Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in second round of the 1966 NBA draft he remained with the team through 1966–67, then played with the San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1969 and spent the remaining years with the Boston Celtics, when, during his next to last season, the Celtics won the 1974 NBA Championship.

Finkel was born in Union City, New Jersey and attended Holy Family High School.

[2] He was spotted at a Dairy Queen out with some friends by Harry Brooks, who had seen Finkel play in high school.

Brooks was a "bird dog" (an independent scout) for the University of Dayton, which had just won the 1962 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in Madison Square Garden.

[8] He remains the third-leading scorer in UD history with 1,968 points, behind only 1965–66 teammate Don May and four-year player Roosevelt Chapman.

[11] Due to Finkel's age (22), after his sophomore year he was eligible for the 1964 NBA draft and was chosen in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Lakers, but he chose to remain in school.

One night later, on March 7, he exploded for 42 points against the Lakers as he made 13 field goals and was 16-for-18 from the free throw line.

[15] August 22, 1969 was a date that changed Finkel's life forever as he was traded to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, coached by future Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell.

Finkel took a lot of heat from Celtics fans[19]—although he had one of his best seasons statistically, he simply wasn't Bill Russell and the team was rebuilding.

[15] After his playing days ended, Finkel remained in the Boston area, where he was a broadcaster for the Celtics and for SportsChannel, and later he was an advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers.