My Own Take at the NBA's history

pat2007 · January 17, 2014

First of all, I would like to say that I freaking love this game... I can relive history with this... And I've decided to start writing the history of the game at the 1959-60 season. Why's that? Because it was the start of Wilt Chamberlain's stint in the NBA and that it started my favourite part in the NBA (And no, as I'm 25 years old, I never saw Russell, Wilt, Pettit, Mikan, Baylor, etc... But I love that era nonetheless.)

I didn't start the NBA from scratch in the simulator, but it'll be intriguing to see where guys like Robertson, West, Hayes, Kareem, Bird, Magic, MJ will go to. I do plan on posting a couple of posts for each year with the standings, awards and playoffs. Now, I do have other projects + school so I can't promise to post every single day, but do expect that I will at least post once/week.

My next post will have the 1959-60 Standings.

DISCLAIMER: I ain't ripping King's version. I know that he's been having his own thread and that he didn't post in quite some time. But I simply wanted to share how my simulation will go. I'm hoping that you'll love the write-ups I will write.

pat2007 · January 17, 2014

1959-60 NBA Standings

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EASTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia 54 22 ,711 32-6 48-20 48-20

Syracuse 44 32 ,579 26-12 40-28 40-28

Boston 42 34 ,553 25-13 36-32 36-32

New York 15 61 ,197 13-25 12-56 12-56

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WESTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

St. Louis 46 30 ,605 31-7 42-26 42-26

Minneapolis 46 30 ,605 26-12 42-26 42-26

Detroit 37 39 ,487 24-14 35-33 35-33

Cincinnati 20 56 ,263 16-22 17-51 17-51

Coach of the Year: Raleigh Green (Minneapolis)

MVP, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)

6th Man of the Year: Charlie Share (St. Louis)

Most Improved Player: Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis)

We knew how dominant Wilt Chamberlain could be in college... We surely didn't expect him to go for 60.1 PPG in his rookie season!!! He had 42 games with 60 points or more, 15 with 70 or more and 4 of 80 or more, with a season-high 88 points on January 11th against Bill Russell and the Celtics. He led Philadelphia to the best regular season record in the NBA.

In Boston, the GM there surprised the fans by trading both the Jones boys elsewhere. While he traded K.C. to Cincinnati for a no-name, Sam was traded to Atlanta to get Cliff Hagan, who ended up with over 30 PPG.

In the Western Conference, it was a year-long battle between St. Louis and Minneapolis and while both teams ended the season with the same record, St. Louis won the Conference thanks to... I seriously don't know, as they ended up with the same records H2H and in the conference. Probably something about the point differential...

New York and Cincinnati ended with the two worse records in the league, but they'll get either Big O or Jerry West, which should help them tremendously.

Scoring leaders:

Player Pos Team Gms Min Pts

1 Wilt Chamberlain C PHI 76 40,4 60,1

2 Elgin Baylor PF MIN 74 37,4 45,2

3 Jack Twyman SF CIN 72 35,0 34,7

4 Cliff Hagan SF BOS 63 40,7 30,8

5 Bailey Howell SF DET 72 34,0 30,5

6 Gene Shue SG DET 76 40,5 29,9

7 Clyde Lovellette PF STL 76 34,0 28,5

8 Bob Pettit C STL 74 34,8 28,4

9 Tom Heinsohn PF BOS 72 31,4 28,3

10 Dolph Schayes PF SYR 76 35,1 24,7

Rebounding Leaders:

Player Pos Team Gms Min ORb DRb Reb

1 Bill Russell C BOS 61 40,8 6,6 13,2 19,8

2 Wilt Chamberlain C PHI 76 40,4 6,2 9,7 15,9

3 Elgin Baylor PF MIN 74 37,4 5,4 10,1 15,6

4 Johnny Kerr C SYR 76 38,5 5,0 10,4 15,4

5 Walter Dukes C DET 76 33,9 5,0 7,9 12,9

6 Bob Pettit C STL 74 34,8 5,0 7,6 12,6

7 Dolph Schayes PF SYR 76 35,1 3,7 8,2 11,9

8 Johnny Green PF NYK 76 32,1 4,2 7,4 11,6

9 Bailey Howell SF DET 72 34,0 4,1 7,4 11,5

10 Willie Naulls SF NYK 76 35,0 4,1 7,1 11,2

Passing Leaders:

