1961–62 NBA season

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

1961–62 NBA season
League
Philadelphia Warriors
Western championsLos Angeles Lakers
  Western runners-upDetroit Pistons
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upLos Angeles Lakers
NBA seasons

The 1961–62 NBA season was the 16th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 4th straight NBA title, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1960–61 coach 1961–62 coach
Chicago Packers
Expansion Jim Pollard
New York Knicks Carl Braun Eddie Donovan
Philadelphia Warriors
Neil Johnston Frank McGuire
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
St. Louis Hawks
Paul Seymour Andrew Levane
Bob Pettit

Final standings

Eastern Division

W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Boston Celtics 60 20 .750 23–5 26–12 11–3 26–10
x-Philadelphia Warriors 49 31 .613 11 18–11 19–19 12–1 18–18
x-Syracuse Nationals 41 39 .513 19 18–10 11–19 12–10 17–19
New York Knicks 29 51 .363 31 19–15 2–23 8–13 11–25

Western Division

W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Los Angeles Lakers 54 26 .675 26–5 18–13 10–8 33–13
x-Cincinnati Royals 43 37 .538 11 18–13 14–16 11–8 29–17
x-Detroit Pistons 37 43 .463 17 16–14 8–17 13–12 24–22
St. Louis Hawks 29 51 .363 25 19–16 7–27 3–8 16–30
Chicago Packers 18 62 .225 36 15-23 3-39 0–0 10–30

x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

Category Player Team Stat
Points Wilt Chamberlain
Philadelphia Warriors
4,029
Rebounds Wilt Chamberlain
Philadelphia Warriors
2,052
Assists Oscar Robertson
Cincinnati Royals
899
FG% Walt Bellamy
Chicago Packers
.519
FT% Dolph Schayes
Syracuse Nationals
.899

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

NBA awards

Individual statistics

The 1961–62 season is notable for having some of the most impressive individual season statistics ever. A number of records were set this season, some of which still stand to this day. Below is a table showcasing some of the most significant individual per game statistics of the season.

Player Team GP MPG PPG RPG APG
Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia 80 48.5 50.4 25.7 2.4
Bill Russell Boston 76 45.2 18.9 23.6 4.5
Oscar Robertson Cincinnati 79 44.3 30.8 12.5 11.4
Elgin Baylor Los Angeles 44 44.4 38.3 18.6 4.6
Bob Pettit St Louis 78 42.1 31.1 18.7 3.7
Jerry West Los Angeles 75 41.2 30.8 7.9 5.4
Richie Guerin New York 78 42.9 29.5 6.4 6.9
Walt Bellamy Chicago 79 42.3 31.6 19.0 2.7
Cliff Hagan St Louis 77 36.2 22.9 8.2 4.8
Willie Naulls New York 75 39.7 25.0 11.6 2.6
Red Kerr Syracuse 80 34.6 16.3 14.7 3.0

When comparing these players to the 2014–15 NBA league leaders, 7 of these players would win the scoring title, 5 would win the rebounding title and 1 would win the assist title.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Robertson, Oscar (December 24, 2011), "N.B.A. Should Honor Its History and Learn From It", The New York Times
  2. ^ "2014–15 NBA Leaders | Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2016.