The 1956 NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...

was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association

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...

's 1955-1956 season

1955-56 NBA season

The 1955–56 NBA season was the 10th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Philadelphia Warriors winning the NBA Championship, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...

. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference

Eastern 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...

 champion Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Western Conference

Western 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....

 champion Fort Wayne Pistons, four games to one in the NBA Finals

1956 NBA Finals

The 1956 NBA Finals was the championship series and conclusion of the 1955-56 NBA season. The Philadelphia Warriors defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons four games to one...

.

It was the Warriors' second NBA championship; their first title had come in 1947

1947 NBA Playoffs

The 1947 BAA Playoffs was the postseason of the Basketball Association of America's 1946–47 season. Basketball Association of America would eventually become the National Basketball Association . The tournament concluded with the Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Chicago Stags four games to one...

 back when the NBA was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). They would have to wait until 1975

1975 NBA Playoffs

The 1975 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, four games to none in the NBA Finals...

 to taste championship gold again; by that time they had moved to the Bay Area and become the Golden State Warriors. Philadelphia's later team, the 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

, would win the championship in 1967

1967 NBA Playoffs

The 1967 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1966-1967 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Western Division champion San Francisco Warriors, four games to two in the NBA Finals.It was...

.

This was the Pistons' second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, but they would not make another appearance until 1988

1988 NBA Finals

The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1987–88 NBA season.One of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1986-87 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles...

 as the Detroit Pistons. No team from Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 would return to the NBA Finals until the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 did so in 2000

2000 NBA Finals

The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999-2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage...

.

Western Conference Tie Breakers

St. Louis Hawks vs. Minneapolis Lakers:
Lakers win series 1-0

• Game 1 @ St. Louis: Minneapolis 103, St. Louis 97

Minneapolis defeats St. Louis for #2 seed in West. St. Louis gets #3.

Eastern Conference Tie Breakers

Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The 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...

vs. New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
Nationals win series 1-0

• Game 1 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 82, New York 77

Syracuse defeats New York for #3 seed in East.

Western Division

Champion: Fort Wayne Pistons

Division Semifinals

(1) Fort Wayne Pistons have division semifinals byes.

(2) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) St. Louis Hawks:
Hawks win series 2-1

• Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 116, Minneapolis 115
• Game 2 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 133, St. Louis 75
• Game 3 @ Minneapolis: St. Louis 116, Minneapolis 115 (George Mikan
  George Mikan
  George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
  
  ’s final NBA game)

Division Finals

(1) Fort Wayne Pistons vs. (3) St. Louis Hawks:
Pistons win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Fort Wayne: St. Louis 86, Fort Wayne 85
• Game 2 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 84, Fort Wayne 74
• Game 3 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 107, St. Louis 84
• Game 4 @ St. Louis: Fort Wayne 93, St. Louis 84
• Game 5 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 102, St. Louis 97 (Pistons become first team to come back after from a 2–0 deficit in NBA Playoffs)

Eastern Division

Champion: Philadelphia Warriors

Division Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia Warriors have division semifinals byes.

(2) 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...

 vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The 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...

:
Nationals win series 2-1

• Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 110, Syracuse 93
• Game 2 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 101, Boston 98
• Game 3 @ Boston: Syracuse 102, Boston 97

Division Finals

(1) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The 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...

:
Warriors win series 3-2

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 109, Syracuse 87
• Game 2 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 122, Philadelphia 118
• Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 119, Syracuse 96
• Game 4 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 108, Philadelphia 104
• Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 109, Syracuse 104

NBA Finals

(1) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (1) Fort Wayne Pistons:
Warriors win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 98, Fort Wayne 94
• Game 2 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 84, Philadelphia 83
• Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 100, Fort Wayne 96
• Game 4 @ Fort Wayne: Philadelphia 107, Fort Wayne 105
• Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 99, Fort Wayne 88

External links

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1956 NBA Playoffs page