Player Pos Team Gms Min Ast

1 Guy Rodgers PG PHI 54 40,0 13,4

2 Bob Cousy PG BOS 73 39,9 12,9

3 Dick McGuire PG DET 75 36,9 9,3

4 Richie Guerin PG NYK 72 39,3 8,8

5 Larry Costello PG SYR 76 38,1 8,6

Steals Leaders:

Player Pos Tm Gms Stl

1 Larry Costello PG SYR 76 3,1

2 Bill Sharman SG BOS 69 2,8

3 Bob Leonard SG MIN 76 2,7

4 Guy Rodgers PG PHI 54 2,7

5 Dick McGuire PG DET 75 2,5

6 Cliff Hagan SF BOS 63 2,5

Blocks Leaders:

Player Pos Tm Gms Stl

1 Wilt Chamberlain C PHI 76 4,2

2 Bill Russell C BOS 61 3,6

3 Charlie Share C STL 76 2,9

4 Johnny Kerr C SYR 76 1,6

5 Dolph Schayes PF SYR 76 1,4

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The Playoffs will be on the next post. I'll try to have it done by the end of the night.

pat2007 · January 17, 2014

In the First round, both Detroit and Boston beat the better seeded opponents, Detroit in three straight against Elgin Baylor's Lakers while Boston went to a Game 5 to defeat Syracuse 3-2.

In the Conference Finals, Detroit had to face the St. Louis Hawks while Bill Russell and his Celtics had to face the reigning MVP, Wilt Chamberlain and the Warriors.

Both series would go to a decisive seventh game. In the East, Wilt would score a game-high 53 points while Guy Rodgers would dish 23 assists, leading the Warriors past the Celtics 127-112. In the West, Detroit would cause the upset with a 112-98 victory in St. Louis. Bailey Howell would out-duel Bob Pettit with 37 points and 19 rebounds (To Pettit 29 and 15)

1959-60 NBA Final: Detroit Pistons vs Philadelphia Warriors

Detroit had caused two upsets in a row, but could they even stand a chance against Wilt Chamberlain?

Game 1:

1 2 3 4 T

DET 27 22 22 21 92

PHI 35 34 42 25 136

Chamberlain made sure to remind everyone of why he was the MVP this year. 49 points, 23 rebounds and 5 blocked shots led the Warriors easily past the Pistons to take a 1-0 lead. Bailey Howell scored a team-high 26 points, but he only made 9 of his 29 field goal attempts. It was the case for the entire team though, as they shot 35.2% from the field (56.2% for the Warriors).

Game 2:

1 2 3 4 T

DET 26 30 28 26 110

PHI 48 41 37 27 153

If Game 1 was outstanding for Wilt and the Warriors, this was even better... Chamberlain scored an astonishing 80 points while making 31 of the 41 field goal attempts he tried. Detroit only made 35.1% of their FG attempts and committed 41 team fouls which led to 58 free throw attempts for the Warriors. Could Detroit at least win a game?

Game 3:

1 2 3 4 T

PHI 34 43 50 36 163

DET 44 33 30 38 145

Detroit took a ten-point lead in the first quarter but after that... Howell played his best game of the Finals, scoring 43 and grabbing 12 rebounds... Only to see Wilt score 58 and Woody Sauldsberry adding 30 points and 18 rebounds. Both teams went to the free throw line a lot (63 for the Warriors, 57 for the Pistons) and it made it an high-scoring game, yet it lacked some rhythm. Wilt was one game away from winning his first NBA Title...

Game 4:

1 2 3 4 T

PHI 41 40 40 25 146

DET 30 28 23 34 115

Wilt easily made sure to win another MVP with a 57-point, 20-rebound performance. But he got some help from the supporting cast, as Paul Arizin had 36 points. Detroit couldn't count on Bailey Howell, though, as he only scored 14 points in 15 minutes, battling foul trouble. Detroit couldn't get over 40% shooting and that was one of their main issues all series long.

Winner: Philadelphia Warriors (4-0)

Finals MVP: Wilt Chamberlain

In the 1960 Draft, the Knicks talked first and decided to go for Oscar Robertson, from the University of Cincinnati. The Royals would have loved to get Big O, as he would have played in the same area than in College. They had a good backup plan, though, as they picked Jerry West, from West Virginia University. Thanks to a trade, Detroit would gain the third pick and they would take Bob Boozer from KSU. The rest of the draft were without any huge picks being taken.

