1968 NBA Finals

1968 basketball championship series

1968 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Boston Celtics Bill Russell 4
Los Angeles Lakers Butch van Breda Kolff 2
DatesApril 21–May 2
Hall of FamersCeltics:
Sam Jones (1984)
John Havlicek (1984)
Bill Russell (1975)
Bailey Howell (1997)
Lakers:
Elgin Baylor (1977)
Gail Goodrich (1996)
Jerry West (1980)
Coaches:
Bill Russell (2021)
Officials:
Mendy Rudolph (2007)
Earl Strom (1995)
Eastern FinalsCeltics defeated 76ers, 4–3
Western FinalsLakers defeated Warriors, 4–0
← 1967 NBA Finals 1969 →

The 1968 NBA World Championship Series pitted the Boston Celtics from the East, against the Los Angeles Lakers from the West, for the sixth time in ten years. The Celtics won their tenth NBA Championship in twelve seasons, by defeating the Lakers in six games. Significantly, Game 6 marked the first time that any NBA competition had taken place during the month of May. This was the last NBA Finals without a Finals MVP named as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award was introduced the following year.

Series summary

Game Date Home team Result Road team
Game 1 April 21 Boston Celtics 107–101 (1–0) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 2 April 24 Boston Celtics 113–123 (1–1) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 3 April 26 Los Angeles Lakers 119–127 (1–2) Boston Celtics
Game 4 April 28 Los Angeles Lakers 119–105 (2–2) Boston Celtics
Game 5 April 30 Boston Celtics 120–117 (OT) (3–2) Los Angeles Lakers
Game 6 May 2 Los Angeles Lakers 109–124 (2–4) Boston Celtics

Celtics win series 4–2

Team rosters

Boston Celtics

1967–68 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
F/C 28 Embry, Wayne 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1937-03-26 Miami (OH)
PG 11 Graham, Mal 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1945-02-23 NYU
G/F 17 Havlicek, John 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1940-04-08 Ohio State
SF 18 Howell, Bailey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1937-01-20 Mississippi State
PF 27 Jones, Johnny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1933-03-12 Cal State LA
SG 24 Jones, Sam 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1933-06-24 North Carolina Central
F 19 Nelson, Don 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1940-05-15 Iowa
C 6 Russell, Bill 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1934-02-12 San Francisco
SF 16 Sanders, Satch 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1938-11-08 NYU
C/G 20 Siegfried, Larry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1939-10-14 Ohio State
G/F 12 Thacker, Tom 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1939-11-02 Cincinnati
PG 26 Weitzman, Rick 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1946-04-30 Northeastern
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Los Angeles Lakers

1967–68 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
SG 30 Anderson, Cliff 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1944-09-07 Saint Joseph's
PF 23 Barnes, Jim 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1941-04-13 UTEP
SF 22 Baylor, Elgin (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1934-09-16 Seattle
SG 21 Clark, Archie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1941-07-15 Minnesota
C 31 Counts, Mel 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1941-10-16 Oregon State
SG 12 Crawford, Freddie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1941-12-33 St. Bonaventure
SG 11 Goodrich, Gail 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1943-04-23 UCLA
PF 52 Hamilton, Dennis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1944-05-08 Notre Dame
SF 33 Hawkins, Tom 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1936-12-22 Notre Dame
C 14 Imhoff, Darrall 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1938-10-11 California
C 34 Mueller, Erwin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1944-03-12 San Francisco
PG 44 West, Jerry (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1938-05-28 West Virginia
SF 24 Wetzel, John 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1944-10-22 Virginia Tech
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

See also

External links

  • Sports Illustrated (April 29, 1968) Celtics LA Showdown | Elgin Baylor and Jerry West
  • Sports Illustrated (May 13, 1968) This Was One Worth Shouting About
  • NBA History
  • v
  • t
  • e
Boston Celtics 1967–68 NBA champions
  • Regular season
  • Playoffs
  • v
  • t
  • e
Boston Celtics
  • Founded in 1946
  • Based in Boston, Massachusetts
Franchise
Arenas
Personnel
Owner(s)
Boston Basketball Partners
President
Rich Gotham
General manager
Brad Stevens
Head coach
Joe Mazzulla
G League affiliate
Retired numbers
NBA championships
Rivalries
Culture and lore
  • Category
  • Commons
  • v
  • t
  • e
Los Angeles Lakers
  • Founded in 1948
  • Played in Minneapolis (1948–1960)
  • Based in Los Angeles, California
Franchise
Arenas
Personnel
Ownership
Jeanie, Jim, and Johnny Buss (majority)
Anschutz Entertainment Group, Ed Roski Jr., Patrick Soon-Shiong (minority)
President
Jeanie Buss
General manager
Rob Pelinka
Head coach
Darvin Ham
G League affiliate
Retired numbers
NBA championships
NBA Cup championships
Rivalries
Culture and lore
  • v
  • t
  • e
Related
programs
NBA on ESPN
NBA drafts
Non-NBA
programs
Related
articles
Key figures
Play-by-play
Color
commentators
Sideline
reporters
Studio
hosts
Studio
analysts
ABC Radio
announcers
NBA Finals
ABC Radio's
coverage
WNBA Finals
All-Star Game
ABC Radio's
coverage
WNBA
Lore
Rivalries
ESPN lore
McDonald's
Championship