# 1963 NBA playoffs

The 1963 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1962-63 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics won their 5th straight and 6th overall, NBA title. Boston defeated L.A. in the NBA Finals for the second straight year, something that happened regularly in the 1960s.
The Cincinnati Royals advanced to the Division Finals for the first time since 1952, extending the Celtics to seven games.
This was the last playoff appearance for the Syracuse Nationals under that name; they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the following season and became known as the Philadelphia 76ers.
This was the first time that both Division Finals series went to a deciding Game 7, and will be the last until 1979 and again until 2018.

## Bracket

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| | | | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | | | |
| | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | |
| E3 | Cincinnati | 3 | E3 | Cincinnati | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Syracuse | 2 | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W1 | Los Angeles* | 2 |
| | | | W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | | | |
| W3 | Detroit | 1 | W2 | St. Louis | 3 | | | |
| W2 | St. Louis | 3 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

## Division Semifinals
### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (2) Syracuse Nationals vs. (3) Cincinnati Royals

* March 19
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 120, Syracuse Nationals 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 38–36, 30–34, 23–24, 29–29 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 29 | Pts: Hal Greer 32 |
| Syracuse leads series, 1–0 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 4,335
* March 21
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 115, Cincinnati Royals 133 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–33, 29–29, 31–27, 34–44 |||
| Pts: Chet Walker 24 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 41 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 3,205
* March 23
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 117, Syracuse Nationals 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 20–34, 39–31, 25–25 |||
| Pts: Embry, Twyman 24 each | Pts: Lee Shaffer 34 |
| Syracuse leads series, 2–1 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 8,007
* March 24
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 118, Cincinnati Royals 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 35–29, 32–35, 27–30 |||
| Pts: Lee Shaffer 32 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 29 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 3,331
* March 26
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 131, Syracuse Nationals 127 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 26–31, 28–28, 31–26, Overtime: 17–13 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 32 | Pts: Lee Shaffer 45 |
| Cincinnati wins series, 3–2 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 7,418
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

### Western Division Semifinals
#### (2) St. Louis Hawks vs. (3) Detroit Pistons

* March 20
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 99, St. Louis Hawks 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 32–40, 15–28, 25–35 |||
| Pts: Dave DeBusschere 30 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 18 Asts: Don Ohl 6 | Pts: Pettit, Hagan 31 each Rebs: Bob Pettit 15 Asts: Wilkens, Barnhill 6 each |
| St. Louis leads series, 1–0 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 5,818
* March 22
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 108, St. Louis Hawks 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 20–24, 30–25, 29–43 |||
| Pts: Scott, Ohl 29 each Rebs: Scott, Howell 9 each Asts: Don Ohl 6 | Pts: Bob Pettit 42 Rebs: Bob Pettit 18 Asts: Pettit, Farmer 5 each |
| St. Louis leads series, 2–0 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
* March 24
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 103, Detroit Pistons 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 26–27, 26–29, 31–23 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 36 Rebs: Bob Pettit 22 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 10 | Pts: DeBusschere, Ferry 23 each Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 26 Asts: Jones, Ohl 4 each |
| St. Louis leads series, 2–1 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 3,232
* March 26
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 104, Detroit Pistons 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 29–23, 29–27, 21–26 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 35 Rebs: Bill Bridges 15 Asts: Chico Vaughn 9 | Pts: Don Ohl 32 Rebs: Ray Scott 14 Asts: Ray Scott 6 |
| St. Louis wins series, 3–1 |||
* Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 3,257
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with both teams splitting the first two meetings.
Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series :
1956
Fort Wayne Pistons 3, St. Louis Hawks 2
1956 Western Division Finals
1958
Detroit Pistons 1, St. Louis Hawks 4
1958 Western Division Finals :

## Division Finals
### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Cincinnati Royals

* March 28
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 135, Boston Celtics 132 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–36, 35–36, 41–32, 32–28 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 43 Rebs: Oscar Robertson 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 | Pts: Sam Jones 30 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: Bob Cousy 9 |
| Cincinnati leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,798
* March 29
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 125, Cincinnati Royals 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 24–29, 38–23, 33–23 |||
| Pts: Bill Russell 26 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 28 Rebs: Wayne Embry 16 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 11,102
* March 31
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 121, Boston Celtics 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 41–35, 26–27, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 23 Rebs: Bob Boozer 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 8 | Pts: Tom Heinsohn 28 Rebs: Bill Russell 28 Asts: Bob Cousy 7 |
| Cincinnati leads series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 3
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 128, Cincinnati Royals 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–25, 36–30, 27–31, 31–24 |||
| Pts: Bill Russell 26 Rebs: Bill Russell 21 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 25 Rebs: Robertson, Embry 15 each |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 3,498
* April 6
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 120, Boston Celtics 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–32, 25–33, 27–37, 34–23 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 36 Rebs: Wayne Embry 14 Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 | Pts: Tom Heinsohn 34 Rebs: Bill Russell 26 Asts: Bob Cousy 8 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 7
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 99, Cincinnati Royals 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 23–26, 28–34, 23–24 |||
| Pts: Sam Jones 22 Rebs: Bill Russell 23 | Pts: Oscar Robertson 36 Rebs: Wayne Embry 22 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio Attendance: 7,745
* April 10
* Boxscore
Cincinnati Royals 131, Boston Celtics 142 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–35, 34–33, 29–40, 38–34 |||
| Pts: Oscar Robertson 43 Rebs: Embry, Hawkins 7 each Asts: Oscar Robertson 6 | Pts: Sam Jones 47 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: Bob Cousy 16 |
| Boston wins series, 4–3 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

