Well, for Pete's sake, the last time 1969 I checked on the NBA, the Celtics were considered done. Now it's 91-76 to start the fourth of Game 7 in Los Angeles.
This was Wilt Chamberlain's first year in Los Angeles, and it appeared as though things were finally tipped in Wilt's and the Lakers' favor. The Celtics and Lakers both have won their home games in the finals, and, though Los Angeles was way behind the start the final period, the Lakers are back within 103-102 with less than three minutes to play in front of their home fans. The old Celtics look tired; Sam Jones has fouled out, and Bill Russell has five fouls.
Oddly, Los Angeles has made the second half of this surge without Chamberlain, who twisted his knee earlier in the period. His backup, Mel Counts, just made a 10-foot jumpshot to get the Lakers within one, as Russell could not afford to come out to guard him closely and possibly attract his final personal foul. Then, Counts blocked out Russell on a Celtic miss, and Jerry West rebounded to give the Lakers a chance to take the lead.
West double-teamed ... Lakers reverse the ball to Elgin Baylor, who fires against Don Nelson ... miss ... Keith Erickson's fifth foul on the rebound ... John Havlicek is headed to the line ... 2:30 to play ...
Russell appears to throw the ball out of bounds, but the refs rule that the Lakers touched the ball before it sailed out of the backcourt. About two minutes to go ... still 103-102 ...
Erickson knocks the ball away from Havlicek in the Boston halfcourt, but it bounces right to Nelson ... his 12-footer ricochets high off the rim and then plops back right through the goal! ... Celtics lead, 105-102 ...
With the fans continuing to file out in Los Angeles, the organist is playing "Seventy-six Trombones." Schenkel points out that the rafters are filled with balloons that weren't released.
Those balloons -- and this whole Laker team -- were owned by Jack Kent Cooke, who later came east to buy the Redskins. The story of Cooke and his balloons before Game 7 used to be pretty famous story in D.C.
Well, for Pete's sake, the last time 1969 I checked on the NBA, the Celtics were considered done. Now it's 91-76 to start the fourth of Game 7 in Los Angeles.
ReplyDelete1969 me thinks that Russell is unbeatable. He feels about Chamberlain almost exactly the way I feel about Dominique Wilkins.
DeleteThe Bullets won the East, and then they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Knicks.
ReplyDeleteBoston finished fourth in the East. They beat the 76ers and then the Knicks to make the finals.
This was Wilt Chamberlain's first year in Los Angeles, and it appeared as though things were finally tipped in Wilt's and the Lakers' favor. The Celtics and Lakers both have won their home games in the finals, and, though Los Angeles was way behind the start the final period, the Lakers are back within 103-102 with less than three minutes to play in front of their home fans. The old Celtics look tired; Sam Jones has fouled out, and Bill Russell has five fouls.
ReplyDeleteOddly, Los Angeles has made the second half of this surge without Chamberlain, who twisted his knee earlier in the period. His backup, Mel Counts, just made a 10-foot jumpshot to get the Lakers within one, as Russell could not afford to come out to guard him closely and possibly attract his final personal foul. Then, Counts blocked out Russell on a Celtic miss, and Jerry West rebounded to give the Lakers a chance to take the lead.
ReplyDeleteWest double-teamed ... Lakers reverse the ball to Elgin Baylor, who fires against Don Nelson ... miss ... Keith Erickson's fifth foul on the rebound ... John Havlicek is headed to the line ... 2:30 to play ...
ReplyDeleteMiss ... Counts rebound ... 2:22 ...
ReplyDeleteThe ABC color commentator: "Look at West wave everyone away ... he wants it by himself ..."
ReplyDeleteBut Larry Siegfried steals!
Russell appears to throw the ball out of bounds, but the refs rule that the Lakers touched the ball before it sailed out of the backcourt. About two minutes to go ... still 103-102 ...
ReplyDeleteCharging on Don Nelson! ... 1:53 to play ...
ReplyDeleteWest again doubled ... ball swung around ... Boston steals Erickson's pass for Baylor down low! ...
ReplyDeleteErickson knocks the ball away from Havlicek in the Boston halfcourt, but it bounces right to Nelson ... his 12-footer ricochets high off the rim and then plops back right through the goal! ... Celtics lead, 105-102 ...
ReplyDeleteThis time, West shoots despite the doubleteam ... MISS! ... Russell rebound ...
ReplyDeleteSIEFRIED OFFENSIVE FOUL! ... 46 seconds to go ...
ReplyDeleteCounts drives by Russell and tries to pass back out to the backcourt ... RUSSELL STEALS!
ReplyDeleteSiegfried fouled ... 24 seconds to go ... No. 1 free-throw shooter in the NBA ... GOOD! ... GOOD! ... 107-102 ... That should do it ...
ReplyDeleteNow here go the fans, blocking ABC's camera angle ...
ReplyDeleteWikipedia, unsurprisingly great:
ReplyDeleteWith just over five minutes to play, and the Lakers down by 9, the 32-year-old Chamberlain came down awkwardly after a rebound try and limped to the bench in pain. Replaced by seven-foot back-up Mel Counts, the Lakers cut the margin to one, but stalled despite having several chances to take the lead. In the final minutes, Chamberlain had recovered enough to return and signaled to Van Breda Kolff to put him back in. But the Laker coach ignored him, thinking Counts could outlast the Celtic charge. He was wrong, and the Celtics reasserted command following a key shot by Don Nelson with a minute to play. Boston, winner of eleven out of the last thirteen NBA titles, gave Bill Russell his eleventh championship ring while Wilt watched from the bench, 108-106.
Van Breda Kolff's blunder also meant a whole new round of criticism for Chamberlain, who was also blasted in the press by Russell, who retired after the series. Chamberlain had chosen not to shoot in the playoffs, averaging just 14 points per game, while concentrating on defense and rebounding. The quiet, well-mannered West was also outraged with his coach, his outstanding 31 points and 7.5 assist averages in the playoffs again good only for second place.
I actually think Chamberlain is an interesting story. To 1969 me, he's just a loser.
DeleteThis was Van Breda Kolff's last game as coach of the Lakers, and the last time he ever had the chance to coach a really good team.
DeleteChris Schenkel: "Of course, you'll have to say, the Celtics ... the greatest sports dynasty in the history of athletics ..."
ReplyDeleteWith the fans continuing to file out in Los Angeles, the organist is playing "Seventy-six Trombones." Schenkel points out that the rafters are filled with balloons that weren't released.
ReplyDeleteThose balloons -- and this whole Laker team -- were owned by Jack Kent Cooke, who later came east to buy the Redskins. The story of Cooke and his balloons before Game 7 used to be pretty famous story in D.C.
Delete