StMU Research Scholars

Featuring Scholarly Research, Writing, and Media at St. Mary’s University

November 12, 2019

A Forgotten Finals: Bill Russell, and the 1966 NBA Finals

In any sport, there are rivalries where you cannot have one without the other, and one of the greatest rivalries in sports history is the Celtics vs the Lakers, especially in the 1960s. The two teams had met in The Finals four times in the five years from 1961 to 1966. They were regarded as heavy favorites in their respective divisions. A good recent comparison would be the Warriors and the Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018. They had powerhouse players on both sides, the most prominent of whom were Bill Russell from the Celtics and Jerry West from the Lakers. Even though Bill Russell was a guaranteed Hall of Famer, people had doubts about his team even making The Finals in 1966, let alone win it. People were starting to notice that the Celtics were aging.1

It was the year 1966. The NBA was a different landscape then than it is now, only having ten teams. This allowed teams to play as much as ten times in the course of one season. One team that the Celtics faced was the Philadelphia 76ers with their superstar and future Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain leading the charge. The public thought that this would be the year that Bill Russell’s Celtics would be dethroned, and for a moment they seemed correct. The 76ers had a great year, finishing 55-25 and winning the Eastern Division. This was the first time in nine years that the Celtics would have to play the first round of the playoffs.2

Boston Celtics won their 3rd NBA Title, 1960 | Courtesy of Wikimedia commons

This was an unfamiliar territory for Bill Russell and the Celtics. For years they were the dominant force in the NBA. Suddenly, they had to win a first-round playoff series against the Royals. The Royals were not much trouble for the Celtics; they won in five games.3 Then came the battle with the Philadelphia 76er’s. The Celtics, despite having Bill Russell, was a heavy underdog. Being the underdog did not settle well with Russell; he had his eye set on destroying the 76ers and establishing his dominance. When Game 1 arrived, the Celtics wanted to set the tone for the series and have the 76ers play on their back foot for the rest of the series. And that is exactly what they did. They ended up winning Game 1 with a score of 115-96. With the momentum on their side, they went into game two confident, and it showed. The Celtics won Game 2 114-93. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bill Russell played “superlative ball.”4 At this point, everyone discovered that the Celtics’ age was an advantage, since they had so much more experience and skill than a younger team like the 76ers had. Nevertheless, the 76ers regrouped and won Game 3, but it proved to be too late since the Celtics ended up winning the next two games. Wilt Chamberlain went for 46 points and 34 rebounds, but it was not enough to beat Bill Russell and the Celtics. The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that the difference was Bill provided leadership to the Celtics, which is something the 76ers needed.5

Yet again, the Celtics found themselves in the finals. Bill Russell had a chance to add to his illustrious career. People would think that Russell, given the fact that he has been to the finals for most of his career, would be unphased by it; but the truth is the opposite. Russell, before a big game, would throw up, but for an odd reason, it was welcomed by everyone. Coach Auerbach saw it as a good luck charm, since they would always win the championship when this occurred. He would even at some point not let the players go out until Russell had thrown up. John Havelicek stated that it was a welcomed sight, since it meant “were going to be alright tonight,” showing how superstitious the team was.6


Bill Russell sitting on the bench next to head coach Red Auerbuch, taken by Jack O’Connell on 26 December 1956 | Courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Russell and the Celtics were facing a familiar foe; the Lakers. This time the Celtics were the ones expected to win, because of their dominating performance against the 76ers. Nevertheless, Russell knew that it was not going to be easy, since the Lakers had Jerry West, who was the logo of the NBA. He was an incredible offensive powerhouse; he would not dunk over you, but he would make insane shots. As Game 1 of the Finals approached, Russell had all the pressure on his shoulders. This series was supposed to go to five games at the most, and anything above that would lead to heavy criticism on Russell.7

Finally, the highly anticipated Game 1 of the 1966 NBA Finals got underway. It was a spectacle. There was so much scoring in the game, that you could tell that the Lakers wanted this win in order to set the tone and prove the public wrong. It was a battle to the end, with both teams giving their all. But to everyone’s surprise, the Lakers took Game 1. The score was Lakers on top 133-129. The Celtics were in shambles, especially Russell. The head coach, acknowledging this, decided to pull out a trump card to reinvigorate the Celtics. At the start of the season, Coach Auerbach announced that this season would be his last. This challenged the Celtics to send him off with another championship; but after Game 1, that fire was gone. So he decided to announce after Game 1 that Russell would replace him as the first black head coach in professional sports.8 This was a huge shock for Russell. He had been the leader on the court for years, but he never imagined he would be the head coach. This new responsibility made Russell feel as if he needed to lead his team to the championship to prove that he was fit to be the head coach.

