Tag: wilt chamberlain

The NBA Time Machine: 1972

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published May 6, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1972

West Coast Wonder

Changes

Shortly after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first title, reigning M.V.P. Lew Alcindor announced his intentions to undergo a name change. Moving forward, he claimed the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – this about translated to “noble one, servant of the Almighty”. Abdul-Jabbar was the first player to publicly embrace Islamic beliefs in the NBA landscape.

No Loss In Los Angeles

After an underwhelming ’71 campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to react promptly. Their two superstars were nearing their mid-thirties in age, and the rest of the core wasn’t exactly young either. The front office started by firing Joe Mullaney, who amassed a 94-70 record and Finals appearance with the team.

Los Angeles directed their interest towards former player-turned-coach Bill Sharman, who was active in the ABA. Sharman had seen three Finals appearances in his coaching career – one with the San Francisco Warriors in 1967, and two with the rival league’s Utah Stars in the past two years. The latter of those resulted in a championship, his first as a coach.

The Lakers offered a contract to Sharman that was eventually accepted, much to the dismay of the Stars. The franchise’s owner brought suit against him, and he nearly had to pay over two-hundred-thousand dollars due to contract breaching – however, Sharman escaped the legal warfare unscathed.

His coaching techniques immediately bolstered L.A.’s culture – his “shootaround” sessions, designed to get players warmed up and calm, rendered the team as the most disciplined in the NBA. Under Sharman’s lead, the Lakers won sixty-nine total games, experienced a thirty-three game winning streak, and finished as the best offense league-wide.

The only sour spot of this historic season was the retirement of Elgin Baylor – the multiple-time All-Star felt as if he was not physically capable of helping the team any longer. Such a decision was unfortunately the right one, as a dominant stretch of victories begun immediately after his leave.

Oaktown, H-Town

Much to the surprise of basketball fans, the San Diego Rockets announced a move to Houston after being sold. There was a strong sense of doubt regarding the decision – given the Texas hotspot had no former reputation as a basketball-oriented city – but the decision to settle was still pursued, despite them having to jump between multiple arenas for home games.

They also hired a new coach in Tex Winter, who notoriously clashed with star Elvin Hayes. Winter’s offensive philosophy was undesirable to the center, and there was a noticeable decline in the team’s performance.

In other news, the San Francisco Warriors permanently moved to Oakland and changed their moniker to the Golden State Warriors. A handful of matches were hosted in San Diego, but they did not again play in their origin of San Francisco.

Get Well Soon, Cap…

Ongoing tendonitis issues in his knee limited Willis Reed’s play this year. He was sidelined for two weeks, and shortly attempted a comeback that ended in failure. He only managed to appear in eleven games total, all at the start of the season – this also rendered him unavailable for the playoffs.

Branding Transformation

Starting this year, the NBA adopted a new red-and-blue logo. It incorporated a silhouette of Jerry West. It was largely influenced by the MLB’s logo.

Standout Players

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Fresh off a Finals M.V.P., Abdul-Jabbar looked to continue dominating. Career highs in all three major statistical categories – plus anchoring the top-ranked defense – made this his best season to date.

Jerry West

West was the first option on the greatest team the league had seen, leading all players in assists and influencing sixty-nine wins. A big part of this was availability – his seventy-seven games played was the most in his career since the ’66 season.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt’s dedication to protecting the rim had never been stronger. He won his tenth career rebounding title while shooting a ridiculous sixty-four-percent from the field. Los Angeles benefited greatly from his presence – their top-two ranked defense would not have been possible without his physical sacrifices.

John Havlicek

The Celtics finished with over fifty wins for the first time since Bill Russell and Sam Jones’ retirement. Why? The answer to that would be John Havlicek. He asserted himself as the best forward in the NBA, finishing top five in both scoring and assists.

Archie Clark

Clark had been nothing more than a one-time All-Star and solid starting player up to this point, but this was a shocking breakout year. Following a trade to Baltimore early into the season, the point guard finished top four in assists and led the Bullets in scoring.

Nate Thurmond

While Thurmond had more dominant statistical seasons in the past, this was by far his greatest effort to date. Under his lead, Golden State finished top four in defense and managed the first fifty-win season in the franchise’s history.

Tiny Archibald

The Royals sophomore took an enormous leap, joining Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West as the only players to finish top three in scoring and assists in the same season. Archibald helped Cincinnati finish in the top half of league offenses despite his dull supporting cast.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*5626Baltimore Bullets*3844
New York Knicks*4834Atlanta Hawks*3646
Philadelphia 76ers3052Cincinnati Royals3052
Buffalo Braves2260Cleveland Cavaliers2359
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Milwaukee Bucks*6319Los Angeles Lakers*6913
Chicago Bulls*5725Golden State Warriors*5131
Phoenix Suns4933Seattle SuperSonics4735
Detroit Pistons2656Houston Rockets3448
Portland Trail Blazers1864

Fun Facts

  • The Los Angeles Lakers set a new record for the most wins, at sixty-nine – and best winning percentage, at .841 – in NBA history.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers’ streak of thirty-three consecutive games won became the longest in American sports history.
    • In a bittersweet coincidence, the beginning of this stretch coincided with the retirement of Elgin Baylor.
    • The streak ended to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 9th.
  • For the first time in the franchise’s history, the Philadelphia 76ers missed the playoffs.
  • For the first time since 1957, an entire division – in this case, the Central Division – finished with a losing record.
  • This was the Baltimore Bullets’ first losing season since the beginning of the Wes Unseld era.
  • This season marked the first winning campaign for the Seattle SuperSonics franchise.
    • Despite this, they still missed the playoffs due to the new eligibility format.
  • For the first time since 1967, two teams finished with sixty wins.
    • In the last instance, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics shared such an achievement.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Cleveland Cavaliers
Portland Trail Blazers
Buffalo Braves
Cincinnati Royals
Atlanta Hawks
Seattle SuperSonics
Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics		Austin Carr
Sidney Wicks
Elmore Smith
Ken Durrett
George Trapp
Fred Brown
Cliff Meely
Darnell Hillman+
Stan Love
Clarence Glover

