The 1981-82 Boston Celtics season was a significant campaign as the team looked to defend their NBA Championship title. Under the leadership of head coach Bill Fitch, the Celtics finished the regular season with an impressive 63-19 record, securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. This performance was driven by the stellar play of forward Larry Bird, who continued to establish himself as one of the league’s premier talents, averaging 22.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
Alongside Bird, the Celtics boasted a strong supporting cast, including Robert Parish, who provided a dominant presence in the paint, and Kevin McHale, who contributed significantly off the bench. The backcourt featured the steady play of Tiny Archibald and the defensive prowess of M.L. Carr. This combination of talent and depth made Boston a formidable opponent throughout the season.
In the playoffs, the Celtics faced off against the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, winning the series 4-1. However, their championship defense was halted in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers. The series was a hard-fought contest that went the full seven games, but the Celtics ultimately fell short, losing 4-3 to a team led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Despite the disappointing end, the 1981-82 season solidified Boston’s status as a perennial contender in the NBA.
- Regular Season Record: 63-19
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4-1, Eastern Conference Finals: 3-4
Boston Celtics Roster and Stats for 1981-82 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Larry Bird | 77 | 22.9 | 10.9 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 22.0 | 12 | 17.8 | 12.5 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 16.7 |
| Robert Parish | 80 | 19.9 | 10.8 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 12 | 21.3 | 11.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Cedric Maxwell | 78 | 14.8 | 6.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 12 | 14.5 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.0 |
| Kevin McHale | 82 | 13.6 | 6.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 12 | 16.2 | 7.1 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| Tiny Archibald | 68 | 12.6 | 1.7 | 8.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 33.3 | 8 | 10.6 | 2.1 | 6.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Gerald Henderson | 82 | 10.2 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 18.2 | 12 | 8.3 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| M.L. Carr | 56 | 8.1 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 31.3 | 12 | 7.4 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Chris Ford | 76 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 34.5 | 12 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 28.6 |
| Rick Robey | 80 | 5.7 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 12 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Danny Ainge | 53 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 29.4 | 10 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 50.0 |
| Terry Duerod | 21 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Charles Bradley | 51 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Tracy Jackson | 11 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Eric Fernsten | 43 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Boston Celtics in the 1982 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs Second Round vs. Washington Bullets
In the 1982 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics faced the Philadelphia 76ers in a highly competitive Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite a strong regular season, the Celtics struggled to contain the dynamic duo of Julius Erving and Andrew Toney, ultimately falling to the 76ers in a tough seven-game series. This marked a disappointing end for Boston, as they were unable to capitalize on their home-court advantage in Game 7 at the Boston Garden.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1982 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 109-91 | |
| Apr 28, 1982 | vs. Washington Bullets | L 103-102 | |
| May 01, 1982 | @ Washington Bullets | W 92-83 | |
| May 02, 1982 | @ Washington Bullets | W 103-99 | |
| May 05, 1982 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 131-126 |
1982 Conference Championship vs. Philadelphia 76ers
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 09, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 121-81 | |
| May 12, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 121-113 | |
| May 15, 1982 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 99-97 | |
| May 16, 1982 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 119-94 | |
| May 19, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 114-85 | |
| May 21, 1982 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 88-75 | |
| May 23, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 120-106 |
Boston Celtics 1981-82 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1981-82 season for the Boston Celtics.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 1981 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 124-100 | |
| Oct 31, 1981 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 119-103 | |
| Nov 04, 1981 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 115-93 | |
| Nov 06, 1981 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 111-94 | |
| Nov 07, 1981 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 129-88 | |
