1968 NBA playoffs

The 1968 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 1967–68 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

1968 NBA playoffs
DatesMarch 22–May 2, 1968
Season1967–68
Teams8
ChampionsBoston Celtics (10th title)
Runners-upLos Angeles Lakers (11th finals appearance)
Semifinalists

The Celtics won their 10th NBA title, their first under player-coach Bill Russell after Red Auerbach's retirement.

In the Eastern Division Finals, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3–1 series deficit to win, as they knocked off the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. In the West, the Lakers swept the San Francisco Warriors in four games.

It was the first time since 1954 that the top team in a division failed to make the Division Finals; from 1955 to 1966, the league gave the regular-season division champion a first-round bye. This year also marked a change in that the Division Semifinals were changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven.

Bracket

Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals
         
E1 Philadelphia* 4
E3 New York 2
E1 Philadelphia* 3
Eastern Division
E2 Boston 4
E4 Detroit 2
E2 Boston 4
E2 Boston 4
W2 Los Angeles 2
W1 St. Louis* 2
W3 San Francisco 4
W3 San Francisco 0
Western Division
W2 Los Angeles 4
W4 Chicago 1
W2 Los Angeles 4
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Division Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) New York Knicks

March 22
New York Knicks 110, Philadelphia 76ers 118
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 27–25, 21–30, 34–36
Pts: Willis Reed 38
Rebs: Willis Reed 23
Asts: Dick Van Arsdale 8
Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 37
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 29
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 7
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0
March 23
Philadelphia 76ers 117, New York Knicks 128
Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 25–31, 35–33, 33–34
Pts: Chamberlain, Greer 24 each
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 17
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 8
Pts: Walt Bellamy 26
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 17
Asts: Walt Frazier 7
Series tied, 1–1
March 27
New York Knicks 132, Philadelphia 76ers 138 (2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 23–30, 30–32, 34–24, Overtime: 12–12, 7–13
Pts: Cazzie Russell 40
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 19
Asts: Walt Frazier 9
Pts: Chet Walker 32
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 8
Philadelphia leads series, 2–1
March 30
Philadelphia 76ers 98, New York Knicks 107
Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 32–33, 23–19, 19–20
Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 23
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 27
Asts: Hal Greer 6
Pts: Walt Bellamy 28
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 13
Asts: Howard Komives 8
Series tied, 2–2
March 31
New York Knicks 105, Philadelphia 76ers 123
Scoring by quarter: 34–26, 22–30, 24–36, 25–31
Pts: Cazzie Russell 31
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 10
Asts: Howard Komives 5
Pts: Hal Greer 38
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 21
Asts: Chamberlain, Greer 7 each
Philadelphia leads series, 3–2
April 1
Philadelphia 76ers 113, New York Knicks 97
Scoring by quarter: 27–35, 29–22, 30–19, 27–21
Pts: Hal Greer 35
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 27
Asts: Hal Greer 4
Pts: Bellamy, Barnett 19 each
Rebs: Walt Bellamy 22
Asts: Howard Komives 6
Philadelphia wins series, 4–2

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning three of the first five meetings as the Syracuse Nationals.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Detroit Pistons

March 24
Detroit Pistons 116, Boston Celtics 123
Scoring by quarter: 23–22, 29–46, 41–23, 23–32
Pts: Dave Bing 30
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 24
Asts: Dave Bing 6
Pts: John Havlicek 25
Rebs: Bill Russell 34
Asts: Bill Russell 9
Boston leads series, 1–0
March 25
Boston Celtics 116, Detroit Pistons 126
Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 33–39, 28–26, 30–33
Pts: Sam Jones 18
Rebs: Bill Russell 14
Asts: Siegfried, Jones 3 each
Pts: Dave Bing 24
Rebs: Joe Strawder 14
Asts: Dave Bing 5
Series tied, 1–1
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 10,109
March 27
Detroit Pistons 109, Boston Celtics 98
Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 21–24, 33–15, 28–31
Pts: Dave Bing 27
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 17
Asts: Dave Bing 7
Pts: John Havlicek 23
Rebs: Bill Russell 23
Asts: Bill Russell 7
Detroit leads series, 2–1
March 28
Boston Celtics 135, Detroit Pistons 110
Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 27–27, 40–26, 40–24
Pts: John Havlicek 35
Rebs: Bill Russell 21
Asts: John Havlicek 9
Pts: Dave Bing 26
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 10
Asts: Dave Bing 6
Series tied, 2–2
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 11,294
March 31
Detroit Pistons 96, Boston Celtics 110
Scoring by quarter: 22–22, 28–27, 30–34, 16–27
Pts: Dave DeBusschere 26
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 23
Asts: Eddie Miles 4
Pts: Bailey Howell 30
Rebs: Bill Russell 21
Asts: John Havlicek 13
Boston leads series, 3–2
April 1
Boston Celtics 111, Detroit Pistons 103
Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 35–25, 30–31, 24–23
Pts: John Havlicek 31
Rebs: Bill Russell 23
Asts: John Havlicek 12
Pts: Dave Bing 44
Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 14
Asts: Dave Bing 4
Boston wins series, 4–2
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 9,483

