1976 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1976 1975–76 April 13–June 6, 1976 10 Boston Celtics 13 Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers 1975 1977 The 1976 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1975–76 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The series was highlighted by Game 5, a 3-OT victory by Boston. The Celtics won their 13th NBA title, second in the Dave Cowens era. Jo Jo White was named NBA Finals MVP. This is the last postseason that had a 10 team format before the 1977 playoffs expanded to 12 teams. The Suns earned their first two playoff series victories in franchise history to advance to the NBA Finals; they won their second Western Conference title in 1993, and their third title in 2021. The sixth-year Cleveland Cavaliers made their first playoff appearance and won their first playoff series. They wouldn't win another playoff series until 1992. This was the final playoff appearance for the Buffalo Braves franchise in Buffalo until 1992, when they returned as the Los Angeles Clippers. This would prove the last Conference Finals appearance for the Golden State Warriors until 2015 under the leadership of Steph Curry. The Philadelphia 76ers made the playoffs for the first time since 1971, starting a 12-season run that included four NBA Finals appearances (1977, 1980, 1982, and 1983 (winning in the latter year)). The Sixers did not miss the playoffs again until 1988. Despite winning their division with a losing record of 38–44, the Milwaukee Bucks were forced to play in the best of three first round against the Detroit Pistons. This is also noted to be the most recent NBA Playoffs that did not include a sweep and the last time a team from Texas did not appear in the playoffs (until 2023). Bracket 1 First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals Eastern Conference Western Conference E4 Philadelphia 1 E5 Buffalo 2 W4 Milwaukee* 1 W5 Detroit 2 E1 Boston* 4 E5 Buffalo 2 E3 Washington 3 E2 Cleveland* 4 W1 Golden State* 4 W5 Detroit 2 W3 Phoenix 4 W2 Seattle 2 E1 Boston* 4 E2 Cleveland* 2 W1 Golden State* 3 W3 Phoenix 4 E1 Boston* 4 W3 Phoenix 2* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage First round Eastern Conference first round (4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Buffalo Braves #eee April 15 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 95 Philadelphia 76ers 89 28–22 23–25 22–25 22–17 Bob McAdoo 36 Bob McAdoo 21 Randy Smith 13 Fred Carter 30 George McGinnis 15 George McGinnis 4 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 14,352 Buffalo leads series, 1–0 April 16 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 131 Buffalo Braves 106 29–24 34–24 32–37 36–21 George McGinnis 34 George McGinnis 11 Fred Carter 6 Randy Smith 27 Bob McAdoo 13 Randy Smith 7 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 12,049 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 18 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 124 Philadelphia 76ers 123 OT 32–32 23–32 32–25 24–22 13–12 Bob McAdoo 34 Bob McAdoo 22 Randy Smith 11 Fred Carter 32 George McGinnis 15 Fred Carter 6 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 13,087 Buffalo wins series, 2–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=LAC&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Clippers versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference first round (4) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (5) Detroit Pistons #eee April 13 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 107 Milwaukee Bucks 110 25–23 31–30 23–28 28–29 Bob Lanier 25 Bob Lanier 15 Lanier, Clark 6 each Gary Brokaw 36 Elmore Smith 13 Brian Winters 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 8,912 Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 April 15 Boxscore Milwaukee Bucks 123 Detroit Pistons 126 27–34 31–26 30–32 35–34 Winters, Dandridge 31 each Bob Dandridge 9 Gary Brokaw 12 Bob Lanier 35 Curtis Rowe 10 Money, Clark 5 each Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 8,330 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 18 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 107 Milwaukee Bucks 104 36–29 20–26 24–27 27–22 Bob Lanier 28 Bob Lanier 12 Eric Money 8 Brian Winters 33 Dave Meyers 10 Gary Brokaw 7 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 8,213 Detroit wins series, 2–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs) https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=DET&opp_id=MIL&is_playoffs=Y basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Buffalo Braves #eee April 21 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 98 Boston Celtics 107 31–29 20–26 25–29 22–23 Randy Smith 27 Randy Smith 10 Randy Smith 12 Dave Cowens 30 Dave Cowens 17 Jo Jo White 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 