1977 PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

DAY 8 – “THE RING’S THE THING: 50 YEARS – 50 CHAMPS”

The Portland Trailblazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, 7 years later they were NBA champs! It was the first season they made the playoffs.

Led by Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas, head coach Dr. Jack Ramsay put together a great collection of young players who played the right way. It was Ramsay’s first season in charge.

In 1976 the ABA and NBA merged. The dispersal draft was very good to Portland as they picked up Lucas and guard Dave Twardzik.

Lucas led the Blazers in scoring at 20.2 and Walton led the league in rebounding (14.4) and blocked shots (3.2). Lucas also pulled down 11.2 boards per game.

Lionel Hollins, Bobby Gross, Larry Steele, Herm Gilliam, Lloyd Neal, Corky Calhoun and rookie Johnny Davis all were important pieces to the Blazers puzzle.

Their record for the regular season was 49-33. 45-6 at home, hence the nickname, “Blazermania.” They were 10-0 at home in the playoffs.

After beating Chicago 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, the Blazers beat Denver 4-2. Surprisingly the Blazers swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals 4-0. LA had the best record in the west at 53-29 and had defeated the Blazers 3-1 during the season.

In the finals the Blazers found themselves down 0-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers. In game 1 Portland had committed 34 turnovers!

In game 2 things got a bit chippy late in the game. Darryl Dawkins and Gross both went up for a rebound, neither of them able to strip the ball away from the other player. They wrestled each other to the floor and with tempers flaring, the two players squared off. Both benches cleared, including the coaches, as everyone rushed to the floor. Lucas eventually ended up slapping Dawkins from behind. Lucas and Dawkins were ejected from the game, and Dawkins’ teammate, Doug Collins, had to receive four stitches after he caught a missed punch by Dawkins.

Dawkins and Lucas were both fined $2,500.

Coming home to their fans, Portland blew Philadelphia out in games 3 and 4 by 22 and 32 points. Portland would win games 5 and 6.

When Lucas was announced during the player introductions before game 3, he trotted down to the Sixers bench and shook hands with Dawkins.

In the sixth and deciding game, Walton had 20 points, 23 rebounds (20 defensive), 8 blocks and 7 assists.

Walton was named finals MVP. 18.7 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks per game.

“He is a clinic in basketball,” said Kevin Loughery.

Walton missed 17 games during the season due to injuries, Portland was 5-12 without him.

Not one Blazer made 1st or 2nd team All-League. Lucas with his scoring average didn’t even crack the Top 20. Lucas and Walton were selected to play in the all-star game but Walton sat out due to an injury.

7 players from the championship team have had their number retired. It also must be mentioned the late Jack McKinney was the Blazers assistant coach.

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

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1976 BOSTON CELTICS

DAY 7 – “THE RING’S THE THING: 50 YEARS-50 CHAMPS

The Boston Celtics capture their second ring in three years beating the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the finals.

Tom Heinsohn was the head coach. The C’s were led by vets Dave Cowens, Jo-Jo White, John Havlicek and Paul Silas.

Boston finished the regular season 54-28. They defeated the Buffalo Braves 4-2 and the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2. The Suns record was 42-40.

Before the start of the season the Celtics traded Paul Westphal to the Suns for Charlie Scott. Westphal played 3 years in Boston, returned and played well in the finals against his former club. It’s not often a player is traded from a championship team only to come back the next year and face their old club in the finals.

Scott would team up with White in the Celtics backcourt – back in the 1968 Olympics, White and Scott made up the starting backcourt for Team USA. BTW, both guards played all 82 games that season.

“I think that was the most gratifying thing for me – the first year we got the championship,” said Scott. “I fit in very well. The most important thing was that my teammates respected me, the coaching staff and management respected me and really the fans respected me. I feel very fortunate to be Celtic. My favorite memory is playing with that great group of guys. That is what I mean when I was saying it is so hard to quit. It is not the wins and losses, it is the camaraderie and the challenge of going out every night and trying to be the better team.”

With the series tied at 2, Game 5 in the Boston Garden was wild. June 4, 1976 in double OT Gar Heard hit a buzzer beater for the Suns to force a third OT.

The best story of the night was a decision by Westphal. Havlicek made a running banker with 2 seconds left to put Boston up 1. The clock kept running and time ran out. Fans rushed the court and the players went to the locker room thinking the game was over. But the official Richie Powers put two seconds on the clock. With the Suns in possession, Westphal called a timeout, knowing the Suns were out of TO’s. They were assessed a technical foul and Jo-Jo White made the free-throw to put Boston up 2. In 1976, the ball was advanced to three-quarter court after a tech, and you didn’t lose possession. So now the Suns had a closer look at the goal. Heard hit the shot at the buzzer to force a third OT.