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
May 7, 1971Jerry LucasSan Francisco WarriorsTradedNew York Knicks(19.2p/15.8r/3.7a)
October 18, 1971Archie ClarkPhiladelphia 76ersTradedBaltimore Bullets(21.3p/4.8r/5.4a)
November 5, 1971Elgin BaylorLos Angeles LakersRetired(11.8p/6.3r/2.0a)
November 10, 1971Earl MonroeBaltimore BulletsTradedNew York Knicks(21.7p/2.7r/3.3a)
March 14, 1972Charlie ScottVirginia Squires (ABA)SignedBoston Celtics(34.6p/5.1r/4.8a)
March 14, 1972Charlie ScottBoston CelticsTradedPhoenix Suns
March 14, 1972Paul SilasPhoenix SunsTradedBoston Celtics(17.5p/11.9r/4.3a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
May 14, 1971Coach Tex WinterHouston RocketsHiredRecord: n/a
June 3, 1971Coach Joe MullaneyLos Angeles LakersFiredRecord: 48-34
July 12, 1971Coach Bill SharmanLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: n/a
October 13, 1971Coach Dolph SchayesBuffalo BravesFiredRecord: 0-1
October 13, 1971Coach Johnny McCarthyBuffalo BravesHiredRecord: n/a
November 1, 1971Coach Butch Van Breda KolffDetroit PistonsResignedRecord: 6-4
November 1, 1971Coach Terry DischingerDetroit PistonsAppointed (Interim)Record: 0-2
November 3, 1971Coach Earl LloydDetroit PistonsHiredRecord: 20-50
February 2, 1972Coach Rolland ToddPortland Trail BlazersFiredRecord: 12-44
February 3, 1972Coach Stu InmanPortland Trail BlazersAppointed (Interim)Record: 6-20
March 26, 1972Coach Jack RamsayPhiladelphia 76ersResignedRecord: 30-52
March 27, 1972Coach Johnny McCarthyBuffalo BravesFiredRecord: 22-59
April 2, 1972P.coach Lenny WilkensSeattle SuperSonicsResignedRecord: 47-35
April 3, 1972Coach Jack McCloskeyPortland Trail BlazersHiredRecord: n/a
April 6, 1972Coach Jack RamsayBuffalo BravesHiredRecord: n/a
April 20, 1972Coach Tom NissalkeSeattle SuperSonicsHiredRecord: n/a
April 24, 1972Coach Richie GuerinAtlanta HawksReassignedRecord: 36-46

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Bob BoozerCincinnati Royals
New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers
Chicago Bulls
Seattle SuperSonics
Milwaukee Bucks		1x Champ
1x All-Star
Bailey HowellDetroit Pistons
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers		2x Champ
1x All-NBA
6x All-Star
Adrian Smith
(jumped to ABA)		Cincinnati Royals
San Francisco Warriors		1x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP

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)

StatLeaders
PPGKareem Abdul-Jabbar (34.8)
Tiny Archibald (28.2)
John Havlicek (27.5)
Spencer Haywood (26.2)
Gail Goodrich (25.9)
RPGWilt Chamberlain (19.2)
Wes Unseld (17.6)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16.6)
Nate Thurmond (16.1)
Dave Cowens (15.2)
APGJerry West (9.7)
Lenny Wilkens (9.6)
Tiny Archibald (9.2)
Archie Clark (8.0)
John Havlicek (7.5)
FG%Wilt Chamberlain (64%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57%)
Walt Bellamy (54%)
Dick Snyder (52%)
Jerry Lucas (51%)
FT%Jack Marin (89%)
Calvin Murphy (89%)
Gail Goodrich (85%)
Chet Walker (84%)
Dick Van Arsdale (84%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-2
For the first time since moving to Atlanta, the Hawks had to play their historic rival Boston Celtics. After an expected Celtics win in Game 1, a duel between star forwards ensued. Boston’s John Havlicek finished with forty-three points, and Atlanta’s Lou Hudson got forty-one of his own. The Hawks managed a solid road win, only to get blown out on their turf a couple nights later – despite the loss, Pete Maravich posted a glamorous 37/9/6 statline.

After winning by a mere two points in Game 4 – thanks to another Maravich effort – the Hawks ventured back up north. They ended up losing to the Celtics in back-to-back matches, with Boston’s Dave Cowens closing out with twenty-six points and twenty rebounds.
East / New York Knicks beat Baltimore Bullets, 4-2
For the fourth year in a row, New York and Baltimore met in the post-season. The Knicks were still without Willis Reed, so the outcome was relatively unpredictable.

The Bullets opened up with a surprising overtime victory, riding off Archie Clark’s thirty-eight points. Regression to the mean did occur, though, as the Knicks won by twenty-two in the next match behind a near-triple-double from Walt Frazier. Clark once again took over in Game 3 as the Bullets won by a single point, taking an unexpected 2-1 lead.

Their efforts ended up being pointless as New York responded with three consecutive wins, largely dependent on Frazier and Jerry Lucas’ abilities. Clark was bad in Games 4 and 5, and his thirty-one point bounce back in the decisive sixth was not enough to stave off elimination.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Chicago Bulls, 4-0
After a fierce series between these two teams that went to seven games, they were slated for another head-to-head. The difference this time around was a healthy Jerry West – after averaging thirty points and ten assists in the two Lakers home games, it was safe to say his impact was immediate. Goodrich was a human flamethrower, and Chicago couldn’t be efficient for their lives – even proven playoff performer Bob Love had a horrible outing.

Wilt Chamberlain was two points and assists short of a triple-double in Game 4, which was the final nail in the coffin for the Bulls. They suffered a sweep at the hands of the historic Lakers squad, still yet to win a playoff series.
West / Milwaukee Bucks beat Golden State Warriors, 4-1
Last time these teams met, Milwaukee completed a comfortable gentleman’s sweep. It was predicted that the fight would be tougher now that the Warriors had leveled up a bit – they were a fifty-win team whose star was arguably having his most impactful season to date.

Shock infested Bucks fans when Golden State managed to win Game 1 in Milwaukee Arena, with four of their players scoring twenty or more points. Nate Thurmond also grabbed twenty boards and dished nine assists.

Milwaukee tightened up with a statement blowout win afterwards, with only Thurmond managing a good performance. This would become the theme of the series – Thurmond’s sheer authority on both ends of the ball was wasted by pathetic play from his supporting cast, and they could not take advantage of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s awful efficiency. Respect to Jim Barnett for his ferocity, though – he played very well in Games 4 and 5.