--------------------

Well, Wilt didn't have to wait long for his first NBA title. If I have some time tomorrow, I'll be able to deal the 1960-61 season, which promises to be exciting...

pat2007 · January 17, 2014

1960-61 NBA Standings

EASTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Boston 64 16 ,800 35-5 57-15 57-15

Philadelphia 45 35 ,563 28-12 39-33 39-33

Syracuse 39 41 ,488 24-16 32-40 32-40

New York 19 61 ,238 15-25 16-56 16-56

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WESTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Detroit 48 32 ,600 27-13 45-27 45-27

Los Angeles (LAL) 37 43 ,463 22-18 35-37 35-37

St. Louis 36 44 ,450 22-18 34-38 34-38

Cincinnati 32 48 ,400 19-21 30-42 30-42

Coach of the Year: Glen Perez (Boston)

MVP: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)

Rookie of the Year: Oscar Robertson (New York)

Defensive Player of the Year: Bill Russell (Boston)

6th Man of the Year: Ken Sears (New York)

Most Improved Player of the Year: Bob Ferry (St. Louis)

------------------------

I'll have the season recap and the playoffs on my next post, probably later today.

pat2007 · January 17, 2014

Boston dominated the headlines all year long and won an NBA-record 64 games this year. That was despite the injuries that plagued Cliff Hagan (47 GP). Frank Ramsey became a very solid replacement for Hagan (21.2 PPG) and Tom Heinsohn (29.8 PPG) took care of most of the offensive load. But make no mistake about it, the team's strength was all about defense as they allowed a league-low 110.7 PPG, mostly thanks to a very solid year from Bill Russell (20.6 RPG and 4.7 BPG)

Wilt Chamberlain (47.5 PPG/14.4 RPG/4.8 BPG saw his numbers dip but then again... After such a remarkable rookie season, how could it have gone better for the Big Dipper... The Warriors saw their record go down from last year mostly thanks to the weird signing of C Walter Dukes to play alongside Chamberlain and the trade that saw Guy Rodgers, their star point guard, go to St. Louis as they would get Sam Jones. Arizin saw his numbers drop too and the resurgence of Russell's Celtics got them to the 2nd seed in the Conference. Syracuse barely ended with a record under .500 despite the good team on paper they had going in (Schayes, Yardley, Barnett, Kerr) while New York ended with their second straight last-place finish, despite the solid rookie season from Oscar Robertson (26.6 PPG/8.9 RPG/8.4 APG). They will probably pick Walt Bellamy with the number one pick this year.

In the West, Detroit ended up with the only positive record, mostly thanks to another solid year from their stars (Howell and Shue) while getting solid contributions from a former Knicks (Guerin) and their rookie power forward (Boozer). While Pettit (38.3 PPG and 15.2 RPG) and Baylor (41.3 PPG and 14.0 RPG) had tremendous years for St. Louis and Los Angeles (The former Minneapolis), they both ended with under .500 seasons. Like Cincinnati, who won twelve more games than last season, and that despite the fact that Jerry West only played 49 games due to a string of injuries (A broken foot would cost him almost two months of league play).

