The 1961 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1961 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1960–61 season.
The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics.
This was the fourth and final World Championship Series meeting between the two teams, and was the fifth meeting between teams from Boston and St. Louis for a major professional sports championship.
As of 2025, this remains the Hawks’[note 1] last appearance in the NBA Finals, the second-longest drought behind the Kings franchise who last played in the NBA Finals in 1951.
Celtics win series 4–1 9 Pettit | 11 Ferrari | 13 Foust | 15 McCarthy | 16 Hagan | 17 Green | 19 LaCour | 21 Sauldsberry | 25 Piontek | 32 Wilkens | 34 Lovellette | Coach Seymour