1963–64 NBA season
| 1963–64 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati) |
| Top scorer | Wilt Chamberlain (San Francisco) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Cincinnati Royals |
| Western champions | San Francisco Warriors |
| Western runners-up | St. Louis Hawks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics |
| Runners-up | San Francisco Warriors |
The 1963–64 NBA season was the 18th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 6th straight NBA Championship, beating the San Francisco Warriors 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.
The NBA continued to increase its interests this season, setting another attendance record and increasing its revenue from televised games. The growing interest in the league was certainly a direct result of the arrival of talented players from the college ranks. Players arriving in the league in recent seasons still rank among the greatest to ever play in the NBA decades later.
Two teams dominated much of the league's attention this year.
The first were the Boston Celtics, which had by now become the game's greatest dynasty ever. Retirement had claimed 50s superstar Bob Cousy. But Red Auerbach's club barely slowed down with his absence. Cousy's replacement was a defensive specialist named K.C. Jones, who continued Auerbach's emphasis on defense along with forward Tom 'Satch' Sanders and center Bill Russell. While Boston could surely still pass and score, it was their defensive emergence, led by the incredible Russell, that was now leading a streak of NBA titles. Russell led the league in rebounds and was one of two high-volume shot blockers now dominating the NBA. The Celtics had six scorers over ten-points per game and two more over eight. Auerbach's sixth man, John Havlicek, was the team's leading scorer at 20 per game. This combination of active defense and unselfish shooting got Boston a league-high 59 wins in 80 NBA games.
Few considered the Celtics beatable, but the Cincinnati Royals surprised and excited fans with their team this year, easily the NBA's most popular. Coach Jack McMahon, a former Royals player from their Rochester days, finally got his man to help superstar Oscar Robertson. Jerry Lucas had arrived from the folded ABL and immediately elevated his club to contender. He led the league in shooting accuracy at 53%, but was careful not to disrupt the established shooting of Robertson, Jack Twyman and Wayne Embry. Lucas was also third in the NBA in rebounds and a willing passer. The most popular player in Ohio history, thanks to his now-legendary high school and college career, Lucas was a boost to attendance at home and on the road as well. Lucas was the fourth straight Rookie of the Year named who had starred on the 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball squad, which, decades later, is still considered by many as the best amateur team ever. The Royals roster had, at one point, five members of that roster this year.
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