A little under a year ago, 335 days to be exact, I analyzed the first ten seasons of the NBA, ending the article with a quick summary of how the ’50s Celtics became a dynasty when they drafted Bill Russell¹. Throughout that article, I created my hypothetical awards for MVP and Finals MVP for the first ten years of the NBA; while I did detail the 1957 NBA Finals and give Heinsohn the Finals MVP, I would be doing a disservice to the legacy of these Celtics teams if I didn’t continue the discussion of hypothetical Finals MVP’s during not only their octo-peat, but their entire championship run. I haven’t written a list article in quite some time, but rather than go into extreme analytical detail; I wanted to quickly summarize who I selected as the Finals MVP in that respective series and briefly cover the overall series if necessary. Having already explained why I awarded Heinsohn as the hypothetical 1957 NBA Finals MVP² in that article, I’ll continue with that rationale. I did briefly mention the 1958 NBA Finals and the 1959 NBA Finals in that article, but I didn’t go into great detail; we’ll start there.

1958 Finals MVP – Bob Pettit

It’s not surprising to those knowledgeable of basketball history that Pettit would have won Finals MVP in 1958 if it had existed. He averaged 29.3 points per game during the series, leading both teams in scoring; while shooting 42.3% from the field and 75.9% from the line. He also chipped in with 2.2 assists, contributing to his team’s 21.2 to 18.2 advantage in team assists per game over the Celtics this series; more importantly, he averaged 17 rebounds per game during the series, trailing only Bill Russell’s 19.3 rebounding average. However, as good as Pettit was, Russell suffered an ankle injury in Game 3 of this series that kept him out of Games 4 and 5 and limited him to only 20 minutes in the deciding Game 6. Pettit and the Hawks frontcourt took advantage of Russell’s absence in the post, outrebounding the Celtics in two of the last four games after being dominated on the boards by Russell and the Celtics in Games 1 and 2, and the Celtics only lost Game 1 because the entire team shot poorly. All this culminated in Pettit’s legendary 50-point, 19-rebound performance in Game 6 to win the Finals for the St. Louis Hawks, the sole championship of the Atlanta Hawks franchise as of this writing.

1959 Finals MVP – Tom Heinsohn

While Russell’s injury demonstrated who the real MVP of the Celtics was, it’s important to remember the awards do also run on narratives. Russell did average 29.5 rebounds per game during this series, an NBA Finals record that still stands as of this writing, grabbing 30 rebounds in the final three games of the sweep, but the Celtics beat the Lakers by an average scoring margin of 10.3 points per game. Russell, for his part, only averaged 9.3 points per game on 31.6% field goal shooting; Heinsohn led both teams in scoring with 24.3 points per game while shooting 47.5% from the field, also leading both teams in that category. The Celtics shot more efficiently than the Lakers, 40.6% from the field compared to 38.8%, and a 73.8 to 67.0 rebounding advantage; Heinsohn’s shooting efficiency and scoring, as well as averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, and three assists; third on the team in both of the last two categories during the series, were the difference in this one. Undoubtedly Russell was the best player and engine that kept the Celtics’ machine running, but Heinsohn’s prettier numbers during the series make him deserving of his second hypothetical Finals MVP.

1960 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

Finally, I award Russell his first Finals MVP, an award named after him. The Celtics got revenge for their loss to the Hawks in 1958, beating them in seven games in this series. Heinsohn was once again the leading scorer for the Celtics and even averaged 9.7 rebounds per game during the series, but shot 42.3% from the field, while Russell was third on the team with a 47.1 field goal percentage and fourth in scoring with 16.7 points per game. Naturally, he led both teams in rebounding with 24.9 rebounds per game, ten more rebounds on average than Pettit at 14.9. The Hawks shot more efficiently from the field, 42.0%, compared to the Celtics’ 40.8%, and even averaged more assists, 24.7 to 20.6. With a slim free throw percentage lead over the Celtics as well, 74.8% to 74.2%, the Hawks should have won the series, but when Russell has an NBA Finals record 40-rebound performance in Game 2, 26 rebounds in Game 5 and 35 rebounds in Game 7, and the Celtics win those last two games by 25 and 19 points respectively, it’s clear Russell’s rebounding prowess and defense was the deciding factor in this series. The Celtics did lose Game 2 despite Russell’s record-setting performance, but it’s hardly his fault when he was second on the team in scoring that night with 21 points and by far the most efficient scorer, being the only Celtic to shoot 50% or more from the field that game at 66.7%.

