History

Season Review: 1967-68

Take a look back at the 1967-68 season in which the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship.

From NBA.com Staff

September 13, 2021 1:46 PM

The NBA added two more franchises to the mix for the 1967-68 season as the Seattle SuperSonics and San Diego Rockets joined the West. (San Diego would become the Houston Rockets before the 1971-72 season.) Detroit shifted to the Eastern Conference and the NBA, now a 12-team league, played its first 82-game schedule.

The prosperity that the NBA was enjoying was not lost on several outside observers, who figured the time was right for a second, competing pro hoops league.

Thus, the ABA was born, with 11 teams playing a 78-game schedule. Major cities which had been unable to attract an NBA franchise like Dallas, Denver, Houston and Oakland now claimed teams in the ABA. The league gained credibility with the naming of NBA legend George Mikan as its first commissioner, and NBA star Rick Barry’s decision to sign with the Oakland Oaks.

As for the NBA, Detroit’s Dave Bing became the first guard to lead the league in scoring (27.1) since 1948. In the playoffs, the Celtics rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the Eastern finals over Philly, then defeated the Lakers in six games for their 10th title.

Bill Russell claimed his first championship as player-coach, and 10th overall. He played 292 minutes in the championship series, setting a record for a six-game Finals. His teammate, John Havlicek, played the second-most minutes ever in a six-game Finals, notching 291.

Bailey Howell, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward who was a five-time All-Star nearing the end of his career, arrived in Boston just in time to see the Celtics’ eight-year reign atop the NBA end in 1966-67. But he was determined to bring a title back to Boston after Philadelphia’s triumph the previous year.

“Everywhere we went, especially in Philadelphia, they had a chant: `Boston’s dead. Boston’s dead. The dynasty is over,’” Howell said. “Everywhere we went, the fans were real vocal. But it just made you more determined, really. It helped you to play. When you get some help like that from opposing fans, it’s really a lift.”