1958–59 Boston Celtics season
1958–59 Boston Celtics season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Division champions | |
Head coach | Red Auerbach |
Arena | Boston Garden |
Results | |
Record | 52–20 (.722) |
Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated Lakers 4–0) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Radio | WHDH |
The 1958–59 Boston Celtics season was the 13th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics finished the season by winning the first of eight consecutive NBA World Championships, and their second title overall. On February 27, 1959, the Celtics blew out the Minneapolis Lakers 173-139 and set a still-standing franchise-record for points in a game. 173 points scored by Boston would also be the record for the highest-scoring amount done before the three-point line would be implemented by the NBA in the 1979–80 season (albeit initially as a gimmick), though that specific record would be tied without a three-pointer made in 1990 by the Phoenix Suns. HoopsHype would later rank this championship squad as the team with the easiest path to the NBA Finals ever in 2024 due to them being the only championship team who had playoff opponents that averaged less than an average .500 record during their championship run.[1]
Regular season
Season standings
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 |
Record vs. opponents
1958-59 NBA Records | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BOS | CIN | DET | MIN | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
Boston | – | 8–1 | 8–1 | 9–0 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 4–5 | 7–5 |
Cincinnati | 1–8 | – | 3–9 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 1–11 | 3–6 |
Detroit | 1–8 | 9–3 | – | 4–8 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 4–8 | 2–7 |
Minneapolis | 0–9 | 6–6 | 8–4 | – | 4–5 | 6–3 | 4–8 | 5–4 |
New York | 5–7 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 5–4 | – | 5–7 | 4–5 | 9–3 |
Philadelphia | 3–9 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 7–5 | – | 4–5 | 4–8 |
St. Louis | 5–4 | 11–1 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 5–4 | 5–4 | – | 7–2 |
Syracuse | 5–7 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 3–9 | 8–4 | 2–7 | — |
Game log
1958–59 Game log | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record | |||||
1 | October 25 | @ New York | 125–127 (OT) | Bill Sharman (28) | 0–1 | |||||
2 | November 1 | Detroit | 98–112 | Tom Heinsohn (31) | 1–1 | |||||
3 | November 5 | @ Syracuse | 117–115 | Bill Russell (28) | 2–1 | |||||
4 | November 8 | @ St. Louis | 84–87 | Tom Heinsohn (22) | 2–2 | |||||
5 | November 9 | @ Detroit | 133–136 | Bill Russell (32) | 2–3 | |||||
6 | November 11 | Minneapolis | 113–116 (OT) | Bill Russell (20) | 3–3 | |||||
7 | November 15 | Cincinnati | 105–130 | Frank Ramsey (33) | 4–3 | |||||
8 | November 18 | N Detroit | 102–115 | Russell, Sharman (20) | 5–3 | |||||
9 | November 19 | @ Cincinnati | 103–119 | Bill Russell (27) | 5–4 | |||||
10 | November 21 | N New York | 112–106 | Bill Russell (25) | 5–5 | |||||
11 | November 22 | Philadelphia | 100–105 | Bill Sharman (26) | 6–5 | |||||
12 | November 24 | N Minneapolis | 104–123 | Bob Cousy (23) | 7–5 | |||||
13 | November 26 | New York | 109–121 | Bill Sharman (22) | 8–5 | |||||
14 | November 27 | @ Philadelphia | 107–94 | Bill Sharman (31) | 9–5 | |||||
15 | November 29 | Detroit | 96–110 | Tom Heinsohn (19) | 10–5 | |||||
16 | December 2 | @ New York | 109–90 | Bill Sharman (23) | 11–5 | |||||
17 | December 3 | St. Louis | 119–110 | Bill Sharman (28) | 11–6 | |||||
18 | December 4 | N Syracuse | 114–116 | Bill Sharman (29) | 12–6 | |||||
19 | December 6 | Syracuse | 101–92 | Bill Russell (21) | 12–7 | |||||
20 | December 7 | @ Syracuse | 104–108 | Frank Ramsey (17) | 12–8 | |||||
21 | December 10 | Philadelphia | 97–100 | Bob Cousy (23) | 13–8 | |||||
