What most people forget is the playoff structure for the 1968-69 season. In the conferences the 1st place team played the 3rd place team and the 2nd place team played the 4th place team. This favored Boston greatly because the Celtics (#4) could defeat the (#2) Philadelphia 76ers. The #1 Baltimore Bullets dominated the #4 Celtics during the regular season. If the #1 Bullets were healthy, the Celtics would have been eliminated that year in the first round. I was 15 going on 16 when the 1969 finals were played and being an LA Lakers fan since 1965-66 I followed this game #7 very closely. In retrospect, I should have realized if the Lakers were better, there should never have been a game 7 in the 1969 finals. The Lakers losing to this day (over 55 years later) was my most disappointing time as a sports fan. I was so upset I could not sleep that night and I remember waking up several times thinking I just had a bad dream (with the Lakers losing). In retrospect, the Lakers did not have much after Chamberlain, West, and Baylor. I am uncertain if the Lakers could have beaten a healthy Baltimore Bullets or NY Knicks in the finals that year. Russell paced himself that year and did not play in games, and he was even hospitalized during the regular season. Consequently, Boston probably had superior talent (considering all 12-15 players on the team). Still that loss hurt and I remember the pain vividly. Lastly with referee Mendy Rudolph the Celtics always got the calls. At 9:24 in this video, Tom Hawkins did not foul Havlicek; Hawkins had his hands on the ball.
I have to give Red Auerbach credit when he recognized Jerry West on his efforts. West I believe was the only NBA player that received MVP honors for this series on a losing team. Thought it was good that Russell gave credit to his teammates.
If my memory is right the celtics finish that season fourth in the eastern conference but they peak at the right time...the celtics could still go to a level no other team can go to 69 was a perfect example of that
1968/ 1969 bill Russell & boston celtic beat the great Willis reed & ny knicks & great big 3 & l.a Lakers team of 1968/ 1969 : Willis reed & NY knicks never beat bill Russell and boston celtics lates 1960s team in the playoffs ; bill Russell was 35 years & sam Jones was going to retire ; before wilt major knee surgery in late 1969 ;; wilt & willis reed should've ate up 35 & aging bill Russell
Yeah 82and0, if that stupid Butch Van Breda Kolff didn't refuse to put Wilt back in and Jack Kent Cooke didn't put up those balloons in the Forum rafters, Lakers likely would've won the title, Jerry West always said that 69 was better than the Celtics, and yes they were fresher, while Boston was vulnerable and older. Lakers in 69 was 7 games better than the Celtics, and Boston in 4th place in the East. I always heard the stories that Wilt and Butch didn't see eye to eye and Elgin and Wilt weren't close, but Butch already knew he would get fired, so he decided to resign to avoid being fired. Really stupid on his part, even more stupider was Jack Kent Cooke putting balloons in the Forum rafters to give Boston more motivation to race out to the early lead, and eventual win. That 69 finals, is still til this day, my Lakers only game 7 home loss in franchise history, but the Celtics in their history now, has six game 7 home losses, five of them losses in double figures, but sometimes in life, things have a way of turning around for you, 41yrs later, the Kobe led Lakers in 2010, was 7 games better than Boston, and the Celtics also finished 4th in the East, and like the 69 Celtics, the 2010 Lakers was down 3-2, and also won the next 2 to repeat as champions, sweet revenge, for the Lakers to not only to win game 7, but to make it up for the Laker predecessors and to make it up for our hometown fans. That's why it was important for the 80s Lakers to get revenge on the Celtics, to make up for the 60s, and they succeeded in the 3 Finals matchups, with the Lakers winning the last 2 series matchups. That's why Kobe once said, that he didn't want to retire without getting revenge on the Celtics, to make up for 08, and then to get them back two yrs later, and then at the same time deny Boston multiple titles, but beat the Celtics to win multiple titles in the Kobe-Pau Lakers era against Pierce-Garnett-Ray Allen Celtics.
Good review. As a lifelong Lakers fan they simply didnt deserve it ENOUGH, despite perhaps being the "better" all around team. It was the INtangibles. The F'ing premature balloons and conspicuous overconfidence.
The Celtics beat the Knicks in Game 6 on John Havlicek's 2 clutch shots in the last minute. Sam Jones hit the game winner in Game 4 of The Finals vs. the Lakers!
As Chick would have said, Mel Counts driving baseline and trying to take Bill Russell one on one down three with 30 seconds left in game seven was not Phi betta kappa...
Why can't everyone just keep things simple? I know it's technically "1968-1969 Celtics" but can't we all just use the end year? Among basketball fans, there's more confusion generated online by the double-year usage. It's the "1969 Celtics", the "1972 Lakers" or the "2016 Cavaliers". Can't we agree on this?
