1960–61 Boston Celtics season
| 1960–61 Boston Celtics season | |
|---|---|
NBA champions | |
| Head coach | Red Auerbach |
| Arena | Boston Garden |
| Results | |
| Record | 57–22 (.722) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Hawks 4–1) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WHDH-TV |
| Radio | WHDH |
The 1960–61 Boston Celtics season was the 15th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics finished the season by winning their fourth NBA Championship.
Draft picks
This table only displays picks through the second round.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Tom Sanders | SF/PF |  United States
|
NYU |
| 2 | 16 | Leroy Wright | SF/PF | United States
|
Pacific |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
Record vs. opponents
| 1960-61 NBA Records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CIN | DET | LAL | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 7–3 | 8–2 | 8–2 | 10–3 | 8–5 | 6–4 | 10–3 |
| Cincinnati | 3–7 | — | 2–11 | 8–5 | 8–2 | 2–8 | 6–7 | 4–6 |
| Detroit | 2–8 | 11–2 | — | 4–9 | 5–5 | 5–5 | 3–10 | 4–6 |
| Los Angeles | 2–8 | 5–8 | 9–4 | — | 7–3 | 2–8 | 5–8 | 6–4 |
| New York | 3–10 | 2–8 | 5–5 | 3–7 | — | 2–11 | 1–9 | 5–8 |
| Philadelphia | 5–8 | 8–2 | 5–5 | 8–2 | 11–2 | — | 3–7 | 6–7 |
| St. Louis | 4–6 | 7–6 | 10–3 | 8–5 | 9–1 | 7–3 | — | 6–4 |
| Syracuse | 3–10 | 6–4 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 4–6 | — |
Playoffs
East Division Semifinals
The Celtics had a division semifinal bye.
East 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
(E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W1) 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
Awards and honors
- Bill Russell, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- Bob Cousy, All-NBA First Team
- Bill Russell, All-NBA Second Team
- Tom Heinsohn, All-NBA Second Team