# 1974 NBA playoffs

The 1974 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1973-74 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. John Havlicek was named NBA Finals MVP.
It was the Celtics' twelfth NBA title, and first accomplished in the post-Bill Russell era. It was the last Finals appearance for Milwaukee until 2021.
This is the last postseason with only 3 rounds and using only 8 teams. The 1975 NBA Playoffs added a First Round and the number of teams was expanded to 10.
Using the revised playoff format adopted in 1973, two third-place teams (Buffalo in the Atlantic Division, Detroit in the Midwest Division) qualified for the playoffs, while the second-place finishers in the Central (Atlanta) and Pacific (Golden State) divisions did not. Also, since the top three Western qualifiers were in the Midwest Division, the two divisional champions in the Western Conference (Milwaukee and Los Angeles) played in the conference semifinals.
With a 4–3 series victory over the Pistons in the first round, the Bulls earned their first playoff series victory. In their first eight years of existence, the Bulls made the playoffs seven times.
The Bulls–Pistons rivalry started in their conference semifinal encounter, which Chicago won, 4–3. But it wasn't until the next four meetings (1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991) that the rivalry became even more intense, particularly due to the intense battles that made both teams legitimate contenders in the East.
As a matter of historical curiosity, 3 of the 4 teams in the 1974 Western Conference bracket (Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago) now reside in the Eastern Conference.
This was the only appearance of the Capital Bullets in the playoffs under that moniker; they assumed the "Capital" name for one year before changing to the Washington Bullets the next season. It was the playoff debut of the Buffalo Braves, who had joined the league in 1970.
For the first time in BAA/NBA history (dating back to 1947), neither the Lakers (of Minnesota, then Los Angeles) or Warriors (of Philadelphia, then San Francisco and Golden State) participated in a conference (or division prior to 1971) finals series.

## Bracket

| Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Buffalo | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Buffalo | 2 | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | New York | 1 | | | |
| E3 | Capital* | 3 | E2 | New York | 1 | | | |
| E2 | New York | 4 | | | | | | |
| E2 | New York | 4 | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | | | | W1 | Milwaukee* | 3 |
| W1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | | | | | W1 | Milwaukee* | 3 |
| W4 | Los Angeles* | 1 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Los Angeles* | 1 | W1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W2 | Chicago | 0 | | | |
| W3 | Detroit | 3 | W2 | Chicago | 0 | | | |
| W2 | Chicago | 4 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## Conference semifinals
### Eastern Conference semifinals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Buffalo Braves

* March 30
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 97, Boston Celtics 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 19–21, 31–28, 16–38 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 29 Rebs: Gar Heard 20 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 8 | Pts: Jo Jo White 24 Rebs: Dave Cowens 18 Asts: John Havlicek 12 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,300
* April 2
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 105, Buffalo Braves 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 30–20, 27–32, 29–32 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 27 Rebs: Dave Cowens 16 Asts: John Havlicek 7 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 23 Rebs: Bob McAdoo 20 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 12 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 17,507
* April 3
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 107, Boston Celtics 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–39, 31–27, 29–30, 25–24 |||
| Pts: Bob McAdoo 38 Rebs: Gar Heard 13 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 8 | Pts: John Havlicek 43 Rebs: Dave Cowens 19 Asts: John Havlicek 8 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,656
* April 6
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 102, Buffalo Braves 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 26–29, 26–21, 28–32 |||
| Pts: Don Nelson 24 Rebs: Dave Cowens 14 Asts: John Havlicek 8 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 44 Rebs: Jim McMillian 18 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 11 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 18,119
* Jim McMillian tip in at the buzzer.
* April 9
* Boxscore
Buffalo Braves 97, Boston Celtics 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–25, 20–23, 20–23, 26–29 |||
| Pts: Randy Smith 25 Rebs: Gar Heard 16 Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 4 | Pts: John Havlicek 25 Rebs: Dave Cowens 12 Asts: Art Williams 8 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 12
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 106, Buffalo Braves 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 33–28, 34–28, 19–22 |||
| Pts: John Havlicek 30 Rebs: Dave Cowens 17 Asts: John Havlicek 7 | Pts: Bob McAdoo 40 Rebs: McAdoo, Heard 15 each Asts: Ernie DiGregorio 9 |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York Attendance: 18,257
* Jo Jo White's free throws with no time left.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

