1968 NBA playoffs
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The 1968 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the 1967–68 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 22–May 2, 1968 |
| Season | 1967–68 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics (10th title) |
| Runner-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Semifinalists | |
The Celtics won their 10th NBA title, their first under player-coach Bill Russell after Red Auerbach's retirement.
In the Eastern Division Finals, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3–1 series deficit to win, as they knocked off the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. In the West, the Lakers swept the San Francisco Warriors in four games.
It was the first time since 1954 that the top team in a division failed to make the Division Finals; from 1955 to 1966, the league gave the regular-season division champion a first-round bye. This year also marked a change in that the Division Semifinals were changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven.
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Philadelphia* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Francisco | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | San Francisco | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Chicago | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 4 | ||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Eastern Division Semifinals
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning three of the first five meetings as the Syracuse Nationals.
| Philadelphia/ Syracuse leads 3–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[2]
Western Division Semifinals
- Jeff Mullins hits the game-winner.
- Final game for the Hawks before moving to Atlanta.
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first two meetings.
| San Francisco leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]
Eastern Division Finals
- The Celtics become the first team in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit.
This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning six of the first 11 meetings.
| Boston leads 6–5 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Division Finals
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first meeting.
| San Francisco leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals: (E2) Boston Celtics vs. (W2) Los Angeles Lakers
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first five meetings.
| Boston leads 5–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Golden State Warriors (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.