22 | December 11 | @ Philadelphia | 123–114 | Bob Cousy (28) | 14–8 | |||||
23 | December 12 | Cincinnati | 115–125 (OT) | Bob Cousy (30) | 15–8 | |||||
24 | December 16 | N Syracuse | 104–108 | Frank Ramsey (25) | 16–8 | |||||
25 | December 17 | @ Detroit | 102–95 | Bill Sharman (25) | 17–8 | |||||
26 | December 18 | @ Cincinnati | 104–90 | Bill Sharman (21) | 18–8 | |||||
27 | December 20 | New York | 106–135 | Bob Cousy (21) | 19–6 | |||||
28 | December 25 | @ New York | 129–120 | Bill Russell (32) | 20–8 | |||||
29 | December 26 | N Minneapolis | 99–107 | Frank Ramsey (26) | 21–8 | |||||
30 | December 27 | @ Minneapolis | 112–94 | Bob Cousy (34) | 22–8 | |||||
31 | December 29 | Syracuse | 105–107 | Bill Russell (28) | 23–8 | |||||
32 | December 30 | @ Philadelphia | 105–112 | Bill Sharman (26) | 23–9 | |||||
33 | January 3 | @ St. Louis | 110–116 | Bill Sharman (24) | 23–10 | |||||
34 | January 4 | @ Cincinnati | 111–108 | Bob Cousy (26) | 24–10 | |||||
35 | January 5 | Minneapolis | 106–118 | Bob Cousy (30) | 25–10 | |||||
36 | January 6 | N Cincinnati | 95–109 | Bill Sharman (23) | 26–10 | |||||
37 | January 7 | N New York | 78–109 | Tom Heinsohn (23) | 27–10 | |||||
38 | January 9 | @ Detroit | 103–90 | Bob Cousy (25) | 28–10 | |||||
39 | January 11 | N Minneapolis | 106–109 (OT) | Heinsohn, Sharman (26) | 29–10 | |||||
40 | January 12 | N Minneapolis | 108–117 | Tom Heinsohn (38) | 30–10 | |||||
41 | January 14 | New York | 112–123 | Heinsohn, Russell (25) | 31–10 | |||||
42 | January 16 | @ Philadelphia | 98–105 | Bob Cousy (27) | 31–11 | |||||
43 | January 18 | St. Louis | 117–139 | Bill Sharman (36) | 32–11 | |||||
44 | January 20 | @ St. Louis | 114–119 | Bill Russell (23) | 32–12 | |||||
45 | January 21 | @ Syracuse | 112–134 | Bill Sharman (27) | 32–13 | |||||
46 | January 24 | Philadelphia | 104–132 | Tom Heinsohn (26) | 33–13 | |||||
47 | January 25 | Detroit | 118–119 (OT) | Bob Cousy (29) | 34–13 | |||||
48 | January 28 | St. Louis | 111–120 (OT) | Frank Ramsey (30) | 35–13 | |||||
49 | January 31 | Philadelphia | 102–137 | Bill Sharman (30) | 36–13 | |||||
50 | February 1 | Syracuse | 137–139 (OT) | Bob Cousy (32) | 37–13 | |||||
51 | February 3 | N St. Louis | 97–104 | Cousy, Ramsey (23) | 38–13 | |||||
52 | February 4 | New York | 129–126 | Ramsey, Russell (22) | 38–14 | |||||
53 | February 6 | St. Louis | 95–122 | Tom Heinsohn (29) | 39–14 | |||||
54 | February 7 | @ New York | 124–116 | Cousy, Heinsohn (28) | 40–14 | |||||
55 | February 8 | Cincinnati | 117–136 | Tom Heinsohn (36) | 41–14 | |||||
56 | February 9 | @ Philadelphia | 113–121 | Bob Cousy (32) | 41–15 | |||||
57 | February 11 | Philadelphia | 118–120 | Bob Cousy (31) | 42–15 | |||||
58 | February 14 | Syracuse | 121–124 | Tom Heinsohn (24) | 43–15 | |||||
59 | February 15 | Detroit | 94–120 | Bill Sharman (31) | 44–15 | |||||
60 | February 17 | N Philadelphia | 84–95 | Bill Sharman (24) | 45–15 | |||||
61 | February 19 | @ Syracuse | 105–113 | Tom Heinsohn (24) | 45–16 | |||||
62 | February 20 | @ Detroit | 111–106 (OT) | Frank Ramsey (31) | 46–16 | |||||
63 | February 22 | @ Cincinnati | 129–112 | Tom Heinsohn (27) | 47–16 | |||||
64 | February 24 | @ New York | 122–134 | Bob Cousy (33) | 47–17 | |||||
65 | February 26 | N Philadelphia | 109–125 | Heinsohn, Ramsey (21) | 48–17 | |||||
66 | February 27 | Minneapolis | 139–173 | Tom Heinsohn (43) | 49–17 | |||||
67 | March 1 | @ St. Louis | 102–104 | Tom Heinsohn (23) | 49–18 | |||||
68 | March 3 | N Minneapolis | 112–119 | Tom Heinsohn (30) | 50–18 | |||||
69 | March 4 | Syracuse | 114–120 | Bill Sharman (26) | 51–18 | |||||
70 | March 5 | @ Syracuse | 118–142 | Bill Sharman (23) | 51–19 | |||||
71 | March 8 | Cincinnati | 131–141 | Bill Sharman (29) | 52–19 | |||||
72 | March 10 | New York | 138–116 | Bob Cousy (37) | 52–20 |
Playoffs
Roster
Awards and honors
- Bob Cousy, All-NBA First Team
- Bill Russell, All-NBA First Team
- Bill Sharman, All-NBA First Team