1969 NBA Finals
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The 1969 NBA Finals was one of the most spectacular Finals series ever. It was played between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the Lakers being heavily favoured due to the presence of three formidable stars: Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West.
This series is also notable in that West, with an average of nearly 38 points a game, won the Finals Most Valuable Player award, despite being on the losing team. This remains the only time in NBA Finals history that the MVP was awarded to a player on the losing team.
[edit] Series Summary
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 23 | Los Angeles | 120-118 | Boston |
| Game 2 | April 25 | Los Angeles | 118-112 | Boston |
| Game 3 | April 27 | Boston | 111-105 | Los Angeles |
| Game 4 | April 29 | Boston | 89-88 | Los Angeles |
| Game 5 | May 1 | Los Angeles | 117-104 | Boston |
| Game 6 | May 3 | Boston | 99-90 | Los Angeles |
| Game 7 | May 5 | Los Angeles | 106-108 | Boston |
Celtics win series 4-3
The Celtics lost Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles after West scored 53 and 41 points, respectively, there being no effective defense of him in Russell's mind. In Game 3, John Havlicek, one of Boston's premier players, was poked in the eye and was inspired to a 34-point performance and a tight win. In Game 4, the Celtics continued the momentum and won on a last-second basket by Sam Jones. Games 5 and 6 were both won by the home team, but the Celtics won Game 7 on opposition ground to take the series.
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