The 1959-60 NBA season dropped a 7-foot-1, 275-pound goliath named Wilt Chamberlain into the league, and seriously, everyone was freaking out. Forget your regular season worries, back then people were asking, “Can Basketball Survive Chamberlain?” Yeah, a whole magazine article with that title. While those fears might have been a bit much, nobody in the NBA had ever seen anyone like “Wilt the Stilt” before. This monster arrived thanks to the Philadelphia Warriors claiming him as a territorial pick because he went to high school in Philly, despite playing for the Harlem Globetrotters after leaving Kansas early. With only eight teams in the league and the Warriors in the East, that meant the Celtics would face this guy thirteen times just in the regular season.
The Goliath’s Dominance Meets the Dynasty
Talk about high stakes! This wasn’t just some new player, this was a league-shaking force. Chamberlain ended up topping the league with an insane 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game, earning both Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year honors. The Warriors finished the regular season with a solid 49-26 record. But here’s the kicker: Boston wasn’t backing down. Even with Wilt going off for 39 points or more nine different times against them, and one ridiculous 53-point, 29-rebound performance while Bill Russell was guarding him, the Celtics still won eight of those thirteen regular season matchups. In fact, Boston actually raised their own win total from 52 to a new league all-time high of 59, showing everyone who was boss.
Eastern Finals: A Classic Rivalry Rekindled
So, what happened when these two titans finally met in the Eastern playoffs? After a first-round bye for the Celtics, the Warriors, with their Hall of Fame talent like two-time scoring leader Paul Arizin, two-time assists leader Guy Rodgers, and high-scoring forward Tom Gola, knocked off Syracuse 2-1 to earn their shot. Game 1 was a clash of giants: Wilt poured in 42 points, but Russell countered with a massive 30 rebounds. The Celtics jumped out to a 13-point lead after the first quarter and held onto it for the win. Game 2 went to Philly thanks to Arizin’s 30 points, evenIng the series. But then came Game 3, Russell’s night, pure and simple. He dominated with game-highs of 26 points and 39 rebounds, holding Chamberlain to just 12 points as the Celtics cruised to a 120-90 victory. Boston kept the momentum, building a 16-point lead in the first quarter of Game 4 and riding it to a commanding 3-1 series lead. And just when the Celts were ready to close it out, Chamberlain went absolutely nuts, dropping 50 points…
This series, shaping up to be an all-time classic, was on the brink! With Boston up 3-1, the Celtics had a chance to punch their ticket to the Finals against the St. Louis Hawks, a matchup that was becoming a familiar rivalry. Who was going to take the Eastern Conference crown?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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