| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 14–April 11, 1961 |
| Season | 1960–61 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics (4th title) |
| Runner-up | St. Louis Hawks |
| Semifinalists | |
The 1961 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1960-61 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers made the playoffs for the first time after moving to Los Angeles. They were one game away from their first Finals in L.A. as the St. Louis Hawks defeat them.
The Division Semifinals were extended from a best-of-three to a best-of-five series.
For the Celtics, it was their third straight NBA title and fourth overall. This would be the last Finals appearance for the Hawks franchise to date; though they still exist in the NBA as the Atlanta Hawks, they have yet to return to the Finals as of 2024.