The NBA Time Machine: 1968

#	Team	Player
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	*Detroit Pistons* *Baltimore Bullets* Chicago Bulls *Detroit Pistons* New York Knicks Seattle SuperSonics San Diego Rockets *St. Louis Hawks* *Cincinnati Royals* *San Francisco Warriors*	*Jimmy Walker* *Earl Monroe* Clem Haskins *Sonny Dove* Walt Frazier Al Tucker Pat Riley *Tom Workman* *Mel Daniels+ Craig Raymond*

Players

Date	Player	Team	Action	Destination	Stats
August 31, 1967	Rudy LaRusso	Detroit Pistons	Rights sold	*San Francisco Warriors*	(12.8p/7.8r/1.7a)
October 20, 1967	Guy Rodgers	Chicago Bulls	Traded	Cincinnati Royals	(10.3p/3.5r/7a)
*January 21, 1968*	*Don Ohl*	*Baltimore Bullets*	Traded	*St. Louis Hawks*	(14.8p/2.9r/2.2a)

Other Personnel

Date	Person	Team	Action	Stats
*March 29, 1967*	*Coach* Jack McMahon	Cincinnati Royals	*Resigned*	Record: 39-42
*March 29, 1967*	*Coach* Jack McMahon	San Diego Rockets	*Hired*	Record: n/a
*April 26, 1967*	*Coach* Fred Schaus	Los Angeles Lakers	*Re-assigned*	Record: 36-45
*April 26, 1967*	*Coach* Butch Van Breda Kolff	Los Angeles Lakers	*Hired*	Record: n/a
*May 2, 1967*	*Coach* Ed Jucker	Cincinnati Royals	*Hired*	Record: n/a
December 27, 1967	Coach Dick McGuire	New York Knicks	Fired	Record: 15-23
December 27, 1967	Coach Red Holzman	New York Knicks	Hired	Record: 28-16

Retirements

Player	Team(s)	Notable Accomplishments
Rick Barry (jumped to ABA)	*San Francisco Warriors*	2x All-NBA 2x All-Star 1x All-Star Game MVP 1966 ROTY 1966 All-Rookie Team 1x Scoring leader
*Richie Guerin*	New York Knicks St. Louis Hawks	3x All-NBA 6x All-Star

League Leaders

If a stat is not listed, it was not recorded at the time. As time goes on, this section will begin to include steals per game, blocks per game, etc.

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

Stat	Leaders
*PPG*	Oscar Robertson (29.2) Dave Bing (27.1) Elgin Baylor (26) Wilt Chamberlain (24.3) Earl Monroe (24.3)
*RPG*	Wilt Chamberlain (23.8) Jerry Lucas (19) Bill Russell (18.6) Clyde Lee (13.9) Ray Scott (13.7)
*APG*	*Oscar Robertson (9.7)* *Wilt Chamberlain (8.6)* Lenny Wilkens (8.3) *Dave Bing (6.4)* *Walt Hazzard (6.2)*
*FG%*	*Wilt Chamberlain (59%)* *Walt Bellamy (54%)* *Jerry Lucas (51%)* *Jerry West (51%)* *Len Chappell (51%)*
*FT%*	Oscar Robertson (87%) Larry Siegfried (86%) Dave Gambee (84%) Fred Hetzel (83%) Adrian Smith (82%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Detroit Pistons, 4-2

The Pistons’ post-season return was much like what the New York Knicks had to endure a season prior – a match-up against the Boston Celtics, which was not exactly a friendly welcome.

Surprisingly enough, the two clubs split the first four games, each winning once at home and on the road. Dave Bing was about the only consistent scorer throughout all four, but the Celtics managed to win behind their veteran experience. Game 4 was a statement victory for them, including a thirty-five-point bomb from John Havlicek and double-doubles from both Bill Russell and Don Nelson.

The Celtics eventually pulled away, largely thanks to Havlicek – he managed a triple-double in both efforts. Not even forty-four points from Bing in the decisive Game 6 was enough.

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat New York Knicks, 4-2

The first two matches were a battle between titans Wilt Chamberlain and Willis Reed, with each clinching one for their team. The 76ers managed a home win in a double-overtime brawl, denying the Knicks despite a double-double from Walt Bellamy and forty points from the sophomore Cazzie Russell.

The opposite was true three nights later – the Knicks surprisingly pulled through, staving off a 3-1 deficit. Philadelphia wrapped up business quite quickly afterwards, grabbing Game 5 thanks to having five players hitting double digits in rebounds. The closing match was a blowout, with Chamberlain and Hal Greer combining for sixty points in the road win.

West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Chicago Bulls, 4-1

Chicago’s chances going into this series were slim to say the least, considering Elgin Baylor and Jerry West were finally together – and healthy – in the playoffs for the first time in a few years.

They reminded the basketball world what they were made of, comfortably taking their first two games at home. Chicago managed an upset in Game 3 thanks to the young and promising point guard Flynn Robinson, who amassed forty-one points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Matters regressed to the mean moving forward, with Robinson quieting down offensively and the Lakers closing the series behind two big Baylor performances.

West / San Francisco Warriors beat St. Louis Hawks, 4-2

San Francisco was expected to be absolutely torn apart by the Hawks, who were coming off a phenomenal season and had the advantage of the Warriors missing Nate Thurmond.

They instead upset St. Louis in six games, an absolutely shocking outcome. The Warriors front office made a smart decision acquiring former All-Star Rudy LaRusso from the Pistons, who was instrumental in this matchup. Him and Jeff Mullins were the leading scorers for the team in the first four games, three of which they won. St. Louis took Game 5 to circumvent elimination, with seven of their players scoring in double digits – however, their ambitions were burned to the ground. LaRusso led San Francisco to a series victory, dropping thirty points and thirteen rebounds.

Considering the Warriors had lost a whopping seven out of eight regular season duels with the Hawks, this was a phenomenal achievement.

Division Finals

East / Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-3

An anticipated rematch between the long-term rivals was now Philadelphia’s to lose. They were the reigning champions, finished the season eight wins above Boston, and boasted a four-time M.V.P. winner in the front court.

Such variables are why the Celtics taking Game 1 on the 76ers’ home court was an immediate shock. There was good effort on both ends, too – the Philly “big three” of Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Chet Walker combined for ninety-one points. John Havlicek just happened to be unstoppable that night, with thirty-five of his own and eleven assists influencing his squad’s victory.

It is often believed that the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. – which happened a day prior – largely interfered with the mindset and focus of the two teams, who both sported primarily African-American starting lineups. The game was described as “devoid of emotion”, perhaps explaining why Philadelphia’s home court advantage wasn’t as game-changing as usual.

Regardless of outside events, the 76ers quickly shifted the tide. Winning three straight en route to a 3-1 lead, they showcased a generational mixture of offense and defense that defined their season. That could not overpower the resilience of Boston, however – led by Havlicek, they managed to win two straight to tie the series. There was potential for a comeback from being down 3-1, something the league had never seen in over twenty years of existence.

Game 7 was baffling, to say the least. Philadelphia imploded, shooting thirty-five-percent from the field and having only Greer score above twenty points. Chamberlain was nowhere to be found offensively, only taking a measly nine field goal attempts and making four. The Celtics were just far more efficient and willing to move the ball, earning them another trip to the Finals.

It was not unreasonable to name this the most legendary playoff series of the decade.

West / Los Angeles Lakers beat San Francisco Warriors, 4-0

Even with the Warriors’ excitement following an upset, it was unlikely that they could top a Lakers team clicking on all levels. A sweep was the predictable result, with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor scoring just about anything with little resistance. West in particular was nuclear, shooting over sixty-percent while averaging thirty-three points.

The post-Barry Warriors were clearly overachievers, but the great play of Fred Hetzel and Jeff Mullins was something for fans in The Bay to cherish. With a healthy Nate Thurmond, their potential was sky-high.

Finals

Boston Celtics *beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2*
Five matchups. Five Celtics championships. Los Angeles’ track record against their greatest nemesis was abysmal – if there was any chance to switch things up, it was now. Boston was getting older and losing a bit of their identity, while the Lakers had two superstars playing at an excellent level. The first two games were split in Beantown. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor looked terrible at first, but quickly turned things around to even the series – the opposite happened in their arena, with four Celtics scoring over twenty points in Game 3 to win. West and Baylor responded with a crushing sixty-eight combined in Game 4, leaving the series tied back up north. Game 5 was a duel between West and John Havlicek, who both scored over thirty points. West had efficiency on his side, but Havlicek nearly got a triple-double – they were both stars that won in different ways. Ultimately, the Celtics got the last laugh after a tense overtime period, waving off an L.A. comeback. If there was any moment for the Lakers to prove themselves, it was in the decisive sixth match. They got off to a sluggish start and trailed behind for the remainder of regulation – Havlicek outplayed both of L.A.’s superstars, sporting a 40/10/7 stat-line in the blowout win. Teammate Bailey Howell also got thirty points, while Bill Russell made an impact on the glass as always. Despite being written off, the Celtics silenced critics once again – this was their era, and they had now won ten championships in twelve years.
*The* Boston Celtics win the 1968 NBA championship!

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the Year	MVP	Coach of the Year
Earl Monroe	*Wilt Chamberlain*	*Richie Guerin*

All-NBA

All-NBA First Team	All-NBA Second Team
*Oscar Robertson* Dave Bing Elgin Baylor *Jerry Lucas* Wilt Chamberlain	Jerry West Hal Greer John Havlicek *Willis Reed* Bill Russell

All-Stars

Eastern All-Stars	Western All-Stars
*Dick Barnett* Dave Bing *Wilt Chamberlain* Dave DeBusschere *Hal Greer John Havlicek Gus Johnson Sam Jones Jerry Lucas Willis Reed Oscar Robertson Bill Russell**	Walt Hazzard Elgin Baylor Zelmo Beaty Bob Boozer Bill Bridges *Archie Clark* *Jim King* Don Kojis *Rudy LaRusso* *Clyde Lee* (IR) *Nate Thurmond* *Jerry West* Lenny Wilkens
*East beats West, 144-124*

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Walt Frazier Phil Jackson Earl Monroe Bob Rule Al Tucker