1965–66 Boston Celtics season

The 1965–66 Boston Celtics season was their 20th in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

1965–66 Boston Celtics season
NBA champions
Head coach	Red Auerbach
Arena	Boston Garden
Results
Record	54–26 (.675)
Place	Division: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Champions (Defeated Lakers 4–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WHDH-TV
Radio	WHDH

On October 29, 1965, Sam Jones set a Celtics single-game scoring record with 51, against the Detroit Pistons. His record would last until Larry Bird's 53 in 1983. The Celtics won their 8th title in a row, which still stands as a record for the most titles in a row. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4 games to 3.

This also marked the final season Red Auerbach coached the Celtics, though his duties with the team only expanded as general manager in the following seasons; he would remain involved with the team in some form until his death 40 years later.

1966 NBA finals

The 1965-1966 NBA Finals was a thrilling seven-game series between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics entered the series as the favorites, having won the championship the previous year and boasting a roster of talented players led by Bill Russell, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones. The Lakers, on the other hand, were led by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, two of the most dominant players in the league.

The series began with a closely contested game one, which the Lakers won by a score of 133–129 in overtime. The Celtics bounced back in game two, with a 129–123 victory that featured standout performances from Russell and Jones. The series continued in this back-and-forth fashion, with each team trading wins and delivering memorable moments.

In game five, Russell had one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history, recording 32 points and 30 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 129–96 victory. The Lakers responded in game six, with Baylor scoring 41 points in a 120–118 win that forced a decisive game seven.

Game seven was a tightly contested affair, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to pull away. In the end, it was the Celtics who emerged victorious, thanks in large part to the heroics of Havlicek. With the score tied at 100-100 and just seconds remaining, Havlicek stole an inbound pass from the Lakers and scored the game-winning basket with five seconds left on the clock. The Celtics won the game 95-93 and secured their eighth championship in ten years.

The 1965-1966 NBA Finals will always be remembered as a classic series between two of the greatest teams in basketball history. The Celtics and Lakers would meet again in the Finals several times over the years, but this series remains one of the most memorable and significant in the history of the NBA.

Offseason

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	8	Ollie Johnson	SF	United States	San Francisco

Roster

Boston Celtics 1965–66 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From SG 21 Bonham, Ron 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1942-05-31 Cincinnati C 11 Counts, Mel 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1941-10-16 Oregon State G/F 28 Green, Si 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1933-08-20 Duquesne SF 17 Havlicek, John 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1940-04-08 Ohio State PG 25 Jones, K. C. 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1932-05-25 San Francisco SG 24 Jones, Sam 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1933-06-24 North Carolina Central SF 12 Naulls, Willie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1934-10-07 UCLA SF 19 Nelson, Don 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1940-05-15 Iowa C 6 Russell, Bill 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1934-02-12 San Francisco PF 16 Sanders, Satch 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1938-11-08 NYU PF 18 Sauldsberry, Woody 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1934-07-11 Texas Southern PG 20 Siegfried, Larry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1939-05-22 Ohio State C 5 Thompson, John 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1941-09-02 Providence F 12 Watts, Ron 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1943-05-21 Wake Forest	Head coach Red Auerbach Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-Philadelphia 76ers	55	25	.688	–	22–3	20–17	13–5	20–10
x-Boston Celtics	54	26	.675	1	26–5	19–18	9–3	19–11
x-Cincinnati Royals	45	35	.563	10	25–6	11–23	9–6	16–14
New York Knicks	30	50	.375	25	20–14	4–30	6–6	5–25

Record vs. opponents

1965-66 NBA Records
Team	BAL	BOS	CIN	DET	LAL	NYK	PHI	SFW	STL
Baltimore	—	3–7	3–7	5–5	4–6	7–3	5–5	4–6	7–3
Boston	7–3	—	5–5	6–4	7–3	10–0	4–6	8–2	7–3
Cincinnati	7–3	5–5	—	8–2	4–6	7–3	4–6	5–5	5–5
Detroit	5–5	4–6	2–8	—	2–8	2–8	3–7	2–8	2–8
Los Angeles	6–4	3–7	6–4	8–2	—	5–5	2–8	7–3	8–2
New York	3–7	0–10	3–7	8–2	5–5	—	2–8	5–5	4–6
Philadelphia	5–5	6–4	6–4	7–3	8–2	8–2	—	8–2	7–3
San Francisco	6–4	2–8	5–5	8–2	3–7	5–5	2–8	—	4–6
St. Louis	3–7	3–7	5–5	8–2	2–8	6–4	3–7	6–4	—

Game log

Several of the Celtics games were played in neutral sites, such as Providence, Rhode Island. The games in Providence occurred on November 9 and 26, December 30, February 10 and March 4. Games were also played in Fort Wayne, Indiana (against Detroit on January 27) and in Syracuse, New York (against Philadelphia on February 12) and Memphis, Tennessee (against St. Louis on March 7).

