| 1964–65 NBA season | |
| League: | National Basketball Association |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | October 16, 1964 – March 21, 1965 March 24 – April 15, 1965 (Playoffs) April 18–25, 1965 (Finals) |
| No Of Teams: | 9 |
| No Of Games: | 80 |
| Tv: | ABC |
| Draft: | Draft |
| Draft Link: | 1964 NBA draft |
| Top Pick Link: | List of first overall NBA draft picks |
| Top Pick: | Jim Barnes |
| Picked By: | New York Knicks |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Top Seed: | Boston Celtics |
| Mvp: | Bill Russell (Boston) |
| Mvp Link: | NBA MVP |
| Top Scorer: | Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco/Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Playoffs Link: | 1965 NBA playoffs |
| Conf1: | Eastern |
| Conf1 Link: | Eastern Division (NBA) |
| Conf1 Champ: | Boston Celtics |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Conf2: | Western |
| Conf2 Link: | Western Division (NBA) |
| Conf2 Champ: | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Finals: | Finals |
| Finals Link: | 1965 NBA Finals |
| Finals Champ: | Boston Celtics |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBA seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NBA |
| Prevseason Link: | 1963–64 NBA season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1963–64 |
| Nextseason Link: | 1965–66 NBA season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1965–66 |
The 1964–65 NBA season was the 19th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 7th straight NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.
| 1964-65 National Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 |
| Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cincinnati Gardens | 11,000 | |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Arena Municipal Auditorium | 7,000 12,000 | |
| Western | Baltimore Bullets | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Civic Center | 11,271 |
| Detroit Pistons | Detroit, Michigan | Cobo Arena | 12,191 | |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 | |
| San Francisco Warriors | San Francisco, California | San Francisco Civic Auditorium | 7,000 | |
| St. Louis Hawks | St. Louis, Missouri | Kiel Auditorium | 9,300 | |
The season marked real change for the league. NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff, who had held the office since the formation of the league (as the Basketball Association of America) in 1946, retired. Walter Kennedy took over his position.
Red Auerbach's loaded Boston Celtics won 62 of 80 games in the nine team league. The balanced Celts had seven ten-point scorers plus the defense and rebounding of Bill Russell. Boston led the league in both of those team stats.
Four other teams won half their games or better. The Los Angeles Lakers won the West Division with 49 wins in 80 games behind superstars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. The Cincinnati Royals won 48 of 80 games with their own two superstars, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. The St. Louis Hawks had seven ten-point scorers also and won 45 of 80 games, but lost star Bob Pettit to knee injury. The Philadelphia 76ers won half of their 80 games while working Wilt Chamberlain into their scheme. Chamberlain joined the team in mid-season right after the all-star game, a move which instantly made the new 76ers contenders.
The NBA had six playoff teams that year, with the second and third place teams from each division, East and West, meeting in the first round. The winners of this play-in round would then meet the division winners to decide the finalists.
Cincinnati, which had no real center, could not deal with Chamberlain, so Philadelphia advanced three games to one. But the 76ers, despite three All Stars alongside their giant star, could not unseat the champion Celtics, who held off Philly by a single point in Game 7 when John Havlicek stole the ball in the final seconds.
In the West, which produced no NBA champions from 1959 to 1970, Baltimore upset the injured St. Louis Hawks to meet Los Angeles. The Lakers overcame the Bullets' three 20-point scorers to meet Boston in the Finals.
See main article: 1965 NBA Finals. It was the fourth time the two teams had met in the Finals since 1958.Laker star Elgin Baylor was lost to a knee injury just five minutes into the playoffs. The Lakers had no answer for Bill Russell inside as well. But Laker star Jerry West courageously tried to keep his team alive by averaging over 40 points through the Lakers 11 playoff games.The balance and depth of Boston was too much for that.
| Team | 1963–64 coach | 1964–65 coach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Bullets | Bobby Leonard | Buddy Jeannette | |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | |
| Detroit Pistons | Charles Wolf | Dave DeBusschere | |
| New York Knicks | Eddie Donovan | Harry Gallatin | |
| St. Louis Hawks | Harry Gallatin | Richie Guerin | |
x – clinched playoff spot
See main article: 1965 NBA playoffs.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 2,534 | ||
| Rebounds | 1,878 | ||
| Assists | 861 | ||
| FG% | Wilt Chamberlain | San Francisco Warriors/Philadelphia 76ers | .510 |
| FT% | Philadelphia 76ers | .877 | |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics