The NBA playoffs are underway, and I can’t help but think about a memorable series that took place 50 years ago. For the 1973-74 Celtics, it was all about unfinished business.
Winning a franchise-record 68 games the season before had them thinking the end result would be a 12th banner, especially since they had swept four regular-season games against the West champion Lakers. But John Havlicek seriously injured his right shoulder in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks, which forced him, whenever he could get on the floor, to become more of a lefthanded player. He did score an amazing 18 points in a Game 5 victory, but it was unsustainable and the Knicks blasted the Celtics in Game 7 at Boston Garden.
The Celtics were less dominant (56-26) a season later, but they got past a spunky Buffalo Braves squad and had no trouble with an aging and injury-ridden Knicks team, advancing to face the West champion Bucks, who had the home-court advantage with their 59-23 record.
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