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1958–59 NBA season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1958–59 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 17, 1958 – March 11, 1959
March 13 – April 1, 1959 (Playoffs)
April 4–9, 1959 (Finals)
Number of games72
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)NBC
Draft
Top draft pickElgin Baylor
Picked byMinneapolis Lakers
Regular season
Top seedBoston Celtics
Season MVPBob Pettit (St. Louis)
Top scorerBob Pettit (St. Louis)
Playoffs
Eastern championsBoston Celtics
  Eastern runners-upSyracuse Nationals
Western championsMinneapolis Lakers
  Western runners-upSt. Louis Hawks
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upMinneapolis Lakers
NBA seasons

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.

Notable occurrences

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Coaching changes
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

Teams

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1958-59 National Basketball Association
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Eastern Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 18,496
Philadelphia Warriors Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Municipal Auditorium 12,000
Syracuse Nationals Syracuse, New York Onondaga War Memorial 6,230
Western Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati Gardens 11,000
Detroit Pistons Detroit, Michigan Olympia Stadium 15,000
Minneapolis Lakers Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis Auditorium 10,000
St. Louis Hawks St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 9,300

Map of teams

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Eastern Division Western Division

Final standings

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Eastern Division

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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

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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

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  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

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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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Minneapolis Lakers at Boston Celtics Box Score, February 27, 1959". www.basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.