Brilliant move by Westphal, but the C’s would win it in the third OT 128-126. Two days later the Celtics would win Game 6, 87-80 for their 13th championship in 20 years.

Paul Silas led the NBA in offensive rebounds. Hondo played with a torn plantar fascia. White played 60 minutes in game 5 and was later named finals MVP. Cowens and Havlicek made 2nd team all-league.

Cowens, Hondo and Silas made 1st team all-defense.

“I was just glad we didn’t have to play Golden State. They kicked our ass all the time,” said Cowens about their finals opponent.

Interesting note – Charlie Scott led the league in personal fouls that season so it’s no surprise Scott fouled out of the first five games of the series. In the 6th game he committed 5 fouls. “I fouled out of the first five damn games. I’m the only guy in history to foul out of the first five games of the Finals.”

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

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FOUR MORE

The NBA finals are all set. Starting Wednesday night the LA Lakers will take on the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA finals.

The Heat beat the Celtics last night 125-113 behind Bam Adebayo’s 32 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists.

“He’s about all the right things. He’s all about winning. That’s all that matters,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.

That goes for the rest of the team. Jimmy Butler added 22 points and Tyler Herro scored 19. Herro has now scored in double figures 22 straight games.

“They do the basics at a high level,” ESPN analyst Tim Legler said about the Miami Heat. “The best passing team in the league. The smartest team in the NBA. Erik Spoelstra is the best coach in the NBA.”

Legs has a point.

Duncan Robinson and Andre Iguodala each had 15 and Goran Dragic added 13 for the Heat.

‘‘We deserve to be here,” Dragic said.

When you watch the Miami Heat play you see a team that plays the right way. They share the ball, defend and most of all they trust each other. They’re a team that every high school and college basketball player should watch.

“This group loves to compete. We have a lot of guys in our locker room that have been passed over. Been told in some form or fashion they’re less than. They’re anti-AAU. Anti-analytic. Inside the 4 lines they find a way to get a win,” Spoelstra added.

Hope his AAU comment doesn’t tick anyone off.

Stan Van Gundy tweeted out that they should put Spoelstra in the Hall of Fame.

His brother Jeff added: “He is so humble, that he always deflects the credit to others.”

So true.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points. The Celtics have now lost in the Eastern Conference the last 3 out of 4 years. Jayson Tatum added 24 points but struggled from the floor (9-26 FG) but added 11 assists. Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker added 20 each.

3-PT FG’s: Heat 72-223 .323 – Celtics 75-220 .341

Assists to Turnovers; Heat 157-66. Celtics 153-84.

The Heat are the only NBA franchise with six Finals appearances in the last 15 years. They’re seeking their fourth title. Udonis Haslem is the only player to be on all six Heat teams that have made the finals.

Sad news of the passing of Alan Wallace. Father of 3 wonderful children in the Mid-Michigan area. His son Jay is an outstanding basketball player at Williamston HS. First met Al a few years ago when he brought Jay up to our open gym. Condolences to Al’s family. R.I.P. my friend.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT FROM JEFF VAN GUNDY:

“It’s a mindset to be assertive right from the tip.”

Happy birthday Johnny Dawkins.

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

1975 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

DAY 6- “THE RING’S THE THING: 50 YEARS – 50 CHAMPS.”

Rick Barry was the best player on the 1975 Golden State Warriors. Barry averaged 30 points per game that season, led the league in steals and free-throw percentage. He was named 1st Team All-League and was Finals MVP.

The Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4-0.

Jamal Wilkes, Butch Beard, Charles Johnson, Clifford Ray, George Johnson, Phil Smith, Derrek Dickey, and Jeff Mullins all key contributors to Golden State’s success.

Al Attles was the head coach. In game 4 Attles was ejected so he wasn’t able to be on the floor when the Warriors won it.

The Warriors were the #1 team in the league on offense with 108.5 points per game.

Wilkes was named Rookie of the Year.

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

A BUCKET?

Paul Pierce is right. Wait, did I just type that?

“I can’t call nobody a bucket if you ain’t averaging at least 20 [over the course of a season],” Pierce said. “If you average 11, I can’t give you ‘I’m a bucket.’ You know what I’m saying? I can’t give you ‘I’m a bucket’ just because you get a couple of buckets on the big stage.”

I never understood that whole “buckets” thing with anyone.

