The Lost Finals MVP: 1964

Finally, some more controversy

After some incredibly easy decisions from 1960 to 1963, we now descend into some mild controversy for the 1964 NBA Finals! And of course it involves the NBA’s two foremost centers of the ‘60s.

This series presented a similar dilemma to the 1956 NBA Finals. The best player on the winning team (Paul Arizin) may have been less dominating than the best player on the losing team (George Yardley), but the winning team smacked down the loser in five games.

Like I’m going to give the award to a dude whose team got punked 4-1.

Well, when the dude is Wilt Chamberlain, you do have to pause for a moment and further explain the situation.

The Big Dipper averaged 29.2 PPG, 27.6 RPG, and .517 FG% in the Finals. The only other dependable source of scoring for the San Francisco Warriors was Tom Meschery (16.4 PPG, .460 FG%). Everyone else stunk scoring the ball.

Wilt and Meschery: 45.6 PPG and .497 FG%
Ev’rbody else on San Francisco: 55.6 PPG and .324 FG%

Meanwhile on Boston’s side of the ledger, Russell had…