The 1981 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament which followed National Basketball Association's 1980-81 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Cedric Maxwell was named NBA Finals MVP.
The playoffs are notable for being the second time to date that a team with a losing record advanced to the NBA Finals (the Minneapolis Lakers did it first in 1959 with a 33–39 record), as the Rockets won their first Western Conference Title despite having a 40-42 record (the other Western Conference Finalist, the Kings, was also 40-42).
The Kings' playoff series victories over the Blazers and Suns were their last in Kansas City. Their last playoff series in Kansas City was a 3-game sweep in the first round in 1984 by the Lakers. They moved to Sacramento after the 1984–85 season and didn't win a playoff series representing northern California until 2001.
The Pacers became the last former ABA team to make their playoff debut, but were quickly swept by the 76ers 2-0.
This is the last year to date that an NBA playoff game was played in March.
The Celtics replicated their 1968 comeback by beating the Sixers in 7 after trailing 3-1. This is the only time a team came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win against the same team twice.
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