Actual Result: The 7th straight Celtics title. Once again, they beat the Lakers, this time in 7.
MVP: Wilt Chamberlain
East Semis: Celtics d. Royals (3-2)
West Semis: Hawks d. Bullets (3-0)
Simulation: The 60s have not been dominated by the Celtics, a different team has won the title every year of the decade. Last year, it was Wilt's Sixers and they had the best record in basketball this year. Sixers/Celtics will once again square off in the East. In the West, it's the Lakers again, they'll face the Hawks.
East Finals (April) Philadelphia 76ers (55-25) v. Boston Celtics (54-26)
West Finals (April) Los Angeles Lakers (45-35) d. St Louis Hawks (36-44)
East Finals Game 1 (Philly) Sixers 108 Celtics 106
Willie Naulls hits from the top of the key with 6 minutes left and the Celtics led by 6. 90 seconds later, buckets by Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, Chet Walker had tied the score. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell traded baskets and with 3:30 left, Russell fouled Wilt - it was his 6th foul of the game and he was done. Wilt made them both - the Sixers had their first lead of the quarter. John Havlicek responded from the block to tie it up. Wilt and Mel Counts then traded off baskets three times - still tied up, less than a minute to play. Sixers ball. Both teams miss shots - with 26 seconds left Wilt got the dunk and the foul, he hit the shot and the Sixers led by 3. That was enough, Boston never caught up and Philly takes game 1. 44 pts, 31 rebounds for the Dipper. 22 pts and 10 assists for Hal Greer. We saw Don Nelson in the Lakers rotation in last year's NBA Finals, forced into action with the injury to Elgin Baylor; he was released in the offseason and is now in the Boston rotation and led the Celtics in scoring, 18 pts, 10 rebounds.
East Finals Game 2 (Boston) Sixers 111 Celtics 105
Philly goes to Boston and wins game 2. The Sixers beat the Celtics in last year's East Finals and are up 2-0 here. 39-28 for Wilt. Double/double for Luke Jackson. Havlicek leads the Celts with 34. Double/double for Bill Russell.
East Finals Game 3 (Philly) Celtics 140 Sixers 129
The Celtics had to have it and they do, cutting the Sixers lead to 2-1. Sam Jones goes off, 39 points. 28 rebounds for Russell. Wilt goes 29 and 30 in the loss. 28 for Greer, 21 for Walker.
East Finals Game 4 (Boston) Celtics 123 Sixers 112
Boston evens the series. Sam Jones goes for 35, John Havlicek for 30. 38 rebounds for Russell. 30 points for Greer in the defeat, Wilt goes 28 and 27.
East Finals Game 5 (Philly) Celtics 132 Sixers 119
Boston dropped the first 2 games of the series but have roared back to take 3 straight and are now a game away from reaching their first NBA Finals in 4 years. John Havlicek with the best game of his playoff career, 34 pts, 10 rebounds. 28 for Sam Jones. 26 rebounds for Russell. 28-21 for Wilt in the loss, 24 for Walker.
East Finals Game 6 (Boston) Celtics 123 Sixers 103
Boston knocks off the defending champs, avenging last year's East Finals loss, and they head back to the NBA Finals. 25 each for Havlicek and Jones, 24 boards for Russell. Wilt is the series MVP despite the loss, 29 pts, 10 rebounds.
