1974 NBA Finals
Encyclopedia
Series Summary
| Game | Date | Home Team | Score | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Sun. April 28 | Milwaukee | 83-95 | Boston |
| Game 2 | Tue. April 30 | Milwaukee | 105-96 OT | Boston |
| Game 3 | Fri. May 3 | Boston | 95-83 | Milwaukee |
| Game 4 | Sun. May 5 | Boston | 89-97 | Milwaukee |
| Game 5 | Tue. May 7 | Milwaukee | 87-96 | Boston |
| Game 6 | Fri. May 10 | Boston | 101-102 2OT | Milwaukee |
| Game 7 | Sun. May 12 | Milwaukee | 87-102 | Boston |
Celtics win series 4-3
Game 1
Before the series started, Bucks point guard Lucius AllenLucius Allen
Lucius Oliver Allen, Jr. is a former professional basketball player. Prior to his NBA career, he became an All-American as part of two of legendary coach John Wooden's UCLA NCAA Championship teams, 1967 and 1968...
would be lost for the series with a knee injury. In Game 1, the Celtics took advantage, harassing a 35-year old Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
and Allen's replacement, Ron Williams
Ron Williams
Ronald Allen Williams is the Executive Chairman of Aetna, Inc.. In 2005, he was named one of Black Enterprise's 75 Most Powerful African Americans In Corporate America....
, into frequent turnovers. The Celtics took a 35-19 lead in the first quarter and never looked back on the way to a 98-83 win in Milwaukee. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
scored 35 points for the Bucks.
Game 2
Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
scored 36 points, but more importantly, he took more of a role in running the Bucks' offense from the post, given their backcourt issues. His passing enabled Bob Dandridge
Bob Dandridge
Robert L. "Bob" Dandridge is a retired American professional basketball player.-Early years:He attended Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk State University, teaming up with Pee Wee Kirkland. His teams had phenomenal years...
to score 24 points.
On the defensive end, Abdul-Jabbar forced Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
into shooting 3-of-13 from the floor, including a block of a Cowens shot at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Bucks won in overtime, 105-96, to even the series at a game apiece as it headed to Boston.
This game, played on Tuesday, April 30th, was the last NBA Championship Series game played in the month of April to date.
Game 3
Sensing he was no match for Abdul-Jabbar in the paint, Dave CowensDave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
decided to shoot more from the outside and scored 30 points, despite foul trouble that reduced him to 32 minutes of playing time. The Celtics' press also turned up the heat, forcing 11 first-quarter turnovers and helping Boston to a 21-point lead. With Cowens in foul trouble, seldom-used 7-footer Henry Finkel did an admirable job of spot defense on Abdul-Jabbar, who finished with 26 points. At game's end, the Bucks had turned the ball over 27 times, enough for a 95-83 Boston win.
Game 4
With Ron WilliamsRon Williams
Ronald Allen Williams is the Executive Chairman of Aetna, Inc.. In 2005, he was named one of Black Enterprise's 75 Most Powerful African Americans In Corporate America....
unable to handle the Celtic press and shooting guard Jon McGlocklin
Jon McGlocklin
Jon P. McGlocklin is an American former professional basketball player.A sharpshooting 6'5" guard from Indiana University, McGlockin was selected by the Cincinnati Royals in the third round of the 1965 NBA Draft, but he is best known for his 8-season tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he...
nursing a sprained ankle, Bucks coach Larry Costello
Larry Costello
Lawrence Ronald "Larry" Costello was an American professional basketball player and coach....
turned to little-used forward Mickey Davis
Mickey Davis
Mickey Davis is a former player in the National Basketball Association. Davis first played professionally for the Pittsburgh Condors of the American Basketball Association...
for help in the backcourt. Davis at 6'7" presented matchup problems on offense for Jo Jo White
Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White is an American former professional basketball player.-Life and career:White was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a minister...
, forcing Celtics coach Tom Heinsohn to assign press-master Don Chaney
Don Chaney
Donald Ray Chaney is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for his long stints as a player on the Boston Celtics.-Career as a player:...
to guard him. This enabled Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
to more effectively set up the Bucks' offense.
Davis contributed 15 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
shredded the Celtics for 34 points and six assists from the low post. Milwaukee got the lead and kept it down the stretch for a 97-89 win at Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
, thereby getting back their homecourt advantage.
Game 5
The Celtics stole the homecourt advantage back with a 96-87 win in Milwaukee. They would have a chance to close it out at home in Game 6.Game 6
Dave CowensDave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
got into foul trouble early and watched from the bench as Milwaukee took a 12-point lead in the first half. The Celtics were down by six late in the game, but they came back to force overtime. John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
hit a long jumper to tie it at 86-86 with a little over a minute left, then Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
was caught in a 24-second violation as time expired. In the first overtime, Milwaukee led 90-88 when Don Chaney
Don Chaney
Donald Ray Chaney is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for his long stints as a player on the Boston Celtics.-Career as a player:...
got a steal and passed to Havlicek. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
was back on defense and forced Havlicek to take a pull-up jumper. Havlicek missed but got the long rebound and scored to send the game into a second overtime.
In the second extra period Havlicek scored nine of Boston's 11 points. With seven seconds left he had the ball on the right baseline, and the Boston bench screamed for a timeout. Instead, Havlicek lofted a rainbow over Abdul-Jabbar for a 101-100 lead.
The Bucks called for a timeout, and instead of setting up a play for Abdul-Jabbar, strangely decided to set up a play for a hobbled Jon McGlocklin
Jon McGlocklin
Jon P. McGlocklin is an American former professional basketball player.A sharpshooting 6'5" guard from Indiana University, McGlockin was selected by the Cincinnati Royals in the third round of the 1965 NBA Draft, but he is best known for his 8-season tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he...
where Abdul-Jabbar would set a pick. McGlocklin couldn't get free, however, and Abdul-Jabbar, with the ball, moved to the right of the lane, dribbled to the baseline, and let fly a "sky-hook" from 17 feet with two seconds left. The Celtics put up a failed desperation heave, but that was it. The series was tied at three games apiece and going back to Milwaukee.
Game 7
Home court advantage apparently meant very little in this series. The Celtics decided to abandon man-to-man defense and double and triple team Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
. This freed Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
more on the offensive end, as he hit 8 of 13 shots in the first half on his way to 28 points and 14 rebounds. John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
added 16 as the Celtics cruised to an easy 102-87 win and their first title in the "post-Bill Russell era."
Aftermath
As of 2011, this was the last time that the Bucks appeared in the NBA finals. The Celtics would return to the finals two years later1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-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...
and win their 13th NBA title.