The sixties were a time of great political upheaval, and internal struggle’s thought-out the United States and the world. From assassinations to Vietnam to the Moon, Americans’ eyes were turned constantly to the TV. For the NBA, this meant big money from lucrative TV deals, it also meant others would try to challenge them for the new found wealth that TV brought. By decades end the Basketball world would know two major professional leagues, one of the larger markets and the other of smaller markets. Both with their own stars and own rules, but both would dramatically shape the way the game is played. Also the NBA in the sixties can be summed up quite easily, “the Boston Celtics are World Champions Once again”-Johnny Most. The Celtics would win 8 of the 10 championships in the decade in one of the most dominating eras’ in sports history.

60-61

As the decade started the United States was still in a sort of “Pax Americana”, the prosperity of the 50s had carried over into the new decade. In the summer of 1960 the United States won the gold metal lead behind All-Americans Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy. In the Draft Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson found that he wouldn’t have to travel far to play basketball, he was drafted by him hometown Royals. West from West Virginia was drafted by the Lakers, but instead of having to play in the frigid Midwest, West found himself in sunny southern California. Lucas and Bellamy would both return to the ranks of the NCAA.

Boston
The Celtics once again finished the season with the best record in the NBA going 57 and 22. For the first time in eight seasons Bob Cousy did not lead the NBA in assist, that honor went to Robertson of Cincinnati, Cousy came in third. Also for the first time in a decade the Celtics did not have a player in the top 10 in scoring.

Cincinnati
Rookie Oscar Robertson’s impact on the League and the game of basketball was profound. However, his impact did not help the Royals make the playoffs. The Royals did however go out fighting, as they missed the playoffs by one game going 33 and 46. Robertson posted a near triple double averaging 30 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, and a league leading 9.7 assist per game.

Detroit
Bailey Howell and Gene Shue both made huge strides in their career during the 60-61 season. Shue a Journey man had averaged 22 a game the previous year, but now with Howell his shooting percentage went up as well. Howell lead the Pistons in rebounding at 14 a game, while Shue lead the Pistons in assist with 7 a game. The Pistons beat out their old rivals the Royals during a tight three-way race, going 34 and 45.

Los Angeles
The Lakers found their new home a little better then their previous one. The Lakers won 36 games while losing 43 games, an 11 game improvement from a year ago. The Lakers also found themselves a game better then Detroit in the standings for second place in the West. Baylor was three points per game shy of taking the scoring championship from Chamberlain. Baylor also lead the Lakers in rebounds with 20 per game.

New York
The Knicks continued to sink into the Basketball cellar, going an NBA low 21 and 58. Willie Naulls lead the Knicks in scoring with 23 a game, and Rich Guerin continued leading the team in assist.

Philadelphia
The Big Dipper continued to tear apart the NBA for the Warriors, averaging a then league high 38 points a game, and another league high with 27.2 rebounds a game, 2/10ths of a rebound more then he averaged the previous year. (Which also was a league high) Paul Arizin also helped the Warriors out by averaging 23 points per game, even though they had two 20+ scorers the Warriors could not challenge the Celtics for the top spot in the East missing out by a full 11 games at 46 and 33

St Louis
Bob Pettit continued to power the Hawks in the west, Pettit averaged 28 points a game which was good for fourth in the NBA in scoring, and he was third in rebounds with 20 per game. Pettit lead the Hawks to their 5th straight Division championship.

Syracuse.
Dolph Schayes kept the Nationals decent going 38 and 41 for third place in the east. The now aging Schayes had begun to slow down, his minutes dropped but his scoring picked up as he scored a point more than he had the previous season.

In the first round of the newly formatted best of five, Eastern playoffs the Nationals faced their long-standing rivals the Warriors. Despite Chamberlain averaging about 40 a game in the series the Nationals still dominated the Warriors. In game one the Nationals beat the Warriors in Philadelphia 115 to 107. In game two the Nationals won 115 to 114, and in game three 106 to 103.

In the west the series would go a bit longer. For the eighth time in 10 years the Pistons and the Lakers would face each other. In game one the Lakers took a big 120 to 102 win, game two saw the lakers sneak out with a 120 to 118 victory. In the third game, facing elimination, the Pistons managed to score 124 points to the Lakers 113 for the win, the Pistons once again starved off elimination in game four winning 123 to 114. But once the series shifted back to the west coast the Lakers took and easy 137 to 120 victory to clinch the series.

The defending champions faced the Nations once again, and once again Boston built an early series lead by winning game one 128 to 115, but Syracuse would tie things up with a 115 to 98 victory over the Celtics in the Garden. The Celtics responded bu thrashing the Nationals in front of their home crowd back in Syracuse with a 133 to110 game three win. In game the Celtics kept the pressure on and won that easily 120 to 107, the Celtics would finish off the Nationals with a 123 to 101 game five victory.

Once again where the East was dominated by the Celtics, the west was fought for and won by the Hawks. The Hawks lost game one of their best of seven series to the Lakers 122 to 118 in St Louis, but they responded by winning game two 121 to 106. With the series shifting back to the west coast and the lakers having stole home court the Hawks let another close one slip away 118 to 112. Both the Hawks managed to hold the Lakers shooting cold in the final period as they beat the Lakers in Los Angels 118 to 117. The Lakers took game six in St Louis easily 121 to 121 and looked to eliminate the standing western champions back in LA. After a grueling one point overtime game six victory in Los Angeles, the Hawks had tied the series up heading back St Louis. Game seven was another close one but Bob Pettit was once again clutch in the final minute to lead the Hawks back to the finals.

The Hawks and Celtics once again faced each other in the Finals. This would also be their last finals meeting. The Series with the Lakers had so exhausted the Hawks, as they played then boarded a plan and flew from St Louis to Boston, that they were completely lethargic in game one and Russell’s Celtics walked all over them 129 to 95. The Celtics continued pressing the Hawks in game two winning them by eight; 116 to 108. The Hawks tried to mount a series comeback as they took game three in St Louis 124 to 120, but the Celtics couldn’t be hindered as they won game four 119 to 104, and then won game five and the championship 121 to 112. This was the Celtics third championship in a row.

Shattered records

61-62

In one of the most important years in the history of the NBA, the league expanded to Chicago Packers. This was the leagues first expansion team. The League also saw a huge jump in scoring as seven players averaged more than 30 points a game. And was also the year of some of the most spectacular feats in sports history.

Boston
The Celtics became the first NBA team to ever win 60 games going 60 and 20. Cousy, Russell, Heinshon and Sam Jones continued to rake in wins for the Celtics as they seemed unstoppable. Bill Russell won his second straight MVP and his third overall with 24 rebound a game and 19 points a game.

Chicago
In their first season the Packers only managed to win 18 games while losing 62, and thus coincidently became the first team in NBA history to lose 60 games. One bright spot for the Packers was center Walt Bellamy who was second in the NBA in scoring with 32 points a game, and third in the NBA in rebounds with 19 a game.

Cincinnati
What he couldn’t do in 60-61 he did in 61-62, Oscar Robertson averaged the only season long triple double in NBA history, averaging 31 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and became the first double digit assist man with a league best 11 assist a game. Robertson’s play and that of his teammate Jack Twyman turned the Royals around and they won 43 game for second in the West.

Detroit
Bailey Howell’s and Gene Shue’s scoring dropped off from the previous season and the Pistons just kind of staggered around the entire season going 37 and43 for third in the west.

Los Angeles
Elgin Baylor had brought the Lakers full circle, no longer were they just another team, they were someone to be reckoned with as many teams found out. The lakers went 54 and 26 for the best record in the West. Baylor’s scoring rose to 38 a game, but he was injured and missed most of the season, but in his absence Jerry West rose to stardom averaging 31 points per game.

New York
The Knicks improved with a healthy Rich Guerin, but the Knicks still only managed to win 29 games and finished last in the East once again.

