Thanks to Cedric Maxwell¹s MVP-type performance against Julius Erving in the 1981 series, the Celtics had a clear path to the title.

"One word that would describe this rivalry would be hostility. These teams did not like each other. It is a different mindset today than it was then, players shaking hands before the game. We didn¹t even look to the other sideline to see if Philly was on the floor. We just had that much animosity towards them and they for us. They had a tremendous team with Andrew Toney and Dr. J and Bobby Jones ­ the two teams were so close together that most of the games we played were won by one to three points."