Jo Jo's Number Hoisted

Two championship rings . . . a lifetime 21 points a game playoff scorer, four points a game higher than his regular-season average . . . sixth all-time Celtics' scorer . . . fourth all-time Celtics' assist man . . . And now, the 14th Celtics' player to have his number retired. Meet Jo Jo White.

Jo Jo's No. 10 went up to Rafter Heaven in a nice ceremony prior to last night's pennant-clinching game with the Nets. Present for the occasion were his wife, two children and parents, as well as his Celtics coach, Tom Heinsohn, and teammates Dave Cowens (a one-time roommate), Satch Sanders and Hank Finkel. Jo Jo, now an assistant basketball coach at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, played nine-plus seasons for the Celtics, participating in 717 of his 824 NBA games, but the one for which he will always be rightfully remembered was on June 4, 1976, the famed triple overtime playoff conquest of Phoenix. White was the only Celtic player to maintain a shooting touch throughout the grueling affair, canning seven of his final eight shots while scoring 15 of his 33 points in the overtimes.

The Celtics went into the game needing either a victory or a 76er loss last night in order to clinch their third straight Atlantic Division title, since in the event the Rte. 95 rivals had both done the same thing, the Celtics would have been guaranteed an edge in tie-breakers . . . The only other team in NBA history to win 60 games three years in a row was the Milwaukee Bucks of 1970-73 . . . Robert Parish's 36 points tied a personal season high . . . He had 16 points in the first period, which was a comedown from his last first period against the Nets. He had 18 points against them in the first period back on March 12. That night he had 26 by the half; last night he had 24.

After a glorious 15-game run, Larry Bird has ceased being Mr. Automatic from the outside. His 7-for-17 showing last night made him 18 for 50 in his last three games . . . M.L. Carr. a dandy 2-for-19 shooter in his two previous games, hit his first two shots quickly en route to an 11-point evening.

Jo Jo's Number Hoisted

Two championship rings . . . a lifetime 21 points a game playoff scorer, four points a game higher than his regular-season average . . . sixth all-time Celtics' scorer . . . fourth all-time Celtics' assist man . . . And now, the 14th Celtics' player to have his number retired. Meet Jo Jo White.

Jo Jo's No. 10 went up to Rafter Heaven in a nice ceremony prior to last night's pennant-clinching game with the Nets. Present for the occasion were his wife, two children and parents, as well as his Celtics coach, Tom Heinsohn, and teammates Dave Cowens (a one-time roommate), Satch Sanders and Hank Finkel. Jo Jo, now an assistant basketball coach at the University of Kansas, his alma mater, played nine-plus seasons for the Celtics, participating in 717 of his 824 NBA games, but the one for which he will always be rightfully remembered was on June 4, 1976, the famed triple overtime playoff conquest of Phoenix. White was the only Celtic player to maintain a shooting touch throughout the grueling affair, canning seven of his final eight shots while scoring 15 of his 33 points in the overtimes.

The Celtics went into the game needing either a victory or a 76er loss last night in order to clinch their third straight Atlantic Division title, since in the event the Rte. 95 rivals had both done the same thing, the Celtics would have been guaranteed an edge in tie-breakers . . . The only other team in NBA history to win 60 games three years in a row was the Milwaukee Bucks of 1970-73 . . . Robert Parish's 36 points tied a personal season high . . . He had 16 points in the first period, which was a comedown from his last first period against the Nets. He had 18 points against them in the first period back on March 12. That night he had 26 by the half; last night he had 24.

After a glorious 15-game run, Larry Bird has ceased being Mr. Automatic from the outside. His 7-for-17 showing last night made him 18 for 50 in his last three games . . . M.L. Carr. a dandy 2-for-19 shooter in his two previous games, hit his first two shots quickly en route to an 11-point evening.