Philadelphia
The 61-62 season saw many remarkable feats accomplished by Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain scored 60 or more points 18 times during the season, a record still held today. He finished the season averaging 50 points a game. On December 8, 1961, Chamberlain scored 78 points against the Lakers breaking Elgin Baylor’s 71 point record for most points in a game. Than on March 2, 1962 in a game in Hershey, Pennsylvania Chamberlain scored an astonishing 100 points in a game against the Knicks. No NBA player since then has even gotten close to matching the Big Dippers feat. Even more impressive then his 100 point game in that he played in all but 8 minutes of the season for the Warriors.

St Louis
The Increase of talent in the league overall hurt the Hawks, they fell from first place a year ago to 4th in the west and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since moving to St Louis in 1955. Pettit still scored 30 a game and Cliff Hagen added 23 points per game, but it was mainly the Hawks defense which cost them games as their guards were slow and shot the ball poorly most nights.

Syracuse.
The Nationals 41 and 39 record was good enough for third place in the east, Schayes got injured midway thought the season and missed 21 games and could only muster 15 points a game for the Nationals

In the first round of the east it was the Warriors and the Nationals once again. Chamberlains Warriors took game one 110 to 103, and then followed that up with a 97 to 82 win to put the Nationals on the brink of elimination. In game three Dolph Schayes returned to his former glory as he lead the Nationals to a one point win to starve off defeat, 101-100. Schayes still had more magic and he lead the Nationals to another win in game four at Syracuse to tie the series at two games each. But game five would be all the Big Dipper as the Warriors rolled over the Nationals 121 to 104.

In the west the old NBL rivalry of the Pistons and Royals heated up once again. Detroit took a very closely contested game one 123 to 122, but Cincinnati responded by wailing on the Pistons 129 to 107 in game two. But Robertson and Twyman didn’t have enough firepower alone to lead the Royals as the Pistons took game three 118 to 107, and then Gene Shue hit a deciding jumper in game four to give the Pistons the 112-111 win to take the series 3 games to 1 game.

Boston would face Philadelphia in the east, Russell would keep Chamberlain pretty much under control, as Chamberlain only averaged 40 points a game, down from the 50 points he averaged in the regular season. The Celtics took game one easily 117 to 89, but Philly answered in game two winning 113 to 106. Russell would have a big game three to lead the Celtics to a 129 to 114 victory over the Warriors in Philadelphia. But again Chamberlain and the Warriors couldn’t be silenced as they came roaring back to take game four 110 to 106. Game five in Boston saw the Celtics build up and early lead and coast to the119 to 104 victory. But again the Warriors came back to tie the series after taking game six in Philly 109 to 99. Game seven would be an epic one, the teams battled back and fourth all night, the key match ups of Arizin and Heinshon and Russell and Chamberlain provided a spectacle for all to see. The game would go down to the wire, and with five second to go in the game tied, and Boston will the ball, Sam Jones hit the game winning jumper for the Celtics.

The Lakers would face the Pistons in the west, and after the first two games it looked like the Lakers firepower was to much. The Lakers won game one 132 to 108 and won game two 127 to 112. The series now shifted back to Detroit, and the Pistons but up a better fight in game three but still lost to the Lakers 111 to 106. The Pistons would rally to fend off elimination as they won game four 118 to 117, and then followed that off with a 132 to 125 game five victory in Los Angeles. But West, Baylor and the Lakers were too much for the Pistons in game six as the Lakers took the series with a 123 to 117 victory.

Elgin Baylor would have a chance at avenging his beating at the hands of the Celtics in the finals from four years earlier as the Lakers and Celtics faced each other once again in the Finals. The Celtics took game one 122 to 108 in Boston, but the Lakers would steal home court advantage with a 129 to 122 victory in game two. With the Series in LA the Lakers road their home fans and won game three 117 to 115 to take a 2 games to 1 game lead in the series. The Celtics tied things up with a twelve-point game four victory. Game five of the 1962 NBA finals would witness another NBA milestone, as LA’s Elgin Baylor erupted for some NBA finals high of 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126 to 121 win. The Lakers were now one game away from defeating Boston and winning their first championship since 1954. Russell would rally the Celtics in game six as they won 119 to 105. Game seven would be another down to the wire game for the Celtics as with time running out in regulation, and the score tied, Laker guard Frank Selvy, Had a shot to win the game, but it clanked off the rim and sent the game into overtime. In Overtime the Celtics would outscore the Lakers, to win a new NBA record of four consecutive NBA championships.

On the West Coast

62-63

As the season began there were some notable differences, the Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco, leaving Philadelphia without a basketball team for the first time since the early 1930s. To compensate for the Warriors move to the west, the Royals joined the east and would end the great playoff rivalries with the Pistons. The Packers would change their names to the Zephyrs during the season. And Bob Cousy announced before the season that this would be his last. The NBA also added a new award; Coach of the year; which went to St Louis’s Harry Gallatin.

Boston
In Bob Cousy’s last season in the NBA, the Celtic went 58 and 22 for the best record in the NBA, Cousy’s 8 assist lead the Celtics and was third in the NBA. Russell’s 24 rebounds per game was just shy of Chamberlains 24.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics also didn’t have a 20-point scorer on the team. In the Draft the Celtics picked up Ohio State guard John Havilcek

Chicago
The newly named Zephyrs added Terry Dischinger from Purdue, Dischinger would go on to win Rookie of the year, and would mark the first time that the same team would have two consecutive Rookie of the Years. Walt Bellamy still lead the Zephyrs in scoring at 28 per game

Cincinnati
The move to the East did little to stop the progression of Robertson and Twyman, the Royals only lost one more game then they did the previous season going 42 and 38, but the tougher competition meant that the Royals fell to third place. Robertson nearly averaged another triple double but fell a few assists and rebounds short.

Detroit
The Pistons enjoyed another mediocre season at 34 and 46, the Pistons drafted Dave DeBusschere in the draft and he made an immediate impact on a team already with Bailey Howell and Don Ohl.

Los Angeles
The Lakers continued to be the elite team of the west going 53 and 27, Baylor played in all 80 games during the season averaging 34 points per game, but the lakers lost West for about 30 games during the season due to a foot injury.

New York
Rich Guerin tried, but just couldn’t keep the Knicks competitive in the east, as the Knicks finished last in the NBA at 21 and 59.

San Francisco
The Move to the west may have hurt the Warriors, more then the move to the east that the Royals had to do. The Warriors struggled, despite Chamberlains 45 points and 24 rebounds per game. Like Bob Cousy this would be the last season in the NBA for Paul Arizin who would retire after playing 10 seasons in the NBA, his career started 12 years earlier in 1950 but Arizin served two years in the Military during his NBA career. The Warriors finished 31 and 49 and did not qualify for the playoffs.

St Louis
Rookie Zelmo Beatty and new coach Harry Gallatin helped re serge the Hawks who went 48 and 32 for second place in the East. Bob Pettit once again lead the Hawks in scoring with 28 points per game.

Syracuse
The Nationals finished second in the east again going 48 and 32. Once again they were lead by Dolph Schayes who seemed to be like a fine wine, getting better with age.

In the first round of the playoffs the Royals would play the Nationals. The Nationals took a very close game one 123 to 120, but the Royals routed the Nationals in Syracuse 122 to 115. The Nationals responded by beat the Royals in Cincinnati 121 to 117. The Royals took game four 125 to 118, and followed that up with a series clinching win in game five, 131 to 127.

In the western series the Hawks made light work of the Pistons in both games in St Louis, winning game one 118 to 99, and winning game two 122 to 108. The Pistons fended off elimination by winning game four 107 to 103, but the Hawks captured the series win with a 104 to 100, game four win.

The Royals thought they had a chance to beat the four time champion Celtics in the East final, Robertson had dominated in the first round and the Royals expected more of the same, but the Celtics would be ready for him. After a hard-fought game one the Royals escaped with a 135 to 132 win, but the Celtics would blow the Royals out by 22 in game two to tie the series at one game a piece. Cincy won another close game, winning game three 121 to 116. The Celtics would take games four and five to give them a 3 games to two games series lead, but in game six the Royals beat the Celtics by 10 to force a game seven. In the seventh game the Celtics scored 142 points to the Royals 131 to make it to the finals for the seventh straight year.