Player Pos Tm Gms Min Pts

1 Wilt Chamberlain PF PHI 73 40,6 47,5

2 Elgin Baylor PF LAL 63 35,9 41,3

3 Bob Pettit PF STL 77 37,8 38,3

4 Jack Twyman SF CIN 71 34,0 32,6

5 Tom Heinsohn PF BOS 80 30,5 29,8

6 Bailey Howell SF DET 80 33,8 28,3

7 Oscar Robertson PG NYK 65 41,3 26,6

8 Gene Shue SG DET 78 37,8 25,7

9 Clyde Lovellette C LAL 80 32,4 24,4

10 Richie Guerin PG DET 76 40,0 23,8

Player Pos Team Gms Min ORb DRb Reb

1 Bill Russell C BOS 80 41,1 7,0 13,6 20,6

2 Johnny Kerr C SYR 73 37,9 5,0 11,8 16,8

3 Bob Pettit PF STL 77 37,8 5,7 9,5 15,2

4 W.Chamberlain PF PHI 73 40,6 5,4 9,0 14,4

5 Elgin Baylor PF LAL 63 35,9 4,9 9,1 14,0

6 Bailey Howell SF DET 80 33,8 4,2 8,1 12,3

7 Bob Boozer PF DET 76 35,6 3,7 7,9 11,6

8 Dolph Schayes PF SYR 76 34,4 3,5 7,4 10,9

9 Wayne Embry C CIN 62 31,6 3,5 7,4 10,9

10 Johnny Green SF NYK 80 33,6 3,9 7,0 10,9

Player Pos Team Gms Min Ast

1 Guy Rodgers PG STL 56 37,3 11,6

2 Bob Cousy PG BOS 80 37,4 10,3

3 Richie Guerin PG DET 76 40,0 8,6

4 Oscar Robertson PG NYK 65 41,3 8,4

5 Jerry West SG CIN 49 41,8 8,4

Player Pos Team Gms Min Stl

1 Bill Sharman SG PHI 75 36,7 2,8

2 Arlen Bockhorn PG CIN 73 37,6 2,7

3 Bob Leonard SF BOS 78 26,1 2,5

4 Al Ferrari SG STL 73 37,3 2,5

5 Guy Rodgers PG STL 56 37,3 2,5

Player Pos Team Gms Blk

1 W.Chamberlain PF PHI 73 4,8

2 Bill Russell C BOS 80 4,7

3 Charlie Share C STL 80 3,8

4 Dolph Schayes PF SYR 76 1,6

5 Harvey Halbrook C LAL 69 1,4

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I'll write the Playoffs and NBA Final on my next post, which I do hope to post on the weekend. Busy with work, school and other stuff.

thebest2427 · January 18, 2014

The freaking scores & PPG… but can't wait for NOLA to come into play!! Geaux Jazz… er, Hornets… uh, Pelicans? <img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

pat2007 · January 18, 2014

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="thebest2427" data-cite="thebest2427" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37445" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The freaking scores & PPG… but can't wait for NOLA to come into play!! Geaux Jazz… er, Hornets… uh, Pelicans? <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> Oh, I know. When I simmed the full history in another league file, Chamberlain still scored over his record 50 PPG and three seasons, but he never got to 60 PPG. It's mainly the case when you have guys who are used to shot a lot. Best example being Adrian Dantley. He's always scored over his usual averages in all the sims I've did. And in the 1960s, the pace was very very high. I'll probably post the playoffs of the 1960-61 season in the next hour.

pat2007 · January 18, 2014

Playoffs:

Unlike last season, there were no surprises in the first round, as Los Angeles and Philadelphia moved on the semi-finals, where the Pistons and Celtics were awaiting them.

In the West Final, Detroit won Game 1, yet suffered three straight losses before scoring 165 points in Game 5 at home. But in Game 6, even though Bailey Howell returned from a Sprained Knee that kept him out for several games, Elgin Baylor took the game over, being an assist shy of a triple-double while scoring a game-high 54 points!

While that happened, the hopes of a great clash between Russell and Wilt were tremendous, even though the Celtics won 19 more games than the Warriors... What we had was unexpected. The Warriors made the move to have Wilt play at the Power Forward spot with Walter Dukes taking the Center spot. During the series, Wilt went off for games of 49, 61, 53 and 34 points as Wilt easily got the better hand on Russell in four straight games. A disappointment in Boston...

1961 NBA Final: Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia Warriors

For Baylor and his group, it was their first chance at getting a Title. For Wilt and the Warriors, the chance to repeat. The two greatest scorers the league had were about to collide in an highly-anticipated Finals.

Game 1: Lakers 100, Warriors 132 (1-0 Philadelphia)

Like last season, the team facing the Warriors ended up shooting under 40% from the field. Baylor only had 22 points while Wilt scored a game-high 41 points while grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking eight Lakers shots.

Game 2: Lakers 118, Warriors 127 (2-0 Philadelphia)

Both teams were tied halfway in the 4th, 110-110, but the Warriors ended the game on a 17-8 run to achieve what they initially wanted, take a 2-0 lead to L.A. Baylor had a better game (34 points and 20 rebounds) but it wasn't near enough to stop Wilt, who scored 60 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Game 3: Warriors 119, Lakers 132 (2-1 Philadelphia)

After six straight Finals wins, finally the Warriors lost one. They can easily blame the fact that they shot 41.7% from the field or 63.9% of their free throws. Baylor also out-dueled Wilt (47 to 41) while the supporting cast of the Lakers, led by Rudy LaRusso and Clyde Lovellette, out-played the supporting cast of Wilt.

