Summary
The Celtics and Knicks were both back, along with the two previous NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
But the outstanding player of the year was Nate "Tiny" Archibald of the lowly Kings, which split its home games between Kansas City and Omaha after leaving Cincinnati. Archibald, an explosive 6-1 guard in his third NBA season, led league in both scoring and assists, despite the fact that his team went 36-46 and finished last in the Midwest Division.
The Bucks still had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who finished second in scoring, and Oscar Robertson came back from an injury-plagued season to play 73 games and finish fourth in assists. The Lakers still had Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich.
But the Celtics, with a balance of veterans and young players, led the league with 68 victories, just one short of the NBA record. They finished 11 games ahead of the Knicks, who went through an adjustment period early in the season. Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, acquired from Baltimore, had to learn to coexist with Walt Frazier in the backcourt. Willis Reed, still not fully recovered from knee injuries, shared time at center with another new player, Jerry Lucas. The forwards, Bill Bradley and Dave Debusschere, were outstanding defensive players who could also shoot and rebound.
Golden State upset the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs but then fell to the Lakers in the Western Conference final. Meanwhile, Knicks and Celtics battled through a seven-series. After Boston won two in a row to even it, the Knicks won the deciding game with surprising ease, 94-78.
The Lakers took the first game of the final series, but the Knicks' defense then clamped down and New York won four in a row to take the championship, holding the Lakers under 100 points in each game. Reed won the MVP award, mainly because his excellent defensive play against Chamberlain.
