1974 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesMarch 29–May 12, 1974
Season1973–74
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsBoston Celtics (12th title)
Runner-upMilwaukee Bucks
Semifinalists

The 1974 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1973-74 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. John Havlicek was named NBA Finals MVP.

It was the Celtics' twelfth NBA title, and first accomplished in the post-Bill Russell era. It was the last Finals appearance for Milwaukee until 2021.

This Is The Last Postseason with only 3 rounds and using 8 team, The 1975 NBA Playoffs added a First Round and the round is 4 and expanded to 10.

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. 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 Pistons in the first round, the 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, 3 of the 4 teams in the 1974 Western Conference bracket (Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago) now reside in the Eastern Conference.

This was the only appearance of the Capital Bullets in the playoffs under that moniker; they assumed the "Capital" name for one year before changing to the Washington Bullets the next season. It was the playoff debut of the Buffalo Braves, who had joined the league in 1970.

For the first time in BAA/NBA history (dating back to 1947), neither the Lakers (of Minnesota, then Los Angeles) or Warriors (of Philadelphia, then San Francisco and Golden State) participated in a conference (or division prior to 1971) finals series.

Bracket

Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
         
E1 Boston* 4
E4 Buffalo 2
E1 Boston* 4
Eastern Conference
E2 New York 1
E3 Capital* 3
E2 New York 4
E1 Boston* 4
W1 Milwaukee* 3
W1 Milwaukee* 4
W4 Los Angeles* 1
W1 Milwaukee* 4
Western Conference
W2 Chicago 0
W3 Detroit 3
W2 Chicago 4
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Buffalo Braves

March 30
Buffalo Braves 97, Boston Celtics 107
Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 19–21, 31–28, 16–38
Pts: Bob McAdoo 29
Rebs: Gar Heard 20
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 8
Pts: Jo Jo White 24
Rebs: Dave Cowens 18
Asts: John Havlicek 12
Boston leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,300
April 2
Boston Celtics 105, Buffalo Braves 115
Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 30–20, 27–32, 29–32
Pts: Jo Jo White 27
Rebs: Dave Cowens 16
Asts: John Havlicek 7
Pts: Bob McAdoo 23
Rebs: Bob McAdoo 20
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 12
Series tied, 1–1
April 3
Buffalo Braves 107, Boston Celtics 120
Scoring by quarter: 22–39, 31–27, 29–30, 25–24
Pts: Bob McAdoo 38
Rebs: Gar Heard 13
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 8
Pts: John Havlicek 43
Rebs: Dave Cowens 19
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Boston leads series, 2–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,656
April 6
Boston Celtics 102, Buffalo Braves 104
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 26–29, 26–21, 28–32
Pts: Don Nelson 24
Rebs: Dave Cowens 14
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Pts: Bob McAdoo 44
Rebs: Jim McMillian 18
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 11
Series tied, 2–2
April 9
Buffalo Braves 97, Boston Celtics 100
Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 20–23, 20–23, 26–29
Pts: Randy Smith 25
Rebs: Gar Heard 16
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 4
Pts: John Havlicek 25
Rebs: Dave Cowens 12
Asts: Art Williams 8
Boston leads series, 3–2
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
April 12
Boston Celtics 106, Buffalo Braves 104
Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 33–28, 34–28, 19–22
Pts: John Havlicek 30
Rebs: Dave Cowens 17
Asts: John Havlicek 7
Pts: Bob McAdoo 40
Rebs: McAdoo, Heard 15 each
Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 9
Boston wins series, 4–2

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[1]

