Today's profile is of the 1976 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics were gunning for their 13th NBA title, while Phoenix was seeking their first. Little did anybody realize that a game for the ages would occur.

The Boston Celtics were the NBA's gold standard for excellence; they had won twelve NBA titles, including eight straight during the 1960s. By 1975-76, however, cracks began appearing in their veneer. John Havlicek turned 36 during the season, Don Nelson was about to retire, and the team lost during the conference finals in 1975. Could they bounce back one more time?

While the Celtics were wondering about regaining their form, the Phoenix Suns were simply seeking to be among the elite. The Suns had made the playoffs just once since entering the league in 1968, despite having two seasons with more than 48 wins. They had just missed drafting Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to the Bucks in 1969 and, while Alcindor led the Bucks to an NBA title in his second season, the Suns had never won a playoff series. Could things change in 1976?

The Celtics showed their age at times during the regular season, but when the season was over, they still finished 54-28, the best record in the Eastern Conference. Havlicek and Dave Cowens made the All-NBA 2nd team, and it appeared that the Celtics were still near the top of their game. The Suns struggled for most of the season, but got hot late and finished 42-40, good for third in the West behind the Seattle Supersonics and the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Not much was expected of them.

In the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Celtics beat the Buffalo Braves 4 games to 2 in their first playoff series, then dispatched the East's Cinderella team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4 games to 2 to earn another trip to the Finals. The Suns beat the Sonics 4 games to 2 in their opening round series, then stunned the Warriors in a tough seven game series to win the West, with the clincher coming on the road. So, for Boston to win a 13th title, they had to beat another Cinderella.

Game 1 was played at the famed Boston Garden, and the Celtics used a balanced attack (four players scored at least 15 points, led by Cowens' 25) to counter the Suns' attack led by Paul Westphal (who had been traded by the Celtics that offseason for Charlie Scott) and Rookie of the Year Alvan Adams. Havlicek overcame a painful heel injury to play 40 minutes and score 16 points and grab six rebounds and six assists. Adams scored 26 to lead the Suns, but other than him, no one else scored more than 13, as defense ruled the day, with Boston emerging on top 98-87. Game 2 wasn't close for very long; after the Suns led 25-24 through one quarter, the Celtics outscored them 56-32 to take a 23 point lead into the fourth and eventually won 105-90. Havlicek, rushed into the game again, scored 23 points to lead the team, while Westphal led Phoenix with 28. Adams had 19 points and 15 rebounds, but with no help other than Westphal, most experts believed the Celtics would sweep the series.

Game 3 saw Adams explode for 12 points in the first five minutes of action; the ROY finished with 33 points for the game. The Suns led 26-17 after one, and behind Adams and Westphal, led 52-39 at halftime, which saw the ejection of Ricky Sobers and Kevin Stacom for fighting. The Celtics rallied behind Jo Jo White's 24 points and a 13-point, 17 rebound effort from Cowens before he fouled out. The Celtics came within two before Westphal and Adams scored six straight points to seal a 105-98 win. Game 4 was close throughout, with the biggest lead being five points. Again, Westphal and Adams led the way; Westphal scored 28 points, and Adams had 20 points, six boards and seven assists. Cowens (22 points, 12 rebounds) and White (25 points) led the Celtics attack, as the game came down to a wild finish. With Phoenix leading 109-107, Don Nelson was called for a player-control foul, giving Phoenix a chance to milk some more clock. When Keith Erickson missed a shot, Boston had a chance to win, but White missed an off-balance jumper, giving Phoenix a 109-107. The series was now tied at 2, setting the stage for what is considered "the Greatest Game Ever Played".

Game 5 saw the scene shift back to Boston, and the early indicator was that this would be a blowout; with Havlicek starting for the first time in the series, Boston raced out to a 36-18 first quarter lead, and led by as many as 22, as Phoenix coach John MacLeod called a bunch of timeouts. However, the Suns didn't quit, and by the end of regulation, they were tied at 95. There was controversy at the end; the Celtics were not called for a technical foul when Paul Silas called for time without having one, and regulation ended tied. The first overtime yielded no winner, setting the stage for a second overtime. There, with Boston ahead 109-106, a legendary sequence occured; Dick Van Arsdale and Curtis Perry scored consequtive field goals to take a 110-109 lead with five seconds left. In the Boston huddle, coach Tom Heinsohn called a play for his former teammate, Havlicek. "Hondo" delivered, scoring an apparent game-winner; the clock showed zero seconds. But, as the Celtics celebrated in their locker room, chaos developed; referee Richie Powers and Sun Curtis Perry fought with fans, and there was actually one second left. Westphal called a timeout despite not having one, causing a technical foul, but allowing the ball to be advanced to mid-court (the rule has since been changed). White made the freebie, giving Boston a two-point lead, but on the Suns' inbound, Garfield Heard sank a jumper to force a third overtime. In the end, little-used Celtic reserve Glenn McDonald became a hero, scoring several huge baskets down the stretch, as Boston hung on to win 128-126 in triple overtime. The weary team headed back to Phoenix for game 6 on two days rest.

Game 6 was ragged after such a taxing affair in game 5; Boston led 38-33 at the half. Boston led by eleven during the third before Phoenix took a 67-66 lead with 7:25 left in the game. But Scott, who had been ineffective during the series, scored nine points in the quarter and finished with a game-high 25 points, and Boston won 87-80 to win the series 4 games to 2. White, who averaged 21.7 PPG to earn Finals MVP honors. The Celtics wouldn't return to the Finals for five years, while Phoenix remains without an NBA title.

1976 NBA Finals leaders: Points per game
Boston: White, 21.7 PPG; Cowens, 20.5 PPG; Havlicek, 15.5 PPG
Phoenix: Adams, 23.0 PPG; Westphal, 20.8 PPG; Sobers, 14.2 PPG

1976 NBA Finals leaders: Rebounds per game
Boston: Cowens, 16.3 RPG; Silas, 13.8 RPG; Scott, 6.0 RPG
Phoenix: Adams, 10.2 RPG; Heard, 9.3 RPG; Perry, 7.7 RPG

1976 NBA Finals leaders: Assist per game
Boston: White, 5.8 APG; Havlicek, 4.5 APG; Cowens and Scott, 3.3 APG
Phoenix: Westphal, 4.8 APG; Adams, 4.7 APG; Sobers, 3.3 APG