Lead Story - 6/14/2025

1980: “Nothing But Net” Draft Order

ROUND 1
1. Kansas City Kings (9 Balls) +1
2. New York Knicks (8 Balls) +1
3. Houston Rockets (10 Balls) -2
4. Philadelphia 76ers (7 Balls) Even
5. New York Nets (6 Balls) Even
6. San Antonio Spurs (5 Balls) Even
7. Indiana Pacers (4 Balls) Even
8. Portland Trail Blazers (3 Balls) Even – Traded to Indiana Pacers
9. Detroit Pistons (2 Balls) Even
10. Los Angeles Lakers (1 Ball) Even
11. Washington Bullets (42-40)
12. Milwaukee Bucks (47-35)
13. Phoenix Suns (48-34)
14. New Orleans Jazz (51-31) – Traded to Chicago Bulls (Via Atlanta Hawks)
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30)
16. Chicago Bulls (53-29)
17. Denver Nuggets (56-26)
18. Buffalo Braves (57-25)
19. Seattle SuperSonics (58-24)
20. Atlanta Hawks (59-23) – Traded to Houston Rockets
21. Golden State Warriors (62-20)
22. Boston Celtics (71-11) – Traded to Houston Rockets

ROUND 2
1. Houston Rockets (1-81)
2. Kansas City Kings (4-78)
3. New York Knicks (22-60)
4. Philadelphia 76ers (25-57)
5. New York Nets (28-54)
6. San Antonio Spurs (28-54)
7. Indiana Pacers (29-53)
8. Portland Trail Blazers (32-50)
9. Detroit Pistons (38-44)
10. Los Angeles Lakers (39-43)
11. Washington Bullets (42-40)
12. Milwaukee Bucks (47-35)
13. Phoenix Suns (48-34)
14. New Orleans Jazz (51-31) – Traded to Indiana Pacers
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30)
16. Chicago Bulls (53-29)
17. Denver Nuggets (56-26)
18. Buffalo Braves (57-25)
19. Seattle SuperSonics (58-24)
20. Atlanta Hawks (59-23) – Traded to Indiana Pacers (Via New Orleans Jazz)
21. Golden State Warriors (62-20)
22. Boston Celtics (71-11)

6/8/2025

1980: "Nothing But Net" Playoff Schedule

Playoff Schedule
Monday June 9th: First Round
Tuesday June 10th: Conference Semifinals
Wednesday June 11th: Conference Finals
Thursday June 12th: NBN Championship Finals

First Round
(Best-of-5 in the 2-2-1 format)
* (Division Winner)
# (Set by Tie Breaker Rules)

Simulation Times (Pacific Standard Time)
6 AM – Game 1
9 AM – Game 2
12 PM – Game 3
2 PM – Game 4 (If Necessary)
4 PM – Game 5 (If Necessary)

Eastern Conference
(1) *Boston Celtics (Bye – Atlantic Division Champion)
(2) *Atlanta Hawks (Bye – Central Division Champion)
(3) Buffalo Braves vs. (6) Washington Bullets (Braves advance 3-1)
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) New Orleans Jazz (Jazz advance 3-1)

Western Conference
(1) *Golden State Warriors (Bye – Pacific Division Champion)
(2) *Denver Nuggets (Bye – Midwest Division Champion)
(3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks (Bucks advance 3-0)
(4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Phoenix Suns (Bulls advance 3-1)


Semifinals, Finals, Championship
(Best-of-7 in the 2-3-2 format)
* (Division Winner)

Simulation Times (Pacific Standard Time)
6 AM – Games 1 & 2
9 AM – Games 3 & 4
12 PM – Games 5 (If Necessary)
2 PM – Games 6 (If Necessary)
4 PM – Games 7 (If Necessary)

Eastern Conference

(1) *Boston Celtics vs. (5) New Orleans Jazz (Celtics advance 4-3)
(2) *Atlanta Hawks vs. (3) Boston Braves (Hawks advance 4-1)

Western Conference

(1) *Golden State Warriors vs. (4) Chicago Bulls (Bulls advance 4-1)
(2) *Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks (Nuggets advance 4-1)

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference
(1) *Boston Celtics vs. (2) *Atlanta Hawks (Celtics advance 4-2)

Western Conference
(2) *Denver Nuggets vs. (4) Chicago Bulls (Nuggets advance 4-2)

1980: “Nothing But Net” Championship

(E1) *Boston Celtics vs. (W2) *Denver Nuggets (Celtics take championship 4-3)

1980: “Nothing But Net” Champion – Boston Celtics

6/8/2025

1980 Draft Lottery Results

The Draft Lottery determines the order of selection for the first three teams only or the teams who originally held the rights if they were traded. The remaining non-playoff teams are selected in inverse order of the win–loss record for the remaining teams, or the teams who originally held the rights if they were traded. Therefore, the team with the worst record in the league is assured of a selection no worse than fourth, the team with the second worst record no worse than fifth and so on.