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Capital Bullets

March 29
Capital Bullets 91, New York Knicks 102
Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 16–29, 22–25, 27–28
Pts: Elvin Hayes 40
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14
Asts: Hayes, Porter 4 each
Pts: Walt Frazier 20
Rebs: Walt Frazier 12
Asts: Dave DeBusschere 7
New York leads series, 1–0
March 31
New York Knicks 87, Capital Bullets 99
Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 18–25, 22–20, 21–29
Pts: Dave DeBusschere 20
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 10
Asts: Jerry Lucas 5
Pts: Phil Chenier 35
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 21
Asts: Kevin Porter 7
Series tied, 1–1
April 2
Capital Bullets 88, New York Knicks 79
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–23, 26–13, 18–22
Pts: Kevin Porter 22
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13
Asts: Kevin Porter 5
Pts: Walt Frazier 20
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 12
Asts: DeBusschere, Meminger 5 each
Capital leads series, 2–1
April 5
New York Knicks 101, Capital Bullets 93 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 24–24, 15–22, 19–11, Overtime: 14–6
Pts: Earl Monroe 23
Rebs: Walt Frazier 11
Asts: Walt Frazier 6
Pts: Hayes, Porter 20 each
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 17
Asts: Kevin Porter 7
Series tied, 2–2
April 7
Capital Bullets 105, New York Knicks 106
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 24–27, 26–22, 27–29
Pts: Elvin Hayes 27
Rebs: Wes Unseld 12
Asts: Wes Unseld 8
Pts: Walt Frazier 38
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 8
Asts: Walt Frazier 4
New York leads series, 3–2
April 10
New York Knicks 92, Capital Bullets 109
Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 19–24, 23–24, 25–41
Pts: Walt Frazier 25
Rebs: Phil Jackson 8
Asts: Walt Frazier 10
Pts: Elvin Hayes 31
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 23
Asts: Wes Unseld 5
Series tied, 3–3
April 12
Capital Bullets 81, New York Knicks 91
Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 31–24, 10–16, 20–22
Pts: Phil Chenier 21
Rebs: Phil Chenier 14
Asts: Elvin Hayes 5
Pts: Earl Monroe 30
Rebs: DeBusschere, Gianelli 15 each
Asts: Dave DeBusschere 7
New York wins series, 4–3

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning four of the previous five meetings.

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (4) Los Angeles Lakers

March 29
Los Angeles Lakers 95, Milwaukee Bucks 99
Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 23–24, 28–24, 18–28
Pts: Gail Goodrich 31
Rebs: Connie Hawkins 14
Asts: Gail Goodrich 6
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Milwaukee leads series, 1–0
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
March 31
Los Angeles Lakers 90, Milwaukee Bucks 109
Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 25–21, 14–27, 28–32
Pts: Gail Goodrich 21
Rebs: Happy Hairston 10
Asts: Happy Hairston 7
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Milwaukee leads series, 2–0
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
April 2
Milwaukee Bucks 96, Los Angeles Lakers 98
Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 31–23, 21–29, 20–17
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15
Asts: Oscar Robertson 16
Pts: Elmore Smith 30
Rebs: Elmore Smith 17
Asts: Gail Goodrich 12
Milwaukee leads series, 2–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,505
April 4
Milwaukee Bucks 112, Los Angeles Lakers 90
Scoring by quarter: 30–21, 22–18, 34–14, 26–37
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Pts: Elmore Smith 20
Rebs: Elmore Smith 13
Asts: Connie Hawkins 5
Milwaukee leads series, 3–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Richie Powers, Paul Mihalak
April 7
Los Angeles Lakers 92, Milwaukee Bucks 114
Scoring by quarter: 16–33, 12–18, 26–36, 38–27
Pts: Gail Goodrich 22
Rebs: Happy Hairston 11
Asts: Gail Goodrich 6
Pts: Ron Williams 22
Rebs: Cornell Warner 17
Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson 8 each
Milwaukee wins series, 4–1
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with both teams splitting the prior two meetings.

