1963–64 Boston Celtics season
1963–64 Boston Celtics season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Division champions | |
Head coach | Red Auerbach |
Arena | Boston Garden |
Results | |
Record | 59–21 (.738) |
Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Warriors 4–1) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | WHDH-TV |
Radio | WHDH |
The 1963–64 NBA season was the Celtics' 18th season in the NBA. The Celtics finished the season by winning their seventh NBA Championship.
Offseason
NBA draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 8 | Bill Green | Forward | United States | Colorado State |
Roster
Regular season
The Celtics were one of the dominant teams in the leagues. The team established its legacy as one of the game's greatest dynasties ever. 1950s superstar Bob Cousy had retired, yet Red Auerbach's club barely slowed down with his absence. Cousy's replacement was a defensive specialist named K. C. Jones, who continued Auerbach's emphasis on defense along with forward Tom 'Satch' Sanders and center Bill Russell. While Boston could surely still pass and score, it was their defensive emergence, led by the incredible Russell, that was now leading a streak of NBA titles. Russell led the league in rebounds and was one of two high-volume shot blockers dominating the NBA. The Celtics had six scorers over ten-points per game and two more over eight. Auerbach's sixth man, John Havlicek, was the team's leading scorer at 20 per game. This combination of active defense and unselfish shooting got Boston a league-high 59 wins in 80 NBA games.
Season standings
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
x-Boston Celtics | 59 | 21 | .738 | – | 26–4 | 21–17 | 12–0 | 25–11 |
x-Cincinnati Royals | 55 | 25 | .688 | 4 | 26–7 | 18–18 | 11–0 | 27–9 |
x-Philadelphia 76ers | 34 | 46 | .425 | 25 | 18–12 | 12–22 | 4–12 | 13–23 |
New York Knicks | 22 | 58 | .275 | 37 | 10–25 | 8–27 | 4–6 | 7–29 |
Record vs. opponents
1963–64 NBA records | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BAL | BOS | CIN | DET | LAL | NYK | PHI | SFW | STL |
Baltimore | — | 1–9 | 2–8 | 7–3 | 3–7 | 7–3 | 5–5 | 3–7 | 3–7 |
Boston | 9–1 | — | 5–7 | 7–1 | 6–3 | 10–2 | 10–2 | 5–3 | 7–2 |
Cincinnati | 8–2 | 7–5 | — | 7–2 | 4–4 | 11–1 | 9–3 | 5–4 | 4–4 |
Detroit | 3–7 | 1–7 | 2–7 | — | 5–7 | 4–5 | 3–5 | 3–9 | 2–10 |
Los Angeles | 7–3 | 3–6 | 4–4 | 7–5 | — | 6–2 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 5–7 |
New York | 3–7 | 2–10 | 1–11 | 5–4 | 2–6 | — | 4–8 | 1–8 | 4–4 |
Philadelphia | 5–5 | 2–10 | 3–9 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 8–4 | — | 4–4 | 3–6 |
San Francisco | 7–3 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 8–1 | 4–4 | — | 6–6 |
St. Louis | 7–3 | 2–7 | 4–4 | 10–2 | 7–5 | 4–4 | 6–3 | 6–6 | — |
Game log
1963–64 Game log | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record | |||||
1 | October 16 | @ Baltimore | 109–95 | John Havlicek (24) | 1–0 | |||||
2 | October 17 | @ Cincinnati | 93–92 | Sam Jones (24) | 2–0 | |||||
