Tag: 1976 nba finals

Boston Celtics included in ’20 craziest plays in NBA Finals history’ compilation

With a record 17 titles to their name, the Boston Celtics have had their share of amazing moments in the NBA finals over the decades.

With a record 17 titles to their name, the Boston Celtics have had their share of amazing moments in the NBA finals over the decades. The Celtics’ unbelievable triple-overtime victory vs. the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the 1976 Finals — often referred to as ‘the greatest game ever played’ — immediately comes to mind.

As does the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history in 2008, which saw Boston overcome a 24-point deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers on their own home court as they took a 3-1 series lead. With the Celtics, there is no shortage of iconic plays one can look back on with wonder.

Another of them can be found on a recent compilation of the best NBA Finals moments in the history of the modern game put together by the folks behind the HoopFlix YouTube channel.

Be sure to check them all out in the clip embedded above, which includes one of the greatest Celtics moments on the world’s biggest stage among them.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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On this day: triple OT win vs. Suns in G5 of ’76 Finals; Chaney drafted

The Boston Celtics outlasted the Phoenix Suns in a 128-126 triple-overtime Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team survived a 128-126 triple-overtime slugfest with the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals for what was at that time the longest Finals game in league history.

Point guard Jo Jo White of the Celtics led Boston with 33 points, and forward John Havlicek would nail a 15-foot bank shot to send the game to its second overtime. At the end of that extra period, Phoenix forward Gar Heard scored a buzzer-beating trey to force the third extra period, with Heard setting a record for minutes played in a Finals game at 61 minutes. That record would stand until 1993 when the Suns and Chicago Bulls would go to triple-overtime and Phoenix’s Kevin Johnson playing 62 minutes.

Boston would go on to win the series two days later and secure their 13th banner.

On this day: Fitch hired; Westphal/Scott trade; ‘Beat L.A.’ chant born

On this day, Boston hired Bill Fitch as their head coach, Westphal was dealt for Scott, and the ‘Beat L.A.’ chants were born in a loss.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was hired shortly after his resignation from the same role with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979.

Fitch, who had coached at a number of collegiate posts before joining the NBA as coach of the Cavs, was a former Marine drill instructor whose rigorous approach to training made him popular with incoming rookie Larry Bird, who credits the Iowan with helping instill his high-energy work ethic. The Davenport native would win an NBA championship with the Celtics at the end of the 1980-81 season and would win his second league Coach of the Year honors for the season prior with the team.

Fitch would resign at the end of the 1982-83 season after being swept in the East Semis by the Milwaukee Bucks in four games after amassing a 242-86 regular-season record and a 26-19 postseason record, good for .738 and .578 winning records, respectively.

Celtics champion Paul Silas was a key part of Boston’s 1976 title … by being ignored

Silas was instrumental in overtime of Game 5 to the 1976 title, but an easy mistake at the end of regulation could have been devastating.

The Boston Celtics and NBA community lost Paul Silas this month, a key part of two Celtics’ titles in the 1970s. The Creighton alumnus was famously part of the triple-overtime Game 5 win over the Phoenix Suns during that tenure and played a key role in the victory.

With the game tied at 101 with 3 seconds left in regulation, Silas mistakenly called a timeout Boston didn’t have, but the referee did not hear him or ignored him, saving the Celtics from a technical foul that could have very well have changed the course of the series that was tied at 2.

“Silas called a timeout, and they ignored it,” shared Boston backup forward Glenn McDonald to Sportscasting’s Mike Thomas. And while the Oakland native nearly cost the team the game, his play in the subsequent overtime was also key in winning it.

“That’s all right with me,” explained Silas to The Arizona Republic’s Bob Young. “I did. I tried to call one and Richie Powers didn’t see me or didn’t want to see me.”

“He didn’t acknowledge it. I know they feel if he had, it would have been a different ending. Bottom line is that he didn’t and we got another ring.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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