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Philadelphia 76ersVERSUSBoston Celtics

1980-81 · Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 · May 3, 1981

Boston and Philadelphia ended a bruising conference finals series with a one-possession Game 7.

★4.72Fan rating
YouTube highlightsWatch the game’s best moments▶
Season1980–81→Series matchupPhiladelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics→

Game lineups

Starting fives

Verified starters

Home starting five
Boston Celtics
StarterCMCedric Maxwell
StarterCFChris Ford
StarterEFEric Fernsten
StarterGHGerald Henderson
StarterKMKevin McHale
Away starting five
Philadelphia 76ers
StarterATAndrew Toney
StarterBJBobby Jones
StarterCJCaldwell Jones
StarterDDDarryl Dawkins
StarterJEJulius Erving

The five starters come from each team’s saved NBA box-score order. Exact positions are omitted because this archive does not reliably provide them.

Before the game

Spoiler-free context

Philadelphia had taken a 3–1 lead over Boston and stood one win from a second consecutive Finals trip. The Celtics escaped Games 5 and 6 by two points each, turning the finale at Boston Garden into the last stage of an improbable comeback.

  • The series was tied 3–3 after Boston survived three consecutive elimination games.
  • The winner would face Houston in the Finals, while the loser would carry the weight of a rivalry series decided almost entirely in the closing minutes.

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