Ultimately, the Bucks handled business with three straight cushioned victories.

Conference Finals

East / New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics, 4-1
For the first time this decade, the Knicks didn’t seem like clear favorites in the East. They finished with a worse regular season record than the Celtics and lacked one of their stars.

This matchup was proof that veteran experience goes a long way, though. New York won by a disrespectful twenty-two-point margin in Game 1, humiliating fans of the green team. They had six double-digit scorers in this game, while the Celtics’ only members of that club were John Havlicek and Jo Jo White – both of whom were very inefficient.

Despite fifty-two combined points from Havlicek and White the next match, the Knicks won by a narrow one-point margin. Taking both of the first two games was huge for them, and left the Celtics largely demoralized moving forward. Regardless, they fought through adversity – Game 3 at home was theirs. In response, New York provided a beating to keep Boston’s optimism at a low.

In Game 5, three Knicks finished with double digit rebounds as they completed a gentleman’s sweep. This sent them to their second Finals appearance in three years, slated to face one of the last two Western Conference champions.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2
In a rematch of last year’s Conference Finals, the brewing rivalry between Los Angeles and Milwaukee continued. The Lakers looked like the greater team this year, but the Bucks were defending a title – all that could be expected from this series was determination from both clubs.

The classic matchup between Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar favored the latter in the first game, as the back-to-back M.V.P. dropped thirty-three points and secured eighteen rebounds in a Bucks blowout win on the road. After the Lakers’ Happy Hairston secured a series tie with his game-winning bucket, matters were headed to Milwaukee. And considering the Bucks managed a dominant victory – and proceeded to lose by only one point – it wasn’t absurd to say momentum was in their favor.

A quality scoring effort from L.A.’s starting lineup brought them up 2-1 a couple nights later, only to lose by twenty-six points shortly after. Every single Bucks win was in crude fashion, and Los Angeles would have to raise their intensity if they wanted to dethrone their opponent.

Thanks to sixty-nine combined points from Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Jim McMillian in Game 5, the Lakers completed their first blowout win of the series at home. Fatigue seemed to plague Milwaukee as the series progressed – Oscar Robertson only logged nine points in twenty-nine minutes, and Abdul-Jabbar was taking an ill-advised number of shots in every game.

With a chance to tie the series at home, the Bucks collapsed in the fourth quarter and accepted defeat at the hands of their foe. They could not sustain quality play, being littered with injuries – Robertson and Wali Jones both had pulled muscles, and Jon McGlocklin was dealing with a nagging back injury. Couple that with a rare dominant offensive performance from Chamberlain – as well as necessary support from the Lakers’ other starters – and yet another Finals trip for the Californian team was in the books.

Finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat New York Knicks, 4-1
In the sixties, the narrative was Lakers vs. Celtics. Now, Lakers vs. Knicks seemed to be the uprising cross-country clash – this was their second Finals meeting in the last three years. Los Angeles looked to avenge their disappointing loss in 1970, where they went out in embarrassing fashion to a rallying New York squad.

New York surprisingly managed to win the first game against the odds, similar to their series with Boston. Walt Frazier’s triple-double harmonized with Bill Bradley’s effective twenty-nine points, while just about everybody on the Lakers was terrible.

The sixty-nine-win team shut out the noise shortly after, thanks to great performances from Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich. The former began to take advantage of New York’s shallow rim protection as the series continued, and his increased aggression made up for how poorly Jerry West was playing.

Game 4 was an overtime battle – while West got to the line at every opportunity, Jerry Lucas and Walt Frazier could not be contained. The Knicks still lost regardless, now down 3-1 on their way back to the west coast.

The Lakers were now closer than ever to their first championship in nearly twenty years, and seized the opportunity without a thought. Four of the five starters scored over twenty points, and Chamberlain got twenty-nine rebounds.

They convincingly pulled away in the second half, completing the gentleman’s sweep – this was the Lakers’ long-awaited first title since moving to Los Angeles, and first since the great dynasties of Minneapolis. The Jerry West era had finally produced a ring.
The Los Angeles Lakers win the 1972 NBA championship!
Wilt Chamberlain was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

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 YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Sidney WicksKareem Abdul-JabbarWilt ChamberlainBill Sharman

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
John Havlicek
Spencer Haywood
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Tiny Archibald
Archie Clark
Billy Cunningham
Bob Love
Wilt Chamberlain

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
Jerry Sloan
John Havlicek
Dave DeBusschere
Wilt Chamberlain		Norm Van Lier
Don Chaney
Paul Silas
Bob Love
Nate Thurmond

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Butch Beard
Archie Clark
Dave Cowens
Billy Cunningham
Dave DeBusschere
Walt Frazier
John Havlicek
Lou Hudson
John Johnson
Bob Kauffman
Jack Marin
Wes Unseld
Tom Van Arsdale
Jo Jo White		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Wilt Chamberlain
Gail Goodrich
Connie Hawkins
Elvin Hayes
Spencer Haywood
Bob Lanier
Bob Love
Oscar Robertson
Cazzie Russell
Paul Silas
Jimmy Walker
Jerry West*
Sidney Wicks
West beats East, 112-110

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Austin Carr
Phil Chenier
Clifford Ray
Elmore Smith
Sidney Wicks

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics111957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969
Lakers61949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
Warriors21947, 1956
76ers21955, 1967
Royals11951
Hawks11958
Knicks11970
Bucks11971

The NBA Time Machine: 1967

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published March 9, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1967

Ten Teams

Back In Chicago

After the Chicago Zephyrs moved to Baltimore in 1963, the NBA was without a team in the promising mid-west market once more – it only took them a few years to commit to the idea again, now choosing to host the Chicago Bulls.

With the Bulls in town, the league now had ten teams for the first time in fourteen years. They occupied the already watered-down Western Division, further worsening its competition. This also meant the Baltimore Bullets now occupied the East – a much-appreciated relief for their personnel, who no longer had to travel cross-country to meet half of their rivals.

As usual with fresh teams, the Bulls participated in an expansion draft. However, the most notable pickup was perennial All-Star Guy Rodgers, who had been acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Warriors. He was integral to the impressive thirty-three-win season Chicago put together, as his experienced playmaking took pressure off of less comfortable teammates.

