Part 3 of the nine-part “Celtics City” documentary on HBO premiered on Monday night with a focus on the 1970s Celtics amid a period of turmoil in Boston amid desegregation busing.
The episode begins with Bill Russell’s playing career in Boston coming to an end and concludes with the team landing another legend in the draft with Larry Bird. In between, the Celtics’ highs and lows of the 1970s are documented along with a closer look at racial relations in Boston in that era. Here are four takeaways from the episode:
**Jayson Tatum’s connection to Jo Jo White and his family is special:** The episode prominently focused on the Celtics five decades ago but one of the most heartfelt parts of the installment was focusing on the St. Louis connection between Jayson Tatum and JoJo White. Tatum’s grandmother was neighbors with White’s family growing up. Hearing White’s widow Lauren White get teared up about Tatum giving her a game worn playoff jersey with a black sleeve honoring White during the his first playoff run was special. That type of connection between different generations of Celtics is what makes the franchise special and it was put on display well in this episode.
**The 1976 Celtics Finals win helping Boston heal after Ted Landsmark attack:** Much of the third episode highlighted the racial tensions and disturbing protests taking part in Boston during the 1970s amid the start of desegregation busing. Hearing firsthand from civil rights activist Ted Landsmark about his brutal attack in front of city hall is eye-opening for any person who did not live through that era. Landsmark speaking about the impact of the 1976 Celtics Finals win on him was poignant and how it helped the city come together in a time when healing was needed.
**Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals has to go down as the wildest game in NBA history:** The documentary spent eight whole minutes on the thrilling triple overtime win over the Suns in Game 5 of the 1976 Finals and to be honest, it probably could have given it an entire hour. The game is wildly remembered as one of the best in history already but I think you have to put it at the top of the list given all the theatrics involved. From the Suns heroics to force triple OT, to the fans charging the court early, to a scuffle between a fan and an official, this game had it all. Throw in what became a long-time rival like Pat Riley on commentary and this was an absolute treat to revisit in such detail.
**Dave Cowens leave of absence may have been perceived differently in today’s NBA:** The Celtics have dealt with their fair share of player drama in the past decade (see: Kyrie Irving during the 2018-19 season). A star player taking a couple months off midseason is a whole different level than what we’ve seen of late though. After re-living the Cowens leave of absence during the 1976-77 season to decompress, it’s fair to wonder what that would look like in today’s day and age. The image of Cowens showing up to watch a game during this leave of absence is tough to imagine but a sign of the times. He was clearly beloved enough by Boston fans at that point to be welcomed back with open arms but it’s a good thing this didn’t happen in the social media era.
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