| 1960β61 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Number of games | 79 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Oscar Robertson |
| Picked by | Cincinnati Royals |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Boston Celtics |
| Season MVP | Bill Russell ( Boston) |
| Top scorer | Wilt Chamberlain ( Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Syracuse Nationals |
| Western champions | St. Louis Hawks |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Hawks |
The 1960β61 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
- The Lakers relocate from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Los Angeles. They would play for seven seasons in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
- The NBA schedule expanded again, this time from 75 games per team to 79.
- The 1961 NBA All-Star Game was played in Syracuse, New York, with the West beating the East 153β131. Rookie Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals won the game's MVP award.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1959β60 coach | 1960β61 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 |
Final standings
Eastern Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x- Boston Celtics | 57 | 22 | .722 | β | 21β7 | 24β11 | 12β4 | 28β11 |
| x- Philadelphia Warriors | 46 | 33 | .582 | 11 | 23β6 | 12β21 | 11β6 | 22β17 |
| x- Syracuse Nationals | 38 | 41 | .481 | 19 | 19β9 | 8β21 | 11β11 | 18β21 |
| New York Knicks | 21 | 58 | .266 | 36 | 10β22 | 7β25 | 4β11 | 10β29 |
Western Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x- St. Louis Hawks | 51 | 28 | .646 | β | 29β5 | 15β20 | 7β3 | 25β14 |
| x- Los Angeles Lakers | 36 | 43 | .456 | 15 | 16β12 | 8β20 | 12β11 | 19β20 |
| x- Detroit Pistons | 34 | 45 | .430 | 17 | 20β11 | 3β19 | 11β15 | 18β21 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 46 | .418 | 18 | 18β13 | 8β19 | 7β14 | 16β23 |
x β clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Syracuse | 3 | E3 | Syracuse | 1 | ||||||||
| E2 | Philadelphia | 0 | E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||
| 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
Statistics leaders
| 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 1969β70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- Rookie of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
-
All-NBA First Team:
- F β Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Lakers
- F β Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- C β Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
- G β Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- G β Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
- All-NBA Second Team:
- F β Tom Heinsohn, Boston Celtics
- F β Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- C β Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- G β Larry Costello, Syracuse Nationals
- G β Gene Shue, Detroit Pistons
See also
References
- 1960β61 NBA Season Summary basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
| 1960β61 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Number of games | 79 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Oscar Robertson |
| Picked by | Cincinnati Royals |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Boston Celtics |
| Season MVP | Bill Russell ( Boston) |
| Top scorer | Wilt Chamberlain ( Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Syracuse Nationals |
| Western champions | St. Louis Hawks |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Hawks |
The 1960β61 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
- The Lakers relocate from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Los Angeles. They would play for seven seasons in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
- The NBA schedule expanded again, this time from 75 games per team to 79.
- The 1961 NBA All-Star Game was played in Syracuse, New York, with the West beating the East 153β131. Rookie Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals won the game's MVP award.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1959β60 coach | 1960β61 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 |
Final standings
Eastern Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x- Boston Celtics | 57 | 22 | .722 | β | 21β7 | 24β11 | 12β4 | 28β11 |
| x- Philadelphia Warriors | 46 | 33 | .582 | 11 | 23β6 | 12β21 | 11β6 | 22β17 |
| x- Syracuse Nationals | 38 | 41 | .481 | 19 | 19β9 | 8β21 | 11β11 | 18β21 |
| New York Knicks | 21 | 58 | .266 | 36 | 10β22 | 7β25 | 4β11 | 10β29 |
Western Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x- St. Louis Hawks | 51 | 28 | .646 | β | 29β5 | 15β20 | 7β3 | 25β14 |
| x- Los Angeles Lakers | 36 | 43 | .456 | 15 | 16β12 | 8β20 | 12β11 | 19β20 |
| x- Detroit Pistons | 34 | 45 | .430 | 17 | 20β11 | 3β19 | 11β15 | 18β21 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 46 | .418 | 18 | 18β13 | 8β19 | 7β14 | 16β23 |
x β clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Syracuse | 3 | E3 | Syracuse | 1 | ||||||||
| E2 | Philadelphia | 0 | E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||
| 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
Statistics leaders
| 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 1969β70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- Rookie of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
-
All-NBA First Team:
- F β Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Lakers
- F β Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- C β Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
- G β Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- G β Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
- All-NBA Second Team:
- F β Tom Heinsohn, Boston Celtics
- F β Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- C β Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- G β Larry Costello, Syracuse Nationals
- G β Gene Shue, Detroit Pistons
See also
References
- 1960β61 NBA Season Summary basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2010.