1960s Timeline

May 23, 1962 - The Philadelphia Warriors’ franchise in the NBA was sold today for a record $850,000 and was transferred to San Francisco. Eddie Gottlieb sold the club, and the transfer was approved at a meeting of the NBA board of governors. However, in San Francisco, the Saints of the American Basketball League said they would file a $3 million anti-trust suit against the NBA within five days. Kevin O’Shea, the Saints’ general manager, told The A.P.: “We’re going to go out a

May 15, 1962 - George Steinbrenner (left), 31-year-old president of the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League, confirmed today that Jerry Lucas (right), Ohio State all-America basketball player, would sign a contract to play for the Pipers. Lucas, who had maintained throughout his college career that he was not interested in turning pro, said his agreement called for a salary of about $10,000 a season, plus an investment portfolio worth $40,000. In crediting Mr.

May 2, 1962 - Bob Cousy, 34-year-old star of the Boston Celtics, started a basketball demonstration trip to 15 French cities today. French Federation officials said the trip was to have Cousy prove that basketball was “a simple, uncomplicated, smart game.” Cousy also will explain playing tactics. Cousy’s trip includes exhibitions at Le Mans, Rennes, Nantes, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Annecy, Dijon, Mulhouse, Reims, Lille, and Paris. “I am very gl

Apr. 18, 1962 - The Boston Celtics captured their fourth consecutive NBA championship tonight by vanquishing the Los Angeles Lakers, 110-107, in overtime on the heroics of Sam Jones and Bill Russell. Boston led most of the game, played before a capacity crowd of 13,909 fans in Boston Garden. But the Celtics had to beat down the tenacious Lakers in a 5-minute overtime session after Frank Selvy had brought Los Angeles even in the final 40 seconds of regulation play. Selvy barel

Apr. 16, 1962 - The Boston Celtics rallied on Sam Jones’ shooting in the third quarter tonight and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-105. The victory sent the NBA championship playoffs to a decisive seventh game. Jones scored five baskets in the first six minutes of the second half. This gave the Celtics the lift that evened the playoff series at three victories each. The seventh game will be Wednesday night at Boston Garden. Boston, which had complained about the officiat

Apr. 14, 1962 - Elgin Baylor smashed a string of NBA scoring records tonight in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 126-121 upset of the Boston Celtics. Baylor collected 61 points against the 3-time champions, who had been favored by 8 points. A capacity Boston Garden crowd saw the Lakers move ahead in the 4-of-7 championship series, 3 games to 2. Baylor shattered the 56-point playoff mark set less than a month ago by the Philadelphia Warriors’ star, Wilt Chamberlain. Baylor’

Apr. 11, 1962 - The Boston Celtics combined good shooting, fine board play, and a demoralizing defense tonight to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-103, and even their NBA final playoffs at two games each. Bill Russell’s basket and free throw gave the Celtics a 3-0 lead at the outset. They never trailed. Russell finished with 21 points. Tom Heinsohn added 19 in the balanced attack, Tom Sanders 18, Bob Cousy 17, Sam Jones 14, and K.C. Jones 12. Beaten by a last-second basket ye

Apr. 11, 1962 - Unless Eddie Gottlieb (pictured with Wilt Chamberlain in 1960), the owner, has a change of heart within the next two weeks, the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors will move to San Francisco. Gottlieb has verbally agreed to sell the club, and it is considered doubtful he will change his mind. Gottlieb has been offered $850,000 for the Philadelphia franchise by Bernard Solomon, the spokesman for a West Coast syndicate. It is also being reported that the NBA’s Syracuse

Apr. 8, 1962 - The Los Angeles Lakers survived a Boston Celtic 24-point comeback, staged a late rush of their own, and scored a 129-122 victory today. It tied their 4-of-7 championship series at one game each. With Jerry West scoring 40 points and Elgin Baylor 36, the Lakers overcame a 6-point first-period deficit and raced to their widest margin early in the third period. Boston outscored the Lakers, 15-3, at one stage and pulled to within 4 points at the end of 3 quarters.

