Best Sports Teams of the 1970s
The greatness of the Celtics lies in their championships. After Bill Russell's retirement, the 1970 edition suffered their first losing season in 20 years. But the Celtics were already rebuilding with a young team led by Jo Jo White, Paul Silas, and Dave Cowens.
The Celtics were again on the rise, and by 1973, they were challenging for an NBA title, only to lose in the Eastern Finals in seven games to the New York Knicks. One season later, they were back, and this time they couldn't be stopped. They were back in the playoffs, and this time they beat an aging New York Knicks team in the Eastern Finals. In an exciting seven-game NBA Finals, the Celtics' return to glory was complete. They were now NBA Champions.
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In my last report, I went a little overboard on this '78 team. Then I watched This Week In Baseball and found out that this A's team was competitive that year, despite not having a single member who played on the Athletics' 1972-74 World Championship teams.
After 117 games, they had a very respectable 61-56 record, just behind a well-produced Kansas City Royals team with all-stars. Then the bottom fell out, and they missed winning 70 games. It would not be until Billy Martin came to the A's and turned it all around.
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A 26-6 team wasn't surprising considering that in the preseason it was one of the teams to beat come March. They were tied for first in the Big 10 standings (there was no Big 10 Tournament in 1979).
In the postseason, the team was awesome, beating Lamar, LSU, and Notre Dame to advance to the Final Four. In the semifinals, the team was running at full speed as they beat Penn 101-67 to set up the big one against Larry Bird's Indiana State. When the final buzzer sounded, it was Michigan State National Champions.
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The 1975-76 season did not start well as they lost to Queens Park Rangers 2-0 in game one. Early on, they struggled, winning just six of their first twelve games. Then, at mid-season, the team finally played well, dropping only one point in their final nine matches. This left them one point behind the Rangers heading into the final day.
A victory over the Wolverhampton Wanderers would secure them the league championship. The title match did not start well, and Liverpool was down a goal at halftime. But the second half saw them score three goals, and they won the First Division championship.
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Pick a season for this team with Woody Hayes. I go for the 1974 team because they beat Michigan on a missed field goal by them. You can tell Michigan State, We beat them. Watch the final play very carefully, and you'll know why.
But no dispute over Archie Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, and the only college football player to win that big award twice. Ohio State also had other great moments, but this nine-year stretch is the best ever for Woody Hayes.
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Would the Cosmos win the NASL (North American Soccer League) title without Pele? Yes, and in many ways. They won 24 games and led the NASL in home attendance with 47,856. Giorgio Chinaglia scored 34 goals and had 78 assists, setting both NASL records as part of a team that scored 88 goals and lost only three games in regulation during a 30-game season.
The Cosmos beat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-1 in Soccer Bowl '78 before a home crowd of 74,901, a Soccer Bowl record.
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The Newcomers
The 1978 team shown above doesn't belong in the best teams of this decade, but this one did. They did it with a healthy Reggie Jackson, who was named the American League and World Series MVP. They did it with three 20-game winners: Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Ken Holtzman, and Vida Blue.
They won the American League West, beat the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series, and beat the underdog New York Mets in seven games to become back-to-back champions.
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This could've been the NBA's greatest dynasty since the days of the 1957-69 Boston Celtics. This was a team of chemistry, teamwork, star power, and the will to compete and win. They began a craze that even today still sticks: BLAZERMANIA.
They had a 45-6 record at home during the entire 1976-77 NBA season, including being undefeated in the playoffs. They knocked off Artis Gilmore and the Chicago Bulls, then David Thompson and the Denver Nuggets. Next, they faced Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers, and finally Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, securing an NBA title. The next year, Bill Walton was severely injured, ending a potential dynasty.
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It was a star-studded lineup with Brooks and Frank Robinson, MVP Boog Powell, Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Paul Blair, Grand Slam sensation Dave McNally, Don Buford, and manager Earl Weaver. The team "slumped" from 109 wins in '69 to 108 wins in 1970.
They swept the Twins in the ALCS to set up the World Series. In that five-game series, it became The Brooks Robinson Series as he hit .429 with 17 total bases and made great defensive plays, earning him the World Series MVP. The Orioles erased the '69 demons to become champions.
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After eight years, the Dodgers were back in the postseason. A key to their return to glory was an offseason trade that brought Jimmy Wynn from the Houston Astros. Wynn responded by hitting .271 with 32 home runs and was named the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year.
Mike Marshall was a pitching workhorse, appearing in 106 games, winning 15 games, and recording 21 saves. Steve Garvey had a batting average of .312, and Bill Buckner had a batting average of .314. The Dodgers went on to win the NL West title and then beat the Pirates in four games to become NL Champions. In the offseason, they were the SuperTeams champions, a title that aired on ABC Sports in the winter of 1975.
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