Summary
Wilt Chamberlain returned to Philadelphia in a major, mid-season trade. The San Francisco Warriors simply couldn't afford to pay him, so they sent him to the 76ers for three journeymen players and cash. That put him back in the Eastern Division with his nemesis, Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
Primarily because of Chamberlain and Russell, the free-throw lane was widened again, from 12 to 16 feet. The idea was to keep big centers farther from the basket, both on offense and defense. While it opened up the lane somewhat for drives and jump shots, Chamberlain still led the league in scoring and field goal percentage.
The Celtics coasted to first place in the Eastern Division once again, winning a record 62 games, while the Los Angeles Lakers reclaimed first in the West with Chamberlain gone from San Francisco.
Philadelphia finished only third in the East, eight games behind the Cincinnati Royals. But Chamberlain led them over Cincinnati and into the division finals against Boston.
It was a classic series, as the teams alternated victories, with the Celtics winning the odd-numbered games. In Game 7, Boston held a 110-109 lead with five seconds to play and the 76ers inbounding the ball from under their own basket. But John Havlicek intercepted the inbounds pass to seal the win.
The championship series was an anti-climax. Lakers' star Elgin Baylor was out with an injury and the Celtics won with relative ease in five games, including victory margins of 13, 32, and 33 points.
During the regular season, Bob Pettit of the Hawks became the first NBA player to surpass 20,000 points and announced his retirement, while Jack Twyman of Cincinnati went over the 15,000 mark.
