1958 NBA Finals

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

1958 NBA finals
1958 NBA Finals championship banner, St. Louis Hawks.jpg
1958 NBA champions banner at State Farm Arena
TeamCoachWins
St. Louis Hawks Alex Hannum 4
Boston Celtics Red Auerbach 2
DatesMarch 29–April 12
Hall of Famers Celtics:
Bill Russell (as a player and coach)
Andy Phillip
Arnie Risen
Tom Heinsohn (as a player and coach)
Bob Cousy
Frank Ramsey
Sam Jones
Bill Sharman (as a player and coach)
Hawks:
Slater Martin
Ed Macauley
Cliff Hagan
Bob Pettit
Coaches:
Alex Hannum
Red Auerbach
Eastern finals Celtics defeated Warriors, 4–1
Western finals Hawks defeated Pistons, 4–1
←  1957 NBA finals 1959  →

The 1958 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series for the 1957–58 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It pitted the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks against the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. The Hawks won the series in six games to win the franchise's first and only NBA title. This was the last Finals until 1967 that was not won by the Celtics, and the last until 1971 that was won by the Western Division or Conference.

Contents

Recap

After being defeated by the Celtics in Game 7 of the 1957 NBA Finals, St. Louis survived a sometimes difficult 1957-58 NBA season en route to winning the Western Division crown with a 41–31 record. The Celtics, meanwhile, had dominated the Eastern Division with a 49–23 record. [1] This was the third meeting between teams from Boston and St. Louis for a major professional sports championship. [2]

The Hawks upset the Celtics (with a healthy Russell) in Game 1 at the Boston Garden, 104–102. [3] Boston struck back with a wipeout in Game 2, 136–112. [4] In St. Louis, the Hawks prevailed 111–108 in Game 3 when Russell severely sprained his ankle. [5] [1] Without Russell, the Celtics evened the series with a 109-98 surprise victory in Game 4. [6] St. Louis forced a 102–100 win in Game 5 in Boston to take the series lead. [7] [1]

Back home in Kiel Auditorium on April 12, the Hawks weren't about to miss their opportunity to defeat the defending champions. Pettit turned in a spectacular performance. He scored 31 points in the first three quarters, then zoomed off in the final period, nailing 19 of his team's last 21 points. His last two points, on a tip-in with 15 seconds remaining, put the Hawks ahead 110–107. The Celtics scored one final bucket but could do no more. The Hawks finally had a title, 110–109. [1] Pettit had scored 50 points, including 18 of the Hawks' final 21 points in propelling the Hawks to the championship. [8] Pettit's 50 points set a new Finals record for most scored by a player in a series-clinching game, a record that would finally be tied by Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021

Most observers[ who? ] figured that the Celtics probably would have won the 1958 title if Russell had not suffered his ankle injury in game 3. [1] Auerbach, however, found no comfort in that opinion. "You can always look for excuses," he said. "We just got beat." [1]

Series summary

GameDateHome teamResultRoad team
Game 1March 29Boston Celtics102–104 (0–1)St. Louis Hawks
Game 2March 30Boston Celtics136–112 (1–1)St. Louis Hawks
Game 3April 2St. Louis Hawks111–108 (2–1)Boston Celtics
Game 4April 5St. Louis Hawks98–109 (2–2)Boston Celtics
Game 5April 9Boston Celtics100–102 (2–3)St. Louis Hawks
Game 6April 12St. Louis Hawks110–109 (4–2)Boston Celtics

Hawks win series 4–2

Team rosters

St. Louis Hawks

Boston Celtics

Game summaries

Game 1

March 29
St. Louis Hawks 104, Boston Celtics 102 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 17–23, 42–30, 21–30, 24–19
Pts: Cliff Hagan 33
Rebs: Bob Pettit 19
Asts: Jack McMahon 5		Pts: Bob Cousy 27
Rebs: Bill Russell 29
Asts: Bob Cousy 5
St. Louis leads the series, 1–0
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Heft, Rudolph

Game 2

March 30
St. Louis Hawks 112, Boston Celtics136
Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 35–35, 28–38, 24–30
Pts: Cliff Hagan 37
Rebs: Cliff Hagan 12
Asts: Hagan, Pettit, McMahon 3		Pts: Bob Cousy 25
Rebs: Bill Russell 27
Asts: Bob Cousy 10
Series tied, 1–1
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Rudolph, Heft

Game 3

April 12
Boston Celtics 108, St. Louis Hawks111
Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 24–26, 26–34, 33–28
Pts: Frank Ramsey 29
Rebs: Bill Russell 13
Asts: Bob Cousy 7		Pts: Bob Pettit 32
Rebs: Bob Pettit 19
Asts: Jack McMahon 7
St. Louis leads the series, 2–1
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees: Heft, Rudolph

Game 4

April 5
Boston Celtics109, St. Louis Hawks 98
Scoring by quarter:25–16, 32–35, 27–20, 25–27
Pts: Bob Cousy 24
Rebs: Cousy, Ramsey, Heinsohn 13 each
Asts: Bob Cousy 10		Pts: Cliff Hagan 27
Rebs: Bob Pettit 17
Asts: Wilfong Share 9 each
Series tied, 2–2
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees: Heft, Rudolph

Game 5

April 9
St. Louis Hawks102, Boston Celtics 100
Scoring by quarter:26–18, 32–25, 26–27, 18–30
Pts: Bob Pettit 33
Rebs: Bob Pettit 21
Asts: Slater Martin 5		Pts: Frank Ramsey 30
Rebs: Frank Ramsey 20
Asts: Bob Cousy 5
St. Louis leads the series, 3–2
Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Rudolph, Heft

