1955–56 Fort Wayne Pistons season
| 1955–56 Fort Wayne Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Charles Eckman |
| Arena | War Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 37–35 (.514) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (eliminated 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WKJG-TV |
| Radio | WOWO |
The 1955–56 Fort Wayne Pistons season was the eighth season for the Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 15th season as a franchise. In the Western Division Finals the Pistons defeated the St. Louis Hawks in a best-of-five series 3–2 to reach the NBA Finals. They would go on to lose the Finals in five games to the Philadelphia Warriors.[1]
Roster
- Number Name
- 15–18 Jesse Arnelle
- 18 Don Bielke
- 7 Frankie Brian
- 6 Chuck Cooper
- 7–8 Corky Devlin
- 16 Larry Foust
- 10 Jim Holstein
- 15 Johnny Horan
- 17 Bob Houbregs
- 9 Mel Hutchins
- 5 Chuck Noble
- 14 Andy Phillip
- 8–15 Odie Spears
- 12 George Yardley
- 10 Max Zaslofsky
- Coach Charles Eckman
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 37 | 35 | .514 | - | 19-7 | 10-17 | 8-11 | 19-17 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 33 | 39 | .458 | 4 | 14-12 | 6-21 | 13-6 | 19-17 |
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 33 | 39 | .458 | 4 | 15-11 | 11-17 | 7-11 | 18-18 |
| Rochester Royals | 31 | 41 | .431 | 6 | 15-14 | 6-21 | 10-6 | 16-20 |
- x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents
| 1955-56 NBA Records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | FWP | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 4–5 | 7–2 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 |
| Fort Wayne | 5–4 | — | 5–7 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 4–5 |
| Minneapolis | 2–7 | 7–5 | — | 5–4 | 3–6 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 4–5 |
| New York | 7–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | — | 6–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 4–8 |
| Philadelphia | 7–5 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–6 | — | 6–3 | 6–3 | 9–3 |
| Rochester | 4–5 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 3–6 | 3–6 | — | 6–6 | 5–4 |
| St. Louis | 4–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 6–6 | — | 3–6 |
| Syracuse | 4–8 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–9 | 4–5 | 6–3 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Semifinals
The Pistons had a division semifinal bye.
West Division Finals
(1) Fort Wayne Pistons vs. (3) St. Louis Hawks: Pistons win series 3-2
- Game 1 @ Fort Wayne: St. Louis 86, Fort Wayne 85
- Game 2 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 84, Fort Wayne 74
- Game 3 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 107, St. Louis 84
- Game 4 @ St. Louis: Fort Wayne 93, St. Louis 84
- Game 5 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 102, St. Louis 97
NBA Finals
(E1) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (W1) Fort Wayne Pistons: Warriors win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 98, Fort Wayne 94
- Game 2 @ Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne 84, Philadelphia 83
- Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 100, Fort Wayne 96
- Game 4 @ Fort Wayne: Philadelphia 107, Fort Wayne 105
- Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 99, Fort Wayne 88
References
- ^ 1955–56 Fort Wayne Pistons
- ^ 1955–56 Fort Wayne Psitons Roster and Stats, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.