NBA team season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1960–61 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons ' 13th season in the NBA and fourth season in the city of Detroit .[ 1] The team played home games at Olympia Stadium .
The Pistons finished 34-45[ 2] (.430), 3rd in the Western Division. The team advanced to the playoffs, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 3-2 as Laker Elgin Baylor dominated the series with a 39.4 ppg average in the series. Detroit was led on the season by forward Bailey Howell (23.6 ppg, 14.4 rpg, NBA All-Star), center Walter Dukes (11.7 ppg, 14.1 rpg, NBA All-Star) and guard Gene Shue (22.6 ppg, 6.8 apg, NBA All-Star).
The 1960-61 Detroit Pistons were an offensive minded team, finishing their season at 2nd overall in Offensive Rating in the 1960-61 NBA season , which included eight NBA teams. However, Detroit was ranked 6th overall in Defensive Rating , making them a low-tier defense.[ 1]
Detroit ranked 6th overall in field goal attempts and 4th overall in field goal percentage and Effective Field Goal Percentage . The high-powered 1960-61 Pistons offense relied heavily on the free throw , ranking 1st in free throw attempt rate and free throws per field goal percentage.[ 1]
The 1960-61 Pistons had a slightly more successful season than their previous year, winning 4 more games than the 1959-1960 season . However, Detroit still ended the year with the same amount of losses as the 1959-60 season . This is because the NBA expanded their schedule from 75 to 79 games in the 1960-61 season , so the Pistons played four more games than the 1959-1960 season .[ 1]
Although the Pistons had a 34-45 (.430) losing record, they still made it to the 1961 NBA playoffs where they played the Los Angeles Lakers . The Lakers hosted the first two games of the series, beating the Pistons 120-102 on March 14th, 1961 and 127-118 on March 15th. The Pistons were able to tie the series after beating the Lakers twice in Detroit with scores of 124-113 on March 17th and 123-114 on March 18th. The Pistons lost to the Lakers in the final game of the series 137-120, and were eliminated from the playoffs.[ 3]
Regular season
Season standings
x – clinched playoff spot
Regular season by month
October 1960: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 2-1 through 3 games in October.[ 2]
November 1960: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 5-11 through 16 games in November.[ 2]
December 1960: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 7-7 through 14 games in December.[ 2]
January 1961: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 11-10 through 21 games in January.[ 2]
February 1961: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 5-12 through 17 games in February.[ 2]
March 1961: The Detroit Pistons had a record of 4-4 through 8 games in March.[ 2]
Record vs. opponents
1960-61 NBA Records
Team
BOS
CIN
DET
LAL
NYK
PHI
STL
SYR
Boston
—
7–3
8–2
8–2
10–3
8–5
6–4
10–3
Cincinnati
3–7
—
2–11
8–5
8–2
2–8
6–7
4–6
Detroit
2–8
11–2
—
4–9
5–5
5–5
3–10
4–6
Los Angeles
2–8
5–8
9–4
—
7–3
2–8
5–8
6–4
New York
3–10
2–8
5–5
3–7
—
2–11
1–9
5–8
Philadelphia
5–8
8–2
5–5
8–2
11–2
—
3–7
6–7
St. Louis
4–6
7–6
10–3
8–5
9–1
7–3
—
6–4
Syracuse
3–10
6–4
6–4
4–6
8–5
7–6
4–6
—
Game log
1960–61 Game log
#
Date
Opponent
Score
High points
Record
1
October 22
@ Boston
116–118
Bailey Howell (27)
0–1
2
October 26
Cincinnati
117–131
Gene Shue (30)
1–1
3
October 29
New York
110–115
Bailey Howell (23)
2–1
4
November 2
St. Louis
132–117
Gene Shue (18)
2–2
5
November 4
@ Philadelphia
121–136
Don Ohl (24)
2–3
6
November 5
N Philadelphia
130–123
Howell, Shue (27)
2–4
7
November 9
@ St. Louis
120–126
Gene Shue (20)
2–5
8
November 12
Cincinnati
112–116
Gene Shue (31)
3–5
9
November 13
@ Cincinnati
125–113
Don Ohl (31)
4–5
10
November 15
N Boston
115–114 (OT)
Gene Shue (26)
5–5
11
November 16
Philadelphia
118–119
Bailey Howell (30)
6–5
12
November 17
N St. Louis
112–105
Gene Shue (25)
6–6
13
November 19
@ Los Angeles
122–130
Walter Dukes (32)
6–7
14
November 20
N Los Angeles
135–131
Bailey Howell (36)
6–8
15
November 23
Syracuse
115–122
Gene Shue (24)
7–8
16
November 25
Los Angeles
141–128 (OT)
Bailey Howell (43)
7–9
17
November 26
N New York
127–119
Bailey Howell (28)
7–10
18
November 29
@ New York
107–118
Bailey Howell (25)
7–11
19
November 30
Boston
125–110
Jackie Moreland (22)
7–12
20
December 4
N Cincinnati
116–115
Bailey Howell (31)
8–12
21
December 6
@ St. Louis
110–146
Bailey Howell (18)
8–13
22
December 7
St. Louis
83–113
Bailey Howell (25)
9–13
23
December 10
Syracuse
117–107
Ohl, Shue (19)
9–14
24
December 13
N Philadelphia
110–108
Gene Shue (25)
9–15
25
December 14
Philadelphia
126–134
Bailey Howell (38)
10–15
26
December 16
New York
108–104
Bailey Howell (30)
10–16
27
December 19
N Los Angeles
107–103
Gene Shue (30)
10–17
28
December 20
N Los Angeles
94–97
Bailey Howell (31)
11–17
29
December 24
@ Boston
106–150
Bailey Howell (18)
11–18
30
December 25
@ Cincinnati
119–126
Bailey Howell (30)
11–19
31
December 26
Cincinnati
132–137
Gene Shue (33)
12–19
32
December 29
St. Louis
89–112
Bailey Howell (31)
13–19
33
December 30
N Syracuse
112–121
Bailey Howell (33)
14–19
34
January 1
Los Angeles
105–116
Bailey Howell (26)
15–19
35
January 2
N Los Angeles
123–113
Don Ohl (25)
15–20
36
January 3
N Philadelphia
128–125 (OT)
George Lee (26)
15–21
37
January 5
N New York
104–102
Bailey Howell (19)
15–22
38
January 6
Boston
108–102
Shellie McMillon (20)
15–23
39
January 8
@ Syracuse
115–138
Gene Shue (24)
15–24
40
January 10
N Boston
98–118
Ferry , Shue (17)
15–25
41
January 11
Cincinnati
122–126
Gene Shue (32)
16–25
42
January 12
N Cincinnati
124–112
Bailey Howell (33)
17–25
43
January 14
@ St. Louis
113–135
Gene Shue (24)
17–26
44
January 15
St. Louis
122–137
Don Ohl (25)
18–26
45
January 18
N Cincinnati
144–128
Gene Shue (41)
19–26
46
January 20
New York
128–132
Bailey Howell (29)
20–26
47
January 21
N Cincinnati
130–106
Bailey Howell (29)
21–26
48
January 22
Philadelphia
128–136
Gene Shue (32)
22–26
49
January 24
@ Cincinnati
106–104
Bailey Howell (29)
23–26
50
January 25
Cincinnati
125–138
Gene Shue (24)
24–26
51
January 27
@ Boston
111–140
Dukes, Howell (18)
24–27
52
January 29
@ Los Angeles
113–137
Gene Shue (21)
24–28
53
January 30
@ Los Angeles
116–117
Bailey Howell (27)
24–29
54
January 31
N Los Angeles
112–121
Gene Shue (26)
25–29
55
February 1
N St. Louis
137–131
Don Ohl (22)
25–30
56
February 3
Syracuse
118–121
Bailey Howell (26)
26–30
57
February 4
N Syracuse
104–111
Gene Shue (31)
27–30
58
February 5
Los Angeles
125–120
Bailey Howell (34)
27–31
59
February 7
@ New York
120–131
Don Ohl (33)
27–32
60
February 8
Philadelphia
123–125
Gene Shue (28)
28–32
61
February 10
Boston
134–137
Gene Shue (35)
29–32
62
February 11
N Syracuse
141–111
Gene Shue (21)
29–33
63
February 12
@ Syracuse
122–148
Bob Ferry (25)
29–34
64
February 14
@ St. Louis
134–135
George Lee (31)
29–35
65
February 16
Los Angeles
129–106
Bob Ferry (25)
29–36
66
February 17
N Syracuse
115–113
Bob Ferry (31)
29–37
67
February 18
St. Louis
141–138
Bob Ferry (39)
29–38
68
February 21
N Syracuse
123–118
Gene Shue (35)
29–39
69
February 22
New York
117–123
Gene Shue (29)
30–39
70
February 23
@ Philadelphia
121–129
Bob Ferry (29)
30–40
71
February 26
Boston
113–99
Bailey Howell (17)
30–41
72
March 1
@ Cincinnati
122–137
Don Ohl (33)
30–42
73
March 3
N New York
112–129
George Lee (30)
31–42
74
March 4
@ St. Louis
102–104
Gene Shue (29)
31–43
75
March 5
St. Louis
127–122
Bailey Howell (30)
31–44
76
March 8
Los Angeles
103–120
Bailey Howell (28)
32–44
77
March 9
N Boston
118–119
Gene Shue (30)
32–45
78
March 10
N Philadelphia
103–120
Bailey Howell (35)
33–45
79
March 12
@ New York
120–106
Howell, Lee (24)
34–45
Playoffs
1961 playoff game log
Division Semifinals: 2–3 (home: 2–0; road: 0–3)
1961 schedule
Awards and records
References
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