Wikipedia
1957–58 NBA season
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 |
Final standings Edit
Eastern 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
References Edit
- 1957–58 NBA Season Summary basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 10, 2010