Game 4: Warriors 121, Lakers 90 (3-1 Philadelphia)

Well, you cannot win a game if your team shots under 30% from the field!!! Warriors only led 57-49 at halftime only to see the Lakers crumble under the high number of missed shots. Wilt scored a game-high 46 points to lead the Warriors to one win away from a second straight NBA Title.

Game 5: Warriors 105, Lakers 114 (3-2 Philadelphia)

64 to 39... That was the difference between the number of FTA the Lakers had to what the Warriors had in this one. Wilt scored a game-high 55 points but was 11/24 from the free throw line. Baylor scored 41 while Rudy LaRusso scored 32 for the Lakers, who now go to Philadelphia with the mission of beating the Warriors in two straight games.

Game 6: Lakers 129, Warriors 142 (Philadelphia wins 4-2)

The Warriors shot way better from the free throw line (77.3%) and Wilt scored a game-high 71 points while making 15 of his 21 free throw attempts. For the Lakers, only the trio of Baylor, Lovellette and LaRusso scored in double-digits. For the Warriors, it's a second straight NBA Title!

Finals MVP: Wilt Chamberlain

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Will this be the dynasty to replace Russell's Celtics? We'll see when the 1961-62 season will unfold. I will do my best to post it during the weekend. Keep the comments going. I will try to answer them all if I can.

thebest2427 · January 18, 2014

I hope Charlotte drafts Kobe like irl, but doesn't trade him. Charlotte never really helped us w/ that, even though we got CPTraitor. But when is the next team/teams going to be introduced & when do we get the Jazz(who have strangely never been renamed, even though Utah doesn't have Jazz)?

pat2007 · January 18, 2014

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="thebest2427" data-cite="thebest2427" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37445" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I hope Charlotte drafts Kobe like irl, but doesn't trade him. Charlotte never really helped us w/ that, even though we got CPTraitor. But when is the next team/teams going to be introduced & when do we get the Jazz(who have strangely never been renamed, even though Utah doesn't have Jazz)?</div></blockquote> We'll see the Jazz in the 1974-75 season. The New Orleans Jazz, that is. As for the next set of franchises, we're getting the Chicago Packers (Which will become the Washington franchise) in the upcoming season. And from 1966 to 1968, we're getting Seattle, Chcago, San Diego (The franchise that would relocate to Houston), Milwaukee and Phoenix.

pat2007 · January 21, 2014

1961-62 NBA Standings

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EASTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Syracuse 43 37 ,538 30-10 38-32 38-32

Boston 41 39 ,513 26-14 37-33 37-33

New York 38 42 ,475 25-15 35-35 35-35

Philadelphia 31 49 ,388 21-19 30-40 30-40

----------------------------------------------------

WESTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

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Los Angeles (LAL) 59 21 ,738 33-7 51-21 51-21

Cincinnati 55 25 ,688 31-9 49-23 49-23

Detroit 45 35 ,563 25-15 38-34 38-34

St. Louis 39 41 ,488 25-15 36-36 36-36

Chicago 9 71 ,113 8-32 6-66 6-66

Awards:

GM of the Year: Stanton Payne Los Angeles

Coach of the Year: Raleigh Green Los Angeles

Most Valuable Player: PF Elgin Baylor Los Angeles (LAL)

Rookie of the Year: C Walt Bellamy Cincinnati

Defender of the Year: C Bill Russell Boston

6th Man of the Year: PF Phil Jordon Cincinnati

Most Improved Player: PG Oscar Robertson New York

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Will post the season review and the stats leaders when I can.

pat2007 · January 24, 2014

Syracuse saw an opportunity arise thanks to the injuries of Hagan (19 games missed) and Russell (14 games missed) in Boston and the injury to Wilt (23 games missed) in Philadelphia to win the Eastern Conference with a 43-37 record. Their mantra was Defense as they had three of their players on the all-D 2nd team (Kerr, Schayes and Costello). Oscar Robertson was .2 rebounds away from averaging a triple-double and he helped the Knicks finish third and obtain a playoff spot.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers and Royals dominated with the two best records in the NBA. In L.A., Elgin Baylor continued his torrid career (41.2 PPG/13.7 RPG/4.6 APG) while in Cincinnati, their trio of stars (West/Twyman/Bellamy) contributed to the second place finish. Chicago won a NBA-record 9 games, which obviously was the worst record this year.

