<< 1965-66 Los Angeles Lakers | 1967-68 Los Angeles Lakers >>
The 1966-67 Los Angeles Lakers certainly disappointed compared to their expectations. With Jerry West entering the prime of his career and Elgin Baylor still going strong, this season felt like a chance to put the reign of the Boston Celtics to an end.
In the Eastern Division, a newly added fifth team allowed their playoffs to run with the same format, but the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t seem to care about who was in their path. At 68-13, Wilt Chamberlain was leading a wrecking ball through the NBA.
In a small change from the year before, eight teams now made the playoffs instead of six. This got rid of byes, but it meant the No. 3 seeded Lakers had to take on the No. 1 seeded San Francisco Warriors. L.A. was swept out of the first round easily.
Meanwhile, the 76ers finally ousted the Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals to face the Warriors in the NBA Finals. It took just six games for Chamberlain to win his first ring and to end the Celtics streak.
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NBA regular season schedule and results
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NBA playoffs schedule and results
