On Sunday, Feb. 4, 1973, the 42-10 Celtics played the 4-53 76ers. A little background is necessary. This was the seventh and final game of the season series. The Celtics and Sixers first met in Boston on Oct. 23. The 6-0 Celtics beat the 0-5 Sixers, 105-85, prompting Rubin to say, “I’m trying to spot young players with veterans, and it’s going to take some time for us to do something.’’
It never happened.
By the time the teams met again on Dec. 1, the Celtics were 18-3 and the Sixers were 2-22. The Celtics loafed their way through a 105-99 win, making coach Tom Heinsohn very unhappy. It was an attitude that would continually resurface as the Celtics defeated the 76ers three more times, leading to a meeting in Philadelphia on the night of Feb. 3 (back-to-backs were very much in vogue in those days). The cocky, arrogant Celtics again tried to win the game by taking shortcuts, and at the end of the third period they trailed by 6. They managed to pull it out, 104-100, but Heinsohn was fuming, and never mind that John Havlicek didn’t play because of a knee injury. A 41-10 team should have its way with a 4-52 team, or so you would think.
By this time, the Celtics really did think that showing up guaranteed a victory. But on Feb. 4, an inspired 76er team shot 68 percent in the first half and continued to play well in the third, and when the buzzer sounded to end the period, they had a 97-85 lead. Paul Silas was the conscience of the Celtics then, as Kevin Garnett is now. They still had a jump ball at the beginning of each quarter then, and Silas would later relate exactly what he was thinking as the players took the court to start the period.
“I could just see the headlines in the morning paper,’’ he said. “ ‘76ERS BEAT CELTICS.’ Coast to coast. And that was not going to happen.’’ You could tell by the look in Dave Cowens’s eyes that he wasn’t going to allow that headline to be seen in Albuquerque, Ashtabula, or Aliquippa, either. Cowens had looked into that proverbial mirror after the third quarter, and he did not like what he had seen.
The Celtics played that fourth quarter as if their entire year’s salary depended on it. Cowens was maniacal at both ends, as only Cowens could be. Silas grabbed whatever rebounds Cowens didn’t. Jo Jo White fired in jumpers (he would wind up with 38). And Hambone Williams ran around and ran around and ran around, firing passes hither and yon to accumulate 10 assists - how do you like that, Rajon? - in that dazzling fourth quarter. When it was over, the Celtics had scored 38, the 76ers had scored 18.
Final score: Boston 123, Philadelphia 115. Boston Globe headline: “SPIRITED CELTICS OVERHAUL 76ERS.’’ Cowens explained exactly what had motivated him. “Sometimes you fool yourself into thinking you’re doing your best, but you’re really not,’’ he said. “Your heart is in it, but your body is saying, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that.’ Maybe this is what I needed to bring me out of it - being humiliated out there.’’
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42-10. Yup, that 1972-73 team was something else. Funny thing, though, they didn't win the championship.It's understandable that Tommy Heinsohn was upset with the team's lackadaisical approach. It's equally understandable that Cowens and Silas decided to crank up the intensity and take over the game . But keep in mind these were the young and healthy Cowens and Silas. We're not talking about young and healthy players today when we talk about KG, Sheed, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
Hence, expect more and more of trying to win games at the end of games. As Kevin McHale said the other day, when you're young, you show off. You start the season 40-10. When you're older, all you care about is how you finish the season.
Amen to that, brutha.
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