Tag: st louis hawks

On this day: Boston Celtics beat St. Louis Hawks for 1961 championship

On this day, the Boston Celtics beat the then-St. Louis Hawks to win the 1961 NBA Championship four games to one.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics won the NBA championship in 1961. The win was the final game of a five-game series between the then- St. Louis Hawks and Boston, which the Celtics won 4-1.

The series-clinching win was a 121-112 victory that saw legendary Boston big man Bill Russell score 30 points and 38 rebounds to secure the win, with 18 points and 12 assists from point guard luminary Bob Cousy. Wing Sam Jones added 16 points and 10 boards, forward Tommy Heinsohn chipped in 19 points and 7 rebounds, and shooting guard Frank Ramsey scored 16 points for good measure.

It would be the last time the two teams faced off in the NBA Finals, and the last time the opposing franchise — now based out of Atlanta, Georgia — made a Finals appearance.

On this day: Lakers-Celtics rivalry born; Hondo’s last home game; Tatum for 53

On this day, the storied rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers was born; it’s also the date of Boston legend John Havlicek’s last home game, and Jayson Tatum scoring 53 points.

On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1959, the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers was born as the Celtics defeated their longtime rivals — then in Minnesota, known for its lakes — as their first NBA Finals series came to an end with a 118-113 triumph for the Massachusetts franchise.

It was, Boston fans will be happy to hear, a sweep of four games in a row for the Celtics, who won the seven-game series to take home the first of eight NBA championships in a row, a feat that has yet to be replicated. For what it’s worth, it was also only one of two times a team with a losing record — the Lakers — made it to the Finals.

But, it began a long tradition of the two teams meeting in the NBA Finals over the decades that would be closer than this initial series might have one think.