1956–57 St. Louis Hawks season
| 1956–57 St. 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 at Basketball-Reference.com | |
The 1956–57 NBA season was the St. Louis Hawks' 11th season in the 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.
Offseason
NBA Draft
| Pick | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bill Russell | Center | San Francisco |
Regular season
Season standings
| 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