1975-76 Phoenix Suns (42-40)

Coach: John McLeod

It seems like the Suns always came up short when it came to making the playoffs. Mostly it was because of finishing 3rd place in the toughest divisions. But at the start of the 1975-76 season, the Suns got off to a hot start by winning 14 of their first 23 contests. After a 18-27 record by the All-Star break, the Suns had a 24-13 record to clinch their second playoff berth with a 42-40 record.

These Suns, led by Rookie of the Year Alvan Adams, Paul Westphal, and Garfield Heard, led their team into the playoffs where they met the Seattle Supersonics. After trouncing Seattle in six games, they faced the defending champion Golden State Warriors, led by Rick Barry. After each team won 2 of the first 4 contests, the Suns lost the 5th game. However, the Suns would not let Phoenix down as they won the last two contests to clinch their first NBA Finals berth. After the hard-fought series, 5,000 fans greeted their home team at the airport in Phoenix. This series was a "David v. Goliath" contest as the Suns faced the powerful Boston Celtics. The Celts were led by future Hall-of-Famers Dave Cowens and John "Hondo" Havlicek. After losing the first two contests in the historic Boston Garden, the Suns won the next two at home to set up a 5th contest in Boston. In this game, both teams forced a double-overtime. It seems that the Celtics won the game by two points. However, referees said that there was one second left in the period and the Suns had the ball. In this possession, Garfield Heard hit a shot to force the contest into a 3rd OT. However, the Celtics would win that game 128-126. The Celtics would win the last game in Phoenix to win their 13th title. As for the Suns, they would not reach the NBA Finals again until 1993.