1981–82 Boston Celtics season

The 1981–82 Boston Celtics season was the 36th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics entered the season as the defending NBA champions. They finished the season with the best record in the NBA.

1981–82 Boston Celtics season
Division champions
Head coach	Bill Fitch
General manager	Red Auerbach
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	63–19 (.768)
Place	Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Eastern Conference finals (lost to 76ers 3–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	PRISM New England, WBZ, WATR
Radio	WRKO, WTIC

Boston was notably defeated in a seven-game series with their bitter rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers; in the final game, with the contest well decided, fans chanted "Beat L.A.," helping kick off one of American sports' most famous fan chants.

Draft picks

Main article: 1981 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	23	Charles Bradley	SG	United States	Wyoming–Sr.
5	95	Glen Grunwald	C	United States	Indiana

Roster

1981–82 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From SG 44 Ainge, Danny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959–03–17 BYU PG 7 Archibald, Nate 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1948–09–02 UTEP PF 33 Bird, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–12–07 Indiana State SG 35 Bradley, Charles 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–05–16 Wyoming SF 30 Carr, M. L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951–01–09 Guilford SG 40 Duerod, Terry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956–07–29 Detroit Mercy C 45 Fernsten, Eric 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1953–11–01 San Francisco SG 42 Ford, Chris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1949–01–11 Villanova PG 43 Henderson, Gerald 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1956–01–16 VCU SF 31 Maxwell, Cedric 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–11–21 Charlotte PF 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–12–19 Minnesota C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953–08–30 Centenary C 53 Robey, Rick 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1956–01–30 Kentucky

Head coach Bill Fitch Assistant coach(es) K. C. Jones Jimmy Rodgers Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (L) On leave from the team Injured Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	63	19	.768	–	35–6	28–13	20–4
x-Philadelphia 76ers	58	24	.707	5.0	32–9	26–15	16–8
x-New Jersey Nets	44	38	.537	19.0	25–16	19–22	12–12
x-Washington Bullets	43	39	.524	20.0	22–19	21–20	7–17
New York Knicks	33	49	.402	30.0	19–22	14–27	5–19

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Boston Celtics	63	19	.768	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	55	27	.671	8
3	x-Philadelphia 76ers	58	24	.707	5
4	x-New Jersey Nets	44	38	.537	19
5	x-Washington Bullets	43	39	.524	20
6	x-Atlanta Hawks	42	40	.512	21
7	Detroit Pistons	39	43	.476	24
8	Indiana Pacers	35	47	.427	28
9	Chicago Bulls	34	48	.415	29
10	New York Knicks	33	49	.402	30
11	Cleveland Cavaliers	15	67	.183	48

Record vs. opponents

1981-82 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SDC	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	1–5	2–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	0–2	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	3–3	3–2	5–1	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–4
Boston	5–1	–	4–2	5–0	2–0	1–1	6–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–1	5–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–0	6–0
Chicago	3–2	2–4	–	5–1	1–1	1–1	0–6	0–2	1–1	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–5	2–4	3–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4
Cleveland	2–4	0–5	1–5	–	2–0	0–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	0–6	0–6	0–6	0–5	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–5
Dallas	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	–	1–5	1–1	0–5	2–4	1–1	4–2	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–3	2–3	1–5	2–3	1–4	3–3	1–1
Denver	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	5–1	–	1–1	3–2	5–1	0–2	4–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–3	2–4	5–0	2–3	3–3	2–0
Detroit	4–2	0–6	6–0	5–1	1–1	1–1	–	2–0	2–0	2–4	2–0	0–2	2–4	2–4	3–3	2–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–4
Golden State	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	5–0	2–3	0–2	–	1–4	2–0	3–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–2	2–4	3–2	5–1	1–5	3–2	1–1
Houston	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–5	0–2	4–1	–	2–0	3–3	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	4–1	3–3	4–1	2–3	6–0	2–0
Indiana	2–4	1–5	3–3	5–1	1–1	2–0	4–2	0–2	0–2	–	1–1	0–2	0–6	4–2	3–2	0–6	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–5
Kansas City	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	2–4	0–2	2–3	3–3	1–1	–	1–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–3	0–5	1–5	4–1	2–3	3–3	0–2
Los Angeles	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	4–1	4–1	2–0	3–3	4–1	2–0	4–1	–	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2	5–1	2–3	5–1	4–2	5–0	2–0
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	5–1	6–0	1–1	1–1	4–2	0–2	1–1	6–0	1–1	2–0	–	4–1	3–3	4–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–2
New Jersey	2–3	1–5	4–2	6–0	0–2	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–4	–	4–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–2
New York	1–5	1–5	2–3	6–0	1–1	1–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	2–3	0–2	2–0	3–3	2–4	–	1–5	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–5
Philadelphia	3–3	2–4	5–1	5–0	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	1–1	6–0	2–0	1–1	2–4	3–3	5–1	–	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	6–0
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–2	3–2	2–0	2–4	2–3	1–1	3–2	2–4	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	–	3–3	4–1	4–2	3–3	3–2	1–1
Portland	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	3–2	2–0	4–2	1–4	1–1	5–0	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–3	–	3–2	4–2	3–3	4–1	0–2
San Antonio	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	4–2	2–0	2–3	3–3	0–2	5–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–4	2–3	–	3–2	4–1	3–3	1–1
San Diego	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–2	0–5	0–2	1–5	1–4	0–2	1–4	1–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–4	2–4	2–3	–	1–5	1–4	0–2
Seattle	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–1	3–2	1–1	5–1	3–2	1–1	3–2	2–4	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–3	3–3	1–4	5–1	–	5–0	1–1
Utah	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–3	3–3	1–1	2–3	0–6	1–1	3–3	0–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–3	1–4	3–3	4–1	0–5	–	1–1
Washington	4–2	0–6	4–2	5–1	1–1	0–2	4–1	1–1	0–2	5–1	2–0	0–2	2–3	2–4	5–1	0–6	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	—

