1961 NBA Playoffs

The 1961 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1960-61 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

For the Celtics, it was their third straight NBA championship and fourth overall. This would be the last Finals appearance for the Hawks franchise to date; though they still exist in the NBA 48 years later as the Atlanta Hawks, they have yet to return to the Finals.

Western Division

Champion: St. Louis Hawks

Division Semifinals

(1) St. Louis Hawks have division semifinals byes.

(2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Detroit Pistons: Lakers win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 120, Detroit 102
• Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 127, Detroit 118
• Game 3 @ Detroit: Detroit 124, Los Angeles 113
• Game 4 @ Detroit: Detroit 123, Los Angeles 114
• Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 137, Detroit 120

Division Finals

(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers: Hawks win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ St. Louis: Los Angeles 122, St. Louis 118
• Game 2 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 121, Los Angeles 106
• Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, St. Louis 112
• Game 4 @ Los Angeles: St. Louis 118, Los Angeles 117
• Game 5 @ St. Louis: Los Angeles 121, St. Louis 112
• Game 6 @ Los Angeles: St. Louis 114, Los Angeles 113 (OT)
• Game 7 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 105, Los Angeles 103

Eastern Division

Champion: Boston Celtics

Division Semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics have division semifinals byes.

(2) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals:Nationals win series 3-0

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Syracuse 115, Philadelphia 107
• Game 2 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 115, Philadelphia 114
• Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Syracuse 106, Philadelphia 103

Division Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals: Celtics win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 128, Syracuse 115
• Game 2 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 115, Boston 98
• Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 133, Syracuse 110
• Game 4 @ Syracuse: Boston 120, Syracuse 107
• Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 123, Syracuse 101

NBA Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (1) St. Louis Hawks: Celtics win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 129, St. Louis 95
• Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 116, St. Louis 108
• Game 3 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 124, Boston 120
• Game 4 @ St. Louis: Boston 119, St. Louis 104
• Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 121, St. Louis 112 (Bill Sharman's final NBA game)

External links

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1961 NBA Playoffs page