Since the 1981 Sixers and 1988 Pistons tied for the second semifinals berth out of the 80's region, we will have a 24-hour head to head runoff:
The tiebreaker criteria here is simple: Which team would win in a playoff series?
The tiebreaker criteria here is simple: Which team would win in a playoff series?
1981 Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 62-20
PPG: 111.7 (4th) Otrg: 107.0 (8th)
Opp PPG: 103.8 (1st) Drtg: 99.5 (2nd)
Key Players:
Julius Erving (25/8/4/2/2, 1st team all-NBA, MVP)
Bobby Jones (14/5/3, all-star)
Maurice Cheeks (9/7/2 stls)
Daryl Dawkins (14/7/2)
The case for them: Statistically, this is the most efficient team Dr. J ever played on, even more so than his legendary 1983 team. Finally recognized as the league's MVP, Doc and his sixer team raised their game to another level in 1981, tying Boston for the league's best record around arguably the deepest Sixers team ever: A superstar in Doc, a hall of fame stopper in Jones, two dynamic guards in Mo Cheeks and Lionel Hollins plus up and coming rookie Andrew Tony, and a pair of long athletic bigs in Caldwell Jones and Daryl Dawkins.
Who beat them and why: The 1981 Eastern conference finals went down in history as maybe the best ever, and for good reason: it was an all-out war between the two top teams in the league. Philadelphia took 3 of the first 4 games from the Celtics, but the Celtics fought back, winning game 5 in the garden and 6 in the spectrum, setting up an epic game 7 finale that went down to the final minute and the game tied: Philly had the first chance, but Dawkins panicked and threw up a wild shot. Bird rebounded the ball and took it himself for a 15-foot back shot to take the lead 91-89. Doc followed that with a turnover out of a double-team. With 30 seconds left, Mo Cheeks had a chance to re-tie it at the FT line, but missed the front-end. Philly never got another shot off, and Boston won game 7 (and eventually the championship) 91-90. That final minute would define Bird's celtics and haunt Doc's sixers until 1982.
Record: 62-20
PPG: 111.7 (4th) Otrg: 107.0 (8th)
Opp PPG: 103.8 (1st) Drtg: 99.5 (2nd)
Key Players:
Julius Erving (25/8/4/2/2, 1st team all-NBA, MVP)
Bobby Jones (14/5/3, all-star)
Maurice Cheeks (9/7/2 stls)
Daryl Dawkins (14/7/2)
The case for them: Statistically, this is the most efficient team Dr. J ever played on, even more so than his legendary 1983 team. Finally recognized as the league's MVP, Doc and his sixer team raised their game to another level in 1981, tying Boston for the league's best record around arguably the deepest Sixers team ever: A superstar in Doc, a hall of fame stopper in Jones, two dynamic guards in Mo Cheeks and Lionel Hollins plus up and coming rookie Andrew Tony, and a pair of long athletic bigs in Caldwell Jones and Daryl Dawkins.
Who beat them and why: The 1981 Eastern conference finals went down in history as maybe the best ever, and for good reason: it was an all-out war between the two top teams in the league. Philadelphia took 3 of the first 4 games from the Celtics, but the Celtics fought back, winning game 5 in the garden and 6 in the spectrum, setting up an epic game 7 finale that went down to the final minute and the game tied: Philly had the first chance, but Dawkins panicked and threw up a wild shot. Bird rebounded the ball and took it himself for a 15-foot back shot to take the lead 91-89. Doc followed that with a turnover out of a double-team. With 30 seconds left, Mo Cheeks had a chance to re-tie it at the FT line, but missed the front-end. Philly never got another shot off, and Boston won game 7 (and eventually the championship) 91-90. That final minute would define Bird's celtics and haunt Doc's sixers until 1982.
1988 Detroit Pistons
Record: 54-28
PPG: 109.2 (8th) Ortg: 110.5 (6th)
Opp PPG: 104.1 (3rd) Dtrg: 105.3 (2nd)
Key Players:
Isiah Thomas (19/8/2 stls, all-star)
Adrian Dantley (20/3)
Joe Dumars (14/5)
Bill Laimbeer (14/10)
The case for them: The 1988 Pistons were the most balanced version of the bad boys. boasting a top-10 offense and a top-5 defense, The Pistons came into 1988 toughened up by their game 5 collapse against Boston, and they took it out on the rest of the league, playing tough, physical defense but also boasting a versatile perimeter offense around Dantley, an unstoppable 1-on-1 player that clashed with Zeke in the locker room but actually meshed well with the young legs of the team. Detroit took out the Bullets and Bulls in the postseason, and finally overcame the Celtics in 6 games to reach the finals for the first time.
Who beat them and why: The Pistons would meet the defending champion Lakers in the finals, and announced their presence with authority by sucker-punching them in game 1, and ultimately taking 3 of the first 5. With the championship just two quarters away in game 6, a series of events conspired against them. A severe ankle sprain to Isiah forced him out of the game briefly, and although he would return to cap a final-record 25 point 3rd quarter, the Lakers stayed close. With exactly 1 minute left, Detroit clung to a 102-99 lead, but could not deal the finishing blow. A defensive mistake led to a Byron Scott basket in the lane, and following an ugly possession that resulted in a shot clock violation, Kareem hit two FTs to give the Lakers a 1-point lead. Fittingly, the two team alpha dogs Isiah Thomas and Adrian Dantley ran right into each other on Detroit's final chance, forcing Joe Dumars to break the play, throwing up a bad shot in the lane, and Dennis Rodman fumbled away an easy put-back chance. With Isiah barely able to walk in game 7, LA held off the Bad Boys 110-107 to take the title.
Record: 54-28
PPG: 109.2 (8th) Ortg: 110.5 (6th)
Opp PPG: 104.1 (3rd) Dtrg: 105.3 (2nd)
Key Players:
Isiah Thomas (19/8/2 stls, all-star)
Adrian Dantley (20/3)
Joe Dumars (14/5)
Bill Laimbeer (14/10)
The case for them: The 1988 Pistons were the most balanced version of the bad boys. boasting a top-10 offense and a top-5 defense, The Pistons came into 1988 toughened up by their game 5 collapse against Boston, and they took it out on the rest of the league, playing tough, physical defense but also boasting a versatile perimeter offense around Dantley, an unstoppable 1-on-1 player that clashed with Zeke in the locker room but actually meshed well with the young legs of the team. Detroit took out the Bullets and Bulls in the postseason, and finally overcame the Celtics in 6 games to reach the finals for the first time.
Who beat them and why: The Pistons would meet the defending champion Lakers in the finals, and announced their presence with authority by sucker-punching them in game 1, and ultimately taking 3 of the first 5. With the championship just two quarters away in game 6, a series of events conspired against them. A severe ankle sprain to Isiah forced him out of the game briefly, and although he would return to cap a final-record 25 point 3rd quarter, the Lakers stayed close. With exactly 1 minute left, Detroit clung to a 102-99 lead, but could not deal the finishing blow. A defensive mistake led to a Byron Scott basket in the lane, and following an ugly possession that resulted in a shot clock violation, Kareem hit two FTs to give the Lakers a 1-point lead. Fittingly, the two team alpha dogs Isiah Thomas and Adrian Dantley ran right into each other on Detroit's final chance, forcing Joe Dumars to break the play, throwing up a bad shot in the lane, and Dennis Rodman fumbled away an easy put-back chance. With Isiah barely able to walk in game 7, LA held off the Bad Boys 110-107 to take the title.
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