Game 6, 1976 NBA Finals (Part 13)

Game 6, 1976 NBA Finals (Part 1)

Game 7, 1974 NBA Finals

The Cowens-Era Celtics Deserve More Respect

The 1974 and the 1976 Celtics were my teams. I became a Celtics' fan on day one of the 1974 Finals. Cowens v. Jabbar. Celtics v. Bucks. The Bucks were the prohibitive favorites. The Celtics didn't stand a chance. That was enough for me. I'm rooting for the Celtics. The memories are so vivid that I even remember the pair of shoes my parents bought for me when we went out for dinner before game 1 started.

Until the 1985-86 season, the two best Celtics teams I ever saw were the 1974 and 1976 teams. The 1981 team was good, but didn't play basketball at a consistently high level. The 1984 team was fortunate to walk away with a banner. You could say the same thing about the 1974 Celtics, who won the championship only after going the full seven games, or the 1976 Celtics, who lost two in a row in Phoenix, and required three overtimes to keep them from going down 3-2, heading back to Phoenix. Still, the 1970s Celtics champions exuded excellence and superiority, and you expected them to win.

Case in point.

Watching game 5 last night, the first quarter began with a Celtics steamrolling their way to a 20-4 lead. Paul Silas, of all people, was leading the way. Fifteen footers, seventeen footers, driving layups. Silas was a man possessed. "Phoenix Suns coach John McCleod may have to reconsider his game plan if Paul Silas continues to assert himself offensively," said Rick Barry, who was providing color for the game. You can almost hear Mark Jackson echo those sentiments about Leon Powe during game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Just when you figured the Celtics' run would stop, it continued. The Celtics began zipping passes around the horn, running give-and-goes, and pick-and-rolls, all the while Dave Cowens is dominating the glass on both ends. 36-18 at the end of one. One of the best exhibitions of pure basketball that I have ever seen, including the infamous 36-6 quarter against the Hawks in the 1986 Eastern Conference Semis. The 1970s Celtics' championship teams could hang with any Celtics' team in history.

Which is why it surprises me that neither the 1974 nor the 1976 team makes Bob Ryan's list of best Celtics' teams. Yes, the 1972-73 Celtics make the list. But, Bob, they didn't win the title! How do they make the list and neither the 1974 or 1976 teams do? Ditto for the 1985 and 1987 teams. I mean, come on.

Back to the Celtics-Suns game.

Midway through the second quarter, we see back-up center Jim Ard dipsy-doo his way through the paint for a finger roll. Someone tell me the name of a back-up center on the 1985 or 1987 squads who could do that (and don't say Bill Walton, cuz he was useless in 1987). A couple minutes later Glenn McDonald drains an 18-footer, nothing but net. But for McDonald's heroics in OT (he scored 6 points in the final two minutes of the third overtime. He also grabbed a defensive rebound, drew a foul, and sank to free throws to clinch the 128-126 victory) , the Celtics probably don't win the game. Using McDonald at the three allows Hondo to move to the back court. Hmmm. A 6-7 off guard with off-the-chart skills and a championship pedigree. I don't think the 1985 or 1987 teams had anything like that.

One of these two 1970s championship teams deserves a top-five mention in Celtics' lore. I don't care which one. But one of them deserves some love.

1972-73 Player Stats

Name           G   Min   Pts   PPG   FGM   FGA   FGP   FTM   FTA   FTP  RPG   APG
John Havlicek  80 3367  1902  23.8   766  1,704  .45   370   431  .858  7.1   6.6
Dave Cowens    82 3425  1684  20.5   740  1,637  .452  204   262  .779  16.2  4.1
Jojo White     82 3250  1612  19.7   717  1,665  .431  178   228  .781  5.0   6.1
Paul Silas     80 2618  1066  13.3   400  851    .47   266   380  .710  13.0  3.1
Don Chaney     79 2488  1038  13.1   414  859    .482  210   267  .787  5.7   2.8
Don Nelson     72 1425  777   10.8   309  649    .476  159   188  .846  4.4   1.4
Steve Kuberski 78 762   345   4.4    140  347    .403  65    84   .774  2.5   0.3
Paul Westphal  60 482   245   4.1    89   212    .42   67    86   .779  1.1   1.2
Art Williams   81 974   263   3.2    110  261    .421  43    56   .768  2.2   2.9
Hank Finkel    76 496   184   2.4    78   173    .451  28    52   .538  2.0   0.3
Thomas Sanders 59 423   117   2.0    47   149    .315  23    35   .657  1.5   0.5
Mark Minor     4  20     5    1.3    1     4     .25   3     4     .75   1.0  0.5