Game 2 arrived, and the revamped Celtics were there to make a statement. From the start, Russell wanted to dominant and his energy inspired his teammates to do the same. This game was never close. The Celtics dominated the whole game. The final score was Celtics on top 129-109. It was over before it even started. Russell led the team in rebounding with 24 rebounds. With this dominating performance, Russell proved that he can lead his team, and with the newfound momentum he led the team to win Game 3 and Game 4. Despite the incredible effort by Jerry West with his 41 points in Game 4, the Lakers found themselves in a 3-1 deficit. At this point, no team has ever forced a Game 7 from a 3-1 deficit, let alone force and win Game 7.9

Russell and the Celtics were so close, just a game away, from lifting the trophy. Russell knew better than to rule the Lakers out, since with a player like West you are never out of a series. When Game 5 arrived, the Lakers played their hearts out, but the Celtics were not going to make it easy. It was a close affair, but in the end, the Lakers got the win with a score of 121-117. Russell was not happy. He knew that the Lakers had regained the momentum, and even though Russell scored 28 points and retrieved 32 rebounds, he still felt like he could have done more.10 When Game 6 arrived in Los Angeles, Russell only had the trophy on his mind and he wouldn’t stop until he got it. But first, he would have to defeat a constantly evolving Lakers team led by Jerry West. As soon as the whistle blew, Russell was on the ball and ready to win the game. But the Lakers were fighting for their playoff-lives as well. Through a contested first half, the Lakers were leading by 68-58. Much like the previous game, the Celtics felt that they were losing control, and after halftime, with Coach Auerbach yelling at the top of his lungs, the Celtics came out on fire. They outscored the Lakers by 11 points in the third quarter, which gave them a 1 point lead. The Lakers felt that their playoffs was coming to an end, so they gave everything they had in the fourth quarter. Led by Jerry West, the Lakers outscored the Celtics by 9 points, which ended the game with the Lakers on top 123 to 115.

Bill Russel Dribbling during his first few years with the franchise, circa 1960 | Courtesy of Wikimedia commons

The Lakers were the first team to force a Game 7, being down 3-1, and nobody suspected it, especially Russell. Even though he had another great performance, picking up 22 points and 23 rebounds, it proved to be not enough for the Celtics to beat the Lakers. He was simply in disbelief.11 Throughout Russell’s career, he never experienced anything remotely similar to this. A series that was supposed to end in five games had now turned into seven. He also had the looming thought of being the new head coach the next year. Overall, the Finals were taking a toll on him and with Game 7 fast approaching, he had no time to sit and regroup.

Finally, Game 7 had arrived. The stage was set in Boston, and all eyes were on Bill Russell to see if he could lead his team when they need him most. The whistle blew and the game for the world title began. This time the Celtics had a rage in them that fueled them to play aggressive, and it showed. The Celtics were on their home turf, and they were not going to get embarrassed like they had in the past. When the first half ended, the Celtics were dominating with a lead of 53 to 38. The Lakers did not know what hit them, but everyone knew that they had one more half remaining, and all they had to do was hold the Lakers off. When the 3rd quarter started, the Lakers were locked in, but so were the Celtics. That quarter ended with the Celtics leading 76 to 60. With a lead that big, it would take a miracle for the Lakers to come back, and that miracle was in having Jerry West. The 4th quarter was dominated by West, as he led the Lakers closer and closer to the Celtics. But Russell was not having it. With 40 seconds left, Bill Russell made a slam dunk to increase their lead to 10 points. The Lakers were not giving up, especially Jerry West, who stormed up the court to hit a quick 2. And a few seconds later, when the Celtics were passing it in, he stole the ball and made another shot, which cut the lead to 6 with 25 seconds left. The Lakers were far from done. When the Celtics passed it into Casey Jones, he ended up committing a foul that gave the Lakers the ball back again, which led to another 2 points. Then the lead was cut down to 4 points, with around 15 seconds to go. The pass in led to another turnover, which gave the Lakers a ball that allowed them to scored another 2 points. The once loud arena was in shock as they watched the next throw-in anxiously. This time the Celtics played it smart and ran away from the Lakers defenders effectively draining the clock to 0 seconds.12

The crowd which was silenced by the amazing effort by the Lakers exploded out into cheers, and some ran onto the court to celebrate with the Players. For Russell, this was a huge moment because he proved to himself that he could lead his team and be a great head coach. Unfortunately, the finals MVP trophy was not established at that time, but it is widely recognized that if it had been, the trophy would have gone to Russell.

  1. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  2. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 77.
  3. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 77.
  4. Murry R. Nelson,Bill Russell: A Biography  (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 77.
  5. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  6. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  7. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  8. Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball (Ballantine/ESPN Books, 2010), 100.
  9. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  10. Murry R. Nelson, Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  11. Murry R. Nelson,Bill Russell: A Biography (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 78.
  12. “1966 NBA Finals G7 final 30 seconds,” video file, 1:51, Youtube, posted by, Wilt Chamberlain Archive, March 19, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7vHBT2qAQ.

