1976–77 Boston Celtics season in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs met in the opening round of the 1977 NBA Playoffs. The Celtics dispatched the Spurs easily, winning two games to none for the right to face the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers and Celtics played a hard-fought seven-game series, with the Sixers prevailing in the seventh game 83–77. 1976–77 Boston Celtics season The 1976–77 Boston Celtics season was the 31st season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Even though the Celtics were the defending NBA champions, they were an aging team in transition. 35-year-old Don Nelson retired
Original Celtics fourth place, while first-half winner Cleveland slumped badly to fifth place. Cleveland’s fall was precipitated by the hasty mid-season departure of star Honey Russell, who was exiled to Chicago after a disagreement with team owner Max Rosenblum. The Celtics easily disposed of the weakened Cleveland team in three straight games to take the ABL championship. In 1926, the American Basketball League, developed by sports entrepreneur George Preston Marshall, effectively railroaded the team into joining its ranks by prohibiting member teams from playing against them. The Original Celtics responded by winning the next two ABL titles. During their first full season