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1977–78 Boston Celtics season

{{short description|NBA basketball team season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NBA season

| team = Boston Celtics

| end_year = 1978

| wins = 32

| losses = 50

| division = atlantic

| division_place = 3

| conf_place = 8

| coach = Tom Heinsohn
Tom Sanders

| gm = Red Auerbach

| owner = Irv Levin

| arena = Boston Garden
Hartford Civic Center

| television = WBZ-TV
(Len Berman, Bob Cousy)

| radio = WBZ
(Johnny Most, Bob Lobel)

| playoffs = Did not qualify

| bbr_team = BOS

}}

The 1977–78 Boston Celtics season was the 32nd season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was linked to the Buffalo Braves season. While the Braves were struggling on the court, their owner John Y. Brown brokered a deal to take over the legendary Celtics franchise. Celtics owner Irv Levin wanted to move the franchise to California; however, the NBA would not allow him to take the cornerstone franchise out of Boston.

NBA lawyer and future commissioner David Stern offered a compromise in which Levin and Brown would swap franchises, so that Levin could take over the Braves and move them to San Diego. Eventually, the owners of the 22 franchises voted 21–1 to approve the deal, and the Braves moved from Buffalo to San Diego (where they were renamed the Clippers). The deal also included a seven-player trade in which the Celtics acquired Nate Archibald, Billy Knight and Marvin Barnes in exchange for Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington and Sidney Wicks. The Braves would not request a draft pick in the deal, allowing the Celtics to retain the draft rights to future Hall of Famer Larry Bird.

Coincidentally, the Braves played their last game of the season in Boston. It was one of only three seasons from 1951 to 1993 that the Celtics finished with a losing record. This was the 16th and final season for the legendary John Havlicek. Nobody has played more seasons for the Celtics than Havlicek.

{{TOC limit|2}}

Draft picks

{{main article|1977 NBA draft}}

This table only displays picks through two rounds.

class="wikitable sortable sortable"

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="10%"| Round

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="10%"| Pick

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="20%"| Player

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="15%"| Position

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="15%"| Nationality

! style="background:#008040; color:white" width="20%"| College

style="text-align: center"

| 1

| 12

| Cedric Maxwell

| SF

| {{USA}}

| {{college|Charlotte}}

Roster

{{NBA roster header|team=Boston Celtics

}}

{{player2 | num = 44 | first = Dave | last = Bing | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 180 | college = Syracuse }}

{{player2 | num = 31 | first = Tom | last = Boswell | dab = basketball | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 220 | college = South Carolina }}

{{player2 | num = 12 | first = Don | last = Chaney | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 210 | college = Houston }}

{{player2 | num = 18 | first = Dave | last = Cowens | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 230 | college = Florida State }}

{{player2 | num = 7 | first = Ernie | last = DiGregorio | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 0 | lbs = 180 | college = Providence }}

{{player2 | num = 17 | first = John | last = Havlicek | pos = F/G | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 203 | college = Ohio State }}

{{player2 | num = 30 | first = Cedric | last = Maxwell | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 205 | college = Charlotte }}

{{player2 | num = 41 | first = Curtis | last = Rowe | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 225 | college = UCLA }}

{{player2 | num = 27 | first = Kevin | last = Stacom | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 185 | college = Providence }}

{{player2 | num = 26 | first = Kermit | last = Washington | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 230 | college = American }}

{{player2 | num = 10 | first = Jo Jo | last = White | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 190 | college = Kansas }}

{{player2 | num = 12 | first = Sidney | last = Wicks | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 225 | college = UCLA }}

{{NBA roster footer

| head_coach =

| asst_coach =

}}

Regular season

=Season standings=

{{1977–78 NBA Atlantic standings|team=BOS}}

{{1977–78 NBA East standings|team=BOS}}

=Record vs. opponents=

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
colspan=23|1977–78 NBA records
width=100|Team

!style="background:#FF0000;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|ATL

!style="background:#006400;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|BOS

