| ||||||||||
| Dates: | April 18–25 | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals: | Celtics defeated 76ers, 4–3 | |||||||||
| Western Finals: | Lakers defeated Bullets, 4–2 | |||||||||
| NBA Finals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ← 1964 | ||||||||||
| 1966 → | ||||||||||
The 1965 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1965 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1964–65 season.
The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers and the defending six-time NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Celtics made their ninth-straight trip to the championship finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers in a highly contested Eastern Division Finals that ended on John Havlicek's steal of the ball. The Lakers made it to their third Finals in four seasons after beating the Baltimore Bullets in six games, though it came at a cost: Elgin Baylor suffered a knee injury that would sideline him for the rest of the playoffs. The Celtics won the series over the Lakers, 4–1.
1965 NBA Playoffs[]
| Los Angeles Lakers (Western Division Champion) | Boston Celtics (Eastern Division Champion) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49–31 (.613)
1st Western, 4th Overall |
Regular season | 62–18 (.775)
1st Eastern, 1st Overall | ||
| Earned first-round bye | Division Semifinals | Earned first-round bye | ||
| Defeated the (3) Baltimore Bullets, 4–2 | Division Finals | Defeated the (3) Philadelphia 76ers, 4–3 | ||
Series summary[]
The Celtics' average margin of victory in this series was 12.6 points, as they averaged 123.4 points a game, in contrast to the Lakers' 110.8 points per game
| Game | Date | Away Team | Result | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 18 | Los Angeles | 110–142 | Boston |
| Game 2 | April 19 | Los Angeles | 123–129 | Boston |
| Game 3 | April 21 | Boston | 105–126 | Los Angeles |
| Game 4 | April 23 | Boston | 112–99 | Los Angeles |
| Game 5 | April 25 | Los Angeles | 96–129 | Boston |
Game 4[]
The Celtics defeated the Lakers 112–99. In the closing minutes of the game, ABC cut away to a previously scheduled program.
| Preceded by 1964 |
NBA Finals 1965 |
Succeeded by 1966 |