# 1964 NBA playoffs

The 1964 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1963–64 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion San Francisco Warriors 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.
Boston earned their 6th straight and 7th overall NBA title, as they continued to dominate the decade; except for 1967, they won every NBA title in the 1960s.
This was the San Francisco Warriors' first trip to the NBA Finals since 1956 when they were based in Philadelphia; they would make a repeat appearance in 1967 and (as the Golden State Warriors) would earn the franchise's third championship in 1975.
The Philadelphia 76ers earned their first playoff appearance in their new city; they had been founded as the independent Syracuse Nationals in 1939 and joined the NBL in 1946.

## Bracket

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| | | | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | | | |
| | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | |
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | E2 | Cincinnati | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Cincinnati | 3 | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W1 | San Francisco* | 1 |
| | | | W1 | San Francisco* | 4 | | | |
| W3 | Los Angeles | 2 | W2 | St. Louis | 3 | | | |
| W2 | St. Louis | 3 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

## Division Semifinals
### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (2) Cincinnati Royals vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers

* March 22
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 102, Cincinnati Royals 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 19–32, 25–33, 28–33 |||
| Pts: Greer, Kerr 21 each Rebs: Red Kerr 15 Asts: Paul Neumann 8 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 31 Rebs: Jerry Lucas 25 Asts: Oscar Robertson 16 |
| Cincinnati leads series, 1–0 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 6,238 Referees: Willie Smith, Sid Borgia
* March 24
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 114, Philadelphia 76ers 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–36, 32–25, 25–29, 23–32 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 30 Rebs: Wayne Embry 11 Asts: three players 5 each | Pts: Hal Greer 29 Rebs: Red Kerr 15 Asts: Hal Greer 7 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Municipal Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 4,510
* March 25
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 89, Cincinnati Royals 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 27–32, 19–23, 25–20 |||
| Pts: Chet Walker 21 Rebs: Red Kerr 19 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 28 Rebs: Jack Twyman 21 |
| Cincinnati leads series, 2–1 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 7,171
* March 28
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 120, Philadelphia 76ers 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 33–29, 24–36, 35–33 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 31 Rebs: Oscar Robertson 14 Asts: Bucky Bockhorn 7 | Pts: Hal Greer 22 Rebs: Ben Warley 15 Asts: Hal Greer 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Municipal Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 4,255
* March 29
* Boxscore
Philadelphia 76ers 124, Cincinnati Royals 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 36–30, 28–35, 37–36 |||
| Pts: Red Kerr 31 Rebs: Red Kerr 11 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 32 Rebs: Wayne Embry 17 |
| Cincinnati wins series, 3–2 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 7,913
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Royals winning the first meeting when the 76ers were the Syracuse Nationals.
Cincinnati leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1963
Syracuse Nationals 2, Cincinnati Royals 3
1963 Eastern Division Semifinals :

### Western Division Semifinals
#### (2) St. Louis Hawks vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

* March 21
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 104, St. Louis Hawks 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–32, 35–25, 29–29, 17–29 |||
| Pts: Jerry West 35 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 15 Asts: Dick Barnett 5 | Pts: Cliff Hagan 27 Rebs: Bob Pettit 22 Asts: Hagan, Wilkens 7 each |
| St. Louis leads series, 1–0 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 7,214
* March 22
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 90, St. Louis Hawks 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 19–27, 26–24, 23–34 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 20 Rebs: LeRoy Ellis 18 Asts: Jim King 4 | Pts: Richie Guerin 22 Rebs: Bob Pettit 18 Asts: Cliff Hagan 6 |
| St. Louis leads series, 2–0 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 7,014
* March 25
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 105, Los Angeles Lakers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 27–26, 29–24, 27–24 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 23 Rebs: Bob Pettit 10 Asts: Cliff Hagan 5 | Pts: Jerry West 39 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 16 Asts: Elgin Baylor 11 |
| St. Louis leads series, 2–1 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 11,728
* March 28
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 88, Los Angeles Lakers 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 26–18, 18–34, 21–22 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 23 Rebs: Bob Pettit 12 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 7 | Pts: Jerry West 39 Rebs: LeRoy Ellis 11 Asts: Elgin Baylor 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 13,862
* March 30
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 108, St. Louis Hawks 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–34, 31–22, 19–31, 33–34 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 28 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 11 Asts: Dick Barnett 4 | Pts: Lenny Wilkens 30 Rebs: Bob Pettit 20 Asts: Hagan, Guerin 6 each |
| St. Louis wins series, 3–2 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 9,574
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning four of the first six meetings.
St. Louis leads 4–2 in all-time playoff series :
1956
St. Louis Hawks 2, Minneapolis Lakers 1
1956 Western Division Semifinals
1957
St. Louis Hawks 3, Minneapolis Lakers 0
1957 Western Division Finals
1959
St. Louis Hawks 2, Minneapolis Lakers 4
1959 Western Division Finals
1960
St. Louis Hawks 4, Minneapolis Lakers 3
1960 Western Division Finals
1961
St. Louis Hawks 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1961 Western Division Finals
1963
St. Louis Hawks 3, Los Angeles Lakers 4
1963 Western Division Finals :