Playoff Power

Due to the increase in league size, the playoffs were re-formatted. The following changes were made:

  • Four teams from each division made the playoffs, as opposed to three.
  • The first seed in each division no longer received a “bye”, and were required to compete in the first round.
  • This increased the playoffs series total from five to seven.

This shift in structure arguably increased the competitiveness of the post-season, but slightly disincentivized pushing for a first seed.

Record Winners

The Philadelphia 76ers finished last season on a disappointing note, bowing out to their rival Boston Celtics in a gentleman’s sweep upset. Philly responded by building the greatest campaign in league history – they soared past their contemporaries to a sixty-eight-win total, ranked as the best offense, and only lost two games at home.

There were two major reasons for this advancement – first was the hiring of the accomplished coach Alex Hannum, who boasted a championship and three Finals appearances to his name. Hannum had coached Wilt Chamberlain in San Francisco, and was a large component of the Stilt’s then-most successful season to date.

The other catalyst was Chamberlain’s willingness to alter his playing style behind Hannum’s advice. His scoring average dropped by almost ten points, but he committed to being an elite playmaker – his 7.8 assists per game was good for third in the league. Chamberlain’s shot selection was also refined, shooting an unbelievable sixty-eight-percent from the field that crushed the previous record of fifty-four-percent – also set by him.

Emerging Rival

A number of rival leagues had sprouted around the nation at this point, but the NBA was too storied and solidified – nothing could truly knock it down. However, a particular competitor was founded this year – the American Basketball Association (ABA), of whom basketball great George Mikan was the commissioner.

It didn’t make noise remotely close to that of its established rival, but the inter-league ties – as well as new gimmicks – garnered the interest of some players.

Bay Is Booming

Western Division antics were at an all-time high, with five teams present and only one soaring above the rest. The team in question was the San Francisco Warriors, who improved by nine games and finished top three league-wide.

Sophomore Rick Barry led the NBA in scoring with a ballistic 35.6 points per game, and center Nate Thurmond had now blossomed into one of the best defenders around. It was reasonable to say the Warriors ran California at this moment – since their arrival, this was the first instance in which they finished with a winning record and the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t.

Standout Players

Wilt Chamberlain

Despite a disappointing end to the previous season, Philadelphia let nothing demotivate them. Wilt Chamberlain led the team to a historic winning pace – despite averaging a steep career low 24.1 points per game, his playmaking and efficiency hit unprecedented levels. He became the first player to shoot over sixty-percent from the field.

Rick Barry

Regardless of an already lethal rookie campaign, Barry elevated to an unbelievable level in ’66-67. The Warriors improved by nine wins, grabbed the first seed in the West, and looked like dark horse contenders. He also led the league in points per game, becoming the first player besides Wilt Chamberlain to do so since 1959.

Bill Russell

Russell had a taxing year, taking over coaching duties for the Celtics while also having to maintain his superstar image. He sacrificed scoring production for efficiency and playmaking, taking advantage of the improved Celtics offense. The reigning champions ultimately finished with the third sixty-win season in franchise history.

Oscar Robertson

While the Royals struggled – amassing their first losing record since Robertson’s rookie season – the former M.V.P. had another fine run. He averaged over thirty points and ten assists for the fifth time in seven attempts.

Willis Reed

Reed was silently blossoming into a future superstar. He became increasingly comfortable sharing the frontcourt with Walt Bellamy, leading New York in both points and rebounds. The most intriguing storyline was the Knicks seeing the playoffs – their last visit was in the fifties.

Jerry West

Strangely enough, the return to form for Elgin Baylor wasn’t enough to keep the Lakers afloat. They were nine games worse, but West continued to lead them to a playoff berth despite injury bugs – his continued improvement as a playmaker influenced that outcome.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern DivisionWLWestern DivisionWL
Philadelphia 76ers*6813San Francisco Warriors*4437
Boston Celtics*6021St. Louis Hawks*3942
Cincinnati Royals*3942Los Angeles Lakers*3645
New York Knicks*3645Chicago Bulls*3348
Baltimore Bullets2061Detroit Pistons3051

Fun Facts

  • The Philadelphia 76ers’ regular season was the greatest to date.
    • They broke the record for most wins (62), set by the Boston Celtics in the 1964-65 season.
    • They broke the long-standing record for win percentage (.817), set by the Washington Capitols in the league’s inaugural year.
  • The Cincinnati Royals’ losing record was the franchise’s first since 1961, when they initially acquired Oscar Robertson.
  • For the first time in league history, more teams with losing records made the playoffs than vice versa.
    • This highlighted the severe gap between the contenders and every other competitor.
  • For the first time since acquiring Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics finished with an offensive rating above league average.
    • Defense had always singlehandedly won them games, but they were now notable on both ends of the floor.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
San Francisco Warriors
St. Louis Hawks
Baltimore Bullets
Cincinnati Royals
Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
Chicago Bulls		Cazzie Russell
Dave Bing
Clyde Lee
Lou Hudson
Jack Marin
Walt Wesley
Jerry Chambers
Jim Barnett
Matt Guokas
Dave Schellhase

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
September 1, 1966Bailey HowellBaltimore BulletsTradedBoston Celtics(17.5p/9.9r/2a)
September 7, 1966Guy RodgersSan Francisco WarriorsTradedChicago Bulls(18.6p/5.3r/10.7a)
January 16, 1967Rudy LaRussoLos Angeles LakersTradedDetroit Pistons(12.8p/7.8r/1.7a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
May 2, 1966Coach Dolph SchayesPhiladelphia 76ersFiredRecord: 55-25
May 2, 1966Coach Alex HannumPhiladelphia 76ersHiredRecord: 68-13
May 3, 1966Coach Red KerrChicago BullsHiredRecord: 33-48
May 28, 1966Coach Paul SeymourBaltimore BulletsResignedRecord: 38-42
November 3, 1966Coach Mike FarmerBaltimore BulletsFiredRecord: 1-8
November 3, 1966Coach Buddy JeannetteBaltimore BulletsAppointed (Interim) Record: 3-13
December 5, 1966Coach Gene ShueBaltimore BulletsHired Record: 16-40
March 7, 1967P.coach Dave DeBusschereDetroit PistonsResignedRecord: 28-45
March 7, 1967Coach Donnie ButcherDetroit PistonsHired Record: 2-6