West Finals Game 1 (LA) Lakers 149 Hawks 147 (OT)
Hawks led by 11 with 10 to play. West scored the Lakers next 7, but they still trailed by 10 with 7 left. At 5:32 to play, St Louis had a 15 point lead. West scored 6 over the next minute, Lakers still down 9 with 4:30 left. 2 minutes later, West had 7 more points, that's 20 points for Jerry West in 7 and a half 4th quarter minutes. Lakers still down 4. Richie Guerin hits two FT for the Hawks, West matches that. The Hawks miss, Lakers pound it to Leroy Ellis and are down 2 with a minute left. The Hawks miss - Rudy LaRusso scores from the paint - gets fouled - and after the FT the Lakers lead with 34 seconds left. Guerin hits a corner J, Hawks up 1 with 20 seconds left. Baylor misses with 8 seconds left - the Hawks get the rebound - Lakers foul Joe Caldwell, he hits 1 - and at the buzzer - Jerry West hits from just inside midcourt to send the game to OT. In OT, the Hawks led with a minute to play. LaRusso layup cuts it to 1 with 47 seconds left. The Hawks miss, West gets fouled and hits both FT, Lakers up 1 with 30 seconds to play. Hawks miss again, 2 more West Ft, Lakers up 3 with 12 seconds left and thats essentially it. 45 for West to lead the Lakers. Elgin Baylor has 26 points, 18 rebounds. Double/double for LaRusso and Ellis. 32 points, 17 rebounds for Zelmo Beaty in the defeat. 25 for Richie Guerin, 23 for Lenny Wilkens, 24 and 12 boards for Joe Caldwell.
West Finals Game 2 (LA) Lakers 125 Hawks 110
35 more for West, 29 and 18 for Baylor. LeRoy Ellis double/double as the Lakers take the first two at home. 21-16 for Beaty in the loss. 20 for Caldwell.
West Finals Game 3 (St Louis) Hawks 123 Lakers 109
The Hawks win game 3 at home. Lenny Wilkens scores 33 with 10 rebounds to lead the way. 20 rebounds for Bill Bridges. Zelmo Beaty double/double. West goes 22 and 10 in the loss. 21 and 14 for Ellis. Double/double for Baylor.
West Finals Game 4 (St Louis) Lakers 125 Hawks 108
LA takes game 4 and will head home with 3-1 lead, one game away from meeting the Celtics in the Finals. 25 for West. 24 for Walt Hazzard. 18 rebounds for Elgin Baylor who is not the same player he was before that knee injury a year prior. Double/double for Leroy Ellis. 24 and 17 for Beaty in the defeat.
West Finals Game 5 (LA) Lakers 134 Hawks 122
In 1953, the Celtics beat the Lakers. In 1955, the Lakers beat the Celtics. In 1962, the Lakers beat the Celtics. They'll meet again this year as the Los Angeles Lakers win the West. Elgin Baylor has his best game of the playoffs, 28 points, 12 rebounds. 22 for West, he's the series MVP. Bob Boozer goes 24 and 13. Lenny Wilkens has 27 pts and a dozen assists in the loss.
NBA FINALS (April) BOSTON CELTICS v. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
In the real world, the Celtics are in the midst of the most dominant stretch in the history of basketball even up to present day - but here, Boston hasnt won the NBA Title in 5 years. The Celtics are 4 time NBA Champs; including the BAA win, the Lakers are 5 Time Champs. Here comes Celtics/Lakers IV.
CELTICS
HC- Red Auerbach
C Bill Russell (31) 4th MVP, 2nd Team All NBA
PF Satch Sanders (27)
SF John Havlicek (25) 2nd Team All NBA
PG KC Jones (33)
SG Sam Jones (32) 5th MVP, 2nd Team All NBA
LAKERS
HC-Fred Schaus
C LeRoy Ellis (25)
PF Rudy LaRusso (28) All Star
SF Elgin Baylor (31)
PG Jerry West (27) 2nd MVP, 1st Team All NBA
SG Gail Goodrich (22)
NBA Finals Game One (Boston) Lakers 124 Celtics 117
The Lakers take game one in Boston Garden. Jerry West scores 40. This was his 6th NBA season and 5th straight top 5 MVP finish. Double doubles for Elgin Baylor/Leroy Ellis and Gail Goodrich, who has just moved into the starting lineup. In the loss, Sam Jones scored 27, John Havlicek 20, and Bill Russell had 30 rebounds.
NBA Finals Game Two (Boston) Celtics 133 Lakers 107
Boston evens the series as we shift to LA for games 3-4. 28 points for John Havlicek. This is the 4th year of what will be a 16 season Hall of Fame career, all with the Celtics. He was named to his first All Star team this year and he will be named to that team every season the rest of his career. 20 pts and 33 rebounds for Russell. 26 and 12 for Elgin Baylor in the loss. Leroy Ellis double/double.
