Mar. 24, 1964 - Hot-handed Hal Greer (right) went on a personal fourth-quarter rampage and led the Philadelphia 76ers to a come-from-behind 122-114 victory tonight over the Cincinnati Royals that squared their NBA Eastern Division semifinal series at one win each.
Greer scored 15 of his 29 points in the final quarter, including all nine of the 76ers’ points in a stretch in which Philly moved out from 100-100 tie into a 109-102 lead with 4:39 remaining. Cincinnati never came closer than six points again.
The 76ers’ victory, coming before a crowd of 4,510 in the Philadelphia Arena, means this series will go at least four games and assures a fourth game in Philadelphia Saturday night.
Oscar Robertson led the Royals with 30 points, Jack Twyman had 27, Arlen Bockhorn 17, and Jerry Lucas and Wayne Embry 16 each, but the 76ers proved their determination to stay in the series by beating the Royals off the backboards.
Cincinnati coach Jack McMahon’s Irish temper was at the near-boiling point after the defeat. The objects of his wrath: officials Sid Borgia and Willie Smith.
“This is ridiculous!” said McMahon, pointing to a statistic sheet that showed the 76ers outscoring the Royals, 36-18, in the free-throw column. “I’m not in this game for laughs! They’re pressing Oscar all over, and he shoots eight free throws. They’re picking him all over the court — double and triple-teaming him. Three of those free throws were in the last two minutes when the game was over. They were giving [76er guard] Larry Costello two shots when he was starting to drive at the top of the free throw circle!
St. Louis, in their series, got two different sets of referees for two games in the same city. We play two in different cities and get the same referees. Explain that to me.”