!style="background:#000000;color:#F15110;width=35"|BUF

!style="background:#FF0000;color:#000000;width=35"|CHI

!style="background:#FFD700;color:#8B0000;width=35"|CLE

!style="background:#0000CD;color:#FFD700;width=35"|DEN

!style="background:#0000FF;color:#FF0000;width=35"|DET

!style="background:#0000FF;color:#FFD700;width=35"|GSW

!style="background:#FF0000;color:#FFD700;width=35"|HOU

!style="background:#000080;color:#FFD700;width=35"|IND

!style="background:#0000FF;color:#FFFFFF;width=35"|KCK

!style="background:#800080;color:#FFD700;width=35"|LAL

!style="background:#006400;color:#B22222;width=35"|MIL

!style="background:#B0170C;color:#00056D;width=35"|NJN

!style="background:#36004A;color:#FFFF00;width=35"|NOJ

!style="background:#0000FF;color:#FF8C00;width=35"|NYK

!style="background:#FF0000;color:#0000FF;width=35"|PHI

!style="background:#800080;color:#FF4500;width=35"|PHO

!style="background:#000000;color:#FF0000;width=35"|POR

!style="background:#000000;color:#C0C0C0;width=35"|SAS

!style="background:#005831;color:#FFC322;width=35"|SEA

!style="background:#DC143C;color:#0000CD;width=35"|WAS

style="text-align:left;" | Atlanta–2–23–11–31–31–32–21–33–13–12–13–12–23–12–22–22–23–11–31–32–11–3
style="text-align:left;" | Boston2–2–3–11–31–31–31–32–22–22–12–21–23–13–12–22–20–42–21–30–40–41–3
style="text-align:left;" | Buffalo1–31–3–3–11–31–31–30–33–11–31–21–31–32–22–23–11–30–41–31–31–31–3
style="text-align:left;" | Chicago3–13–11–3–3–12–22–21–33–13–10–42–21–31–22–21–33–02–21–32–22–22–1
style="text-align:left;" | Cleveland3–13–13–11–3–3–12–22–22–22–12–22–23–13–12–23–11–31–20–40–43–12–2
style="text-align:left;" | Denver3–13–13–12–21–3–2–22–23–02–22–23–13–13–13–11–31–32–23–12–11–33–1
style="text-align:left;" | Detroit2–23–13–12–22–22–2–2–23–11–31–32–22–23–13–00–40–42–21–31–31–32–2
style="text-align:left;" | Golden State3–12–23–03–12–22–22–2–2–13–13–10–42–23–10–42–21–32–21–33–12–22–2
style="text-align:left;" | Houston1–32–21–31–32–20–31–31–2–3–12–21–31–32–21–32–22–21–32–21–30–41–3
style="text-align:left;" | Indiana1–31–23–11–31–22–23–11–31–3–2–21–30–42–22–21–32–21–31–31–31–33–1
style="text-align:left;" | Kansas City1–22–22–14–02–22–23–11–32–22–2–2–20–42–22–20–41–30–40–40–41–32–2
style="text-align:left;" | Los Angeles1–32–13–12–22–21–32–24–03–13–12–2–3–14–02–13–12–21–30–42–21–32–2
style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee2–21–33–13–11–31–32–22–23–14–04–01–3–3–12–13–11–21–31–32–21–33–1
style="text-align:left;" | New Jersey1–31–32–22–11–31–31–31–32–22–22–20–41–3–0–41–30–42–20–30–42–22–2
style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans2–22–22–22–22–21–31–34–03–12–22–21–21–24–0–1–32–21–33–11–32–20–4
style="text-align:left;" | New York2–22–21–33–11–33–13–02–22–23–14–01–31–33–13–1–1–31–31–32–22–12–2
style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia2–24–03–11–33–13–14–03–12–22–23–12–22–14–02–23–1–2–12–23–13–12–2
style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix1–32–24–02–22–12–22–22–23–13–14–03–13–12–23–13–11–2–1–32–22–22–2
style="text-align:left;" | Portland3–13–13–13–14–01–33–13–12–23–14–04–03–13–11–33–02–23–1–2–23–12–1
style="text-align:left;" | San Antonio3–14–03–12–24–01–22–11–33–13–14–02–22–24–03–12–21–32–22–2–2–22–2
style="text-align:left;" | Seattle1–24–03–12–21–33–13–12–24–03–13–13–13–12–22–11–31–32–21–32–2–1–3
style="text-align:left;" | Washington3–13–13–11–22–21–32–22–23–11–32–22–21–32–24–02–22–22–21–22–23–1—

References

{{reflist}}

{{1977–78 NBA season by team}}

{{Boston Celtics seasons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Boston Celtics season}}

Boston Celtics

Category:Boston Celtics seasons

Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

Celtics

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