Hearing crowds boo the officials 60 years ago makes me so happy

you have to realise that the NBA had really strict rules on illegal dribble back then. 90% of today's crossovers would be a carry or palm or whatever you want to call it. they dribble oddly because they had to

Cousy and West are badass. Both were way ahead of their time. Cousy is out there throwing no looks and behind the backs. West is just getting to his spots and draining buckets. Im only 30 but I love watching these old games. Gotta respect the history of this amazing sport.

Crazy how fast paced this was. These guys were basically running for 48 minutes straight

These guys have started everything. Respect

i wanna know who the first person to do a crossover was, and if he was burned alive for being a sorcerer.

Just incredible how Jerry West was way ahead of his time. He could be a superstar today with no doubt.

Glad to see so many comments defending these players compared to today's players. Yes, obviously, if you took these players exactly as they are with the exact skill sets they possessed at the time and dropped them onto an NBA floor today, they'd be lost. But everything must be taken in the context of its era. Apply their physical, mental, and emotional makeup to the current era and most of these players would today be NBA players, they'd have developed athleticism and skills relevant to today's game. Guys like Russell, Cousy, West, and Baylor would be dominant players. If you took a current NBA player just as he is today and suddenly dropped him onto this floor at this time, HE'D be lost. Every time he dribbled he'd turn the ball over for carrying. Every move to the hoop would result in a turnover for traveling. On defense, he'd foul out in the first quarter.

Bro, Jerry West was freaking amazing

1962 was the greatest year in NBA history: Wilt's 100 point game and 50.4 ppg average, Oscar's triple-double season average, Russell's MVP award, Elgin scoring 61 pts in the Finals against the Celtics

Cousy was slick with that damn ball. And West's jumper was pure.

Cousy, Russell, west and Baylor were all time greats and you could tell in this video they go crazy!

Im suprised at how good the spaced the floor then & they took more jumpshots than you’d think

Whew! This video brought tears to my eyes. All of these Celtics were my childhood heroes and everyone you just saw have either their numbers, or nickname (Loscy), hanging from the Garden's rafters.

Russell played incredible in deciding games. This series went to OT in Game 7. Russ played all 53 minutes and for a poor career FT shooter he shot 14-17 from the line.

You know, I'm really starting to think that the 60's was an underrated era in NBA history. They actually played good basketball back in that time. The games were up and down and they would put up well over 100 points without a 3 point shot.

awesome.... no blaring music between plays... just the sounds of the crowd, as it should be.

These guys were big, athletic and dedicated. Give them a little time to adapt to today's game and they'd be just fine

Evolution is great, imagine if we were stuck watching this level of play today lol

Love watchin old videos of these GOATS

that Cousy could really pass the ball

Average player salary: $12,000 which was double the national average. But players had no benefits, insurance or retirement packages.

Don Gillis: The forgotten, long-time Celtic announcer.

Russell was the hinchpin of the 11 Celtic championships in 13 years. Sam, Hondo, KC, and others had specific roles and refined skills in those roles. Russell, however, was the indispensable, multi-skilled, unequaled force of victory. No other center, including Wilt, had the variety of skills, and the ability to judge the occasion -- and rise to it-- that Russell had. He scored when needed, ran the court & scored when needed, blocked shots, intimidated, passed, set picks, and did whatever necessary to win 11 of 13 championships during his NBA career. Wilt, Mike, Shak, Larry, Kobe, Lebron are all great players -- but none of them came close to achieving what Bill Russell achieved.

Soooo weird lol it's cool how sports evolve

So amazing these guys are, cousy playing out there he's rondo and jerry west game is already a modernized shooting guard from the 80s or early 90s

These older games are much more fun and entertaining to watch than todays NBA. The camerawork on the older games is also better.

This takes me back to when I was nine years old, laying on the floor, looking at a 12 inch screen and losing my mind for the Celtics

The two greatest franchises in NBA history. As a lifelong Lakers fan, I wish it had been the Celtics that the Lakers played in the 2020 NBA Finals.

WTH?? This game was down to the wire, went into OT, and they cut it off at the 9 minute mark? They don't even bother to show the Celtics celebrating winning the thing? Fail.

Chamberlain was so quick and strong in his 20s no one today is even close.John havlicek who was 6 5 around 200 or 210 pounds said that wilt was driving on him once he could not stop him so he grabbed the ball with both hands.Then he said wit lifted him up in the air with the ball as he clutched it, and damn near dunked him and the ball together.Thats how powerful he was?!

Jerry West and Bill Russell were ahead of their time!

Almost all the comments are about comparing then and now. For me, it's just interesting to watch this game on its own merits, as an historical artifact. Who cares that either team would get smoked by any team in the NBA today?

The 1962 Los Angeles Lakers featured two players from my home state of West Virginia. They were Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley. The Lakers' coach Fred Schaus also was the head coach at West Virginia.