1972-73 Team Splits

Home/Road
Split  W  L    PF    PA   PCT
Home   35  6  4695  4262  .854
Away   33  8  4543  4304  .805

By Month
Split  W  L  PF    PA     PCT
OCT    9  0  1011  913  1.000
NOV    9  3  1342  1237  .750
DEC   11  3  1567  1434  .786
JAN   12  3  1741  1574  .800
FEB   12  4  1717  1678  .750
MAR   15  1  1860  1730  .938
APR    0  0  0     0     .000

By Opponent
Split  W  L  PF  PA  PCT
ATL    5  1  718  650  .833
BAL    5  1  657  606  .833
BUF    7  0  799  743  1.000
CHI    3  1  406  400  .750
CLE    5  1  646  563  .833
DET    3  1  452  431  .750
GSW    3  1  468  443  .750
HOU    5  1  728  676  .833
KCK    3  1  438  414  .750
LAL    4  0  446  425  1.000
MIL    2  2  422  397  .500
NYK    4  4  845  840  .500
PHI    7  0  796  721  1.000
PHO    4  0  466  425  1.000
POR    4  0  478  427  1.000
SEA    4  0  473  405  1.000

Close(<4)>11 points)

Split        W   L  PF    PA     PCT
Close Games  7   5  1266  1265  .583
One Sided    30  1  3712  3180  .968

