The 1962 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1962 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1961–62 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers and Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. This was the Celtics' sixth straight trip to the Finals, and they won the best-of-seven series in Game 7, 110–107 in overtime. It was the second time in NBA history and the most recent Finals in which the series was decided by overtime in Game 7. The only other Finals series decided in overtime in the seventh game was the 1957 Finals.
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| Dates | April 7–18 | |||||||||
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| Hall of Famers | Celtics: Carl Braun (2019) Bob Cousy (1971) Tom Heinsohn (1986 as player, 2015 as coach) K. C. Jones (1989) Sam Jones (1984) Frank Ramsey (1982) Bill Russell (1975) Lakers: Elgin Baylor (1977) Jerry West (1980) Coaches: Red Auerbach (1969) Officials: Mendy Rudolph (2007) Earl Strom (1995) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Celtics defeated Warriors, 4–3 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Lakers defeated Pistons, 4–2 | |||||||||
Series summary
edit| Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 7 | Boston Celtics | 122–108 (1–0) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 2 | April 8 | Boston Celtics | 122–129 (1–1) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 3 | April 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 117–115 (2–1) | Boston Celtics |
| Game 4 | April 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 103–115 (2–2) | Boston Celtics |
| Game 5 | April 14 | Boston Celtics | 121–126 (2–3) | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Game 6 | April 16 | Los Angeles Lakers | 105–119 (3–3) | Boston Celtics |
| Game 7 | April 18 | Boston Celtics | 110–107 (OT)[1] (4–3) | Los Angeles Lakers |
Celtics win series 4–3
Team rosters
editBoston Celtics
editLos Angeles Lakers
editRecords
editDuring the series, Lakers forward Elgin Baylor scored a Finals record 61 points in Game 5 and 284 points total in the series. Celtics center Bill Russell set a still-standing record for rebounds in a 7-game series with 189, and tied his own record for rebounds in a single game with 40 in Game 7.[2]
The potential championship-winner bounces off the rim
editIn the last 5 seconds of regulation in Game 7, Los Angeles’ Frank Selvy missed an open 12-footer from the baseline that would have won the championship for the Lakers and ended the Celtics dynasty.[3] Instead, the game went into overtime in which the Celtics won the game and thus the title. For the Lakers, it would start the pattern of not winning the big games in the NBA Finals, something that lasted until 1972 when the Lakers finally won their first title in Los Angeles. The Lakers would not defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals until 1985, where they clinched the title at Boston Garden; the Lakers would lose to the Celtics in the Finals in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984 and 2008. After the 1985 Finals, the Lakers would beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals again in 1987 and 2010, both times in Los Angeles.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 18, 1962". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. pp. 413–414, 416. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
- ^ "1962 NBA Finals. Frank Selvy's Shot". Youtube. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
- Other sources
- "1961-62 NBA Season Summary", basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
External links
edit- Sports Illustrated (April 30, 1962) Too Much To Beat This Year
- 1962 Finals at NBA.com
- 1962 NBA Playoffs at Basketball-Reference.com