Remembering a sweet 16
1957: Celtics beat St. Louis, 4-3
The Celtics' dynasty didn't get off on the right foot, as Jack Coleman's 15-foot hook shot sank Boston in the second overtime of Game 1, 125-123. Bob Cousy had 26 points and missed a short-range shot with three seconds left. The Celtics tied the series in Game 2 with a 119-99 rout led by Cousy and Frank Ramsey. Game 3 featured the first memorable moment in Celtics' Finals history, as coach Red Auerbach punched Hawks owner Ben Kerner in the mouth following an argument, leaving Kerner bloodied and tempers flaring before the game even began. The Celtics would go on to drop that game, 100-98, but rebound to take Games 4, 5, and 7 for the first of 17 titles.
1959: Celtics beat Minneapolis, 4-0
The Celtics made quick work of the Lakers. Ramsey (29 and 28 points) and Bill Russell (28 and 30 rebounds) led the way in the Celtics' opening two victories at the Garden. When the series shifted to St. Paul for Game 3, the future broadcast team of Cousy and Tom Heinsohn took over. Cousy had 23 points and 19 assists, and Heinsohn led all scorers with 26 points. In Game 4, Minnesota led as late as four minutes into the fourth, but a 12-4 Boston run shut down the Lakers, and Russell hauled in five key defensive rebounds (30 overall) in the closing minutes to seal the 118-113 victory and the Celtics' second title - the first of their record eight in a row.
1960: Celtics beat St. Louis, 4-3
Game 1 was highlighted by a Celtics rout (140-122) and "an above-average fist fight" between K.C. Jones and Johnny McCarthy, according to the Globe's Jack Barry. The Hawks came out fighting in Game 2, as St. Louis outhustled Boston in a 113-103 victory. That trend was quickly stomped out in Game 3 by Ramsey and his 24-point, 7-rebound, 6-steal performance in a 102-86 victory. A pattern began to emerge as the Celtics again struggled after a win, shooting only 35 percent in a 106-96 loss. After another Boston blowout in Game 5 (127-102), the Hawks - who led Game 6 by 26 points after three quarters - held off a furious Boston rally for a 105-102 win, forcing Game 7. Team elder Cousy fueled a 122-103 win with 19 points and 14 assists for the Celtics' third banner.
1961: Celtics beat St. Louis, 4-1
The Celtics blew out the Hawks in Game 1 at the Garden for the second year in a row, 129-95. The uncanniness ended there, however, as the Celtics survived a sloppy Game 2, 116-108, thanks to 26 points and 14 assists from Cousy. Bob Pettit (31 points) and Cliff Hagan (26) - along with a rookie from Providence College named Lenny Wilkens (11 points), who would surpass Auerbach with coaching victory No. 939 nearly 34 years later - squeaked by the Celtics in Game 3, 124-120. The Celtics relied on a rookie of their own in Game 4, as Tom "Satch" Sanders sparked a 119-104 victory with 22 points and suffocating defense. Sanders and Russell dominated the boards in Game 5, leading to a 121-112 win and the second threepeat in NBA history.
1962: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-3
K.C. Jones set the tone for the Celtics early, playing with a broken nose for four minutes (courtesy of a Jim Krebs elbow) before leaving Game 1. He later returned to hold Jerry West to 5-for-22 shooting in the 122-108 win. West got his revenge by scoring 40 in a Game 2 win and then coming up with a buzzer-beating basket off a steal to take Game 3. Elgin Baylor's 61 points in Game 5 put the Celtics down, 3-2, despite 26 points and 29 rebounds from Russell and 30 points from Heinsohn. The Celtics rebounded in Game 6, then took Game 7, 110-107, in OT, led by Sam Jones (25 points in second half, 5 in OT) and Russell (30 points, 40 rebounds).
