17 Greatest Moments; #13 - '69 Finals, Game 7

The 1969 Finals saw another Game 7 between the Celtics and rival Lakers. But this time, Game 7 wouldn't be in the comforts of the Boston Garden. Instead, it would be held in L.A., away from the famed Garden jinxes that had haunted the Lakers in the past. However, the Lakers, and owner Jack Kent Cooke, would end up jinxing themselves. From Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_NBA_Finals) In anticipation of a Lakers win, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had put thousands of balloons into the rafters of the Lakers Forum and meticulously planned the victory celebrations, hiring a marching band and working out details how the Lakers should be interviewed after the big win. This display of arrogance motivated the Celtics and angered Jerry West. Celtics coach Russell ordered his men to fast break at every opportunity, because in a running game, it all came down to determination: something the Celtics were good in, as he figured.While the balloons in the rafters provided the motivation that the aging Celtics would need, the Celtics also brought along with them some of that Boston Garden Luck. With the Lakers trailing by one, 103-102, with just over a minute remaining, Jerry West knocked the ball loose, but Don Nelson was their to pick it up, and shoot. Nelson's shot would hit the back of the rim, bounce straight up into the air, and back down through the hoop, to put the Celtics up by 3, and put away te Lakers for good. Also interesting during the final minutes was that Wilt Chamberlain was on the bench. With about six minutes left in the 4th quarter, Chamberlain had come down awkwardly on his knee, and had to be taken out. The Lakers were down by nine at this point, but had cut the lead to one with their star on the bench. Chamberlain was now ready to come back in, but Lakers coach Bill van Breda Kolff decided to keep him on the bench. From NBA.com: (http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19681969.html) At the 5:45 mark, Chamberlain went up for a defensive rebound and came down wincing. He had hurt his knee. He asked to be taken out, and van Breda Kolff sent in Counts. West hit two free throws, and the lead was cut to only seven points. Russell and his teammates were out of gas, hoping to coast to an easy win. But another jumper and two more free throws from West made the score 103-100. With three minutes to go, Counts surprised everyone by popping a jumper to make it a one-point game. Chamberlain was ready to come back in, but van Breda Kolff resisted. "We're doing well enough without you," the coach told his center. West, at the time, was unaware of this exchange, and when he later learned of it, he was incredulous. Bill Russell would end up retiring after the season, and the Celtics dynasty, which had lasted for more than a decade, would end.A 17 Greatest Moments; #17 (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149:17-greatest-moments-rabbit-out-of-a-hat&catid=1:latest-news) 17 Greatest Moments; #16 (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:16-greatest-moments-16-the-ice-capades&catid=1:latest-news)17 Greatest Moments; #15 (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153:17-greatest-moments-15-the-dynasty&catid=1:latest-news)17 Greatest Moments; #14 (index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155:17-greatest-moments-14-havlicek-steals-the-ball&catid=1:latest-news)