The Lakers took game one of their series against the Hawks 112 to 104, and then won game two by two points, 101 to 99. In St Louis the Hawks took game three 125 to 112, and then took game four 124 to 114 to tie the series at two games each. The Lakers would win game five by 23 points, but the Hawks wouldn’t go away in game six winning that one 121 to 113 to force a seventh game in the west. In game seven Baylor, West and the lakers prevailed 115 to 100 to face the Celtics in the finals again.

Baylor and the Lakers hoped this would be their year to return to glory, and win another championship, the only thing that stood in their way was the team that had already beaten them twice for the NBA Championship; the Boston Celtics. The Celtics took game one 117 to 114, and then took game two 113 to 106, the series now shifted to Los Angeles were the lakers won game three 119 to 99. The Celtics would steal game four away from the lakers 108 to 105. The series now went back to Boston with the Celtics up 3 games to 1 game. The lakers would force the series back to LA with a game five victory, 126 to 119. But in game six, Russell and Havilcek combined to force many laker turnovers and the Celtics would win their 5th straight NBA title 112 to 109. Bob Cousy would retire after the game having won six NBA championships.

Big City Hustle

63-64

The 63-64 season saw more movement in the NBA, the Chicago Zephyrs packed their bags and moved to Baltimore to become the Bullets. The Bullets was taken from the name of one of the original NBA team also called Baltimore Bullets. And the Syracuse Nationals would move from New York after nearly 20 seasons there and move to Philadelphia Pennsylvania and become known as the Philadelphia 76ers.

Baltimore
The Bullets won five more games in 63-64 then they did in 62-63, but that was only good enough for fourth place in the west. Walt Bellamy once again lead the team in points with 27.

Boston
Even with the Loss of Cousy the Celtics continued to roll and once again got the best record in the NBA going 59 and 21, a game better then the previous year with Cousy. Russell won the rebounding title over Chamberlain, but missed out on winning his 4th straight MVP.

Cincinnati
The Royals challenged the Celtics all season long for the top record in the east, and just lost out by four and a half games. For his effort Oscar Robertson was rewarded with the MVP, Robertson also captured the All-star MVP. The Royals also added Jerry Lucas in the draft, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Detroit
The Pistons completely fell apart in 63-64. Debusschere and Howell couldn’t get a long and team suffered embarrassing defeats on a nearly nightly basis. The Pistons finished 23 and 57 for the worst record in the NBA.

Los Angeles
The Lakers dominance of the west was temporarily suspended because Baylor and West had both had lower then expected season outputs. The Lakers finished third in the west at 42 and 38. This is also the year the NBA introduced its now famous logo, many believe its likeness is Lakers star Jerry West

New York
The Knicks improved by one game in 63-64, but they still ended up with the worst record in the NBA at 22 and 58.

Philadelphia
The fans in Philadelphia showed up in droves to support the 76ers, but the 76ers struggled most the season and finished third in the NBA at 34 and 46. Dolph Schayes was injured midway thought the season which limited him to only 24 games and a career low six points a game. Schayes would retire at the end of the season ending a remarkable 16 year career which saw him become the NBA’s all time leader in points, rebounds, and games played.

San Francisco
The Warriors were back on top, Chamberlain’s 37 points lead the NBA in scoring but his 22 rebounds didn’t but it did help the Warriors play a more team oriented game. The Warriors won 48 games for the top spot in the west. Alex Hannum won the coach of the year award in its second year for the Warriors.

St Louis
Pettit and the Hawks continued to try and reach their glory days again, but the league had gotten much stronger. The Hawks did manage to win 46 games, two behind the Warriors for the best record in the west.

The Royals would face the 76ers in the first round. The Royals won game one 127 to 102, but the 76ers won game two 122 to 114 to tie the stories. The Royals won game 101 to 89 to retake the series lead. The 76ers would retie the series at two games each with a 129 to 120 victory in game four. But Robertson and the Royals would be to much as they took the decisive fifth game130 to 124.

In the west the Hawks beat the Lakers 115 to 104 in game one, and 106 in 90 in game two to force an elimination game for the defending western champions. The lakers took game three by 2, 107 to 105, and then 97 to 88 in game four. But the Hawks ended the Lakers reign over the west with a 121 to 108.

The Celtics and Royals would face each other again, but the Celtics jumped out with a quick 3-0 series lead after a 103 to 87 victory in game one, a 101 to 90 in game two, and a 102 to 92 in game three. The Royals prevented the sweep with a102 to 93 win in game four, but the Celtics returned to the Finals with a 109 to 95 win in game five.

In the West the Hawks would steal game one from the Warriors in San Francisco, 116 to 111, but the Warriors would retaliate with a 35-point blow out in game two, 120-85. The Hawks would rebound a 113 to 109 victory in game three. Chamberlain would lead the Warriors to a two point win in game four in St Louis, then a 121 to 97 win in game five in San Francisco. With the Hawks facing elimination Pettit and Beatty combined to lead the Hawks to a huge 123 to 95 victory over the Warriors in game six, but alas Chamberlain proved to be too much, and the Warriors won game seven 105 to 95.

The defending champion Celtics took game one from the Warriors 108 to 96, then the Celtics took game two 124 to 101, to take a two games to none series lead. Back in San Francisco, Chamberlain rallied the Warriors to win game three 115 to 91, but Bill Russell’s heroics in 98 to 95 Celtics win in game four put the Celtics one game closer to their sixth consecutive title. Chamberlain was able to keep the Warriors close for much of game five, but Havilcek and Russell were too much as the Celtics won their sixth straight NBA title. The title did not only make NBA history, it made sports history, no other professional team had ever won six successive titles, the New York Yankees of Baseball and the Montreal Canadians of Hockey had each won five successive titles.

64-65

Many fans had been complaining that the game favored the big men, so the NBA widened the free throw line from 12 to 16 feet. These rules did little to impact the effect big guys like Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain had on the game. The growing angst in America caused many to bypass basketball games for other activities.

Baltimore
The Bullets finally improved enough to make the playoffs, Bellamy continued to lead the team in scoring, with 25 points a game on 50 percent shooting as well. Don Ohl added 18 a game for the Bullets as well.

Boston
The Celtics faced many adversities in the 64-65 season, Jim Loscutoff and Frank Ramsey both retired, and owner Walter Brown died during the off-season. Despite this, the Celtics went on to win a league best and NBA record 62 game, while only losing 18. Sam Jones crept into the top five in scoring with 26 points per game, and Bill Russell captured another rebounding title. Russell would also win his fifth and final regular season MVP trophy.

Cincinnati
Robertson once again lead the Royals with a near triple double, but again the Royals came second fiddle to the Celtics at 48 and 32.

Detroit
The Pistons continued to be stuck in meritocracy once again, going 31 and 49. Terry Dischinger lead them in scoring with 19 per game, but were only 4th in the west and not making the playoffs once again.

Los Angeles
The Lakers continued to dominate the west going 49 and 31 for the second best record in the league behind Boston. Jerry West moved into second place in the season scoring list as he averaged 31 points per outting, Baylor was fivith with 27 a game.

New York
For the sixth year in a row the Knicks finished at the bottom of the east, but this year they only had the third worst record in the NBA going 31 and 49. The Knicks added rookie center Willis Reed in the draft and Reed would go on to lead the Knicks in scoring with just under 20 a game.

Philadelphia
The 76ers struggled for the early part of the season, but at the All-star break they pulled of a league shocking trade when they sent Paul Newman, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer and Cash to the Warriors for Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlains re-arrival in Philadelphia made the 76ers an instant hit again, the 76ers finished the season at 40 and 40 for third place in the east.

San Francisco
The Warriors started out decent, but after the Chamberlain trade they fell completly apart going a dismal 17 and 63 for the worst record in NBA history to that point. Guy Rodgers finished second in the NBA in assist for the Warriors, as that was about their only bright spot.

St Louis
The Hawks finished 5 games behind the Lakers for the western crown, at 45 and 35. Bob Pettit average a little over 22 points a game, in what would be his last NBA season.

The 76erss would beat the Royals by 2, 119-117 in game one of their best of five series, but the Royals would take game two by 1, 121-120 to tie the series at one game each. The Chamberlain lead 76ers would win games three and four by double digits to advance to face the Celtics.

