Banner Years: 1974, A Return to Glory

The Boston Celtics missed the playoffs in 1970.

They did not glide smoothly down from the Russell years; they fell off a cliff.

They wrapped up the 1969/70 season with a 34-48 record under rookie coach Tommy Heinsohn.

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Playoffs? The Celtics missed them for the first time in twenty years.

The following year, Boston improved to 44-38, but still missed the playoffs.

Things were looking up, however.

By the third year of the Post-Russell era, the Celtics were 56 game winners, and they advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Finals on the back of second year players Dave Cowens and JoJo White, third year player Don Chaney, and veteran players John Havlicek and Don Nelson.

The Celtics lost the Eastern Conference Finals to the Knicks in a gentleman’s sweep of five games in 1972.

In 1973, the Celtics won a franchise record 68 games and added another veteran contributor in Paul Silas, but lost to the Knicks in a seven game affair that saw the green and white claw their way back from a 3-1 deficit, only to fall, at home, to the eventual champs.

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Regular Season

BOSTON – UNDATED: Dave Cowens #18 and John Havlicek #17 of the Boston Celtics chat during an NBA game circa 1970’s at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

1974 saw the Celtics win 56 games again, but, tellingly, their longest losing streak during the regular season was just two games. They started the season hot, running out to a 16-3 record, and were on pace for 60+ wins at the All-Star break. Things slowed down a bit in the second half of the season, but Boston’s record was still good enough for first place in the Atlantic Division and the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Looking at the season-long tallies, the Celtics were good, but not elite—they didn’t lead the league in points per game, points per 100 possessions, or, on the opposite end…

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Publish date : 2026-08-18 10:00:00

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