1976 NBA Finals

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The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.

[edit] Background

The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, giving the Celtics a tough battle before falling in six games.

The 1976 NBA Finals also marked the first time that NBA games of any kind were being played during the month of June.

[edit] Series summary

Boston Celtics defeated Phoenix Suns, 4 games to 2

[edit] Game 5

Game 5 was a triple-overtime classic that is considered by many to be the greatest game in NBA history. With the series tied 2-2, Boston took a huge lead at Boston Garden but could not hold it. The game was enhanced by several controversies, including Boston's Paul Silas trying to call a timeout at the end of regulation that Boston did not have (with the officials simply ignoring him lest the game be decided upon a technical foul shot), but eventually went to Boston in three overtimes, 128-126. Phoenix, in tying the game, overcame a 22-point deficit.

The most notable portion of the game was the final 20 seconds of the second overtime. Boston led at that point 109-106 (with the three-point basket not yet in existence). Phoenix had possession of the ball. In an amazing and frantic sequence, the following transpired:

(a) The Suns' Dick Van Arsdale hit a short jumper from the corner, cutting the gap to 109-108,

(b) the Celtics inbounded the ball to John Havlicek, but the Suns' Paul Westphal came from seemingly out of nowhere to knock the ball out of Havlicek's hands. As his momentum was carrying him out of bounds, Westphal saved the ball to Van Arsdale, who passed it to Curtis Perry. Perry took an 18-footer from the left wing and missed.

(c) Havlicek went after the rebound on the Perry miss, but couldn't get a grip on it and ended up tapping the ball back to Perry on the left baseline.

(d) Perry then let fly from 15 feet (4.6 m) and made the shot to put the Suns ahead.

Phoenix suddenly led, 110-109, with just six seconds left, and the team looked poised to win their third straight game and grab a 3-to-2 edge in the series. Not to be outdone, John Havlicek (already of "Havlicek Stole the Ball" fame) responded with a drive and a leaning one-hander in traffic that put Boston in front 111-110 as the horn sounded. The fans then poured onto the court to celebrate Boston's victory. The Celtics returned to their locker room. But, as CBS analyst Rick Barry loudly pointed out, the ball went through the hoop with two seconds left and the clock should have been stopped. The officials apparently agreed with Barry and ordered the Celtics back onto the floor. The game was not over.

During the ensuing pandemonium, a fan attacked referee Richie Powers and other fans turned over one of the scorer's tables. After clearing the court (the fan who attacked Powers was arrested) and getting the Celtics back on the floor, the officials put one second back on the clock. Still, Phoenix's chances seemed slim, as they had the ball under their own basket with a second left. Then Paul Westphal of the Suns made a heady play, signaling for a time out that the Suns did not have. Although this resulted in a technical foul being called on Westphal, the play was critical for Phoenix, because the rules at the time gave Phoenix the same advantage (save for the technical foul shot) that they would have had with timeouts remaining to use; namely, possession of the ball at half court. Boston's Jo Jo White made the technical free throw, increasing Boston's lead to 112-110.

During the timeout, fans were still on the Boston Garden floor, even disturbing the Suns' huddle by their bench as coach John MacLeod was drawing up a play for a possible tying basket. The Suns' players repeatedly had to shove the fans out of the way, and Phoenix general manager Jerry Colangelo even threatened not to bring his team back to the Boston Garden for Game 7 if the referees couldn't maintain control. When play was resumed, Phoenix's Garfield Heard took the inbounds pass from Perry and made a buzzer-beating shot (a turn-around jumper at the top of the key) for the Suns that tied the score yet again, 112-112.

Boston eventually took a six-point lead, 128-122, late in the third overtime. Westphal scored the next four points for Phoenix, cutting the gap to 128-126, but could not get the ball again (with Westphal nearly stealing a pass near half court as the third overtime wound down).

Boston then won Game 6 and took their 13th championship. Jo Jo White was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

[edit] Game 5 trivia

• The Celtics led by 22 points (42-20) after the first quarter.

• Dave Cowens, Charlie Scott, and Paul Silas all fouled out (were disqualified due to six personal fouls) for the Celtics, and Alvan Adams and Dennis Awtrey both fouled out for the Suns. Silas picked up his fifth foul late in the fourth quarter, but played the entire remainder, including all three overtime periods before fouling out late in the third.

• The Suns had the lead in the game on only three occasions (twice in the second overtime) and never by more than 1 point. They led 95-94 late in the fourth, and 106-105 and 110-109 in the 2nd overtime.

• Glenn McDonald, a little-used Celtic reserve player, scored eight points in the game, all in overtime, including six in the 3rd overtime.

• Finals MVP Jo Jo White led all scorers with 33 points.

• Future Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley was a reserve on the Suns' bench, but never got in the game.

• Eight players in this game would go on to be NBA head coaches: Pat Riley, Don Nelson, Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, Paul Westphal, Garfield Heard, Dick Van Arsdale, and John Wetzel. Westphal, in particular, was also involved in a triple-overtime finals game as a coach in 1993, with the Suns winning 129-121 in Game 3.

[edit] Television coverage

NOTE: Series had three straight off days between Sunday afternoon opener and Thursday night second game due to CBS-TV's concern with low ratings for professional basketball. At that time, ratings ended after Wednesday, May 26 (with weekend afternoon games not factored into the ratings). Accordingly, CBS-TV allowed Game 1 to be played on Sunday afternoon, since the ratings would not count, but would not permit Game 2 to be played live in prime time unless the NBA waited until Thursday evening.

See also: NBA on CBS

[edit] Quotes

[edit] Team rosters

[edit] See also

• 1976 NBA Playoffs

[edit] External links

• NBA History