1968 NBA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 NBA playoffs 1968 1967–68 March 22–May 2, 1968 8 Boston Celtics 10 Los Angeles Lakers San Francisco Warriors Philadelphia 76ers 1967 1969 thumb|Boston Celtics, champions The 1968 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 1967–68 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won their 10th NBA title, their first under player-coach Bill Russell after Red Auerbach's retirement. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3–1 series deficit to win, as they knocked off the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. In the West, the Lakers swept the San Francisco Warriors in four games. It was the first time since 1954 that the top team in a division failed to make the Division Finals; from 1955 to 1966, the league gave the regular-season division champion a first-round bye. This year also marked a change in that the Division Semifinals were changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven. Bracket Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals Eastern Division Western Division E1 Philadelphia* 4 E3 New York 2 E4 Detroit 2 E2 Boston 4 W1 St. Louis* 2 W3 San Francisco 4 W4 Chicago 1 W2 Los Angeles 4 E1 Philadelphia* 3 E2 Boston 4 W3 San Francisco 0 W2 Los Angeles 4 E2 Boston 4 W2 Los Angeles 2* Division winner Bold Series winner Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals Division Semifinals Eastern Division Semifinals (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) New York Knicks #eee March 22 Boxscore New York Knicks 110 Philadelphia 76ers 118 28–27 27–25 21–30 34–36 Willis Reed 38 Willis Reed 23 Dick Van Arsdale 8 Wilt Chamberlain 37 Wilt Chamberlain 29 Wilt Chamberlain 7 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 5,093 Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 March 23 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 117 New York Knicks 128 24–30 25–31 35–33 33–34 Chamberlain, Greer 24 each Wilt Chamberlain 17 Wilt Chamberlain 8 Walt Bellamy 26 Walt Bellamy 17 Walt Frazier 7 Madison Square Garden III, Manhattan, New York 15,911 Series tied, 1–1 #eee March 27 Boxscore New York Knicks 132 Philadelphia 76ers 138 2OT 26–27 23–30 30–32 34–24 12–12, 7–13 Cazzie Russell 40 Walt Bellamy 19 Walt Frazier 9 Chet Walker 32 Wilt Chamberlain 24 Wilt Chamberlain 8 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6,951 Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 March 30 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 98 New York Knicks 107 24–35 32–33 23–19 19–20 Wilt Chamberlain 23 Wilt Chamberlain 27 Hal Greer 6 Walt Bellamy 28 Walt Bellamy 13 Howard Komives 8 Madison Square Garden III, Manhattan, New York 18,262 Series tied, 2–2 #eee March 31 Boxscore New York Knicks 105 Philadelphia 76ers 123 34–26 22–30 24–36 25–31 Cazzie Russell 31 Walt Bellamy 10 Howard Komives 5 Hal Greer 38 Wilt Chamberlain 21 Chamberlain, Greer 7 each Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6,979 Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 April 1 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 113 New York Knicks 97 27–35 29–22 30–19 27–21 Hal Greer 35 Wilt Chamberlain 27 Hal Greer 4 Bellamy, Barnett 19 each Walt Bellamy 22 Howard Komives 6 Madison Square Garden III, Manhattan, New York 18,014 Philadelphia wins series, 4–2 This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning three of the first five meetings as the Syracuse Nationals. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=NYK&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021Philadelphia/ Syracuse leads 3–2 in all-time playoff series#fff 1950 New York Knicks 1 Syracuse Nationals 2 1950 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1951 New York Knicks 3 Syracuse Nationals 2 1951 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1952 New York Knicks 3 Syracuse Nationals 1 1952 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1954 New York Knicks 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals #fff 1959 New York Knicks 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1959 Eastern Division Semifinals (2) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Detroit Pistons #eee March 24 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 116 Boston Celtics 123 23–22 29–46 41–23 23–32 Dave Bing 30 Dave DeBusschere 24 Dave Bing 6 John Havlicek 25 Bill Russell 34 Bill Russell 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 7,591 Boston leads series, 1–0 March 25 Boxscore Boston Celtics 116 Detroit Pistons 126 25–28 33–39 28–26 30–33 Sam Jones 18 Bill Russell 14 Siegfried, Jones 3 each Dave Bing 24 Joe Strawder 14 Dave Bing 5 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 10,109 Series tied, 1–1 #eee March 27 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 109 Boston Celtics 98 27–28 21–24 33–15 28–31 Dave Bing 27 Dave DeBusschere 17 Dave Bing 7 John Havlicek 23 Bill Russell 23 Bill Russell 7 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 8,429 Detroit leads series, 2–1 March 28 Boxscore Boston Celtics 135 Detroit Pistons 110 28–33 27–27 40–26 40–24 John Havlicek 35 Bill Russell 21 John Havlicek 9 Dave Bing 26 Dave DeBusschere 10 Dave Bing 6 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 11,294 Series tied, 2–2 #eee March 31 Boxscore Detroit Pistons 96 Boston Celtics 110 22–22 28–27 30–34 16–27 Dave DeBusschere 26 Dave DeBusschere 23 Eddie Miles 4 Bailey Howell 30 Bill Russell 21 John Havlicek 13 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 8,093 Boston leads series, 3–2 April 1 Boxscore Boston Celtics 111 Detroit Pistons 103 22–24 35–25 30–31 24–23 John Havlicek 31 Bill Russell 23 John Havlicek 12 Dave Bing 44 Dave DeBusschere 14 Dave Bing 4 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan 9,483 Boston wins series, 4–2 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=DET&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Western Division Semifinals (1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (3) San Francisco Warriors #eee March 22 Boxscore San Francisco Warriors 111 St. Louis Hawks 106 25–26 29–31 23–20 34–29 Jeff Mullins 29 Rudy LaRusso 17 Al Attles 7 Don Ohl 26 Paul Silas 15 Lenny Wilkens 9 Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri 5,018 San Francisco leads series, 1–0 March 23 Boxscore San Francisco Warriors 103 St. Louis Hawks 111 27–29 18–27 26–22 32–33 Jeff Mullins 33 Clyde Lee 10 Al Attles 7 Zelmo Beaty 46 Zelmo Beaty 22 Lenny Wilkens 11 Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri 5,810 Series tied, 1–1 #eee March 26 Boxscore St. Louis Hawks 109 San Francisco Warriors 124 19–30 35–30 30–33 25–31 three players 21 each Zelmo Beaty 16 Lenny Wilkens 5 Jeff Mullins 33 Clyde Lee 22 Al Attles 7 Cow Palace, Daly City, California 5,136 San Francisco leads series, 2–1 March 29 Boxscore St. Louis Hawks 107 San Francisco Warriors 108 22–28 27–37 32–16 26–27 Zelmo Beaty 21 Bill Bridges 14 Lenny Wilkens 6 Jeff Mullins 35 Clyde Lee 12 Al Attles 12 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California 12,325 San Francisco leads series, 3–1 Jeff Mullins hits the game-winner. #eee March 31 Boxscore San Francisco Warriors 103 St. Louis Hawks 129 20–35 31–29 22–35 30–30 Bob Warlick 21 Fred Hetzel 9 Jim King 6 Bill Bridges 28 Lou Hudson 14 Lenny Wilkens 10 Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri 4,118 San Francisco leads series, 3–2 April 2 Boxscore St. Louis Hawks 106 San Francisco Warriors 111 30–29 17–28 28–30 31–24 Lou Hudson 35 Paul Silas 14 Lenny Wilkens 6 Rudy LaRusso 30 Rudy LaRusso 13 Al Attles 9 Cow Palace, Daly City, California 12,905 San Francisco wins series, 4–2 Final game for the Hawks before moving to Atlanta. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first two meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=ATL&opp_id=GSW&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021San Francisco leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1964 St. Louis Hawks 3 San Francisco Warriors 4 1964 Western Division Finals #fff 1967 St. Louis Hawks 2 San Francisco Warriors 4 1967 Western Division Finals (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Chicago Bulls #eee March 24 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 101 Los Angeles Lakers 109 22–30 22–23 25–27 32–29 Bob Boozer 27 Jim Washington 11 Keith Erickson 5 Jerry West 33 Elgin Baylor 23 Elgin Baylor 8 The Forum, Inglewood, California 7,352 Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 March 25 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 106 Los Angeles Lakers 111 19–33 29–25 26–25 32–28 Flynn Robinson 32 Jim Washington 13 Bob Boozer 4 Jerry West 35 Elgin Baylor 16 Jerry West 8 The Forum, Inglewood, California 8,158 Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 #eee March 27 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 98 Chicago Bulls 104 26–22 21–37 27–23 24–22 Jerry West 32 Darrall Imhoff 15 Elgin Baylor 5 Flynn Robinson 41 Jim Washington 17 Flynn Robinson 4 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 3,456 Nanny Sokolposky, Norm Drucker, Ed Rush Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 March 29 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 93 Chicago Bulls 87 23–24 24–16 28–28 18–19 Elgin Baylor 27 Darrall Imhoff 21 Elgin Baylor 5 Keith Erickson 20 Jim Washington 19 Erickson, Sloan 2 each Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois 5,678 Los Angeles leads series, 3–1 #eee March 31 Boxscore Chicago Bulls 99 Los Angeles Lakers 122 30–24 25–34 19–34 25–30 Jim Washington 24 Jim Washington 15 three players 4 each Elgin Baylor 37 Elgin Baylor 12 Archie Clark 10 The Forum, Inglewood, California 12,108 Los Angeles wins series, 4–1 This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.https://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=CHI&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021 Division Finals Eastern Division Finals (1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Boston Celtics #eee April 5 Boxscore Boston Celtics 127 Philadelphia 76ers 118 34–31 31–25 32–31 30–31 John Havlicek 35 Bill Russell 22 John Havlicek 11 Wilt Chamberlain 33 Wilt Chamberlain 25 Chamberlain, W. Jones 5 each Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 14,412 Boston leads series, 1–0 April 10 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 115 Boston Celtics 106 32–30 35–30 19–17 29–29 Wali Jones 24 Wilt Chamberlain 19 Wilt Chamberlain 8 John Havlicek 28 Bill Russell 20 John Havlicek 9 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,780 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 11 Boxscore Boston Celtics 114 Philadelphia 76ers 122 27–26 33–30 25–33 29–33 John Havlicek 29 Bill Russell 20 John Havlicek 8 Hal Greer 31 Wilt Chamberlain 25 Hal Greer 9 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,102 Philadelphia leads series, 2–1 April 14 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 110 Boston Celtics 105 37–24 31–38 18–21 24–22 Hal Greer 28 Wilt Chamberlain 16 Wilt Chamberlain 8 Sam Jones 25 Bill Russell 24 John Havlicek 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 10,503 Philadelphia leads series, 3–1 #eee April 15 Boxscore Boston Celtics 122 Philadelphia 76ers 104 36–31 20–26 28–24 38–23 Sam Jones 37 Bill Russell 24 John Havlicek 10 Wilt Chamberlain 28 Wilt Chamberlain 30 Wilt Chamberlain 7 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,202 Philadelphia leads series, 3–2 April 17 Boxscore Philadelphia 76ers 106 Boston Celtics 114 27–30 22–29 28–27 29–28 Hal Greer 40 Wilt Chamberlain 27 Wilt Chamberlain 8 John Havlicek 28 Bill Russell 31 Havlicek, Siegfried 6 each Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,780 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 19 Boxscore Boston Celtics 100 Philadelphia 76ers 96 26–21 20–19 27–29 27–27 Sam Jones 22 Bill Russell 26 John Havlicek 8 Hal Greer 22 Wilt Chamberlain 34 Chamberlain, Greer 5 each Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 15,202 Boston wins series, 4–3 The Celtics become the first team in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit. This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first 11 meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=PHI&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021Boston leads 6–5 in all-time playoff series#fff 1953 Boston Celtics 2 Syracuse Nationals 0 1953 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1954 Boston Celtics 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals #fff 1954 Boston Celtics 0 Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1955 Boston Celtics 1 Syracuse Nationals 3 1955 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1956 Boston Celtics 1 Syracuse Nationals 2 1956 Eastern Division Semifinals #fff 1957 Boston Celtics 3 Syracuse Nationals 0 1957 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1959 Boston Celtics 4 Syracuse Nationals 3 1959 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1961 Boston Celtics 4 Syracuse Nationals 1 1961 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1965 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 3 1965 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1966 Boston Celtics 4 Philadelphia 76ers 1 1966 Eastern Division Finals #fff 1967 Boston Celtics 1 Philadelphia 76ers 4 1967 Eastern Division Finals Western Division Finals (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) San Francisco Warriors #eee April 5 Boxscore San Francisco Warriors 105 Los Angeles Lakers 133 27–33 24–30 29–32 25–38 Jeff Mullins 29 Clyde Lee 18 Jeff Mullins 5 Elgin Baylor 29 Elgin Baylor 16 Archie Clark 5 The Forum, Inglewood, California 10,319 Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 April 10 Boxscore San Francisco Warriors 112 Los Angeles Lakers 115 24–34 34–26 32–24 22–31 Fred Hetzel 36 Rudy LaRusso 15 Al Attles 9 Baylor, West 36 each Elgin Baylor 19 Jerry West 5 The Forum, Inglewood, California 11,270 Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 #eee April 11 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 128 San Francisco Warriors 124 33–30 28–35 39–25 28–34 Jerry West 40 Elgin Baylor 12 Jerry West 8 Fred Hetzel 27 Rudy LaRusso 13 Jeff Mullins 7 Cow Palace, Daly City, California 9,232 Los Angeles leads series, 3–0 April 13 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 106 San Francisco Warriors 100 20–24 29–28 30–27 27–21 Jerry West 29 Fred Hetzel 27 Cow Palace, Daly City, California 9,623 Los Angeles wins series, 4–0 This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=GSW&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021San Francisco leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1967 Los Angeles Lakers 0 San Francisco Warriors 3 1967 Western Division Semifinals NBA Finals: (E2) Boston Celtics vs. (W2) Los Angeles Lakers 1968 NBA Finals #eee April 21 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 101 Boston Celtics 107 28–29 33–19 24–33 16–26 Jerry West 25 Darrall Imhoff 14 Archie Clark 5 Bailey Howell 20 Bill Russell 25 John Havlicek 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 9,546 Boston leads series, 1–0 April 24 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 123 Boston Celtics 113 28–27 26–27 36–27 33–32 Jerry West 35 Darrall Imhoff 11 Erwin Mueller 7 John Havlicek 24 Bill Russell 24 Bill Russell 5 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,780 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 26 Boxscore Boston Celtics 127 Los Angeles Lakers 119 36–28 33–34 34–25 24–32 John Havlicek 27 Bill Russell 16 Bill Russell 9 Jerry West 33 Elgin Baylor 18 Jerry West 9 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,011 Boston leads series, 2–1 April 28 Boxscore Boston Celtics 105 Los Angeles Lakers 118 21–26 23–26 31–28 30–38 Bailey Howell 24 Bill Russell 22 John Havlicek 8 Jerry West 38 Darrall Imhoff 20 Darrall Imhoff 6 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,147 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 30 Boxscore Los Angeles Lakers 117 Boston Celtics 120 OT 20–34 34–22 18–30 36–22 9–12 Jerry West 35 Elgin Baylor 15 Baylor, West 6 each John Havlicek 31 Bill Russell 25 John Havlicek 8 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts 14,780 Boston leads series, 3–2 May 2 Boxscore Boston Celtics 124 Los Angeles Lakers 109 35–28 35–22 24–28 30–31 John Havlicek 40 Bill Russell 19 John Havlicek 7 Elgin Baylor 28 Mel Counts 25 Elgin Baylor 6 The Forum, Inglewood, California 17,392 Boston wins series, 4–2 This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first five meetings. +Previous playoff serieshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/rivals.cgi?request=1&team_id=BOS&opp_id=LAL&is_playoffs=Y Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs) basketball-reference.com February 19, 2021Boston leads 5–0 in all-time playoff series#fff 1959 Boston Celtics 4 Minneapolis Lakers 0 1959 NBA Finals #fff 1962 Boston Celtics 4 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1962 NBA Finals #fff 1963 Boston Celtics 4 Los Angeles Lakers 2 1963 NBA Finals #fff 1965 Boston Celtics 4 Los Angeles Lakers 1 1965 NBA Finals #fff 1966 Boston Celtics 4 Los Angeles Lakers 3 1966 NBA Finals See also 1968 NBA Finals 1967-68 NBA season References External links Basketball-Reference.com's 1968 NBA Playoffs page Category:NBA playoffs Playoffs fi:NBA-kausi 1967–1968#Pudotuspelit