1958–59 Boston Celtics season

1958–59 Boston Celtics season
NBA champions
Division champions
Head coachRed Auerbach
ArenaBoston Garden
Results
Record52–20 (.722)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated Lakers 4–0)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
RadioWHDH
< 1957–58 1959–60 >

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

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Season standings

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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

Record vs. opponents

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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

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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

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1959 playoff game log
Division Finals: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Series
1 March 18 Syracuse W 131–109 Tom Heinsohn (28) Bill Russell (32) — Boston Garden 1–0
2 March 21 @ Syracuse L 118–120 Bob Cousy (27) Bill Russell (19) — Onondaga War Memorial 1–1
3 March 22 Syracuse W 133–111 Frank Ramsey (24) Bill Russell (27) — Boston Garden 2–1
4 March 25 @ Syracuse L 107–119 Frank Ramsey (29) Bill Russell (21) — Onondaga War Memorial 2–2
5 March 28 Syracuse W 129–108 Bob Cousy (27) Bill Russell (32) — Boston Garden 3–2
6 March 29 @ Syracuse L 121–133 Frank Ramsey (26) Bill Russell (24) — Onondaga War Memorial 3–3
7 April 1 Syracuse W 130–125 Frank Ramsey (28) Bill Russell (32) Bob Cousy (10) Boston Garden 4–3
NBA Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 4 Minneapolis W 118–115 Frank Ramsey (29) Bill Russell (28) Boston Garden
8,195 		1–0
2 April 5 Minneapolis W 128–108 Bill Sharman (28) Bill Russell (30) Boston Garden
11,082 		2–0
3 April 7 @ Minneapolis W 123–110 Tom Heinsohn (26) Bill Russell (30) St. Paul Auditorium
11,272 		3–0
4 April 9 @ Minneapolis W 118–113 Bill Sharman (29) Bill Russell (30) Minneapolis Auditorium
8,124 		4–0
1959 schedule

Roster

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Awards and honors

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  • Bob Cousy, All-NBA First Team
  • Bill Russell, All-NBA First Team
  • Bill Sharman, All-NBA First Team

References

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  1. ^ https://hoopshype.com/lists/ranking-the-easiest-paths-to-an-nba-title-ever-championship/
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