# 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.
The Lakers made the playoffs for the first time after moving to Los Angeles. They were one game away from their first Finals in L.A. as the St. Louis Hawks defeat them.
The Division Semifinals were extended from a best-of-three to a best-of-five series.
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 as the Atlanta Hawks, they have yet to return to the Finals as of 2024.

## 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 | Syracuse | 3 | E3 | Syracuse | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Philadelphia | 0 | | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 |
| | | | Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W1 | St. Louis* | 1 |
| | | | W1 | St. Louis* | 4 | | | |
| W3 | Detroit | 2 | W2 | Los Angeles | 3 | | | |
| W2 | Los Angeles | 3 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

## Division Semifinals
### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (2) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals

* March 14
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 115, Philadelphia Warriors 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–24, 23–32, 29–19, 29–32 |||
| Pts: Larry Costello 28 Rebs: Swede Halbrook 15 Asts: Larry Costello 11 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 46 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 32 Asts: Tom Gola 7 |
| Syracuse leads series, 1–0 |||
* Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 4,391
* March 16
* Boxscore
Philadelphia Warriors 114, Syracuse Nationals 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 35–28, 22–39, 35–22 |||
| Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 32 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 14 Asts: Arizin, Attles 5 each | Pts: Hal Greer 26 Rebs: Dolph Schayes 14 Asts: Larry Costello 6 |
| Syracuse leads series, 2–0 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 5,304
* March 18
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 106, Philadelphia Warriors 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–22, 19–30, 27–30, 29–21 |||
| Pts: Larry Costello 20 Rebs: Red Kerr 18 Asts: Larry Costello 8 | Pts: Wilt Chamberlain 33 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 23 Asts: Gola, Rodgers 5 each |
| Syracuse wins series, 3–0 |||
* Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers/Nationals winning four of the first seven meetings.
Philadelphia 76ers/ Syracuse Nationals leads 4–3 in all-time playoff series :
1950
Philadelphia Warriors 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1950 Eastern Division Semifinals
1951
Philadelphia Warriors 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1951 Eastern Division Semifinals
1952
Philadelphia Warriors 1, Syracuse Nationals 2
1952 Eastern Division Semifinals
1956
Philadelphia Warriors 3, Syracuse Nationals 2
1956 Eastern Division Finals
1957
Philadelphia Warriors 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1957 Eastern Division Semifinals
1958
Philadelphia Warriors 2, Syracuse Nationals 1
1958 Eastern Division Semifinals
1960
Philadelphia Warriors 2, Syracuse Nationals 1
1960 Eastern Division Semifinals :

### Western Division Semifinals
#### (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Detroit Pistons

* March 14
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 102, Los Angeles Lakers 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 28–29, 23–34, 26–27 |||
| Pts: Gene Shue 20 Rebs: Walter Dukes 11 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 40 Rebs: Ray Felix 21 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
* March 15
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 118, Los Angeles Lakers 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 31–24, 28–37, 35–36 |||
| Pts: McMillon, Shue 24 each Rebs: Walter Dukes 12 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 49 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 21 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 4,253
* March 17
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 113, Detroit Pistons 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 25–42, 29–35, 34–23 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 26 | Pts: Bob Ferry 30 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan Attendance: 3,422
* March 18
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 114, Detroit Pistons 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–30, 21–27, 25–37, 29–29 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 47 | Pts: Gene Shue 29 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Detroit Olympia, Detroit, Michigan
* March 19
* Boxscore
Detroit Pistons 120, Los Angeles Lakers 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–34, 25–27, 32–43, 42–33 |||
| Pts: Bob Ferry 25 Rebs: Bob Ferry 16 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 35 Rebs: Baylor, Felix 15 each |
| Los Angeles wins series, 3–2 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 3,705
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning six of the first seven meetings when the Lakers were in Minneapolis.
Los Angeles leads 6–1 in all-time playoff series :
1950
Fort Wayne Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2
1950 Central Division Finals
1953
Fort Wayne Pistons 2, Minneapolis Lakers 3
1953 Western Division Finals
1954
Fort Wayne Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2
1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals
1955
Fort Wayne Pistons 3, Minneapolis Lakers 1
1955 Western Division Finals
1957
Fort Wayne Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2
1957 Western Division Semifinals
1959
Detroit Pistons 1, Minneapolis Lakers 2
1959 Western Division Semifinals
1960
Detroit Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2
1960 Western Division Semifinals :

## Division Finals
### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals

* March 19
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 115, Boston Celtics 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–37, 27–22, 28–35, 31–34 |||
| Pts: Dolph Schayes 26 Asts: Schayes, Costello 6 each | Pts: Frank Ramsey 25 Asts: Bob Cousy 9 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 7,728
* March 21
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 98, Syracuse Nationals 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–28, 30–26, 20–33, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Bill Russell 17 Asts: Bill Russell 5 | Pts: Dolph Schayes 32 Asts: Larry Costello 9 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York Attendance: 6,657
* March 23
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 110, Boston Celtics 133 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–35, 25–31, 29–42, 29–25 |||
| Pts: Dick Barnett 22 Rebs: Red Kerr 11 Asts: Larry Costello 4 | Pts: Bill Sharman 30 Rebs: Bill Russell 39 Asts: Bob Cousy 12 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 11,754
* March 25
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 120, Syracuse Nationals 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 32–25, 29–33, 34–29 |||
| Pts: Tom Heinsohn 22 Asts: Bob Cousy 9 | Pts: Dolph Schayes 23 Asts: Barnett, Costello 4 each |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
* March 26
* Boxscore
Syracuse Nationals 101, Boston Celtics 123 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 32–36, 26–29, 18–35 |||
| Pts: Dick Barnett 25 Rebs: Swede Halbrook 14 Asts: four players 4 each | Pts: Bill Sharman 27 Rebs: Bill Russell 33 Asts: Frank Ramsey 6 |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 12,292
This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nationals winning four of the first seven meetings.
Syracuse leads 4–3 in all-time playoff series :
1953
Boston Celtics 2, Syracuse Nationals 0
1953 Eastern Division Semifinals
1954
Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals
1954
Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2
1954 Eastern Division Finals
1955
Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 3
1955 Eastern Division Finals
1956
Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 2
1956 Eastern Division Semifinals
1957
Boston Celtics 3, Syracuse Nationals 0
1957 Eastern Division Finals
1959
Boston Celtics 4, Syracuse Nationals 3
1959 Eastern Division Finals :

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

* March 21
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 122, St. Louis Hawks 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–29, 29–34, 27–27, 32–28 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 44 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 14 | Pts: Bob Pettit 28 Rebs: Bob Pettit 20 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 8,147
* March 22
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 106, St. Louis Hawks 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 31–31, 22–30, 28–29 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 35 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 9 | Pts: Clyde Lovellette 28 Rebs: Bob Pettit 19 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 8,472
* March 24
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 112, Los Angeles Lakers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 22–31, 28–29, 34–29 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 26 Rebs: Bob Pettit 13 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 25 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 18 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 5,006
* March 25
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 118, Los Angeles Lakers 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 29–31, 31–29, 30–31 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 40 Rebs: Bob Pettit 18 | Pts: Jerry West 33 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 15 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 4,923
* March 27
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 121, St. Louis Hawks 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–36, 33–25, 28–17, 36–34 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 47 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 20 | Pts: Cliff Hagan 26 Rebs: Bob Pettit 21 |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
* March 29
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 114, Los Angeles Lakers 113 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–21, 29–23, 24–26, 17–30, Overtime: 14–13 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 31 Rebs: Bob Pettit 21 | Pts: Elgin Baylor 39 Rebs: Elgin Baylor 21 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California Attendance: 14,840
* April 1
* Boxscore
Los Angeles Lakers 103, St. Louis Hawks 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 20–27, 30–32, 25–24 |||
| Pts: Elgin Baylor 39 Rebs: Baylor, West 12 each | Pts: Bob Pettit 31 Rebs: Bob Pettit 17 |
| St. Louis wins series, 4–3 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning three of the first four meetings while the Lakers were based in Minneapolis.
St. Louis leads 3–1 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 :

## NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) St. Louis Hawks

* April 2
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 95, Boston Celtics 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 22–26, 25–35, 22–38 |||
| Pts: Cliff Hagan 33 Rebs: Cliff Hagan 13 Asts: Hagan, Sauldsberry 4 each | Pts: Tom Heinsohn 26 Rebs: Bill Russell 31 Asts: Bob Cousy 7 |
| Boston leads series, 1–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 11,531
* April 5
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 108, Boston Celtics 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–27, 20–26, 23–31, 33–32 |||
| Pts: Cliff Hagan 40 Rebs: Bob Pettit 19 Asts: Cliff Hagan 6 | Pts: Bob Cousy 26 Rebs: Bill Russell 28 Asts: Bob Cousy 14 |
| Boston leads series, 2–0 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* April 8
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 120, St. Louis Hawks 124 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 35–38, 31–32, 23–26 |||
| Pts: Russell, Heinsohn 24 each Rebs: Bill Russell 23 Asts: Bill Russell 9 | Pts: Bob Pettit 31 Rebs: Bob Pettit 24 Asts: Si Green 7 |
| Boston leads series, 2–1 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 8,468
* April 9
* Boxscore
Boston Celtics 119, St. Louis Hawks 104 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 24–25, 39–26, 28–22 |||
| Pts: Cousy, Sanders 22 each Rebs: Bill Russell 24 Asts: Bob Cousy 12 | Pts: Bob Pettit 40 Rebs: Bob Pettit 18 Asts: Cliff Hagan 7 |
| Boston leads series, 3–1 |||
* Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 10,442
* April 11
* Boxscore
St. Louis Hawks 112, Boston Celtics 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 39–33, 22–29, 23–37, 28–22 |||
| Pts: Bob Pettit 24 Rebs: Pettit, Sauldsberry 11 each Asts: Johnny McCarthy 6 | Pts: Bill Russell 30 Rebs: Bill Russell 38 Asts: Bob Cousy 12 |
| Boston wins series, 4–1 |||
* Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 13,909
* Bill Sharman's final NBA game.
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning two of the first three meetings.
Boston leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series :
1957
Boston Celtics 4, St. Louis Hawks 3
1957 NBA Finals
1958
Boston Celtics 2, St. Louis Hawks 4
1958 NBA Finals
1960
Boston Celtics 4, St. Louis Hawks 3
1960 NBA Finals :