1965–66 Boston Celtics season

The 1965–66 Boston Celtics season was their 20th in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

On October 29, 1965, Sam Jones set a Celtics single-game scoring record with 51, against the Detroit Pistons. His record would last until Larry Bird's 53 in 1983. The Celtics won their 8th title in a row, which still stands as a record for the most titles in a row. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4 games to 3.

This also marked the final season Red Auerbach coached the Celtics, though his duties with the team only expanded as general manager in the following seasons; he would remain involved with the team in some form until his death 40 years later.

1966 NBA finals
The 1965-1966 NBA Finals was a thrilling seven-game series between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics entered the series as the favorites, having won the championship the previous year and boasting a roster of talented players led by Bill Russell, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones. The Lakers, on the other hand, were led by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, two of the most dominant players in the league.

The series began with a closely contested game one, which the Lakers won by a score of 133-129 in overtime. The Celtics bounced back in game two, with a 129-123 victory that featured standout performances from Russell and Jones. The series continued in this back-and-forth fashion, with each team trading wins and delivering memorable moments.

In game five, Russell had one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history, recording 32 points and 30 rebounds to lead the Celtics to a 129-96 victory. The Lakers responded in game six, with Baylor scoring 41 points in a 120-118 win that forced a decisive game seven.

Game seven was a tightly contested affair, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to pull away. In the end, it was the Celtics who emerged victorious, thanks in large part to the heroics of Havlicek. With the score tied at 100-100 and just seconds remaining, Havlicek stole an inbound pass from the Lakers and scored the game-winning basket with five seconds left on the clock. The Celtics won the game 95-93 and secured their eighth championship in ten years.

The 1965-1966 NBA Finals will always be remembered as a classic series between two of the greatest teams in basketball history. The Celtics and Lakers would meet again in the Finals several times over the years, but this series remains one of the most memorable and significant in the history of the NBA.

Roster
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;" ! colspan="2" style="background-color: #008040; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Boston Celtics 1965–66 roster ! Players !! Coaches {| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;" ! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
 * - style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: #008040;  text-align: center;"
 * valign="top" |
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Game log
Several of the Celtics games were played in neutral sites, such as Providence, Rhode Island. The games in Providence occurred on November 9 and 26, December 30, February 10 and March 4. Games were also played in Fort Wayne, Indiana (against Detroit on January 27) and in Syracuse, New York (against Philadelphia on February 12) and Memphis, Tennessee (against St. Louis on March 7).


 * 1965–66 Schedule
 * 1965–66 Schedule

Playoffs

 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 1
 * March 23
 * Cincinnati
 * L 103–107
 * Bill Russell (22)
 * Bill Russell (29)
 * Russell, Havlicek (4)
 * Boston Garden 9,510
 * 0–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 2
 * March 26
 * @ Cincinnati
 * W 132–125
 * Sam Jones (42)
 * Bill Russell (16)
 * K. C. Jones (9)
 * Cincinnati Gardens 10,027
 * 1–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 3
 * March 27
 * Cincinnati
 * L 107–113
 * John Havlicek (36)
 * Bill Russell (25)
 * K. C. Jones (6)
 * Boston Garden 13,571
 * 1–2
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 4
 * March 30
 * @ Cincinnati
 * W 120–103
 * Sam Jones (32)
 * Bill Russell (26)
 * John Havlicek (8)
 * Cincinnati Gardens 12,107
 * 2–2
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 5
 * April 1
 * Cincinnati
 * W 112–103
 * Sam Jones (34)
 * Bill Russell (31)
 * Bill Russell (11)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 3–2


 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 1
 * April 3
 * @ Philadelphia
 * W 115–96
 * Sam Jones (29)
 * Bill Russell (18)
 * three players tied (4)
 * Municipal Auditorium 6,563
 * 1–0
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 2
 * April 6
 * Philadelphia
 * W 114–93
 * Sam Jones (23)
 * Bill Russell (29)
 * K. C. Jones (11)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 2–0
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 3
 * April 7
 * @ Philadelphia
 * L 105–111
 * John Havlicek (27)
 * Bill Russell (23)
 * Sam Jones (6)
 * Municipal Auditorium 10,454
 * 2–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 4
 * April 10
 * Philadelphia
 * W 114–108 (OT)
 * John Havlicek (27)
 * Bill Russell (30)
 * Russell, Havlicek (7)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 3–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 5
 * April 12
 * @ Philadelphia
 * W 120–112
 * John Havlicek (32)
 * Bill Russell (31)
 * Bill Russell (6)
 * Municipal Auditorium 8,623
 * 4–1


 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 1
 * April 17
 * Los Angeles
 * L 129–133 (OT)
 * Bill Russell (28)
 * Bill Russell (26)
 * Sam Jones (9)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 0–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 2
 * April 19
 * Los Angeles
 * W 129–109
 * Havlicek, S. Jones (21)
 * Bill Russell (24)
 * John Havlicek (7)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 1–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 3
 * April 20
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 120–106
 * Sam Jones (36)
 * Bill Russell (19)
 * Sanders, K. C. Jones (5)
 * Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,101
 * 2–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 4
 * April 22
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 122–117
 * John Havlicek (32)
 * Bill Russell (18)
 * Larry Siegfried (7)
 * Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,251
 * 3–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 5
 * April 24
 * Los Angeles
 * L 117–121
 * Bill Russell (32)
 * Bill Russell (28)
 * Siegfried, K. C. Jones (6)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 3–2
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 6
 * April 26
 * @ Los Angeles
 * L 115–123
 * John Havlicek (27)
 * Bill Russell (23)
 * K. C. Jones (6)
 * Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,069
 * 3–3
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 7
 * April 28
 * Los Angeles
 * W 95–93
 * Bill Russell (25)
 * Bill Russell (32)
 * Sanders, K. C. Jones (3)
 * Boston Garden 13,909
 * 4–3

Awards

 * John Havlicek, All-NBA Second Team
 * Sam Jones, All-NBA Second Team
 * Bill Russell, All-NBA Second Team