Bird and Parish were aided by the play of Cedric Maxwell, Nate “Tiny” Archibald and Kevin McHale, a young rookie out of the University of Minnesota, all of whom averaged double figures in points.

The team finished the regular season with a 62-20 record, and went into the playoffs as the #1 seed. After getting a first-round bye, the Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in the second round, four games to zero.

That set up a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, who had pummeled the Celtics in only five games the year before. This time, though, the Celtics got the best of Julius Erving and the 76ers, winning in seven games. That victory sent the Celtics to the NBA Finals, where they beat the Houston Rockets in six games for the franchise’s 14th championship.