What are the greatest NBA teams to fall just short?
By Rahul Raja
Make the NBA Finals: 1972-73 Boston Celtics (68-14)
The 1972-73 Boston Celtics have the best record in Celtics history, which is shocking considering the teams that they have had on each of their 17 championship-winning seasons. They also had the best record in the league that year.
With an MVP Dave Cowens, a 26-year-old Jojo White and a 32-year-old First Team All-NBA John Havlicek, they were a very well-balanced team. They made their name off their tough defense; they had Havlicek, Paul Silas and Don Cheney as All-Defense players.
Come playoff time, they beat a high-scoring Atlanta Hawks team led by “Pistol” Pete Maravich in six games. In the conference finals, they ran into the New York Knicks. They had a deep team with several future Hall of Fame players, including Dave DeBusschere, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and Phil Jackson. This Knicks core was very strong and had won a championship in 1970. They made the finals the year prior, beating the 1971-72 Celtics en route.
In the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals, Havlicek injured his right shoulder in game three and had to come off the bench for the rest of the series. They lost to the New York Knicks in seven games.