4. They bypassed the first round.
Ten teams, five in each conference, made the playoffs in the 18-team NBA in the final year before it merged with the American Basketball Association. Since Cleveland and Washington had the second-best and third-best records in the East, they proceeded directly to the conference semifinals. The only first-round series was a best-of-three matchup between Buffalo and Philadelphia, with the winner earning the right to face Boston.
The NBA didn’t eliminate the best-of-three format until 1984.
Next: Both teams alternated home courts throughout the series.Â
