SPECIAL GAME 7 PREVIEW from The Sports Time Traveler™
I have traveled back in time 50 years to the Boston Garden to see game 7 of the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals pitting the Boston Celtics against the New York Knickerbockers.
The Celtics, of course, are the most storied franchise in NBA history. They won 11 titles in 13 years during the Bill Russell era which ended in 1969.
Despite all of their past celebrated success they never won more games or had a higher winning percentage than this year, 1973. Boston had an NBA best record of 68 - 14. That’s just one win shy of the record 69 set by the Lakers last season in 1972.
A large part of their success this year is due to the gritty, all out play of their under sized center, Dave Cowens. At just 6-9, he proved he could shut down the top centers in the NBA. The 3rd year player emerged as a superstar this season and captured the MVP award. Cowens can do everything: shoot, run, dribble, pass and rebound. But most importantly he is ferociously tough and plays with reckless abandon. He fearlessly dives for loose balls. At times he resembles a mad man on the court.
Going into the playoffs, the Celtics were on a 24 - 2 tear. Then they promptly destroyed the Knicks in game 1 of the series 134 - 108, shooting 57% as a team. The Celtics had now won 25 of their last 27 games.
CELTICS LEAD THE SERIES 1 - 0
Thanks to the schedule design of the Eastern Conference Finals of the early 1970s, the teams would alternate home games. Game 2 would not be played in Boston, but rather at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Back on their home court after the shellacking by the Celtics, the Knickerbockers regrouped and committed to playing the type of team defense which had rabidly endeared them to the New York fans.
The Knickerbockers opened game 2 playing a full court press to the delight of the sellout crowd. The wild fans rocked the building when the Knicks held the Celtics to just 11 points in the first 9 minutes of the game.
Leonard Koppett, of the New York Times, wrote, “The Garden crowd, so worked up for the game that it had begun cheering during the first 16 bars of the national anthem, was in its noisiest state.”
The Knicks maintained the pressure on defense while hitting their shots at an amazing clip. They led 60 - 42 at halftime and raced ahead further in the 3rd quarter with a 16 - 0 run to extend the lead to 82 - 48. They coasted in from there for a 129 - 96 rout.
The 33 point loss was the worst crushing the Celtics had ever sustained in a playoff game in team history. The Knicks had shot 58% and held the Celtics to 39%. Cowens was kept to just 11 points, and only 2 in the 1st half.
The Knicks immediately tried to shrug off the big win, knowing that 1 game doesn’t win a series. Walt Frazier commented, “We’ve both got the bad basketball out of our systems, now we’ll settle down and play good ball.”
SERIES TIED 1 - 1
Frazier was right on one account. The Knicks played good ball in game 3. They raced to a 58 - 46 halftime lead at the Boston Garden. The Celtics mounted a comeback in the 3rd quarter, but the Knicks clamped down again, and held the Celtics to 14 points in the 4th quarter. The Knicks took game 3 by a score of 98 - 91.
KNICKS LEAD THE SERIES 2 - 1
Back to New York for game 4, the Celtics ran out to a 72 - 56 at the end of 3 quarters. The Knicks offense had come undone with the loss of Earl “The Pearl” Monroe due to a hip injury.
However, the Knicks mounted a comeback scoring 13 consecutive points early in the 4th quarter. They fought down the stretch to a tie and the game went into overtime.
The two teams remained tied and when the Celtics Jo-Jo White missed a last second shot the game went to double OT.
The game stayed tight, and was tied at 106 with 2 minutes to play, when Dave DeBusschere hit a long jumper to put the Knicks in front.
Then Dave Cowens, who had played all 55 minutes of the game, scoring 33, fouled out.
And the Knicks went on to win it 117 - 110 in double overtime.
Walt Frazier led the team with a career playoff high 37 points, while playing 57 of the 58 minutes. Frazier scored 25 points in the 4th quarter and the 2 overtimes.
KNICKS LEAD THE SERIES 3 - 1
Now the Celtics, a team that had only lost 2 of their prior 27 games following their game 1 rout, had lost 3 straight and had their backs to the wall.
Fortunately for the Celtics, game 5 was back in Boston.
Unfortunately, John Havlicek, their star forward, was ailing with a torn muscle in his shoulder. Havlicek was not expected to play.
But Havlicek came off the bench and made 6 of 8 shots and the Celtics squeaked out a 98 - 97 win.
KNICKS LEAD THE SERIES 3 - 2
Game 6 in New York was a game the Knicks should have been ready for. They were on their home court with their 2nd chance to close out the Celtics and move on to the Finals.
But the Knicks were oddly flat.
Leonard Koppett in the New York Times wrote that the Knicks were, “Outplayed, outhustled, outshot and, most surprising of all, outsteadied.”
They lost the game 110 - 100.
Walt Frazier summed up what happened, “They were in control all the time. Our defense couldn’t contain Boston. Everything they put up went in. We played as if the pressure was on us instead of on them.”
SERIES TIED 3 - 3
Referring to the upcoming game 7 at the Boston Garden, Walt Frazier said, “Boston will be rough for us, they’ve got the momentum now, plus home court. We’ve got to show some fight on Sunday. I don’t think we’ll give up. We’ve come too far for that. We’ve just got to play defense and put the pressure on them.”
But putting the pressure on Boston is easier said than done.
It is a stunning fact that Boston has never lost a game 7. They are a 10 - 0 in game 7’s.
Here is the list of game 7’s that Boston has played in:
1957 Game 7 NBA FINALS - Boston 125 St. Louis 123 (double OT)
1959 Game 7 NBA Semi-finals - Boston 130 Syracuse 125
1960 Game 7 NBA FINALS - Boston 122 St. Louis 103
1962 Game 7 NBA Semi-finals - Boston 109 Philadelphia 107
1962 Game 7 NBA FINALS - Boston 110 Los Angeles 107 (OT)
1963 Game 7 NBA Semi-finals - Boston 142 Cincinnati 131
1965 Game 7 NBA Semi-finals - Boston 110 Philadelphia 109
1966 Game 7 NBA FINALS - Boston 95 Los Angeles 93
1968 Game 7 NBA Semi-finals - Boston 100 Philadelphia 96
1969 Game 7 NBA FINALS - Boston 108 Los Angeles 106
Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and The New York Knickerbockers is today in Boston, exactly 50 years ago. The game airs at 2pm, on channel 7, WABC in New York. The Sports Time Traveler™ will share the story of the game tomorrow.