by Their first playoff round matchup took place against the Washington Bullets, who later became the Washington Wizards. The Bullets were quality opponents that included a lineup with All Stars, Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld, who both went on to become Hall of Famers. The Washington Bullet lineup was so formidable that they went on to win the NBA Championship the following season. The Cavaliers were known for their quick offense and well rounded attack on both sides of the ball. They would need all of that to take down the Bullets. With Joe Tait on the microphone calling the action to hungry sports fans everywhere, the series was ready to kick off with a bang.
Game one ended in heartbreak for the Cavaliers, as they lost in front of the hometown crowd 100-95. They bounced back in game two, played in Washington, by defeating the Bullets by a score of 80-79 on a twenty five foot jump shot by Bobby “Bingo” Smith in the final seconds. The one point win in thrilling fashion was a sign of things to come later in the series. The boys in wine and gold kept the momentum going in game three with a hard-fought win in Richfield, outscoring the Bullets 88-76. Desperate for a win back home in game four, the Bullets would find one with a 109-98 victory.
The Cavaliers won game five at home 92-91, when Jimmy Cleamons was able to rebound a Smith shot and put it back in to beat the buzzer. The series grew more exciting and intense by the day. It took overtime in game six, but the Bullets managed to bounce back again by winning 102-98.
There are few moments in sports that can match the buildup and thrill of a game seven. The feeling of “do or die” is one of pure anxiety that can only be cured with a win. The ground of the Richfield Coliseum was shaking up to an hour before the game from the yells of the fans’ excitement. During warm ups, the crowd of 20,000 plus chanted “Let’s go Cavs!” If the fans had anything to do with it, the Cavaliers would not be having a first round exit. Joe Tait had a special viewpoint of the fan’s reaction from the broadcast table on the court. He recalls the fan’s reactions to the Cav’s games, “It was a “natural” crowd reaction and that is what made it so special. Nate Thurmond had his brother, George, come to one of the games and place a tape recorder on his lap so he could record the amazing sound of the crowd at the packed Coliseum. There had never been anything like what we were all experiencing. That entire season, the crowd response was just unbelievable. Those things don’t happen anymore because of the artificial commercial atmosphere produced at arenas now.”
As fate would have it, game seven would be an even more intense game than the previous six thrillers that the fans had witnessed. Just like in previous games, it came down once again to the final shot. Dick Snyder was called upon to take the final shot with just under five seconds remaining. As his running 5-foot bank shot hit off the glass and went in, the Richfield crowd came unglued. The city had just witnessed the completion of a miracle.
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