3 | October 26 | Baltimore | 108–123 | John Havlicek (24) | 3–0 | |||||
4 | October 30 | @ Detroit | 108–102 | John Havlicek (22) | 4–0 | |||||
5 | November 1 | @ Philadelphia | 119–102 | Sam Jones (28) | 5–0 | |||||
6 | November 2 | Detroit | 109–117 | Bill Russell (25) | 6–0 | |||||
7 | November 6 | Cincinnati | 121–139 | Sam Jones (28) | 7–0 | |||||
8 | November 8 | @ Cincinnati | 115–116 | John Havlicek (28) | 7–1 | |||||
9 | November 9 | @ St. Louis | 113–91 | Sam Jones (34) | 8–1 | |||||
10 | November 11 | St. Louis | 110–116 | Bill Russell (20) | 9–1 | |||||
11 | November 13 | N Los Angeles | 110–114 | Tom Heinsohn (31) | 10–1 | |||||
12 | November 15 | New York | 116–133 | Tom Heinsohn (24) | 11–1 | |||||
13 | November 19 | @ New York | 126–98 | Sam Jones (19) | 12–1 | |||||
14 | November 27 | Los Angeles | 78–114 | Sam Jones (20) | 13–1 | |||||
15 | November 29 | N Philadelphia | 78–112 | Tom Heinsohn (18) | 14–1 | |||||
16 | November 30 | San Francisco | 96–109 | Sam Jones (27) | 15–1 | |||||
17 | December 5 | @ Cincinnati | 108–118 | John Havlicek (22) | 15–2 | |||||
18 | December 6 | Cincinnati | 107–112 | Sam Jones (30) | 16–2 | |||||
19 | December 7 | @ Baltimore | 114–97 | John Havlicek (30) | 17–2 | |||||
20 | December 10 | @ New York | 132–113 | Havlicek, Heinsohn (27) | 18–2 | |||||
21 | December 11 | St. Louis | 95–104 | John Havlicek (33) | 19–2 | |||||
22 | December 13 | @ Philadelphia | 111–84 | Willie Naulls (30) | 20–2 | |||||
23 | December 14 | Cincinnati | 108–105 | John Havlicek (35) | 20–3 | |||||
24 | December 17 | N Baltimore | 131–114 | John Havlicek (43) | 21–3 | |||||
25 | December 18 | New York | 111–133 | John Havlicek (27) | 22–3 | |||||
26 | December 19 | N New York | 140–143 | Sam Jones (36) | 23–3 | |||||
27 | December 21 | @ New York | 117–127 | Clyde Lovellette (24) | 23–4 | |||||
28 | December 26 | Los Angeles | 110–126 | Satch Sanders (21) | 24–4 | |||||
29 | December 27 | @ Cincinnati | 87–91 | Sam Jones (20) | 24–5 | |||||
30 | December 28 | @ St. Louis | 107–100 | Sam Jones (22) | 25–5 | |||||
31 | January 3 | @ San Francisco | 111–101 | Sam Jones (25) | 26–5 | |||||
32 | January 4 | @ Los Angeles | 118–125 (OT) | Frank Ramsey (28) | 26–6 | |||||
33 | January 5 | @ Los Angeles | 95–97 | Sam Jones (25) | 26–7 | |||||
34 | January 7 | @ San Francisco | 89–92 | Sam Jones (23) | 26–8 | |||||
35 | January 10 | Cincinnati | 92–109 | Sam Jones (28) | 27–8 | |||||
36 | January 11 | @ Philadelphia | 108–115 | John Havlicek (26) | 27–9 | |||||
37 | January 12 | Philadelphia | 112–123 | Willie Naulls (23) | 28–9 | |||||
38 | January 15 | @ Baltimore | 113–108 | Satch Sanders (18) | 29–9 | |||||
39 | January 17 | Los Angeles | 79–99 | John Havlicek (27) | 30–9 | |||||
40 | January 18 | @ Detroit | 121–115 | John Havlicek (30) | 31–9 | |||||
41 | January 19 | San Francisco | 105–108 | Tom Heinsohn (27) | 32–9 | |||||
42 | January 21 | @ St. Louis | 114–116 | Sam Jones (20) | 32–10 | |||||
43 | January 22 | @ Cincinnati | 92–109 | John Havlicek (29) | 32–11 | |||||
44 | January 23 | N St. Louis | 104–110 | John Havlicek (28) | 33–11 | |||||