1963: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-2
The Celtics lost star rookie John Havlicek for most of the series when he leaped over the Lakers' bench for a loose ball and sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Game 1. It mattered not to the deep Boston squad, as 10 points by Heinsohn in the fourth helped Boston pull away, 117-114. Russell's 30 rebounds, 18 points, and 6 assists aided a Game 2 victory, 113-106. The Lakers, with 80 points from West (42) and Baylor (38), blew out the Celtics in the fourth quarter of Game 3. The Celtics rebounded in Game 4, winning, 108-105, behind 25 points from Heinsohn and 22 from Russell. The 3-1 series lead proved insurmountable for the Lakers, who dropped Game 6, 112-109. Heinsohn (22 points) hit four free throws in the last minute to seal the victory.
1964: Celtics beat San Francisco, 4-1
Havlicek took over for a foul-plagued Russell, leading the Celtics to a 108-96 victory in Game 1 at the Garden. Things didn't improve for the Warriors in Game 2 (a 124-101 loss), and Wilt Chamberlain let his frustration show by flooring Boston's Clyde Lovellette with a punch in the fourth quarter; a melee was averted by the intervention of the referees and Boston police officers. Chamberlain clobbered Boston with his basketball skills in Game 3, scoring 35 points in a 115-91 romp. It was the only taste of victory for Chamberlain in the series, however, as the Celtics held on for close wins in Games 4 (98-95) and 5 (105-99), capturing their sixth straight title.
1965: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-1
Things didn't start out well in Game 1 for the Lakers - and they wouldn't get much better during the series - as Boston scored a then-record 142 points (a record 78 in the second half) to the Lakers' 110. Russell had 28 rebounds and K.C. Jones held West to 6 points in the first half. After exchanging wins in Games 2 and 3 (in which West rebounded with 45 and 43 points, respectively), the Celtics defeated the Lakers in Games 4 (112-99) and 5 (129-96). A 20-0 run by the Celtics to start the fourth quarter of Game 5 prompted Auerbach, during a Lakers timeout, to leap onto the Celtics bench and toss victory cigars into the crowd - after finding owner Walter Brown's wife and giving her a celebratory kiss, that is.
1966: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-3
A typical Russell playoff performance (28 points, 26 rebounds) couldn't save the Celtics from the Baylor/West combination (36 points and 41 points, respectively) in Game 1, although it took Los Angeles overtime to knock off the champs, 133-129. The Celtics came back to win the next three games, however, getting big performances from Sam Jones (36 points) and Sanders (22 points) in Game 3, and 32 from Havlicek in Game 4. Despite dropping the next two games, the Celtics regrouped and won Game 7, 95-93. It was their eighth straight title and Auerbach's final game as coach. Future player-coach Russell had 25 points and 32 rebounds in the clincher, and Sam Jones had 22 points.
1968: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-2
This was a back-and-forth series with just one truly close game. The Celtics jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the backs of Russell and Don Nelson, who fueled an 11-0 fourth-quarter run and a 107-101 win. After a poor performance in Game 2 evened the series, the Celtics took Game 3 after nearly blowing an 18-point lead in the second half; nice hustle by Russell, who had been trailing the play, allowed the Celtics center to alter an Archie Clark layup that would have brought LA within 4, and the Celtics buckled down from there. Nelson (26 points) and Havlicek (31 points) each scored 4 in overtime of a tight Game 5 win, 120-117. Behind Bailey Howell and Havlicek, who combined for 70 points, the Celtics dominated the Lakers to clinch the series in Game 6, 124-109.
1969: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-3
Fifty-three points from West and 24 from Baylor, along with 15 points and 23 rebounds from Chamberlain, gave LA a jump-start in an all-time classic Finals with a 120-118 Game 1 win. The Celtics fell into an unusual 2-0 series hole, but prevailed in Games 3 and 4; Sam Jones (16 points) hit an off-balance 17-footer at the buzzer to give Boston an 89-88 win in Game 4 in front of a Garden record crowd of 15,123. Game 7 featured one of the great Celtics championship endings: Nelson sank a clutch jumper with 1:17 remaining to give the Celtics a 108-106 lead; a steal by Larry Siegfried followed that and allowed Boston to secure its 11th title.
