1973-74 Wilta Chamberlain retires. Title returns to the Celtics
1973-74 Wilta Chamberlain retires. Title returns to the Celtics
Wilta Chamverlain's retirement after over 31000 points and 23000 rebounds
signaled some changes in the NBA. The old guards were gone, or on their way out.
Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere and Jerry Lucas were playing their last seasons
for New York, while Jerry West in LA and Oscar Robertson in Milwaukee were in
their final seasons as well. Boston was a mixture of veterans and young players.
John Havlicek was still in good shape with an average of 22.6 ppg, and Dave
Cowens hauled in 15.7 rebounds per game and used his quickness in the fight
against opposing centers. The Celtics won 56 games, 12 less than the year
before, but still were the best in the East, and flew past Buffalo and the aging
Knicks to reach the Finals for the first time since 1969. In the West, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar won his third MVP after averaging 27 points and 14.5 rebounds in
leading Milwaukee to a league-high 59 victories. The Bucks bested the Lakers in
five games and swept Chicago to reach the Finals.The matchup of Cowens and
Abdul-Jabbar was the main attraction of the series, and each one of them helped
his team to win, forcing a 3-3 tie in six games (including two overtime
Milwaukee victories). But in game 7, the Celtics changed their strategy and
double- and triple-teamed Abdul-Jabbar, while Cowens, freed on defense, scored
28 points and helped Boston to a 102-87 win.
John Havlicek is still among the best a decade later. John Havlicek
was 34 by the time the Celtics won the 1974 NBA Chamionship, but he looked like
the same man who had helped Boston win six NBA titles during the 60's. A memeber
of the Cousy/Russell duet, Russell was still the main man a decade later. "When
things are going well, we are simply going with the flow," explains Paul Silas,
"and sometimes it may look like we have forgotten John. We do that because he
was the man to turn bad moments into good ones for us."
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