1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season
| 1957–58 St. Louis Hawks season | |
|---|---|
|
NBA Champions | |
|
Division Champions | |
| First NBA Championship | |
| Head coach | Alex Hannum |
| Arena | Kiel Auditorium |
| Results | |
| Record | 41–31 (.569) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish |
NBA Champions (Defeated Celtics 4-2) |
|
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
The 1957–58 NBA season was the franchise's third in St. Louis and the 12th season overall in the NBA. 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.[1] In the Western Finals, the Hawks would beat the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. The Hawks would 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.[1] Despite playing without Russell, the Celtics were triumphant in Game 4. The Hawks pulled out a 2-point victory in the 5th match to take control of the series. Needing one more win for their first NBA Championship, the Hawks beat the Celtics 110–109. Bob Pettit scored 50 points playing against an injured Bill Russell as the Hawks and owner Ben Kerner won their first NBA Championship.[1]
Roster
Depth chart
| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Reserve | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ed Macauley | Walt Davis | Chuck Share | |
| PF | Bob Pettit | Jack Coleman | ||
| SF | Cliff Hagan | Med Park | ||
| SG | Jack McMahon | Win Wilfong | ||
| PG | Slater Martin |
Regular season
Season standings
| 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 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1957-58 NBA Records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CIN | DET | MIN | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 7–2 | 8–1 | 9–0 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 5–4 | 7–5 |
| Cincinnati | 2–7 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 4–5 |
| Detroit | 1–8 | 6–6 | — | 6–6 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 6–6 | 5–4 |
| Minneapolis | 0–9 | 4–8 | 6–6 | — | 1–8 | 3–6 | 3–9 | 2–7 |
| New York | 5–7 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–1 | — | 4–8 | 3–6 | 5–7 |
| Philadelphia | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 8–4 | — | 7–2 | 3–9 |
| St. Louis | 4–5 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 |
| Syracuse | 5–7 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–2 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 4–5 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Semifinals
The Hawks had a division semifinal bye.
West Division Finals
(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Detroit Pistons: Hawks win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 114, Detroit 111
- Game 2 @ Detroit: St. Louis 99, Detroit 96
- Game 3 @ St. Louis: Detroit 109, St. Louis 89
- Game 4 @ Detroit: St. Louis 145, Detroit 101
- Game 5 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 120, Detroit 96
Last Playoffs meeting: 1956 Western Division Finals (Pistons won 3–2, while still in Fort Wayne)
NBA Finals
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | March 29 | Boston | 102–104 | St. Louis |
| Game 2 | March 30 | Boston | 136–112 | St. Louis |
| Game 3 | April 2 | St. Louis | 111–108 | Boston |
| Game 4 | April 5 | St. Louis | 98–109 | Boston |
| Game 5 | April 9 | Boston | 100–102 | St. Louis |
| Game 6 | April 12 | St. Louis | 110–109 | Boston |
Hawks win series 4–2