1974 NBA Playoffs

The 1974 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks, four games to three in the NBA Finals. It was the Celtics' 12th NBA Championship, and the very first one accomplished in the post-Bill Russell era. John Havlicek of the Celtics was named NBA Finals MVP. An injury to Bucks' starting guard Lucius Allen was a key factor in the finals.

Using the revised playoff format adopted in 1973, two third-place teams (Buffalo in the East, Detroit in the West) qualified for the playoffs, while the second-place finishers in the Central (Atlanta) and Pacific (Golden State) divisions did not qualify. Also, since the top three Western qualifiers were in the Midwest Division, the two divisional champions in the Western Conference (Milwaukee and Los Angeles) played in the conference semifinals.

With a 4-3 series victory over the Detroit Pistons in the first round, the Chicago Bulls earned their first playoff series victory. In their first eight years of existence, the Bulls made the playoffs seven times.

As a matter of historical curiosity, three of the four teams in the 1974 Western Conference bracket (Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago) now reside in the "Eastern" Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers' transition to the Eastern Conference is not expected to take place anytime soon.

This was the only appearance of the Capital Bullets in the playoffs under that moniker; the Bullets assumed the "Capital" name for only one year before changing to the Washington Bullets the following season. The 1974 playoffs also marked the playoff debut of the Buffalo Braves, who had joined the league in the 1970-71 season.

Interesting NBA Finals Notes

*Before the series started, Bucks point guard Lucius Allen would be lost for the series with a knee injury. In Game 1, the Celtics took advantage, harassing a 35-year old Oscar Robertson and Allen's replacement, Ron Williams, into frequent turnovers.
*In Game 7, the Celtics triple guarded Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

1974 Playoff Bracket

3RoundBracket-Byes
RD1= Conference Semifinals
RD2= Conference Finals
RD3= NBA Finals
group1=Western Conference
group2=Eastern Conference

RD1-seed1=1
RD1-team1=Milwaukee
RD1-score1=4
RD1-seed2=4
RD1-team2=L.A. Lakers
RD1-score2=1

RD1-seed3=3
RD1-team3=Detroit
RD1-score3=3
RD1-seed4=2
RD1-team4=Chicago
RD1-score4=4

RD1-seed5=1
RD1-team5=Boston
RD1-score5=4
RD1-seed6=4
RD1-team6=Buffalo
RD1-score6=2

RD1-seed7=3
RD1-team7=Capital
RD1-score7=3
RD1-seed8=2
RD1-team8=New York
RD1-score8=4

RD2-seed1=1
RD2-team1=Milwaukee
RD2-score1=4
RD2-seed2=2
RD2-team2=Chicago
RD2-score2=0

RD2-seed3=1
RD2-team3=Boston
RD2-score3=4
RD2-seed4=2
RD2-team4=New York
RD2-score4=1

RD3-seed1=1
RD3-team1=Milwaukee
RD3-score1=3
RD3-seed2=1
RD3-team2=Boston
RD3-score2=4

cores

*Milwaukee Bucks over Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference Semifinals):
*Game 1- 99-95, Bucks over Lakers
*Game 2- 109-90, Bucks over Lakers
*Game 3- 98-96, Lakers over Bucks
*Game 4- 112-90, Bucks over Lakers
*Game 5- 114-92, Bucks over Lakers

*Chicago Bulls over Detroit Pistons (Western Conference Semifinals):
*Game 1- 97-88, Pistons over Bulls
*Game 2- 108-103, Bulls over Pistons
*Game 3- 84-83, Bulls over Pistons
*Game 4- 102-87, Pistons over Bulls
*Game 5- 98-94, Bulls over Pistons
*Game 6- 92-88, Pistons over Bulls
*Game 7- 96-94, Bulls over Pistons

* New York Knickerbockers over Capital Bullets (Eastern Conference Semifinals):
*Game 1- 102-91, Knickerbockers over Bullets
*Game 2- 99-87, Bullets over Knickerbockers
*Game 3- 88-79, Bullets over Knickerbockers
*Game 4- 101-93, Knickerbockers over Bullets
*Game 5- 106-105, Knickerbockers over Bullets
*Game 6- 109-92, Bullets over Knickerbockers
*Game 7- 91-81, Knickerbockers over Bullets

*Boston Celtics over Buffalo Braves (Eastern Conference Semifinals):
*Game 1- 107-97, Celtics over Braves
*Game 2- 115-105, Braves over Celtics
*Game 3- 120-107, Celtics over Braves
*Game 4- 104-102, Braves over Celtics
*Game 5- 100-97, Celtics over Braves
*Game 6- 106-104, Celtics over Braves

*Milwaukee Bucks over Chicago Bulls (Western Conference Finals)
*Game 1- 101-85, Bucks over Bulls
*Game 2- 113-111, Bucks over Bulls
*Game 3- 113-90, Bucks over Bulls
*Game 4- 115-99, Bucks over Bulls

*Boston Celtics over New York Knickerbockers (Eastern Conference Finals)
*Game 1- 113-88, Celtics over Knickerbockers
*Game 2- 111-99, Celtics over Knickerbockers
*Game 3- 103-100, Knickerbockers over Celtics
*Game 4- 98-91, Celtics over Knickerbockers
*Game 5- 105-94, Celtics over Knickerbockers

*Boston Celtics over Milwaukee Bucks (Finals)
*Game 1- 95-83, Celtics over Bucks
*Game 2- 105-96, Bucks over Celtics
*Game 3- 95-83, Celtics over Bucks
*Game 4- 97-89, Bucks over Celtics
*Game 5- 96-87, Celtics over Bucks
*Game 6- 102-101, Bucks over Celtics
*Game 7- 102-87, Celtics over Bucks

See also

*1974 NBA Finals
*Eastern Conference (NBA)
*Western Conference (NBA)
*NBA Finals MVP

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1974.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1974 NBA Playoffs page]