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Tom GolaSan Francisco Warriors
New York Knicks		1x Champ
1x All-NBA
5x All-Star
Cliff HaganSt. Louis Hawks1x Champ
2x All-NBA
5x All-Star
Red KerrPhiladelphia 76ers
Baltimore Bullets		1x Champ
3x All-Star
Willie NaullsSt. Louis Hawks
New York Knicks
San Francisco Warriors
Boston Celtics		3x Champ
4x All-Star
Woody SauldsberryPhiladelphia Warriors
St. Louis Hawks
Chicago Zephyrs
Boston Celtics		1x Champ
1x All-Star
1958 ROTY
Jack TwymanCincinnati Royals2x 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)

StatLeaders
PPGRick Barry (35.6)
Oscar Robertson (30.5)
Jerry West (28.7)
Elgin Baylor (26.6)
Wilt Chamberlain (24.1)
RPGWilt Chamberlain (24.2)
Nate Thurmond (21.3)
Bill Russell (21)
Jerry Lucas (19.1)
Bill Bridges (15.1)
APGGuy Rodgers (11.2)
Oscar Robertson (10.7)
Wilt Chamberlain (7.8)
Jerry West (6.8)
Howard Komives (6.2)
FG%Wilt Chamberlain (68%)
Walt Bellamy (52%)
Bailey Howell (51%)
Oscar Robertson (49%)
Willis Reed (48%)
FT%Adrian Smith (90%)
Rick Barry (88%)
Jerry West (87%)
Oscar Robertson (87%)
Sam Jones (85%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat New York Knicks, 3-1
New York’s first playoff appearance in nearly a decade was a brutal matchup against the reigning champions. This would serve as a big test for both the young Willis Reed and veteran Walt Bellamy – this was the former’s first post-season appeareace, and the latter’s second.

They were ill-prepared for the intricacy of Boston’s defense, getting blown out in Game 1 and warded off in the next despite an efficient thirty points from Reed. The Knicks managed a home win to deny defeat, holding Boston to thirty-three-percent shooting while Reed and Bellamy combined for sixty-one points. These efforts were ultimately trivial, though – Sam Jones ended matters with fifty-one in a close-out victory, stunning Madison Square Garden.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Cincinnati Royals, 3-1
Since the division first seeds did not receive a “bye” in the playoffs anymore, Wilt Chamberlain and company were forced to face the Cincinnati Royals. They were coming off of a rough regular season campaign. but still had two All-Stars that could put up a fight.

The 76ers perhaps underestimated Cincinnati a bit too much, giving up a win at home amidst a fierce duel between Oscar Robertson and Chamberlain. They proceeded to win three straight to take the series – the Royals supporting cast did not provide enough firepower on offense to complement Robertson, and Chamberlain was doing whatever he wanted. In Game 3 he dropped an absurd 16/30/19 stat-line in a blowout victory.

What was perhaps the most surprising narrative of the series was Robertson’s passiveness – he only reached his seasonal scoring average in one of four games, and dropped a measly twelve points on terrible efficiency in the decisive Game 4. The Royals had now failed to win a playoff series for the third straight year.
West / San Francisco Warriors beat Los Angeles Lakers, 3-0
The Warriors entered as overwhelming favorites. This was not just because of their superior record – the Lakers were also missing Jerry West to injury. The post-season looked bleak for L.A., but it was still unwise to count out a team coming off of consecutive Finals appearances.

San Francisco shut down any comparisons between the Californian franchises with a quick three-game sweep. Star players Rick Barry and Elgin Baylor both struggled in the first two matches, but the Warriors’ defense gave them a fighting chance. Once Baylor managed to escape his shooting slump – dropping thirty-seven in Game 3 – Barry mirrored him to secure a victory. Jerry West even attempted to play, but could only log one minute before the pain caught up to him.
West / St. Louis Hawks beat Chicago Bulls, 3-0
The Bulls had posted the best run by an expansion franchise in a very long time – the fact they were even in the playoffs was remarkable. With that considered, it was completely unsurprising that they grabbed zero series wins.

Their offense was abysmal, with Bob Boozer being the only person to step up his game. Meanwhile, St. Louis had two All-Stars and a hungry rookie in Lou Hudson – considering the difference in personnel quality, there was little to no opportunity for competitiveness in this matchup.

Division Finals

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston Celtics, 4-1
In a sharp reversal of the previous year, the 76ers opened the series murdering the Celtics’ dreams of an easy brawl. Philadelphia looked comfortably more prepared for a championship – Wilt Chamberlain outplayed Bill Russell at every stage, their supporting cast was better, and nobody but John Havlicek was getting anything going for Boston.

The Celtics managed to avoid a sweep thanks to sixty-three combined points from Havlicek and Sam Jones – as well as a rare Chamberlain off-night – but their efforts were futile. The closing performance from the 76ers was one of the most vengefully dominant in league history. Five players – Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Wali Jones, and Billy Cunningham – scored over twenty points, and Chamberlain dropped a triple-double while holding his long-time rival to two field goals.

Tides had changed, and the 76ers were the new kings of the East. The Celtics’ championship streak of eight years had ended in abrupt fashion.
West / San Francisco Warriors beat St. Louis Hawks, 4-2
Both of these Western teams had swept their first-round matchups, which set up an interesting dynamic for the second round. Would the Warriors follow trends and advance to the Finals? Or would the Hawks pull off an upset, which was unfamiliar territory for the franchise?

Whatever the result would be, it would need to involve road wins. And that was something neither team could buy for over a week – the series was split 2-2 as both squads dominated on their respective floors. Rick Barry and rookie Lou Hudson had started off hot and progressively cooled down, with the former sitting most of a Game 4 loss due to a mid-game injury.

Complications meant nothing to the scoring champion, though – he bounced back amidst consecutive Warriors victories, sending the Hawks home behind a forty-one piece in the comforts of The Bay.

Finals

Philadelphia 76ers beat San Francisco Warriors, 4-2
The 1967 Finals was an exciting one for basketball fans – for the first time in a decade, there was a new Eastern representative. The Warriors also returned to the highest stage for the first time since 1964. What spiced up the narrative even further was that Wilt Chamberlain was facing his former franchise – they rebuilt quickly following his absence, and it put so much more pressure on the chase for his first title.

