The Suns’ NBA Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics, which was played over a span of 48 hours, is one of the most widely-known series in NBA history. The Suns took a 3-0 lead against the Celtics and were in control of the series; they had home court advantage and all they had to do was win a few more games to seal the deal. However, the Celtics were not afraid to go down 3-1 and were willing to gamble on their chance to come back. In the fourth quarter of Game Five, the Celtics tied the game and forced overtime. In the extra period, the Suns were on the verge of winning the game but missed a three-pointer that would have sent the series to a Game Six. For
Forty-five years ago, the Phoenix Suns won a basketball game in spectacular fashion, but, more importantly, the win brought about the greatest moment in Phoenix sports history. On June 15, 1970, the Suns faced the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, but the series went the full seven games. The seventh game started at 8:22 p.m. the night of June 15 and ended at 12:51 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, 1970. It lasted a total of 18 hours and 24 minutes, but the Suns came out on top with a 123-118 victory.
On June 6, 1969, the Suns and the Boston Celtics played one of the greatest games ever played. In that game, the ninth deciding game of the 1968 NBA Finals, the Suns trailed by as many as 23 points in the second half, but rallied to tie the game at 93 points apiece with under two minutes to play. The game then went into triple-overtime, the first time that had ever happened in the NBA Finals. The Suns lost, but the game remains one of the most memorable in NBA history.. Read more about 1976 nba finals game 5 box score and let us know what you think.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns face off in one of the most unique NBA Finals in decades. While teams like the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks have held the trophy in recent years, the Bucks and Suns have a chance to do something special. Maybe they can top the magic of the 1976 NBA Finals, when the Suns lost to the Boston Celtics in three overtimes. Some basketball fans still call it the best game in history.
Suns vs Celtics in the 1976 NBA Finals
Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns in 1976 Mark Junge/Getty Images
A review of the series on Basketball-Reference notes that the Suns were a young franchise at 42-40 when they reached their first NBA Finals. With young superstar Paul Westphal and his even younger teammate Alvan Adams, the team was in a good position to get their first ring. In Game 5 against the Celtics, who are still recovering from decades of dominance, the team proved that they don’t need Bill Russell to maintain their greatness.
Despite Russell’s departure, Phoenix led the series with the Celtics 2-2 after the first four games. The team has plenty of players to throw at Boston, from Joe Joe White and John Havlicek to Dave Cowans and Charlie Scott. It should be noted that Scott, a defenseman, was traded from Phoenix to the Celtics earlier this year.
The first four games were a mixture of defeats, exciting battles and good competition. But by the end of Game 5, NBA fans had experienced what they still call the best game in history.
The greatest game in history
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Bright Side of the Sun defeated a brutal, exciting, heartbreaking and historic contest in 2014. Although the match was bitter from the start, the final 20 minutes ensured that it went down in history.
The game started as a potential defeat, as the Suns were down 36-18 after the first quarter. But as has been the case throughout the post-season, they have not been idle. The team fought to get back in the game. After the equalizer, they just had to defend. With the score tied, they intercepted an inbound pass, ending the game. Celtics player Paul Silas called a timeout, however, which the Celtics did not have.
The referees ignored the timeout, but many feel the Suns should have taken the mandatory free throw to score. Unfortunately for Phoenix, they didn’t. The game went to extra time. The teams traded goals in the first extension, but neither team was successful. It came down to the second extension, in which Westphal gave the Suns the lead with five seconds left, after the team had fallen behind three seconds earlier.
Havlicek responded with a jump and the crowd went wild. There was only one problem. The clock was still ticking. After the floor was cleared, the Suns had another chance. They passed the ball to Tim McLeod, who effortlessly silenced the Garden with a determined shot from Don Nelson.
Phoenix Suns start with loss but still have a chance
The excitement dissipated and the Celtics responded with a third win in extension. But as Celtics coach Tom Hynson said later, the win gave his beloved men in green what they needed to win Game 6.
We knew that the first team that could bend over and tie their laces in the sixth game would win. And we won. This is good. If it had been Game 7, we might have had to play with the open coach, he told Boston.com.
From late-game feints to clutch throws, the game remains great at all times. Still, the Suns remain ringless. Despite the fact that Cinderella should win once again after the acquisition of Chris Paul, a future Hall of Fame member, nothing will be easy.
The story of the suns is full of ifs and buts. If Charles Barkley’s teams had had another star, they might have beaten the Chicago Bulls. If injuries, suspensions and bad luck hadn’t clouded the years of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, they could have had more. It doesn’t matter now.
Whether this bizarre matchup is the result of poor NBA season planning or whether the Suns and Bucks have been proving themselves for years, the Suns can finally chalk up some gems and a trophy if they take this Finals to them. If Phoenix takes advantage of this, they will finally get the ring they have been so desperately searching for since the ill-fated match in 1976.
COMPARED TO: Chris Paul reached the NBA Finals for the first time after surpassing Michael Jordan and setting a ridiculous NBA record
As the Suns and the Detroit Pistons battled for the NBA Title on April 11, 1976, the game was remarkable in its own right. But it also had a lasting impact on the league as a whole. In that year’s Finals, the Suns and Pistons played a series that lasted an incredible 35 hours and took place over three days. It was the longest game in NBA Finals history, and it was the longest triple-overtime game in league history until Game Four of the 2007 NBA Finals.. Read more about 1974 nba finals game 6 and let us know what you think.
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