# 1980 NBA playoffs

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.
Magic Johnson became the first and (as of 2023), only rookie to be named 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 | First Round | First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Houston | 2 | E4 | Houston | 0 | | | | | | |
| E5 | San Antonio | 1 | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Boston* | 1 | | | |
| | | | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | 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 Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | |
| | | | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | 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
* Boxscore
Washington Bullets 96, Philadelphia 76ers 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 21–31, 24–23, 27–32 |||
| Pts: Kevin Grevey 34 Rebs: Wes Unseld 18 Asts: Kevin Porter 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
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 112, Washington Bullets 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 33–26, 21–24, 27–34 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 31 Rebs: Lionel Hollins 9 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 7 | Pts: Elvin Hayes 26 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12 Asts: Kevin Grevey 5 |
| Philadelphia wins series, 2–0 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 18,397
Philadelphia won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
October 12, 1979
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 93, Washington Bullets 92
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
November 28, 1979
Recap
Washington Bullets 102, Philadelphia 76ers 120
Spectrum, Philadelphia
December 25, 1979
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 95, Washington Bullets 92
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
January 11, 1980
Recap
Washington Bullets 106, Philadelphia 76ers 119
Spectrum, Philadelphia
March 12, 1980
Recap
Washington Bullets 98, Philadelphia 76ers 105
Spectrum, Philadelphia
March 20, 1980
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 113, Washington Bullets 119 (OT)
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first two meetings.
Washington leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1971
Philadelphia 76ers 3, Baltimore Bullets 4
1971 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1978
Philadelphia 76ers 2, Washington Bullets 4
1978 Eastern Conference Finals :

#### (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
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 85, Houston Rockets 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 26–23, 11–24, 23–29 |||
| Pts: George Gervin 19 Rebs: Gervin, Kenon 9 each Asts: Gervin, Olberding 4 each | Pts: Calvin Murphy 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 14 Asts: Tom Henderson 8 |
| Houston leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Summit, Houston, Texas Attendance: 14,454
* April 4
* Boxscore
Houston Rockets 101, San Antonio Spurs 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 22–27, 26–24, 27–33 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 34 Rebs: Moses Malone 19 Asts: Tom Henderson 10 | Pts: George Gervin 44 Rebs: Mark Olberding 12 Asts: Mike Gale 9 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 12,894
* April 6
* Boxscore
San Antonio Spurs 120, Houston Rockets 141 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 28–27, 27–45, 39–38 |||
| Pts: George Gervin 37 Rebs: John Shumate 8 Asts: George Gervin 6 | Pts: Moses Malone 37 Rebs: Moses Malone 20 Asts: Tom Henderson 10 |
| Houston wins series, 2–1 |||
* The Summit, Houston, Texas Attendance: 15,676
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
Saturday, December 8, 1979
Recap
Houston Rockets 129, San Antonio Spurs 138
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
Wednesday, December 26, 1979
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 110, Houston Rockets 143
The Summit, Houston
Wednesday, January 30, 1980
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 118, Houston Rockets 111
The Summit, Houston
Tuesday, February 12, 1980
Recap
Houston Rockets 120, San Antonio Spurs 118
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
Tuesday, March 25, 1980
Recap
Houston Rockets 107, San Antonio Spurs 126
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio
Wednesday, March 26, 1980
Recap
San Antonio Spurs 101, Houston Rockets 113
The Summit, Houston :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Rockets and the Spurs.

### Western Conference first round
#### (3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers

* April 2
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 110, Seattle SuperSonics 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 27–28, 33–37, 25–25 |||
| Pts: Ron Brewer 24 Rebs: Kermit Washington 7 Asts: Kermit Washington 12 | Pts: Gus Williams 35 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Gus Williams 6 |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 |||
* Kingdome, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 26,412
* April 4
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 95, Portland Trail Blazers 105 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–21, 26–26, 24–27, 15–15, Overtime: 6–16 |||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 24 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 12 Asts: Gus Williams 8 | Pts: Natt, R. Brewer 27 each Rebs: Jim Brewer 12 Asts: T. R. Dunn 4 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Attendance: 12,666
* April 6
* Boxscore
Portland Trail Blazers 86, Seattle SuperSonics 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 21–33, 23–23, 21–23 |||
| Pts: Billy Ray Bates 26 Rebs: Tom Owens 16 Asts: Billy Ray Bates 3 | Pts: Gus Williams 21 Rebs: John Johnson 8 Asts: Williams, D. Johnson 6 each |
| Seattle wins series, 2–1 |||
* Kingdome, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 23,546
Seattle won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
November 18, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 95, Portland Trail Blazers 100
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
November 23, 1979
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 90, Seattle SuperSonics 94
Kingdome, Seattle
December 28, 1979
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 97, Seattle SuperSonics 126
Kingdome, Seattle
December 30, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 107, Portland Trail Blazers 100
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
March 4, 1980
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 98, Portland Trail Blazers 97
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
March 30, 1980
Recap
Portland Trail Blazers 104, Seattle SuperSonics 135
Kingdome, Seattle :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1978
Portland Trail Blazers 2, Seattle SuperSonics 4
1978 Western Conference Semifinals :

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

* April 2
* Boxscore
Kansas City Kings 93, Phoenix Suns 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 18–22, 30–31, 31–24 |||
| Pts: Otis Birdsong 23 Rebs: Reggie King 10 Asts: Phil Ford 7 | Pts: Paul Westphal 23 Rebs: Truck Robinson 14 Asts: Walter Davis 7 |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,660
* April 4
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 96, Kansas City Kings 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–33, 23–24, 30–17, 23–32 |||
| Pts: Alvan Adams 22 Rebs: Alvan Adams 12 Asts: Alvan Adams 7 | Pts: Scott Wedman 32 Rebs: Scott Wedman 9 Asts: Phil Ford 13 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri Attendance: 9,637
* April 6
* Boxscore
Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 38–33, 19–33, 17–22, 25–26 |||
| Pts: Scott Wedman 24 Rebs: Reggie King 11 Asts: Phil Ford 6 | Pts: Walter Davis 22 Rebs: Alvan Adams 20 Asts: Adams, Davis 7 each |
| Phoenix wins series, 2–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 11,306
Phoenix won 5–1 in the regular-season series :
October 21, 1979
Recap
Phoenix Suns 85, Kansas City Kings 122
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
November 21, 1979
Recap
Kansas City Kings 120, Phoenix Suns 128
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
December 22, 1979
Recap
Phoenix Suns 115, Kansas City Kings 111
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
December 28, 1979
Recap
Kansas City Kings 112, Phoenix Suns 118
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
February 6, 1980
Recap
Kansas City Kings 95, Phoenix Suns 97
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
March 18, 1980
Recap
Phoenix Suns 112, Kansas City Kings 109
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the first meeting.
Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1979
Phoenix Suns 4, Kansas City Kings 2
1979 Western Conference Semifinals :

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Houston Rockets

* April 9
* Boxscore
Houston Rockets 101, Boston Celtics 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–39, 33–22, 22–23, 23–35 |||
| Pts: Moses Malone 27 Rebs: Moses Malone 13 Asts: three players 4 each | Pts: Chris Ford 19 Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 12 Asts: Tiny Archibald 9 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Ed Rush, Bob Rakel, Joe Crawford
* April 11
* Boxscore
Houston Rockets 75, Boston Celtics 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 22–23, 16–25, 16–24 |||
| Pts: Robert Reid 22 Rebs: Robert Reid 14 Asts: Robert Reid 4 | Pts: Larry Bird 14 Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 10 Asts: Tiny Archibald 7 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 13
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 100, Houston Rockets 81 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 26–19, 26–20, 29–24 |||
| Pts: Tiny Archibald 20 Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 12 Asts: Tiny Archibald 10 | Pts: Moses Malone 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 9 Asts: Henderson, Leavell 5 each |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 |||
* The Summit, Houston, Texas Attendance: 14,243 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Hugh Evans, Bill Saar
* April 14
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 138, Houston Rockets 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–29, 27–35, 32–21, 40–36 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 34 Rebs: Larry Bird 10 Asts: Tiny Archibald 10 | Pts: Moses Malone 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 15 Asts: Reid, Leavell 8 each |
| Boston wins series, 4–0 |||
* The Summit, Houston, Texas Attendance: 13,106 Referees: Jack Madden, Wally Rooney
* Rick Barry's final NBA game.
Boston won 6–0 in the regular-season series :
October 12, 1979
Recap
Houston Rockets 106, Boston Celtics 114
Boston Garden, Boston
October 24, 1979
Recap
Boston Celtics 100, Houston Rockets 99
The Summit, Houston
January 2, 1980
Recap
Boston Celtics 111, Houston Rockets 103
The Summit, Houston
January 22, 1980
Recap
Houston Rockets 106, Boston Celtics 112
Boston Garden, Boston
March 5, 1980
Recap
Boston Celtics 103, Houston Rockets 99 (OT)
The Summit, Houston
March 12, 1980
Recap
Houston Rockets 105, Boston Celtics 121
Boston Garden, Boston :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1975
Boston Celtics 4, Houston Rockets 1
1975 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