1974: Celtics beat Milwaukee, 4-3
The Celtics easily dismissed the Bucks in Game 1, 98-83, despite 35 points from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Little-known Cornell Warner's 3-point play in OT sealed a 105-96 win for the Bucks in Game 2. In Game 3, the Celtics built a 21-point lead in the first quarter and didn't let it slip below 10 the rest of the game - resulting in a 95-83 win. Milwaukee started an unusually tall lineup in Game 4 (7-3, 6-9, 6-7, 6-6, 6-5) and tied the series at 2 with a 97-89 victory. After taking Game 5, the Celtics were undone by a 15-foot, running hook shot by Abdul-Jabbar with three seconds remaining in the second overtime of Game 6, giving Milwaukee a 102-101 win. As tight as the series had been, the Celtics left no doubt of who the true champions were with a 102-87 win in Game 7.
1976: Celtics beat Phoenix, 4-2
The first four games were good enough to make this a memorable series; Game 5 sent it into the stratosphere of NBA lore and legend. The Celtics won the first two games by double digits. The Suns stormed back to win the next two. Phoenix sent Game 5 into overtime with a 9-point comeback over the final 3:49. The Suns looked dead in the water again in the second overtime until Gar Heard sank his famous outside shot as the buzzer sounded, tying the game at 112. Glenn McDonald replaced Paul Silas (who had fouled out) with under two minutes remaining in the third overtime and became the unlikely hero for Boston, recording 8 crucial points and three assists in 63 seconds as the Celtics earned a 128-126 victory. A 17-6 run late in Game 6 finally turned out the lights on the Suns, giving Boston its 13th championship banner.
1981: Celtics beat Houston, 4-2
Larry Bird turned in an 18-point, 21-rebound, 9-assist performance in Game 1, a 98-95 win at the Garden. Houston struck back in Game 2, overcoming a raucous Garden crowd to pull out a 92-90 win. Bird made up for a bad shooting night (8 points) in Game 3 by contributing 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and 5 steals in the Celtics' 94-71 rout. Mike Dunleavy and Moses Malone (52 points combined) sank Boston in Game 4, 91-86. The Celtics buckled down from there, blowing out the Rockets in both Game 5 (109-80, with 28 points from Cedric Maxwell) and Game 6 (102-91, 27 points from Bird) to clinch the title.
1984: Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4-3
Los Angeles came out of the gate strong in Game 1 with a 115-109 win, led by Abdul-Jabbar's 32 points. The Celtics proved doubters wrong in Game 2 with a gutsy performance. Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass and took it in for a tying layup with 13 seconds left in regulation, and Scott Wedman hit a 13-footer with 14 seconds left in OT to seal a 124-121 Boston victory. The Celtics pushed Los Angeles to the brink of elimination with wins in Games 4 and 5, but the Lakers responded with a 30-10 run in the second half of Game 6 to remain alive. In Game 7, Maxwell dropped 24 points on the boys from Tinseltown to lead the Celtics to their 15th title.
1986: Celtics beat Houston, 4-2
Boston's defense overshadowed Houston's Twin Towers (Akeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson) in a 112-100 Game 1 victory. Boston routed the Rockets in Game 2 (117-95) behind 31 points from Bird and 25 from Kevin McHale, but Houston finally rebounded in Game 3 (106-104) behind 24 points and 22 rebounds from Sampson. Twenty-two points apiece from Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson in the pivotal fourth game gave Boston a 106-103 victory and a 3-1 series advantage. Despite the second-quarter ejection of Sampson in Game 5, the Rockets dominated Boston (leading by as many as 25) in a brawl-filled, 111-96 victory. The shoe was on the other foot in Game 6, as Boston led by as many as 30, and Bird recorded his second triple-double of the series (29 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) to lead Boston to its 16th title.