The Bullets stunned the Hawks by winning their first ever playoff game in game one of their best of five series, winning 108 to 105 in St Louis. The Hawks tied the series in game two with a 129 to 105 win. But a 32 point win in game three gave the Bullets the momentum they needed to win the series, as they then took game four 109 to 103, as this marked the first time in their history the Hawks did not win a playoff series in the playoffs.

Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell would face each other in the playoffs again. Russell lead the Celtics to a 108 to 98 win in game one, but Chamberlain followed that up by leading the 76ers to a 109 to 103 win in game two. Russell and the Celtics took game three 112 to 94, but Chamberlain answered with a 134 to 131 overtime win in game four. Boston took game five 114 to 108, but Philly came right back and tied the series at three games each with a 112 to 106 win. Game seven would be an epic one. The two teams battled all night, the Big men clashed, but unlike the rest of this series they wouldn’t decide the winner. With the Celtics leading by one, the 76ers tried to inbound the ball but John Havilcek picked it off, and he dribbled out the clock announcer Johnny Most uttered some of the most famous words in basketball history “Havilcek Steals the Ball!”

The Lakers wouldn’t be surprised by the Bullets like the Hawks were, the Lakers took game one 121 to 115, and then game two 118 to 115. The Bullets would return to Baltimore and take game three 122 to 115, and then take game four 114 to 112 to tie the series up. Back in Los Angeles the Lakers took game five 120 to 112 and then upon their returned to Baltimore the lakers won game six and the series 117 to 115. In a basketball oddity the Bullets scored 115 points in three games, while the Lakers did it once for a combined total of four times. This is a rare thing that has only happened a few times thought-out NBA history. The Win wasn’t all celebration for the lakers however, Elgin Baylor got injured and would not be able to play in the Finals.

Jerry West would have to pick up the scoring slack left by the injured Baylor, and West did just that averaging 46.3 points per game for the highest point per game average in finals history. This however did little to stop the Celtics. The Celtics took game one 142 to 110, then won game two 129 to 123. The lakers would take game three 126 to 105, but the Celtics took games four and five to win their seventh NBA title.

65-66 The 65-66 season was the beginning of some change in the NBA, it wasn’t immediate but it was long lasting. The Aging Celtics began to show some signs of wear and tear, and Chamberlain continued to dominate but his numbers decreased and others around him began to catch up to the Big dipper in shear dominance.

Baltimore
The Bullets traded Dischinger to Detroit for Bailey Howell, but only improved by one game. Bellamy continued to be a dominate inside force for the Bullets who finished second in the west behind that lakers with a record of 38 and 42. But the Bullets would trade Bellamy to the Knicks at mid-season.

Boston
For the first time since 1957 the Celtics did not finish atop the eastern standings, their record of 54 and 26 was only good enough for second place in the east behind Philadelphia. Russell finished second in the NBA in rebounds with 23 a game, and Sam Jones lead the Celtics in scoring with 23 a game.

Cincinnati
The Royals experiacned some ups and a lot of downs during the season, Robertson finished third in the NBA in scoring with 25 a game, and Adrian Smith won the all-star MVP, but the Royals suffered being in the same division as Chamberlain and Russell, as they fell to third place in the standings with a record of 45 and 35.

Detroit
Terry Dischinger did little to help the Pistons struggles. They finished with the worst record in the NBA at 22 and 58.

Los Angeles
Injuries shortened Baylor’s season to only 65 games, and only 17 points a game, Jerry West however picked up the slack and again averaged 31 points a night for the lakers who won the west with a record of 45 and 35.

New York
Even with Walt Bellamy the Knicks couldn’t get out of the cellar. Bellamy and Willis Reed made a tough tandem in the middle but the Knicks could only win 30 games while they lost 50.

Philadelphia
Chamberlain had lead the 76ers over the Celtics in six out of their ten meetings, he had led them to the division title, and he lead them in scoring, field goal percentage, and rebounds, the only thing he couldn’t do was to lead them to a title.

San Francisco
The Warriors added hotshot rookie Rick Berry to their team and they instantly improved going 35 and 45,while watching Berry win the Rookie of the year award.

St Louis
Zelmo Beaty stepped in for the Hawks after Bob Pettit’s retirement, Beaty lead the Hawks in scoring with 21 a game and lead them to the third best record in the west.

The Celtics would have to play a first round game for the first time in years, and it didn’t start out for them nicely either. The Royals beat the Celtics 107 to 103 in the first game. Boston came back to win game two 132 to 125. The Royals put the seven time champion Celtics on the brink of elimination with a 113 to 107 game three win. The Celtics rallied though and won game four 120 to 103, and then won game five and the series 112 to 103.

The Hawks wouldn’t be surprised by the Bullets this year. The Hawks won game one 113 to 111. Then they won games two and three to sweep the Bullets. This was the first playoff sweep in the NBA since 1960.

The 76ers and Chamberlain thought they had the upper hand on the Celtics, but Boston took game one and home court from the 76ers,115 to 96. The Celtics built on game one momentum by beat the 76ers 114 to 93 in game two. Philadelphia got back into the series with a 111 to 105 win in game three, but the rest of the series would be all Celtics. The Celtics won game four 114 to 108 and then won the series in a 120 to 112 win in game five.

The Lakers got game one 129 to 106 over the hawks. The lakers also won game two fairly easily by the score of 125 to 116. The Hawks would close to within on game with a 120 to 113 win in game three. The Lakers took game four 107 to 95 to but the Hawks on the brink of elimination. Beaty however rallied the Hawks and they won game five 112 to 100, and then tied the series with a 121 to 127 in game six. The lakers would get back to their winning ways with a 130 to 121 win in game seven.

Once again the Lakers and Celtics faced each other in the NBA finals. The lakers got a hard-fought overtime decision over the Celtics in game one by the score of 133 to 129. Boston took game two easily 129 to 109 to tie the series up again. The Celtics would win the next two games fairly easily, beating the lakers 120 to 106 in game three, and 122 to 116 in game four. The Lakers had to follow what the Hawks did to them in the previous series, and the Lakers did exactly that. The Lakers won game five 121 to 117, and then won game six 123 to 115 to force a seventh and final game. Before the seventh game Red Auerbach made a stunning announcement, he would retire after the game and Bill Russell would succeed him, making Russell the first black coach in all of sports. This inspired the Celtics who went out and beat the Lakers 95 to 93, to win their record setting eight NBA championship.

The Age of Expansion

66-67

The 1966-67 season would kick off the NBA’s age of expansion, and age that would last until 1980 and introduce 14 new teams to join the NBA, 10 expansion teams and 4 merger teams. The first of these teams began play in 1966, they where the Chicago Bulls. The season also saw the first time when two teams would win 60 plus games.

Baltimore
The Bullets moved to the East after the expansion, and the move coupled with the loss of Bellamy who was traded a year earlier, and Bailey Howells departure for Boston spelled disaster for the Bullets who went a league low 20 and 61

Boston
The Celtics saw many changed during the season, Bill Russell was both player and coach for the Celtics who won 60 games, but that wasn’t good enough because the 76ers won 68. John Havilcek lead the Celtics in scoring with 21 a game, and new comer Bailey Howell added 20 points a game for the Celtics.

Chicago
The Bulls made good use of the first expansion draft in NBA history, they made Bullets guard Jerry Sloan the first player ever to be taken in an expansion draft, they followed that up by also taking John Thompson, Bob Boozer, and Jim King. The Bulls also added Guy Rodgers to the team. The Bulls finished a mediocre 33 and 48, but in doing so became the first and thus far only expansion team to ever make the playoffs.

Cincinnati
Robertson’s near triple double season did little to help the fading Royals who finished third once again behind the 76ers and Celtics.

Detroit
In the draft the Pistons picked up guard Dave Bing. Bing immediately made the Pistons better as they improved by one game from the previous year.

Los Angeles
Like the Celtics, the Lakers fell during the 66-67 season, Baylor and West combined for nearly 50 points a game, but the Lakers didn’t even manage to stay above 500 going 39 and 42 for second place in the west.

