Red Auerbach lights one final victory cigar. The Celtics win their eighth consecutive championship
On April 28, 1966 – 1966: Boston coach Red Auerbach lights one final victory cigar. The Celtics win their eighth consecutive championship, and ninth in 10 years, with a 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 in Boston.
The game is not as close as the final score indicates. The Celtics score the first 10 points of the game and increase their lead to 59-40 early in the third period. They have a 76-60 edge entering the fourth quarter. With less than 30 seconds left, Auerbach lights up after a Boston basket, believing the game clinched. The Lakers, who outscore the Celtics 33-19 in the fourth period, get two late baskets to make the final score close.
Bill Russell, who has been named to replace Auerbach as coach, scores a team-high 25 points and grabs a game-high 32 rebounds. Auerbach, 48, will remain as Boston’s general manager.
Jerry West leads the Lakers with 36 points, but Elgin Baylor is held to 18, with only two in the first half, as Tom Sanders does an outstanding job on the acrobatic forward.
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