NBA Finals Game Three (LA) Celtics 131 Lakers 126
The Celtics win in LA and take the series lead. Havlicek again leads the way for Boston, 33 pts and a dozen rebounds. 27 and 10 for Sam Jones. 24 boards for Russell. Its now over a year since Elgin Baylor's knee injury and he goes off. 36 pts, 23 rebounds. Jerry West has 33. It took Baylor this season to recover, it's the only season of his career until the very end that he averaged less than 20 PPG, its the first year of his career that he wasn't 1st Team All NBA.
NBA Finals Game Four (LA) Celtics 114 Lakers 112
So tight in the 4th quarter, the Lakers led by 1 to open the final frame, by 3 with 10 minutes left, after a 3 pt play by Gail Goodrich the lead was 6 with 8 to play. Two minutes later a Havlicek 19 footer had tied the score. A Don Nelson layup against his former squad gave the Celtics their first lead of the quarter with 4 minutes left. A minute later, that Celtic lead is one when Baylor and Russell trade baskets. Bob Boozer ties it with 2:30 left, and at 2 minutes, KC Jones gets a breakaway layup after a midcourt steal and Boston leads by 2. Boozer and KC exchange buckets - and with under a minute to play, Goodrich hits from the top of the key and the score is tied. Both sides miss - with 13 seconds left, Russell misses from the paint, but Sam Jones is there with the follow to give the Celts the lead. Its Goodrich who takes the last shot for the Lakers - an open look from the wing - and he misses. 30 for Sam Jones. 24 and 11 for Havlicek. 27 boards for Russell. A double/double for Satch Sanders. 27 and 10 for West in the loss. 22 for Goodrich. 21 rebounds for Baylor. Lakers up 3-1 and playing game 5 on their home floor.
NBA Finals Game Five (Boston) Lakers 112 Celtics 110
Back to back games decided by a bucket. Tied as the 4th qtr started. Celtics by 1 with 10 to play.
Celtics by 1 with 8 to play. 2 minutes later, after the Lakers had scored 9 straight, LA led by 6. The lead was still 5 with 3:30 to play when Sam Jones hit a midrange turnaround to cut it to 3. After Jones and Goodrich exchanged baskets, Don Nelson scored from the wing and it was a 1 point Laker lead. LaRusso and Goodrich hit a total of 3 FT, and with less than 90 seconds left it was Lakers by 4. Top of the key jumper from KC Jones cuts it to 2. The Lakers miss - and Havlicek hits a 22 footer and the score it tied with 30 seconds to play. West hits a long jumper and is fouled, hits the FT - LA by 3, Sanders quick layup. Goodrich hits 1 FT, and with 7 seconds to play Sam Jones hits an 18 footer to tie the score. The Lakers dont call timeout - Jerry West takes the inbounds, crosses halfcourt, throws up a heave -- and it is good. Jerry West with a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to win game 5 and the Lakers remain in the series. 37 for West. 21 points and 17 boards for Baylor. Double/double for Ellis. 29 and 11 for Sam Jones, 23 and 12 for Havlicek. Double/double for Sanders. 24 rebounds for Russell.
NBA Finals Game Six (LA) Lakers 128 Celtics 117
For the third consecutive year, the NBA Finals will go to game 7. In '64, the Warriors beat the Royals, last year, the Sixers beat the Lakers. The Lakers are back this year, having won games 5 and 6 and we will go back to Boston Garden for Game 7 (as happened in the actual series). 32 points for West, 22 and 18 for Baylor. 21 for Goodrich. Double/Double for LaRusso. Havlicek scores 30 for the Celts. 20 for Sam Jones. 31 rebounds for Russell.
Here we go - Game Seven in Boston.
