The 1957–58 NBA season was the 12th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the St. Louis Hawks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
| 1957–58 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 22, 1957 – March 12, 1958 March 15–27, 1958 (Playoffs) March 29 – April 12, 1958 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 72 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| TV partner(s) | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Rod Hundley |
| Picked by | Cincinnati Royals |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Boston Celtics |
| Season MVP | Bill Russell (Boston) |
| Top scorer | George Yardley (Detroit) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Western champions | St. Louis Hawks |
| Western runners-up | Detroit Pistons |
| Finals | |
| Champions | St. Louis Hawks |
| Runners-up | Boston Celtics |
Notable occurrences
edit- The Pistons relocate from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Detroit, Michigan.
- The Royals relocate from Rochester, New York to Cincinnati, Ohio
- Royals player Maurice Stokes suffers major head injury during the last game of the regular season. Stokes would later become paralyzed from the injury and cared for by teammate/life long friend Jack Twyman. The Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is given in their honor.
- The 1958 NBA All-Star Game was played in St. Louis, Missouri, with the East beating the West 130–118. Local hero Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks wins the game's MVP award.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1956–57 coach | 1957–58 coach |
| Minneapolis Lakers | John Kundla | George Mikan |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Detroit Pistons | Charles Eckman | Red Rocha |
Teams
edit| 1957-58 National Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 |
| New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Municipal Auditorium | 12,000 | |
| Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga War Memorial | 6,230 | |
| Western | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cincinnati Gardens | 11,000 |
| Detroit Pistons | Detroit, Michigan | Olympia Stadium | 15,000 | |
| Minneapolis Lakers | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Auditorium | 10,000 | |
| St. Louis Hawks | St. Louis, Missouri | Kiel Auditorium | 9,300 | |
Map of teams
edit
Final standings
editEastern Division
edit| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Boston Celtics | 49 | 23 | .681 | - | 25-4 | 16-13 | 8-6 | 20-16 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8 | 26-5 | 8-20 | 7-6 | 21-15 |
| x-Philadelphia Warriors | 37 | 35 | .514 | 12 | 15-11 | 11-19 | 11-5 | 17-19 |
| New York Knicks | 35 | 37 | .486 | 14 | 16-12 | 11-18 | 8-7 | 14-22 |
Western Division
edit| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 41 | 31 | .569 | - | 23-8 | 8-19 | 10-4 | 24-12 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 33 | 39 | .458 | 8 | 14-14 | 13-17 | 6-8 | 18-18 |
| x-Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 39 | .458 | 8 | 17-12 | 10-19 | 6-8 | 17-19 |
| Minneapolis Lakers | 19 | 53 | .264 | 22 | 10-15 | 4-21 | 5-17 | 13-23 |
x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
edit| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | E3 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||
| E2 | Syracuse | 1 | E1 | Boston* | 2 | ||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis* | 4 | |||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis* | 4 | |||||||||||
| W3 | Cincinnati | 0 | W2 | Detroit | 1 | ||||||||
| W2 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Statistics leaders
edit| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | George Yardley | Detroit Pistons | 2,001 |
| Rebounds | Bill Russell | Boston Celtics | 1,564 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | 463 |
| FG% | Jack Twyman | Cincinnati Royals | .452 |
| FT% | Dolph Schayes | Syracuse Nationals | .904 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards
edit- Most Valuable Player: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- Rookie of the Year: Woody Sauldsberry, Philadelphia Warriors
- All-NBA First Team:
- F – Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- F – George Yardley, Detroit Pistons
- C – Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- G – Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- G – Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics
- All-NBA Second Team:
- F – Cliff Hagan, St. Louis Hawks
- F – Maurice Stokes, Cincinnati Royals
- C – Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- G – Tom Gola, Philadelphia Warriors
- G – Slater Martin, St. Louis Hawks
See also
editReferences
edit- 1957–58 NBA Season Summary basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 10, 2010