Who Won the 1974 NBA Championship?
The 1974 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1974 NBA Playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 to win the NBA title.
The Golden State Warriors
On May 11, 1974, the Golden State Warriors became the first – and, to date, only – team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after winning the first three games. The Warriors were up 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls.
Led by Rick Barry, the Warriors won the Western Conference
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Chase Center.
The Warriors won the 1967 NBA Finals, which was their first NBA championship appearance. Led by Rick Barry, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and Al Attles, Golden State won that year’s Western Conference championship, but lost the NBA Finals to expansion team Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Winners of two of the last three NBA Championships (2015 and 2017), the Warriors return to the Finals in 2018 for their fourth straight appearance, tying the record for most consecutive Finals appearances set by the Boston Celtics from 1957 through 1966.
Defeated the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors won the 1974 NBA Championship by defeating the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. The Warriors were led by Rick Barry, who was named the Finals MVP. Other key players on the team included Nate Thurmond, Al Attles, and Phil Smith. The Warriors were coached by Alvin Attles.
The Boston Celtics
Won the Eastern Conference
In the 1974 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games to win their twelfth NBA championship. The series was widely considered one of the best ever played, with four of its seven games decided in overtime. Celtics captain John Havlicek was named Finals MVP.
Defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1974 NBA Finals to win their 12th NBA Championship in franchise history. The series was played in a best-of-seven format, with the Celtics winning the first four games to take a commanding lead in the series. The Bucks won Game 5 at home, but the Celtics closed out the series with a win in Game 6 to seal the championship.
This was the first time that the Celtics had won an NBA title since 1969, when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The team was led by head coach Tom Heinsohn and featured stars such as John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and JoJo White. The 1974 title would be the last one that the Celtics would win under Heinsohn, as he would retire from coaching after the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 1974 NBA Championship by defeating the Boston Celtics in the Finals. This was the Lakers’ first NBA Championship in franchise history. The Lakers were led by their star player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was named the Finals MVP.
Won the Pacific Division
In the 1974 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers won the Pacific Division with a record of 60-22. The team was coached by Bill Sharman and featured stars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Finals MVP James Worthy, and future Hall of Famers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Finals
In the 1974 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks four games to two. The Lakers were led by future Hall of Famers Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Hawks were led by future Hall of Famers Bob Petit and Lou Hudson.
