1981 NBL season
Sports season
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The 1981 NBL season was the third season of the National Basketball League (NBL).
| 1981 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 14 February – 21 June 1981 (Regular season) 27–28 June 1981 (Finals) |
| Games | 22 |
| Teams | 12 |
| TV partner | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | St. Kilda Saints |
| Season MVP | Mike Jones (Illawarra) |
| Top scorer | Mike Jones (Illawarra) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Launceston Casino City (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Nunawading Spectres |
Regular season
The regular season took place over 18 rounds between 14 February 1981 and 21 June 1981. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent twice.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Ladder
| Pos | 1981 NBL season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP | |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints1 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 5–0 | W6 | 10–1 | 7–4 | 2134 | 1927 | 110.74% |
| 2 | Launceston Casino City | 22 | 14 | 8 | 63.64% | 4–1 | W3 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 1895 | 1810 | 104.70% |
| 3 | West Adelaide Bearcats2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 3–2 | W1 | 10–1 | 3–8 | 1848 | 1823 | 101.37% |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–3 | 5–6 | 1706 | 1566 | 108.94% |
| 5 | Brisbane Bullets1 2 3 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 3–2 | W1 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 1712 | 1592 | 107.54% |
| 6 | Newcastle Falcons2 3 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 0–5 | L6 | 9–2 | 4–7 | 1779 | 1714 | 103.79% |
| 7 | Canberra Cannons | 22 | 12 | 10 | 54.55% | 3–2 | W3 | 10–1 | 2–9 | 1700 | 1719 | 98.89% |
| 8 | Illawarra Hawks | 22 | 9 | 13 | 40.91% | 3–2 | L1 | 8–3 | 1–10 | 1889 | 1949 | 96.92% |
| 9 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 22 | 8 | 14 | 36.36% | 4–1 | W2 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 1711 | 1898 | 90.15% |
| 10 | Coburg Giants4 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 0–5 | L5 | 6–5 | 1–10 | 1690 | 1746 | 96.79% |
| 11 | Bankstown Bruins4 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1–4 | L1 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1746 | 1897 | 92.04% |
| 12 | Forestville Eagles | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 1–4 | L3 | 5–6 | 1–10 | 1719 | 1888 | 91.05% |
Updated to match(es) played on 21 June 1981. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
1St. Kilda Saints chose to participate in the 1981 FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil, instead of the 1981 NBL Finals. They were replaced by the Brisbane Bullets.
24-way Head-to-Head between West Adelaide Bearcats (5-1), Nunawading Spectres (3-3), Brisbane Bullets (2-4) and Newcastle Falcons (2-4).
3Head-to-Head between Brisbane Bullets and Newcastle Falcons (1-1). Brisbane Bullets won For and Against (+15).
4Head-to-Head between Coburg Giants and Bankstown Bruins (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+24).
Finals
The NBL finals series in 1981 consisted of two semifinal games, and one championship-deciding grand final. All three of these finals games were sudden death.
Playoff bracket
| Semifinals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Launceston Casino City | 71 | |||||||
| 4 | Brisbane Bullets | 69 | |||||||
| 1 | Launceston Casino City | 75 | |||||||
| 2 | Nunawading Spectres | 54 | |||||||
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 71 | |||||||
| 3 | Nunawading Spectres | 74 | |||||||
Semifinals
Grand Final
Awards
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Mike Jones | Illawarra Hawks | 671 pts / 22 games[1] |
| Free throw percentage | Mike Jones | Illawarra Hawks | 87.6% (113/129)[1] |
Regular season
- Most Valuable Player: Mike Jones (Illawarra Hawks)
- Best Defensive Player: Ray Wood (West Adelaide Bearcats)
- Coach of the Year: Bob Turner (Newcastle Falcons)
- All-NBL Team:
- Rocky Smith (St Kilda Saints)[2]
- Danny Morseu (St Kilda Saints)
- Al Green (West Adelaide Bearcats)
- Dave Nelson (Canberra Cannons)
- Owen Wells (Newcastle Falcons)