13,919 Boston leads series, 1–0 April 23 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 96 Boston Celtics 101 24–28 24–27 25–24 23–22 Bob McAdoo 40 John Shumate 11 Randy Smith 7 Dave Cowens 27 Dave Cowens 18 Charlie Scott 6 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee April 25 Boxscore Boston Celtics 93 Buffalo Braves 98 24–12 23–36 25–24 21–26 Jo Jo White 26 Dave Cowens 14 Charlie Scott 7 Randy Smith 29 Randy Smith 14 Ernie DiGregorio 10 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 12,079 Boston leads series, 2–1 April 28 Boxscore Boston Celtics 122 Buffalo Braves 124 34–39 34–28 20–27 34–30 Dave Cowens 29 Dave Cowens 26 Jo Jo White 11 Bob McAdoo 30 Bob McAdoo 17 Randy Smith 10 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 16,193 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 30 Boxscore Buffalo Braves 88 Boston Celtics 99 17–20 19–26 29–30 23–23 Bob McAdoo 23 Bob McAdoo 14 Ernie DiGregorio 6 Dave Cowens 30 Paul Silas 22 Jo Jo White 6 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Boston leads series, 3–2 May 2 Boxscore Boston Celtics 104 Buffalo Braves 100 30–27 20–28 27–23 27–22 Jo Jo White 23 Paul Silas 18 Charlie Scott 8 Bob McAdoo 28 John Shumate 16 Ernie DiGregorio 8 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York 16,261 Boston wins series, 4–2 This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1974 Boston Celtics 4 Buffalo Braves 2 1974 Eastern Conference Semifinals (2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Washington Bullets #eee April 13 Boxscore Washington Bullets 100 Cleveland Cavaliers 95 37–19 19–16 22–25 22–35 Elvin Hayes 28 Elvin Hayes 18 Dave Bing 5 Jim Chones 23 Campy Russell 11 Jim Cleamons 8 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 19,974 Washington leads series, 1–0 April 15 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 80 Washington Bullets 79 24–24 12–22 27–17 17–16 Bingo Smith 17 Nate Thurmond 10 Bingo Smith 4 Phil Chenier 19 Unseld, Robinson 13 each Dave Bing 7 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 17,988 Series tied, 1–1 Bingo Smith hits game winning jumper to tie series. #eee April 17 Boxscore Washington Bullets 76 Cleveland Cavaliers 88 15–21 22–24 17–22 22–21 Elvin Hayes 17 Wes Unseld 13 four players 3 each Smith, Carr 17 each Jim Brewer 12 Jim Brewer 6 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,061 Cleveland leads series, 2–1 April 21 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 98 Washington Bullets 109 29–26 22–25 19–27 28–31 Campy Russell 22 Jim Brewer 10 Foots Walker 6 Clem Haskins 22 Unseld, Hayes 14 each Wes Unseld 7 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 17,542 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 22 Boxscore Washington Bullets 91 Cleveland Cavaliers 92 23–23 26–25 22–28 20–16 Elvin Hayes 25 Elvin Hayes 13 Dave Bing 6 Dick Snyder 26 Jim Brewer 12 Cleamons, Snyder 4 each Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,312 Cleveland leads series, 3–2 Jim Cleamons hits game-winning tip-in. April 26 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 98 Washington Bullets 102 OT 19–30 25–19 21–22 23–17 10–14 Austin Carr 27 Jim Brewer 12 Cleamons, Carr 5 each Elvin Hayes 28 Wes Unseld 18 Wes Unseld 8 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland 19,035 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 29 Boxscore Washington Bullets 85 Cleveland Cavaliers 87 26–29 21–19 24–21 14–18 Phil Chenier 31 Elvin Hayes 11 Wes Unseld 4 Dick Snyder 23 Jim Brewer 16 Jim Cleamons 6 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,564 Cleveland wins series, 4–3 Dick Snyder hits the series-winning shot with 4 seconds left. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference semifinals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Detroit Pistons #eee April 20 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 103 Golden State Warriors 127 31–34 20–31 24–27 28–35 Bob Lanier 18 Bob Lanier 16 Chris Ford 7 Phil Smith 26 Clifford Ray 12 Rick Barry 14 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Golden State leads series, 1–0 April 22 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 123 Golden State Warriors 111 39–37 31–29 29–18 24–27 Curtis Rowe 33 Curtis Rowe 10 Chris Ford 9 Rick Barry 27 Clifford Ray 12 Rick Barry 8 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 24 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 113 Detroit Pistons 96 25–26 28–22 31–27 29–21 Phil Smith 34 Jamaal Wilkes 18 Rick Barry 10 Bob Lanier 23 Bob Lanier 16 Eric Money 8 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 10,022 Golden State leads series, 2–1 April 26 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 102 Detroit Pistons 106 31–28 17–25 21–32 33–21 Phil Smith 31 Clifford Ray 8 Rick Barry 6 Bob Lanier 30 Bob Lanier 11 Eric Money 7 