Matters begun as expected – Rick Barry scored in volume, Nate Thurmond was fierce inside, and Hal Greer got buckets on buckets. Chamberlain approached this matchup with a remarkable IQ – knowing the quality of Thurmond’s rim protection, he limited his field goal attempts and got teammates involved with ten assists. This had been the story of Philly’s success up to this point, and worked in the first two games.

The Warriors took a match at home behind fifty-five points from Rick Barry. They lost two nights later despite him scoring over forty yet again – his performance was generational, but the 76ers roster was just so much better. Thurmond’s impact was limited as well, being held to a pedestrian offensive impact when facing Chamberlain.

San Francisco managed a road win to avoid defeat, and nearly forced Game 7 until a collapse in the clutch awarded Philadelphia their coveted fourth victory. It was a balanced winning effort led by Chamberlain’s twenty-four points and twenty-six rebounds, and silenced critics nationally. The Big Dipper now had a championship to his name, and the 76ers won it all for the first time since their move to Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia 76ers win the 1967 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 YearMVPCoach of the Year
Dave BingWilt ChamberlainJohnny Kerr

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Rick Barry
Wilt Chamberlain		Hal Greer
Sam Jones
Jerry Lucas
Willis Reed
Bill Russell

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Wilt Chamberlain
Hal Greer
John Havlicek
Bailey Howell
Jerry Lucas
Don Ohl
Willis Reed
Oscar Robertson
Bill Russell
Chet Walker		Rick Barry*
Elgin Baylor
Bill Bridges
Dave DeBusschere
Darrall Imhoff
Guy Rodgers
Jerry Sloan
Nate Thurmond
Jerry West
Lenny Wilkens
West beats East, 135-120

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Dave Bing
Lou Hudson
Jack Marin
Erwin Mueller
Cazzie Russell

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics91957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966
Lakers51949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954
Warriors21947, 1956
76ers21955, 1967
Royals11951
Hawks11958

The NBA Time Machine: 1966

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published February 10, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1966

Eastern Emergence

Here Comes the 76ers!

Last regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers were an incredibly run-of-the-mill team. They had an even 40-40 record and finished right in the middle of both offensive and defensive rating, even after acquiring Wilt Chamberlain. However, their gentleman’s sweep in the first round of the playoffs and ability to push the Boston Celtics to seven games materialized them as perhaps a better team than everyone thought.

Philly looked better to start the year, but still not overwhelmingly dominant – it wasn’t until a shocking hot streak after the All-Star Game that they began to push for the NBA‘s best record. They went on a 30-10 run to close the year, including eleven consecutive victories in the month of March.

Having such a composed finish won them the Eastern Division first seed and instant homecourt, privileges traditionally associated with the Celtics.

Score On, Score On

Wilt Chamberlain became the league’s all-time leading scorer this year, eclipsing the 20,000 mark and taking over the now-retired Bob Pettit’s place. The center did this in spite of averaging a career low in points and high in assists – his offensive value was not only irreplaceable, but malleable.

Standout Players

Wilt Chamberlain

Now surrounded by an improved Philly team, Chamberlain continued to dominate. He won his seventh straight scoring title, led in rebounding again after losing the crown for a couple years, and averaged career highs in assists and efficiency. The 76ers finished with the number one seed in the East, usurping the Celtics for the first time in a decade – this won Chamberlain his second M.V.P.

Jerry West

With Elgin Baylor producing the worst year of his career yet, West had to continue growing. He delivered career highs in points and assists, also appearing in all but one game. This was his first season being voted as the runner-up for M.V.P.

Oscar Robertson

Robertson’s days of nearly averaging a triple double were over – teammate Jerry Lucas ate up the boards, dropping his average to 7.7. That meant nothing to the legendary guard, who still managed to impact winning at a high level – the Royals snagged their fifth straight forty-win campaign.

Rick Barry

The eventual Rookie of the Year embodied potential from the get go. Barry’s offensive game was mesmerizing, and also clearly beneficial – the Warriors improved by eighteen games and were only a single match short of a playoff berth. The loss of Wilt still lingered in The Bay, but fans had someone new to bet on.

Bill Russell

For the first time since 1958, Russell wasn’t much of an M.V.P. candidate. He hit career lows in scoring and efficiency, and gave up the rebounding title to rival Wilt Chamberlain after two straight years of winning it. Despite this, the Celtics remained a threat – they finished with the second best record in the NBA and still posted the best defense.

Jerry Lucas

Cincinnati continued to depend on Lucas more, with him averaging his highest numbers in minutes and field goal attempts to date. This demand tanked his efficiency a bit, but he was still unequivocally the best forward in the NBA. He joined Chamberlain, Barry, Walt Bellamy, and Zelmo Beaty as a special group to finish top ten in both points and rebounds per game.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern DivisionWLWestern DivisionWL
Philadelphia 76ers*5525Los Angeles Lakers*4535
Boston Celtics*5426Baltimore Bullets*3842
Cincinnati Royals*4535St. Louis Hawks*3644
New York Knicks3050San Francisco Warriors3545
Detroit Pistons2258

Fun Facts

  • For the first time since 1956, a team besides the Boston Celtics led the league in record.
  • In reference to the late-fifties, the Western Division was quite awful – the Los Angeles Lakers were the only winning team in it.
  • The New York Knicks experienced growing pains – the arrival of Walt Bellamy mid-season gave them some helpful depth at the center position, but disrupted the development of sophomore Willis Reed.
    • They also finished with the worst defense in the league – a strange quirk for such a strong frontcourt on paper.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with an asterisk (*) were selected with a territorial draft pick.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		San Francisco Warriors
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
San Francisco Warriors
New York Knicks
Baltimore Bullets
Philadelphia 76ers
St. Louis Hawks
Cincinnati Royals
Los Angeles Lakers		Fred Hetzel
Bill Bradley* +
Bill Buntin*
Rick Barry
Dave Stallworth
Jerry Sloan
Billy Cunningham
Jim Washington
Nate Bowman +
Gail Goodrich*

