1976–77 Boston Celtics season

1976–77 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Tom Heinsohn
General manager	Red Auerbach
Arena	Boston Garden Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record	44–38 (.537)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Conference Semi–finals (lost to 76ers 3–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WBZ-TV
Radio	WBZ

The 1976–77 Boston Celtics season was the 31st season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Even though the Celtics were the defending NBA champions, they were an aging team in transition. Thirty-five year old Don Nelson retired as a player, but the key contributors who remained were aging, namely John Havlicek (age 36), Jo Jo White (31), and Paul Silas (33). The Celtics took steps to get younger in the frontcourt by sending Silas to the Denver Nuggets in a three-way trade that ended up bringing Detroit Pistons forward Curtis Rowe. The Celtics also traded a first-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Sidney Wicks. Wicks and Rowe would provide athleticism, the Celtics felt, and, more importantly, allow Havlicek to return to a sixth-man role and not log as many minutes as in the past.

Boston only won 44 games, the fewest since coach Tom Heinsohn's second season, and lost to their rivals Philadelphia, the league's eventual runners-up, in a seven-game series.

Draft picks

Main article: 1976 NBA draft

The Celtics picked 16th in the 1976 NBA draft and selected Norm Cook, a 6–8, 210-lb. junior-eligible forward from the University of Kansas. Cook, however, did not contribute much, playing in only 25 games and averaging 2.5 points per game.

Roster

Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From C 34 Ard, Jim 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Cincinnati F 31 Boswell, Tom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) South Carolina F 52 Cook, Norm 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Kansas F/C 18 Cowens, Dave 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Florida State G/F 17 Havlicek, John 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Ohio State F/C 33 Kuberski, Steve 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Bradley F 41 Rowe, Curtis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) UCLA F 20 Saunders, Fred 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Syracuse G 11 Scott, Charlie 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) North Carolina G 27 Stacom, Kevin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Providence G 10 White, Jo Jo 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Kansas F 12 Wicks, Sidney 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) UCLA

Head coach Tom Heinsohn Assistant coach(es) John Killilea Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Regular season

The Celtics started the season 4-0 (with their first two games entering overtime, as well having another overtime game during their sixth game of the season), but Wicks and Rowe had trouble fitting in with Celtic coach Tom Heinsohn's system, and the team played .500 ball for most of the season. Charlie Scott suffered a broken foot and only played 31 games, which meant Havlicek had to log more minutes, primarily at off-guard. Depth was a problem for the Celtics, as backup center Jim Ard was the only reliable reserve. Havlicek, White, and Cowens carried most of the scoring load for the team all season.

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	–	32–9	18–23	11–5
x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6	28–13	16–25	9–7
New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10	26–15	14–27	8–8
Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20	23–18	7–34	6–10
New York Nets	22	60	.268	28	10–31	12–29	6–10

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	–
2	y-Houston Rockets	49	33	.598	1
3	x-Washington Bullets	48	34	.585	2
4	x-Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
5	x-San Antonio Spurs	44	38	.537	6
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	7
7	New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10
8	New Orleans Jazz	35	47	.427	15
9	Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	19
10	Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20
11	New York Nets	22	60	.268	28

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NOJ	NYK	NYN	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	–	0–4	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	4–0	1–2	1–3
Boston	4–0	–	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4
Buffalo	0–4	1–3	–	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	0–4
Chicago	2–2	2–2	3–1	–	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–2
Cleveland	2–2	3–1	2–2	1–3	–	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3
Denver	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–2	–	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–2	4–0	2–2
Detroit	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	–	3–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3
Golden State	4–0	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	–	2–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
Houston	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	0–3	2–2	1–2	–	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1
Indiana	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	–	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4
Kansas City	2–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	–	1–3	2–2	2–2	4–0	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	2–2	1–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	–	3–1	3–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	–	1–2	1–3	3–1	1–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3
New Orleans	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–3	2–1	–	3–1	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2
N.Y. Knicks	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	–	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–2	2–2
N.Y. Nets	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2	2–2	–	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	–	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	3–1
Phoenix	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–2	1–3	2–2	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	–	1–3	1–3	3–1	1–3
Portland	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	2–2	3–1	–	2–2	3–1	1–2
San Antonio	0–4	0–4	4–0	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	–	3–1	2–2
Seattle	2–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	–	3–1
Washington	3–1	4–0	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–4	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–1	2–2	1–3	—

Playoffs

1977 playoff game log
First Round: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 12 San Antonio W 104–94 Jo Jo White (24) Dave Cowens (13) Dave Cowens (7) Boston Garden 13,505 1–0 2 April 15 @ San Antonio W 113–109 Jo Jo White (38) Sidney Wicks (12) Cowens, Havlicek (9) HemisFair Arena 12,067 2–0
Conference semifinals: 3–4 (home: 2–1; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 17 @ Philadelphia W 113–111 Charlie Scott (22) Dave Cowens (15) Charlie Scott (8) Spectrum 13,821 1–0 2 April 20 @ Philadelphia L 101–113 John Havlicek (31) Dave Cowens (15) Jo Jo White (7) Spectrum 18,276 1–1 3 April 22 Philadelphia L 100–109 John Havlicek (25) Wicks, Cowens (8) Jo Jo White (7) Boston Garden 15,040 1–2 4 April 24 Philadelphia W 124–119 Dave Cowens (37) Dave Cowens (21) John Havlicek (15) Boston Garden 15,040 2–2 5 April 27 @ Philadelphia L 91–110 Charlie Scott (20) Curtis Rowe (16) Jo Jo White (7) Spectrum 18,276 2–3 6 April 29 Philadelphia W 113–108 Jo Jo White (40) Dave Cowens (19) John Havlicek (6) Boston Garden 15,040 3–3 7 May 1 @ Philadelphia L 77–83 Jo Jo White (17) Dave Cowens (27) Charlie Scott (6) Spectrum 18,276 3–4
1977 schedule