1972-73 Game Log

Date       Team  Opponent               Score         W-L
10/11/1972 BOS  at Detroit Pistons      121 - 108     1 - 0
10/13/1972 BOS  Los Angeles Lakers      112 - 104     2 - 0
10/14/1972 BOS  at Chicago Bulls        96 - 88       3 - 0
10/17/1972 BOS  at Atlanta Hawks        119 - 115     4 - 0
10/20/1972 BOS  Buffalo Braves          126 - 118     5 - 0
10/21/1972 BOS  at Baltimore Bullets    104 - 101     6 - 0
10/23/1972 BOS  Philadelphia 76ers      105 - 85      7 - 0
10/24/1972 BOS  at Buffalo Braves       105 - 97      8 - 0
10/27/1972 BOS  Cleveland Cavaliers     123 - 97      9 - 0
11/3/1972  BOS  Baltimore Bullets       109 - 96      10 - 0
11/4/1972  BOS  Kansas City Kings       107 - 118     10 - 1
11/8/1972  BOS  Golden State Warriors   128 - 111     11 - 1
11/10/1972 BOS  at Buffalo Braves       106 - 104     12 - 1
11/11/1972 BOS  Detroit Pistons         121 - 118     13 - 1
11/15/1972 BOS  Phoenix Suns            113 - 94      14 - 1
11/17/1972 BOS  Milwaukee Bucks         88 - 95       14 - 2
11/21/1972 BOS  at Milwaukee Bucks      116 - 102     15 - 2
11/22/1972 BOS  Portland Trailblazers   126 - 107     16 - 2
11/24/1972 BOS  New York Knicks         114 - 97      17 - 2
11/25/1972 BOS  at New York Knicks      94 - 97       17 - 3
11/29/1972 BOS  Seattle Supersonics     120 - 98      18 - 3
12/1/1972  BOS  at Philadelphia 76ers   105 - 99      19 - 3
12/2/1972  BOS  Philadelphia 76ers      131 - 120     20 - 3
12/8/1972  BOS  at Cleveland Cavaliers  96 - 87       21 - 3
12/9/1972  BOS  Cleveland Cavaliers     123 - 88      22 - 3
12/13/1972 BOS  at Phoenix Suns         105 - 100     23 - 3
12/15/1972 BOS  at Los Angeles Lakers   102 - 98      24 - 3
12/16/1972 BOS  at Portland Trailblaze  123 - 116     25 - 3
12/17/1972 BOS  at Seattle Supersonics  123 - 98      26 - 3
12/19/1972 BOS  at Golden State Warrio  112 - 115     26 - 4
12/22/1972 BOS  at Kansas City Kings    118 - 90      27 - 4
12/23/1972 BOS  at Milwaukee Bucks      98 - 104      27 - 5
12/26/1972 BOS  New York Knicks         115 - 106     28 - 5
12/29/1972 BOS  Chicago Bulls           99 - 106      28 - 6
12/30/1972 BOS  Philadelphia 76ers      117 - 107     29 - 6
1/2/1973   BOS  at Houston Rockets      130 - 110     30 - 6
1/3/1973   BOS  at Houston Rockets      112 - 123     30 - 7
1/5/1973   BOS  at Atlanta Hawks        126 - 108     31 - 7
1/7/1973   BOS  at Baltimore Bullets    116 - 98      32 - 7
1/10/1973  BOS  Houston Rockets         128 - 107     33 - 7
1/12/1973  BOS  Atlanta Hawks           133 - 109     34 - 7
1/13/1973  BOS  at Philadelphia 76ers   111 - 95      35 - 7
1/16/1973  BOS  at Buffalo Braves       106 - 102     36 - 7
1/17/1973  BOS  Portland Trailblazers   117 - 99      37 - 7
1/19/1973  BOS  Seattle Supersonics     124 - 104     38 - 7
1/21/1973  BOS  Buffalo Braves          104 - 97      39 - 7
1/26/1973  BOS  Houston Rockets         139 - 126     40 - 7
1/27/1973  BOS  at New York Knicks      108 - 111     40 - 8
1/28/1973  BOS  New York Knicks         93 - 96       40 - 9
1/31/1973  BOS  Cleveland Cavaliers     94 - 89       41 - 9
2/2/1973   BOS  Atlanta Hawks           99 - 100      41 - 10
2/3/1973   BOS  at Philadelphia 76ers   104 - 100     42 - 10
2/4/1973   BOS  Philadelphia 76ers      123 - 115     43 - 10
2/6/1973   BOS  at Cleveland Cavaliers  105 - 110     43 - 11
2/7/1973   BOS  Los Angeles Lakers      113 - 112     44 - 11
2/9/1973   BOS  Detroit Pistons         95 - 104      44 - 12
2/11/1973  BOS  Milwaukee Bucks         120 - 96      45 - 12
2/13/1973  BOS  at Chicago Bulls        105 - 101     46 - 12
2/14/1973  BOS  at Kansas City Kings    104 - 101     47 - 12
2/16/1973  BOS  at Portland Trailblaze  112 - 105     48 - 12
2/17/1973  BOS  at Golden State Warrio  110 - 106     49 - 12
2/18/1973  BOS  at Seattle Supersonics  106 - 105     50 - 12
2/20/1973  BOS  Phoenix Suns            107 - 97      51 - 12
2/25/1973  BOS  at Cleveland Cavaliers  105 - 92      52 - 12
2/27/1973  BOS  at New York Knicks      91 - 123      52 - 13
2/28/1973  BOS  Golden State Warriors   118 - 111     53 - 13
3/2/1973   BOS  at Detroit Pistons      115 - 101     54 - 13
3/4/1973   BOS  Buffalo Braves          125 - 113     55 - 13
3/6/1973   BOS  at Buffalo Braves       127 - 112     56 - 13
3/8/1973   BOS  at Phoenix Suns         141 - 134     57 - 13
3/9/1973   BOS  at Los Angeles Lakers   119 - 111     58 - 13
3/11/1973  BOS  New York Knicks         122 - 107     59 - 13
3/14/1973  BOS  Baltimore Bullets       111 - 107     60 - 13
3/16/1973  BOS  at Baltimore Bullets    97 - 103      60 - 14
3/18/1973  BOS  Kansas City Kings       109 - 105     61 - 14
3/20/1973  BOS  Houston Rockets         94 - 89       62 - 14
3/21/1973  BOS  Chicago Bulls           106 - 105     63 - 14
3/23/1973  BOS  Atlanta Hawks           124 - 108     64 - 14
3/24/1973  BOS  at New York Knicks      108 - 103     65 - 14
3/25/1973  BOS  at Houston Rockets      125 - 121     66 - 14
3/27/1973  BOS  at Atlanta Hawks        117 - 110     67 - 14
3/28/1973  BOS  Baltimore Bullets       120 - 101     68 - 14

