In 1981, the Houston Rockets barely made the Playoffs. Led by Moses Malone, the Rockets made an unlikely run all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to Boston.

As a veteran on a young Boston Celtics team, Tiny Archibald led the way with an electric playoff run on the way to the Celtics 1981 NBA Championship.

Over the years, the NBA playoffs have seen significant changes. Evolving with the league itself, initially the playoffs were a much smaller, shorter affair—which was reflective of the size and ...