NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.
In 1974, the Boston Celtics won their 12th championship in a tension-filled seven-game Finals versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Game 6 of that series went to double overtime and was one of the closest, most hard-fought battles fans had ever seen. Nothing could top that, we thought.
Well, we thought wrong, because Game 5 of the 1976 Finals between Boston and the Phoenix Suns, tied at 2-2, had more ups, downs, plot twists and unbelievable moments than any championship-series pivotal game in the NBA’s 80 years. It’s widely considered the NBA’s Greatest Game, especially by Celtics fans. And Glenn McDonald became a household name in New England (for a little while, at least) for helping bring home Banner 13.
The regular season
After winning in 1974, the Celtics were 60-22 in 1975 and looking like a favorite to repeat, but they were upset in the Eastern finals by a Washington Bullets (Wizards) squad (coached by K.C. Jones) that got hot at the wrong time for Boston. Those Celtics were led by veterans John Havlicek, JoJo White and Dave Cowens, all of whom were back for 1975-76 and surrounded by a strong supporting cast. There were many reasons to think they could get back to the top for the second time in three years.
The main rotation players included elite rebounder Paul Silas, crafty scorer Don Nelson (who had announced this would be his last season) and energy guys Steve Kuberski and Kevin Stacom. Don Chaney, a starting guard for the ’74 champs, had scored a lucrative free agent contract from St. Louis of the rival American Basketball Association. Such player movement was common during the Seventies, as the NBA and ABA competed for the best talent. The leagues settled that by merging before the 1976-77 season.
One more key player no longer in green was dynamic young guard Paul Westphal, traded by Boston to Phoenix for high-scoring guard Charlie Scott. Two future Hall of Famers, they ended up facing off in the 1976 postseason, where it was evident that the trade worked out for both teams.
Boston’s regular season began slowly, but a nine-game winning streak brought their record up to 19-8. Two more streaks, of seven and six games, helped them finish 54-28, first place in the East, behind only the Golden State Warriors (59-23). Cowens and Havlicek were voted All-NBA second team.
This season also featured an amusing incident that pretty much represented Cowens’ style of play. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound center body-blocked Houston guard Mike Newlin to the floor intentionally. “Big Red” was incensed that Newlin had twice gotten away with flopping, so he sent Newlin flying and screamed to the referee, “Now that’s a foul!” Cowens was T’d up, but stayed in the game, so you could say his point was made.
Charlie Scott’s Celtics odyssey
Hall of Fame guard Charlie Scott played 152 regular-season games and 27 playoff games over three seasons with Boston. He directly helped the Celtics win in 1976, but he indirectly determined the outcomes of several other years, as well. Scott’s transaction history also confirms the genius of Red Auerbach as a team builder.
Scott was eligible for the NBA draft in 1970, but was known to have signed with the Virginia Squires of the rival ABA. The common wisdom for NBA teams was not to bother drafting him. But Auerbach saw it differently and used a seventh-round choice (106th overall) to select the 6-foot-5 guard from North Carolina. Boston would own the rights to sign Scott if he ever decided to come play in the NBA.
Two years later, Scott was ready, and Phoenix was his choice. Boston traded Scott’s rights to the Suns and filled a need by getting All-Star power forward Paul Silas in return. Silas was a key member of the Celtics title teams in 1974 and 1976.
Scott was in Phoenix for four seasons, then was traded back to the Celtics for Paul Westphal and a couple of second-rounders. Westphal was up for a contract that Auerbach did not want to pay, which was too bad because Westy ended up an All-NBA player. Game 5 in ‘76 demonstrated that potential.
In 1977, the Celtics traded Scott again, this time to the Lakers for Don Chaney (reunited with his original team), Kermit Washington and a 1978 first-round pick. Washington was serving a long suspension for punching and severely injuring Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich in a fight on court. The Lakers washed their hands of him, even though he was a top rebounder and defender. By the way, that was the first time the two rivals ever traded with each other.
What happened to that Lakers first-round pick? The Celtics took Freeman Williams, who ended up traded away in another deal. But having the Lakers pick at no. 8 in addition to their own pick at no. 6 enabled the Celtics to gamble a bit and draft someone named Larry Bird.
