By the time two teams reach the NBA Finals, their players and coaches are already operating on empty after more than six months of grueling basketball. That was especially true in the old-school era, when players took pride in appearing in as many games as possible and load management was virtually nonexistent.
Yet, even by those standards, the 1976 NBA Finals pushed everyone involved to their maximum limits.
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In fact, Boston Celtics head coach Tommy Heinsohn later admitted that the physical and mental exhaustion from the series was so overwhelming that there were moments when the players and coaches could barely manage to stand.
Heinsohn specifically referred to seven-time All-Star and former Finals MVP Jo Jo White as someone who could not even stand straight on the hardwood during the end of the series.
“When it was over, Jo Jo laid down on the floor and couldn’t get up again,” Heinsohn said. “He gave it everything he had.”
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White gave his all
Jo Jo’s workload leading up to that moment was staggering.
During the 1975-76 regular season, he played all 82 games while averaging 39.7 minutes per contest. Then, as the Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals, he continued to play non-stop, heavy minutes.
Through the first four games against the Phoenix Suns, Jo Jo averaged 20.5 points, while averaging nearly 44 minutes a game. Yet, as the series was tied 2 apiece, the work was far from done.
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Then came the legendary Game 5 in Boston on June 4th.
What was already shaping up to be a classic turned into one of the greatest playoff games of all time, as it went to not one, not two, but three overtime periods. In that intense game, Jo Jo played an astounding 60 minutes and dropped a game-high 33 points along with nine assists to help the Celtics secure a gritty 128-126 win.
The physical toll of that contest became evident in the closing moments. As Glenn McDonald was shooting free throws late in the game, White evidently sat on the floor, as his legs gave up.
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While some would think that White would be exhausted in the forthcoming contest, they couldn’t be further wrong.
In Game 6, White played another 45 minutes, dropping 15 points and dishing six assists to help Boston close the series and lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second time in three years.
Not only did he lift the Finals MVP honor after averaging 21.7 points per game against the Suns, but Jo Jo also led the league in points (408 total points) and assists (98).
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Tom himself was tired
Interestingly, those Finals weren’t just physically draining for the players, but even coach Tom bore the brunt of it.
He himself acknowledged the psychological stress that the series took on him, so much so that he fainted amid the chaos.
“I went into the locker room, one of the press guys asked me a question, I started answering and I fainted,” Heinsohn said. “I was dehydrated.”
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This story highlights how much exhaustion and psychological warfare are involved in the NBA Finals. That is why the agony of not being able to close out the Finals series in their favor might be the most heartbreaking experience in all of sports and the Suns players felt it that year.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.