Bob cousy passing is so nice man.

All the people criticizing these guys.. they were underpaid.. their equipment was shoddy.. a lot of them had to get part time jobs in the offseason to pay the bills.. their nutrition/training wasn't as good. The facilities were bad compared to today. Heck even the rims.. they weren't breakaway so if you didn't get all net the ball was going to go bouncing who knows where. There was no standing around for 20 seconds while someone isolates.. no three point line so people could just clog the lane.. that meant little driving.. No slowly backing your man down while everyone stares at you with their thumbs up their asses. No travelling/palming the ball. In short yes the players today are better athletes.. faster, stronger, taller.. the only thing these players were probably equal to was in endurance, as they simply ran themselves ragged in those days.. but sure, under modern conditions a modern team would easily beat both these teams..under 1960s conditions? A lot closer.. but give these guys credit for what they were able to do at the time.. I mean a top high school decathlete today could probably have won every single event at the 1896 olympics.. so what? Cousy, Russell, West and Baylor could play in the NBA today. Cousy would average 7-8 assists per game.. I'm sure he could learn a decent jump shot; he didn't need one back then. Russell would be one of the top power forwards in the league.. 12rpg.. 2-3 blocks per game.. just as dominating a defensive presence as back then... West would average around 20ppg as a pure shooting guard. Baylor would be a jack of all trades type small forward.. .. a few others might be bench players.. it is what it is.

Those HOFers can definitely play in today's game

Holy crap they're faster than I would have expected look at those fast breaks!

These old names on the stats are bringing me back man 😢

I believe that's Don Gilles doing play by play for this broadcast. He was a great Boston sports broadcaster for many years. He was also the longtime host of the candlepin bowling show that was shown on channel 5 in Boston from 1958 to around 1995 or 1996. RIP!

Jerry West could have played in any era :)

Jerry Wests jumper is fucking wet

Hard stationary fixed basket rim and not the soft breakaway rims played on today.

Them boys was getting buckets back ina day 🪣 🏀

Celtics ball movement is outstanding. So is their D. West and Baylor were special but the guy most ahead of his time was Russell.

Cousy West and Russell were straight up MODERN

well, they're actually really good players. Game has evolved, but talent doesn't look at eras

3:15 is where the Nba logo is from and it’s Jerry west

bro these commentators are great

Ayo that jump shot at 3:00 though lmaooooo

Anyone 2020?? 👇💓

It would be really ignorant to make fun of these players from the past. The reason why we have competitive NBA today is because of the science developed through years using the data from the players in the past. Never ever make fun of pioneers, they laid the foundation.

Bob Cousys passing game shows again...beyond legendary

I am SURE that West would have excelled in this era, given the modern training methods. Russell too.

A few things that stand out from this game: 1) Elgin Baylor's combo of size and athleticism. He was in some ways the LeBron of his time. 2) Russell's rebounding. Probably his most valuable on-court skill (yeah, he was a great shot-blocker too, but guys didn't attack the rim nearly as much back then). 3) The offensive sets that Red Auerbach ran. Really ahead of their time. 4) How bad the shooting mechanics were for so many players. A guy who could shoot something resembling a modern NBA jumper (for example, Jerry West) had an edge on most of his peers.

Amazing players then on Chuck Taylor Converse shoes..starters West ,Baylor Russell ,Jones these guys would be super stars today aswell.. No.22 .Baylor , looks like he was ahead of his time.. Lakers and Celtics rivals for the next 60 years.

This is actually a great game, waaay more physical. Also, why do people say these guys couldn't compete today? I'm absolutely convinced they would fare great

If you ask me, this looks EXACTLY like a 2013 playoff game: made shots, missed shots, turnovers, rebounds, assists, blocked shots, only 51 years previously.

I live in Gettysburg, PA. I was hoping to see # 21 Barney Cable of the St. Louis Hawks. I'm having troubles finding any films with my 6' 7 inch friend. At 84, he still plays excellent golf scoring often in the 80's.

2019 who watching

Jerry West was a fuckin beast.

Cousy’s passing was so ahead of his time

West and Russell can go up against any era

What impresses me is how quickly the game evolved. If you go back and watch some NBA videos from the early 50's, it looks like a joke. 10 years later and you can tell, these guy are skilled proffessionals.

Russell and West would be great in any era.

Boston scored less than 100 points just twice all season in 61-62... they had a pair of 99-point games. Crazy.

@ Hal15Greer Thank you for posting this!

Cousy was so good that he never needed to use his left hand.

17:10 did he just throw up a granny shot?

Very interesting footage. Line drive jump shots (not much jump), one handed perimeter shots...off the glass often...and Bill Russell left handed, line drive free throws were money, lol. Felix's granny style free throws, not so much. It's truly amazing how the game and it's mechanics have evolved. Thanks for the vid! (Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were a great 1/2 punch, wrong era).

