Hardwood Houdini
Fansided

#TBT – Boston Celtics 1957 Championship

By Joshua Bateman

facebooktwitterreddit

This post is going all the way back to the very beginning when the Boston Celtics won their first championship in the 1956-1957 season.

Not only was this the beginning of the most championship wins by a franchise in NBA history, but it was also the beginning of arguably the greatest career in the history of the NBA: Bill Russell.

Feb 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Retired NBA player and coach Bill Russell after the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings 101-78. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Russell was an immediate impact in his rookie season. He did not take over on the scoring front as Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn all averaged more than his 14.7 pointer per game.

Where Russell immediately dominating is rebounding. Russell was truly a physical revelation in the league and averaging 19.6 rebounds per game in his rookie season is a great testament to that.

Looking back and the Celtics had a truly special collection of talent that season. Bill Russell is the most noteworthy but he is just one of many hall of famers on that team. Cousy, Sharman, Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey have all been inducted in the Hall of Fame.

And of course the squad was lead by one of the all time greatest figures in sports, Red Auerbach.

The Celtics’ first championship win may have also been the most exciting. The Celtics went head to head against the St. Louis Hawks and the series went the distance.

The series featured plenty of scoring as the teams combined to have under 100 points just 4 times in the seven game series and they combined to reach at least 120 6 times.

The drama was not just in the scoring as the series featured 5 games that were decided by 5 points or less and 4 of them were one posession games.

The series kicked off with a bang as the Hawks had an epic 125-123 double over time victory. Bill Russell actually had a very poor game one as he only managed to total 7 points. It was Sharman who led the way with 36 points and Cousy and Heinsohn both put in 26 points. The Celtics fell short in game one largely due to Pettit as he led the game with 37 points.

Game two did not live up to the hype of game one as the Celtics had a commanding 119-99 victory and it was a true team victory. The Celtics had seven players in double figures, led by Cousy and Ramsey who both put in 22 points. The Hawks had one of their poorest scoring outputs, failing to reach 100, with no players above 19 points.

Game three came around and even though it was the second lowest scoring game of the series it was one of the most exciting. The Hawks took a 2-1 series lead with a 100-98 victory. The Hawks got more consistent scoring with five players in double digits and it was once again led by Petit with 26 points. The Celtics fought valiantly but 28 from Sharman and 21 from Heinsohn fell just short.

Game four is where the scoring really took off as the Celtics evened the series with a 123-118 victory. Bill Russell finally left an imprint with his scoring as he put in 17 points. He was still far from the top dog as the familiar faces of Cousy and Sharman were both above 20 points. Russell also had a dominant game on the boards and he may have been the team’s overall most impactful player with 20 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.

Game five had the second largest point discrepancy as the Celtics finally took a series lead with the 124-109 victory. Bill Russell continued his steady offensive contribution with 14 points. Sharman had a truly stellar game too. His 32 points led the the Celtics’ commanding lead and he did it with just 13 field goals. Going 6-6 from the line helped and the usual teammates were right by his side. The Celtics had one of their best team wins as 6 players scored in double digits and three of them were over 20.

Game six brought some more drama as the Hawks grinded their way to a 96-94 victory. The Celtics struggled to score as they had only 4 players in double digits and Heinsohn was the only one to break the 20 point barrier. Pettit continued to carry the load for the Hawks with an unbelievable 32 points and 23 rebounds. It’s not often you see someone on par with Russell on the boards but Pettit matched him with 23.

The only thing better than a game 7 in sports, is an overtime game 7. You know whats even better than that? A two, point double overtime victory to secure the franchise’s first championship. The score actually mirrored game one but this time it was the Celtics who came out with a 125-123 victory. Heinsohn carried the load for the Celtics and even though he missed 7 free throws he led the team with 37 points. Russell also had one of his more impactful offensive games with 19 points.

The Celtics have a long a storied history with some of the most iconic games ever but their first championship win may have taken the cake. A double overtimes two point win in a game seven is the kind of thing dreams are made of and it is fitting because that was the beginning of the single greatest dynasty in the history of professional sports.

More from Hardwood Houdini

Home/Celtics News