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
November 2, 1965Walt BellamyBaltimore BulletsTradedNew York Knicks(19p/12.8r/2.3a)
November 2, 1965Johnny GreenNew York KnicksTradedBaltimore Bullets(14.4p/10.6r/1.6a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
November 29, 1965Coach Harry GallatinNew York KnicksFiredRecord: 6-15
November 29, 1965Coach Dick McGuireNew York KnicksHiredRecord: 24-35
March 22, 1966Coach Alex HannumSan Francisco WarriorsFiredRecord: 35-45
March 22, 1966Coach Bill SharmanSan Francisco WarriorsHiredRecord: n/a
April 18, 1966Coach Red AuerbachBoston CelticsExpected to retireRecord: 54-26
April 18, 1966Player-coach Bill RussellBoston CelticsHired Record: n/a
April 28, 1966Coach Paul SeymourBaltimore BulletsFiredRecord: 38-42
April 28, 1966Coach Mike FarmerBaltimore BulletsHired Record: n/a

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Tom HeinsohnBoston Celtics6x Champ
4x All-NBA
6x All-Star
1957 ROTY
Bob PettitSt. Louis Hawks1x Champ
2x MVP
11x All-NBA
11x All-Star
4x All-Star Game MVP
1955 ROTY
2x Scoring leader

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)

StatLeaders
PPGWilt Chamberlain (33.5)
Jerry West (31.3)
Oscar Robertson (31.3)
Rick Barry (25.7)
Sam Jones (23.5)
RPGWilt Chamberlain (24.6)
Bill Russell (22.8)
Jerry Lucas (21.1)
Nate Thurmond (18)
Walt Bellamy (15.7)
APGOscar Robertson (11.1)
Guy Rodgers (10.7)
K.C. Jones (6.3)
Lenny Wilkens (6.2)
Jerry West (6.1)
FG%Wilt Chamberlain (54%)
Johnny Green (53%)
Walt Bellamy (50%)
Al Attles (50%)
Happy Hairston (48%)
FT%Larry Siegfried (88%)
Rick Barry (86%)
Howard Komives (86%)
Jerry West (86%)
Adrian Smith (85%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Cincinnati Royals, 3-2
For the first time under Bill Russell’s tenure, the Celtics had to play in the semifinals. Due to clinching the first seed for the past nine seasons, they always got a “bye” and were to be met in the second round – this time, there was more heavy lifting to do.

Cincinnati brought forth an upset in Game 1, boasting a road win behind the seventy-three combined points of their All-Stars. Game 2 was a duel between Oscar Robertson and Sam Jones that featured well over thirty points from both – this evened the series, only for the two teams to continue swapping victories until the tiebreaker.

Boston locked in for Game 5, limiting their rotation to seven players and seeing quality play from all of them. Bill Russell unsurprisingly put up a great performance, posting a triple-double with thirty-one rebounds – this sent the Royals home in the opening series for the second straight year.
West / St. Louis Hawks beat Baltimore Bullets, 3-0
A two-point loss at home was an instant demotivator for Baltimore, who narrowly struggled despite shooting better from the field than St. Louis. Their rim protection was much weaker with Walt Bellamy gone, which excited talented Hawks scorers such as Lenny Wilkens and Joe Caldwell. However, a second straight defeat confirmed that the Bullets were ill-prepared for the playoffs – despite their excellent shot selection, they could not draw fouls nearly as well as their opponent.

A eventual sweep from the Hawks was unsurprising, given they hosted Game 3 – their offense was thriving, and the retirement of Bob Pettit began to appear less destructive by the day.

Division Finals

East / Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1
For the first time since they began winning championships, Boston did not look like the favorites in the Eastern Division Finals. They finished below the 76ers in the regular season, and were now fighting an uphill battle due to homecourt disadvantage and wear-and-tear from Cincinnati.

All of that noise was non-existent to the reigning champions, who generated a blowout by nineteen points in enemy territory. Their depth was staggering, and the 76ers looked pitiful defensively. The second match was a repeat narrative – Philadelphia shot an embarrassing thirty-five percent from the field and gave up over one-hundred points. Wilt Chamberlain also got thoroughly outmatched by his long-time rival Bill Russell, who was one assist short of a triple-double.

The 76ers managed to win Game 3 thanks to much-improved shooting and a dominant Chamberlain outing, but their defense remained suspicious. The final two meetings were both victories by Boston – Chamberlain scored a pathetic fifteen points in Game 4, which left his team down 3-1. He responded with forty-six points and thirty-four rebounds in the succeeding win-or-go-home match, but his efforts arrived far too late – Boston completely contained the Philadelphia supporting cast, which ensured an upset series win.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat St. Louis Hawks, 4-3
For the first time since 1963, the Lakers and Hawks went to war fighting for a Finals appearance. L.A. opened matters up wih two quick victories – Elgin Baylor looked much improved following a bad regular season, dropping a game-leading forty-two points in Game 2 and only being one assist short of a triple-double. The Hawks relaxed the momentum with a reactive win, largely led by power forward Bill Bridges.

The Lakers managed a road win to go up 3-1 on their competition, and looked prepared for a solid gentleman’s sweep. St. Louis had other ideas – to force a tiebreaker, they won consecutive high-stakes matches behind high efficiency, beautiful ball movement, and Lenny Wilkens’ first playoff triple-double in three years.

The Game 7 in California was a classic Lakers tale – Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were the game’s two highest scorers, combining for eighty-eight points and shutting down the aspirations of the Missouri veterans.

Finals

Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3
Five total Finals matchups, four in the past five seasons. It was undeniable that the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was the greatest in NBA history at this point – however, the Celtics routinely owned their foes, which put a lot of pressure on L.A. to bring a championship to California.

A shocking opening victory was spearheaded by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, torching Boston in spite of great showings from Bill Russell and Sam Jones. Auerbach’s defensive adjustments were monumental as always, holding the two to a combined thirty-one points two days later. The Celtics amassed consecutive wins en route to a 3-1 lead – Russell looked unstoppable, Jones got buckets on buckets, and Baylor had cooled off scoring-wise.

Los Angeles took a page out of the Hawks’ book afterwards, forcing a Game 7 thanks to improvement from Baylor and sustained dominance from West. Rookie Gail Goodrich also posted a hefty twenty-eight points in the sixth match to ward off defeat.