1. Kansas City Kings (9 Balls) +1
2. New York Knicks (8 Balls) +1
3. Houston Rockets (10 Balls) -2
4. Philadelphia 76ers (7 Balls) Even
5. New York Nets (6 Balls) Even
6. San Antonio Spurs (5 Balls) Even
7. Indiana Pacers (4 Balls) Even
8. Portland Trail Blazers (3 Balls) Even – Traded to Indiana Pacers
9. Detroit Pistons (2 Balls) Even
10. Los Angeles Lakers (1 Ball) Even

1980 “Nothing But Net” Draft Lottery Results

6/8/2025

1980: "Nothing But Net" Final Season Standings

1. Boston Celtics (71-11) E1- Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference, & World Champions
2. Golden State Warriors (62-20) W1 – Pacific Division Champion
3. Atlanta Hawks (59-23) E2 - Central Division Champion
4. Seattle SuperSonics (58-24) W3
5. Buffalo Braves (57-25) E3
6. Denver Nuggets (56-26) W2 - Midwest Division & Western Conference Champions
7. Chicago Bulls (53-29) W4
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) E4
9. New Orleans Jazz (51-31) E5
10. Phoenix Suns (48-34) W5
11. Milwaukee Bucks (47-35) W6
12. Washington Bullets (42-40) E6
13. Los Angeles Lakers (39-43) 1 LB (1.8%)
14. Detroit Pistons (38-44) 2 LB (3.6%)
15. Portland Trail Blazers (32-50) 3 LB (5.5%)
16. Indiana Pacers (29-53) 4 LB (7.3%)
17. *San Antonio Spurs (28-54) 5 LB (9.1%)
18. *New York Nets (28-54) 6 LB (10.9%)
19. Philadelphia 76ers (25-57) 7 LB (12.7%)
20. New York Knicks (22-60) 8 LB (14.5%)
21. Kansas City Kings (4-78) 9 LB (16.4%)
22. Houston Rockets (1-81) 10 LB (18.2%)

NOTES:
*San Antonio Spurs (8375) over *New York Nets (8102) Points For

6/1/2025

1980: “Nothing But Net” All-Star Game

The East defeated the West 121–101 with Moses Malone of the Buffalo Braves taking home the Most Valuable Player Award. Malone led the way with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists. Magic Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks followed up with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Adrian Dantley of the Denver Nuggets led the West with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Dan Roundfield of the Portland Trail Blazers came off the bench to contribute 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes of play.

1980: "Nothing But Net" All-Star Game

2/21/2025

1980: “Nothing But Net” Awards

MVP – Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)
Defensive POY – Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)
Sixth Man – Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)
All-Star MVP – Moses Malone (Buffalo Braves)
Rookie of the Year – Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Finals MVP – Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)

ALL-NBA Team (MVP Points)
PG Gus Williams (Chicago Bulls)
SG Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
SF Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)
PF Larry Bird (Phoenix Suns)
C Kareen Abdul-Jabbar (Seattle SuperSonics)

ALL-Defensive Team (DOY Points)
PG Gus Williams (Chicago Bulls)
SG Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
SF Julius Erving (Boston Celtics)
PF Larry Bird (Phoenix Suns)
C Kareen Abdul-Jabbar (Seattle SuperSonics)

ALL – Rookie Team
PG Allen Leavell (Philadelphia 76ers)
SG Earvin "Magic" Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
SF Calvin Natt (Boston Celtics)
PF Larry Bird (Phoenix Suns)
C Bill Cartwright (New York Knicks)

Division Winners
Atlantic Division Champs – Boston Celtics
Central Division Champs – Atlanta Hawks
Midwest Division Champs – Denver Nuggets
Pacific Division Champs – Golden State Warriors

Conference Winners
Eastern Conference Champs – Boston Celtics
Western Conference Champs – Denver Nuggets

1980: “Nothing But Net” Champions –

"Nothing But Net" League History

2/21/2025

Season Review: 1980-81

Let’s look back at the 1980-81 NBA season in which the Celtics emerged as NBA champions.

The biggest news of the season came a full four months before the season started. On June 9, 1980, Celtics GM Red Auerbach pulled off the type of trade that had earned him a reputation for thievery in his more than three decades in the league. Auerbach dealt the first and 13th picks in the 1980 Draft to Golden State for the third pick in the 1980 Draft and four-year veteran center Robert Parish. The Warriors selected Purdue center Joe Barry Carroll with the first pick and tabbed Mississippi forward Rickey Brown 13th. The Celtics took forward Kevin McHale of Minnesota and thus added Parish and McHale to a frontcourt that already featured Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell. In short, the Celtics’ “Big Three” that fueled their title runs throughout the 1980s was built.