Bird was going to play out his last season of college eligibility and, by NBA rules, whoever picked him would have just one year to sign him, or he’d go back in the draft. Teams with only one draft pick didn’t want to risk it, but armed with the backup pick, Auerbach went for it, and it obviously worked out, with Bird-era titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986.
That’s not all. In 1980, the Suns traded Westphal to the Seattle SuperSonics for guard Dennis Johnson. After three seasons in Phoenix, DJ was traded with two picks (one first and one third) to Boston for Celtics backup center Rick Robey and a couple of second-rounders. DJ went on to help Boston win in 1984 and 1986; have his number retired; be recognized as Bird’s “favorite teammate” ever; and retire as a beloved Boston sports icon.
Summing up, Charlie Scott and the assets he brought to Boston influenced the outcomes of five championship seasons in the Seventies and Eighties. He’s a Celtics legend.
Eastern playoffs
The Celtics would need to win three best-of-seven series, beginning with the Buffalo Braves (now the LA Clippers). The Braves finished eight games behind Boston but were potent offensively with center Bob McAdoo, the league scoring leader at 31.1 points per game, and a quick, clever backcourt of Randy Smith and Ernie DiGregorio.
In Boston, Game 1 went to the Celtics, 107-98. Cowens had 30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, obliterating McAdoo’s stats. Cowens was physically a good matchup with McAdoo, the Celtic being a top defender and shot-blocker who could also outscore the Buffalo star on occasion.
Havlicek injured his foot in Game 1, and thought he could still play after implementing an icing routine. But he was forced to sit the next three games, and the foot would nag Hondo throughout the postseason.
Game 2 was also in Boston, and the Celtics protected homecourt, 101-96. McAdoo erupted for 40 points, but Cowens and Nelson combined for 49. The Cs won the boards, 53-41, and shot better at the free-throw line to win a game that was close throughout.
Games 3 and 4 were in Buffalo, and both went to the home team, 98-93 and 124-122. In Game 4, Cowens had 29/26/8, White added 28 and 11 assists, and Nelson had 27 points. Trouble was, Buffalo’s starters all were between 18 and 30 points, too much to give up.
Havlicek returned in a limited role for Game 5, a win at home. The heavy lifting was done by Cowens with 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Silas with 15 and 22. The difference in the 99-88 score was the field goal attempts: Celtics 113, Braves 83.
Game 6 in Buffalo was taken over by Charlie Scott, who this night had game highs of 31 points and 8 assists. His backcourt mate, JoJo White, added 23 points in the 104-100 closeout win. Havlicek was able to play his second straight game, posting 14 points, 6 assists.
The Eastern Conference Final brought on the Cleveland Cavaliers, coached by future Celtics head coach Bill Fitch. The Cavs were founded in 1970 and this was their first year in the playoffs. They had acquired bruising center Nate Thurmond from the Golden State Warriors as a veteran defender, rebounder and leader. Thay did not have a dominant scorer, but instead relied on having seven players average double figures. They had led the Central Division with a 49-33 record.
The Cavs allowed 99 points per game, fewest in the league. After the Celtics won game 1 at home, 111-99, they did not break 100 again. Game 2 was 94-89, Boston going up 2-0. In the first game, Havlicek led all scorers with 26 points and looked like his foot was fine for 40 minutes. In the second meeting, White led all with 24 points and the Cs staged a fourth quarter comeback to pull out the 94-89 win.
But just as in the Buffalo series, the 2-0 lead vanished on the road. The Cavs notched wins of 83-78 and 106-87. In the latter, the Cavs’ Bingo Smith was lifted by the loud home crowd to 13 of 17 shooting and 27 points.
Game 5 in Boston was a nail-biter. Coach Tommy Heinsohn was ejected in the third period for arguing, leaving his only assistant, John Killilea, to take over. Red Auerbach moved from his seat down to near the bench, just in case. Cowens led the way with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and in the final moments, Havlicek swished two clutch free throws and Paul Silas tipped in a miss for two crucial points that helped lock it up, 99-94.
