1966 NBA All-Star Game

Result

MVP: Adrian Smith

Box score

Bench (10+ points): Adrian Smith (24), Willis Reed (16)

Bench (10+ points): Eddie Miles (17), Zelmo Beaty (10), Don Ohl (16), Rudy LaRusso (11)

Game context

The 1966 All-Star Game, played January 11 at Cincinnati Gardens — the only time the event has been held in that city — turned into a lopsided East rout, 137-94, and produced one of the more surprising MVP results in the award's history. Cincinnati Royals guard Adrian Smith, a capable but unheralded reserve on a roster otherwise stocked with stars, was named the game's Most Valuable Player, a selection that reportedly generated some controversy among observers who had expected the honor to go to New York's Dick Barnett instead; Smith's play on the day nonetheless proved the deciding factor, and to this day he remains the only player to be named an NBA All-Star exactly once in his career and win the game's MVP award in that single appearance, a distinction that has held for six decades since. The game was a blowout from the start. The East built a 33-18 first-quarter lead and extended it to 63-36 by halftime, a margin that only grew as the game progressed — 101-68 through three quarters — before the East coasted to the 43-point final margin. A significant factor in the lopsided score was an injury to Western star Jerry West, who suffered an eye injury in the first quarter that limited his effectiveness and robbed the West of one of its most reliable scoring threats for the balance of the game. The Eastern Conference's dominance that season was reflected in the standings as well: Boston, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, the conference's top three teams, held the league's best overall records that year, giving the East roster unusual collective strength. Red Auerbach coached the East for what was, by this point, a nearly automatic assignment during Boston's ongoing dynasty, while Fred Schaus of the Lakers again led an undermanned West. The game also served as a homecoming showcase for Cincinnati's own stars, with Oscar Robertson (the 1961 and 1964 All-Star MVP) and Jerry Lucas (the reigning 1965 MVP) both playing in front of their home fans, even as it was their teammate Smith, rather than either of those bigger names, who walked away with the individual honor — a genuine surprise result that remains one of the event's most cited statistical trivia footnotes. The lopsided nature of the East's win also reflected the conference's broader strength that season, a period in which Boston's ongoing dynasty, Philadelphia's rising Chamberlain-led roster, and Cincinnati's own Robertson-Lucas combination gave the East a concentration of star power the West simply could not match on this particular night.

Sources

• Basketball-Reference — NBA All-Star Game History
• Basketball-Reference — NBA & ABA All-Star Game MVP (Kobe Bryant Trophy)
• Wikipedia — 1966 NBA All-Star Game