Game log

Regular season

1981–82 game log Total: 63–19 (home: 35–6; road: 28–13)
October: 1–1 (home: 1–0; road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 30 Washington W 124–100 Boston Garden 1–0 2 October 31 @ Milwaukee L 103–119 MECCA Arena 1–1
November: 12–1 (home: 7–1; road: 5–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 4 Chicago W 115–93 Boston Garden 2–1 4 November 6 Indiana W 111–94 Boston Garden 3–1 5 November 7 @ Detroit W 129–88 Pontiac Silverdome 4–1 6 November 10 @ Washington W 90–84 Capital Centre 5–1 7 November 11 Kansas City W 115–100 Boston Garden 6–1 8 November 13 New Jersey W 111–97 Hartford Civic Center 7–1 9 November 14 @ Cleveland W 92–91 Richfield Coliseum 8–1 10 November 17 @ Chicago W 98–95 Chicago Stadium 9–1 11 November 18 Houston L 104–106 Boston Garden 9–2 12 November 20 Milwaukee W 112–89 Boston Garden 10–2 13 November 25 Golden State W 122–101 Boston Garden 11–2 14 November 27 Washington W 113–100 Boston Garden 12–2 15 November 28 @ Atlanta W 98–90 The Omni 13–2
December: 9–5 (home: 6–0; road: 3–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 December 1 @ Indiana L 87–90 Market Square Arena 13–3 17 December 2 Detroit W 115–114 Boston Garden 14–3 18 December 4 Philadelphia W 111–103 Boston Garden 15–3 19 December 5 @ New York L 83–103 Madison Square Garden 15–4 20 December 9 New Jersey W 109–100 Boston Garden 16–4 21 December 11 Atlanta W 94–86 Hartford Civic Center 17–4 22 December 12 @ Atlanta L 97–108 The Omni 17–5 23 December 16 Dallas W 109–92 Boston Garden 18–5 24 December 18 @ Washington W 99–98 Capital Centre 19–5 25 December 19 @ Philadelphia L 118–123 (OT) The Spectrum 19–6 26 December 22 Cleveland W 120–116 Boston Garden 20–6 27 December 26 @ Kansas City W 124–119 (OT) Kemper Arena 21–6 28 December 29 @ Denver L 123–128 McNichols Sports Arena 21–7 29 December 30 @ Utah W 121–110 Salt Palace Acord Arena 22–7
January: 10–4 (home: 5–3; road: 5–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 30 January 2 @ Cleveland W 106–103 Richfield Coliseum 22–8 31 January 6 Chicago L 102–116 Boston Garden 23–8 32 January 8 Philadelphia W 96–90 Boston Garden 24–8 33 January 10 Detroit W 134–124 Hartford Civic Center 25–8 34 January 11 @ New Jersey W 112–94 Brendan Byrne Arena 26–8 35 January 13 Atlanta W 116–95 Boston Garden 27–8 36 January 15 @ Milwaukee L 118–122 MECCA Arena 27–9 37 January 16 @ Detroit W 128–120 Pontiac Silverdome 28–9 38 January 19 @ New York W 111–107 Madison Square Garden 29–9 39 January 20 Indiana W 112–103 Boston Garden 30–9 40 January 22 Seattle L 106–118 Boston Garden 30–10 41 January 24 Portland L 119–123 Boston Garden 30–11 42 January 27 New York W 131–99 Boston Garden 31–11 43 January 28 @ Cleveland W 116–104 Richfield Coliseum 32–11
February: 8–4 (home: 4–1; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 2 @ Indiana W 109–105 Market Square Arena 33–11 45 February 5 Denver W 145–144 Boston Garden 34–11 46 February 7 Los Angeles L 113–119 Boston Garden 34–12 47 February 10 @ Phoenix L 110–112 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 34–13 48 February 12 @ San Diego W 129–116 San Diego Sports Arena 35–13 49 February 14 @ Los Angeles W 108–103 The Forum 36–13 50 February 17 @ Golden State L 105–121 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 36–14 51 February 19 @ Portland W 127–117 Memorial Coliseum 37–14 52 February 21 @ Seattle L 100–103 Kingdome 37–15 53 February 24 Utah W 132–90 Boston Garden 38–15 54 February 26 San Diego W 122–110 Boston Garden 39–15 55 February 28 Milwaukee W 106–102 Boston Garden 40–15
March: 16–1 (home: 8–1; road: 8–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 56 March 2 @ Dallas W 101–97 Reunion Arena 41–15 58 March 5 @ Houston W 100–98 The Summit 43–15 59 March 7 New York W 107–106 Boston Garden 44–15 60 March 8 @ Detroit W 111–101 Pontiac Silverdome 45–15 61 March 10 Indiana W 121–100 Boston Garden 46–15 62 March 12 @ New Jersey W 113–109 Brendan Byrne Arena 47–15 63 March 14 Phoenix W 105–92 Boston Garden 48–15 64 March 16 @ Washington W 98–97 (OT) Capital Centre 49–15 65 March 17 Atlanta W 113–109 Boston Garden 50–15 67 March 21 @ Philadelphia W 123–111 The Spectrum 52–15 68 March 23 @ Chicago W 110–103 Chicago Stadium 53–15 69 March 24 Cleveland W 136–115 Boston Garden 54–15 70 March 26 Detroit W 125–104 Boston Garden 55–15 71 March 28 Philadelphia L 98–116 Boston Garden 55–16 72 March 31 Washington W 119–109 Boston Garden 56–16
April: 7–3 (home: 4–0; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 73 April 2 @ Atlanta W 110–107 The Omni 57–16 74 April 4 Chicago W 114–112 Boston Garden 58–16 75 April 6 @ Milwaukee L 116–122 MECCA Arena 58–17 76 April 8 @ New York W 110–106 Madison Square Garden 59–17 77 April 9 New Jersey W 106–103 Boston Garden 60–17 78 April 11 @ Philadelphia W 110–109 (OT) The Spectrum 61–17 79 April 13 @ Chicago L 115–120 Chicago Stadium 61–18 80 April 14 Milwaukee W 100–91 Boston Garden 62–18 81 April 16 @ New Jersey L 96–113 Brendan Byrne Arena 62–19 82 April 18 New York W 119–99 Boston Garden 63–19
1981–82 schedule

