The 1975–76 Boston Celtics season was their 30th in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA).

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Dave Cowens Dave Cowens David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...	Jim Ard Jim Ard Jimmie Lee Ard is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward/center from the University of Cincinnati, Ard began his professional career in 1970 with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association...
PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...	Paul Silas Paul Silas Paul Theron Silas is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. He attended Creighton University, where he set an NCAA record for the most rebounds in three seasons and averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963...	Steve Kuberski Steve Kuberski Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA. Kuberski played nine NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Buffalo Braves, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 points per game. . Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Celtics, in 1973-74 and 1975-76...	Tom Boswell Tom Boswell Tommy G. Boswell is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward/center from the University of South Carolina, Boswell played six seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz...
SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...	John Havlicek John Havlicek John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....	Don Nelson Don Nelson Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...	Charlie Scott Charlie Scott Charles Thomas Scott is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the now-defunct American Basketball Association and eight seasons in the National Basketball Association .A 6'5" guard/forward from the Laurinburg Institute...	Glenn McDonald Glenn McDonald Glenn McDonald is a retired American professional basketball player. He played three seasons for the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks before going overseas most notably with the U/Tex Wranglers in the early-80's...	Jerome Anderson
PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...	Jo Jo White Jo Jo White Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White is an American former professional basketball player.-Life and career:White was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a minister...	Kevin Stacom Kevin Stacom Kevin M. Stacom is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'3" guard from Holy Cross High School, Flushing, New York; and Providence College, Stacom played six seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks...

Regular season and postseason recap

The Celtics lost Don Chaney

Don Chaney

Donald Ray Chaney is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for his long stints as a player on the Boston Celtics.-Career as a player:...

 to the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 before the 1975–76 season. To fill the gap in the backcourt they traded Paul Westphal

Paul Westphal

Paul Westphal is a retired American basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings. Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA...

 to the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 for Charlie Scott

Charlie Scott

Charles Thomas Scott is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the now-defunct American Basketball Association and eight seasons in the National Basketball Association .A 6'5" guard/forward from the Laurinburg Institute...

, who had averaged more than 20 points in each of the previous three seasons. Despite an uncharacteristically weak bench, the Celtics finished in first place in their division and the second best record in the NBA this season. Boston earned a shot at another NBA title by defeating the Buffalo Braves

Buffalo Braves

The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....

 and then the Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

 in the playoffs.

Boston's opponents in the 1976 NBA Finals

1976 NBA Finals

The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...

 were the Phoenix Suns, who had posted a 42–40 regular-season record. The Team in Green was the oddsmakers' choice in the contest. The Celtics took the first two games at Boston Garden, but the Suns came back to win games 3 and 4 on their home court. Game 5 ranks among the all-time thrillers in NBA history. The Suns trailed by 5 points with less than a minute left on the clock, but Westphal made up the deficit almost single-handedly, sending the game into a first overtime period, which ended in a tie.

John Havlicek

John Havlicek

John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....

's basket with 2 seconds remaining in double overtime gave the Celtics a one-point lead, which Boston stretched to two points after sinking a technical foul. Then the Suns' Garfield Heard hit a last-second basket to send the contest into a third overtime. The longest game in NBA history finally ended, after three extra periods, with the Celtics winning 128–126. Two days later Boston captured yet another NBA championship, the 13th in franchise history.

Season standings

Atlantic Division

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Boston Celtics Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...  C	54	28	.659	-
Buffalo Braves Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....	46	36	.561	8
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...	46	36	.561	8
New York Knicks New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...	38	44	.463	16

Player statistics

Legend
GP  Games played	GS  Games started	MPG  Minutes per game
FG%  Field goal Field goal (basketball) In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...  percentage	3FG%  3-point field goal Three-point field goal A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...  percentage	FT%  Free throw Free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...  percentage
RPG  Rebounds Rebound (basketball) A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...  per game	APG  Assists Assist (basketball) In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...  per game	SPG  Steals Steal (basketball) In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...  per game
BPG  Blocks Block (basketball) In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot... per game	PPG  Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG