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 title and fourth overall. This would be the last Finals appearance for the Hawks franchise to date; though they still exist in the NBA 54 years later as the Atlanta Hawks, they have yet to return to the Finals.
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 4 | |||||||||||
| Western Division | |||||||||||||
| 2 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | |||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis | 1 | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||
| Eastern Division | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Syracuse | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Syracuse | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 0 | |||||||||||
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
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(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)
