The 1976-77 Boston Celtics season marked a period of transition for the storied franchise. Following their NBA championship win in the previous season, the Celtics faced the challenge of maintaining their winning ways. Under the guidance of head coach Tom Heinsohn, the team finished the regular season with a record of 44-38, securing a playoff berth. However, this was a notable drop from their championship-winning form, as injuries and roster changes influenced their performance.
Key players like John Havlicek, who was nearing the end of his illustrious career, continued to provide veteran leadership and scoring. Meanwhile, Dave Cowens, known for his tenacity and versatility, remained a central figure for the Celtics, contributing significantly in both scoring and rebounding. The team also saw solid performances from Jo Jo White, who was instrumental in the backcourt.
Despite their efforts, the Celtics’ playoff run was short-lived. They faced the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. In a three-game series, Boston was eliminated, losing 2-1 to the Spurs. This early exit highlighted the challenges the Celtics faced in adapting to changes within their roster and the increasing competition in the league.
The 1976-77 season ultimately served as a transitional period for the Boston Celtics. While they demonstrated resilience, the team’s focus began shifting towards rebuilding and preparing for future success in subsequent seasons.
- Regular Season Record: 44-38
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference First Round: 2-0, Eastern Conference Semifinals: 3-4
Boston Celtics Roster and Stats for 1976-77 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Jo Jo White | 82 | 19.6 | 4.7 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 9 | 23.3 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Charlie Scott | 43 | 18.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 9 | 16.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| John Havlicek | 79 | 17.7 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 9 | 18.3 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Dave Cowens | 50 | 16.4 | 13.9 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 9 | 16.6 | 14.9 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Sidney Wicks | 82 | 15.1 | 10.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 9 | 13.1 | 9.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Curtis Rowe | 79 | 10.1 | 7.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 9 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Tom Boswell | 70 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 9 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Fred Saunders | 68 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 9 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kevin Stacom | 79 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Steve Kuberski | 76 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Jim Ard | 63 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Norm Cook | 25 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bobby Wilson | 25 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Boston Celtics in the 1977 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. San Antonio Spurs
In the 1977 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics faced a challenging first-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. Despite their best efforts, the Celtics were unable to advance, as the Spurs defeated them 2-0 in the best-of-three series. This early exit marked a period of transition for the Celtics, who were working to rebuild their roster following the retirement of key players in previous seasons.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1977 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 104-94 | |
| Apr 15, 1977 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 113-109 |
Playoffs Second Round vs. Philadelphia 76ers
In the 1977 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Philadelphia 76ers. The series concluded with a 4-3 victory for the 76ers, who were led by Julius Erving's dynamic performances. Despite the Celtics' strong efforts, they couldn't overcome Philadelphia's depth and star power, marking an early exit for the storied franchise.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1977 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 113-111 | |
| Apr 20, 1977 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 113-101 | |
| Apr 22, 1977 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 109-100 | |
| Apr 24, 1977 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 124-119 | |
| Apr 27, 1977 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 110-91 | |
| Apr 29, 1977 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 113-108 | |
| May 01, 1977 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 83-77 |
Boston Celtics 1976-77 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1976-77 season for the Boston Celtics.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 1976 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 129-122 | |
