The Boston Celtics were the clear favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy because they had the best record at the end of the 1980–81 regular season. The path to the title was not simple, though. The Celtics had to battle it out with the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals following their rout of the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It took seven games to decide the series winner, and Boston won 4-3. The Boston Celtics would face the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals with greater ease. But in order for that to occur, former coach Bill Fitch had to ensure that his best players were staying on course. At the time, Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell were the best players on the Bean Town squad. In the end, though, Larry Legend faced his fair share of difficulties.
The Hick from French Lick’s shooting took a turn for the worse after averaging 21 points in the first two games. His scoring totals in the following three games were only 8, 8, and 12, which made many wonder if Boston would win the championship. Still, Bird figured he did a good job considering how poorly he scored.
Maxwell was making up lost ground in the scoring. Cornbreaddric won the 1981 NBA Finals MVP award, averaging 17.7 points per game during the championship series. It would also be wise to mention that “The Great White Hope” performed exceptionally well when it mattered.