New York
Willis Reed was finally making his presence felt in the Big apple, the Knicks won 36 games, and ended up in fourth place, but more importantly; they made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. With Reeds numbers going up Bellamy’s declined, and it’s been thought for years that Bellamy may have been upset with this, but none the less, the two got along on the court long enough to help improve the Knicks.

Philadelphia
The 76ers reeled of win after win all season long, going an amazing 68 and 13. Which for the time was the best record any NBA team had ever had. Chamberlain only averaged 24 points a game, but his assist jumped to eight a game.

San Francisco
In just two years Rick Berry turned the Warriors from a cash-strapped franchise on the brink of bankruptcy into one of the premiere powerhouses of the NBA. The Warriors finished 44 and 37 and won the west, ending the Lakers streak of Western division title. Berry lead the NBA in scoring at 36 a game, and his underhand free throw shooting entertained fans everywhere

St Louis
The Hawks were one of the quietest teams in the NBA during the 66-67 season, they didn’t win big, but they won consistently going 39 and 42 for second place in the west.

In the newly formatted playoffs where each team now played a first round best of five series, the Celtics and Knicks would face each other. In game one the defending champion Celtics blew out the Knicks 140 to 110. The Celtics also took game two 115 to 108. The Knicks prevented being swept with 123 to 112 win. But the Celtics finished off the Knicks in game four with a 119 to 108 win.

In the second series the 76ers faced the Royals. The Royals stunned the 76ers with a 120 to 116 win in game one, but the 76ers would come back with a vengeance winning the next three games by double figures. They won game two 123 to 102, they took game three 121 to 106, and then ended the series with a 112 to 94 win in game four.

In the west the Hawks once again faced new comers into the playoffs; the Bulls. But unlike two years previously when the Hawks faced the Bullets in their first ever playoff games, the Hawks took care of business often and early in this series. The Hawks took game one 114 to 100, then the Hawks hit their free throws down the stretch of game two to take 113 to 107 victory. The Hawks completed the sweep with a 119 to 106 victory in game three.

In the second western series the Warriors copied the Hawks, and swept the lakers. The Warriors won game one 124 to 108, game two 113 to 102, and completed the sweep with a 122 to 115 victory.

Once again the Celtics and 76ers would face each other in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain publically commented that “this is the year we take it,” and after game one many believed him. The 76ers took game one 127 to 113. The Celtics almost took game two, but Hal Greer hit some big shots to give the victory to the 76ers, 107 to 102. Then the 76ers did the unthinkable. They won game three 115 to 104. The eight time defending champions were now down 0-3, facing the most dominate player in the game. The Celtics managed to win game four 121 to 117, but they were helpless to watch as Wilt Chamberlain end their greatest run of championships in sports history, as the 76ers eliminated the Celtics in a game five blowout 140 to 116.

In the west the Warriors won game one over the Hawks 117 to 115. The Warriors also took a high scoring 143 to 136 decisions in game two. The Hawks returned to St Louis and began to even things up as they took game three 115 to 109, then tied things up with a 109 to 104 win in game four. But Berry would not be deterred as he lead the Warriors to a 123 to 102 game five win, and then a 125 to 122 game six series clinching win.

The 1967 finals were a match-up that pitted Philadelphia’s old team, the Warriors, against their new team, the 76ers. The first game was a great one as the fans in Philadelphia booed the team, they once cheered for. The new Philadelphia team, the 76ers took game one 141 to 135 in overtime. The 76ers followed that up by winning game two 126 to 95. But the old Philadelphia team, the Warriors, took game three 130 to 124. In game four Wilt Chamberlain moved one game closer to his first NBA title as the 76ers beat the Warriors 122 to 108. The Warriors starved off elimination in game five with a 117 to 109 win. But Wilt Chamberlain had a huge game against the team that had traded him a few years before as he lead the 76ers to their first championship since 1955 when Dolph Schayes lead the then Syracuse Nationals to a title.

The Red White and Blue of the ABA. NBA
67-68

The NBA continued to expand as it added two more new teams, the San Diego Rockets, and the Seattle Supersonics. The League also saw scoring drop as many of the younger players left to join the newly created American Basketball Association. The NBA also added to more games to the schedule, making it an 82 game season.

Baltimore
The Bullets added Earl “the Pearl” Monroe out of Winston-Salem State, and they immediately got better. The Bullets won 16 games more then they did the previous season, unfortunately it was only good enough for last place in the east.

Boston
Bill Russell Continued to coach and play for the Celtics who finished second to the 76ers again with a record of 54 and 28.

Chicago
The Bulls became one of the better defensive teams in the NBA lead by Sloan. The Bulls won only 29 games but managed to still get into the playoffs.

Cincinnati
Oscar Robertson suffered an injury early in the season and missed 20 games, this hurt the Royals as they seemed lost without him, when he got back they seemed to be lost with him as well going 39 and 43 and not making the playoffs.

Detroit
The Pistons moved to the east, and ironically they got better. The Pistons fished 10 games better then a year ago, going 40 and 42 for fourth place in the east. Dave Bing lead the NBA in scoring with 27 points a game.

Los Angeles
The Lakers rebounded from the previous season by going 52 and 30 for second place in the west. Baylors 26 points per game was second in the NBA.

New York
The Knicks lead by Willis Reed and Walt Bellamy continued to improve and won 43 games against 39 losses for third place in the east.

Philadelphia
The 76ers lost a few more games then they did the previous season, but their 62 and 20 record was still the best in the NBA. Wilt Chamberlain continued adding to his remarkable career as he became the first and only center to lead the NBA in assist as he averaged 8.6 assists per game.

San Diego
The Rockets had a dismal 15 and 67 season and finished last in the NBA. The Rockets were consistently the worst scoring team in the NBA. Off the court the Rockets were involved in legal issues with the ABA franchise the Denver Rockets.

San Francisco
Even though Rick Barry left the Warriors to join the Oak of the ABA the Warriors didn’t really struggle to much, they won only one fewer game then the previous year, but fell to third place without Barry’s defense.

Seattle
The Supersonics finished with the second worst record in the NBA, just eight games better then fellow expansionists, San Diego. Walt Hazzard busted onto the NBA scene after playing a few unproductive years in Los Angeles, Hazzard averaged 24 points a game, For the Sonics.

St Louis
The Hawks captured the west division title lead by Zelmo Beaty and Lenny Wilkens. The Hawks won a franchise best 56 games.

In the eastern first round the 76ers took on the Knicks in a new best of seven first round. The 76ers took game one 118 to 110, but the Knicks tied things up with a 128 to 117 wins in game two. The Warriors won a double overtime game in game three, 138 to 132, to take a 2 games to 1 advantage. But the Knicks answeared back and tied the series after winning game four 107 to 98. The Sixers would take game five easily 123 to 105, and then ended the series with a 113 to 97 win in game six

The Celtics took game one from the Pistons 123 to 116, but the Pistons took the next two games to take the series lead 2-1. The Pistons won game two 126 to 116, and game three 109 to 98. The Celtics would strike back at the Pistons by winning game four 135 to 110. The Celtics then took game five 110 to 96, and won the series with a 111 to 103 win in game six.

The Warriors took game one from the Hawks 111 to 106, but Hawks took game two by the same score. The Warriors would win the next two game 124 to 109, and 108 to 107 to take a three games to one lead over the Hawks. The Hawks stayed alive with a 129 to 103 beating of the Warriors. But the Warriors finished off the Hawks with a 111 to 106 win in game six.

The Lakers took game one from the Bulls 109 to 101, then followed that up with a 111 to 106 win in game two. Jerry Sloan would hit some key shots and make key defensive plays down the stretch of game three to give the Bulls the 104 to 98 win over the Lakers. But the Lakers would finish off the series with two straight wins over the Bulls. The Lakers won game four 93 to 87, and the series clinching game five 122 to 99.