1965–66 Game Log
October Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 1 October 16 Cincinnati Royals 102–98 Boston Garden 1–0 2 October 20 Los Angeles Lakers 100–96 Boston Garden 2–0 3 October 23 @ St. Louis Hawks 110–120 St. Louis Arena 2–1 4 October 28 @ Cincinnati Royals 108–113 Cincinnati 2–2 5 October 29 @ Detroit Pistons 106–108 Detroit 2–3 6 October 31 Baltimore Bullets 105–100 Boston Garden 3–3
November Game Date Opponent Score Location Record 7 November 5 @ Baltimore Bullets 129–118 Baltimore 4–3 8 November 6 Philadelphia 76ers 101–91 Boston Garden 5–3 9 November 9 Baltimore Bullets 130–116 Providence 6–3 10 November 11 St. Louis Hawks 87–83 Boston Garden 7–3 11 November 12 @ Philadelphia 76ers 114–123 Convention Hall 7–4 12 November 13 Detroit Pistons 122–93 Boston Garden 8–4 13 November 16 @ San Francisco Warriors 108–105 San Francisco 9–4 14 November 17 @ Los Angeles Lakers 115–125 Los Angeles 9–5 15 November 19 Cincinnati Royals 129–103 Boston Garden 10–5 16 November 20 @ New York Knicks 122–108 Madison Square Garden 11–5 17 November 24 New York Knicks 125–110 Boston Garden 12–5 18 November 26 Detroit Pistons 134–114 Providence 13–5 19 November 27 Los Angeles Lakers 101–95 Boston Garden 14–5
December Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 20 December 3 Philadelphia 76ers 103–119 Boston Garden 14–6 21 December 4 @ St. Louis Hawks 100–94 St. Louis Arena 15–6 22 December 5 @ Cincinnati Royals 99–108 Cincinnati 15–7 23 December 7 St. Louis Hawks 112–96 New York, NY 16–7 24 December 8 Los Angeles Lakers 108–106 Boston Garden 17–7 25 December 11 San Francisco Warriors 143–106 Boston Garden 18–7 26 December 15 Cincinnati Royals 110–117 Boston Garden 18–8 27 December 17 @ Detroit Pistons 114–112 Detroit 19–8 28 December 22 New York Knickerbockers 123–120 Boston Garden 20–8 29 December 25 @ Baltimore Bullets 113–99 Baltimore 21–8 30 December 26 Baltimore Bullets 120–99 Baltimore 22–8 31 December 28 @ Philadelphia 76ers 93–102 Baltimore 22–9 32 December 29 @ New York Knicks 99–96 Madison Square Garden 23–9 33 December 30 San Francisco Warriors 116–113 Providence 24–9
January Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 34 January 1 @ St. Louis Hawks 98–100 St. Louis Arena 24–10 35 January 2 @ Los Angeles Lakers 124–113 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 25–10 36 January 5 @ Los Angeles Lakers 113–120 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 25–11 37 January 7 @ San Francisco Warriors 115–114 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 26–11 38 January 8 @ San Francisco Warriors 124–96 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 27–11 39 January 12 Los Angeles Lakers 114–102 Boston Garden 28–11 40 January 14 @ Philadelphia 76ers 100–112 Convention Hall 28–12 41 January 16 Philadelphia 76ers 137–122 Boston Garden 29–12 42 January 18 Detroit Pistons 115–116 Philadelphia 29–13 43 January 19 Baltimore Bullets 129–89 Boston Garden 30–13 44 January 21 Cincinnati Royals 113–96 Boston Garden 31–13 45 January 22 @ Baltimore Bullets 107–132 Baltimore Civic Center 31–14 46 January 25 @ Cincinnati Royals 101–113 Cincinnati Gardens 31–15 47 January 27 Detroit Pistons 131–112 Fort Wayne, IN 32–15 48 January 28 Detroit Pistons 105–108 Boston Garden 32–16 49 January 29 @ New York Knickerbockers 119–107 Madison Square Garden 33–16 50 January 30 New York Knickerbockers 118–115 Boston Garden 34–16
February Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 51 February 1 Detroit Pistons 100–81 New York 35–16 52 February 2 @ Detroit Pistons 93–99 Cobo Arena 35–17 53 February 4 St. Louis Hawks 117–95 Boston Garden 36–17 54 February 5 @ Baltimore Bullets 94–113 Baltimore Civic Center 36–18 55 February 6 Philadelphia 76ers 100–99 Boston Garden 37–18 56 February 7 San Francisco Warriors 112–107 Philadelphia 38–18 57 February 9 New York Knicks 121–117 Boston Garden 39–18 58 February 10 San Francisco Warriors 117–128 Providence, RI 39–19 59 February 11 San Francisco Warriors 99–96 Boston Garden 40–19 60 February 12 Philadelphia 76ers 85–83 Syracuse, NY 41–19 61 February 13 Los Angeles Lakers 110–120 Boston Garden 41–20 62 February 15 @ Cincinnati Royals 123–136 Cincinnati Gardens 41–21 63 February 18 @ San Francisco Warriors 106–128 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 41–22 64 February 19 @ Los Angeles Lakers 115–111 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 42–22 65 February 21 @ Los Angeles Lakers 115–108 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 43–22 66 February 22 @ San Francisco Warriors 116–108 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 44–22 67 February 24 St. Louis Hawks 134–106 Boston Garden 45–22 68 February 26 @ New York Knicks 100–95 Madison Square Garden 46–22 69 February 27 @ Baltimore Bullets 92–132 Baltimore Civic Center 46–23
March Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 70 March 1 @ St. Louis Hawks 120–95 Kiel Auditorium 47–23 71 March 2 New York Knickerbockers 140–104 Boston Garden 48–23 72 March 4 St. Louis Hawks 112–132 Providence, RI 48–24 73 March 5 @ Philadelphia 76ers 85–102 Convention Hall 48–25 74 March 6 Philadelphia 76ers 110–113 Boston Garden 48–26 75 March 7 St. Louis Hawks 106–104 Memphis, TN 49–26 76 March 10 @ Cincinnati Royals 124–120 Cincinnati Gardens 50–26 77 March 13 Baltimore Bullets 129–98 Boston Garden 51–26 78 March 17 @ Detroit Pistons 128–103 Cobo Arena 52–26 79 March 19 @ New York Knicks 126–113 Madison Square Garden 53–26 80 March 20 Cincinnati Royals 121–104 Boston Garden 54–26
1965–66 Schedule