Game 6 in Cleveland saw White deliver 29 points on 12-22 shooting, supported by Cowens’ 21 points (and 18 rebounds) and Scott’s 20 points. The Celtics used a 27-18 fourth quarter comeback to end the series, 94-87. The key play was a midcourt steal and dunk by Scott that enabled the Celtics to take final control. Also notable: The Cavs did not have a single 20-point scorer in three of the six games. Meanwhile, White scored 20 or more five times.
So, the first two rounds played out similarly: Facing a young, hungry team that was not intimidated, the Celtics went up 2-0, were tied 2-2, then won a tense Game 5, and closed it out on the road, 4-2. That exact pattern was about to happen a third time, but much, much more intensely.
NBA Finals
The Celtics were in the Finals for the 14th time, and the Phoenix Suns for the first time since they joined the NBA in 1968.
The matchup
Phoenix was 42-40 in the regular season, third in the Pacific Division, and lost four of the six games they played against the Celtics. It’s doubtful anyone except themselves thought they’d get near the Finals. But they upset the 59-win Warriors in the Western final, winning Game 7 on the road. At this point, their regular season record meant nothing. They got hot at the right time. To not take them seriously would be a fatal error.
The series
Once again, Boston won the first two on their home court, only to see their underdog opponent return the favor and tie the series 2-2.
Game 1 saw Suns rookie center Alvan Adams score an impressive 26 points, but his counterpart, Dave Cowens, delivered a magnificent 25-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. JoJo White added 22 and John Havlicek, still dealing with the foot injury, added 16 off the bench. Ex-Celtic Paul Westphal shot terribly and scored only eight points for Phoenix.
In Game 2, Boston blasted the Suns 56-32 in the second and third quarters combined. That was enough to bring home the win, 105-90. Westphal came alive with 28 points, offset by 23 from Havlicek. It seemed as if Phoenix had hit a wall.
In Game 3, the Suns smashed through that wall, 105-98. Adams was again impressive with 33 points. Westphal added 22. Only White scored well for Boston, with 24. Game 4 was closer, 109-107, but still a loss for a 2-2 tie. Game 5 would be the turning point.
Game 5
“There were so many highs and lows. You thought you had it won, and all of a sudden you were elated. Within a second, it would turn around and you thought you were defeated.”
John Havlicek on Game 5
No lead is safe in the NBA, and this Game 5 was Exhibit A. The game looked to be over countless times, yet again and again, the plays that had to be made were made, and the overtimes piled up. If you were a neutral fan watching, this would have been basketball heaven, but for Celtics and Suns fans, it was endless hours of agony.
Game 5 began with the Celtics owning the first quarter, 36-18, then stretching the lead to 42-20 early in the second quarter. Their running game was in high gear. The Suns began to get their footing, but the lead at halftime was still 16. The score tightened up when the Suns took the third quarter, 27-16. The tension was rising in Boston Garden and in front of televisions everywhere.
Boston led by nine with under four minutes to go. Then Westphal caught fire, scoring nine points in a couple of minutes to pull Phoenix even. Near the end of regulation time, Phoenix was ahead one, when Havlicek was fouled. He made the first but missed the second.
Phoenix had one more possession, but the Celtics broke up the inbounds pass. Paul Silas briefly signaled for timeout but the Celtics had none. That would’ve been a technical foul except that referee Richie Powers ignored the signal. Phoenix assistant coach was so upset that he later had a fake Suns championship ring made for the referee. Inside it was inscribed: “Bleep you, Richie Powers.”
On to overtime.
The first OT was somewhat calm, both teams scoring six points. The second OT also proceeded normally – until the last 19 seconds:
- JoJo White runner off the glass, Celtics lead 109-106.
- Suns’ Dick Van Arsdale midrange jumper, 109-108.
- Westphal steal of inbounds pass.
- Curtis Perry miss, gets own rebound.
- Perry 15-footer, Suns 110-109.
- Celtics timeout, 5 seconds to play.
- Havlicek running bank shot, Celtics 111-110.
- Fans think game is over, swarm onto court, Celtics leave floor, but referee Richie Powers correctly signals one second on clock.
- In the swarm, Powers is attacked by a fan who apparently wants the game to be over.
- Celtics recalled from their locker room for remaining one second.
- Suns purposely call timeout, knowing they have none left, to get the ball at halfcourt after timeout. Technical foul.
