Mar. 28, 1963 - Inspired Cincinnati, down by 22 points in the first half and apparently on the way to one of its most humiliating defeats in history, rose up in the second half with a tremendous comeback and downed the proud Celtics tonight at Boston Garden, 135-132, in the opening game of the NBA's Eastern Division final playoff series. Before a shocked and disbelieving crowd of 13,798, the plucky Royals, fresh from an upset victory over Syracuse in the Eastern Division semifinal series, took the play away from the world champions late in the third quarter and never relinquished it, despite a mild scare at the finish. The series resumes tomorrow night at Cincinnati Gardens. Oscar Robertson was magnificent tonight in scoring 43 points and leading the Royals' second-half charge. "That must have been the finest game Oscar has ever played in Boston," remarked beaming Charley Wolf after the game. The Royals' coach also credited his bench with key roles in the stunner. "I think the long layoff hurt Boston," Wolf remarked. "They were fired up early, then they ran out of gas at the end." Meanwhile, in the Celtics' dressing room, Boston coach Red Auerbach said, "We really got no excuses. We've got to bounce back. We've done it before.”