| Nov 10, 1981 | @ Washington Bullets | W 90-84 | |
| Nov 11, 1981 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 115-100 | |
| Nov 13, 1981 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 111-97 | |
| Nov 14, 1981 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 92-91 | |
| Nov 17, 1981 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 98-95 | |
| Nov 18, 1981 | vs. Houston Rockets | L 106-104 | |
| Nov 20, 1981 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 112-89 | |
| Nov 25, 1981 | vs. Golden State Warriors | W 122-101 | |
| Nov 27, 1981 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 113-100 | |
| Nov 28, 1981 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 98-90 | |
| Dec 01, 1981 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 90-87 | |
| Dec 02, 1981 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 115-114 | |
| Dec 04, 1981 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 111-103 | |
| Dec 05, 1981 | @ New York Knicks | L 103-83 | |
| Dec 09, 1981 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 109-100 | |
| Dec 11, 1981 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 94-86 | |
| Dec 12, 1981 | @ Atlanta Hawks | L 108-97 | |
| Dec 16, 1981 | vs. Dallas Mavericks | W 109-92 | |
| Dec 18, 1981 | @ Washington Bullets | W 99-98 | |
| Dec 19, 1981 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 123-118 | |
| Dec 22, 1981 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 120-116 | |
| Dec 26, 1981 | @ Kansas City Kings | W 124-119 | |
| Dec 29, 1981 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 128-123 | |
| Dec 30, 1981 | @ Utah Jazz | W 121-110 | |
| Jan 02, 1982 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 106-103 | |
| Jan 06, 1982 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 116-102 | |
| Jan 08, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 96-90 | |
| Jan 10, 1982 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 134-124 | |
| Jan 11, 1982 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 112-94 | |
| Jan 13, 1982 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 116-95 | |
| Jan 15, 1982 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 122-118 | |
| Jan 16, 1982 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 128-120 | |
| Jan 19, 1982 | @ New York Knicks | W 111-107 | |
| Jan 20, 1982 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 112-103 | |
| Jan 22, 1982 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 118-106 | |
| Jan 24, 1982 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 123-119 | |
| Jan 27, 1982 | vs. New York Knicks | W 131-99 | |
| Jan 28, 1982 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 116-104 | |
| Feb 02, 1982 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 109-105 | |
| Feb 05, 1982 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 145-144 | |
| Feb 07, 1982 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | L 119-113 | |
| Feb 10, 1982 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 112-110 | |
| Feb 12, 1982 | @ San Diego Clippers | W 129-116 | |
| Feb 14, 1982 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | W 108-103 | |
| Feb 17, 1982 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 121-105 | |
| Feb 19, 1982 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | W 127-117 | |
| Feb 21, 1982 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 103-100 | |
| Feb 24, 1982 | vs. Utah Jazz | W 132-90 | |
| Feb 26, 1982 | vs. San Diego Clippers | W 122-110 | |
| Feb 28, 1982 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 106-102 | |
| Mar 02, 1982 | @ Dallas Mavericks | W 101-97 | |
| Mar 04, 1982 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 110-101 | |
| Mar 05, 1982 | @ Houston Rockets | W 100-98 | |
| Mar 07, 1982 | vs. New York Knicks | W 107-106 | |
| Mar 08, 1982 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 111-101 | |
| Mar 10, 1982 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 121-100 | |
| Mar 12, 1982 | @ New Jersey Nets | W 113-109 | |
| Mar 14, 1982 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 105-92 | |
| Mar 16, 1982 | @ Washington Bullets | W 98-97 | |
| Mar 17, 1982 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 113-109 | |
| Mar 19, 1982 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 134-110 | |
| Mar 21, 1982 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 123-111 | |
| Mar 23, 1982 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 110-103 | |
| Mar 24, 1982 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 136-115 | |
| Mar 26, 1982 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 125-104 | |
| Mar 28, 1982 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 116-98 | |
| Mar 31, 1982 | vs. Washington Bullets | W 119-109 | |
| Apr 02, 1982 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 110-107 | |
| Apr 04, 1982 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 114-112 | |
| Apr 06, 1982 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 122-116 | |
| Apr 08, 1982 | @ New York Knicks | W 110-106 | |
| Apr 09, 1982 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 106-103 | |
| Apr 11, 1982 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 110-109 | |
| Apr 13, 1982 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 120-115 | |
| Apr 14, 1982 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 100-91 | |
| Apr 16, 1982 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 113-96 | |
| Apr 18, 1982 | vs. New York Knicks | W 119-99 |