On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-87 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Milwaukee to win their 12th NBA Championship. It was Boston’s first championship with legendary big man Bill Russell, and head coach and former player Tommy Heinsohn’s first as coach.
Celtics center luminary Dave Cowens led the team with 28 points and 14 rebounds, forward John Havlicek added 16 points and 9 boards, and 6 assists, while point guard Jo Jo White chipped in 16 points and 5 assists. Reserve forward contributed Paul Silas 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals for good measure. Dropping their usual man-to-man defense to double and triple Bucks star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it proved critical to the win. It was Boston’s first championship since 1969. “We were the David, and they were the Goliath,” said then-coach of the Celtics Tommy Heinsohn to On Milwaukee’s Jim Owczarski many years later.
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“It’s very frustrating because if we were healthy, I think we would have beat them in six games,” countered Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Sep 30, 2013; Waltham, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward/guard Keith Bogans (4) poses for pictures during media day at the Celtics Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
It is also the birthday of former Celtic Keith Bogans, while only playing six games with the team, indirectly helped make the existence of the current roster possible. Born on this day in 1980 in Alexandria, Virginia, Bogans made the deal that sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013 possible by agreeing to a sign-and-trade.
While another iteration of the deal might have been had, the picks which landed Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Romeo Langford were acquired or derived from the deal he helped make possible. Bogans averaged 2 points, 0.5 rebounds, and as many assists with Boston before being excused by the team indefinitely for unnamed personal reasons.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Boston wins 12th title in 1974; Keith Bogans born