1973 Playoffs
 
Date     Team  Opponent                Score          W-L
Eastern Semifinals 
4/1/1973  BOS   Atlanta Hawks           134 - 109     1 - 0
4/4/1973  BOS   at Atlanta Hawks        126 - 113     2 - 0
4/6/1973  BOS   Atlanta Hawks           105 - 118     2 - 1
4/8/1973  BOS   at Atlanta Hawks        94 - 97       2 - 2
4/11/1973 BOS   Atlanta Hawks           108 - 101     3 - 2
4/13/1973 BOS   at Atlanta Hawks        121 - 103     4 - 2

Eastern Finals 
4/15/1973 BOS   New York Knicks         134 - 108     1 - 0
4/18/1973 BOS   at New York Knicks      96 - 129      1 - 1
4/20/1973 BOS   New York Knicks         91 - 98       1 - 2
4/22/1973 BOS   at New York Knicks      110 - 117     1 - 3
4/25/1973 BOS   New York Knicks         98 - 97       2 - 3
4/27/1973 BOS   at New York Knicks      110 - 100     3 - 3
4/29/1973 BOS   New York Knicks         78 - 94       3 - 4

A Brief Biography of Jo Jo White

Joseph Henry White, more commonly known as Jo Jo White, was born was born on November 16, 1949. White grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.

Jo Jo White rose quickly to the top of the college basketball pool of talent during his career at the University of Kansas. His most noted college game and performance was against the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), who was at
the time called Texas Western University. White's team lost to a Texas Western team that ended up going on to win the NCAA National Championship. During his career at the University of Kansas, White averaged 15.3 points per game to go along with 4.9 assists. White was a three time All-American selection.

Jo Jo White had an extremely solid and productive NBA career. He was selected with the number nine pick in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. The Celtics were in a big transitional period at the time. They had just finished an incredible run in which they won 11 NBA titles. This situation was ideal for White, as he flourished almost immediately in the league. His first season, in 1970, did not go very well with relation to the team. The Celtics finished the season with their worst record in about 20 years. White averaged 14.7 points per contest that year.

The 1971 season brought better luck for the Celtics. Though a title was not won, the improvement in the team was great. White was elected to the NBA All Star game in 1971 and would continue to appear in the game for the next six seasons after. White was also well known for starting a run during the 1971 season in which he played every regular season game for five straight seasons.

The Celtics continued to get better over the next few years and White led them to the NBA championship in 1974 and 1976. He was especially well known for getting the NBA Finals MostValuable Player award for the 1976 championship series. Winning championships in Boston makes you untouchable. White's number was retired by the Celtics on April 9, 1982. White played in the NBA for 12 seasons, 10 of them for the Boston Celtics. White was the leading scorer with 33 points in what is regarded as the best game ever played in NBA history. The game during the 1976 NBA Finals featured a triple overtime match between the Celtics and the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics finally emerged with a victory after the third overtime with a score of 128-126. Perhaps the most unbelievable feat by White in this game was that he played for 60 minutes.