## Division Finals
### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cincinnati Royals

* March 31
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 87, Boston Celtics 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 19–26, 21–26, 26–28 |||
| Pts: Wayne Embry 21 Rebs: Wayne Embry 16 Asts: Robertson, Arnette 3 each | Pts: Sam Jones 27 Rebs: Bill Russell 31 Asts: K. C. Jones 9 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 2
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 90, Boston Celtics 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–29, 23–21, 22–27, 26–24 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 30 Rebs: Oscar Robertson 12 Asts: Oscar Robertson 9 | Pts: Tom Heinsohn 31 Rebs: Bill Russell 28 Asts: K. C. Jones 8 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 5
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 102, Cincinnati Royals 92 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 30–16, 26–27, 21–28 |||
| Pts: Bill Russell 22 Rebs: Bill Russell 28 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 34 Rebs: Jerry Lucas 24 |
| Boston leads series, 3–0 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 11,850
* April 7
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 93, Cincinnati Royals 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 24–21, 23–29, 21–27 |||
| Pts: Sam Jones 33 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: K. C. Jones 5 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 33 Rebs: Jerry Lucas 25 Asts: Jerry Lucas 10 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio
* April 9
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 95, Boston Celtics 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–33, 22–26, 21–26, 33–24 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 24 Rebs: Wayne Embry 10 Asts: Oscar Robertson 6 | Pts: Sam Jones 23 Rebs: Bill Russell 35 Asts: Russell, K. C. Jones 7 each |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first meeting.
Boston leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series :
1963
Boston Celtics 4, Cincinnati Royals 3
1963 Eastern Division Finals :

### Western Division Finals
#### (1) San Francisco Warriors vs. (2) St. Louis Hawks

* April 1
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 116, San Francisco Warriors 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 15–32, 25–22, 32–29 |||
| Pts: Richie Guerin 32 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 37 |
| St. Louis leads series, 1–0 |||
* War Memorial Gymnasium, San Francisco, California Attendance: 5,231
This is the only playoff game that was held in the San Francisco city limit until 2022.
* April 3
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 85, San Francisco Warriors 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 21–34, 18–28, 23–30 |||
| Pts: Richie Guerin 23 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 28 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Cow Palace, Daly City, California Attendance: 9,063
* April 5
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 109, St. Louis Hawks 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 31–33, 25–23, 25–28 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 46 | Pts: Bob Pettit 26 |
| St. Louis leads series, 2–1 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 10,163
* April 8
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 111, St. Louis Hawks 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 28–24, 27–28, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 36 | Pts: Bob Pettit 29 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 10,118
* April 10
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 97, San Francisco Warriors 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–36, 28–22, 21–29, 27–34 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 19 Rebs: Bob Pettit 11 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 50 Rebs: Chamberlain, Thurmond 15 each |
| San Francisco leads series, 3–2 |||
* Cow Palace, Daly City, California Attendance: 10,628
* April 12
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 95, St. Louis Hawks 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–28, 17–31, 36–34, 26–30 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 34 | Pts: Bob Pettit 21 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 8,967
* April 16
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 95, San Francisco Warriors 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–32, 19–21, 25–23, 18–29 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 24 Rebs: Bob Pettit 14 Asts: Cliff Hagan 5 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 39 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 30 Asts: Guy Rodgers 8 |
| San Francisco wins series, 4–3 |||
* Cow Palace, Daly City, California Attendance: 8,923
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

## NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) San Francisco Warriors

* April 18
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 96, Boston Celtics 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 15–32, 25–22, 32–29 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 22 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 23 Asts: Guy Rodgers 8 | Pts: Sam Jones 28 Rebs: Bill Russell 25 Asts: K. C. Jones 7 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 20
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 101, Boston Celtics 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 21–31, 25–36, 33–26 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 32 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 25 Asts: Phillips, Rodgers 4 each | Pts: Sam Jones 31 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: Bill Russell 9 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 22
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 91, San Francisco Warriors 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–40, 22–27, 21–23, 27–25 |||
| Pts: John Havlicek 22 Rebs: Bill Russell 32 Asts: K. C. Jones 8 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 35 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 25 Asts: Guy Rodgers 7 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Cow Palace, Daly City, California Attendance: 10,981
* April 24
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 98, San Francisco Warriors 95 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–24, 23–20, 36–20, 22–31 |||
| Pts: Tom Heinsohn 25 Rebs: Bill Russell 19 Asts: K. C. Jones 5 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 27 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 38 Asts: Guy Rodgers 6 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Cow Palace, Daly City, California Attendance: 14,862
* April 26
* Boxscore
San Francisco Warriors 99, Boston Celtics 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 17–23, 30–29, 28–31 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 30 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 27 Asts: Guy Rodgers 7 | Pts: Tom Heinsohn 19 Rebs: Bill Russell 26 Asts: Bill Russell 6 |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first three meetings when the Warriors were based in Philadelphia.
Boston leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series :
1958
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia Warriors 1
1958 Eastern Division Finals
1960
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia Warriors 2
1960 Eastern Division Finals
1962
Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia Warriors 3
1962 Eastern Division Finals :