1981–82 Yugoslav First Basketball League

The 1981–82 Yugoslav First Basketball League season was the 38th season of the Yugoslav First Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in SFR Yugoslavia. The season ended with Cibona winning the league championship by beating Partizan two games to none in the playoffs final best-of-three series.

Yugoslav First Basketball League
Season1981–82
Number of games132
Number of teams12
Regular season
Top seedPartizan
PromotedJugoplastika
Kvarner
RelegatedSloboda Tuzla
Rabotnički
Finals
ChampionsCibona
(1st title)
  Runners-upPartizan
SemifinalistsZadar
Crvena zvezda
Statistical leaders
Points Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dražen Dalipagić[1] 31.5
All statistics correct as of 27 April 2017.

The season was another milestone for club basketball in Yugoslavia as the sport began to be played with playoffs at the end of the regular league season, meaning that postseason would determine the league champion rather than regular season as was the case prior to the 1981–82 campaign.[2]

KK Partizan finished the regular season on top with an 18–4 record just ahead of Cibona's 17–5; additionally, Partizan won both regular season games against Cibona. The same two teams made the playoff finals, having the home court advantage at every stage of the playoffs. Heading into the final series, Partizan had the home court advantage, but lost it after game 1 at Belgrade's Hala sportova in front of a packed crowd of 4,000—a hard-fought contest that visiting Cibona won 108–112 after triple overtime. Game 2 was played in Zagreb on Cibona's home court and Cibona won it assuredly to claim its first-ever Yugoslav title.

Notable events

Introduction of playoffs

The season saw the playoffs introduced as a way of determining the Yugoslav First Federal Basketball League champion at the end of the regular season.[2] The decision came on the heels of great debate within the country's basketball federation, KSJ, and Yugoslav coaching circles, and was initially somewhat controversial with many considering it jarring and/or unfair that an eight-placed team or a even Second League team could potentially be the season's champion.[2]

As for the European spots for FIBA Europe's competitions, the playoffs champion automatically qualified for a spot in the top-tier FIBA European Champions Cup while the Yugoslav Cup winner got a second-tier FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup spot. If the league and cup were won by the same team, the FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup went to the cup finalist. For the third-tier FIBA Korać Cup spots, the top four placed teams at the end of the regular season (excluding the champion and cup winner) received FIBA Korać Cup spots, meaning that qualification for the FIBA Korać Cup was still determined via the regular season and not the playoffs.

Praja Dalipagić back in Partizan, Moka Slavnić in Partizan jersey

The 1981–82 season featured the unusual sight of thirty-two-year-old Red Star Belgrade legendary point guard Moka Slavnić suiting up for their bitter crosstown rivals Partizan.[3] Ever since leaving Red Star in acrimony four years earlier, Slavnić had been on such bad terms with the club's management that when he decided to return to his hometown in the twilight of his playing career, he controversially joined heated rivals Partizan instead of the club he made his name with and achieved legendary status in.[3]

Slavnić's Partizan debut took place in week 7 versus Budućnost due to administrative issues with his player registration.[3] He immediately proved valuable, assisting and organizing on offense on a roster that also featured another legendary veteran—thirty-year-old Dražen Dalipagić, himself returning to Belgrade following a season abroad with Reyer Venezia. In the first six games of the season that Partizan played without Slavnić, the team had a 3–3 record while with Slavnić they recorded only one loss in the next 16 league games until the end of the regular season, grabbing top spot ahead of the playoffs with an 18–4 record.[3]

Teams

Socialist Republic of Serbia SR Serbia

Socialist Republic of Croatia SR Croatia

Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina SR Bosnia and Herzegovina

Socialist Republic of Macedonia SR Macedonia

Socialist Republic of Montenegro SR Montenegro

Socialist Republic of Slovenia SR Slovenia

Regular season

League table

PosTeamsPtsPldWLPFPAPlayoffs or relegation
1.Partizan362218421501976Advance to Playoffs quarterfinal
2.Cibona342217520861906
3.Crvena Zvezda262213921482051
4.Zadar2422121021622092
5.Šibenka2222111119671987
6.Iskra Olimpija2022101219472022
7.Bosna2022101221622170Advance to single-game Play-in
8.Budućnost2022101219411942
9.Radnički Belgrade182291320172080
10.Borac Čačak182291320352044
11.Sloboda Dita Tuzla182291318581962Relegated
12.Rabotnički82241819342175


Playoff

The first ever Yugoslav First League playoffs were played in the following format:

  • the top six regular season teams clinched an automatic playoff quarterfinals spot while
  • the 7th and 8th placed teams went to a play-in game against the Yugoslav Second League 2nd and 1st placed teams, respectively—with the winners of these two games (played at a neutral venue) clinching a playoff quarterfinals spot.

The top two teams from the 1981–82 Yugoslav Second League were KK Jugoplastika from Split and KK Kvarner from Rijeka. They thus faced Yugoslav First League clubs—8th placed KK Budućnost from Titograd and 7th placed KK Bosna from Sarajevo, respectively—with the winner of each game clinching a playoff spot.

Single game play-in qualifying Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
1 Partizan 100 81 104
8 Budućnost 72 Jugoplastika 90 86 91
Jugoplastika 94 1 Partizan 103 81 95
4 Zadar 95 88 73
4 Zadar 110 119 94
5 Šibenka 93 123 85
1 Partizan 108 75
2 Cibona 112 89
2 Cibona 103 82
7 Bosna 110 7 Bosna 90 72
Kvarner 93 2 Cibona 94 90 97
3 Crvena Zvezda 92 100 90
3 Crvena Zvezda 91 107
6 Olimpija 85 86
SINGLE GAME PLAY-IN QUALIFYING

Budućnost-Jugoplastika 72-94

Bosna Sarajevo-Kvarner 110-93

QUARTERFINALS


Partizan-Jugoplastika 100-90, 81-86, 104-91

Cibona-Bosna 103-90, 72-82

Crvena zvezda-Olimpija 91-85, 107-86

Zadar-Šibenka 110-93, 119-123, 94-85

SEMIFINALS


Partizan-Zadar 103-95, 81-88, 95-73

Cibona-Crvena zvezda 94-92, 90-100, 97-90

FINALS


Partizan-Cibona 108-112 (3OT), 75-89

Winning roster

The winning roster of Cibona:[4]

Coach: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Mirko Novosel

Qualification in 1982–83 season European competitions

FIBA European Champions Cup

FIBA Cup Winner's Cup

FIBA Korać Cup

References

  1. Martinović, Dragan (22 January 2017). "DRAŽEN PETROVIĆ ILI RADIVOJ KORAĆ?". Koš magazin. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  2. Dapčević, Žarko "Daba" (5 November 2015). "Daba: Bauk plejofa stigao je u Jugoslaviju!". Koš magazin. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  3. Bjelobaba, Darko (5 November 2015). "Sezona 1981-82: Moka u Partizanu, trofej u Zagrebu". Koš magazin. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. "Yugoslav basketball league standings 1945-91". nsl.kosarka.co.yu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
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