That 1958 closed out game by Pettit still one of the greatest closed out games in NBA HISTORY
Scored 50
What most people forget is the playoff structure for the 1968-69 season. In the conferences the 1st place team played the 3rd place team and the 2nd place team played the 4th place team. This favored Boston greatly because the Celtics (#4) could defeat the (#2) Philadelphia 76ers. The #1 Baltimore Bullets dominated the #4 Celtics during the regular season. If the #1 Bullets were healthy, the Celtics would have been eliminated that year in the first round. I was 15 going on 16 when the 1969 finals were played and being an LA Lakers fan since 1965-66 I followed this game #7 very closely. In retrospect, I should have realized if the Lakers were better, there should never have been a game 7 in the 1969 finals. The Lakers losing to this day (over 55 years later) was my most disappointing time as a sports fan. I was so upset I could not sleep that night and I remember waking up several times thinking I just had a bad dream (with the Lakers losing). In retrospect, the Lakers did not have much after Chamberlain, West, and Baylor. I am uncertain if the Lakers could have beaten a healthy Baltimore Bullets or NY Knicks in the finals that year. Russell paced himself that year and did not play in games, and he was even hospitalized during the regular season. Consequently, Boston probably had superior talent (considering all 12-15 players on the team). Still that loss hurt and I remember the pain vividly. Lastly with referee Mendy Rudolph the Celtics always got the calls. At 9:24 in this video, Tom Hawkins did not foul Havlicek; Hawkins had his hands on the ball.
I have to give Red Auerbach credit when he recognized Jerry West on his efforts. West I believe was the only NBA player that received MVP honors for this series on a losing team. Thought it was good that Russell gave credit to his teammates.
Great video
Thank you so much
JojJo White's performance in game 6 of the 76 finals was the stuff of legends!
If my memory is right the celtics finish that season fourth in the eastern conference but they peak at the right time...the celtics could still go to a level no other team can go to 69 was a perfect example of that
1968/ 1969 bill Russell & boston celtic beat the great Willis reed & ny knicks & great big 3 & l.a Lakers team of 1968/ 1969 : Willis reed & NY knicks never beat bill Russell and boston celtics lates 1960s team in the playoffs ; bill Russell was 35 years & sam Jones was going to retire ; before wilt major knee surgery in late 1969 ;; wilt & willis reed should've ate up 35 & aging bill Russell
@@loydkline the key word in your comment was could of
Cover the 1966-1967 playoff series between the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. 😉
Yeah 82and0, if that stupid Butch Van Breda Kolff didn't refuse to put Wilt back in and Jack Kent Cooke didn't put up those balloons in the Forum rafters, Lakers likely would've won the title, Jerry West always said that 69 was better than the Celtics, and yes they were fresher, while Boston was vulnerable and older. Lakers in 69 was 7 games better than the Celtics, and Boston in 4th place in the East. I always heard the stories that Wilt and Butch didn't see eye to eye and Elgin and Wilt weren't close, but Butch already knew he would get fired, so he decided to resign to avoid being fired. Really stupid on his part, even more stupider was Jack Kent Cooke putting balloons in the Forum rafters to give Boston more motivation to race out to the early lead, and eventual win. That 69 finals, is still til this day, my Lakers only game 7 home loss in franchise history, but the Celtics in their history now, has six game 7 home losses, five of them losses in double figures, but sometimes in life, things have a way of turning around for you, 41yrs later, the Kobe led Lakers in 2010, was 7 games better than Boston, and the Celtics also finished 4th in the East, and like the 69 Celtics, the 2010 Lakers was down 3-2, and also won the next 2 to repeat as champions, sweet revenge, for the Lakers to not only to win game 7, but to make it up for the Laker predecessors and to make it up for our hometown fans. That's why it was important for the 80s Lakers to get revenge on the Celtics, to make up for the 60s, and they succeeded in the 3 Finals matchups, with the Lakers winning the last 2 series matchups. That's why Kobe once said, that he didn't want to retire without getting revenge on the Celtics, to make up for 08, and then to get them back two yrs later, and then at the same time deny Boston multiple titles, but beat the Celtics to win multiple titles in the Kobe-Pau Lakers era against Pierce-Garnett-Ray Allen Celtics.
Watching the game, it seems like the Lakers got a lot of calls.
Good review. As a lifelong Lakers fan they simply didnt deserve it ENOUGH, despite perhaps being the "better" all around team. It was the INtangibles. The F'ing premature balloons and conspicuous overconfidence.
The og last dance
The Celtics beat the Knicks in Game 6 on John Havlicek's 2 clutch shots in the last minute. Sam Jones hit the game winner in Game 4 of The Finals vs. the Lakers!
@@carolinadnm17 true without checking into the game at the scorer's table which was against NBA rules.
As Chick would have said, Mel Counts driving baseline and trying to take Bill Russell one on one down three with 30 seconds left in game seven was not Phi betta kappa...
Why can't everyone just keep things simple? I know it's technically "1968-1969 Celtics" but can't we all just use the end year? Among basketball fans, there's more confusion generated online by the double-year usage. It's the "1969 Celtics", the "1972 Lakers" or the "2016 Cavaliers". Can't we agree on this?
@@carseye1219 i agree
Willis reed & NY Knicks never beat bill Russell and 1960s celtics playoffs series