| Oct 23, 1976 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | W 111-107 | |
| Oct 28, 1976 | vs. Buffalo Braves | W 112-105 | |
| Oct 30, 1976 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 126-117 | |
| Nov 02, 1976 | @ New Orleans Jazz | L 115-97 | |
| Nov 03, 1976 | @ Houston Rockets | L 117-111 | |
| Nov 05, 1976 | vs. Washington Bullets | L 107-104 | |
| Nov 06, 1976 | @ Washington Bullets | L 109-103 | |
| Nov 10, 1976 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 117-112 | |
| Nov 12, 1976 | vs. New Orleans Jazz | W 117-110 | |
| Nov 13, 1976 | @ Buffalo Braves | L 118-107 | |
| Nov 17, 1976 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 104-91 | |
| Nov 19, 1976 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 112-108 | |
| Nov 20, 1976 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 116-110 | |
| Nov 23, 1976 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 116-102 | |
| Nov 24, 1976 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 133-111 | |
| Nov 26, 1976 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | L 108-92 | |
| Nov 27, 1976 | @ New York Knicks | W 123-109 | |
| Dec 01, 1976 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | W 107-103 | |
| Dec 03, 1976 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 115-109 | |
| Dec 05, 1976 | @ Kansas City Kings | L 102-96 | |
| Dec 08, 1976 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | W 104-95 | |
| Dec 10, 1976 | vs. Phoenix Suns | L 107-103 | |
| Dec 11, 1976 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 84-76 | |
| Dec 15, 1976 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 129-125 | |
| Dec 17, 1976 | vs. New York Knicks | L 123-109 | |
| Dec 18, 1976 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 117-110 | |
| Dec 19, 1976 | @ New York Nets | W 94-87 | |
| Dec 21, 1976 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 108-101 | |
| Dec 26, 1976 | @ Denver Nuggets | W 103-101 | |
| Dec 28, 1976 | @ Los Angeles Lakers | L 134-105 | |
| Dec 29, 1976 | @ Phoenix Suns | L 97-87 | |
| Jan 02, 1977 | @ Golden State Warriors | L 105-98 | |
| Jan 04, 1977 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 128-84 | |
| Jan 05, 1977 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | L 94-93 | |
| Jan 08, 1977 | @ Buffalo Braves | W 109-106 | |
| Jan 11, 1977 | vs. Houston Rockets | W 105-101 | |
| Jan 12, 1977 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 112-101 | |
| Jan 14, 1977 | vs. Portland Trail Blazers | L 107-92 | |
| Jan 16, 1977 | vs. New York Nets | W 106-91 | |
| Jan 18, 1977 | @ New Orleans Jazz | L 99-89 | |
| Jan 19, 1977 | @ Houston Rockets | W 112-102 | |
| Jan 21, 1977 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 103-90 | |
| Jan 22, 1977 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 109-94 | |
| Jan 23, 1977 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | L 91-83 | |
| Jan 25, 1977 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 91-89 | |
| Jan 26, 1977 | @ Indiana Pacers | L 121-101 | |
| Jan 28, 1977 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 119-113 | |
| Jan 30, 1977 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 109-92 | |
| Feb 02, 1977 | @ New York Nets | L 99-89 | |
| Feb 04, 1977 | vs. Los Angeles Lakers | W 99-98 | |
| Feb 06, 1977 | vs. Buffalo Braves | W 113-97 | |
| Feb 11, 1977 | vs. New York Knicks | W 119-111 | |
| Feb 15, 1977 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 109-99 | |
| Feb 16, 1977 | @ Washington Bullets | L 111-92 | |
| Feb 17, 1977 | @ Kansas City Kings | W 126-125 | |
| Feb 20, 1977 | @ Golden State Warriors | W 114-112 | |
| Feb 22, 1977 | @ Portland Trail Blazers | L 113-111 | |
| Feb 25, 1977 | @ Seattle SuperSonics | W 102-92 | |
| Feb 26, 1977 | @ Phoenix Suns | W 108-104 | |
| Feb 27, 1977 | @ Denver Nuggets | L 121-100 | |
| Mar 01, 1977 | vs. Golden State Warriors | L 101-94 | |
| Mar 04, 1977 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 94-92 | |
| Mar 06, 1977 | vs. Denver Nuggets | W 112-110 | |
| Mar 09, 1977 | vs. Seattle SuperSonics | L 114-86 | |
| Mar 13, 1977 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 124-107 | |
| Mar 15, 1977 | @ Chicago Bulls | L 107-96 | |
| Mar 17, 1977 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 100-91 | |
| Mar 18, 1977 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | W 98-96 | |
| Mar 20, 1977 | vs. Kansas City Kings | W 118-110 | |
| Mar 22, 1977 | @ San Antonio Spurs | W 108-104 | |
| Mar 23, 1977 | @ Atlanta Hawks | W 103-96 | |
| Mar 25, 1977 | vs. Washington Bullets | L 122-97 | |
| Mar 27, 1977 | vs. New York Nets | W 114-109 | |
| Mar 29, 1977 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 110-82 | |
| Mar 30, 1977 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 90-88 | |
| Apr 03, 1977 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 96-90 | |
| Apr 05, 1977 | @ New York Knicks | L 121-113 | |
| Apr 06, 1977 | vs. Houston Rockets | L 104-93 | |
| Apr 08, 1977 | vs. New Orleans Jazz | W 120-109 | |
| Apr 09, 1977 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | W 120-105 | |
| Apr 10, 1977 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 115-105 |