Owner(s) Louis Jacobs Record 55–25 (.688) | ||
Place Division: 2nd (Eastern) Playoff finish East Finals(Eliminated 1–4) | ||
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.
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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.
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.
East Division Semifinals
(2) Cincinnati Royals vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers: Royals win series 3–2
East Division Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Cincinnati Royals: Celtics win series 4–1
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.