NBA Finals Game Seven (Boston) Lakers 114 Celtics 113
This was a 2 point Celtics win in the real game - here, it becomes a 1 point Lakers win, the first 1 point game 7 NBA Finals in history. The Los Angeles Lakers are the champions of the world. Lakers led by 3 as the 4th started. 2 minutes later, that lead was 5. 2 minutes later after a KC Jones layup the score was tied. 2 minutes later after a Sam Jones runner in the lane, the Celtics had their first 4th qtr lead, up 2. The Lakers big men, Ellis and Imhoff, score and the Lakers are up 2, 4 minutes to play. That leas is up to 3 with 3 left. Havlicek and Goodrich trade bank shots, and with 2 to play, KC Jones hits a corner J, he's fouled, he converts, and the score is tied. Ellis layup gives LA the lead. 90 seconds left. Baylor hits a FT, Havlicek gets a baseline driving layup, Lakers by 1 with 1 minute left. The Celtics force a turnover, Don Nelson lays it up and in - Boston lead with 30 seconds left. Lakers hold for the last shot. Hold for the last shot. It's a clearout for Elgin Baylor, he pulls up - at the buzzer - Elgin Baylor drops in an 18 footer - pure and perfect - and the Lakers beat the Celtics. A year after a devastating knee injury kept hit from playing in the finals, Elgin Baylor hits a game 7 buzzer beater on the road to win the NBA Championship. Baylor wins the Finals MVP, he had a double/double in this game, but the series winning buzzer beater is why he wins the award and becomes the 4th man to win it twice. Jerry West has a triple double, 20 pts, 10 assists, 10 boards. Rudy LaRusso, with 21 pts, is the high man for LA. Sam Jones has 30 in the loss.
NBA Finals History
1947 (BAA): Philadelphia Warriors d. Chicago Stags (4-1)
1948 (BAA): Baltimore Bullets d. Philadelphia Warriors (4-2)
1949 (BAA): Minneapolis Lakers d. Washington Capitols (4-2)
1950: Minneapolis Lakers d. Syracuse Nationals (4-2)
1951: Rochester Royals d. New York Knicks (4-3)
1952: Rochester Royals d. Syracuse Nationals (4-3) - MVP: Jack Coleman (PF 27 yrs)
1953: Boston Celtics d. Minneapolis Lakers (4-3) - MVP: Bob Cousy (PG, 24)Back
1954: Minneapolis Lakers d. Syracuse Nationals (4-2) - MVP: George Mikan (C, 29)
1955: Minneapolis Lakers d. Boston Celtics (4-3) - MVP: Clyde Lovellette (C, 25)
1956: Philadelphia Warriors d. St Louis Hawks (4-0) - MVP: Neil Johnston (C, 26)
1957: Boston Celtics d. St Louis Hawks (4-2) - MVP Bob Pettit (C, 24)
1958: Boston Celtics d. St Louis Hawks (4-1) - MVP Bob Cousy (PG, 29)
1959: Syracuse Nationals d. Minneapolis Lakers (4-1) - MVP Dolph Schayes (PF, 30)
1950s Playoffs All NBA
1st Team
C George Mikan (Lakers)
F Bob Pettit (Hawks) - Playoff Player of the Decade
F Dolph Schayes (Nationals)
G Bob Cousy (Lakers)
G Bill Sharman (Lakers)
2nd Team
C Bill Russell (Lakers)
F Neil Johnston (Warriors)
F Clyde Lovellette (Lakers)
G Slater Martin (Lakers/Hawks)
G Paul Seymour (Nationals)
1960: St Louis Hawks d. Boston Celtics (4-2) - MVP Bob Pettit (PF, 27)
1961: Boston Celtics d. St Louis Hawks (4-0) - MVP Bill Russell (C, 26)
1962: Los Angeles Lakers d. Boston Celtics (4-2) MVP Elgin Baylor (SF, 27)
1963: Cincinnati Royals d. Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) MVP Oscar Robertson (PG, 24)
1964: San Francisco Warriors d. Cincinnati Royals (4-3) MVP Wilt Chamberlain (C, 27)
1965 Philadelphia 76ers d. Los Angeles Lakers (4-3) MVP Wilt Chamberlain (C, 28)
1966 Los Angeles Lakers d. Boston Celtics (4-3) MVP Elgin Baylor (SF, 31)
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