Game 1 Prior to the series, Celtics player-coach
Bill Russell decided not to double-team Lakers star guard
Jerry West. West was initially complaining of exhaustion, but in the game, all was forgotten. He used this freedom to score 53 points on opposing guards
Sam Jones and
Larry Siegfried. In an action-packed match, the lead changed 21 times, and it was Lakers center
Wilt Chamberlain who sealed the game with a clutch basket 23 seconds before the end.
Game 2 Again, Russell declined to double-team West. In a tough, physical match, West continued his scoring dominance by scoring 41 points. Aided also by guard
Johnny Egan, who scored 26 points, and 31 points from
Elgin Baylor (among them the last 12 Lakers points), the Lakers won. Celtics forward
Don Nelson and Lakers forward
Bill Hewitt required a half-dozen stitches each after in-game collisions.
Game 3 In Game 3, Russell finally decided to double-team West. With the heightened pressure, West lost his shooting touch. Also, the exhaustion he was complaining about prior to the series became so apparent that he asked to be taken out for longer stretches. In both pauses, the Lakers fell back by double digits. The heroics belonged to Celtics forward
John Havlicek: playing with a swollen eye after being poked by
Keith Erickson, he scored 34 points.
Game 4 Game 4 was an ugly affair, filled with 50 turnovers and low shooting percentages, but was the turning point in the series. The Lakers had a one-point lead with 7 seconds left and the ball. However, after receiving an inbound pass along the sideline, Baylor was controversially ruled to have stepped out of bounds, causing a turnover. For the last play, Celtics players Havlicek, Siegfried,
Bailey Howell and Jones executed a so-called "Ohio", with the three former Ohio State Buckeye players setting a triple pick for the latter. Jones jumped off the wrong foot, but the ball avoided the block attempt of Lakers center Chamberlain, hit the front rim, bounced on the back rim and somehow dropped in for the series-equalizing
buzzer beater. So instead of the Lakers going home with a 3–1 series lead, it was all even at 2 games apiece.
Game 5 Enraged by the unlucky Game 4 loss, the Lakers overran the Celtics with high-power basketball. Wilt Chamberlain played through a swollen eye after Celtics guard
Em Bryant had poked him. With just three minutes remaining and the Lakers safely ahead, Bryant stole the ball from West. Instead of letting Bryant run, he lunged for the ball, pulled his hamstring and had to be carried out of the game. It was immediately evident that West's swollen leg would not heal until the end of the series.
Game 6 In another ugly game, the Celtics were up 55–39 at halftime and never looked back. The Celtics at one point went 6-of-27 from the field, but the Lakers could not make use of this slump. With neither Baylor nor the limping West providing consistent scoring, Boston cruised to an easy victory. This game was also one of Chamberlain's lesser games: with Russell hounding him, the multiple scoring champion scored only 8 points, provoking criticism that he had choked when it counted most.
Game 7 In anticipation of a Lakers win, Lakers owner
Jack Kent Cooke had ordered thousands of balloons with "World Champion Lakers" printed on them suspended from the rafters of the Forum. Flyers were placed in every seat stating, "When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the rafters, the
USC marching band will play "
Happy Days Are Here Again" and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain in that order." Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo about the Lakers' celebration plans. When Jerry West went to the court for a pre game shoot around and saw the balloons, he became furious with Cooke. Russell noted the giant net hanging from the ceiling during pregame warmups and said to West, "Those fucking balloons are staying up there." Boston still held the 103–102 lead with 1:33 left in the game when reserve guard
Keith Erickson knocked the ball away from John Havlicek. The ball went right to
Don Nelson, who put up a desperation 18 foot shot from the free throw line to beat the 24 second clock; the ball hit the back rim, bounced high in the air and fell through the hoop to give Boston a 105–102 lead. The Lakers committed costly turnovers in the last moments and trailed 108–104 before making a meaningless last second shot that made the final score 108–106. The Celtics became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 2–0 series deficit to win the championship. They would later be joined by the
Portland Trail Blazers in
1977, the
Miami Heat in
2006, the
Cleveland Cavaliers in
2016 (also the first team to overcome a
3-1 series deficit) and the
Milwaukee Bucks in
2021. ==See also==