1961 NBA playoffs
The 1961 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1960-1961 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion St. Louis Hawks, four games to one in the NBA Finals.
For the Celtics it was their third consecutive NBA championship and fourth overall. This would be the last NBA 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 championship series.
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Syracuse | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Syracuse | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||
Western Conference
Conference Semifinals
Champion: St. Louis Hawks
(1) St. Louis Hawks have conference 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
Conference 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 (OT)
- Game 5 @ St. Louis: Los Angeles 121, St. Louis 112
- Game 6 @ Los Angeles: St. Louis 114, Los Angeles 113
- Game 7 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 105, Los Angeles 103
Eastern Conference
Conference Semifinals
Champion: Boston Celtics
(1) Boston Celtics have conference 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
Conference 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 4-3
- 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