1965 NBA Eastern Division Semifinals Game 7 vs Philadelphia 76ers

Lore & Background

The 1965 Eastern Division Finals featured the Celtics and the 76ers, who had acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the Warriors earlier that season. The series went the distance, with Game 7 held at the Boston Garden. The Celtics won the series and went on to win the NBA championship.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Boston Garden was thick with tension, a physical weight pressing down on the hardwood. Bill Russell sat on the bench, his back rigid, eyes locked on the court where his brothers fought without him. The Sixers were surging, Wilt Chamberlain crashing the boards with terrifying force, but the Celtics held their ground. John Havlicek drove to the hoop, drawing the defense, and kicked it out to Sam Jones, whose jumper swished through the net. A roar erupted from the stands, a sound that seemed to vibrate through Russell's very bones. He didn't need to be on the floor; he could feel the victory in the way his teammates moved, a synchronized machine built on years of trust. As the final seconds ticked away, Russell stood up, not as a savior returning from injury, but as a king watching his court hold firm.

Reader's Guide

The game was the Eastern Division Finals, not the Eastern Division Semifinals. Bill Russell played the entire game; he did not sit out the fourth quarter. The claim that Russell returned for the final seconds after sitting out is false. Red Auerbach did not bench Russell; Russell played the whole game.

Did You Know?

• The 1965 Eastern Division Finals was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the 76ers after the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia.
• John Havlicek's deflection of the inbound pass in Game 7 is one of the most famous plays in Celtics history.