The decade of the 1960s in the NBA belonged to the Boston Celtics. In every year of the decade besides 1967, the Celtics hoisted up the NBA championship trophy and had become a team of legend and legends led by center Bill Russell.
Along with Russell, the likes of John Havlicek, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones, and Sam Jones carried on the tradition of Celtic basketball excellence that became almost a way of life.
The head of their almost mythic dynasty in sports was the coach and general manager Red Auerbach who became head coach in 1950 and by 1969 had moved to the front office and installed Russell as player-coach.
In announcing that Russell was going to take over as coach just before the 1966-67 season, Auerbach stated that “no one could motivate (Bill) Russell better than Russell.”
After losing in the Eastern Conference finals to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics reclaimed the NBA championship in 1968.
1969 Boston Celtics
Yet by 1969, the Celtics were an aging team dealing with a myriad of injuries and inconsistent play during that season.
To complicate matters, Russell had announced that this was going to be his final season with the Celtics. While Boston was rolling up titles in the decade, their most frequent foil in the NBA finals was the Los Angeles Lakers led by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
The Celtics and Lakers had by 1969, been the most consistent winners in a league that had only been around for a little over 20 years.
Even though the Lakers had won five NBA titles while based in Minneapolis, they had never won a title since moving to Los Angeles in 1960.
After losing to the Celtics for the sixth time in the NBA Finals in 1968, Los Angeles would orchestrate a trade that would send shockwaves throughout the world of sports.
On July 9, 1968, the Philadelphia 76ers traded superstar center Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers in exchange for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers plus cash considerations.
1969 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers would now feature basketball’s “Original Big Three”.
Forget LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade in Miami or Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant in the Bay Area, the combination of West, Chamberlain, and Baylor made up the top three playoff scorers of all time. The Lakers had a decade-long score to settle with the Celtics and this move signaled that Los Angeles was all in.
The Lakers finished that season with the NBA’s best record at 55-27 while the Celtics limped into the postseason with their worst record of the decade, 48-34.
The Celtics were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and after beating the Philadelphia 76ers in five games, Boston returned to the finals beating the up-and-coming New York Knicks in six games. Meanwhile, the Lakers, the top seed in the Western Conference had an easier time reaching the finals again.
In the Western semifinals, the Lakers defeated Rick Barry and the San Francisco Warriors in six games and then eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in five to earn a berth in the NBA Finals.
The oddsmakers gave the Celtics little chance to defeat what was called the most powerful Laker team ever constructed.
1969 NBA Championship Series Begins
In game one at the Forum, the Las Vegas oddsmakers may have been on to something as the Lakers behind Jerry West’s 53 points, edged the Celtics, 120-118. Havlicek led the Boston with 37 in the loss.
The Celtics looked to rebound after the loss to the Lakers to even the series heading back to Boston. The Celtics had a two-point halftime lead yet the Lakers behind the scoring of West and Baylor and the rebounding of Chamberlain, claimed game two, 118-112. West’s torrid shooting continued in the second game of the series with 41 points while Baylor had 32.
Havlicek had another stellar game offensively with 43 points, yet his Celtics were behind 2-0 in the series heading back to Boston.
Back in front of their home fans, the Celtics climbed back in the series with a 111-105 victory in game three. Playing 48 minutes in game three, Havlicek paced the Celtics with 34 points while Larry Siegfried finished with 28.
West was held to 24 points. Chamberlain had been a forgotten man in the series so far, yet his 16 points and 26 rebounds were not enough.
So far the NBA finals featured close games and incredible offensive performances yet the most exciting finish in the series would take place in game 4.
The Celtics were trying to avoid going down 3-1 to the Lakers heading back to Los Angeles for game 5. Unlike the previous three games, Game Four was a defensive struggle with a total of 50 turnovers and low shooting percentages. However, the game is remembered for having the most thrilling finish in the series.
With seven seconds remaining and the Lakers holding a one-point lead, Boston had one last chance. Celtic guard Sam Jones lofted a shot over the outstretched hands of Chamberlain just beyond the free-throw line. The ball bounced off the back rim and dropped through as the buzzer sounded.
