1956–57 St. Louis Hawks season
The 1956–1957 Saint Louis Hawks season was the 11st season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to the start of the season, the Hawks made one of the biggest draft-day deals in NBA history. The Hawks sent 2nd overall pick Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and second-year star Ed Macauley.[1] Macauley had been a popular player at St. Louis University. The Hawks struggled for most of the season and coach Red Holzman was fired midway through the season.[1] The new head coach was Slater Martin, who led the Hawks to a 5–3 record.[1] Martin did not want the added responsibility of head coach, so Alex Hannum took over for the rest of the season. Despite a 34–38 record, the Hawks claimed the Western Division by a tiebreaker and earned a bye into the Western Finals, where the Hawks swept the Minneapolis Lakers in three straight games. The Hawks met the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.[1] The Hawks won Game 1 in double overtime, 125–123 in Boston.[1] The Celtics took Game 2 and the Hawks took Game 3 at home by 2 points. After losing Game 5 in Boston, the Hawks needed another victory at home to force a decisive seventh game. Game 7 in Boston went into double overtime and the Celtics emerged victorious, winning by 2 points.
| 1956–57 Saint Louis Hawks season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Red Holzman, Slater Martin and Alex Hannum |
| Arena | Kiel Auditorium |
| Results | |
| Record | 34–38 (.472) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (eliminated 3–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
Offseason
NBA Draft
| Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bill Russell | Center | San Francisco |
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 |
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 Tiebreakers
St. Louis Hawks vs. Minneapolis Lakers: Hawks win series 1–0
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 114, Minneapolis 111 (OT)
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
Hawks had a division semifinal bye.
West Division Finals
(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers: Hawks win series 3–0
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 118, Minneapolis 109
- Game 2 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 106, Minneapolis 104
- Game 3 @ Minneapolis: St. Louis 143, Minneapolis 135 (2OT)
NBA Finals
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | March 30 | Boston | 123–125 (2OT) | St. Louis |
| Game 2 | March 31 | Boston | 119–99 | St. Louis |
| Game 3 | April 6 | St. Louis | 100–98 | Boston |
| Game 4 | April 7 | St. Louis | 118–123 | Boston |
| Game 5 | April 9 | Boston | 124–109 | St. Louis |
| Game 6 | April 11 | St. Louis | 96–94 | Boston |
| Game 7 | April 13 | Boston | 125–123 (OT) | St. Louis |
Celtics win series 4–3
Awards and honors
- Bob Pettit, All-NBA First Team
- Slater Martin, All-NBA Second Team