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I simmed the season too far so I won't have the stats leaders I'm afraid. I will post the playoffs though in my next post.

pat2007 · January 24, 2014

In the 1st round, New York nearly defeated the Celtics, leading 2-0 after leaving Boston, only to see the Celtics respond by winning the last three and going to the semi-finals against Syracuse. In the West, Cincinnati and Detroit battled it out all the way to a Game 5, where the Royals destroyed the Pistons 153-101 to punch their ticket to go to Los Angeles, where the Lakers were awaiting them.

In the East Final, the Celtics were finally free of their injuries and they showed how good they are by dismantling the Nationals in four straight games, all by double-digit margin. In the West, Cincinnati won Game 1 but couldn't stop Baylor and the Lakers, who reeled off four straight wins to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. The first ever encounter between the Lakers and Celtics!

1962 NBA FINAL: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

Game 1: Boston 107, Los Angeles 111 (LAL 1-0)

The Lakers led 33-20 after the first quarter and simply kept the lead despite a furious charge from the Celtics at the end to win Game 1. Of course, it was all about Baylor, who scored 52 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.

Game 2: Boston 124, Los Angeles 111 (1-1)

Baylor ended up fouling out after only scoring 25 points in 23 minutes and Cliff Hagan answered the call for Boston, scoring 47 points on 32 FGA and 11 FTA, leading the Celtics to a tied series going to Boston Garden. Also, Bill Russell had a triple-double (11 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks) in the win.

Game 3: Los Angeles 127, Boston 149 (Bos 2-1)

Celtics would shoot 55.7% from the field and as Hagan and Baylor fought back-and-forth in the scoring department (48-44 in favor of Baylor), the Celtics supporting cast was outstanding as both Bill Russell (28 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks) and Tom Heinsohn (32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) got triple-doubles, the first time it ever happened in an NBA Finals game.

Game 4: Los Angeles 110, Boston 124 (Bos 3-1)

Bill Russell would get his third straight triple-double (18 points, 20 rebounds and 12 blocks) and the Celtics scored 50 points in the second quarter to pull away from the Lakers and be one game away from their 3rd NBA title (They won it in 1956-57 and 1958-59).

Game 5: Los Angeles 114, Boston 117 (Boston Wins 4-1)

Bill Russell would easily gain his Finals MVP title with his fourth straight triple-double (12 points, 18 rebounds and 13 blocks) as the Celtics survived a final Lakers onslaught to win their third NBA Title. For Baylor, he would need to wait one more year before grabbing that elusive title.

-----------------------------

I'll try to post the 1962-63 season during the weekend.

JKW47 · January 30, 2014

I'm really enjoying this thread! Please keep updating us if you can!

pat2007 · January 30, 2014

I'll be updating it during the weekend as I'm busy with school and other projects.

pat2007 · February 1, 2014

1962-63 NBA Standings

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EASTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Boston 53 27 ,663 31-9 46-24 46-24

New York 45 35 ,563 23-17 37-33 37-33

Cincinnati 40 40 ,500 26-14 32-38 32-38

Syracuse 31 49 ,388 23-17 25-45 25-45

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WESTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

San Francisco 53 27 ,663 33-7 48-24 48-24

St. Louis 51 29 ,638 30-10 49-23 49-23

Los Angeles (LAL) 41 39 ,513 23-17 40-32 40-32

Detroit 35 45 ,438 28-12 33-39 33-39

Chicago 11 69 ,138 9-31 10-62 10-62

1962-63 NBA Season Summary Awards

GM of the Year: Spencer Brown (Boston)

Coach of the Year: Glen Perez Boston

Most Valuable Player: C Wilt Chamberlain San Francisco

Rookie of the Year: SF Terry Dischinger Chicago

Defender of the Year: C Bill Russell Boston

6th Man of the Year: C Clyde Lovellette Los Angeles (LAL)

Most Improved Player: SG Dick Barnett Syracuse

pat2007 · February 1, 2014

Season review:

Boston had the best record in the East yet again. On offense, the duo of Cliff Hagan and Tom Heinsohn scored almost 64 points/game while Bill Russell won yet another DPOY award while averaging a career-high in assists/game (4.7).

Oscar Robertson's stellar play (25.7/9.0/8.7) led the Knicks to second place in the division while the diverse offense of the Royals allowed them to take the final spot in the East.

