1963–64 Cincinnati Royals season
| 1963–64 Cincinnati Royals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jack McMahon |
| Owners | Louis Jacobs |
| Arena | Cincinnati Gardens |
| Results | |
| Record | 55–25 (.688) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | East Finals (Eliminated 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
The 1963–64 season was the Royals 16th season in the NBA and its 7th in Cincinnati. The Royals finished in 2nd place with a 55–25 record, the second best record in the NBA. The team's outstanding roster included Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Team Captain Wayne Embry, Jack Twyman, Bucky Bockhorn, Bob Boozer, Tom Hawkins, Adrian Smith, Bud Olsen, Larry Staverman and coach Jack McMahon . The team is noteworthy for having both the NBA MVP in Robertson and the NBA Rookie of the Year in Lucas, a rare occurrence in NBA history. The team played most of their home games at Cincinnati Gardens arena, but also hosted home games that season in Dayton, Lima, Columbus at Saint John arena and Cleveland at Cleveland Arena. In the playoffs the Royals defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in a 5-game series, but both Lucas and Olsen would be lost to injury. In the Eastern Conference Final, the Royals were eliminated by the Boston Celtics, who triumphed in 5 games.
Draft picks
Tom Thacker from the outstanding University of Cincinnati program was another territorial draft pick, the team's first this year. Shooter Jimmy Rayl was the team's second-round selection. He was cut, but later played in the ABA.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Boston Celtics | 59 | 21 | .738 | – | 26–4 | 21–17 | 12–0 | 25–11 |
| x-Cincinnati Royals | 55 | 25 | .688 | 4 | 26–7 | 18–18 | 11–0 | 27–9 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 34 | 46 | .425 | 25 | 18–12 | 12–22 | 4–12 | 13–23 |
| New York Knicks | 22 | 58 | .275 | 37 | 10–25 | 8–27 | 4–6 | 7–29 |
Season Schedule
The Royals consistently posted winning marks over the full season for each month of play. Oct 5–3, Nov 10–6, Dec 9–4, Jan 11–6, Feb 14–3, March 6–3, plus a 4–6 record in the playoffs. Four of the five Boston playoff games took place in April.
Playoffs
East Division Semifinals
(2) Cincinnati Royals vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers: Royals win series 3–2
- Game 1 @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati 127, Philadelphia 102
- Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 122, Cincinnati 114
- Game 3 @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati 101, Philadelphia 89
- Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 129, Cincinnati 120
- Game 5 @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati 130, Philadelphia 124
East Division Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cincinnati Royals: Celtics win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 103, Cincinnati 87
- Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 101, Cincinnati 90
- Game 3 @ Cincinnati: Boston 102, Cincinnati 92
- Game 4 @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati 102, Boston 93
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 109, Cincinnati 95
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
Robertson led the NBA in assists and was second in scoring. He also led the NBA in free throws made and free throw percentage. Lucas led the NBA in field goal percentage, and was third in rebounding.
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Arnette | 48 | 10.4 | 36.2 | 77.8 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.8 | ||||
| Bucky Bockhorn | 70 | 23.9 | 41.2 | 76.2 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 8.3 | ||||
| Bob Boozer | 32 | 22.7 | 41.6 | 62.2 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 11.0 | ||||
| Wayne Embry | 80 | 36.4 | 45.8 | 65.0 | 11.6 | 1.4 | 17.3 | ||||
| Tom Hawkins | 73 | 24.2 | 44.1 | 60.1 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 8.6 | ||||
| Jerry Lucas | 79 | 41.4 | 52.7 | 77.9 | 17.4 | 2.6 | 17.7 | ||||
| Bud Olsen | 49 | 10.5 | 40.5 | 56.1 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 4.1 | ||||
| Oscar Robertson | 79 | 45.1 | 48.3 | 85.3 | 9.9 | 11.0 | 31.4 | ||||
| Adrian Smith | 66 | 23.1 | 40.6 | 78.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 9.4 | ||||
| Larry Staverman | 34 | 9.4 | 41.4 | 83.0 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 4.0 | ||||
| Tom Thacker | 48 | 9.5 | 29.3 | 49.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 2.8 | ||||
| Jack Twyman | 68 | 29.4 | 45.0 | 82.9 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 15.9 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Arnette | 8 | 9.9 | 35.5 | 87.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 3.6 | ||||
| Bucky Bockhorn | 10 | 30.1 | 38.0 | 75.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 9.7 | ||||
| Wayne Embry | 10 | 36.3 | 38.1 | 62.2 | 12.4 | 2.1 | 13.4 | ||||
| Tom Hawkins | 10 | 27.3 | 44.3 | 68.2 | 9.3 | 1.1 | 10.1 | ||||
| Jerry Lucas | 10 | 37.0 | 39.0 | 70.3 | 12.5 | 3.4 | 12.2 | ||||
| Bud Olsen | 2 | 5.0 | 50.0 | — | 2.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 | ||||
| Oscar Robertson | 10 | 47.1 | 45.5 | 85.8 | 8.9 | 8.4 | 29.3 | ||||
| Adrian Smith | 7 | 9.4 | 30.8 | 71.4 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 3.0 | ||||
| Larry Staverman | 7 | 10.0 | 47.8 | 78.9 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 5.3 | ||||
| Tom Thacker | 6 | 7.2 | 26.1 | 25.0 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 2.2 | ||||
| Jack Twyman | 10 | 35.4 | 47.2 | 79.6 | 8.7 | 1.6 | 20.5 |
Awards and honors
- Jerry Lucas: NBA Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-NBA, NBA All-Star
- Oscar Robertson: NBA Most Valuable Player, First Team All-NBA, MVP of the 1964 NBA All-Star Game.
- Wayne Embry: NBA All-Star