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[2]

(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (3) San Francisco Warriors

March 22
San Francisco Warriors 111, St. Louis Hawks 106
Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 29–31, 23–20, 34–29
Pts: Jeff Mullins 29
Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 17
Asts: Al Attles 7
Pts: Don Ohl 26
Rebs: Paul Silas 15
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 9
San Francisco leads series, 1–0
March 23
San Francisco Warriors 103, St. Louis Hawks 111
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 18–27, 26–22, 32–33
Pts: Jeff Mullins 33
Rebs: Clyde Lee 10
Asts: Al Attles 7
Pts: Zelmo Beaty 46
Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 22
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 11
Series tied, 1–1
March 26
St. Louis Hawks 109, San Francisco Warriors 124
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 35–30, 30–33, 25–31
Pts: three players 21 each
Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 16
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 5
Pts: Jeff Mullins 33
Rebs: Clyde Lee 22
Asts: Al Attles 7
San Francisco leads series, 2–1
March 29
St. Louis Hawks 107, San Francisco Warriors 108
Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 27–37, 32–16, 26–27
Pts: Zelmo Beaty 21
Rebs: Bill Bridges 14
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 6
Pts: Jeff Mullins 35
Rebs: Clyde Lee 12
Asts: Al Attles 12
San Francisco leads series, 3–1
March 31
San Francisco Warriors 103, St. Louis Hawks 129
Scoring by quarter: 20–35, 31–29, 22–35, 30–30
Pts: Bob Warlick 21
Rebs: Fred Hetzel 9
Asts: Jim King 6
Pts: Bill Bridges 28
Rebs: Lou Hudson 14
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 10
San Francisco leads series, 3–2
April 2
St. Louis Hawks 106, San Francisco Warriors 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 17–28, 28–30, 31–24
Pts: Lou Hudson 35
Rebs: Paul Silas 14
Asts: Lenny Wilkens 6
Pts: Rudy LaRusso 30
Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 13
Asts: Al Attles 9
San Francisco wins series, 4–2
  • Final game for the Hawks before moving to Atlanta.

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first two meetings.

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Chicago Bulls

March 24
Chicago Bulls 101, Los Angeles Lakers 109
Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 22–23, 25–27, 32–29
Pts: Bob Boozer 27
Rebs: Jim Washington 11
Asts: Keith Erickson 5
Pts: Jerry West 33
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 23
Asts: Elgin Baylor 8
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0
March 25
Chicago Bulls 106, Los Angeles Lakers 111
Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 29–25, 26–25, 32–28
Pts: Flynn Robinson 32
Rebs: Jim Washington 13
Asts: Bob Boozer 4
Pts: Jerry West 35
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 16
Asts: Jerry West 8
Los Angeles leads series, 2–0
March 27
Los Angeles Lakers 98, Chicago Bulls 104
Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 21–37, 27–23, 24–22
Pts: Jerry West 32
Rebs: Darrall Imhoff 15
Asts: Elgin Baylor 5
Pts: Flynn Robinson 41
Rebs: Jim Washington 17
Asts: Flynn Robinson 4
Los Angeles leads series, 2–1
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 3,456
Referees: Nanny Sokolposky, Norm Drucker, Ed Rush
March 29
Los Angeles Lakers 93, Chicago Bulls 87
Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 24–16, 28–28, 18–19
Pts: Elgin Baylor 27
Rebs: Darrall Imhoff 21
Asts: Elgin Baylor 5
Pts: Keith Erickson 20
Rebs: Jim Washington 19
Asts: Erickson, Sloan 2 each
Los Angeles leads series, 3–1
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 5,678
March 31
Chicago Bulls 99, Los Angeles Lakers 122
Scoring by quarter: 30–24, 25–34, 19–34, 25–30
Pts: Jim Washington 24
Rebs: Jim Washington 15
Asts: three players 4 each
Pts: Elgin Baylor 37
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 12
Asts: Archie Clark 10
Los Angeles wins series, 4–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 12,108

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]