In the West, Wilt Chamberlain made his claim for the MVP by having another outstanding season (45.2 PPG, 12.0 RPG and 5.2 BPG while shooting a career-high 57.7% from the field) and he led San Francisco to the best record in the conference.

Bob Pettit and the Hawks gave the Warriors a great battle for the number one seed but their 7-11 record against them stopped their chances to get the 1st seed. Baylor saw his numbers slightly drop and the Lakers would barely get their chance at the number three seed.

Playoffs:

St. Louis easily dominated the Lakers in three straight games while New York had to survive an injury to Oscar Robertson and a pesky Cincinnati club to win in five.

The Warriors and Celtics easily won the semi-finals, in 5 for San Francisco and a sweep for Boston.

So, we had Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain for the first time in the NBA Finals. Could the Celtics win a second straight title or will Wilt win his third NBA title?

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I'll post the NBA Finals result on Sunday night before or at halftime of the Super Bowl.

pat2007 · February 9, 2014

1963-64 NBA Final: Boston Celtics vs San Francisco Warriors

San Francisco won Game 1 at home 137-108 thanks to Chamberlain's 63 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 8 blocked shots. The team shot 59% from the field against what has been the best D in the NBA. The script was switched in Game 2, as the Hagan/Russell duo would have together 61 points and 38 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a series tie with a 114-100 win.

Back in California, the Warriors forced their opponents to shoot 34% from the field as they took Game 3 107-90. The Warriors would continue their home dominance, winning Game 5 116-114. Although the score looked close, San Francisco led all the way, mostly thanks to the high amount of free throw attempts they had (41 to the Celtics' 22).

Game 5 was a classic as we had our first ever NBA Final OT game. Boston would survive elimination with a 126-123 win. Wilt scored a game-high 60 points (also had a triple double, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks), but Tom Heinsohn scored 58 to counter his offensive output. Celtics got 69 rebounds, 25 would be offensive ones.

Down by 3 in Game 6, the Warriors were 12 minutes away from allowing a Game 7. It all changed after a 25-14 4th quarter that gave the Warriors a 106-98 win and a third NBA Title in four years. Same thing for Wilt, who won his third Finals MVP award. During the playoffs, Wilt scored 48.3 PPG, grabbed 12.4 RPG and blocked 5.2 blocks/game.

NBA Draft/Free Agency

For the notable players, Nate Thurmond went to Baltimore as the number one overall pick. He'll join Sam Jones and Terry Dischinger as the stars for the Bullets. At 3rd, the Detroit Pistons selected Jerry Lucas and he'll form a strong frontcourt with Bob Boozer.

Nothing much was done in the free agency department, as the main guys (LaRusso with the Lakers and Wilt with the Warriors) stayed loyal.

pat2007 · February 12, 2014

1963-64 NBA Standings

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EASTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Cincinnati 54 26 ,675 34-6 46-24 46-24

New York 43 37 ,538 28-12 37-33 37-33

Boston 43 37 ,538 31-9 37-33 37-33

Philadelphia 25 55 ,313 21-19 20-50 20-50

----------------------------------------------------

WESTERN W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

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Detroit 53 27 ,663 27-13 48-24 48-24

Los Angeles (LAL) 51 29 ,638 33-7 46-26 46-26

San Francisco 41 39 ,513 26-14 38-34 38-34

St. Louis 31 49 ,388 23-17 30-42 30-42

Baltimore 19 61 ,238 15-25 18-54 18-54

Stats leaders:

PPG: Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors) 42.4

RPG: Bill Russell (Celtics) 18.2

APG: Guy Rodgers (Hawks) 12.6

SPG: Howie Carl (Warriors) 3.4

BPG: Bill Russell (Celtics) 6.5

FG% Wilt Chamberlain (Warriors) 57.3%

FT% Bill Sharman (Warriors) 91.1%

Award Winners:

GM of the Year: Rudolf Carter Detroit

Coach of the Year: Jakub Petras Detroit

Most Valuable Player: C Wilt Chamberlain San Francisco

Rookie of the Year: C Jerry Lucas Detroit

Defender of the Year: C Bill Russell Boston

6th Man of the Year: PF Darrall Imhoff Boston

Most Improved Player: PF Zelmo Beaty San Francisco

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My Own Take at the NBA's history

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