45 | January 24 | St. Louis | 99–119 | Satch Sanders (16) | 34–11 | |||||
46 | January 26 | New York | 102–115 | Willie Naulls (20) | 35–11 | |||||
47 | January 28 | @ New York | 127–133 | Sam Jones (32) | 35–12 | |||||
48 | January 29 | San Francisco | 100–92 | Sam Jones (25) | 35–13 | |||||
49 | January 31 | Philadelphia | 97–114 | Tom Heinsohn (24) | 36–13 | |||||
50 | February 1 | @ Philadelphia | 119–111 | John Havlicek (31) | 37–13 | |||||
51 | February 2 | Cincinnati | 119–117 (OT) | John Havlicek (40) | 37–14 | |||||
52 | February 4 | N St. Louis | 101–113 | Bill Russell (28) | 38–14 | |||||
53 | February 6 | N Baltimore | 94–92 | John Havlicek (20) | 39–14 | |||||
54 | February 7 | New York | 112–133 | Willie Naulls (27) | 40–14 | |||||
55 | February 8 | @ New York | 135–114 | Sam Jones (35) | 41–14 | |||||
56 | February 9 | Philadelphia | 109–120 | Sam Jones (27) | 42–14 | |||||
57 | February 11 | Los Angeles | 113–109 | Bill Russell (26) | 42–15 | |||||
58 | February 12 | @ Los Angeles | 104–97 (OT) | Tom Heinsohn (23) | 43–15 | |||||
59 | February 13 | @ San Francisco | 95–106 | Sam Jones (19) | 43–16 | |||||
60 | February 15 | @ San Francisco | 96–87 | John Havlicek (25) | 44–16 | |||||
61 | February 16 | @ Los Angeles | 92–90 | John Havlicek (21) | 45–16 | |||||
62 | February 18 | N Philadelphia | 93–103 | Frank Ramsey (22) | 46–16 | |||||
63 | February 20 | N Baltimore | 129–113 | Sam Jones (25) | 47–16 | |||||
64 | February 21 | @ Philadelphia | 119–144 | Willie Naulls (21) | 47–17 | |||||
65 | February 22 | @ St. Louis | 88–95 | John Havlicek (23) | 47–18 | |||||
66 | February 24 | @ Detroit | 113–115 | Tom Heinsohn (27) | 47–19 | |||||
67 | February 25 | @ New York | 114–102 | Tom Heinsohn (23) | 48–19 | |||||
68 | February 26 | @ Baltimore | 100–87 | Bill Russell (20) | 49–19 | |||||
69 | February 28 | San Francisco | 92–107 | Havlicek, Russell (16) | 50–19 | |||||
70 | February 29 | N Detroit | 108–115 | Sam Jones (35) | 51–19 | |||||
71 | March 1 | Philadelphia | 93–108 | Sam Jones (20) | 52–19 | |||||
72 | March 3 | N Philadelphia | 94–108 | Tom Heinsohn (23) | 53–19 | |||||
73 | March 4 | Cincinnati | 108–112 | John Havlicek (28) | 54–19 | |||||
74 | March 5 | @ Cincinnati | 101–111 | Bill Russell (19) | 54–20 | |||||
75 | March 7 | @ Detroit | 112–94 | John Havlicek (24) | 55–20 | |||||
76 | March 8 | Detroit | 118–128 | John Havlicek (34) | 56–20 | |||||
77 | March 12 | N Detroit | 120–140 | Clyde Lovellette (21) | 57–20 | |||||
78 | March 15 | Baltimore | 105–129 | Clyde Lovellette (24) | 58–20 | |||||
79 | March 17 | New York | 121–127 | Sam Jones (26) | 59–20 | |||||
80 | March 18 | @ Baltimore | 95–108 | Tom Heinsohn (25) | 59–21 |
Playoffs
1964 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Division Finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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1964 schedule |
Awards and honors
- Bill Russell, All-NBA Second Team
- Tom Heinsohn, All-NBA Second Team
- John Havlicek, All-NBA Second Team