1968-69 Season
Record: 55-27, first place in Western Division
Looking for some help in their quest to end their NBA title drought, the Lakers acquired center Wilt Chamberlain before the season began. It appeared to pay off, as Chamberlain led the league in rebounding with 21.1 per game while Jerry West and Elgin Baylor each averaged more than 20 points.
Playoffs: The Lakers stormed through the Western Division playoffs, setting up an NBA Finals rematch with the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won the first two games and were in the driver's seat until Boston won Games 3 and 4, including a buzzer beater in Game 4 to defeat the Lakers by one point. The series went to seven games, but despite having home-court advantage in Game 7, the Lakers lost to the Celtics for the sixth time in eight years. West was named the most valuable player of the Finals, still the only time a member of the losing team has won the award.
Playoff Results
Western Division semifinals
- San Francisco 99, at Lakers 94
- San Francisco 107, at Lakers 101
- Lakers 115, at San Francisco 98
- Lakers 103, at San Francisco 88
- at Lakers 103, San Francisco 98
- Lakers 118, at San Francisco 78
Western Division finals
- at Lakers 95, Atlanta 93
- at Lakers 104, Atlanta 102
- at Atlanta 99, Lakers 86
- Lakers 100, at Atlanta 85
- at Lakers 104, Atlanta 96
NBA Finals
- at Lakers 120, Boston 118
- at Lakers 118, Boston 112
- at Boston 111, Lakers 105
- at Boston 89, Lakers 88
- at Lakers 117, Boston 104
- at Boston 99, Lakers 90
- Boston 108, at Lakers 106
