1963-64 NBA Season Standings

The Syracuse Nationals relocated to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Chicago Zephyrs relocated to become the Baltimore Bullets, keeping the league at nine teams even as two franchises changed cities and names in the same offseason. Boston won the East comfortably and captured its sixth straight championship, beating the San Francisco Warriors (led by Wilt Chamberlain) 4-1 in the Finals, a series in which Chamberlain's individual scoring dominance still couldn't overcome the Celtics' depth and Bill Russell's defense. Oscar Robertson's Cincinnati Royals pushed Boston hard for the division title, finishing just 4 games back with 55 wins, part of a run in which Robertson famously averaged a triple-double for the entire regular season the year before. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor again led a strong Lakers team, but Los Angeles finished third in a tightly bunched Western Division that saw the top three teams separated by only six games. The newly renamed 76ers, still adjusting to their new home city, finished third in the East in this transitional first Philadelphia season.