1961 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

The rubber match between the Celtics and Hawks ended in five games, and for the second consecutive season, Russell walks away with the hypothetical Finals MVP. He was second on his team in assists for the fifth straight Finals, averaging 4.4; Russell also led both teams in rebounding for the fifth consecutive Finals, averaging 28.8 rebounds per game, the second-highest rebounding average in NBA Finals history. Heinsohn was the Celtics’ leading scorer with 22.0 points per game on a 47.5 field goal percentage, which was third on the team; Russell wasn’t far behind in either category, third in scoring with 17.6 points per game and fourth in field goal percentage on 42.9% shooting. His 46.6 minutes per game were his fourth straight Finals averaging at least 45 minutes per game, the highest on the Celtics each time; with the Celtics outscoring the Hawks 121.0 to 108.6, outshooting them 42.9% to 37.2%, outrebounding them 73.8 to 60.8, and outpassing them with 26.0 assists per game compared to 21.4, it’s clear Russell had his hands firmly in control of this series. Bob Pettit was able to steal a Game 3 win by four points behind his game-high 31 points and 24 rebounds, but otherwise, the Celtics cruised to an easy five-game Finals victory.

1962 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

In what would have made Russell the first player to win three consecutive Finals MVPs, an honor shared by Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal, he performed in such a way that it was a clear-cut, no-brainer selection. Russell eviscerated Lakers center Jim Krebs, averaging a Celtics-high 22.9 points per game to go along with a series-high 54.3% from the field. Russell also averaged 27.0 rebounds per game, and every one of them was needed, as the Celtics only averaged three more rebounds than the Lakers during the seven-game series, 61.6 to 58.0, and four more points, 117.7 to 113.6. Much like the rebounding dominance, it’s unsurprising to see Russell finish as second on the team in assists, averaging 5.7. The Celtics as a whole shot 43.8% from the field and held the Lakers to 40.9% shooting; the Lakers countered by having Jerry West and Elgin Baylor constantly attacking the rim regardless of the outcome and gaining 65 more free throws while shooting 80.5% from the line. The 27.1 to 19.3 assists per game differential between the Celtics and Lakers, respectively, is what led to the Lakers’ downfall, as West and Baylor, while averaging great numbers themselves, 40.6 and 31.1 points per game, respectively, and Baylor scored an NBA Finals record 61 points in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead; the rest of their team was not quite as involved and less impactful as a result. Russell exhibited leadership in the series, and it made the difference as the Celtics won the series in an overtime Game 7 on their home court, where Russell scored a Celtic-high 30 points on just 8-for-18 shooting from the field but a surprising 14-for-17 from the line, and tying his Finals record 40 rebounds to ensure a three-point victory³.

1963 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

Russell’s 1963 NBA Finals performance was more down-to-earth than the prior Finals, but the six-games series win still had his fingerprints all over it. Had Russell won this award, if it existed at the time, he’d still be the only player to win four consecutive Finals MVPs, as of this writing. His 26.0 rebounds per game was the fourth-highest rebounding average in the Finals at the time, now sitting at the seventh-highest; more on that later. While he averaged one less rebound than the prior Finals, he also averaged 2.9 fewer points to finish with 20.0 points per game and .4 fewer assists at 5.3, making the quicker series victory from the prior season puzzling, until you realize the Lakers only shot nine more free throws than the Celtics this series. While they did average 44.0% from the field as the Celtics shot 40.0%, the slim Lakers advantage in attempted free throws led to fewer scoring chances for West and Baylor, cleaner defense by the Celtics, and a significant advantage in both rebounds per game and assists per game, 61.5 to 55.5 and 23.5 to 17.7, respectively led to a quicker series win even as the Lakers outscored the Celtics on average, 113.2 to 111.3. At first glance, it appears that it was a total team effort by the Celtics and could award anyone Finals MVP by committee; a deeper reflection of the numbers indicates another example of Russell’s vintage leadership.