(2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Detroit Pistons

March 30
Detroit Pistons 97, Chicago Bulls 88
Scoring by quarter: 29–16, 22–22, 20–27, 26–23
Pts: Bob Lanier 27
Rebs: Lanier, Rowe 13 each
Asts: Don Adams 6
Pts: Jerry Sloan 24
Rebs: Sloan, Ray 10 each
Asts: Norm Van Lier 6
Detroit leads series, 1–0
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 10,711
April 1
Chicago Bulls 108, Detroit Pistons 103
Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 23–22, 29–28, 29–26
Pts: Bob Love 38
Rebs: Clifford Ray 11
Asts: Norm Van Lier 9
Pts: Bob Lanier 38
Rebs: Bob Lanier 19
Asts: Dave Bing 7
Series tied, 1–1
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 11,499
April 5
Detroit Pistons 83, Chicago Bulls 84
Scoring by quarter: 17–13, 23–29, 19–27, 24–15
Pts: Dave Bing 23
Rebs: Bob Lanier 16
Asts: Lanier, Rowe 2 each
Pts: Chet Walker 21
Rebs: Jerry Sloan 14
Asts: Norm Van Lier 5
Chicago leads series, 2–1
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 17,634
April 7
Chicago Bulls 87, Detroit Pistons 102
Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 19–25, 21–35, 22–20
Pts: Bob Love 23
Rebs: Clifford Ray 9
Asts: Norm Van Lier 9
Pts: Bob Lanier 26
Rebs: Bob Lanier 18
Asts: Dave Bing 8
Series tied, 2–2
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 11,287
April 9
Detroit Pistons 94, Chicago Bulls 98
Scoring by quarter: 14–28, 26–29, 23–18, 31–23
Pts: Bob Lanier 23
Rebs: Bob Lanier 17
Asts: Dave Bing 6
Pts: Bob Love 32
Rebs: Jerry Sloan 17
Asts: Norm Van Lier 4
Chicago leads series, 3–2
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 14,236
April 11
Chicago Bulls 88, Detroit Pistons 92
Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 19–25, 23–24, 24–28
Pts: Chet Walker 33
Rebs: Clifford Ray 15
Asts: Norm Van Lier 10
Pts: Bob Lanier 28
Rebs: Bob Lanier 14
Asts: Dave Bing 10
Series tied, 3–3
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 11,134
April 13
Detroit Pistons 94, Chicago Bulls 96
Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 23–27, 30–28, 23–16
Pts: Stu Lantz 25
Rebs: Lanier, Rowe 10 each
Asts: Stu Lantz 5
Pts: Chet Walker 26
Rebs: Clifford Ray 15
Asts: Bob Weiss 5
Chicago wins series, 4–3
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 13,133

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks

April 14
New York Knicks 88, Boston Celtics 113
Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 23–30, 23–32, 26–30
Pts: Walt Frazier 16
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 10
Asts: Meminger, Bibby 3 each
Pts: John Havlicek 25
Rebs: Dave Cowens 13
Asts: John Havlicek 12
Boston leads series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,101
April 16
Boston Celtics 111, New York Knicks 99
Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 20–35, 33–14, 25–25
Pts: John Havlicek 27
Rebs: Dave Cowens 18
Asts: Jo Jo White 6
Pts: Bill Bradley 20
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 9
Asts: Walt Frazier 4
Boston leads series, 2–0
April 19
New York Knicks 103, Boston Celtics 100
Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 31–26, 31–23, 19–33
Pts: Walt Frazier 38
Rebs: Frazier, Gianelli 10 each
Asts: Walt Frazier 4
Pts: Dave Cowens 28
Rebs: Dave Cowens 22
Asts: Art Williams 5
Boston leads series, 2–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
April 21
Boston Celtics 98, New York Knicks 91
Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 23–18, 24–23, 23–18
Pts: John Havlicek 36
Rebs: Paul Silas 14
Asts: Jo Jo White 9
Pts: Walt Frazier 25
Rebs: John Gianelli 9
Asts: Earl Monroe 5
Boston leads series, 3–1
April 24
New York Knicks 94, Boston Celtics 105
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 32–24, 27–35, 15–25
Pts: Phil Jackson 27
Rebs: Phil Jackson 9
Asts: Walt Frazier 6
Pts: John Havlicek 33
Rebs: Dave Cowens 14
Asts: John Havlicek 5
Boston wins series, 4–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320

This was the 10th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning five of the previous nine meetings.