Apr. 6, 1962 - Bob Cousy, the fine playmaker of the NBA’s Boston Celtics, today signed a three-year contract to coach basketball at Boston College. The contract will become effective at the end of the 1962-63 season. The 33-year-old Cousy has been an outstanding NBA player the past 12 years after a brilliant college career at Holy Cross. Cousy has an off-season insurance business in Worcester, Mass. In addition, he operates a boys’ camp during the summer. He will play one mor

Apr. 5, 1962 - A jump shot by Sam Jones (pictured #24) with two seconds left tonight enabled the Boston Celtics to score a 109-107 victory over the Philadelphia Warriors and take their sixth straight NBA Eastern Division title. Jones’ basket followed a 3-point play by Wilt Chamberlain that had tied the score. The Warriors then had time for only one play, but Sam Jones intercepted and held on as the buzzer ended the 4-of-7 series. The Celtics now go after their fourth straight

Apr. 3, 1962 - The Lakers blew a 24-point lead in the final period tonight before beating the Pistons, 123-117, as 6,347 fans in Detroit looked on. The victory enabled the Lakers to advance to the NBA championship round. The Lakers won the 4-of-7 series, 4-2, after taking the first 3 games and then losing the next 2. Detroit erased the Lakers’ 24-point lead with a rally that tied the score at 117-117 with 1:21 left. But Elgin Baylor (pictured #22), playing on a one-day pass f

Apr. 1, 1962 - The defending champion Boston Celtics built a 23-point first-half cushion and held on through a brawling fourth period today to beat the Philadelphia Warriors, 119-104. Thus, the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the 4-of-7 NBA playoff series. Bill Russell scored another rebounding decision over Chamberlain, 26-14. Chamberlain scored 30 points to 29 for Russell. One player, Tom Heinsohn of the Celtics, was ejected during a wild fourth period marked by three player fig

Mar. 27, 1962 - The Philadelphia Warriors rallied and defeated the Boston Celtics, 113-106, at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall tonight, squaring their 4-of-7 series for the Eastern championship of the NBA at one victory apiece. Boston owned a 101-92 lead with 6 minutes 37 seconds remaining and seemed in complete control. But the Warriors, sparked by Wilt Chamberlain and two rookies, Tom Meschery and York Larese, rallied for a 102-102 deadlock with 3:56 to go. From that point f

Mar. 25, 1962 - Jerry West scored 40 points today as the Los Angeles Lakers posted their second straight victory in the finals of the NBA Western Division playoffs, beating the Detroit Pistons in Los Angeles, 127-112. Los Angeles now has a 2-0 lead in games in the 4-of-7 series to determine the Western representative in the championship round. West kept the Lakers safely in the lead throughout the second half. Los Angeles got a good all-around effort from Elgin Baylor, who sc

Mar. 24, 1962 — The Boston Celtics, led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, crushed the Philadelphia Warriors, 117-89, today in the opener of the NBA Eastern Division playoff finals. With Russell doing a defensive masterpiece on Wilt Chamberlain and Cousy sparking the Celtics’ fast break, Boston put the issue beyond doubt early as it launched the defense of its league title. Russell, rising to the Chamberlain challenge, held Wilt to 12 points in the first half. However, Chamberlai

Mar. 22, 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain broke his NBA playoff record tonight with 56 points and led the Philadelphia Warriors to a 121-104 victory over the Syracuse Nationals. The Warriors thus gained the Eastern finals against the Boston Celtics. The Warrior-Celtic series opens Saturday afternoon at the Boston Garden. Chamberlain’s previous playoff record was 53 points against Syracuse, also at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall, on March 14, 1960. #NBA #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoff

Mar. 21, 1962 - Bob Cousy said today he would play one more season for the Boston Celtics, the NBA champions. The 33-year-old former Holy Cross all-America added that next season probably would be his last as a professional player. His announcement came after a 90-minute conference with the Celtics’ owner, Walter Brown. #NBA #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #1960s #nbayoungboy #nbatv #nbaallstar #nbamixes #nbaplays #nbabasketball #NBANews #nbastyles #nbadraft #nbacuts #nbate

Mar. 20, 1962 - The Detroit Pistons won the semifinal playoffs in the NBA’s Western Division tonight by beating the Cincinnati Royals, 112-111. The Piston won the series, three games to one. They will meet the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-of-seven-game series for the Western berth of the championship round. The hero of tonight’s game was Don Ohl, who played all the way and led the scoring with 33 points. #NBA #nbafinals #nbamemes #nbaplayoffs #1960s #nbayoungboy #nbatv #nbaal

Mar. 18, 1962 - The Philadelphia Warriors moved into a commanding lead in their NBA Eastern Division semifinal playoffs today with a 97-82 victory over the Syracuse Nats. Philadelphia now leads the 3-of-5 series, 2-0. The winner of the series will meet the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals. Wilt Chamberlain, the Warriors’ 50-point-a-game scorer, was held to a “mere” 28, but was the high scorer. In the other playoff series, the Detroit Pistons lead the Cincinnati R