The series was now tied at 2-2 heading back to Los Angeles and the momentum of the series now wearing Celtic green. Yet the momentum didn’t last long for the Celtics.
Back in Inglewood, the Lakers were paced once again by West.
His 39 points were more than enough as the Lakers regained the series lead 117-104 bringing them one win away from their first title since relocating to southern California.
Back in Boston for Game 6, the Lakers would love nothing more than to beat the Celtics on their home floor for the NBA title. Yet the Celtics had other ideas. The Celtics started strong in the first half, holding a 55-39 advantage at halftime.
1969 NBA Championships (Game 7)
The Celtics would deny the Lakers in game six despite 26 points each by West and Baylor, forcing a Game 7 in Los Angeles with a 99-90 Boston victory. When the teams arrived in Los Angeles for Game 7, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke inadvertently gave the Celtics extra motivation.
In anticipation of a Lakers win, Cooke order thousands of balloons with “World Champion Lakers” printed on them and suspended from the rafters of the Forum.
Flyers were placed in every seat stating, “When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the rafters, the USC marching band will play “Happy Days Are Here Again” and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain.”
Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo about the Lakers’ celebration plans. When Jerry West went to the court for a pre-game shoot around and saw the balloons, he became furious with Cooke.
The Lakers, feeling the pressure of winning and the pronouncement by Cooke, shot poorly in the first half, leading to a 24-12 first-quarter lead. Yet the Lakers got back into the game and cut the Celtic lead to 59-56 at intermission.
Led by Don Nelson, the Celtics regained the momentum in the third quarter and extended their lead to 91-76 heading into the final quarter. In the fourth, the Lakers began to rally. With a little over five minutes to play and the Celtics holding a 103-94 lead, Chamberlain landed awkwardly on a rebound and hobbled to the bench with an injured knee.
His replacement Mel Counts led the Lakers to within one point of the Celtics, 103-102 with two minutes remaining.
Chamberlain then informed Lakers coach Butch van Breda Koff that he was ready to return to the game yet infamously told his superstar center, “We are doing fine without you.”. Chamberlain never returned to the game.
With 1:33 remaining in regulation, Nelson who finished with 16 points connected on one of the most memorable shots of the Celtic dynasty. Up against the shot clock, Nelson got the ball after it was knocked loose from Havlicek by Keith Erickson. Nelson put up a desperation shot from 18 feet away. The ball hit off the back rim, bounced high in the air, and fell straight through the rim giving the Celtics a 105-102 lead.
In the final frantic minutes of the game, the Lakers committed costly turnovers and trailed by four.
After a final meaningless shot, in the end, gave the game and the series to the Celtics, upsetting the powerful Lakers 108-106, making them the first team ever to win a Game Seven in the NBA Finals on the road
The Celtics were once again World Champions while the Lakers had to contend themselves with waiting another year for that elusive championship. Despite the loss, West was named series MVP, the first time this award had even been given. It is also the only time it has been given to a member of a losing team.
The Celtics dynasty of the 1960s came to an end with another championship as their captain Bill Russell ended his playing career. All told the Celtics had claimed their 11th NBA title with a team that had their worst regular-season record during the Russell era. The rebuild didn’t take long for the Celtics as they would win another title in 1974 and again in 1976.
Meanwhile, the Lakers would go back to the finals in 1970 but would lose to the New York Knicks and Willis Reed in a memorable seven-game series. West and Chamberlain would finally win a title in 1973 but would do it without Elgin Baylor as he retired in 1972.
Of all the Celtic titles, the 1969 team has a special place in the history of the organization as well as long-time Boston fans. It was the team that against all odds went off into the sunset not only with another championship banner but with a type of grittiness and toughness that made them a team for the ages.
Author - Dana Auguster
Dana Auguster is a member of the Sports History Network and the host of Historically Speaking Sports, a podcast celebrating “the history of sports, one week at a time.”
