1958–59 NBA season
13th NBA season
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The 1958–59 NBA season was the 13th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA championship (the first of what would be 8 straight), beating the Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 17, 1958 – March 11, 1959
March 13 – April 1, 1959 (Playoffs)
April 4–9, 1959 (Finals)
March 13 – April 1, 1959 (Playoffs)
April 4–9, 1959 (Finals)
Games72
| 1958–59 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 17, 1958 – March 11, 1959 March 13 – April 1, 1959 (Playoffs) April 4–9, 1959 (Finals) |
| Games | 72 |
| Teams | 8 |
| TV partner | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Elgin Baylor |
| Picked by | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Boston Celtics |
| Season MVP | Bob Pettit (St. Louis) |
| Top scorer | Bob Pettit (St. Louis) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Celtics |
| Eastern runners-up | Syracuse Nationals |
| Western champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Western runners-up | St. Louis Hawks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Boston Celtics |
| Runners-up | Minneapolis Lakers |
Notable occurrences
- The 1959 NBA All-Star Game was played in Detroit, Michigan, with the West beating the East 124–108. Bob Pettit of the St. Louis Hawks and Elgin Baylor of the Minneapolis Lakers shared the game's MVP award.
- The Boston Celtics set the record for the most points scored by a team in regulation, in their 173–139 victory over the Minneapolis Lakers.[1]
- This is the only season in NBA history in which one team (Boston Celtics) has had three players (Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman) on the All-NBA Team.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1957–58 coach | 1958–59 coach |
| Minneapolis Lakers | George Mikan | John Kundla |
| New York Knicks | Vince Boryla | Andrew Levane |
| Philadelphia Warriors | George Senesky | Al Cervi |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Cincinnati Royals | Bobby Wanzer | Tom Marshall |
| St. Louis Hawks | Andy Phillip | Ed Macauley |
Final standings
Eastern Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Boston Celtics | 52 | 20 | .722 | – | 26–4 | 13–15 | 13–1 | 23–13 |
| x-New York Knicks | 40 | 32 | .556 | 12 | 21–9 | 15–15 | 4–8 | 19–17 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 35 | 37 | .486 | 17 | 17–9 | 7–24 | 8–7 | 14–22 |
| Philadelphia Warriors | 32 | 40 | .444 | 20 | 17–9 | 7–24 | 8–7 | 14–22 |
Western Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 49 | 23 | .681 | – | 28–3 | 14–15 | 7–5 | 27–9 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 33 | 39 | .458 | 16 | 15–7 | 9–17 | 9–15 | 18–18 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 28 | 44 | .389 | 21 | 13–17 | 8–20 | 7–7 | 17–19 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 19 | 53 | .264 | 30 | 9–19 | 2–25 | 8–9 | 10–26 |
x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| E1 | Boston* | 4 | |||||||||||
| E3 | Syracuse | 2 | E3 | Syracuse | 3 | ||||||||
| E2 | New York | 0 | E1 | Boston* | 4 | ||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | St. Louis* | 2 | |||||||||||
| W3 | Detroit | 1 | W2 | Minneapolis | 4 | ||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | |||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Bob Pettit | St. Louis Hawks | 2,105 |
| Rebounds | Bill Russell | Boston Celtics | 1,612 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | 557 |
| FG% | Kenny Sears | New York Knicks | .490 |
| FT% | Bill Sharman | Boston Celtics | .932 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- Rookie of the Year: Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis Lakers
- All-NBA First Team:
- F – Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis Lakers
- F – Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
- C – Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- G – Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- G – Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics
- All-NBA Second Team:
- F – Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors
- F – Cliff Hagan, St. Louis Hawks
- C – Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- G – Richie Guerin, New York Knicks
- G – Slater Martin, St. Louis Hawks
