1977 Boston Celtics: Losing Their Championship Grip
The Boston Celtics came into 1977 as the gold standard of the NBA. They were the defending champions and had won two of the previous three titles. This was on top of a long dynastic run with Red Auerbach and Bill Russell preceding. But the league was changing. A merger with the American Basketball Association (ABA) for 1977 brought some new teams and fresh faces in. Legendary Celtic players were getting older. And the ’77 season in particular brought some unique tumult. All of the above resulted in Boston losing its crown and setting up a brief period of decline.
AN OLD CORE WITH NEW STRAIN
JoJo White was the point guard, now 30-years-old, and still producing at a high level. He averaged 20 points/5 rebounds/6 assists per game in ’77. The great forward, John Havlicek, was 36, but put up an 18/5/5 line. The Celtics had quality forwards to rotate through the lineup, from Sidney Wicks to Curtis Rowe, who combined for 25 points/17 boards a night.
Then there’s Dave Cowens and Charlie Scott, the hinges that ultimately swung this season. For Scott, an 18ppg scorer in the backcourt, it was simple—he suffered a foot injury midway through the season and missed a couple months.
Cowens was a more dramatic factor. The 28-year-old center was at the top of his game physically, averaging 16 points/14 rebounds a game. But he was also struggling with his interest and passion for playing basketball. On November 10, he took leave for personal reasons and did not return for two months.
All of which created a challenge for head coach Tom Heinsohn at a time when the division rival Philadelphia 76ers were fortified by the arrival of Julius “Dr. J” Erving from the ABA.
A DIFFICULT EARLY GOING
None of the personnel problems existed in the early days of the season and the Celtics won their first four games. But that was followed by losing four in succession. They responded by knocking off Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Los Angeles Lakers, who were headed for the league’s best regular season record, at home. White scored 28 and Wicks added 21 in a 117-112 win on the Garden parquet.
Cowens made his temporary departure, and Boston went up and down. They beat a good Denver Nuggets team 112-100, controlling the boards even without their star center. The Celtics’ record reached 12-8. But they lost at Philadelphia and at playoff-bound Detroit and started to sputter.
A win over eventual the league champion Portland Trail Blazers and Bill Walton provided a temporary respite, with White going for 21 points and Boston taking over in the fourth quarter in a 104-95 final. They were sitting on a 14-12 record as questions swirled around Cowens.
December 18 was a tough day for New England sports. The primary reason is that in the NFL, the Patriots lost a controversial playoff game to the Oakland Raiders. Less dramatic is that the Celtics began a long 10-game road trip, mostly out west. They lost six times.
By the time Boston came home, it was January 8, they were sitting on a .500 record at 18-18 and squarely on the borderline of even making the playoffs.
A CHAMPION ON THE BUBBLE
While Cowens came back in January, Scott got injured and the Celtics struggled. While there were some good moments—two wins over a solid Houston Rockets team—Boston also lost twice to the shaky Indiana Pacers. By the time February arrived, the Celtics were 23-26 and in a deep 7 ½ game hole in the Atlantic Division.
The division crown carried more weight in 1977 than it does today. Only six teams per conference qualified for the postseason. With two divisions in each conference, the byes into the second round went to the first-place teams. Moreover, the first round was a best-of-three “mini-series.”
In other words, Boston was playing themselves into a lightning round of playoff basketball—if they could even get there. The good news is that the Eastern Conference was not very good at the playoff bubble and the sub-.500 Celtics still had a one-game lead for the final spot.
STABILIZING THE SEASON
Boston started to recover in February. The Lakers came east again. With Havlicek dropping 25 and White posting a 20/6/9 line, the Celtics rallied from a ten-point halftime deficit and nipped L.A. 99-98. That was part of a four-game winning streak.
A seven-game road swing, mostly West, went better than the earlier trip did. This time, Boston survived and went 4-3. By the end of February, they were over .500 at 31-30 and had a three-game cushion for getting in the playoffs.
A LATE SEASON PUSH
After some middling basketball in the early part March, Scott returned to the lineup and Boston clicked. They won seven of nine. The keynote win was beating the San Antonio Spurs—an Eastern Conference team at the time and in the mix with Boston for seeding and homecourt in the mini-series round. Cowens attacked the glass, with a 21 points/25 rebounds night. Wicks delivered a 20/8. And White continued to play vintage basketball, dropping a 20/9/9 line in a 108-104 win over the Spurs.
And while catching Philadelphia in the Atlantic wasn’t going to happen, the Celtics still sent a message to the 76ers with a 96-90 win, keyed by Cowens’ 20/15 line.
In early April, Boston was 41-36 and secure for the playoffs. Now it was about positioning. The 4 thru 6 seed lines in the bracket were crowded, with the Celtics, Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers all safely in, but looking to get to the 4-spot and homecourt.
Boston played San Antonio in a home-neutral environment in Hartford and churned out a 120-105 win by controlling the glass. Cleveland came to the Boston Garden. White poured in 30 points, Cowens went off for 27 points/11 rebounds/9 assists and the Celtics won 115-105. They were on their way to the 4-seed.
At 44-38, it hardly had been a vintage Boston season. But they had momentum, they could play at home in the mini-series and if they survived, a full Celtic lineup could get a crack at the 76ers.
SWEEPING THE LIGHTNING ROUND
San Antonio was the opponent. The Spurs had a good front line. Larry Kenon was a big-time power forward, who averaged 22 points/11 rebounds a night. Billy Paultz anchored the middle. And at small forward, George “Iceman” Gervin was good for 23ppg.
Boston turned up the defensive heat in Game 1. While the Celtics didn’t shoot well themselves, they cleaned up the misses. The Celtics won the rebounding battle 63-43, with Cowens, Rowe and Wicks all going for double-digit boards. The result was a 104-94 win.
They went on the road for Game 2. While the rebounding margin wasn’t as dramatic, Boston still had the edge. Cowens struggled shooting but passed for nine assists. Wicks was steady with 15/12. And White? The point guard sizzled, hitting 15 of 19 shots from the floor and dropping 38 points. The Celtics were the only team to sweep their mini-series, closing out a 113-109 win.
ONE LAST STAND
Philadelphia was waiting. Dr. J had support from Doug Collins, a potent scorer in the backcourt, George McGinnis up front and well-rounded depth. They Sixers were a 50-win team.
But a proud champion doesn’t roll over easily, and Boston had plenty of pride. They went into Philadelphia and stole Game 1. With Cowens, Scott, White, Wicks and Havlicek all going for between 19-22 points, the Celts nipped the Sixers 113-111.
They got back to the Garden with the series tied 1-1, but couldn’t hold homecourt, losing Game 3. Cowens stepped up in the must-win Game 4 with a dominant 37 points/21 rebounds performance, and it tied the series. The teams each held serve at home over Games 5 & 6.
It all came down to a winner-take-all Game 7 in the old Philadelphia Spectrum. It was an ugly game, with both teams shooting in the low 30s percentage-wise. Boston won rebounding but gave away the advantage on turnovers and lost 83-77. The bid for a third title in four years was over.
THE END OF AN ERA
The Celtics did some good things in 1977, overcoming adversity and giving a more talented rival a tough fight in the playoffs. But you can’t categorize the tumultuous season as anything other than a step back. One that would get more pronounced, as they fell out of the playoffs entirely the next two years. It took the arrival of Larry Bird in 1980 to usher in a new era of Celtic excellence.