Everything about 1962-63 Nba Season totally explained
The 1962-63 NBA season was the 17th season of the
National Basketball Association. The season ended with the
Boston Celtics winning their 5th straight NBA Championship, beating the
Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the
NBA Finals.== Notable occurrences ==
Season recap
Preseason
The season began with a shock, as the
Philadelphia Warriors had left for
San Francisco. The Warriors, whose lineage in basketball dates back to the
Philadelphia Sphas of the
1920s, had been a fixture for decades in Philadelphia, one of
pro basketball's essential cities.
It would be a weird year in Philadelphia, where no team would play until the
Syracuse Nationals moved there
the following season. The
Cincinnati Royals were promptly shifted to the NBA's East Division to replace them, a fact the Royals would soon come to regret.
The existence of a rival league, the
American Basketball League, also was a big factor this year.
Globetrotters' owner and legend
Abe Saperstein started the league as an act of revenge when he didn't get an NBA franchise in
Los Angeles. The
Minneapolis Lakers moved to
LA in
1960.
Leading teams
The Eastern division Celtics won a league high 58 of 80 NBA games, leading the league in both
rebounds and
assists as a team, followed by the Lakers in the West with 50. Three other NBA teams won 40 games or better. The
Syracuse Nationals and
St. Louis Hawks both won 48 games each. The Cincinnati Royals also had 42 wins.
Celtics
On the courts, the powerful Boston Celtics were building a dynasty.
Bill Russell led
Red Auerbach's club from the middle with his
shot blocking and
rebounding, where he ranked a huge second place in the NBA. He was also seventh in the NBA in assists, remarkable for a
center.
Sam Jones had stepped in for
Bill Sharman at
shooting guard, after Sharman left to coach the
ABL Los Angeles entry. Jones immediately led the club in scoring just as Sharman had, with his deadly banking
jump shots. 34-year-old
Bob Cousy quarterbacked his club one more time, but the 1950s superstar had clearly lost a step.
Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers were now in their third year in
California. The Lakers were led by super forward
Elgin Baylor, whose high-flying drives, surprising strength and all-around game awed many again this season. Baylor's 34 points per game rated him second in the NBA only to
Wilt Chamberlain. He was also fifth in rebounds and sixth in assists. No slouch on defense either, Baylor did it all for the Lakers. Third year star
Jerry West battled injuries but continued to grow as a player also. He added 27 points per game and six assists for coach
Fred Schaus, also his former college coach. The Lakers won 53 games and the NBA's West Division, looking forward to their matchup with Boston.
Nationals
The
Syracuse Nationals were the league's top offense, a fact they greatly helped at the foul line. Coach
Alex Hannum's club were led by the trio of center
Johnny Kerr, promising young
forward Lee Shaffer and
guard Hal Greer. Long-time star
Dolph Schayes gave it one more year as a reserve at age 34. This would also be the final season for the NBA in
Syracuse. They would relocate to
Philadelphia for the following season as the
Philadelphia 76ers.
Hawks
The
St. Louis Hawks had five ten-point scorers to support superstar
Bob Pettit. The 6'9 230-pounder rated third in NBA scoring with 28.4 points per games and was fifth in rebounds as well. His 685
free throws made led the league. The Hawks also had the NBA's top rated defense.
Royals
The
Cincinnati Royals continued to recover from the tragedy of
Maurice Stokes with another huge year from third-year superstar
Oscar Robertson. The converted 6' 5 210-pound forward was now rated by many as the best non-center to ever play in the NBA, lighting up the Royals backcourt with 28.3 points, nine rebounds and ten assists per game. Robertson tried 1593 shots this year, the third-highest total, and made 52% of them, the fourth-best percentage for accuracy in the NBA. His 614 free throws made were the second-most also, as he averaged 81% from the
foul line. A balanced
starting five and some key reserves supported Robertson, as coach
Charlie Wolf's team won over half their games for the second straight year. But the Royals continued to struggle with signees. Draft picks
Larry Siegfried and
Jerry Lucas signed with the
Cleveland Pipers of
Abe Saperstein's American Basketball League. Worse, Siegfried would return to the NBA as a key Boston Celtic. The loss of these two would hinder the club's playoff chances.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain's first season in San Francisco had his usual incredible stats, but the club failed to win half their games. Wilt's 44 points per game easily ranked him ahead of Baylor in the scoring column. He was also first in the NBA in rebounds, blocked shots, shooting accuracy, number of shots tried and made from the floor, and free throws tried. As a player, he was still all by himself.
Postseason
Six of the NBA's nine teams made the
playoffs, three in each division. The second and third place teams met first, with each division winner meeting the winner in the second round before the NBA Finals.
East
Boston got a huge scare from the Cincinnati Royals, who shocked Syracuse with an overtime win in Syracuse to win Game Five and that series. Cincinnati ownership was shocked too. They had booked
Cincinnati Gardens for a circus, expecting a Royals loss in that series. The Royals had to play two of their home games against Boston elsewhere while pushing Boston the full seven games. Robertson's huge play was boosted further by all-star
Jack Twyman' shooting. But Boston's three 20-point scorers ---
Tommy Heinsohn, Russell and Jones --- staved off the Royals charge. It was the beginning of a strong, underrated rivalry.
Syracuse was hindered by the absence of
Connie Dierking, who also had gone to the ABL, but refused to return to the club when that league folded.
West
In the West, St.Louis topped
Don Ohl,
Bailey Howell,
Ray Scott and the
Detroit Pistons three games to one to meet the Lakers in the second round. Detroit's rookie
Dave DeBusschere had a strong series off the bench as well in the losing effort.
The Lakers and Hawks went the full seven games as well, with Baylor and Pettit trading big offensive games and rebounds. The difference were Laker guards West and
Dick Barnett, the former ABL star.
Finals
The balance and depth of Boston would be too much for Baylor and West in the Finals despite their best efforts. The series went six games, with Boston winning the final one 112-109 in Los Angeles. Boston's Bill Russell, who averaged over 20 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and several blocks per game for his 13 playoff games, was the difference again in the middle for his star-studded team.
Final standings
Eastern Division
Western Division
C - NBA Champions
1962-63 NBA statistics leaders
NBA awards
Most Valuable Player: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
Rookie of the Year: Terry Dischinger, Chicago Zephyrs
All-NBA First Team:
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com
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