Playoffs

1982 playoff game log
Conference semifinals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 25 Washington W 109–91 M. L. Carr (21) Larry Bird (12) Tiny Archibald (7) Boston Garden 15,320 1–0 2 April 28 Washington L 102–103 Larry Bird (26) Bird, Parish (10) Tiny Archibald (6) Boston Garden 15,320 1–1 3 May 1 @ Washington W 92–83 Robert Parish (25) Parish, Archibald (13) Tiny Archibald (5) Capital Centre 15,035 2–1 4 May 2 @ Washington W 103–99 (OT) Robert Parish (28) Robert Parish (15) Tiny Archibald (4) Capital Centre 16,295 3–1 5 May 5 Washington W 131–126 (2OT) Robert Parish (33) Robert Parish (13) Tiny Archibald (11) Boston Garden 15,320 4–1
Conference finals: 3–4 (home: 2–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 9 Philadelphia W 121–81 Bird, Parish (24) Larry Bird (15) Larry Bird (10) Boston Garden 15,320 1–0 2 May 12 Philadelphia L 113–121 Tiny Archibald (24) Larry Bird (14) Tiny Archibald (13) Boston Garden 15,320 1–1 3 May 15 @ Philadelphia L 97–99 Cedric Maxwell (18) Larry Bird (13) Larry Bird (11) Spectrum 18,364 1–2 4 May 16 @ Philadelphia L 94–119 Robert Parish (18) Larry Bird (9) Gerald Henderson (7) Spectrum 18,364 1–3 5 May 19 Philadelphia W 114–85 Robert Parish (26) Larry Bird (20) Larry Bird (8) Boston Garden 15,320 2–3 6 May 21 @ Philadelphia W 88–75 Kevin McHale (17) Larry Bird (17) Danny Ainge (7) Spectrum 18,364 3–3 7 May 23 Philadelphia L 106–120 Robert Parish (23) Robert Parish (14) Larry Bird (9) Boston Garden 15,320 3–4
1982 schedule

Awards and honors

• Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team

See also

• 1981–82 NBA season