Division Finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Boston Celtics

April 5
Boston Celtics 127, Philadelphia 76ers 118
Scoring by quarter: 34–31, 31–25, 32–31, 30–31
Pts: John Havlicek 35
Rebs: Bill Russell 22
Asts: John Havlicek 11
Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 33
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 25
Asts: Chamberlain, W. Jones 5 each
Boston leads series, 1–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 14,412
April 10
Philadelphia 76ers 115, Boston Celtics 106
Scoring by quarter: 32–30, 35–30, 19–17, 29–29
Pts: Wali Jones 24
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 19
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 8
Pts: John Havlicek 28
Rebs: Bill Russell 20
Asts: John Havlicek 9
Series tied, 1–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,780
April 11
Boston Celtics 114, Philadelphia 76ers 122
Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 33–30, 25–33, 29–33
Pts: John Havlicek 29
Rebs: Bill Russell 20
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Pts: Hal Greer 31
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 25
Asts: Hal Greer 9
Philadelphia leads series, 2–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 15,102
April 14
Philadelphia 76ers 110, Boston Celtics 105
Scoring by quarter: 37–24, 31–38, 18–21, 24–22
Pts: Hal Greer 28
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 16
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 8
Pts: Sam Jones 25
Rebs: Bill Russell 24
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Philadelphia leads series, 3–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 10,503
April 15
Boston Celtics 122, Philadelphia 76ers 104
Scoring by quarter: 36–31, 20–26, 28–24, 38–23
Pts: Sam Jones 37
Rebs: Bill Russell 24
Asts: John Havlicek 10
Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 28
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 30
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 7
Philadelphia leads series, 3–2
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 15,202
April 17
Philadelphia 76ers 106, Boston Celtics 114
Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 22–29, 28–27, 29–28
Pts: Hal Greer 40
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 27
Asts: Wilt Chamberlain 8
Pts: John Havlicek 28
Rebs: Bill Russell 31
Asts: Havlicek, Siegfried 6 each
Series tied, 3–3
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,780
April 19
Boston Celtics 100, Philadelphia 76ers 96
Scoring by quarter: 26–21, 20–19, 27–29, 27–27
Pts: Sam Jones 22
Rebs: Bill Russell 26
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Pts: Hal Greer 22
Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 34
Asts: Chamberlain, Greer 5 each
Boston wins series, 4–3
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 15,202
  • The Celtics become the first team in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit.

This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first 11 meetings.

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) San Francisco Warriors

April 5
San Francisco Warriors 105, Los Angeles Lakers 133
Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 24–30, 29–32, 25–38
Pts: Jeff Mullins 29
Rebs: Clyde Lee 18
Asts: Jeff Mullins 5
Pts: Elgin Baylor 29
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 16
Asts: Archie Clark 5
Los Angeles leads series, 1–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 10,319
April 10
San Francisco Warriors 112, Los Angeles Lakers 115
Scoring by quarter: 24–34, 34–26, 32–24, 22–31
Pts: Fred Hetzel 36
Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 15
Asts: Al Attles 9
Pts: Baylor, West 36 each
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 19
Asts: Jerry West 5
Los Angeles leads series, 2–0
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 11,270
April 11
Los Angeles Lakers 128, San Francisco Warriors 124
Scoring by quarter: 33–30, 28–35, 39–25, 28–34
Pts: Jerry West 40
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 12
Asts: Jerry West 8
Pts: Fred Hetzel 27
Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 13
Asts: Jeff Mullins 7
Los Angeles leads series, 3–0
April 13
Los Angeles Lakers 106, San Francisco Warriors 100
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 29–28, 30–27, 27–21
Pts: Jerry West 29 Pts: Fred Hetzel 27
Los Angeles wins series, 4–0

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting.

NBA Finals: (E2) Boston Celtics vs. (W2) Los Angeles Lakers

April 21
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Boston Celtics 107
Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 33–19, 24–33, 16–26
Pts: Jerry West 25
Rebs: Darrall Imhoff 14
Asts: Archie Clark 5
Pts: Bailey Howell 20
Rebs: Bill Russell 25
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Boston leads series, 1–0
April 24
Los Angeles Lakers 123, Boston Celtics 113
Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 26–27, 36–27, 33–32
Pts: Jerry West 35
Rebs: Darrall Imhoff 11
Asts: Erwin Mueller 7
Pts: John Havlicek 24
Rebs: Bill Russell 24
Asts: Bill Russell 5
Series tied, 1–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,780
April 26
Boston Celtics 127, Los Angeles Lakers 119
Scoring by quarter: 36–28, 33–34, 34–25, 24–32
Pts: John Havlicek 27
Rebs: Bill Russell 16
Asts: Bill Russell 9
Pts: Jerry West 33
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 18
Asts: Jerry West 9
Boston leads series, 2–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,011
April 28
Boston Celtics 105, Los Angeles Lakers 118
Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 23–26, 31–28, 30–38
Pts: Bailey Howell 24
Rebs: Bill Russell 22
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Pts: Jerry West 38
Rebs: Darrall Imhoff 20
Asts: Darrall Imhoff 6
Series tied, 2–2
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,147
April 30
Los Angeles Lakers 117, Boston Celtics 120 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 20–34, 34–22, 18–30, 36–22, Overtime: 9–12
Pts: Jerry West 35
Rebs: Elgin Baylor 15
Asts: Baylor, West 6 each
Pts: John Havlicek 31
Rebs: Bill Russell 25
Asts: John Havlicek 8
Boston leads series, 3–2
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,780
May 2
Boston Celtics 124, Los Angeles Lakers 109
Scoring by quarter: 35–28, 35–22, 24–28, 30–31
Pts: John Havlicek 40
Rebs: Bill Russell 19
Asts: John Havlicek 7
Pts: Elgin Baylor 28
Rebs: Mel Counts 25
Asts: Elgin Baylor 6
Boston wins series, 4–2
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 17,392

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first five meetings.

See also

References

  1. "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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