White is presently working as the Director of Special Projects and Community Relations with the Boston Celtics. He is a big Celtics fan and I even had the pleasure of meeting him at a recent game I attended.

Jo Jo White will without a doubt be a Basketball Hall of Fame selection in the future. His mark on not only the Boston Celtics but the entire NBA was immeasurable. He was known for being an all around player who could shoot, play solid defense, and do anything that it took for his team to win.

Pierce & Jo Jo

--Journal-World (Lawrence, KS)

Now that Paul Pierce is hogging the headlines during the NBA Finals, it's possible he'll soon shed his second-rate status.

Pierce, a second-rater? Am I nuts?

Here is clearly one of the best players in professional basketball, a man who is paid a stratospheric $16 million plus per year, a man who probably could be elected mayor of Boston.

All of that may be true, yet Pierce remains only the second-best former Kansas University player to put on a Celtics uniform. Jo Jo White is still No. 1.

How many NBA championships have the Celtics won during Pierce's tenure? None. White, however, played on a couple of Boston title teams in the mid-1970s.

Has Pierce's jersey been retired in Beantown? No. But White's No. 10 is hanging from the rafters in the TD Banknorth Garden, the Celtics' home arena.

Memories of a player's skills diminish in direct proportion to the passage of years, and White played in his last NBA game nearly three decades ago. Yet White was just as important to the Celtics then as Pierce is to them now, if in a different context.

White was a guard noted for his speed, defense and floor acumen. He wasn't known as a scorer, but White did average a not-so-shabby 17.2 points a game during his 14-year NBA career. Pierce, meanwhile, is a points producer who averaged around 23 a game during the regular season.

White was also unusually durable. During a five-year stretch in the mid-70s, for instance, White played in all 82 of the Celtics' regular season games. Meanwhile, Pierce has been pretty durable, too. He missed nearly half the 2006-2007 season with an elbow injury, but otherwise has been an iron man during his decade in the NBA.

Curiously, both White and Pierce were taken at almost the same time in the NBA Draft. Back in 1969, the Celtics had the ninth pick in the first round and tapped White. Nearly 30 years later, the Celtics had the 10th pick and opted for Pierce.

You may recall that back in 1998 Pierce was expected to go higher than the 10th pick, but scouts downgraded him because they judged he was out of shape during the pre-draft camps. Shows you how much those pre-draft workouts mean, doesn't it?

Some thought Pierce might go as high as No. 2 that year, yet he slipped all the way to 10th. In retrospect, however, several quality players were taken ahead of him -- Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki, to name a few. So it wasn't like the NBA teams considered Pierce chopped liver.

Also taken ahead of Pierce was former KU teammate Raef LaFrentz. A two-time All-American, the 6-foot-11 LaFrentz was the third name called.

Although still in the NBA, LaFrentz never really lived up to expectations after tearing an ACL early in his rookie year with the Denver Nuggets. But we need not shed a tear for him. LaFrentz is set for life, thanks to a seven-year, $70 million contract that won't expire until after the 2008-2009 season.

Meanwhile, Pierce appears well on his way to Celtics' immortality, and perhaps also on a path that would make him one of only a handful of former KU players in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

1972-73 Player Salaries

Salaries

About ▪ CSV ▪ PRE

Rk	Player	Salary
1	John Havlicek	$250,000
2	Dave Cowens	$151,000
3	Jo Jo White	$125,000
4	Don Nelson	$75,000
5	Steve Kuberski	$70,000
6	Paul Westphal	$60,000
7	Hank Finkel	$52,500
8	Don Chaney	$50,000

