1960s Timeline

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16 hours ago

Hawks Top Pistons, Move On to NBA West Finals Against Lakers

Mar. 26, 1963 - The St. Louis Hawks won the opening round of the NBA’s Western Division playoffs by edging the Pistons in Detroit tonight, 104-100, behind Bob Pettit’s 35-point splurge. The triumph gave the Hawks their third victory in four games in the best-of-five series and advanced them to the Western Division finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The opening game will be at Los Angeles Sunday. Pettit scored 23 points in the first half as the visiting Hawks jumped to a 2

Mar 11

Lakers Dominate Hawks in Los Angeles

Mar. 11, 1963 - The Lakers left no doubt in the minds of 5,137 Sports Arena fans and the St. Louis Hawks tonight that there is nothing really wrong with them. With Frank Selvy (pictured) providing the momentum, the Lakers literally ran away and hid from the Hawks, taking charge in the second period and breezing to a 109-96 victory. While Elgin Baylor was having one of those nights when the ball wouldn't stay in the hoop, Selvy ignited the spark with a spectacular second-perio

Mar 9

Hawks Top Lakers Despite Baylor’s Scoring Outburst

Mar. 9, 1963 - The Hawks staked themselves to an early lead and finished with a 117-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis tonight. Elgin Baylor (pictured) poured in 46 points for Los Angeles, which already has clinched the Western Division championship. St. Louis, assured of second place in the West and a playoff berth, was paced by Bob Pettit with 33 points. Baylor hit 16 points in the last quarter with Pettit on the bench, but St. Louis was

Mar 6

Lakers Clinch Top Spot in Western Conference of NBA

Mar. 6, 1963 - The Los Angeles Lakers finally nailed down the top spot in the NBA’s Western Division tonight, but they had to turn back an angry group of Cincinnati Royals to do it. Before an L.A. Sports Arena crowd of 8,803, the Royals were full of fight, and the Lakers had to turn on full steam in the final period to carve out a 106-97 victory to end a five-game losing streak — longest of the season. Playing their 18th game minus injured Jerry West, the Lakers won only thei

Mar 4

Royals Top Lakers in L.A.

Mar. 4, 1963 - Elgin Baylor took a look at the clock with 1:30 left to play tonight, and it cost the Lakers their fifth straight defeat. The Lakers held a one-point lead, and Baylor had the ball when he glanced up. In that instant, Jack Twyman stole the ball and went the distance for the layup that propelled the Cincinnati Royals to a 114-111 victory before 4,427 moaning fans at the L.A. Sports Arena. Twyman then followed his larceny with two quick jumpers, and a determined,

Mar 1

Zephyrs Top Lakers in Chicago

Mar. 1, 1963 - Reserve Billy McGill (#11) proved a worthy replacement for leading scorer Walt Bellamy (#8) tonight by rallying the Chicago Zephyrs in the final quarter to a 114-109 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers in Chicago. It was the slumping Lakers' third loss in a row. The score was 87-87 going into the final quarter before McGill replaced the tiring Bellamy, who had scored 35 points. McGill connected on 6 of 8 shots from the field plus a free throw to pull the Zephyr

Feb 22

Lakers Top Celtics in L.A., 113-105

Feb. 22, 1963 - The largest crowd ever to see a basketball game in the Los Angeles Sports Arena turned out tonight, and the Lakers left the 15,196 fans screaming for more. The Lakers, coming off two consecutive heart-breaking defeats at the hands of San Francisco and playing once again without Jerry West, cooled off the sizzling Boston Celtics, 113-105, in one of the most exciting games of the NBA season. The Lakers took over the lead early in the second half, lost it in the

Feb 13

Lakers Complete Comeback Against Celtics in Boston, 134-128

Feb. 13, 1963 - The Los Angeles Lakers, all but run off the court in the opening minutes, turned loose their “B&B” attack and blasted the Celtics, 134-128, with an incredible comeback in Boston tonight. Before a roaring crowd of 12,686 fans, Bob Cousy and his mates ran up a 30-13 lead before the Lakers knew what was going on. Then, Dick Barnett and Elgin Baylor went to work. When their night’s work was done, the two sharpshooters had 88 points. Baylor, playing every minute, h

Feb 1

Lakers Top Pistons as Baylor Breaks 10,000-point Mark

Feb. 1, 1963 - Elgin Baylor (pictured) became the 15th player in NBA history to surpass the 10,000-point mark tonight as he led the streaking Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Baylor, after a lackluster first half, put the Lakers ahead 4 times in the second half before they surged to their 7th straight triumph and 18th in 19 games. The five-year NBA veteran scored 36 points, while his running mate, Jerry West, added 33. Fred Schaus’s sizzling t

Jan 16

East Upsets West at NBA All-Star Game as Russell Shines

Jan. 16, 1963 - Bill Russell (center with Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn) scored 19 points, hauled in 24 rebounds, and blocked a myriad of shots as the Eastern Division upset the West, 115-108, tonight in the 13th annual NBA All Star game. “Russell just dominated the game,” said the West’s coach, Fred Schaus of the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell also dominated the most valuable-player voting. He won this award for the first time in his six All-Star appearances. The 6-foot-10-inch ce

Jan 4

Lakers Top Celtics as Selvy Shines

Jan. 4, 1963 - Frank Selvy (pictured), just about the only healthy Los Angeles Laker, took it upon himself to have the greatest night of his career tonight, and it was just good enough. A Los Angeles Sports Arena crowd of 9,470 plus an at-home audience watching over KHK-TV saw the Lakers blow a 20-point lead, then surge in the last 2 minutes to score a 125-123 victory over the world champion Boston Celtics. Laker star Elgin Baylor limped all night, and most of the others were

Dec 21, 2022

NBA: Hawks Top Lakers, 105-100, as Pettit and Wilkens Shine

Dec. 21, 1962 - Coach Harry Gallatin of the St. Louis Hawks had the last laugh on Hot Rod Hundley tonight, but it was through no fault of the Lakers’ Elgin Baylor. Baylor played a phenomenal game, but Gallatin’s fired-up Hawks battled their way to a 105-100 victory over the crippled Lakers to end a 7-game winning streak and cut the Lakers’ Western Division lead to 3-and-a-half games. From the outset, it was clear that Gallatin’s lashing out at Hundley for “making a travesty”

Dec 20, 2022

Bad Blood Between NBA’s Hawks and Lakers

Dec. 20, 1962 - Everything short of total mayhem seems to be on tap at the Los Angeles Sports Arena tomorrow night when the steamed-up St. Louis Hawks and the Lakers square off. The Hawks, especially coach Harry Gallatin, are in a state of frenzy over the clowning tactics of the Lakers’ Hot Rod Hundley (#33) when the Lakers romped to an easy 135-106 victory over the Hawks last night. Apparently more upset over the comedy antics of Hundley than the haphazard play of his own cl

Apr 18, 2022

🚨Celtics Capture Fourth Consecutive Championship in OT Win over Lakers

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, 2022

NBA Finals: Celtics Even Series with Lakers at 3-3, Game 7 in Boston Wednesday Night

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, 2022

NBA Playoffs: Lakers Upset Celtics in Boston, Elgin Baylor Drops Record 61 Points

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, 2022

NBA Playoffs: Celtics Even Series with Los Angeles, 2-2

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 8, 2022

NBA Finals: Lakers Tie Series With Celtics at 2-2

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 3, 2022

NBA Playoffs: Lakers Top Pistons, Advance to Championship Round

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

Mar 25, 2022

NBA: Lakers Top Pistons, Leads Series 2-0

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