Game 6

April 12
Boston Celtics 108, St. Louis Hawks111
Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 34–35, 25–21, 32–32
Pts: Bill Sharman 26
Rebs: Arnie Risen 13
Asts: Bob Cousy 9		Pts: Bob Pettit 50
Rebs: Bob Pettit 19
St. Louis wins the NBA Finals, 4–2
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees: Rudolph, Heft

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Russell</span> American basketball player and coach (1934–2022)

William Felton Russell was an American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career. Russell is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Macauley</span> American basketball player and coach

Charles Edward Macauley was a professional basketball player and coach. His playing nickname was "Easy Ed". Macauley played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1959 for the St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics, and St. Louis Hawks. During his career, Macauley earned seven All-Star selections and won a championship with the Hawks in 1958. He played college basketball for Saint Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Hannum</span> American basketball player and coach (1923–2002)

Alexander Murray Hannum was a professional basketball player and coach. Hannum coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and one American Basketball Association (ABA) team to league championships. He had a combined NBA-ABA record of 649–564 (.535) in the regular season and 61–46 (.570) in the playoffs over 16 seasons. In 1998, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Pettit</span> American former basketball player and coach (born 1932)

Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award and he won the award again in 1959. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times. As of the end of 2023-2024 regular season, Pettit is still the only regular season MVP in the history of the Hawks. Pettit is the leader for most career rebounds (12,849), and most rebounds per game with 16.2 in Hawks franchise history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Selvy</span> American basketball player (1932–2024)

Franklin Delano Selvy was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player who was best known for holding the record for the most points (100) in a Division I college basketball game. Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Selvy was an All-State basketball player at Corbin High School and was a teammate of College Football Hall of Fame inductee Roy Kidd. Selvy was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1954 NBA draft and was a two-time NBA All-Star, playing nine seasons.

The 1967–68 NBA season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

The 1964–65 NBA season was the 19th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 7th straight NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

The 1963–64 NBA season was the 18th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 6th straight NBA Championship, beating the San Francisco Warriors 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

The 1962–63 NBA season was the 17th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 5th straight NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

The 1961–62 NBA season was the 16th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 4th straight NBA title, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

The 1958–59 NBA Season was the 13th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1957–58 NBA season</span> 12th 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailey Howell</span> American basketball player (born 1937)

Bailey E. Howell is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a six-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA champion and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

The 1960 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1960 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1959–60 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. It was Boston's fourth trip to the NBA Finals and St. Louis' third. This was the fourth meeting between teams from Boston and St. Louis for a major professional sports championship.

The 1957 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1956–57 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1957 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. This was the first trip to the Finals for each team, the first Finals in which both teams competing were making their first appearances since 1951. Red Auerbach became the first head coach to have taken two separate teams to the NBA Finals, having done so with Washington in 1949. The Celtics won the series over the Hawks, 4–3. It remains the only Game 7 in NBA history to be decided in double-overtime.

The 1958 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1957-58 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks defeating the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Share</span> American basketball player (1927–2012)

Charles Edward Share was an American basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Share has the distinction of being the first NBA draft pick ever: he was selected by the Boston Celtics as the No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural 1950 NBA draft.

The 1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season was the third for the franchise in St. Louis, ninth in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and 12th overall. Coming off their trip to the 1957 NBA Finals, the Hawks won the Western Division by 8 games with a record of 41 wins and 31 losses. Bob Pettit ranked 3rd in scoring and 2nd in rebounding. In the Western Finals, the Hawks would beat the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Hawks would then face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. After Games 1 and 2, the teams headed to St. Louis with the series tied at a game apiece. The Hawks took Game 3, as the Celtics lost Bill Russell to an ankle injury. Despite playing without Russell, the Celtics were triumphant in Game 4. The Hawks pulled out a 2-point victory in the Game 5 to take control of the series. Needing one more win for their first NBA Championship, the Hawks beat the Celtics 110–109 in Game 6. Bob Pettit scored 50 points playing against an injured Bill Russell as the Hawks and owner Ben Kerner won their first NBA Title.

The 1959–1960 Saint Louis Hawks season was the 14th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Hawks claimed their 4th straight division title. They won the division by 16 games with a 46–29 record. Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, and Clyde Lovellette all averaged more than 20 points per game. In the Western Finals, the Hawks faced the Minneapolis Lakers and needed a win in Game 6 to stay alive. Game 6 was played in Minneapolis and the Hawks dominated the Lakers, as they won the match by 21 points to force a 7th game. In St. Louis the Hawks won 97–86 to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. The Hawks challenged the Boston Celtics for the 3rd time in 4 years. The Hawks and Celtics alternated wins as the series went to a 7th game. In Game 7 the Celtics would claim the title as Bill Russell scored 18 points in the 2nd Quarter.

Ben Kerner was an American professional basketball owner. He was the co-founder and owner of the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association, the present-day Atlanta Hawks. In 1946, Kerner co–founded with Leo Ferris a professional team in Buffalo, New York. The team then moved to become the Tri-Cities Blackhawks after a few games. Kerner moved the franchise from Moline, Illinois, to Milwaukee in 1951 and to St. Louis in 1955. His 1958 St. Louis Hawks won the NBA Championship.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NBA.com: Pettit Drops 50 on Celtics in Game 6". NBA.com . Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
  2. ↑ Flores Jr., Johnny (May 21, 2019). "Boston & St. Louis meet for 11th time, only two to meet in NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL finals". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 29, 1958".
  4. ↑ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 30, 1958".
  5. ↑ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 2, 1958".
  6. ↑ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 5, 1958".
  7. ↑ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 9, 1958".
  8. ↑ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 12, 1958".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.