1981–82 NBA season
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Refimprove Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The 1981–82 NBA season was the 36th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences
- The regular-season ran until mid to late-April for the first time.
- The 1982 NBA All-Star Game was played at the new Brendan Byrne Arena (later the Meadowlands Arena) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the East defeating the West 120–118.[1] Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics wins the game's MVP award.[1] This season also marked the New Jersey Nets first season in the new arena.[2]
- On March 6, 1982, San Antonio beat Milwaukee 171–166 in three overtime periods to set the record for most points by two teams in a game.[3] The record was broken two seasons later.
- Magic Johnson secures his second NBA Finals MVP award several months before his 23rd birthday.
- The Los Angeles Lakers begin a string of nine consecutive seasons as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
- The Denver Nuggets scored at least 100 points in every single game of the season, while also allowing 100 points in every game. It remains the only time this has occurred in NBA history.
- After a few years of success in NCAA basketball, the breakaway rim became standardized equipment in the NBA.
- This season marked Isiah Thomas' rookie season.
- The three-to-make-two free throw rule, along with the two-to-make one rule (both used when a team exceeded five team fouls in a quarter), were both eliminated.
- This season marked Bob Dandridge's final season.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1980–81 coach | 1981–82 coach |
| Atlanta Hawks | Mike Fratello | Kevin Loughery |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Don Delaney | Bob Kloppenburg |
| New Jersey Nets | Bob MacKinnon | Larry Brown |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Chicago Bulls | Jerry Sloan | Phil Johnson |
| Phil Johnson | Rod Thorn | |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Bob Kloppenburg | Chuck Daly |
| Chuck Daly | Bill Musselman | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Paul Westhead | Pat Riley |
| Utah Jazz | Tom Nissalke | Frank Layden |
Final standings
By division
Template:1981–82 NBA Atlantic standings Template:1981–82 NBA Central standings Template:1981–82 NBA Midwest standings Template:1981–82 NBA Pacific standings
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By conference
Template:1981–82 NBA East standings Template:1981–82 NBA West standings
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs and first round bye
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs and first round bye
- y – Clinched division title and first round bye
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | George Gervin | San Antonio Spurs | 32.3 |
| Rebounds per game | Moses Malone | Houston Rockets | 14.7 |
| Assists per game | Johnny Moore | San Antonio Spurs | 9.6 |
| Steals per game | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | 2.67 |
| Blocks per game | George Johnson | San Antonio Spurs | 3.12 |
| FG% | Artis Gilmore | Chicago Bulls | .652 |
| FT% | Kyle Macy | Phoenix Suns | .899 |
| 3FG% | Campy Russell | New York Knicks | .439 |
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets
- Rookie of the Year: Buck Williams, New Jersey Nets
- Coach of the Year: Gene Shue, Washington Bullets
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See also
References
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