1982 NBA Playoffs G6 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Ok, the rivalry from a certain point in the '80s onwards became the classic Celtics - Lakers... but in the early '80s, it was undoubtedly Celtics - Sixers, the conference finals of 1981 and 1982 are among the most terrifying battles of all time. Not to mention that the Eastern Conference during those years was light-years ahead of the Western, where the Lakers almost always walked to the finals. It wasn't like that in the East, far from it.