The 60s old school ball was very entertaining they RAN A LOT and was always scheming...i wonder how a 60s celtics would match up today???

Bill blocking Wilt from the outside distance area when Wilt took it to try a throw for there and Bill was there and enough to leap or heal up a little or more and swap his ball away !

Frank Selvy scored 100 points for Furman against Newberry in 1954 the most points ever in a college game

Back when basketball was respectable.

7:50 If you didn't know... the guy who shot the ball right here was Jerry West. He is the man who is on the iconic NBA logo.

14 points 24 rebounds 8 assists Bill Russell

I actually found this game entertaining. It's not as good as today's NBA but it's also not as bad as people are saying considering there is no three point line to spread the defense. The lane is clogged. Yeah most guys if not all can't use their left hand but it was competitive.

Hal15Greer:First,thanks for posting and sharing this particular video. Let's be completely clear. This perticular game(as a whole)had so much to offer. For so many reasons. Exciting game with many other great players and both coaches. Part of the rich NBA history. After watching this,I have a unique question. Why hasn't Richie Powers (one of the 2 on-court referees) been inducted in the Basketball Hall Of Fame by now? He had a long career of officiating NBA games(1956-1979.) His book "Overtime" (during the 1973-74 season) is very insightful as well. What keeps him from being honored in this way? Just wondering,that's all. This is horrible and makes no sense. Hopefully,one day this will change. Once again,thanks for posting and sharing this truly vintage video.

They called walking, That was a different NBA

Bill russel looks so way ahead of this time

A lot of the people missing the whole point of this comparison. Right, the current nba players would kill these players one sided, but that’s because these guys were here playing before them. If it weren’t for these guys, today’s NBA would probably be worse than this. Someone said JR Smith would kill in this era. Right, if his current basketball skills transferred in this era, I wouldn’t doubt he’s gonna be a legend. But if he started playing basketball in this era not knowing anything he does now. He might not even be playing in the NBA. On the other hand, imagine if these legends started playing basketball in the current era, they would still be legend. West, Baylor, Cousy, Russell in this game, they were way ahead of everyone. Something like 10 years or more. Imagine if they were in today’s NBA, we might already be seeing basketball action from 2030’s by now.

Ref: "Here's the ball for your foul shot... just stand somewhere around here."

Btw folks, if u do a search for 'Frank Selvy's shot' or '1962 closest the Lakers came to beating russell' you can see the final play of regulation, which was Selvy's missed jumper from the baseline and Russell 's rebound, sending the game into OT.

NBC had the contract for the NBA during the 1961-62 season and often paid for the video feed from the local station that carried the broadcasts. WHDH in Boston did the Celtics TV broadcasts then, and it's probably the video feed that NBC used. The video you're seeing probably deteriorated over the years, and it's likely that the final few minutes simply don't exist anymore, if they ever did exist beyond the actual airing of the game. Back in that day, the networks rarely saved tapes of live broadcasts, unless it was a significant event or a technician or bigwig wanted a copy; TV wasn't the cash cow it is now, videotape cost about $300 per half-hour (about $2,300 today) , and the networks freely used tapes over and over to record new content. For this reason, almost all of the Tonight Show from the 1960's is gone; it exists from 1972 on because Johnny Carson insisted it be saved (per contract, he owned the rights to the recordings, but not the name of the show; it now airs on Antenna TV as "Carson"). If if seems odd that Game 7 wasn't saved, consider this: The first Super Bowl (it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game then) was aired by both CBS and NBC. Yet neither network bothered to save a tape of the game, and it was only recently that the NFL managed to piece together the entire game from many different sources.

hardcore classic game!

The great Johnny Most, the most unbiased sportscaster in history ;-)

Did you just see how Bill Russel shot from the Free throw line? One handed. Cool

Yooo the free throw line use to be far asf😂😂

i remember watching this live

hal greer? loved hal greer back in the day, my dad hated him, called him "dirty", great player, sorry to see he passed a year ago. my condolences.

These refs are way better than today's refs

What happened to the ENDING ?!? That's a big piece of the puzzle, ya know !!

This is more entertaining than today’s nba😂

Cousy played against Chamberlain who played against Jabbar who played against Jordan who played against Kobe who played against Lebron. The great players would do well in today's game.

One thing I noticed here which was unexpected is that players really got in the face of officials in a way that I think would get you a quick T in today's game.

The first rendition of the NBA on NBC!!! Before the epic John Tesh theme!!!

17:10 i died

Is it just me, or does the game play closer to today's game than the late 90s and early 00s, a lot of jumpshots and drives, with postups to playmake.

Jerry west and Elgin that duo tho.

Jerry West could have played in any era. That shot...