Tags from the story

1966 NBA Finals

Bill Russell

Celtics

Jerry West

Lakers

Recent Comments

Anthony Coronado

This article was amazing! Through the story narrative of events and relating it to modern basketball teams and players to scale the teams. Such as the starting of the NBA teams to recognize a smaller team line up in games, as well as the knowledge of players’ weaknesses and strengths on the court as playing with opponents more games than today NBA (30 teams).

reply

19/03/2020

10:09 am

Kendall Guajardo

I have never really watched sports broadcasters but I really felt like someone was narrating this as it was written so good! The article gave great visualization with the descriptive words. It was cool to learn about the persistence that drove both teams to try to win. I cannot imagine the pressure Russell must have felt going into any of those games really but the superstition the team had was all too familiar. I used to get so nervous before big events that I would throw up too. It was interesting that the team almost found it charming because of his talent. Awesome read!

reply

19/04/2020

10:09 am

Emmett Pena

Bill Russel was one of the most dominating figures in NBA history. He knew that coming into the finals with the Lakers again would not be an easy thing to do, despite beating them years before. As a player, he knew the skill of Jerry West and what he was capable of and because of his basketball knowledge and having an NBA Finals experience, knew he couldn’t take the championship easily. His coach saw his basketball intelligence within him and knew that he’d be a great coach come the following season. This article engages the reader so well, especially in describing the final thirty seconds of Game 7 and does a phenomenal job of using the correct source of media to further explain the story.

reply

06/09/2020

10:09 am

Jake Faryniarz

This story on how Bill Russel led the Boston Celtics to another championship win in 1966 was really interesting. I was amazed that the Lakers were able to comeback from a 3-1 lead in the finals but ultimately Russel was able to close it out with his dominating skill and experience. If the head coach Auerbach didn’t say this was his last season and he was going to give Bill Russel the head coach job next season then I don’t believe the Celtics would of had the fire and drive to beat the Lakers. In game 7 the crowd of fans were already running onto the court believing the game was done but the Lakers almost came back and won it. This article on the 1966 NBA Finals was well informed and was fun to read.

reply

07/09/2020

10:09 am

Bailey Godwin

Bill Russell proved to be a great leader when he led the Celtics to yet another championship win. As an athlete, it is almost nice to hear that even the professional players get extremely nervous before big games such as how Russell would throw up before every big game. It is cool to see how he still handled the pressure well especially when the coach said that he was leaving and Russell was going to become the new head coach.

reply

07/10/2020

10:09 am

Maya Simon

Bill Russel will forever go down as one of the top basketball players in the NBA. He knew how Jerry West played and he studied his skills and could take the championship away. For me being a basketball player, it is cool to read articles like these that teach me to keep pushing and just work hard because at the end of the day it will all pay off. It is also cooled to see how he still handled the pressure well especially when the head coach said that he was leaving, and Russell was going to become the new head coach. Great Article!

reply

07/10/2020

10:09 am

Nicholas Burch

Pretty cool video at the end with Bill Russel reacting to winning the 1966 Finals. Bill Russel is beloved by basketball fans, being the man with the most rings in NBA history. I never knew how much his leadership played a role in these championships. I think it’s kind of funny that players would welcome him to throw up before games because you wouldn’t think NBA players would be so superstitious, but I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

reply

15/10/2020

10:09 am

Aticus Ovalle

I find it crazy how little the bronze age of the NBA is recognized, since the Finals MVP is named after Bill Russel and the fact that Jerry West is still the logo. People don’t really pay mind to this era and I’m glad to see an article which highlights one of the greatest Finals series’ we’ve gotten to witness.

reply

14/02/2021

10:09 am

Joshua Buske

Most have forgotten about the early stages of the NBA, but the legends that came out of this era should never be forgotten because of the new ways the further the game of basketball. Bill Russel is amongst these legends because he revolutionized what it meant to be a scoring big man. Typically the big man on the court was responsible for rebounds and defense, but Russell was a different breed of big man because he could do everything, score, rebound, and play defense. Bill has been an all-time points leader for a long time and is still in the top amongst players in this category today.

reply

02/03/2021

10:09 am

Peter Alva

Bull Russel is one of the greatest Basketball minds to have ever touched the game. His defense was a game-changing and it was something that was a once in a life time thing to see. Bill Russel was the only person who was able to compete with the likes of Wilt Chamberlin which to most people isn’t a great measure if you don’t know who he is but Wilt Chamberlin in the world of basketball is a form of measurement

reply

13/02/2022

10:09 am

1 2

Leave a Reply