Boston Celitcs 1972-73 Game Logs

Regular Seasn
10/11/1972 BOS at Detrit Pistns 121 - 108 1 - 0
10/13/1972 BOS Ls Angeles Lakers 112 - 104 2 - 0
10/14/1972 BOS at Chicag Bulls 96 - 88 3 - 0
10/17/1972 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 119 - 115 4 - 0
10/20/1972 BOS Buffal Braves 126 - 118 5 - 0
10/21/1972 BOS at Baltimre Bullets 104 - 101 6 - 0
10/23/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 105 - 85 7 - 0
10/24/1972 BOS at Buffal Braves 105 - 97 8 - 0
10/27/1972 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 123 - 97 9 - 0
11/3/1972 BOS Baltimre Bullets 109 - 96 10 - 0
11/4/1972 BOS Kansas City Kings 107 - 118 10 - 1
11/8/1972 BOS Glden State Warrirs 128 - 111 11 - 1
11/10/1972 BOS at Buffal Braves 106 - 104 12 - 1
11/11/1972 BOS Detrit Pistns 121 - 118 13 - 1
11/15/1972 BOS Phenix Suns 113 - 94 14 - 1
11/17/1972 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 88 - 95 14 - 2
11/21/1972 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 116 - 102 15 - 2
11/22/1972 BOS Prtland Trailblazers 126 - 107 16 - 2
11/24/1972 BOS New Yrk Knicks 114 - 97 17 - 2
11/25/1972 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 94 - 97 17 - 3
11/29/1972 BOS Seattle Supersnics 120 - 98 18 - 3
12/1/1972 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 105 - 99 19 - 3
12/2/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 131 - 120 20 - 3
12/8/1972 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 96 - 87 21 - 3
12/9/1972 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 123 - 88 22 - 3
12/13/1972 BOS at Phenix Suns 105 - 100 23 - 3
12/15/1972 BOS at Ls Angeles Lakers 102 - 98 24 - 3
12/16/1972 BOS at Prtland Trailblazers 123 - 116 25 - 3
12/17/1972 BOS at Seattle Supersnics 123 - 98 26 - 3
12/19/1972 BOS at Glden State Warrirs 112 - 115 26 - 4
12/22/1972 BOS at Kansas City Kings 118 - 90 27 - 4
12/23/1972 BOS at Milwaukee Bucks 98 - 104 27 - 5
12/26/1972 BOS New Yrk Knicks 115 - 106 28 - 5
12/29/1972 BOS Chicag Bulls 99 - 106 28 - 6
12/30/1972 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 117 - 107 29 - 6 at Prvidence, RI
1/2/1973 BOS at Hustn Rckets 130 - 110 30 - 6
1/3/1973 BOS at Hustn Rckets 112 - 123 30 - 7
1/5/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 126 - 108 31 - 7
1/7/1973 BOS at Baltimre Bullets 116 - 98 32 - 7 at Cllege Park, MD
1/10/1973 BOS Hustn Rckets 128 - 107 33 - 7
1/12/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 133 - 109 34 - 7
1/13/1973 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 111 - 95 35 - 7
1/16/1973 BOS at Buffal Braves 106 - 102 36 - 7
1/17/1973 BOS Prtland Trailblazers 117 - 99 37 - 7
1/19/1973 BOS Seattle Supersnics 124 - 104 38 - 7
1/21/1973 BOS Buffal Braves 104 - 97 39 - 7
1/26/1973 BOS Hustn Rckets 139 - 126 40 - 7
1/27/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 108 - 111 40 - 8
1/28/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 93 - 96 40 - 9
1/31/1973 BOS Cleveland Cavaliers 94 - 89 41 - 9
2/2/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 99 - 100 41 - 10
2/3/1973 BOS at Philadelphia 76ers 104 - 100 42 - 10
2/4/1973 BOS Philadelphia 76ers 123 - 115 43 - 10
2/6/1973 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 105 - 110 43 - 11