The Lakers finished up the Western Conference finals 4-1 with a win over the Nuggets last night, 117-107. LA will now await the winner from the East, Miami or Boston?

It’s the first time in 10 years the Lakers are in the finals.

LeBron James went off for 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. The oldest player on the floor took over.

I thought Nuggets head coach Mike Malone had a great line following the game when describing LeBron and the greatest player of all-time.

“Everyone wants to get caught up in the argument of the greatest of all-time. That is an unwinnable debate. LeBron is a great player. One of the greatest to ever do it. His resume speaks for itself.”

That’s all we need to know…

LeBron moves into an exclusive club; Most NBA Finals Appearances: Bill Russell 12 (11-1) Sam Jones 11 (10-1) *LeBron James 10 (3-6) and Kareem Abdul-Jabber 10 (6-4)

Playoff Triple-Doubles NBA History: Magic Johnson 30 (190 games) LeBron 27 (254 games) Jason Kidd 11 (158 games).

Rajon Rondo had 37 assists and 11 turnovers in the 5 game Western Conference finals against the Nuggets.

Dwight Howard gave the Lakers a lift in the series. 8.2 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.

The Lakers are 12-3 in the playoffs. They won each series 4-1.

Nikola Jokic led Denver with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Jokic battled foul trouble, he was limited to 29 minutes of action.

Jerami Grant stepped up for Denver with 20 points and 9 rebounds.

The Denver Nuggets had an outstanding season. Keep in mind they were the #3 seed in the Western Conference. They were down 3-1 to the Clippers (#2 seed) and came back to win. They were also down 3-1 to the Jazz. Future is bright for Denver, their arrow is pointing up.

“It’s not the end goal but to make it as far and surprise as many people as we did, it’s a good feeling,” Jamal Murray said. ”So, try to come back next year and try to come back stronger.”

I’m a big 3-pt guy and Assists to Turnovers ratio believer. In the series:

Lakers shot 49-142 .345 – Nuggets 46-137 .336

LA dished out 130 assists to 72 turnovers. Denver was 116-75.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT FROM LEBRON JAMES:

“It’s my responsibility to do the right things on the floor. My shoulders is wide enough to carry a lot of load, but my mind is stronger. I always keep my mind strong.”

Happy Birthday Monte Towe

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hoopscoach

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1974 BOSTON CELTICS

Day 5 – “THE RING’S THE THING: 50 YEARS – 50 CHAMPS.”

This was the first championship for Boston after Bill Russell retired.

John Havlicek, Jo-Jo White, Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, and Don Chaney

Tom Heinsohn was the head coach.

It was the Celtics 12th championship in their history.

It took 7 games in 15 days for Boston to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3.

The road team won 5 times in the series, including game 7 where Boston became the first road team to win a game 7 in NBA finals history.

Havlicek was named MVP of the series.

4 Celtics played in all 82 regular season games.

Hondo had 3 triple-doubles on the year.

Silas, Cowens, Nelson, Chaney and Paul Westphal – would become NBA head coaches.

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

FAKE A PASS TO MAKE A PASS

Leading the Eastern Conference Finals series 3-1, The Miami Heat were looking to wrap up it up last night and get ready for the championship but the Boston Celtics said, “hold up, we’re not going anywhere.”

Boston pulled out the 121-108 win forcing a Game 6 Sunday night.

Jayson Tatum had 31 points and 10 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 28 points. Daniel Theis had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Celtics made 5 more 3’s last night, 12-38 to the Heat’s 7-36.

Miami is now 59-196 from distance for the series and Boston is 60 for 174.

Assists to Turnovers last night: Boston 29-11 Miami 27-12. For the series both teams have the same amount of assists; Heat 127-54 Celtics 127-74. Big key here is Miami has 20 less turnovers in the series.

Goran Dragic scored 23 points for Miami.

Tyler Herro scored 14 points. He’s now hit for double figures in 21 straight games.

Bam Adebayo leads the Heat in assists with 26. Jayson Tatum leads the C’s with 27.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT FROM KEMBA WALKER:

“Playing hard. Fighting every possession like it’s your last. There’s no quit in us. Do whatever we can do to win.”

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT II FROM JEFF VAN GUNDY ON DUNCAN ROBINSON AND TYLER HERRO:

“There’s no agenda when they play. If they’re open they shoot. If they’re guarded they pass. They try hard on defense. They both respond to coaching appropriately. That allows you to improve at a greater rate.”

Happy birthday John Roche

E-MAIL: Hopps135@hotmail.com

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NO BLOOD NO FOUL

Guy drives hard to the basket. Down 3, fourth quarter, 3:00 left.

