  7. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "Bucks Beat Sonics for 3-2 Lead", The Washington Post, April 17, 1980
  9. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  10. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  11. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  12. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2015.

External links