2/7/1973 BOS Ls Angeles Lakers 113 - 112 44 - 11
2/9/1973 BOS Detrit Pistns 95 - 104 44 - 12
2/11/1973 BOS Milwaukee Bucks 120 - 96 45 - 12
2/13/1973 BOS at Chicag Bulls 105 - 101 46 - 12
2/14/1973 BOS at Kansas City Kings 104 - 101 47 - 12 at Omaha, NE
2/16/1973 BOS at Prtland Trailblazers 112 - 105 48 - 12
2/17/1973 BOS at Glden State Warrirs 110 - 106 49 - 12
2/18/1973 BOS at Seattle Supersnics 106 - 105 50 - 12
2/20/1973 BOS Phenix Suns 107 - 97 51 - 12
2/25/1973 BOS at Cleveland Cavaliers 105 - 92 52 - 12
2/27/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 91 - 123 52 - 13
2/28/1973 BOS Glden State Warrirs 118 - 111 53 - 13
3/2/1973 BOS at Detrit Pistns 115 - 101 54 - 13
3/4/1973 BOS Buffal Braves 125 - 113 55 - 13
3/6/1973 BOS at Buffal Braves 127 - 112 56 - 13
3/8/1973 BOS at Phenix Suns 141 - 134 57 - 13
3/9/1973 BOS at Ls Angeles Lakers 119 - 111 58 - 13
3/11/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 122 - 107 59 - 13
3/14/1973 BOS Baltimre Bullets 111 - 107 60 - 13
3/16/1973 BOS at Baltimre Bullets 97 - 103 60 - 14
3/18/1973 BOS Kansas City Kings 109 - 105 61 - 14
3/20/1973 BOS Hustn Rckets 94 - 89 62 - 14 at Prvidence, RI
3/21/1973 BOS Chicag Bulls 106 - 105 63 - 14
3/23/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 124 - 108 64 - 14
3/24/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 108 - 103 65 - 14
3/25/1973 BOS at Hustn Rckets 125 - 121 66 - 14
3/27/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 117 - 110 67 - 14
3/28/1973 BOS Baltimre Bullets 120 - 101 68 - 14
1973 Playffs
Date Team Oppnent Scre W-L Lcatin
Eastern Semifinals
4/1/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 134 - 109 1 - 0
4/4/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 126 - 113 2 - 0
4/6/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 105 - 118 2 - 1
4/8/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 94 - 97 2 - 2
4/11/1973 BOS Atlanta Hawks 108 - 101 3 - 2
4/13/1973 BOS at Atlanta Hawks 121 - 103 4 - 2
Eastern Finals
4/15/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 134 - 108 1 - 0
4/18/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 96 - 129 1 - 1
4/20/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 91 - 98 1 - 2
4/22/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 110 - 117 1 - 3
4/25/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 98 - 97 2 - 3
4/27/1973 BOS at New Yrk Knicks 110 - 100 3 - 3
4/29/1973 BOS New Yrk Knicks 78 - 94 3 - 4

A Few Facts about the 1972-73 Boston Celtics

Started 10-0

Finished Season 68-14

Lost in Eastern Conference Finals to Knicks after Hondo Separated Shoulder

Knicks Beat Lakers 4-1 in Finals

Celtics Beat Lakers 4-0 During Regular Season

Cowens averaged 31 Points, 19 Rebounds against Wilt in those 4 Games

Celtics Started the Following Season 29-7, making them 97-21 over the Two Seasons

League MVP C Dave Cowens (20.5 ppg, 16.2 rpg, 4.1 apg)

All-Star F John Havlicek (23.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 6.6 apg)

All Star G Jo Jo White (19.7 ppg, 6.1 apg, 5.0 rpg)

Paul Westphal Taken with Celtics' Lone First-Round Pick

Paul Silas Added to Roster to Start the Season

Don Nelson Key Role Player

Tom Heinsohn won Coach of the Year