In the east finals it was the marquee match up of the NBA once again, Bill verses Wilt. The Celtics took game one 127 to 118 in Philadelphia. But Wilt and the 76ers responded by winning the next three games to put the Celtics in a 3-1 series hole. The 76ers won game two by the score of 115 to 106, they won game three 122 to 114, and they won game four 110 to 105. With the Celtics down 1-3, it looked like Last season would repeat itself and the 76ers would go onto the finals, but Russell rallied the Celtics to take game five 122 to 104. Game six in Boston, saw the Celtics tie the series with a 114 to 106 win. In game six Sam Jones, and Bill Russell frustrated the 76ers all night long and the Celtics completed the comeback and won them decisive seventh game 100 to 96,

In the west the Lakers made short work of the Warriors. The Lakers won game one 133 to 105, then took game two 115 to 112. The Warriors tried using the fans in San Francisco to help them, but this was to no avail and the lakers took game three 128 to 124. The Lakers completed the sweep with a 106 to 100 win in game four.

The Lakers and Celtics met once more in the Finals. The Celtics took game one 107 to 101, but the lakers answeared with a 123 to 113 win in game two. The Celtics would regain the upper hand after taking game three 127 to 119, but the Lakers immediately tied it back up with a 119 to 105 victory in game four. Game five would require overtime to find a winner, which would be the Celtics who scored 120 points to the Lakers 117. The Celtics ended the series with a 124 to 109 win in game six. Bill Russell played 292 minutes of the series, the most of any player in a six games NBA final series. This was the Celtics 10th NBA championship.

ABA

In the fall of 1967 eleven teams formed to create a new league; the American Basketball Association. The league would compete against the NBA in the medium sized cities of America. And in one of basketballs greatest coups, the league got NBA legend George Mikan to be it’s first commissioner. The League was also searching for a way to distinguish itself from the NBA, they did so by having a red, white and blue ball, which was the brain child of George Mikan. The league also added one of the most revolutionary inventions to the game, the three point line. In the leagues first season of play, there where 11 teams, all in the United States. Including three teams in places that the NBA had failed in; Denver, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis.

Anaheim
The Anaheim Amigos lost to the Oakland Oaks in the very first ABA game. The losing continues as the Amigos went 25 and 53 in the season.

Dallas
The Dallas Chaparrals went 46 and 32 in their first season. The team finished two games behind New Orleans for the western lead.

Denver
The Denver Rockets originally started out as the Kansas City Larks, but before the league even began the team moved to Denver and became the Rockets. The Rockets finished at 45 and 33 for third place in the west.

Houston
The Houston Mavericks who are unrelated to the newer Dallas Mavericks finished fourth in the west at a poor 29 and 49 record. However, the team did make the playoffs

Indiana
The Indian Pacers are the only ABA team that stayed in the same city, and stayed with the same nickname to join the NBA. They had a modest 38 and 40 showing in their first season in the NBA.

Kentucky
The Kentucky colonels went 36 and 42 in their first season and finished in fourth place in the east.

Minnesota
The Minnesota Muskies were one of only two teams to finish with more then 50 wins in the innagrual ABA season, going 50 and 28.

New Jersey
The New Jersey Americans went 36 and 42 for the worst record in the East.

New Orleans
The New Orleans Buccanneers finsihed with the best record in the west going 48 and 30. The team was lead by Doug Moe who was second in the ABA in scoring, and Larry Brown who lead the ABA in assist.

Oakland
After winning the first ever ABA game, the Oaks would lose almost every game they played. The team had the rights to Rick Barry who made the jump from the Warriors of the NBA, but due to contract issues Barry couldn’t play. The Oaks would go 22 and 56.

Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Pipers would go a league best 54 and 24. The team also had the MVP of the ABA in Connie Hawkins. Hawkins wasn’t allowed in the NBA because he had been mentioned in a college points shaving scandal, even though he wasn’t convicted the league wouldn’t allow him to play.

In the eastern playoffs the Muskies and Colonels had a hard fought series which the Muskies won 3 gams to 2 games. The league leading Pipers would thwart the Pacers easily in a 3-0 sweep.

The West say the Buccaneers and Rockets go the distance, but the Bucs would win in five games. The Chaparrals would sweep the Mavericks in three to move on to face the Bucs.

The Pipers and the Muskies would face each other in the semi finals. the teams were the leagues best, but the series was short lived as the Pipers easily won it 4 games to 1.

Like the Pipers the Buccaneers made easy work of the Chaparrals, winning their series 4 to 1 also.

The Bucs would face the Muskies in the finals, the series would go the distance with the Muskies winning the first ABA championship. Connie Hawkins was once again named THE MVP of the finals.

68-69

NBA

The NBA added two more teams in 68-69, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The St Louis Hawks also moved from the banks of the Mississippi river to the shores of the Atlantic as they moved to Atlanta. Two rookies would make a huge impact on the NBA season, Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. Also, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Center Wilt Chamberlain from the 76ers during the off-season.

Atlanta
The Move to Atlanta did little to change the Hawks ways. They won 48 games for second place in the west. Beaty once again lead the team in scoring with 21 a game

Baltimore
With Unseld at the helm the Bullets cruised past everyone. The Bullets won a franchise best 57 games, and Wes Unseld was both Rookie of the year, the most valuable player.

Boston
With the resurgence of the east the Celtics began to decline. Bill Russell announced that this would be his last season in the NBA. The Celtics did manage to go 48 and 34 for fourth place in the east.

Chicago
The Bulls fell to fivith place in the west at 33 and 49. The team looked in disarray and there was talk about yet another Chicago-based franchise packing up and leaving.

Cincinnati
Like the Celtics the Royals felt the sting of the resurgent east, but unlike the Celtics the Royals were the odd man out. The Royals went 41 and 41 but didn’t qualify for the post-season. Oscar Robertson lead the NBA in assist a gain with nearly 10 a game, and was fivith in the NBA in scoring at 24 a game.

Detroit
The Pistons continued to suck, they went 32 and 50 and had absolutely nothing going for them. They did acquire Walt Bellamy halfway though the season, but this didn’t change much for them, they still lost games by double figures on a near nightly basis. Bellamy however did set the NBA record for most games played during a season, after he was traded he played in 88 games because the Knicks had played more games then the Pistons had prior to the trade,

Los Angeles
The Lakers continued to win, they now had a team loaded with superstars; Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, yet they couldn’t manage to end up with the best record in the NBA. They did however manage to win 55 games for first place in the west.

Milwaukee
The Expansion Bucks looked like an expansion team, winning just 27 games. However this wasn’t as bad as fellow expansion team Phoenix who won only 16.

New York
The Knicks won 54 games for third place in the east. The Knicks were lead by a steady attack of Willis Reed all season. The Knicks traded Walt Bellamy to the Pistons half way thought the season, and by doing so Bellamy played in a total of 88 games, the most by any one player in one season.

Philadelphia
After three years a top the division the 76ers fell to second place in the East at 55 and 27, two games behind the Bullets. Billy Cunningham lead the 76ers in scoring with 25 per game

Phoenix
The Expansion Suns finished 16 and 66 in their first year, and ended up with the worst record in the NBA. Gail Goodrich who was picked up in the expansion draft from the Lakers blossomed into the teams first star, but the rest of the players were mediocre, so while the Suns were fun to watch, they couldn’t win games.

San Diego
With the addition of rookie Elvin Hayes, the Rockets went from an expansion team to serious playoff threat. Hayes lead the NBA in scoring, and was fourth in rebounds. But this couldn’t get him rookie of the year honors, those went to Unseld. The Rockets finished 37 and 45, but that was good enough for fourth place and a playoff birth. Don Kojis finished 10th in the NBA in scoring for the Rockets, as he was the number two threat for the Rockets, however he is seldom mentioned in the history books, despite having many good seasons with the Rockets.

San Francisco
The Warriors finished at 500 going 41-41. The lackluster season was good enough for third place, but it wasn’t drawing fan support, and many of the players became dissatisfied with the team. Nate Thurmond took a lot of criticism from the fans, who thought he should be traded since he was the team leader and could not lead them into the playoffs.

Seattle
The Supersonics made a small improvement from the previous season, going 30 and 53. With the arrival of Lenny Wilkens from Atlanta, the Supersonics became an instant success in Seattle. Wilkens were second on the team in scoring, and was second in the NBA in assist.

