Belt game 1,206 · March 23, 1961 · playoffs
Boston Celtics take the belt
Boston Celtics beat Syracuse Nationals 133–110 at home to start reign 553 of the NBA belt, the 69th for the franchise.
Syracuse Nationals had held it since March 21, 1961, with 0 defenses over 2 days.
Boston Celtics held it for 16 days and 4 defenses, then lost it to Atlanta Hawks on April 8, 1961.
553Reign number
69Team's reign
4Defenses
16Days held
Box score
Boston Celtics
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sharman | 33 | 30 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 10-16 | — | 10-10 |
| Tom Heinsohn | 28 | 24 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 11-18 | — | 2-3 |
| Bill Russell | 41 | 18 | 39 | 5 | — | — | 8-20 | — | 2-3 |
| Frank Ramsey | 28 | 17 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 6-13 | — | 5-8 |
| Bob Cousy | 34 | 17 | 6 | 12 | — | — | 5-16 | — | 7-8 |
| Thomas Sanders | 19 | 13 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 5-6 | — | 3-3 |
| K.C. Jones | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 3-6 | — | 0-2 |
| Sam Jones | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1-5 | — | 2-3 |
| Jim Loscutoff | 19 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 1-11 | — | 0-0 |
| Gene Conley | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 1-6 | — | 0-2 |
Syracuse Nationals
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dick Barnett | 33 | 22 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 8-22 | — | 6-7 |
| Dolph Schayes | 34 | 18 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 6-16 | — | 6-7 |
| Dave Gambee | 25 | 17 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 6-18 | — | 5-8 |
| Larry Costello | 29 | 11 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 5-11 | — | 1-1 |
| Al Bianchi | 16 | 11 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 4-9 | — | 3-3 |
| Hal Greer | 21 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1-9 | — | 6-6 |
| Johnny Kerr | 23 | 8 | 11 | 3 | — | — | 3-11 | — | 2-5 |
| Harvey Halbrook | 27 | 7 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 3-9 | — | 1-2 |
| Barney Cable | 25 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 2-9 | — | 0-1 |
| Joe Roberts | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2-5 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).