#### (2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Capital Bullets

* March 29
* Boxscore
Capital Bullets 91, New York Knicks 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 16–29, 22–25, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 40 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14 Asts: Hayes, Porter 4 each | Pts: Walt Frazier 20 Rebs: Walt Frazier 12 Asts: Dave DeBusschere 7 |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
* March 31
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 87, Capital Bullets 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 18–25, 22–20, 21–29 |||
| Pts: Dave DeBusschere 20 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 10 Asts: Jerry Lucas 5 | Pts: Phil Chenier 35 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 21 Asts: Kevin Porter 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 16,522
* April 2
* Boxscore
Capital Bullets 88, New York Knicks 79 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 21–23, 26–13, 18–22 |||
| Pts: Kevin Porter 22 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13 Asts: Kevin Porter 5 | Pts: Walt Frazier 20 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 12 Asts: DeBusschere, Meminger 5 each |
| Capital leads series, 2–1 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
* April 5
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 101, Capital Bullets 93 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 24–24, 15–22, 19–11, Overtime: 14–6 |||
| Pts: Earl Monroe 23 Rebs: Walt Frazier 11 Asts: Walt Frazier 6 | Pts: Hayes, Porter 20 each Rebs: Elvin Hayes 17 Asts: Kevin Porter 7 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,035
* April 7
* Boxscore
Capital Bullets 105, New York Knicks 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 24–27, 26–22, 27–29 |||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 27 Rebs: Wes Unseld 12 Asts: Wes Unseld 8 | Pts: Walt Frazier 38 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 8 Asts: Walt Frazier 4 |
| New York leads series, 3–2 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
* April 10
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 92, Capital Bullets 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 19–24, 23–24, 25–41 |||
| Pts: Walt Frazier 25 Rebs: Phil Jackson 8 Asts: Walt Frazier 10 | Pts: Elvin Hayes 31 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 23 Asts: Wes Unseld 5 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,025
* April 12
* Boxscore
Capital Bullets 81, New York Knicks 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 31–24, 10–16, 20–22 |||
| Pts: Phil Chenier 21 Rebs: Phil Chenier 14 Asts: Elvin Hayes 5 | Pts: Earl Monroe 30 Rebs: DeBusschere, Gianelli 15 each Asts: Dave DeBusschere 7 |
| New York wins series, 4–3 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning four of the previous five meetings.
New York leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series :
1969
Baltimore Bullets 0, New York Knicks 4
1969 Eastern Division Semifinals
1970
Baltimore Bullets 3, New York Knicks 4
1970 Eastern Division Semifinals
1971
Baltimore Bullets 4, New York Knicks 3
1971 Eastern Conference Finals
1972
Baltimore Bullets 2, New York Knicks 4
1972 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1973
Baltimore Bullets 1, New York Knicks 4
1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals :

### Western Conference semifinals
#### (1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (4) Los Angeles Lakers

* March 29
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 95, Milwaukee Bucks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 23–24, 28–24, 18–28 |||
| Pts: Gail Goodrich 31 Rebs: Connie Hawkins 14 Asts: Gail Goodrich 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* March 31
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 90, Milwaukee Bucks 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 25–21, 14–27, 28–32 |||
| Pts: Gail Goodrich 21 Rebs: Happy Hairston 10 Asts: Happy Hairston 7 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 2
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 96, Los Angeles Lakers 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 31–23, 21–29, 20–17 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Asts: Oscar Robertson 16 | Pts: Elmore Smith 30 Rebs: Elmore Smith 17 Asts: Gail Goodrich 12 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505
* Jerry West’s final NBA game.
* April 4
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 112, Los Angeles Lakers 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–21, 22–18, 34–14, 26–37 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 | Pts: Elmore Smith 20 Rebs: Elmore Smith 13 Asts: Connie Hawkins 5 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–1 |||
* The Forum, Inglewood, California Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Richie Powers, Paul Mihalak
* April 7
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 92, Milwaukee Bucks 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–33, 12–18, 26–36, 38–27 |||
| Pts: Gail Goodrich 22 Rebs: Happy Hairston 11 Asts: Gail Goodrich 6 | Pts: Ron Williams 22 Rebs: Cornell Warner 17 Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson 8 each |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–1 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with both teams splitting the prior two meetings.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
1971
Los Angeles Lakers 1, Milwaukee Bucks 4
1971 Western Conference Finals
1972
Los Angeles Lakers 4, Milwaukee Bucks 2
1972 Western Conference Finals :

#### (2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Detroit Pistons

* March 30
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 97, Chicago Bulls 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–16, 22–22, 20–27, 26–23 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 27 Rebs: Lanier, Rowe 13 each Asts: Don Adams 6 | Pts: Jerry Sloan 24 Rebs: Sloan, Ray 10 each Asts: Norm Van Lier 6 |
| Detroit leads series, 1–0 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 10,711
* April 1
* Boxscore
Chicago Bulls 108, Detroit Pistons 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 23–22, 29–28, 29–26 |||
| Pts: Bob Love 38 Rebs: Clifford Ray 11 Asts: Norm Van Lier 9 | Pts: Bob Lanier 38 Rebs: Bob Lanier 19 Asts: Dave Bing 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 11,499
* April 5
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 83, Chicago Bulls 84 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–13, 23–29, 19–27, 24–15 |||
| Pts: Dave Bing 23 Rebs: Bob Lanier 16 Asts: Lanier, Rowe 2 each | Pts: Chet Walker 21 Rebs: Jerry Sloan 14 Asts: Norm Van Lier 5 |
| Chicago leads series, 2–1 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 17,634
* April 7
* Boxscore
Chicago Bulls 87, Detroit Pistons 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 19–25, 21–35, 22–20 |||
| Pts: Bob Love 23 Rebs: Clifford Ray 9 Asts: Norm Van Lier 9 | Pts: Bob Lanier 26 Rebs: Bob Lanier 18 Asts: Dave Bing 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 11,287
* April 9
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 94, Chicago Bulls 98 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–28, 26–29, 23–18, 31–23 |||
| Pts: Bob Lanier 23 Rebs: Bob Lanier 17 Asts: Dave Bing 6 | Pts: Bob Love 32 Rebs: Jerry Sloan 17 Asts: Norm Van Lier 4 |
| Chicago leads series, 3–2 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 14,236
* April 11
* Boxscore
Chicago Bulls 88, Detroit Pistons 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 19–25, 23–24, 24–28 |||
| Pts: Chet Walker 33 Rebs: Clifford Ray 15 Asts: Norm Van Lier 10 | Pts: Bob Lanier 28 Rebs: Bob Lanier 14 Asts: Dave Bing 10 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 11,134
* April 13
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 94, Chicago Bulls 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 23–27, 30–28, 23–16 |||
| Pts: Stu Lantz 25 Rebs: Lanier, Rowe 10 each Asts: Stu Lantz 5 | Pts: Chet Walker 26 Rebs: Clifford Ray 15 Asts: Bob Weiss 5 |
| Chicago wins series, 4–3 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 13,133
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## Conference finals
### Eastern Conference finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks

* April 14
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 88, Boston Celtics 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–21, 23–30, 23–32, 26–30 |||
| Pts: Walt Frazier 16 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 10 Asts: Meminger, Bibby 3 each | Pts: John Havlicek 25 Rebs: Dave Cowens 13 Asts: John Havlicek 12 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 14,101
* April 16
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 111, New York Knicks 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–25, 20–35, 33–14, 25–25 |||
| Pts: John Havlicek 27 Rebs: Dave Cowens 18 Asts: Jo Jo White 6 | Pts: Bill Bradley 20 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 9 Asts: Walt Frazier 4 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
* April 19
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 103, Boston Celtics 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 31–26, 31–23, 19–33 |||
| Pts: Walt Frazier 38 Rebs: Frazier, Gianelli 10 each Asts: Walt Frazier 4 | Pts: Dave Cowens 28 Rebs: Dave Cowens 22 Asts: Art Williams 5 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* April 21
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 98, New York Knicks 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–32, 23–18, 24–23, 23–18 |||
| Pts: John Havlicek 36 Rebs: Paul Silas 14 Asts: Jo Jo White 9 | Pts: Walt Frazier 25 Rebs: John Gianelli 9 Asts: Earl Monroe 5 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Attendance: 19,694
* Willis Reed’s final NBA game.
* April 24
* Boxscore
New York Knicks 94, Boston Celtics 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 32–24, 27–35, 15–25 |||
| Pts: Phil Jackson 27 Rebs: Phil Jackson 9 Asts: Walt Frazier 6 | Pts: John Havlicek 33 Rebs: Dave Cowens 14 Asts: John Havlicek 5 |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320
* Dave DeBusschere and Jerry Lucas’ final NBA game.
This was the 10th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning five of the previous nine meetings.
New York leads 5–4 in all-time playoff series :
1951
Boston Celtics 0, New York Knicks 2
1951 Eastern Division Semifinals
1952
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 2
1952 Eastern Division Semifinals
1953
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 3
1953 Eastern Division Finals
1954
Boston Celtics 2, New York Knicks 0
1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals
1955
Boston Celtics 2, New York Knicks 1
1955 Eastern Division Semifinals
1967
Boston Celtics 3, New York Knicks 1
1967 Eastern Division Semifinals
1969
Boston Celtics 4, New York Knicks 2
1969 Eastern Division Finals
1972
Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 4
1972 Eastern Conference Finals
1973
Boston Celtics 3, New York Knicks 4
1973 Eastern Conference Finals :