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 11,389 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 28 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 109 Golden State Warriors 128 22–28 26–32 32–33 29–35 Howard Porter 20 Bob Lanier 12 Archie Clark 5 Phil Smith 28 Clifford Ray 14 Rick Barry 11 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Golden State leads series, 3–2 April 30 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 118 Detroit Pistons 116 OT 30–31 25–32 27–22 28–25 8–6 Phil Smith 37 three players 8 each Phil Smith 7 Bob Lanier 30 Bob Lanier 16 Eric Money 9 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 10,361 Golden State wins series, 4–2 This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the only meeting when both teams were based in Philadelphia and Fort Wayne respectively. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CLE&opp_id=WAS&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021Golden State/ Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1956 Fort Wayne Pistons 1 Philadelphia Warriors 4 1956 NBA Finals (2) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Phoenix Suns #eee April 13 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 99 Seattle SuperSonics 102 21–29 26–22 26–28 26–23 Paul Westphal 24 Gar Heard 10 Paul Westphal 10 Fred Brown 34 Fred Brown 7 Slick Watts 8 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 12,408 Seattle leads series, 1–0 April 15 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 116 Seattle SuperSonics 111 30–29 35–28 22–29 29–25 Alvan Adams 23 Curtis Perry 12 Alvan Adams 7 Fred Brown 45 Tommy Burleson 12 Slick Watts 6 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,096 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 18 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 91 Phoenix Suns 103 16–27 31–24 14–27 30–25 Slick Watts 18 three players 8 each Slick Watts 7 Heard, Westphal 16 each Gar Heard 14 Westphal, Adams 6 each Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,036 Phoenix leads series, 2–1 April 20 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 114 Phoenix Suns 130 26–31 21–29 25–30 42–40 Fred Brown 33 Tommy Burleson 20 Herm Gilliam 7 Paul Westphal 39 Gar Heard 11 Ricky Sobers 8 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,036 Phoenix leads series, 3–1 #eee April 25 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 108 Seattle SuperSonics 114 23–28 27–28 30–30 28–28 Paul Westphal 27 Dennis Awtrey 12 three players 4 each Bruce Seals 28 Willie Norwood 13 Slick Watts 12 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington 14,096 Phoenix leads series, 3–2 April 27 Boxscore Seattle SuperSonics 112 Phoenix Suns 123 23–25 27–35 24–34 38–29 Seals, Watts 24 each Bruce Seals 7 Slick Watts 11 Keith Erickson 20 Heard, Adams 9 each Alvan Adams 10 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,192 Phoenix wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=OKC&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Conference finals Eastern Conference finals (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers #eee May 6 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 99 Boston Celtics 111 20–32 28–25 29–20 22–34 Snyder, Russell 21 each Nate Thurmond 16 Jim Cleamons 6 John Havlicek 26 Dave Cowens 12 Dave Cowens 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,264 Boston leads series, 1–0 May 9 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 89 Boston Celtics 94 19–24 29–20 23–24 18–26 Snyder, Smith 16 each Jim Brewer 9 Foots Walker 6 Jo Jo White 24 Paul Silas 19 three players 4 each Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 12,098 Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee May 11 Boxscore Boston Celtics 78 Cleveland Cavaliers 83 16–16 22–27 16–15 24–25 Jo Jo White 22 Paul Silas 21 Jo Jo White 7 Jim Cleamons 18 Jim Brewer 15 Nate Thurmond 6 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,564 Boston leads series, 2–1 May 14 Boxscore Boston Celtics 87 Cleveland Cavaliers 106 23–27 28–22 19–24 17–33 Jo Jo White 23 Dave Cowens 18 Dave Cowens 4 Bingo Smith 27 Jim Brewer 11 Jim Cleamons 8 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,564 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 16 Boxscore Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Boston Celtics 99 23–22 19–20 22–26 30–31 Jim Cleamons 18 Nate Thurmond 10 Cleamons, Smith 4 each Dave Cowens 26 Paul Silas 13 Dave Cowens 6 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 12,951 Boston leads series, 3–2 May 18 Boxscore Boston Celtics 94 Cleveland Cavaliers 87 22–19 21–27 24–23 27–18 Jo Jo White 29 Dave Cowens 18 White, Cowens 5 each Austin Carr 26 Nate Thurmond 14 Thurmond, Cleamons 5 each Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio 21,564 Boston wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=CLE&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Cleveland Cavaliers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Conference finals (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Phoenix Suns #eee May 2 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 103 Golden State Warriors 128 28–30 20–28 24–31 31–39 Curtis Perry 22 Alvan Adams 14 Alvan Adams 6 Rick Barry 38 Clifford Ray 11 Gus Williams 6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,475 Golden State leads series, 1–0 May 5 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 108 Golden State Warriors 101 28–26 18–18 35–29 27–28 Paul Westphal 31 Gar Heard 12 Alvan Adams 9 Rick Barry 44 George Johnson 11 Rick Barry 4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Series tied, 1–1 #eee May 7 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 99 Phoenix Suns 91 24–22 24–31 26–18 25–20 Jamaal Wilkes 22 Rick Barry 7 Barry, Smith 6 each Paul Westphal 24 Alvan Adams 14 Ricky Sobers 6 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,306 Golden State leads series, 2–1 May 9 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 129 Phoenix Suns 133 2OT 30–36 33–29 24–26 25–21 7–7, 10–14 Phil Smith 30 Jamaal Wilkes 14 Phil Smith 8 Keith Erickson 28 Gar Heard 18 Paul Westphal 8 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,884 Series tied, 2–2 #eee May 12 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 95 Golden State Warriors 111 24–40 26–29 22–15 23–27 Curtis Perry 23 Curtis Perry 18 Westphal, Sobers 4 each Phil Smith 25 Clifford Ray 16 Phil Smith 6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Golden State leads series, 3–2 May 14 Boxscore Golden State Warriors 104 Phoenix Suns 105 26–28 31–26 21–31 26–20 Rick Barry 30 Clifford Ray 12 Barry, Smith 6 each Ricky Sobers 21 Gar Heard 15 three players 6 each Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,396 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 16 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 94 Golden State Warriors 86 22–26 20–22 25–17 27–21 Gar Heard 21 Alvan Adams 20 Westphal, Perry 4 each Rick Barry 20 Wilkes, Ray 13 each Phil Smith 6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 13,067 Phoenix wins series, 4–3 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W3) Phoenix Suns 1976 NBA Finals #eee May 23 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 87 Boston Celtics 98 20–22 19–22 27–27 21–27 Alvan Adams 26 Curtis Perry 10 Ricky Sobers 7 Dave Cowens 25 Dave Cowens 21 Dave Cowens 10 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell Boston leads series, 1–0 May 27 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 90 Boston Celtics 105 25–24 16–22 16–34 33–25 Paul Westphal 28 Alvan Adams 15 Westphal, Adams 5 each John Havlicek 23 Paul Silas 17 Jo Jo White 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Earl Strom, Joe Gushue Boston leads series, 2–0 #eee May 30 Boxscore Boston Celtics 98 Phoenix Suns 105 17–26 22–26 26–26 33–27 Jo Jo White 24 Dave Cowens 17 Charlie Scott 5 Alvan Adams 33 Alvan Adams 14 Paul Westphal 6 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 12,884 Richie Powers, Paul Mihalak Boston leads series, 2–1 June 2 Boxscore Boston Celtics 107 Phoenix Suns 109 30–35 27–25 23–27 27–22 Jo Jo White 25 Paul Silas 14 Jo Jo White 5 Paul Westphal 28 Gar Heard 15 Paul Westphal 9 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,306 Don Murphy, Manny Sokol Series tied, 2–2 #eee June 4 Boxscore Phoenix Suns 126 Boston Celtics 128 3OT 18–36 27–25 27–16 23–18 6–6, 11–11, 14–16 Westphal, Sobers 25 each Curtis Perry 15 Perry, Sobers 6 each Jo Jo White 33 Dave Cowens 19 Jo Jo White 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 15,320 Richie Powers, Don Murphy, Bob Rakel Boston leads series, 3–2 As John Havlicek hit the clutch shot as time ran out for Boston in the second OT, the fans crowded the floor in celebration, thinking that the game was over. However, the clock was supposed to stop on the basket, and the referees had to bring the Celtics back onto the floor and put one second back on the clock. Meanwhile, Paul Westphal called a timeout that the Suns didn't have which would result in a technical foul, forcing Jo Jo White to shoot and make the technical free throw which put the Celtics up by 2, and then Gar Heard hit the game-tying buzzer-beater to force the third OT. June 6 Boxscore Boston Celtics 87 Phoenix Suns 80 20–20 18–13 19–23 30–24 Charlie Scott 25 Dave Cowens 17 Jo Jo White 6 Alvan Adams 20 Gar Heard 10 Alvan Adams 6 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona 13,306 Darell Garretson, Jake O'Donnell Boston wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=PHO&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1976 NBA Playoffs page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 1975–1976#Pudotuspelit