1956-57 NBA season
Encyclopedia
The 1956–57 NBA season was the 11th season of the National Basketball Association
. The season ended with the Boston Celtics
winning the NBA Championship (which would be the first of their 17 NBA titles), beating the St. Louis Hawks
4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals
.
Note: Prior to the 1969-70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The season ended with the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
winning the NBA Championship (which would be the first of their 17 NBA titles), beating the St. Louis Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals
1957 NBA Finals
The 1957 NBA Finals 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 Conference champion St. Louis Hawks and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics....
.
Notable occurrences
- The 1957 NBA All-Star Game1957 NBA All-Star GameThe 1957 NBA All Star Game was the seventh NBA All-Star Game. With the score 43-39 in favor of the West and with time running out in the first half, the East's Bill Sharman attempted to throw a long pass to Bob Cousy...
was played in Boston, Massachusetts, with the EastEastern Conference (NBA)The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
beating the WestWestern Conference (NBA)Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
109-97. Local hero Bob CousyBob CousyRobert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season...
of the Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
wins the game's MVP award.
Western Division
x - clinched playoff spotStatistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Paul Arizin | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,817 |
| Rebounds | Maurice Stokes Maurice Stokes Maurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury... |
Rochester Royals Rochester Royals The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League.... |
1,256 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy Bob Cousy Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season... |
Boston Celtics Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which... |
478 |
| FG% | Neil Johnston Neil Johnston Donald Neil Johnston was an American Hall of Fame basketball player at the center position who played 8 years in the NBA from 1951 to 1959.... |
Philadelphia Warriors | 44.7 |
| FT% | Bill Sharman Bill Sharman William Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest... |
Boston Celtics | 90.5 |
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 PlayerNBA Most Valuable Player AwardThe National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1955–56 NBA season. The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement...
: Bob CousyBob CousyRobert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season...
, Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which... - Rookie of the YearNBA Rookie of the Year AwardThe National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
: Tom Heinsohn, Boston Celtics
- All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA TeamThe All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The team has been selected in every season of the...
:- Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors
- Bob PettitBob PettitRobert Lee "Bob" Pettit Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks . He was the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970...
, St. Louis Hawks - Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- Bill SharmanBill SharmanWilliam Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...
, Boston Celtics - Dolph SchayesDolph SchayesAdolph "Dolph" Schayes is a retired American professional basketball player and coach in the NBA. A top scorer and rebounder, he was a member of the 1955 NBA champion Syracuse Nationals and a 12-time All-Star....
, Syracuse NationalsSyracuse NationalsThe Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...
- All-NBA Second Team:
- Dick GarmakerDick GarmakerRichard Eugene "Dick" Garmaker is a retired American basketball player who played professionally in the NBA from 1955 to 1961.Garmaker was a 6'3" guard/forward from the University of Minnesota...
, Minneapolis Lakers - Neil JohnstonNeil JohnstonDonald Neil Johnston was an American Hall of Fame basketball player at the center position who played 8 years in the NBA from 1951 to 1959....
, Philadelphia Warriors - Slater MartinSlater MartinSlater Nelson "Dugie" Martin Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player and coach who played the guard position for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association...
, St. Louis Hawks - Maurice StokesMaurice StokesMaurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
, Rochester RoyalsRochester RoyalsThe franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League.... - George YardleyGeorge YardleyGeorge Harry Yardley III , best known as simply George Yardley, was an NBA Hall of Fame basketball player. He was the first player in history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held by fellow Hall of Famer George Mikan...
, Fort Wayne Pistons
- Dick Garmaker