Playoffs

1966 playoff game log
Division Semifinals: 3–2 (home: 1–2; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 March 23 Cincinnati L 103–107 Bill Russell (22) Bill Russell (29) Russell, Havlicek (4) Boston Garden 9,510 0–1 2 March 26 @ Cincinnati W 132–125 Sam Jones (42) Bill Russell (16) K. C. Jones (9) Cincinnati Gardens 10,027 1–1 3 March 27 Cincinnati L 107–113 John Havlicek (36) Bill Russell (25) K. C. Jones (6) Boston Garden 13,571 1–2 4 March 30 @ Cincinnati W 120–103 Sam Jones (32) Bill Russell (26) John Havlicek (8) Cincinnati Gardens 12,107 2–2 5 April 1 Cincinnati W 112–103 Sam Jones (34) Bill Russell (31) Bill Russell (11) Boston Garden 13,909 3–2
Division Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–0; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 3 @ Philadelphia W 115–96 Sam Jones (29) Bill Russell (18) three players tied (4) Municipal Auditorium 6,563 1–0 2 April 6 Philadelphia W 114–93 Sam Jones (23) Bill Russell (29) K. C. Jones (11) Boston Garden 13,909 2–0 3 April 7 @ Philadelphia L 105–111 John Havlicek (27) Bill Russell (23) Sam Jones (6) Municipal Auditorium 10,454 2–1 4 April 10 Philadelphia W 114–108 (OT) John Havlicek (27) Bill Russell (30) Russell, Havlicek (7) Boston Garden 13,909 3–1 5 April 12 @ Philadelphia W 120–112 John Havlicek (32) Bill Russell (31) Bill Russell (6) Municipal Auditorium 8,623 4–1
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 2–2; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 17 Los Angeles L 129–133 (OT) Bill Russell (28) Bill Russell (26) Sam Jones (9) Boston Garden 13,909 0–1 2 April 19 Los Angeles W 129–109 Havlicek, S. Jones (21) Bill Russell (24) John Havlicek (7) Boston Garden 13,909 1–1 3 April 20 @ Los Angeles W 120–106 Sam Jones (36) Bill Russell (19) Sanders, K. C. Jones (5) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,101 2–1 4 April 22 @ Los Angeles W 122–117 John Havlicek (32) Bill Russell (18) Larry Siegfried (7) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,251 3–1 5 April 24 Los Angeles L 117–121 Bill Russell (32) Bill Russell (28) Siegfried, K. C. Jones (6) Boston Garden 13,909 3–2 6 April 26 @ Los Angeles L 115–123 John Havlicek (27) Bill Russell (23) K. C. Jones (6) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,069 3–3 7 April 28 Los Angeles W 95–93 Bill Russell (25) Bill Russell (32) Sanders, K. C. Jones (3) Boston Garden 13,909 4–3
1966 schedule

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

• John Havlicek, All-NBA Second Team
• Sam Jones, All-NBA Second Team
• Bill Russell, All-NBA Second Team

References

• Celtics on Database Basketball
• Celtics on Basketball Reference