In the east semi’s the Bullets who had been rolling all season hit an abrupt wall called the New York Knicks. The Knicks took game one 113 to 101, the followed that up with a 107 to 91 game two victory. The Knicks took game three 119 to 116 and completed the sweep of the top seeded Bullets 115 to 108 in game four.

The 76ers would once again face the Celtics. The Celtics had just come off their worst record of Bill Russell’s career and looked to be easy picking for the 76ers. But Boston won game one 114 to 100, and game two 134 to 103. Russell’s magic continued as he guided the Celtics to a 125 to 118 game three victory. The 76ers prevented the sweep with a 119 to 116 game four win, but the Celtics closed the series out with a 93 to 90 game five win.

The Lakers took on the Warriors in the first round yet again, San Francisco won the first two games; 99 to 94 in game one, and 107 to 101 in game two. The Lakers would answeared with four straight wins. The Lakers won game three 115 to 98, game four 103 to 88, game five 103 to 98, and won the series with a 118 to 78 thumping of the Warriors in San Francisco

The Hawks once again faced a team making its first playoff appearance in the San Diego Rockets. The Hawks won their first ever post season game in Atlanta in game one by the score of 107 to 98. The Hawks then won game two 116 to 114. Hayes and Kojis would lead the Rockets to their first ever playoff victory in game three, 104 to 97. They would team up to do it again in game four. Back in Atlanta the Hawks took an easy 112 to 101 decision over the Rockets in game five, then the Hawks closed out the series in six games taking a 108 to 106 decision in game six.

The Celtics took game one from the Knicks 108 to 100, then followed that up with a 112 97 win in game two. The Knicks climbed within a game with a 101 to 91 game three victory. Russell and Jones would lead the Celtics to a one point win in game four to take a commanding 3 games to 1 game lead over the Knicks. Willis Reed would lead the Knicks to one more victory in game five, before the Knicks fell to the Celtics 106 to 105 in game six.

The Lakers won a very close game one over the Hawks 95 to 93. The lakers would follow that up by winning another tight one 104 to 102. The hawks took game three in Atlanta in a blow out 99 to 80, but the Lakers would return the favor and blow the Hawks out in game four 100 to 85, and then won the series with a 104 to 96 win in game five.

The Lakers and Celtics would once again face each other in the finals the Lakers took game one 120 to 118, and then took game two 118 to 112. The series shifted to Boston where the Celtics won game three 111 to 105, and tied the series in game four 89-88. The Lakers would win game five 117 to 104, it looked as if the Lakers would finally beat the Celtics and Elgin Baylor would win his title. But like they did so many times before the Celtics pulled off a miracle. The Celtics won game six 99 to 90, and captured their astounding eleventh NBA championship in thirteen years. Bill Russell would retire with the honor of having more NBA championship rings, then fingers. After the series the NBA handed out the very first finals MVP, and for the only time in NBA finals history, it went to a player from the losing team; Jerry West.

ABA

Before the season started the league saw a shift in some teams, the Muskies moved from Minnesota to south florida, and became the Miami Floridians. While the Pipers moved from Pittsburgh to Minnesota, and the Americans moved to New York and became the Nets.

Dallas
The Chaparrals struggled though-out parts of the season, they did finish 41 and 37 which were good enough to get them into the playoffs.

Denver
Denver finished the season at 44 and 34, but spent a lot of time in the legal courts due to a naming issue with the San Diego Rockets of the NBA.

Houston
The Mavericks finished worst in the west at 23 and 55. The team was also running out of money fast, because fan support was low. And by the end of the year the team would be moving.

Indiana
The Pacers acquired Mel Daniels from the Muskies when they sold him to move to Florida. Daniels would lead the Pacers in scoring, and lead them to the best record in the east at 44 and 34.

Kentucky
The Colonels improved to 42 and 36, for third place in the east. The team was one of the few teams that made money on a consistent basis. The team also did one of the strangest publicity stunts in basketball history when they signed Penny Anne Early. Early became the first female to be signed by any major sports franchise, and then when she entered the game against the Stars she became the first and only woman to play in a mens professional league.

Los Angeles
The Amigos moved to Los Angeles and became the starts to attract more fans, this didn’t work as the team was unable to compete with the title contender Lakers for fans. The Stars finished 33 and 45 for second to last place in the west.

Miami
The Floridians finished second in the east behind Indiana going 43 and 35.

Minnesota
Hawks and the Pipers were basically on loan to Minnesota, but the team finished worse then a year ago going 36 and 42 for fourth place in the east.

New Orleans
The Bucs finished in second place in the west behind Oakland. The Bucs went 46 and 32, and finished 14 games behind the Oaks.

New York
The Nets finished with the worst record in the ABA at 17 and 61. Despite having to compete with the Knicks for fans, the Nets actually did make money and had a nice fan following.

Oakland
With Brent Barry finally being allowed to play, and the acquisition of Larry Brown, the Oaks went from one of the worst team, to the flat out best. The Oaks finished the season at 60 and 18, while Barry lead the ABA in scoring, and Brown lead the ABA in assist.

The Pipers and Floridians would play a hard-fought seven games in their first round match up. The Floridians took a 3-2 series lead, but the Pipers evened things back up before the Floridians eliminated the defending champions. In the other eastern first round match up, the Pacers and Colonels would also go seven games. The Pacers would win in a close series three games to two games.

The west would also see two seven-game series as the Oaks struggled with the Rockets, and the Bucs and Chaparrals went the distance with the Bucs winning in seven.

In the eastern final, the pacers made light work of the Floridians beating them 4 to 1 to advance to the finals. In the west the Barry-Brown combo was to much for the Buccaneers, and the Oaks won the series 4 to 0.

In the finals the Oaks too game one, but lost game two, then won the next three to capture the ABA championship. The Oaks had gone from chumps to champs in less then a year, a story that would be repeated quite often in the ABA.

NBA

69-70

The 69-70 season was the beginning of a new era. It marked the end of the Celtics dynasty. The league as a whole saw an increase in scoring and attendance. The league also saw the entrance of yet another impact ful rookie, Lew Alcindor who would later go on to be known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Atlanta
The Hawks added Lou Hudson to their team, but their record didn’t improve from the previous season. They did however win the west with a record of 48 and 34.

Baltimore
Wes Unseld once again lead the Bullets to 50 wins, going 50 and 32. But the Bullets fell to third in the east behind New York and Milwaukee.

Boston
With Bill Russell and most the Pieces of the Celtics dynasty now gone, the Celtics sputtered to sixth place in the East. Their failure to make the playoffs marked the official end of the dynasty to most fans. The Celtics did have John Havilcek who lead Boston in scoring with 23 a game, but their 34 and 46 record was among their worst in two decades.

Chicago
The Bulls jumped to third place in the west, they did this with the addition of Bob Love who had spent three previous unsuccessful seasons in the NBA, but his scoring jumped to 21 a game with the Bulls.

Cincinnati
With the loss of Oscar Robertson many thought the Royals would be abysmal, but they only lose 4 more games then the previous season, but they still didn’t make the playoffs.

Detroit
Even with Dave Bing the Pistons struggled, their 31 and 51 record was the worst in the east, and their scoring was near last. Bing did average 23 points a game, but none of his teammates could muster up more then 15 a game.

Los Angeles
Jerry West lead the NBA in his 10th season with the Lakers at 31 points per game. Both Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain had down years in scoring, and the Lakers dramatic drop in wins showed this. The Lakers went 46 and 36 for second place in the west.

Milwaukee
The Bucks made one of the biggest turn arounds in sports history after drafting Alcindor. The Bucks went from 27 wins in 68-69, to 56 wins in 69-70. An increase of nearly 30 games. The Bucks also finished second in the east behind the Knicks. Lew Alcindor was a big part of the Bucks turn around, another part was the acquisition of point guard Oscar Robertson from Cincinnati which gave the Bucks two legit threats on offense and defense.

New York
Willis Reed had finally become the man in New York City, after he lead the Knicks to the best record in the NBA at 60 and 22. Reed didn’t lead the NBA in any categories like Chamberlain or Russell had, but like them he played team ball which equaled wins.

