1958 NBA Finals
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Dates | March 29–April 12 | |||||||||
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Western Finals | Hawks defeated Pistons, 4–1 | |||||||||
The 1958 NBA World Championship Series was the
Recap
After being defeated by the Celtics in Game 7 of the
The Hawks upset the Celtics (with a healthy Russell) in Game 1 at the Boston Garden, 104-102.[2] Boston struck back with a wipeout in Game 2, 136-112.[3] In St. Louis, the Hawks prevailed 111-108 in Game 3 when Russell severely sprained his ankle.[4][1] Without Russell, the Celtics evened the series with a 109-98 surprise victory in Game 4.[5] St. Louis forced a 102-100 win in Game 5 in Boston to take the series lead.[6][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.[7] 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
Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | March 29 | Boston Celtics | 102–104 (0–1) | St. Louis Hawks |
Game 2 | March 30 | Boston Celtics | 136–112 (1–1) | St. Louis Hawks |
Game 3 | April 2 | St. Louis Hawks | 111–108 (2–1) | Boston Celtics |
Game 4 | April 5 | St. Louis Hawks | 98–109 (2–2) | Boston Celtics |
Game 5 | April 9 | Boston Celtics | 100–102 (2–3) | St. Louis Hawks |
Game 6 | April 12 | St. Louis Hawks | 110–109 (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 | ||
5 | Pts: Bob Cousy 27 Rebs: Bill Russell 29 Asts: Bob Cousy 5 | |
St. Louis leads the series, 1–0 |
Game 2
March 30
|
St. Louis Hawks 112, Boston Celtics 136 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–33, 35–35, 28–38, 24–30 | ||
: 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 Hawks 111 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–23, 24–26, 26–34, 33–28 | ||
: Bob Cousy 7 | Pts: Bob Pettit 32 Rebs: Bob Pettit 19 Asts: Jack McMahon 7 | |
St. Louis leads the series, 2–1 |
Game 4
April 5
|
Boston Celtics 109, St. Louis Hawks 98 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 25–16, 32–35, 27–20, 25–27 | ||
: 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 Hawks 102, Boston Celtics 100 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 32–25, 26–27, 18–30 | ||
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 Hawks 111 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 18–22, 34–35, 25–21, 32–32 | ||
: Bob Cousy 9 | Pts: Bob Pettit 50 Rebs: Bob Pettit 19 | |
St. Louis wins the NBA Finals, 4–2 |
See also
- 1958 NBA Playoffs
References
- ^ NBA.com. Archived from the originalon February 22, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
- ^ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 29, 1958".
- ^ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, March 30, 1958".
- ^ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 2, 1958".
- ^ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 5, 1958".
- ^ "St. Louis Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 9, 1958".
- ^ "Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, April 12, 1958".
- 1957-58 NBA Season Summary, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.