The 1980-81 season was a relatively strange season. The reigning champion Lakers saw Magic Johnson go down with torn cartilage in his left knee, causing him to miss 45 games. The Lakers never really recovered and fell in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets were the surprise of the playoffs, led by rebounding champion Moses Malone, becoming just the second team in NBA history to make the Finals despite finishing the regular season with a losing record (40-42).

The Celtics swept Chicago, defeated Philadelphia in seven games after trailing 3-1, and overmatched Houston in six games to win their first title of the Bird-Parish-McHale Era. A shot by Larry Bird late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of The Finals remains a staple that series and on the all-time NBA playoff highlight reel. The Celtics defeat the Rockets for their 14th NBA championship

Bird launched an 18-footer from the right side, knew instantly that the shot was off, hustled in to rebound his miss, caught the ball as his momentum was carrying him to the baseline, switched the ball to his left hand in mid-air and swished a 12-footer. The Boston Garden faithful fell about the place. “It was the one best shot I’ve ever seen a player make,” Auerbach claimed.

In conjunction with the NBA’s 35th Anniversary, pro basketball writers selected their “All-Time NBA Team.” It included Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, John Havlicek, George Mikan, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. Auerbach was selected as coach.

SEASON LEADERS
Points — Adrian Dantley, Utah Jazz (30.7)
Assists — Kevin Porter, Washington Bullets (9.1)
Rebounds — Moses Malone, Houston Rockets (14.8)
Steals — Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers (3.43)
Blocks — George Johnson, San Antonio Spurs (3.39)
FG % — Artis Gilmore, Chicago Bulls (67.0)
FT % — Calvin Murphy, Houston Rockets (95.8)
3PT % — Brian Taylor, San Diego Clippers (38.3)

AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player — Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
Rookie of the Year — Darrell Griffith, Utah Jazz
Coach of the Year — Jack McKinney, Indiana Pacers
All-Star Game MVP — Tiny Archibald, Boston Celtics
Finals MVP — Cedric Maxwell, Boston Celtics

2/8/2025

Traded Picks

1977
Phoenix Suns take Boston Celtics 1977 1st Round Pick (Thompson/Wicks)

1978
Atlanta Hawks take Houston Rockets 1978 1st Round Pick (Nater/Landsburger)
Indiana Pacers take Portland Trail Blazers 1978 1st Round Pick (Dave Cowens)
Kansas City Kings take Indiana Pacers 1978 1st Round Pick (Silas_Heard)
Kansas City Kings take Indiana Pacers 1978 2nd Round Pick (Silas_Heard)

1979
Kansas City Kings take Seattle SuperSonics 1979 1st Round Pick (Rick Barry)
Atlanta Hawks take Houston Rockets 1979 1st Round Pick (Williamson/Beard)
Via Atlanta Hawks: Phoenix Suns take Houston Rockets 1979 1st Round Pick (Rickey Green)
Atlanta Hawks take New Orleans Jazz 1979 1st Round Pick (Edwards/Mitchell)
Via Atlanta Hawks: Phoenix Suns take New Orleans Jazz 1979 1st Round Pick (Rickey Green)
Chicago Bulls take Atlanta Hawks 1979 2nd Round Pick (Davis/Richardson)
Chicago Bulls take Boston Celtics 1979 1st Round Pick#7 (Clifford Ray)
Boston Celtics take Chicago Bulls 1979 1st Round Pick #5 (Clifford Ray)

1980
Houston Rockets take Boston Celtics 1980 1st Round Pick (Fernsten/Nater)
Houston Rockets take Atlanta Hawks 1980 1st Round Pick (Whitehead/Hayes)
Atlanta Hawks take New Orleans Jazz 1980 1st Round Pick (Edwards/Mitchell)
Via Atlanta Hawks: Chicago Bulls take New Orleans Jazz 1980 1st Round Pick (Davis/Richardson)
New Orleans Jazz take Atlanta Hawks 1980 2nd Round Pick (Edwards/Mitchell)
Via New Orleans Jazz: Indiana Pacers take Atlanta Hawks 1980 2nd Round Pick (Issel/Edwards)
Indiana Pacers take New Orleans Jazz 1980 2nd Round Pick (Issel/Edwards)
Indiana Pacers take Portland Trail Blazers 1980 1st Round Pick (Calvin Murphy)

1981
Milwaukee Bucks take Atlanta Hawks 1981 1st Round Pick (Kramer/Jackson)
Detroit Pistons take Atlanta Hawks 1981 2nd Round Pick (Johnson/Tomjanovich)
Portland Trail Blazers take Boston Celtics 1st Round Pick (Landsberger/Johnson)

1982
Indiana Pacers take Atlanta Hawks 1982 2nd Round Pick (Butch Carter)

2/28/2023

ABA-NBA Merger

The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association combined with the National Basketball Association, after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered merger talks as early as 1970, but an antitrust suit filed by the head of the NBA players union, Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n, blocked the merger until 1976. The NBA agreed to accept four of the remaining six ABA teams: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. The remaining two ABA teams, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis, folded, with their players entering a dispersal draft.