Philadelphia
The 76ers fell to fourth place in the east at 42 and 40. Billy Cunningham continued to lead the team in scoring with 26 per game. The team struggled at points during the season, often looking uninterested in the game.

Phoenix
Like their fellow expansion team the Bucks, the Phoenix Suns improved dramatically over the previous year. Gail Goodrich once again lead the team in scoring, but he wanted out and would lead the team after the season was over.

San Diego
The instant success of Elvin Hayes was over in San Diego, the team fell to last place in the west and lost 10 more games then they did the previous season. Hayes still lead the team in scoring at 27 a game.

San Francisco
Like the Rockets, the Warriors also fell short of their expectations from the previous season. The team managed to win only 30 games, and was still losing money and many thought that the team wouldn’t survive another season.

Seattle
The Sonics missed their first playoff birth by three games to Phoenix. The Sonics lead by Bob Rule won six more games then the season prior, and had finally established a perminate fan base in Seattle.

In the Eastern playoffs, the Bucks took on the 76ers. The Bucks won game one 125 to 118. The 76ers tied the series at one with a 112 to 105 win in game two. But the Bucks would win the next three games, including a 156 to 120 thrashing in game three, to win the series 4 games to 1.

The Knicks would face the Bullets, in a battle of the leagues primer big men. Willis Reed lead the Knicks to a 120-117 double overtime victory in game one, and a 106 to 99 win in game two. But Wes Unseld would lead the Bullets back in game three with a 127 to 113 victory, and the Bullets tied the series with a 102 to 92 win in game four. Reed once again lifted the Knicks, as they took game five 101 to 82 in Madison Square Garden. Unseld and the Bullets would retie the series with a 96 to 87 victory in game six, but Reed and the Knicks overpowered the Bullets in game seven, 127 to 114, to win the series.

The West saw the Hawks take on the Bulls. The Hawks won game one 129 to 111, the won game two 124 to 104. With the series in Chicago were the Bulls had caused problems with the Hawks in the regular season, many Bulls fans expected to tie the series up. But the Hawks stunned the Chicago crowd with 106 to 101 victory in game three. The Bulls did manage to win game four 131 to 120 to starve off elimination for one more game, but the Hawks ended the series with a 113 to 107 win in game five.

The Lakers took on the Suns in the other western first round match up. The Lakers won game one 128 to 112, but in game two former Laker Gail Goodrich lead the Suns to a surprise 114 to 101 victory over the Lakers. The Suns took a two games to one advantage with a 112 to 98 win in game three. The Suns moved to a 3-1 advantage when they took game four 112 to 102. The series shifted back to LA, were the Lakers won game five 138 to 121. The Suns looked to close out the series in six games back in Phoenix, but some late turnovers cost them as the Lakers won the game 104 to 93. Game seven was in LA, and the Lakers fired on all cylinders and clobbered the Suns 129 to 94 to take the series in seven games

The Eastern semi’s saw another match up of dominate big men, as New York’s Willis Reed faced off with Milwaukee’s Lew Alcindor. The Knicks took game one 110 to 102, and despite Alcindors best efforts the Knicks also took game two 112 to 111. The Bucks won game three back in Milwaukee 101 to 96. But the Knicks took game four 117 to 105, and then won game five 132 to 96 to advance to the finals for the first time since 1953.

The Lakers made short work of the Hawks in the west. The Lakers won game one 119 to 115, then took game two 105 to 94, and game three 115 to 114 in overtime. The lakers completed the sweep in game four as they blew out the Hawks 133 to 114.

The Lakers made their third consecutive finals appearance while the Knicks made their first in 17 years. The Knicks took game one 124 to 112. The lakers tied the series with a two point win in game two at the Garden, but upon the series shift to LA the Knicks regained the upper hand with a 111 to 108 overtime win. The Lakers tied things back up in game four with a 121 to 115 overtime win. The Knicks won game five at a heavy price, Willis Reed injured his ankle and it looked as if he was out for the series. With the Knicks leading 3 games to 2, and the series back in LA, the Lakers took full advantage of their opponent’s handicap. Wilt Chamberlain torched the Knicks for 45 points, as the Lakers won game six 135 to 113. The series was now tied, the Lakers had the upper hand, and the momentum, it looked as if Elgin Baylor would win his first NBA title. As the clock counted down to the start of game seven, the fans in Madison Square Garden awaited the game with anxiousness, then the crowed erupted as Willis Reed limped out onto the court in one of the most memorable moments in sports history. Reed would start the game, and score the first four points, this shift in momentum helped lead the New York Knicks to a 113 to 99 game seven win, and their first NBA championship.

ABA

The ABA once again saw more teams switch places. The Champion Oaks moved to Washington and became the Caps. The Mavericks moved to Carolina and became the cougars, and the Pipers moved back to Pittsburgh

Carolina
The now Carolina Cougars finally had a decent season going 42 and 42, their 500 record was good enough to get them into the playoffs. Bob Varga lead the Cougars in scoring with 27 points per game.

Dallas
The Chaparrals finished second in the west at 45 and 39. Glen Combs would lead the Chaparrals in scoring with 22 per game.

Denver
The Rockets signed forward Spencer Haywood during the offseason. Haywood was denied entrance into the NBA because he had not gone the full four years of college. The NBA’s loss was Denver gain as Haywood lead the Rockets and the league in scoring with 30 a game. Haywoods presence also carinated to wins for the Rockets, who won the second most games in the league with 51.

Indiana
The Pacers finished with the best record in the ABA going 59 and 25. Roger Brown lead the Pacers in scoring with 23 per game.

Kentucky
The Colonels were among the best statistical teams ever. They had Lou Dampier who lead the team in scoring with 26 per game, and also had Darrel Carrier who averaged 23 points a game, to give the Colonels an awesome scoring tandem. Carrier also lead the ABA in three point percentage as well as free throw percentage.

Los Angeles
The Stars had finally put a team together for the 69-70 season. The Stars had made a huge acquisition in the offseason, when they lured Zelmo Beaty from the Hawks of the NBA. Beaty would not be allowed to play because of contract disputes. The Stars went 43 and 41 for fourth place in the west, but fan support still dwindled and by seasons end the team announced they would be moving to Salt Lake City.

Miami
The Floridian completely fell apart in 69-70 going a league worst 23 and 61, the team had decent fan support in the later part of the season, but the fans were never really into the team.

New Orleans
The Buccaneers went 42 and 42, but this was only good enough for last place in the west. Stephen Jones lead them in scoring with 21 per game, but by seasons end they too would be looking for a new home; Baton Rouge.

New York
The Nets continued to get fan support as they got better going 39 and 45. Doc Tart would lead them in scoring at 23 a game.

Pittsburgh
Connie Hawkins was allowed to play in the ABA in 69-70, so this left the Pipers with a big whole to fill, one that they never would. The Pipers went 29 and 55 for second to last place in the east.

Washington
After the champion Oaks moved to Washington they became the Caps. Rick Barry lead the team in scoring, and was second in the ABA, at 28 per game, and Larry Brown once again lead the ABA in assist. But the team that had previously dominated the ABA looked lackluster at times, and could only manage to win 44 games.

Indiana zoomed past Carolina in the first round, in an easy 4 nothing sweep of the Cougars. The Colonels had a much harder time with the Nets. The Nets actually lead 3 games to 2 games before the Colonels mad a mad dash to win the series in the last two games.

Denver would need seven games to dethrone the champion Oaks, as the two highest scoring and flashiest players of the ABA, in Rick Barry and Spencer Haywood, faced each other. The Stars would beat the Chaparrals in six games to move on the face the Rockets.

In the conference finals both Indiana and Los Angeles would win their respective series with 4 to 1 margin, to face each other in the finals.

The Pacers won the first two games of the ABA finals, but LA won game three. The Pacers won game four, but turnovers cost them in game five. The Pacers would win the ABA title in game six with a six point win.

By the end of the 1960s the Basketball world had gone from predictable to unstable. Two leagues were now vying for fans, and player salaries began to skyrocket. The Celtics dynasty was now ruin, while new teams began to try to leave their own mark on the basketball world. The basketball world had gone from watching just 8 teams to 25 teams, with the NBA looking to expand to even more cities.

Tweet