- White swishes free throw, Celtics 112-110.
- Suns’ inbounds pass goes to Garfield Heard near top of the key, maybe 20 feet out, turnaround jump shot at buzzer, 112-112.
- Overtime no. 3.
Here are the huge shots by Havlicek, then Heard in those final seconds of OT no. 2. More videos appear below.
Fouls were an issue by the third OT. Suns centers Alvan Adams and Dennis Awtrey had fouled out, as had Celtics Cowens, Silas and Charlie Scott (who played just 33 minutes). Little-used Celtics center Jim Ard and forward Glenn McDonald were about to play the most important minutes of their lives.
With the score tied at 118, Ard tied up Perry and then won the ensuing jump ball. Boston had a fast break and McDonald banked in a runner off White’s assist. Another Celtics stop led to McDonald’s baseline turnaround fadeaway for a four-point lead. Westphal made a ridiculous spinning bank shot but White answered, then McDonald was fouled on a rebound for two free throws. He made both, Celtics 126, Suns 120, with 36 seconds to play.
Suns rookie Ricky Sobers quickly made a driving layup, then Phoenix intentionally fouled Ard. The big man made both crucial free throws for a 128-122 advantage. Westphal then threw in an even more outrageous 360-degree spinning bank shot, 128-124.
Boston beat the Phoenix press, but a pass to a cutting McDonald bounced off his hands near the hoop. Sobers grabbed it and threw a full-court pass to Westphal for a layup. The lead was cut to two with still 12 seconds left. Westphal came within an inch or two of another steal, but Ard got the ball to White, who mercifully dribbled out the clock. Final: 128-126.
JoJo White played 60 of the 63 minutes and was so tired that, during a brief stoppage near the end, he sat down on the court. White made 15 of 29 shots, scored 33 points (15 of them in the OTs), six rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and countless clutch baskets and hustle/heart plays. For the whole series, White led the Celtics with 21.7 points and 5.8 assists per game, but it was no doubt his Game 5 performance that put his name on the Finals MVP trophy.
How stressful was Game 5? Tommy Heinsohn fainted in the postgame locker room from a combination of high blood pressure, dehydration and stress.
Game 5 Box Score
Game 5 Videos
There are so many talented fans posting on YouTube that there are too many videos to choose from. Here’s an assortment of different approaches, including the full game original broadcast.
Highlights with Interviews
Short-version OTs
Full Game 5
Game 6
Less than 48 hours later, Celtics-Suns Game 6 tipped off in Phoenix. A test of survival of the fittest. The game was low-scoring and close, with Boston ahead by a single point after three quarters. The Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter for a final score of 87-80.
The heroes we needed
- Charlie Scott was the main attacker for Boston. Scott had played only 33 minutes of Game 5’s 63 minutes because of foul trouble, so he was relatively rested. In Game 6, he scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, three assists and five steals.
- Dave Cowens still had energy. He was 10 of 16 for 21 points with 17 rebounds and three steals.
Turning point
With seven minutes left and Phoenix up one, the Celtics clamped down on defense and broke it open with a 17-6 run. The Suns didn’t make a field goal during that time. The key play was Cowens stealing the ball from Adams, driving the length of the court, and making a reverse layup with the and-one on Adams.
It wasn’t over until…
The Suns tried to rally back, but there was no Game 5-like magic this time. JoJo White beat Westphal on a burst to the rim for a layup, making it 79-71 with under three minutes left.
Notable facts and stats
- White won the Finals MVP, joining 1974 winner Havlicek. Cowens never won FMVP, but he did win the regular season MVP in 1972-73.
- Cowens and Silas combined to average 30 rebounds per game in the series. The team averaged 56.2, a large advantage over the Suns, at 42.3.
- Both teams shot exactly 43.1% from the floor.
- Glenn McDonald went out a hero. He was cut before the next regular season, signed with Milwaukee but only lasted nine games before the Bucks waived him. That was the end of his NBA career, but he will forever have a place in Celtics lore.
- Jim Ard stayed with Boston for another season, then finished his career with a brief stint in Chicago.
Banner Years continues tomorrow with a review of the 1980-81 season and the road to winning Banner 14.