Game 7 featured immediate dominance from the Celtics, but the Lakers assembled a mid-game comeback that brought affairs down to the wire. They could not close things out, going down by a measly two points – West had the best Finals series of his career, but Baylor’s consistency looked like a legitimate long-term problem at this point.

Fighting against the odds, Boston clinched an eighth straight title – nobody knew when, or if, they would stop tormenting professional basketball.
The Boston Celtics win the 1966 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 YearMVPCoach of the Year
Rick BarryWilt ChamberlainDolph Schayes

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Rick Barry
Jerry Lucas
Wilt Chamberlain		Hal Greer
Sam Jones
John Havlicek
Gus Johnson
Bill Russell

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Wilt Chamberlain
Hal Greer
John Havlicek
Sam Jones
Jerry Lucas
Willis Reed
Oscar Robertson
Bill Russell
Adrian Smith*
Chet Walker		Rick Barry
Zelmo Beaty
Dave DeBusschere
Bailey Howell
Rudy LaRusso
Eddie Miles
Don Ohl
Guy Rodgers
Nate Thurmond
Jerry West
East beats West, 137-94

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Rick Barry
Billy Cunningham
Fred Hetzel
Dick Van Arsdale
Tom Van Arsdale

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics91957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966
Lakers51949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954
Warriors21947, 1956
Royals11951
76ers11955
Hawks11958

The NBA Time Machine: 1965

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published January 14, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1965

Ways of Wilt

Return to Philly

After his first Finals trip, Wilt Chamberlain‘s relationship with the San Francisco Warriors soured quickly. They failed to continue building around him to improve, and he did not get along with ownership. Couple these factors with ongoing health issues that put him in a bad place, and he eventually reached a point of frustration that prompted a trade request.

Chamberlain had become the first superstar to attempt forcing his way out of a city, and he unsurprisingly succeeded. He was traded during the All-Star Break to the Philadelphia 76ers, which placed him in a better organization that had recently relocated to his hometown.

The entire ordeal placed emphasis on how coveted Chamberlain truly was, but it also left a sour impression of him being stubborn – a rare trait for a franchise player.

Change Lanes

Much like George Mikan in his first few years, Wilt Chamberlain was painfully dominant. The league saw his exceptional statistics as a talking point for changing the rules of the game once more, and therefore chose to widen the foul lane from twelve feet to sixteen.

Doing so forced Chamberlain further out of the paint, as the defensive three-seconds rule meant he could not roam in there for longer than that duration. The star center was completely unfazed, though – he may have scored a career low 34.7 points per game, but that was still good for first in the league.

Partnership

The league aimed to involve itself more with others for the sake of exposure and growth – ABC began televising its Sunday “Game-Of-The-Week”, and a sponsorship deal with General Motors begun.

Standout Players

Bill Russell

The second sixty-win season once again happened under the leadership of Bill Russell, who was awarded his fifth M.V.P. award. The seven-time champion also eclipsed five assists for the first time in his career, seemingly solidifying himself as the best passing big man of all-time.

Oscar Robertson

The reigning M.V.P. had himself another legendary season, averaging career highs in assists and minutes. The Royals didn’t quite replicate their fifty-win season this time around, but they maintained their status as a top-tier team anyways.

Jerry West

At this point, the general consensus is that the West Virginian phenomenon was destined to be the leader of Los Angeles. He reached new peaks in scoring, efficiency, and usage, all the while bringing the Lakers atop the Western Division once more.

Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain’s season was a bit odd – he became the first superstar to get traded mid-season (to the 76ers) due to conflicts with Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli. Both the Warriors and 76ers were on pace to be slightly better teams with Chamberlain, but not by much. Regardless, he led the league in scoring for the sixth straight time, despite efforts to hinder his effectiveness.

Jerry Lucas

In his sophomore season, the coveted Royals star became the third player in NBA history to average twenty points and rebounds for the entire year. His efficiency dipped slightly due to a larger scoring responsibility, but remained a top-tier option in that regard.

Sam Jones

While a late bloomer, Jones had become the All-NBA-caliber guard the Celtics envisioned when drafting him. He was a top-five ranked scorer with staggering efficiency for somebody dependent on jump shooting. This was the first example of his true offensive potential – he had sacrificed his role in previous years to manifest success, but ’65 Jones was the best version yet.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern DivisionWLWestern DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*6218Los Angeles Lakers*4931
Cincinnati Royals*4832St. Louis Hawks*4535
Philadelphia 76ers*4040Baltimore Bullets*3743
New York Knicks3149Detroit Pistons3149
San Francisco Warriors1763

Fun Facts

  • The Boston Celtics mustered their second sixty-win season, remaining the only franchise to accomplish one at all.
  • Despite having mediocre personnel, the San Francisco Warriors had All-Star Nate Thurmond to be excited about – after Wilt Chamberlain‘s departure, he anchored them to a top three defense that simply suffered from a lack of shot creation.
  • The Baltimore Bullets still possessed a losing record, but managed to see the first post-season in their four years of existence.
  • For the first time since 1961, less than half of the teams finished with a winning record.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with an asterisk (*) were selected with a territorial draft pick.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
Baltimore Bullets
Philadelphia 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers
St. Louis Hawks
San Francisco Warriors
Cincinnati Royals
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks		Jim Barnes
Joe Caldwell
Gary Bradds
Luke Jackson
Walt Hazzard
Jeff Mullins
Barry Kramer
George Wilson
Mel Counts
Willis Reed

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 18, 1964Terry DischingerBaltimore BulletsTradedDetroit Pistons(20.8p/8.3r/2a)
June 18, 1964Bailey HowellDetroit PistonsTradedBaltimore Bullets(21.6p/10.1r/2.7a)
June 18, 1964Don OhlDetroit PistonsTradedBaltimore Bullets(17.3p/2.5r/3.2a)
January 15, 1965Wilt ChamberlainSan Francisco WarriorsTradedPhiladelphia 76ers(38.9p/23.5r/3.1a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
August 8, 1964Coach Slick LeonardBaltimore BulletsResignedRecord: 31-49
August 8, 1964Coach Buddy JeannetteBaltimore BulletsHiredRecord: 37-43
December 27, 1964Coach Harry GallatinSt. Louis HawksFiredRecord: 17-16
December 27, 1964Player-coach Richie GuerinSt. Louis HawksHiredRecord: 28-19
January 3, 1965Coach