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

* April 6
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 104, Philadelphia 76ers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 28–28, 17–20, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Eddie Johnson 26 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 13 Asts: Eddie Johnson 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
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 92, Philadelphia 76ers 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 19–27, 28–22, 18–28 |||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 23 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 14 Asts: 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
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 93, Atlanta Hawks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 25–24, 27–28, 20–30 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 26 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 16 Asts: Caldwell Jones 4 | Pts: Eddie Johnson 19 Rebs: Tree Rollins 17 Asts: three players 6 each |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 |||
* Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 15,617
* April 13
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 107, Atlanta Hawks 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 22–20, 35–17, 26–20 |||
| Pts: Hollins, B. Jones 20 each Rebs: Caldwell Jones 11 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 5 | Pts: Dan Roundfield 17 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 12 Asts: three players 4 each |
| Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 |||
* Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 15,617
* April 15
* Boxscore
Atlanta Hawks 100, Philadelphia 76ers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 23–19, 20–35, 27–27 |||
| Pts: John Drew 29 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 13 Asts: Charlie Criss 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
Atlanta won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
October 31, 1979
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 97, Atlanta Hawks 102
The Omni, Atlanta
November 2, 1979
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 85, Philadelphia 76ers 81
Spectrum, Philadelphia
December 14, 1979
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 98
Spectrum, Philadelphia
December 15, 1979
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 96, Atlanta Hawks 112
The Omni, Atlanta
March 11, 1980
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 102, Atlanta Hawks 97 (OT)
The Omni, Atlanta
March 26, 1980
Recap
Atlanta Hawks 81, Philadelphia 76ers 84
Spectrum, Philadelphia :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Hawks and the 76ers.

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Phoenix Suns

* April 8
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 110, Los Angeles Lakers 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 21–26, 32–37, 31–30 |||
| Pts: Mike Bratz 25 Rebs: Rich Kelley 10 Asts: Don Buse 9 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 Rebs: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar 12 each Asts: Magic Johnson 16 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 15,892
* April 9
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 128, Los Angeles Lakers 131 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 28–27, 34–34, 32–32, Overtime: 8–11 |||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 37 Rebs: Gar Heard 9 Asts: Alvan Adams 12 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Magic Johnson 13 Asts: Norm Nixon 12 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 14,286
* April 11
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Phoenix Suns 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 23–32, 26–20, 33–29 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 37 Rebs: Magic Johnson 13 Asts: Norm Nixon 8 | Pts: Walter Davis 28 Rebs: Gar Heard 11 Asts: Davis, Buse 5 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,660
* April 13
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Phoenix Suns 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 22–35, 28–26, 26–35 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 13 | Pts: Paul Westphal 25 Rebs: Gar Heard 9 Asts: Buse, Adams 6 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,660
* April 15
* Boxscore
Phoenix Suns 101, Los Angeles Lakers 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 24–34, 34–37, 25–29 |||
| Pts: Walter Davis 24 Rebs: Adams, Cook 6 each Asts: Rich Kelley 7 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 Asts: Norm Nixon 13 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 2, 1979
Recap
Phoenix Suns 110, Los Angeles Lakers 112
The Forum, Inglewood, California
November 23, 1979
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 112, Phoenix Suns 126
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
December 30, 1979
Recap
Phoenix Suns 105, Los Angeles Lakers 113
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 2, 1980
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 115, Phoenix Suns 123
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
March 16, 1980
Recap
Phoenix Suns 106, Los Angeles Lakers 128
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 19, 1980
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 108, Phoenix Suns 112
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona :
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.
Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1970
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Phoenix Suns 3
1970 Western Division Semifinals :

