Coming off a loss to the Washington Bullets (as the Wizards were then called) the season before, the 1975-76 Boston Celtics were hungry for redemption in playoffs.
And redemption they got.
The Finals MVP-level performance they saw from point guard Jo Jo White and high-octane games of center Dave Cowens and wing John Havlicek — the heirs apparent to the Bill Russell-led Celtics dynasty of the 1960s — would drive the team to another banner.
Facing the still-new Phoenix Suns in their first trip to the NBA Finals, Boston would defeat the Western Conference upstarts in five games, the series ending in one of the most intense finishes to the Finals in league history.
A triple-overtime thriller, the leadership of Celtics lifer and then-head coach Tommy Heinsohn helped bring Boston its 13th championship.
Watch the video above to hear Heinsohn recount his experiences coaching that team to its next banner.
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