1956–57 Fort Wayne Pistons season
The 1956–57 NBA season was the Pistons' ninth season in the NBA, 16th season as a franchise, and the final season for the team in Fort Wayne. The Pistons won 34, and lost 38, finishing in a three-way tie for first in the Western Division, but were seeded third after the St. Louis Hawks defeated both the Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers in tie-breaking games. In the West Semifinals, the Lakers eliminated the Pistons, two games to none.
| 1956–57 Fort Wayne Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Charles Eckman |
| Arena | War Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 34–38 (.472) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | West Division Semifinals (eliminated 0–2) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
Following the season, the Pistons relocated to Detroit. As a result, Indiana would not get another pro basketball team until the Indiana Pacers of the ABA was formed in 1967. The NBA returned to Indiana with the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.[1]
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 34 | 38 | .472 | - | 17-9 | 10-20 | 7-9 | 22-14 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 34 | 38 | .472 | - | 15-9 | 5-22 | 14-7 | 18-18 |
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 34 | 38 | .472 | - | 23-5 | 5-23 | 6-10 | 17-19 |
| Rochester Royals | 31 | 41 | .431 | 3 | 19-10 | 7-17 | 5-14 | 15-21 |
- x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents
| 1956–57 NBA records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | FWP | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 6–3 | 5–4 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 5–7 |
| Fort Wayne | 3–6 | — | 7–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 5–4 |
| Minneapolis | 4–5 | 5–7 | — | 3–6 | 5–4 | 9–3 | 4–8 | 4–5 |
| New York | 5–7 | 4–5 | 6–3 | — | 4–8 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–6 |
| Philadelphia | 4–8 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 8–4 | — | 4–5 | 7–2 | 5–7 |
| Rochester | 3–6 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 4–5 | 5–4 | — | 6–6 | 4–5 |
| St. Louis | 2–7 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 6–6 | — | 5–4 |
| Syracuse | 7–5 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Tiebreaker
St. Louis Hawks vs. Fort Wayne Pistons: Hawks win series 1-0
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 115, Fort Wayne 103
West Division Semifinals
(2) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) Fort Wayne Pistons: Lakers win series 2-0
- Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 131, Fort Wayne 127
- Game 2 @ Fort Wayne: Minneapolis 110, Fort Wayne 108
Awards and records
- George Yardley, All-NBA Second Team