1963 NBA Playoffs
| Dates | March 19–April 24, 1963 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 1962–63 | ||
| Teams | 6 | ||
| Champions | Boston Celtics (6th title) | ||
| Runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers (8th finals appearance) | ||
| Semifinalists | |||
| |||
The 1963 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1962-63 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics won their 5th straight and 6th overall, NBA title. Boston defeated L.A. in the NBA Finals for the second straight year, something that happened regularly in the 1960s.
The Cincinnati Royals advanced to the Division Finals for the first time since 1952, extending the Celtics to seven games.
This was the last playoff appearance for the Syracuse Nationals under that name; they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the following season and became known as the Philadelphia 76ers.
This was the first time that both Division Finals series went to a deciding Game 7, and will be the last until 1979 and again until 2018.
Bracket
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | |||||||||||
| Western Division | |||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Detroit | 1 | |||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||||||
| W1 | L.A. Lakers | 2 | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||
| Eastern Division | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Cincinnati | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Cincinnati | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Syracuse | 2 | |||||||||||
Western Division
Champion: Los Angeles Lakers
Division Semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers have division semifinals byes.
(2) St. Louis Hawks vs. (3) Detroit Pistons: Hawks win series 3-1
- Game 1 @ St. Louis (March 20): St. Louis 118, Detroit 99
- Game 2 @ St. Louis (March 22): St. Louis 122, Detroit 108
- Game 3 @ Detroit (March 24): Detroit 107, St. Louis 103
- Game 4 @ Detroit (March 26): St. Louis 104, Detroit 100
Division Finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) St. Louis Hawks: Lakers win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Los Angeles (March 31): Los Angeles 112, St. Louis 104
- Game 2 @ Los Angeles (April 2): Los Angeles 101, St. Louis 99
- Game 3 @ St. Louis (April 4): St. Louis 125, Los Angeles 112
- Game 4 @ St. Louis (April 6): St. Louis 124, Los Angeles 114
- Game 5 @ Los Angeles (April 7): Los Angeles 123, St. Louis 96
- Game 6 @ St. Louis (April 9): St. Louis 121, Los Angeles 113
- Game 7 @ Los Angeles (April 11): Los Angeles 115, St. Louis 100
Eastern Division
Champion: Boston Celtics
Division Semifinals
(1) Boston Celtics have division semifinals byes.
(2) Syracuse Nationals vs. (3) Cincinnati Royals: Royals win series 3-2
- Game 1 @ Syracuse (March 19): Syracuse 123, Cincinnati 120
- Game 2 @ Cincinnati (March 21): Cincinnati 133, Syracuse 115
- Game 3 @ Syracuse (March 23): Syracuse 121, Cincinnati 117
- Game 4 @ Cincinnati (March 24): Cincinnati 125, Syracuse 118
- Game 5 @ Syracuse (March 26): Cincinnati 131, Syracuse 127 (OT)
Division Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Cincinnati Royals: Celtics win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Boston (March 28): Cincinnati 135, Boston 132
- Game 2 @ Cincinnati (March 29): Boston 125, Cincinnati 102
- Game 3 @ Boston (March 31): Cincinnati 121, Boston 116
- Game 4 @ Cincinnati (April 3): Boston 128, Cincinnati 110
- Game 5 @ Boston (April 6): Boston 125, Cincinnati 120
- Game 6 @ Cincinnati (April 7): Cincinnati 109, Boston 99
- Game 7 @ Boston (April 10): Boston 142, Cincinnati 131
NBA Finals
(1) Boston Celtics vs. (1) Los Angeles Lakers: Celtics win series 4-2
- Game 1 @ Boston (April 14): Boston 117, Los Angeles 114
- Game 2 @ Boston (April 16): Boston 113, Los Angeles 106
- Game 3 @ Los Angeles (April 17): Los Angeles 119, Boston 99
- Game 4 @ Los Angeles (April 19): Boston 108, Los Angeles 105
- Game 5 @ Boston (April 21): Los Angeles 126, Boston 119
- Game 6 @ Los Angeles (April 24): Boston 112, Los Angeles 109 (Bob Cousy’s final NBA game)