Today in Boston Celtics history: 1961 championship, Larry Sykes born

Today in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics won the NBA championship in 1961, which ended a five-game series against the St. Louis Hawks with a 4-1 victory in Boston's favor. The decisive game saw the final buzzer end in a 121-112 win, and saw an outstanding game by Hall of Fame center Bill Russell, who recorded 30 points and 38 rebounds.

Fellow Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy contributed in a big way with 18 points and 12 assists. Additionally, Sam Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Tommy Heinsohn contributed another 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Frank Ramsey put up 16 points to bolster the team's success. 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.

Birthdays It is also former Celtics power forward Larry Sykes' birthday, who was born today in 1973 in Toledo, Ohio. He played his college ball with Xavier University, and would have the briefest Celtics tenure possible -- just one game, in which he recorded two rebounds; he was waived by the franchise shortly after. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: 1961 championship, Larry Sykes born