Defender is in good position, offensive player goes up for a layup, gets fouled, no call.

SMH.

Oh well.

Move on to the next play, right?

Last night in the West Finals the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 114-108 to take a 3-1 lead.

The Nuggets have the Lakers right where they want them.

Free-throws were a hot topic. LA was 28-35 Denver 20-23.

LeBron James who had attempted 10 free-throws the first 3 games of the series shot 14 last night. He finished the game with 26 points.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points on 10-14 from the field. Davis also was 13-14 from the free-throw line.

LeBron and Rajon Rondo combined for 15 assists and just 1 turnover.

Dwight Howard was in the Lakers starting lineup chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

After grabbing 4 offensive rebounds in Game 3, the Lakers crashed the glass for 12 for 25 second chance points. Denver has to do a better job in that area.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 32 points and 8 assists.

Monte Morris and Michael Porter Jr. played well off the bench for Denver. 25 points combined on 9-17 shooting.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT FROM MIKE MALONE:

“This is the Western Conference finals, Game 4. If you can’t help us on the defensive end, maybe you shouldn’t be on the floor. We have to be able to lock in, finish with a rebound. We had too many empty possessions tonight.”

Happy birthday Scottie Pippen, Bob McAdoo and Chauncey Billups.

TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE: GAME 5 – EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. CELTICS VS HEAT. 8:30 PM ON ESPN. MIAMI LEADS SERIES 3-1.

E-MAIL: hoops135@hoopscoach

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1973 NEW YORK KNICKS

DAY 4

“The Ring’s the Thing: 50 Years. 50 Champs.”

1973 New York Knicks

After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1972 finals, New York bounced back to win the title in 1973 beating the Lakers once again. It was the third time the two teams met in the finals the past four years.

With the core of the 1970 championship squad still around, New York added Earl Monroe and Jerry Lucas; two future Hall-of-Famers.

The Knicks finished 2nd in the Atlantic division 11 games back of the Celtics but New York would beat them in the playoffs.

Knicks led the league in defense giving up 98 PPG.

Walt Frazier led the way with 21 points per game making 2nd team all-NBA and 1st team all-defense.

Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere averaged 16 points per game.

Monroe scored 15 per game and Willis Reed chipped in with 11 per game.

Debusschere grabbed 10 boards per game making 1st team all-defense.

Knicks beat two 60 win teams in the playoffs, Celtics and Lakers.

Just like in the 1970 finals the Captain, Willis Reed was named Finals MVP.

Red Holzman once again was head coach.

Hitting the open man. Sharing the ball and playing tough defense. Three staples of the Knicks success.

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

YOU CAN BE MY HERO

The Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics last night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 112-109. Miami now leads the series 3-1.

If you happened to tune in last night, you missed the Tyler Herro Show. The rookie out of Kentucky went off. Herro scored 37 points in 35 minutues. The 20 year-old shot 14-21 from the field including 5-10 from downtown.

We have not seen a rookie like Herro in the Conference Finals in many years. I was trying to think of one who has had this big of an impact for their team? 1980: Magic Johnson vs Seattle 17 PPG, 9 RPG, 8 APG. And we know what Magic did in the finals vs the 76ers. Larry Bird vs Philadelphia 22-13 & 3 Who else?

Last night after the game ESPN was digging for players who put up numbers in their rookie season.

Most Points in a Playoff Game Age 20 or younger in NBA history: (Via ESPN) Magic Johnson 1980 – 42 points…Herro – 37… Derrick Rose 2009 – 36.

As a rookie in 1960, Wilt Chamberlain dropped 50 and 42 points on the Celtics in the playoffs…(Source: ESPN)

I researched Kareem, who was known as Lew Alcindor. As a 22 year-old rookie for the 1970 Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabber averaged 34 PPG 17 RPG & 4 APG vs the Knicks in the 1970 Eastern Division finals. Lew scored: 35, 38, 33, 38, and 27 in the series.

Herro’s high game last year in his only season at Kentucky was 29 against Arkansas. This season his high was 30 against OKC.

TONIGHT’S PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

9:00 PM ON TNT – Game 4 West Finals. Lakers-Nuggets. LA leads 2-1.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT FROM JEFF VAN GUNDY:

“If you’re under-talented defensively, then you have to be extraordinarily smart. Game plan and don’t foul unnecessarily.”

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT II FROM MARCUS SMART:

“Growing up I always wanted to be the guy that outworks everyone else on the court. That’s how I was raised. It’s the only way I know how to play.”

Happy Birthday Rodrick Rhodes.

Always play the right way…

E-MAIL: Hoops135@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore