1965–66 NBA season

1965–66 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 15, 1965 – March 22, 1966 March 23 – April 15, 1966 (Playoffs) April 17–28, 1966 (Finals)
Number of games	80
Number of teams	9
TV partner(s)	ABC
Draft
Top draft pick	Fred Hetzel
Picked by	San Francisco Warriors
Regular season
Top seed	Philadelphia 76ers
Season MVP	Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)
Top scorer	Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Boston Celtics
Eastern runners-up	Philadelphia 76ers
Western champions	Los Angeles Lakers
Western runners-up	St. Louis Hawks
Finals
Champions	Boston Celtics
Runners-up	Los Angeles Lakers
NBA seasons
← 1964–65 1966–67 →

The 1965–66 NBA season was the 20th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning an unprecedented 8th straight NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the 1966 NBA Finals.

1965-66 National Basketball Association
Division	Team	City	Arena	Capacity
Eastern	Boston Celtics	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston Garden	13,909
	Cincinnati Royals	Cincinnati, Ohio	Cincinnati Gardens	11,000
	New York Knicks	New York, New York	Madison Square Garden	18,496
	Philadelphia 76ers	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Philadelphia Arena Municipal Auditorium	7,000 12,000
Western	Baltimore Bullets	Baltimore, Maryland	Baltimore Civic Center	11,271
	Detroit Pistons	Detroit, Michigan	Cobo Arena	12,191
	Los Angeles Lakers	Los Angeles, California	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena	16,161
	San Francisco Warriors	San Francisco, California	San Francisco Civic Auditorium	7,000
	St. Louis Hawks	St. Louis, Missouri	Kiel Auditorium	9,300

The season started out looking good for Philadelphia 76ers star Wilt Chamberlain, as he had a full year with his new team after half a season the year before. The Sixers came together behind him and won the NBA East with 55 wins in 80 NBA games, the top record in the league.

Yet again, Chamberlain himself was a dominant force. His 1074 field goals were more than 250 ahead of the next top shooting scorer in the league. His 976 free throws tried were second most in the league, helping his NBA-high scoring average even with all the misses at the foul line. He also led the league in shooting accuracy, rebounds and minutes played. He also was 7th in assists.

One game behind in the East, and the league, were the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. The team again featured seven ten-point scorers in Red Auerbach's balanced juggernaut, plus defender/point guard K.C. Jones. Bill Russell again led the defense from the middle. The much anticipated Boston-Philly matchup was the focus of the league all season.

After the two contenders, the nine-team NBA also featured two strong also-rans. The Los Angeles Lakers won 45 of 80 games to capture the West Division of the NBA, which produced no league champion 1959–1970. The Lakers were led by superstar Jerry West, whose 818 field goals made were tied for second most in the NBA. He also tried and made the most free throws in the league as he carried the Laker load, going 840 of 977 for an 86% clip. The Lakers' mediocre center play and more limping from Elgin Baylor held back the club's advancement.

The Cincinnati Royals won 45 games also, but were still stuck in the East Division behind the 76ers and Celtics while the Baltimore Bullets remained in the NBA West. The Royals were led again by Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. Robertson matched West's 818 field goals made while also leading the NBA in assists. Robertson got a few more assists than West because he had Lucas to pass to. The Royals forward averaged 22 points and 21 rebounds per game for the season. West, Robertson, and Lucas accomplished their feats without the benefit of a three-point line.

Six of the NBA's nine teams made the playoffs, with the second and third place teams in each division meeting in the first round, and the East and West Division winners getting a first round bye, then meeting the first round winners in the second round.

In the East, Boston got another scare from Cincinnati, who jumped to a 2–1 series lead behind Robertson and Lucas, but the Celtics were able to recover and won the next two games to advance.

In the West, the injury-riddled Baltimore Bullets, led by Don Ohl, were swept by the St. Louis Hawks and player/coach Richie Guerin.

Boston met Philadelphia in the much-watched East Final. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 28 points and 30 rebounds for the series, but the Celtics won four of five games and featured dominant performances from Bill Russell, Sam Jones and John Havlicek all starred. The 114–110 overtime win in Game Four proved the turning point in the matchup. Chamberlain hit 28 of 68 free throws in the series, just a 41% clip. Los Angeles outlasted St. Louis in the West Final four games to three while Boston rested. The Lakers won three of the first four to set the tone of the series. Baylor had returned to lead a more-balanced cast in support of West.

Another Boston-L.A. Finals went the full seven games this time as the Lakers made a real run at the better Boston roster. West and Baylor were more of a high-performance tandem in this series, but Boston's three 20-point scorers had just a little more, winning Game 7 at Boston Garden 95–93. Defense and rebounding had prevailed again and Bill Russell dominated in those categories. Red Auerbach, exhausted from two close series plus the scare from Wilt Chamberlain's Sixers, took his victory cigar to the front office after this year. His 8-straight NBA titles, with 9 in 10 seasons, set an early standard with his many innovations and acquisitions that NBA leaders are still chasing to this day.

• The 1966 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, with the East beating the West 137–94. Local hero Adrian Smith of the Royals won the game's MVP award.

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	1964–65 coach	1965–66 coach
Baltimore Bullets	Buddy Jeannette	Paul Seymour
New York Knicks	Harry Gallatin	Dick McGuire
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
N/A

Eastern Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-Philadelphia 76ers	55	25	.688	–	22–3	20–17	13–5	20–10
x-Boston Celtics	54	26	.675	1	26–5	19–18	9–3	19–11
x-Cincinnati Royals	45	35	.563	10	25–6	11–23	9–6	16–14
New York Knicks	30	50	.375	25	20–14	4–30	6–6	5–25

Western Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-Los Angeles Lakers	45	35	.563	–	28–11	13–21	4–3	29–11
x-Baltimore Bullets	38	42	.475	7	29–9	4–25	5–8	20–20
x-St. Louis Hawks	36	44	.450	9	22–10	6–22	8–12	19–21
San Francisco Warriors	35	45	.438	10	12–14	8–19	15–12	21–19
Detroit Pistons	22	58	.275	23	13–17	4–22	5–19	11–29

x – clinched playoff spot

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia 76ers	2,649
Rebounds	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia 76ers	1,943
Assists	Oscar Robertson	Cincinnati Royals	847
FG%	Wilt Chamberlain	Philadelphia 76ers	.540
FT%	Larry Siegfried	Boston Celtics	.881

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

• Most Valuable Player: Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers
• Rookie of the Year: Rick Barry, San Francisco Warriors
• Coach of the Year: Dolph Schayes, Philadelphia 76ers

• List of NBA regular season records

• 1965–66 NBA Season Summary, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.