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

* April 8
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 113, Seattle SuperSonics 114 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 29–31, 19–21, 27–25, Overtime: 10–11 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 27 Rebs: Bob Lanier 10 Asts: Quinn Buckner 8 | Pts: Gus Williams 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 11 Asts: John Johnson 6 |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 13,648
* Dennis Johnson hits 3 pointer with 1 second left.
* April 9
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 114, Seattle SuperSonics 112 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–30, 31–25, 29–27, 15–26, Overtime: 6–4 |||
| Pts: Brian Winters 28 Rebs: Bob Lanier 8 Asts: Brian Winters 5 | Pts: Lonnie Shelton 25 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 9 Asts: Williams, J. Johnson 7 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,050
* April 11
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 91, Milwaukee Bucks 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 21–28, 20–16, 24–19 |||
| Pts: Jack Sikma 20 Rebs: Jack Sikma 13 Asts: Williams, J. Johnson 7 each | Pts: Bob Lanier 24 Rebs: Marques Johnson 10 Asts: Quinn Buckner 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 13
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 112, Milwaukee Bucks 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 27–22, 30–28, 27–35 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 32 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 15 Asts: John Johnson 7 | Pts: Marques Johnson 31 Rebs: Lanier, Meyers 9 each Asts: Junior Bridgeman 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 15
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 108, Seattle SuperSonics 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 31–27, 26–19, 23–25 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 22 Rebs: Marques Johnson 8 Asts: Bob Lanier 6 | Pts: Gus Williams 22 Rebs: Jack Sikma 9 Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–2 |||
* Kingdome, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 40,172
* Attendance of 40,172 was a previous NBA record.
* April 18
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 86, Milwaukee Bucks 85 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 26–15, 23–32, 15–18 |||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 18 Rebs: Paul Silas 14 Asts: John Johnson 7 | Pts: Marques Johnson 22 Rebs: Bob Lanier 12 Asts: Brian Winters 7 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 20
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 94, Seattle SuperSonics 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 25–20, 22–19, 22–28 |||
| Pts: Marques Johnson 22 Rebs: Bob Lanier 15 Asts: Quinn Buckner 7 | Pts: Gus Williams 33 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 15 Asts: Dennis Johnson 5 |
| Seattle wins series, 4–3 |||
* Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,050
Seattle won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
November 4, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 114, Milwaukee Bucks 101
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
November 14, 1979
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 117, Seattle SuperSonics 136
Kingdome, Seattle
December 11, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 103, Milwaukee Bucks 99
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
January 31, 1980
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 101, Seattle SuperSonics 105
Kingdome, Seattle
March 12, 1980
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 103, Milwaukee Bucks 112
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee
March 19, 1980
Recap
Milwaukee Bucks 108, Seattle SuperSonics 106
Kingdome, Seattle :
This was the first playoff meeting between the Bucks and the SuperSonics.

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers

* April 18
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 96, Boston Celtics 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 22–27, 32–20, 20–21 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 29 Rebs: Darryl Dawkins 10 Asts: Cheeks, Hollins 6 each | Pts: Larry Bird 27 Rebs: Dave Cowens 10 Asts: Tiny Archibald 7 |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Joe Gushue, Ed Middleton, Ralph Lembo
* April 20
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 90, Boston Celtics 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 28–25, 14–20, 26–22 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 24 Rebs: Darryl Dawkins 11 Asts: Lionel Hollins 5 | Pts: Larry Bird 31 Rebs: Cedric Maxwell 15 Asts: Tiny Archibald 8 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Jack Madden, Lee Jones, Dick Bavetta
* April 23
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 97, Philadelphia 76ers 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 19–19, 19–33, 31–21 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 22 Rebs: Larry Bird 21 Asts: 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
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 90, Philadelphia 76ers 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 31–31, 22–27, 16–16 |||
| Pts: Larry Bird 19 Rebs: Larry Bird 13 Asts: Gerald Henderson 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
* Boxscore
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: Archibald, Cowens 22 each Rebs: Larry Bird 14 Asts: Tiny Archibald 9 |
| Philadelphia wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Earl Strom, Wally Rooney, Mike Mathis
* Pete Maravich's final NBA game; Dave Cowens' final NBA game with Celtics.
Tied 3–3 in the regular-season series :
November 10, 1979
Recap
Boston Celtics 94, Philadelphia 76ers 95
Spectrum, Philadelphia
December 19, 1979
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 89, Boston Celtics 112
Boston Garden, Boston
December 22, 1979
Recap
Boston Celtics 113, Philadelphia 76ers 126
Spectrum, Philadelphia
February 6, 1980
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 110, Boston Celtics 129
Boston Garden, Boston
March 7, 1980
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 92, Boston Celtics 111
Boston Garden, Boston
March 30, 1980
Recap
Boston Celtics 110, Philadelphia 76ers 116
Spectrum, Philadelphia :
This was the 15th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 14 meetings.
Boston leads 8–6 in all-time playoff series :
1953
Boston Celtics 2, Syracuse Nationals 0
1953 Eastern Division Semifinals
1954
Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals
1954
Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1954 Eastern Division Finals
1955
Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 3
1955 Eastern Division Finals
1956
Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 2
1956 Eastern Division Semifinals
1957
Boston Celtics 3, Syracuse Nationals 0
1957 Eastern Division Finals
1959
Boston Celtics 4, Syracuse Nationals 3
1959 Eastern Division Finals
1961
Boston Celtics 4, Syracuse Nationals 1
1961 Eastern Division Finals
1965
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 3
1965 Eastern Division Finals
1966
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1
1966 Eastern Division Finals
1967
Boston Celtics 1, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1967 Eastern Division Finals
1968
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 3
1968 Eastern Division Finals
1969
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1
1969 Eastern Division Semifinals
1977
Boston Celtics 3, Philadelphia 76ers 4
1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics

* April 22
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 23–24, 30–31, 31–26 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 28 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 9 Asts: John Johnson 9 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: three players 8 each Asts: Norm Nixon 11 |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505
* Jack Sikma hits a game-winning free throw with 2 seconds left.
* April 23
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 99, Los Angeles Lakers 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 23–24, 21–30, 25–23 |||
| Pts: Gus Williams 24 Rebs: Jack Sikma 11 Asts: Jack Sikma 8 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 Asts: Norm Nixon 12 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505
* April 25
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Seattle SuperSonics 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 20–25, 24–16, 32–32 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13 Asts: M. Johnson, Cooper 10 each | Pts: Gus Williams 23 Rebs: John Johnson 9 Asts: Gus Williams 11 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 8,524
* April 27
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 98, Seattle SuperSonics 93 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 17–31, 33–18, 26–18 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25 Rebs: Wilkes, M. Johnson 13 each Asts: Norm Nixon 8 | Pts: Gus Williams 25 Rebs: Dennis Johnson 9 Asts: Gus Williams 7 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 |||
* Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 8,524
* April 30
* Boxscore
Seattle SuperSonics 105, Los Angeles Lakers 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 32–22, 22–28, 21–29 |||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 29 Rebs: Jack Sikma 9 Asts: J. Johnson, Sikma 6 each | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505
* Games 3 & 4 were not played at either the Kingdome or the Seattle Center Coliseum due to being unavailable.
Los Angeles won 4–2 in the regular-season series :
October 17, 1979
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 110, Seattle SuperSonics 112
Kingdome, Seattle
October 21, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 97, Los Angeles Lakers 106
The Forum, Inglewood, California
November 21, 1979
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 110, Seattle SuperSonics 119
Kingdome, Seattle
December 23, 1979
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 97, Los Angeles Lakers 102
The Forum, Inglewood, California
February 26, 1980
Recap
Seattle SuperSonics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 131
The Forum, Inglewood, California
March 22, 1980
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 97, Seattle SuperSonics 92
Kingdome, Seattle :
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first two meetings.
Seattle leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1978
Los Angeles Lakers 1, Seattle SuperSonics 2
1978 Western Conference First Round
1979
Los Angeles Lakers 1, Seattle SuperSonics 4
1979 Western Conference Semifinals :

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

* May 4
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 102, Los Angeles Lakers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 25–27, 17–31, 32–25 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 20 Rebs: Bobby Jones 10 Asts: Lionel Hollins 8 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Earl Strom, Jack Madden
* May 7
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 107, Los Angeles Lakers 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–21, 28–20, 30–30, 18–33 |||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 25 Rebs: Julius Erving 10 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 10 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Magic Johnson 11 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Joe Gushue, Jake O'Donnell
* May 10
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 111, Philadelphia 76ers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–18, 27–26, 26–21, 27–36 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Norm Nixon 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
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Philadelphia 76ers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 30–21, 25–32, 26–24 |||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 28 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Magic Johnson 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
* Julius Erving makes the "Up and Under" move.
* May 14
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 103, Los Angeles Lakers 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 31–25, 20–31, 30–27 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 36 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 10 Asts: Lionel Hollins 10 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 40 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson 15 each Asts: Magic Johnson 10 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 Referees: Darell Garretson, Earl Strom
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dunks the clutch 3-point play with 33 seconds left.
* May 16
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Philadelphia 76ers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–29, 28–31, 33–23, 30–24 |||
| Pts: Magic Johnson 42 Rebs: Magic Johnson 15 Asts: Norm Nixon 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
* Magic Johnson starts at Center.
Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series :
January 25, 1980
Recap
Philadelphia 76ers 103, Los Angeles Lakers 124
The Forum, Inglewood, California
February 10, 1980
Recap
Los Angeles Lakers 104, Philadelphia 76ers 105
Spectrum, Philadelphia :
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).
Los Angeles/ Minneapolis leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1950
Minneapolis Lakers 4, Syracuse Nationals 2
1950 NBA Finals
1954
Minneapolis Lakers 4, Syracuse Nationals 3
1954 NBA Finals :