When reflecting on the Boston Celtics’ dominance during the Bill Russell era – winning 11 championships in 13 seasons – one might assume it was simply due to a lack of competition.
However, that assumption couldn’t be further away from the truth. According to veteran sports journalist Bob Ryan, the 1961-62 season triumph serves as a powerful reminder of just how difficult that journey truly was and how truly underappreciated it remains even to this day among fans and media.
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The Celtics got past the incredible Wilt Chamberlain
That particular campaign saw Wilt put up mind-boggling numbers, averaging 50.4 points and 48.5 minutes per game, surpassing even the standard length of an NBA game. So, when his Philadelphia Warriors met the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, that contest promised fireworks.
True to form, Chamberlain helped his team equalize the series three times before forcing a Game 7.
But in the deciding game, the Celtics threw everything but the kitchen sink at Wilt and contained him to just 22 points, to ultimately clinch a hard-fought two-point victory.
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Despite that relatively average showing, Wilt still averaged a staggering 33.6 points and 26.9 rebounds per game. And Ryan highlighted the same to emphasize just how tough it was to slow down Wilt.
“This is the year Wilt Chamberlain broke the record, ate the record book, destroyed the record book by scoring 50.4 points a game. Also, even more amazingly, missing just eight minutes in the entire season,” Ryan said on his podcast. “Eight minutes he did not play. Otherwise, he played every second of every game, no matter what the score was.”
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The road only got tougher for Boston
The NBA Finals weren’t any easier. Facing arch-rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, led by the dynamic duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Boston quickly found themselves trailing 3-2 in the series. In Game 6, however, Sam Jones erupted for 35 points while Russell delivered a grueling triple-double to force a Game 7 with a 14-point win. And just when it seemed they had given everything, Game 7 turned out to be even more intense.
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Despite being humbled with 76 points combined by West and Baylor, Boston emerged victorious in overtime. And Ryan emphasized how Herculean Russell’s stat line was, as if it were a routine job for him.
“Elgin Baylor is in his prime… This is their team by the way – Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Dick Barnett (Hall of Famer), Tom Hawkins and a rookie named Rudy LaRusso,” Ryan continued. “Frank Ramsey misses the shot and they get the ball with five seconds to go and score is tied… we get into overtime. Sam came up big and Russell finished a nice-tidy evening’s work during which he had 30 points and 40 rebounds.”
Safe to say, had a team championed over two Game 7s to clinch a title in such a manner, with the modern-day media hype, there is no denying that it would be categorized as the greatest victory in the league’s history.
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This way, unfortunately for the Celtics, it tends to be forgotten due to a lot of passed time since it happen and the overall disrespect that NBA era receives constantly by today’s NBA fans.
Even JJ Redick, before he took over as the Lakers head coach, felt that Bob Cousy was guarded by plumbers and fireman in his era.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.