### Western Division Finals
#### (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) St. Louis Hawks

* March 31
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 104, Los Angeles Lakers 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–24, 29–21, 27–33, 34–34 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 38 Rebs: Bob Pettit 14 Asts: Pettit, Barnhill 6 each | Pts: Jerry West 27 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 12 Asts: Elgin Baylor 8 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 10,086
* April 2
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 99, Los Angeles Lakers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 29–19, 22–27, 29–31 |||
| Pts: Cliff Hagan 34 Rebs: Bob Pettit 16 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 7 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 29 Rebs: three players 14 each Asts: Baylor, Selvy 6 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 11,225
* April 4
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 112, St. Louis Hawks 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–21, 29–29, 33–43, 36–32 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 34 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 12 Asts: three players 2 each | Pts: Bob Pettit 33 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 15 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 10 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 7,396
* April 6
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 114, St. Louis Hawks 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 31–28, 22–45, 33–33 |||
| Pts: Jerry West 33 Rebs: Baylor, Ellis 13 each Asts: three players 2 each | Pts: Cliff Hagan 33 Rebs: Bob Pettit 15 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 10,614
* April 7
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 96, Los Angeles Lakers 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–30, 28–27, 23–39, 30–27 |||
| Pts: Chico Vaughn 16 Rebs: Mike Farmer 10 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 37 Rebs: Baylor, Wiley 13 each |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 15,212
* April 9
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 113, St. Louis Hawks 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 24–33, 29–32, 32–29 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 39 Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 11 Asts: Jerry West 4 | Pts: Bob Pettit 36 Rebs: Bob Pettit 20 Asts: Lenny Wilkens 11 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 8,110
* April 11
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 100, Los Angeles Lakers 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 26–27, 22–30, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 31 Rebs: Bob Pettit 13 Asts: Cliff Hagan 4 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 35 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 15 Asts: Baylor, West 7 each |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–3 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 14,864
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning four of the first five meetings.
St. Louis leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series :
1956
St. Louis Hawks 2, Minneapolis Lakers 1
1956 Western Division Semifinals
1957
St. Louis Hawks 3, Minneapolis Lakers 0
1957 Western Division Finals
1959
St. Louis Hawks 2, Minneapolis Lakers 4
1959 Western Division Finals
1960
St. Louis Hawks 4, Minneapolis Lakers 3
1960 Western Division Finals
1961
St. Louis Hawks 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1961 Western Division Finals :

## NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers

* April 14
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 114, Boston Celtics 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–21, 24–34, 32–30, 28–32 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 33 Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 14 Asts: three players 3 each | Pts: Sam Jones 29 Rebs: Bill Russell 29 Asts: Bob Cousy 11 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 16
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 106, Boston Celtics 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–19, 21–31, 24–31, 36–32 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 30 Rebs: Rudy LaRusso 12 Asts: Elgin Baylor 4 | Pts: Sam Jones 27 Rebs: Bill Russell 38 Asts: Bob Cousy 11 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 17
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 99, Los Angeles Lakers 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 29–30, 29–28, 19–36 |||
| Pts: Sam Jones 30 Rebs: Bill Russell 19 Asts: Bill Russell 5 | Pts: Jerry West 42 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 23 Asts: Elgin Baylor 8 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 15,493
* April 19
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 108, Los Angeles Lakers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–20, 27–32, 27–18, 23–35 |||
| Pts: Tom Heinsohn 35 Rebs: Bill Russell 19 Asts: three players 5 each | Pts: Elgin Baylor 31 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 19 Asts: Jerry West 5 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 16,382
* April 21
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 126, Boston Celtics 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 33–27, 35–40, 36–27 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 43 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 20 Asts: Jerry West 6 | Pts: Sam Jones 36 Rebs: Bill Russell 27 Asts: Bob Cousy 14 |
| Boston leads series, 3–2 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 24
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 112, Los Angeles Lakers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–35, 33–17, 26–28, 20–29 |||
| Pts: Tom Heinsohn 22 Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: Bill Russell 9 | Pts: Jerry West 32 Rebs: Gene Wiley 14 Asts: Jerry West 9 |
| Boston wins series, 4–2 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 15,652
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning the first two meetings.
Boston leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series :
1959
Boston Celtics 4, Minneapolis Lakers 0
1959 NBA Finals
1962
Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 3
1962 NBA Finals :