1964 Finals MVP – Sam Jones

Unlike the 1963 NBA Finals, this season’s five-game victory over the San Francisco Warriors is a Finals MVP awarded to anyone by committee. Of course, Russell’s leadership and status as the Celtics’ best player were on display; he just played Wilt Chamberlain and his Warriors team differently than he had the Lakers and Hawks of the previous seven seasons. Chamberlain averaged 45.8 minutes per game, 29.2 points, and 27.6 rebounds, all series highs, shooting 51.7% from the field. Russell averaged only 11.2 points per game in 42.8 minutes on a 38.6 field goal percentage. Chamberlain may have replaced Russell as the third-highest rebounding average for an NBA Finals series, now fourth-highest, while outscoring him by 18 points during this series; Russell was close behind and set the sixth-highest, now eighth-highest rebounding average as well. He also remained second on his team in assists, doubling Chamberlain in assists per game; 5.0 compared to 2.4. Although the Warriors had a slight advantage in rebounding average with 61.8 to the Celtics’ 60.6, thanks in no small part to Nate Thurmond from the Warriors, who averaged 13 rebounds, the Celtics averaged 23.8 assists compared to the Warriors’ 17.6 assists averaged, and shot 40.7% from the field while the Warriors shot 39.0%. The Celtics operated much better as a unit; since Russell was content to let Wilt take over his team’s gameplan after Game 1 and put up stats at the expense of his teammates getting involved, I have to award the Finals MVP to Sam Jones for his 55.6% field goal percentage and Celtic-high 21.2 points per game during the series; it doesn’t hurt that the only game the Celtics lost during the series, was in Game 3 when Jones got hurt and played only 17 minutes.

1965 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

This performance is a better example of what Russell could have done to earn Finals MVP in the Finals the year prior. While the Celtics outscored the Warriors 105.2 to 101.2, relying on their perimeter players to generate most of the scoring load, Russell averaged 17.8 points, third on the team, on a ridiculous series-high 70.2 field goal percentage against the Lakers this year. As a result, the Celtics cruised to a five-game series win while outscoring the Lakers 123.4 to 110.8 on average; to no one’s surprise, Russell averaged the series-high in rebounds with 25.0 while being second on the Celtics in assists with 5.8. Russell’s dominance on the boards and selfless leadership show in the team’s statistical averages, as the Celtics held a 63.2 to 58.2 rebounding advantage and averaged 24.6 assists per game compared to the Lakers’ 19.8. Jerry West did his best on his own this series, as Elgin Baylor got injured in Game 1 of the Western Division Finals, the Lakers’ first playoff game that postseason, but with Sam Jones keeping pace with West’s 33.8 points per game average on 42.4% shooting with 27.8 points per game and 47.0% shooting while Havlicek is also averaging 18.2, not to mention Russell putting together his Finals MVP performance, a five-game series loss was inevitable; a team-wide poor shooting performance by the Celtics in Game 3 was the only thing preventing a sweep.

1966 Finals MVP – Bill Russell

This year is another no-brainer. Although the Celtics blew a 3-1 lead, they still secured a Game 7 win on their home court over the Lakers. After the Lakers’ 133-129 Game 1 overtime win in the Boston Garden, Celtics’ head coach Red Auerbach announced his retirement after this series and that Russell would be the head coach of the Celtics starting next season. Russell, for his part, averaged a Celtics-high 23.6 points per game on a series-high 53.8 field goal percentage⁴ and a series-high 24.3 rebounds per game. He played all 53 minutes of Game 1, sat out six minutes of the Celtics’ 129-109 blowout Game 2 win, and then played all 48 minutes of every game for the remainder of the series, averaging a series-high 47.9 minutes per game. As usual, West and Baylor did their best to battle the Celtics unit, as the Lakers even matched the Celtics in team assists per game at 21.0 and shot better than them from the field; Russell and the Celtics were just able to dominate the boards and get to the line 16 more times than the Lakers. Russell scored a Celtics-high 25 points, grabbed a game-high 32 rebounds to ensure a 95-93 Celtics victory in Game 7, and sent his head coach off as a winner, even if Auerbach was going to be working in the front office after this, just not coaching.

1967 Finals MVP – Wilt Chamberlain

While he was only fifth for his team in scoring in this series against his old team with 17.7 points per game, make no mistake; Chamberlain was the 76ers’ best player. He averaged a series-high 56.0 field goal percentage⁵ and 28.5 rebounds, the third-highest rebounding average in NBA Finals history. Chamberlain changed his play style this season at the request of his head coach Alex Hannum, taking fewer shots and passing the ball more, finishing the season leading the NBA in field goal percentage, third in assists per game, and with the team sporting a 68-13 record. The 76ers then beat the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Division Finals, snapping their streak of NBA Finals appearances and rendering it the only year Russell did not make the Finals in his illustrious career. While his former teammate Nate Thurman battled back on the boards, averaging 26.7 rebounds per game during the series, the sixth-highest rebounding average in NBA Finals history, and Warriors’ new superstar Rick Barry averaged 40.8 points per game on 40.0% shooting, the 76ers were a just a more complete team; thanks in no small part to Chamberlain’s leadership.

1968 Finals MVP – John Havlicek

Much like next year’s Finals, the first with the first official awarding of a Finals MVP, this award could go to anyone by committee. While Russell averaged a series-high 21.8 rebounds per game, the Lakers outrebounded the Celtics on average due to their upgraded frontcourt, 56.8 to 55.5. Russell was fourth on the Celtics in scoring with 17.3 points averaged on a 43.0 field goal percentage; however, Darrall Imhoff and former teammate Mel Counts averaged 8.5 and 10.2 points per game, 10.2 and 11.5 rebounds per game, on 52.9% and 47.5% from the field, making sure that along with Baylor slashing to the rim and grabbing 12.5 rebounds per game, Russell would have his hands full in the post. Due to this, I would award John Havlicek the Finals MVP, as his 27.3 points per game was a Celtics-high and came while shooting 42.1% from the field, not to mention he averaged a Celtics-high 6.7 assists per game. It was a hard-fought series, with the average points scored by both teams separated by only a point-and-a-half, 116.0 to 114.5; without Havlicek’s perimeter scoring and playmaking, perhaps the Lakers finally beat the Russell-era Celtics in this series.

In conclusion, Russell deserved to be the first player to win six Finals MVPs, a distinction that goes solely to Michael Jordan in reality, as of this writing. The first Finals MVP went to Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals, and while I believe the NBA set a bad precedent by awarding it to a player on the losing team, I wouldn’t want to rock the boat and award it to Havlicek instead. West once again averaged tremendous stats, and even though the Lakers assembled a superteam by acquiring Chamberlain in a trade before the season, the Celtics operated as a complete team, winning the series in the Lakers’ turnover-prone final seconds of Game 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. It’s the one time in history I will concede to a player on the losing team winning the award, and it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving player. Hopefully, this article has provided insight into the great performances in the NBA Finals before the invention of the Finals MVP award.

Editor’s Notes

1. Havarti – 8/19/2022 – The Childhood of the NBA
2. If Heinsohn had won this award had it existed, he would have been the first, and as of this writing, the only player to win Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season.
3. If only to further emphasize this brilliant performance, it’s worth noting Russell averaged 48.3 minutes per game, more minutes played than possible in a professional basketball game. His 53 minutes in the overtime Game 7 win made this feat possible, and it was the most minutes averaged in an NBA Finals until Russell himself and his teammate Havlicek broke the record, averaging 48.7 and 48.5 minutes per game, respectively, in the 1968 NBA Finals, putting Russell back atop this statistical leaderboard. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later broke the record by averaging 49.3 minutes against the now Havlicek-led Celtics in the 1974 NBA Finals, which included an overtime Game 2 win at home for the Bucks and a double-overtime Game 6 win on the road in Boston, ultimately losing by 15 points in Game 7 at home however.
4. Technically, Lakers backup center Tom Hoover led the Finals in shooting percentage with 66.7%, but he only played six minutes total the whole series and took only three shots, making two of them. We’d hardly call that stat line qualifiable for a claim on this series’ statistical averages leaderboard.
5. Much like the previous season’s Finals, Chamberlain technically didn’t lead the series in field goal percentage, as the backup point guard for his team, Bob Weiss, played four minutes and shot the ball three times, making two of them. Once again, we don’t think that truly qualifies for this series’ statistical averages leaderboard.