When the Boston Celtics and the Golden State warriors tip off Thursday night in San Francisco, it’s the first time these two storied franchises have met in the playoffs since 1964. But the 59-23 1976 Warriors, a markedly improved version of their 1975 championship team, should have faced off with Boston in the NBA Finals, but for an inexplicable second-half performance from Rick Barry in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals. Upset that his teammates didn’t come to his aid during a first-half fight, Barry refused to shoot the ball in the second half (he denies this), and the 42-40 Suns came back to stun the Warriors in a 94-86 Game 7 victory that sent them to the Finals instead.
1976: The Warriors-Celtics Finals that almost was
