1961-62 NBA Season Standings

The league expanded to nine teams with the addition of the Chicago Packers, an expansion franchise placed in the Western Division alongside the four incumbent Western clubs. Boston again topped the East at 60-20 and captured its fourth consecutive title, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 in a classic Finals that included Frank Selvy's missed potential series-winning shot at the buzzer in Game 7, forcing overtime in a game the Celtics went on to win. This season is best remembered for Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point game against the Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 2, 1962, part of a campaign in which he averaged an unprecedented 50.4 points per game, a single-season scoring record that still stands. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West starred for a Lakers team that made its first Finals appearance since relocating to LA, with Baylor averaging over 38 points per game for the season despite missing time for Army Reserve duty. The expansion Chicago Packers finished a distant last in the West at 18-62 in their debut season.