Since the arrival of Bill Russell in 1956/57 and when they faced the Sixers in the 1967 Conference Finals, the Celtics had outrageously dominated the NBA. And again, the verb to dominate is weak: to crush seems to be more appropriate. They had just won nine titles in ten seasons, including eight in a row!
So how do you beat the Celtics in a playoff series? Wilt Chamberlain’s Sixers in 1966/67, still considered one of the best teams in history, did.
That season, the man with 100 points abandoned his ogre mentality by shooting at only 24.1 points on average (against 39.6 points since the start of his career) to focus on the collective.
He is more of a passer and he has good teammates around him, like Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham. From the start of the season, the Sixers had heavily beaten the Celtics of Bill Russell and John Havlicek (138-96) to send a message.
“The Stilt”, in triple-double average mode and rebound record
The two legendary pivots find themselves for a place in the Finals, in the spring of 1967. Wilt Chamberlain makes a huge series: 21.6 points, 32 rebounds and 10 assists on average, including a peak at 41 rebounds in Game 3, an NBA record still topical.
Philadelphia is above and therefore leaves Boston, coached for the first time by Bill Russell and no longer by Red Auerbach, in just five matches. On April 11, 1967, the Celts finally lost 140-116 and were eliminated. The feat is resounding: Boston had not lost a series of playoffs, or Finals, since 1956!
The Sixers will confirm in the Finals against the Warriors, winning 4-2. But the following season and for two more years, the last of Bill Russell, the Celtics will take control of the league to conclude the most incredible and longest dynasty in NBA history: 11 titles in 13 seasons.
Images of Game 4, won by Boston