### Western Conference finals
#### (1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (2) Chicago Bulls

* April 16
* Boxscore
Chicago Bulls 85, Milwaukee Bucks 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 24–28, 21–32, 22–20 |||
| Pts: Norm Van Lier 26 Rebs: Bob Love 10 Asts: Norm Van Lier 10 | Pts: Abdul-Jabbar, Dandridge 25 each Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19 Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 18
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 113, Chicago Bulls 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 32–22, 29–26, 22–34 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 44 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Asts: Oscar Robertson 8 | Pts: Norm Van Lier 27 Rebs: Clifford Ray 15 Asts: Norm Van Lier 7 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 17,787
* April 20
* Boxscore
Chicago Bulls 90, Milwaukee Bucks 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 19–27, 25–30, 24–30 |||
| Pts: Bob Love 30 Rebs: Clifford Ray 15 Asts: Clifford Ray 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 12 |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938
* April 22
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 115, Chicago Bulls 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 28–32, 29–16, 38–31 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24 Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 | Pts: Bob Love 32 Rebs: Love, Ray 8 each Asts: Norm Van Lier 7 |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–0 |||
* Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Attendance: 12,762
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## NBA Finals: (W1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (E1) Boston Celtics

* April 28
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 98, Milwaukee Bucks 83 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–19, 17–23, 17–19, 29–22 |||
| Pts: John Havlicek 26 Rebs: Dave Cowens 17 Asts: Cowens, White 7 each | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 35 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 8 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938 Referees: Richie Powers, Jake O'Donnell
* April 30
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 96, Milwaukee Bucks 105 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 17–32, 25–22, 24–13, Overtime: 6–15 |||
| Pts: Jo Jo White 25 Rebs: Dave Cowens 11 Asts: Dave Cowens 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 36 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938 Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Darell Garretson
* May 3
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 83, Boston Celtics 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–32, 24–19, 22–26, 24–18 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Warner 10 each Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson 5 each | Pts: Dave Cowens 30 Rebs: John Havlicek 12 Asts: Jo Jo White 8 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Richie Powers, Don Murphy
* May 5
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 97, Boston Celtics 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 21–12, 21–26, 27–24 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 | Pts: John Havlicek 33 Rebs: Paul Silas 12 Asts: Jo Jo White 9 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Earl Strom
* May 7
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 96, Milwaukee Bucks 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–15, 25–29, 24–17, 27–26 |||
| Pts: Havlicek, Cowens 28 each Rebs: Paul Silas 16 Asts: Dave Cowens 6 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 37 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Jon McGlocklin 8 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938 Referees: Richie Powers, Jake O'Donnell
* May 10
* Boxscore
Milwaukee Bucks 102, Boston Celtics 101 (2OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–19, 20–21, 22–23, 17–23, Overtime: 4–4, 12–11 |||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 34 Rebs: four players 8 each Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 | Pts: John Havlicek 36 Rebs: Havlicek, Silas 9 each Asts: Jo Jo White 11 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,320 Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Darell Garretson
* Dave Cowens hits the game-tying shot with 1 minute left in regulation to force the first OT; John Havlicek rebounds his missed-shot and makes the game-tying basket with 5 seconds left in the first OT to force the second OT; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hits the game-winning sky-hook with 3 seconds left in the second OT.
* May 12
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 102, Milwaukee Bucks 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 31–20, 18–26, 31–21 |||
| Pts: Dave Cowens 28 Rebs: Dave Cowens 14 Asts: Havlicek, Westphal 6 each | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13 Asts: Oscar Robertson 11 |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 |||
* Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Attendance: 10,938 Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Richie Powers
* Oscar Robertson’s final NBA game.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.