1967 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia Sixers

[taliesen1953]

stop all you dolts that are saying these guys couldn't play today or they lack skills of todays players...it such an absurd arguement !! todays players have had the benefit of 40-50 years of evolution....and don't you think Jordan/Lebron/Kobie have any link to Baylor...Erving etc....cease and desist !!.........

[jimistreets1]

I was so happy for Wilt that he finally got one

[BENKATOK]

In this era,most players can't dribble the ball well, they can only dribble with one hand. They don't drive to the basket and they lack footworks. They don't have good design plays.The worst team in the NBA today can beat any of these teams playing in the finals.

[taliesen1953]

@BENKATOK ...well then why don't you just load up one of todays teams into a time machine and send them back to kick some ass !!!

[BENKATOK]

@taliesen1953 LOL! If we have these kinds of players today, they can have a lockout forever. I wouldn't care.

[taliesen1953]

@BENKATOK we can't have these players today...these guys are all in their 60's...it is such a joke when people compare eras......if you were alive and watching in the 60's that is all you would know so you would care...but then again those guys had integrity and weren't gangsters...they were just the best atheletes of their day !

[reggiecleveland]

But the Celtic injuries in 67 are excuses?

[kwaller2]

Anyone who says that the players of the 60s were more fundamental than today's players is insane. These guys are almost devoit of basketball skills. Poor dribbling, poor defense, poor shooting, poor box-out, too many turnovers, too much watching, not very intense, nor passionate and poor team play. Russell and Chamberlain look clumsy. Could anyone dribble with their left hand? I saw Chamberlain play in person a couple in the 70s, I always thought he'd rather be doing something else.

[DDDDDDDDD69]

@kwaller2 : in forty years watch an NBA game from 2011. You'll see how sloppy they will look. Every year players and technology will get better. There will be constant improvement.

[jimistreets1]

@kwaller2 Wilt and Russell would dominate in ANY era. But you're right. Overall the level of play wasn't as good as it is now. Okay, imagine if Wilt and Russell were kids coming up today, having grown up playing against the players of today. Wilt would have out-Shaqed Shaq and Russell would still average over 20 boards with his heart and hustle...

[thomkerr]

It's a shame that there seems to be zero video of the next year's eastern finals when the Celtics came back from dow 3 games to one and Philly's home court advantage.

In regards to the challenges modern day dunkers might have presented to these teams, the Stilt and Russ served up Wilson burgers indiscriminately. I think the modern guys would have ate a few.

[stere0brain]

@thomkerr I saw several of those 68 games... Cunningham drew a DNP with a broken arm. The Sixers were trashing the Celtics when Wali Jones pulled a hamstring, then Hal Greer pulled his hamstring.

I just remember them sitting on the floor, injury timeout and the season was ending on injuries

[reggiecleveland]

This SIxers team getting the "Greatest" label is pure jealousy of the Celtics dynasty. They won once. The Celtics had some injuries and beat the Sixers in 68.

[stere0brain]

@reggiecleveland they didn't have a broken arm and 2 starters with hamstrings that's for sure.

[TRJ22487]

According to the record book Russell coached 81 games....who coached the other one?

[sportsoracle]

Chet Forte, the man behind Monday Night Football, did yeoman work on short notice as the strike prevented Chris Schenkel and Jack Twyman from doing the game.

It was a sad day when Chet passed away in 1996 in the midst of being a successful talk show co-host with Steve Hartman in SoCal.

[flopdanuts23]

Could you imagine jordan against these chumps. They were slow. Jordan would have tore them up. Don't get the big deal about chamberlin and russell

[punxsongsrules]

I was thinking the same, imagine Kobe, Garnet, Lebron, Jordan, even Ginobili would kick them ass, anyway, Chamberlint is a awsome player.

[SFFOOL76]

Jordan might have torn them up, but at least all of them knew how to shoot a jumper.

[omnivorous65]

@SFFOOL76 Or a capable dribbling a ball with their left hand. Technically, the guys of that era are way, way behind today's players. I do not understand why that is not considered in the best ever discussion. the ball handling in those days especially from taller players was... plain terrible. The shooting mechanics with few expections awful. And those were the absolute best of their days. The post moves of chamberlain and russell were very basic. You unleash Olajowon into that time ....

[tatemus1]

@omnivorous65 true, however the rules about dribbling were different then. most of the dribbling you see today would have been called a travel or palming the ball.

[ddenuci]

Hola, Wilt@K, que tal?  Hal was a 10 time all-star and all-NBA 2nd team 7 times. So, yes, I agree he was a great player. And the NBA must agree, because they selected him as one of their 50 greatest players.

[WiltatKansas]

Russell made a good basket at 6:43.

[MIKESOWELL]

@ddenuci I think Hal Greer was the third best guard of the 1960s, after Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.

[shaqpopcorn34]

@MIKESOWELL ....sam jones over hal greer

[MIKESOWELL]

@shaqpopcorn34 They are both good.

[ddenuci]

THere's a great book by Wayne Lynch, titled "Season of the 76ers". All about this 1966-67 season for Philly. He mentions that the regular announcers for the game would have been Jack Twyman and CHris Schenkel. Instead, ABC decided to go with Chet Forte and Chuck Howard, who were the director and producer of the weekly ABC games. (Chet is the one doing most of the talking. Kind of a funny voice for an announcer). This happened because of a strike going on among the on air performers.

[MIKESOWELL]

@ddenuci I read that particular book about 3 years ago. That book helped to convince me that the 1966-67 76ers was the best individual team in NBA history. Before that, I sort of gave that mantle to the 1986 Celtics or even the 1996 Bulls.

[jimistreets1]

@MIKESOWELL Okay...I'm guessing you're from the east coast...Because the best team of all time was the 1987 Lakers...Hands down...No contest....Case closed.... ; )

[MIKESOWELL]

@jimistreets1 They just may be.....it's all subjective.

[ddenuci]

Chamberlain finished this particular game with a triple double : 20 points, 22 rebounds, and 10 assists.

[ddenuci]

Of course, this is the one game that 76ers wound up losing to the Celtics in 1967. Final score Celts 121, 76ers 117.

[ddenuci]

Horrible call by the ref at 5:12. Yes, Jackson is clearly fouled on the play. BUt he also tipped in the ball while it was on the cylinder. Offensive basket interference should have been the call.

[ddenuci]

I don't recognize which of the announcers is Chet Forte. But here's some interesting trivia: Chet Forte actually beat out Chamberlain for College Player of the Year in Wilt's sophomore year, 1956-57. Incredible.

[ddenuci]

Boy, Hal Greer. He's the one who inbounded the ball that resulted in the famous "Havlicek stole the ball" call. And then he fails to inbound the ball with the score 103-100. By the way, he traveled long before the 5second call. You're not allowed to shuffle your feet when inbounding the ball (unless it is after a score). Wonder if the 76ers had a time out that they could have used.

[WiltatKansas]

Good point, though Hal Greer was a great player, especially shooter.

[pcroyaljets]

There is no such thing as 'traveling' on an inbound. As long as one foot stays within the 3 foot wide lane space, you can can do anything you want to do with your feet as long as you get the ball inbounds within the timespan allotted.

[ddenuci]

pc: I checked the NBA rules and I don't see a definitive statement about this. In the section called "Thrower-in", the NBA rule states the thrower-in shall not "leave the designated throw-in spot". But I have been unable to find any further description of what is meant by "designated throw in spot". It does sound like you are correct, and if that's the case I must admit I embarrassed to say after all these years of watching games, I didn't know the rule.