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.
Notable occurrences
- 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
Eastern Division
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
- 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
References
- 1957–58 NBA Season Summary basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 10, 2010