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1960–61 NBA season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1960–61 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
Duration
  • October 19, 1960 – March 12, 1961
  • March 14 – April 1, 1961 (Playoffs)
  • April 2–11, 1961 (Finals)
Number of games79
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)NBC
Draft
Top draft pickOscar Robertson
Picked byCincinnati Royals
Regular season
Top seedBoston Celtics
Season MVPBill Russell (Boston)
Top scorerWilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern championsBoston Celtics
  Eastern runners-upSyracuse Nationals
Western championsSt. Louis Hawks
  Western runners-upLos Angeles Lakers
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upSt. Louis Hawks
NBA seasons

The 1960–61 NBA season was the 15th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 3rd straight NBA title, beating the St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences

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Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1959–60 coach 1960–61 coach
Syracuse Nationals Paul Seymour Alex Hannum
Cincinnati Royals Tom Marshall Charles Wolf
Los Angeles/Minneapolis Lakers Jim Pollard Fred Schaus
St. Louis Hawks Ed Macauley Paul Seymour

Teams

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1960-61 National Basketball Association
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Eastern Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 18,496
Philadelphia Warriors Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Municipal Auditorium 12,000
Syracuse Nationals Syracuse, New York Onondaga War Memorial 6,230
Western Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Gardens 11,000
Detroit Pistons Detroit, Michigan Olympia Stadium 15,000
Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 16,161
St. Louis Hawks St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 9,300

Map of teams

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Eastern Division Western Division

Final standings

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Eastern Division

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W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Boston Celtics 57 22 .722 21–7 24–11 12–4 28–11
x-Philadelphia Warriors 46 33 .582 11 23–6 12–21 11–6 22–17
x-Syracuse Nationals 38 41 .481 19 19–9 8–21 11–11 18–21
New York Knicks 21 58 .266 36 10–22 7–25 4–11 10–29

Western Division

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W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-St. Louis Hawks 51 28 .646 29–5 15–20 7–3 25–14
x-Los Angeles Lakers 36 43 .456 15 16–12 8–20 12–11 19–20
x-Detroit Pistons 34 45 .430 17 20–11 3–19 11–15 18–21
Cincinnati Royals 33 46 .418 18 18–13 8–19 7–14 16–23

x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

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  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Team Stat
Points Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors 3,033
Rebounds Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors 2,149
Assists Oscar Robertson Cincinnati Royals 690
FG% Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors .509
FT% Bill Sharman Boston Celtics .921

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

NBA awards

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See also

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References

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