Western Conference finals

(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (2) Chicago Bulls

April 16
Chicago Bulls 85, Milwaukee Bucks 101
Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 24–28, 21–32, 22–20
Pts: Norm Van Lier 26
Rebs: Bob Love 10
Asts: Norm Van Lier 10
Pts: Abdul-Jabbar, Dandridge 25 each
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19
Asts: Oscar Robertson 10
Milwaukee leads series, 1–0
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
April 18
Milwaukee Bucks 113, Chicago Bulls 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 32–22, 29–26, 22–34
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 44
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21
Asts: Oscar Robertson 8
Pts: Norm Van Lier 27
Rebs: Clifford Ray 15
Asts: Norm Van Lier 7
Milwaukee leads series, 2–0
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 17,787
April 20
Chicago Bulls 90, Milwaukee Bucks 113
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 19–27, 25–30, 24–30
Pts: Bob Love 30
Rebs: Clifford Ray 15
Asts: Clifford Ray 6
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14
Asts: Oscar Robertson 12
Milwaukee leads series, 3–0
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
April 22
Milwaukee Bucks 115, Chicago Bulls 99
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 28–32, 29–16, 38–31
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24
Asts: Oscar Robertson 10
Pts: Bob Love 32
Rebs: Love, Ray 8 each
Asts: Norm Van Lier 7
Milwaukee wins series, 4–0
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 12,762

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[6]

NBA Finals: (W1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (E1) Boston Celtics

April 28
Boston Celtics 98, Milwaukee Bucks 83
Scoring by quarter: 35–19, 17–23, 17–19, 29–22
Pts: John Havlicek 26
Rebs: Dave Cowens 17
Asts: Cowens, White 7 each
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14
Asts: Oscar Robertson 8
Boston leads series, 1–0
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
Referees: Richie Powers, Jake O'Donnell
April 30
Boston Celtics 96, Milwaukee Bucks 105 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 17–32, 25–22, 24–13, Overtime: 6–15
Pts: Jo Jo White 25
Rebs: Dave Cowens 11
Asts: Dave Cowens 6
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 36
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Series tied, 1–1
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Darell Garretson
May 3
Milwaukee Bucks 83, Boston Celtics 95
Scoring by quarter: 13–32, 24–19, 22–26, 24–18
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26
Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Warner 10 each
Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson 5 each
Pts: Dave Cowens 30
Rebs: John Havlicek 12
Asts: Jo Jo White 8
Boston leads series, 2–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Richie Powers, Don Murphy
May 5
Milwaukee Bucks 97, Boston Celtics 89
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 21–12, 21–26, 27–24
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14
Asts: Oscar Robertson 9
Pts: John Havlicek 33
Rebs: Paul Silas 12
Asts: Jo Jo White 9
Series tied, 2–2
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Earl Strom
May 7
Boston Celtics 96, Milwaukee Bucks 87
Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 25–29, 24–17, 27–26
Pts: Havlicek, Cowens 28 each
Rebs: Paul Silas 16
Asts: Dave Cowens 6
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 37
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11
Asts: Jon McGlocklin 8
Boston leads series, 3–2
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
Referees: Richie Powers, Jake O'Donnell
May 10
Milwaukee Bucks 102, Boston Celtics 101 (2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 27–19, 20–21, 22–23, 17–23, Overtime: 4–4, 12–11
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34
Rebs: four players 8 each
Asts: Oscar Robertson 10
Pts: John Havlicek 36
Rebs: Havlicek, Silas 9 each
Asts: Jo Jo White 11
Series tied, 3–3
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 15,320
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Darell Garretson
  • Dave Cowens hits the game-tying shot with 1 minute left in regulation to force the first OT; John Havlicek rebounds his missed-shot and makes the game-tying basket with 5 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-winning sky-hook with 3 seconds left in the second OT.
May 12
Boston Celtics 102, Milwaukee Bucks 87
Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 31–20, 18–26, 31–21
Pts: Dave Cowens 28
Rebs: Dave Cowens 14
Asts: Havlicek, Westphal 6 each
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13
Asts: Oscar Robertson 11
Boston wins series, 4–3
Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Richie Powers

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[7]

See also

References

  1. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Clippers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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