THE CINDERELLA TEAM | bmoresportsnest

1969 EASTERN DIVISION CHAMPION BALTIMORE BULLETS

by Rick Benson

One of the greatest accomplishments in sports is going from finishing last one season and turning things around and finishing first the following season. The Baltimore Bullets did exactly that by winning their first division title in the 1968-69 season with a league best 57-25 record.

A ten game win streak in December, followed by a 13-3 run in February pushed Baltimore to the top of the Eastern Division. The Bullets held off a season ending surge by the Philadelphia 76ers to finish ahead by two games. A 32-9 home record made the Civic Center an unfriendly venue for the Bullets opponents while Baltimore proved to be pretty good road warriors as well with a 25-16 records away from home.

The 1967–68 season was the Bullets 7th season in the league. After losing 61 games the previous season and finishing a whopping 48 games out of first place, the Bullets were forced to rebuild through the draft. With the first overall pick, the Bullets selected Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Monroe was a flashy player, a deft ball handler, and a creative, unconventional shot maker. He was the first player to make the reverse spin on the dribble a trademark move. In his rookie season he would lead the Bullets in scoring with 24.3 points per game, and win the Rookie of the Year Award. The Bullets improved by 15 games posting a 36–46 record. The Bullets would still finish in last place; but the improvement saw six other players average double figures in scoring (Gus Johnson 19.1 ppg, Ray Scott 16.4 ppg, Kevin Loughery 15.9 ppg, Don Ohl 14.8 ppg, Jack Marin 13.5 ppg, Leroy Ellis 12.4 ppg).

The Bullets held the number two pick in the 1968 draft and selected center Wes Unseld, a 2-time All-American from Louisville. The first pick in the draft was Elvin Hayes, who would become Unseld’s teammate a few years later. Unseld, like Monroe the previous season, had an immediate impact for the Bullets. He finished 2nd in the NBA in rebounding with 18.2 rebounds per game (a Baltimore all-time best) and won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP as the Bullets went from worst to first. Monroe again led Baltimore in scoring (25.8 ppg) as Loughery (22.6 ppg), Johnson (17.9 ppg), Marin (15.9 ppg), Unseld (13.8 ppg) and Scott (11.8 ppg) also averaged double figures.

For Baltimore, midnight came on their Cinderella season in the first round of the playoffs. The Bullets would show their inexperience as they were swept in 4 straight games by the New York Knicks. Despite the disappointing finish, the Bullets would go on to win three more division titles over the next four seasons and become one of the top teams in the NBA.