The 1981 Eastern Conference Finals series between fierce foes Boston and Philadelphia is arguably the greatest post-season series in NBA history, especially among non-Finals series. Certainly, it was as good or better than any series in the last 40 years, as it had everything: two great championship-caliber rivals, a seven-game thriller where five of the games went down to the very end, all-time great players squaring off head-to-head, unreal overall intensity and high drama. The final three games of this titanic battle of evenly-matched 62-20 rivals were decided by a COMBINED total of FIVE points - and each contest went down to literally the last second.
The 1981 Eastern Conference Finals: the greatest playoff series ever
