Every 1980-81 NBA playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
Boston Celtics won the 1980-81 title from a regular season record of 62-20. 12 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from NBA.com; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Philadelphia 76ers | 2-0 in games | Indiana Pacers | March 31 to April 2, 1981 |
| First round | Houston Rockets | 2-1 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | April 1 to April 5, 1981 |
| First round | Chicago Bulls | 2-0 in games | New York Knicks | March 31 to April 3, 1981 |
| First round | Kansas City Kings | 2-1 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | April 1 to April 5, 1981 |
| Conf. semifinals | Boston Celtics | 4-0 in games | Chicago Bulls | April 5 to April 12, 1981 |
| Conf. semifinals | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-3 in games | Milwaukee Bucks | April 5 to April 19, 1981 |
| Conf. semifinals | Kansas City Kings | 4-3 in games | Phoenix Suns | April 7 to April 19, 1981 |
| Conf. semifinals | Houston Rockets | 4-3 in games | San Antonio Spurs | April 7 to April 17, 1981 |
| Conf. finals | Boston Celtics | 4-3 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | April 21 to May 3, 1981 |
| Conf. finals | Houston Rockets | 4-1 in games | Kansas City Kings | April 21 to April 29, 1981 |
| The Finals | Boston Celtics | 4-2 in games | Houston Rockets | May 5 to May 14, 1981 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.