The 1981 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1980-1981 NBA season. The 1980-81 NBA Season was the 35th season of the National Basketball Association. ...

For the 1980-1981 Houston Rockets (head coached by Del Harris), Moses Malone partically carried the Rockets to 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. The Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. ... Del Harris is a former NBA coach. ... Moses Eugene Malone (born March 23, 1955 in Petersburg, Virginia) is an American former NBA basketball player who also played in the ABA, as well as on the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets. ... Calvin Murphy is a hall of fame professional basketball player who played guard for the Houston Rockets from 1970-1983. ... Rick Barry (with a basket) as a player of the Golden State Warriors Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA) is a former professional basketball player, remembered for his sharpshooting, his excellent passing, his tenacious and quarrelsome spirit and his odd-looking but... See also: 1975 in sports, other events of 1976, 1977 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: February 15David Pearson won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Cale Yarborough Indianapolis 500 - Johnny Rutherford USAC Racing - Gordon Johncock won the season championship Formula One Championship... See also: 1978 in sports, other events of 1979, 1980 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Mens all-around champion: Alexander Dityatin, USSR Womens all-around champion: Nellie Kim, USSR Mens team competition champion: USSR Womens team... Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich (born November 24, 1948 in Hamtramck, Michigan), nicknamed Rudy T., is best known as a basketball player and coach. ... Robert Keith Reid (born August 30, 1955 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American former professional basketball player. ... Mike Dunleavy Sr. ... William Edward Bill Paultz (born July 30, 1948) is a former professional basketball player nicknamed The Whopper and standing 611. Except for Basketball Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, Paultz made more consecutive playoff appearances than any other player in professional basketball history. ... Thomas Edward Tom Henderson (born January 26, 1952 in Newberry, South Carolina) is an American former professional basketball player. ... The Sacramento Kings are a National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. ... The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. ...

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. The Houston Rockets made it to Finals, the first time a team from Houston played for a championship in basketball, football, or baseball. The championship series with Boston (who got past the Philadelphia 76ers in order to get to the Finals) was fought to six games and would be won by Boston. The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, who play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. ... George Gervin (born April 27, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former professional basketball player, a shooting guard for the ABAs Virginia Squires and the NBAs San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. ... The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. ... Otis Lee Birdsong (born December 9, 1955 in Winter Haven, Florida) is an American former professional basketball player. ... Scott Dean Wedman (born July 29, 1952 in Harper, Kansas) is a former NBA basketball player. ... Phil Jackson Ford (born February 9, 1956 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina) is a former professional player in the National Basketball Association. ... Nickname: Bayou City Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Mayor Bill White Area    - City 1,558 km²  (601. ... City Nashville, Tennessee Team colors Navy, Titans Blue, White, and Red Head Coach Jeff Fisher Owner Bud Adams General manager Floyd Reese Mascot T-Rac Local radio Flagship stations: WKDF (103. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962-present) Central Division (1994-present) Current uniform Ballpark Minute Maid Park (2002-present) Major league titles World Series titles (0) None NL Pennants (1) 2005 Central Division titles (4) 2001 â€¢ 1999 â€¢ 1998 â€¢ 1997 West Division titles (2) [1][2] 1986 â€¢ 1980 Wild card berths... The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short) are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

Series Summary

Boston beats Houston 4-2

Finals MVP: Cedric Maxwell

Trivia

• Before 2003, the 1981 NBA Finals received the lowest television rating of all-time. The 1981 Finals drew a 6.7 ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research. Meanwhile, the 2003 Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets drew a 6.5 rating.