1961–62 Boston Celtics season
The 1961–62 NBA season was the Celtics' 16th season in the NBA. The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to claim their fifth NBA Championship. They set new records with the most games won and the first NBA team to post 60 wins. Three years later, the Celtics would break this record with 62 wins in 1964–65 season.
| 1961–62 Boston Celtics season | |
|---|---|
NBA champions | |
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Red Auerbach |
| Arena | Boston Garden |
| Results | |
| Record | 60–20 (.750) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Lakers 4–3) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WHDH-TV |
| Radio | WHDH |
Offseason
NBA Draft
The 1961 NBA Draft took place on March 27, 1961.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Gary Phillips | Guard |  United States |
Houston |
| 2 | 17 | Al Butler | Guard | United States |
Niagara |
Regular season
Season standings
| Eastern Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Boston Celtics | 60 | 20 | .750 | – | 23–5 | 26–12 | 11–3 | 26–10 |
| x-Philadelphia Warriors | 49 | 31 | .613 | 11 | 18–11 | 19–19 | 12–1 | 18–18 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 41 | 39 | .513 | 19 | 18–10 | 11–19 | 12–10 | 17–19 |
| New York Knicks | 29 | 51 | .363 | 31 | 19–15 | 2–23 | 8–13 | 11–25 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1961-62 NBA Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CHI | CIN | DET | LAL | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 9–1 | 7–1 | 5–3 | 6–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–2 | 10–2 |
| Chicago | 1–9 | — | 1–9 | 3–7 | 2–8 | 6–4 | 0–10 | 4–6 | 1–9 |
| Cincinnati | 1–7 | 9–1 | — | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–4 | 3–5 | 9–3 | 5–4 |
| Detroit | 3–5 | 7–3 | 6–6 | — | 4–8 | 5–4 | 1–7 | 7–5 | 4–5 |
| Los Angeles | 3–6 | 8–2 | 7–5 | 8–4 | — | 6–2 | 6–3 | 10–2 | 6–2 |
| New York | 4–8 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 2–6 | — | 4–8 | 4–4 | 3–9 |
| Philadelphia | 4–8 | 10–0 | 5–3 | 7–1 | 3–6 | 8–4 | — | 6–3 | 6–6 |
| St. Louis | 2–7 | 6–4 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 4–4 | 3–6 | — | 4–4 |
| Syracuse | 2–10 | 9–1 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–6 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 4–4 | — |
Playoffs
East Division Semifinals
The Celtics had a division semifinal bye.
East Division Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Philadelphia Warriors: Celtics win series 4–3
- Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 117, Philadelphia 89
- Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 113, Boston 106
- Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 129, Philadelphia 114
- Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 110, Boston 106
- Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 119, Philadelphia 104
- Game 6 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 109, Boston 99
- Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 109, Philadelphia 107
Last Playoffs meeting: 1960 Eastern Division Finals (Boston won 4–2).
NBA Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (1) Los Angeles Lakers:Celtics win series 4–3
- Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 122, Los Angeles 108
- Game 2 @ Boston: Los Angeles 105, Boston 103
- Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 117, Boston 115
- Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Boston 115, Los Angeles 103
- Game 5 @ Boston: Los Angeles 126, Boston 121
- Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Boston 119, Los Angeles 105
- Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 110, Los Angeles 107 (OT)
Last Playoffs meeting: 1959 NBA Finals (Boston won 4–0; Lakers were in Minneapolis at the time).
Awards and honors
- Bill Russell, NBA Most Valuable Player
- Bill Russell, All-NBA Second team
- Bob Cousy, All-NBA Second team
- Tom Heinsohn, All-NBA Second team
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