1956-57 NBA Finals
March 30, 1957 – April 13, 1957
1956-57 NBA Finals result: BCBoston Celtics def. SLHSt. Louis Hawks, 4-3, March 30, 1957 – April 13, 1957.
Result
| Team | Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | BCBoston Celtics | 4-3 |
| Runner-up | SLHSt. Louis Hawks |
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | March 30, 1957 | SLHSt. Louis Hawks 125–123 Boston Celtics | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Game 2 | March 31, 1957 | BCBoston Celtics 119–99 St. Louis Hawks | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Game 3 | April 6, 1957 | SLHSt. Louis Hawks 100–98 Boston Celtics | Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Game 4 | April 7, 1957 | BCBoston Celtics 123–118 St. Louis Hawks | Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Game 5 | April 9, 1957 | BCBoston Celtics 124–109 St. Louis Hawks | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Game 6 | April 11, 1957 | SLHSt. Louis Hawks 96–94 Boston Celtics | Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Game 7 | April 13, 1957 | BCBoston Celtics 125–123 St. Louis Hawks | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
Finals MVP
The Finals MVP award was not introduced until 1969; no Finals MVP was named for this series.
Series context
The 1957 NBA Finals marked the first championship in what would become the greatest dynasty in North American professional sports history: the Boston Celtics, coached by Red Auerbach, defeated the St. Louis Hawks in a classic seven-game series to win the first of the franchise's eventual titles. It was the first Finals appearance for both franchises. Boston finished the regular season 44-28 to win the Eastern Division, while St. Louis went just 34-38 but still claimed the Western Division on a tiebreaker, earning a spot in the postseason despite a losing record. Both teams rolled through the playoffs to get there: Boston swept Syracuse 3-0 in the Eastern Division Finals after the Nationals had eliminated Philadelphia in the semifinals, while St. Louis swept Minneapolis 3-0 in the Western Division Finals after the Lakers had gotten past Fort Wayne. Auerbach, meanwhile, became the first coach in NBA history to reach the Finals with two different franchises, having previously led the Washington Capitols there in 1949. The series was defined by its dramatic bookends. Game 1 in Boston required two overtimes, with St. Louis stealing a 125-123 win on the road after Tom Heinsohn and Bob Cousy each hit late tying baskets to force the game first to overtime and then to a second extra period. Boston roared back in Game 2, blowing out the Hawks 119-99. The series then shifted to St. Louis, where the Hawks took Game 3, 100-98, before Boston answered with a 123-118 win in Game 4 to even the series at two apiece. Boston moved ahead with a 124-109 win in Game 5, but St. Louis forced a decisive Game 7 with a 96-94 win in Game 6, capped by Cliff Hagan's basket at the buzzer, an early example of a game-winning buzzer-beater in NBA playoff history. Game 7 back in Boston was an instant classic, going to a second overtime before the Celtics prevailed, 125-123, to capture the title. The series introduced the basketball world to Bill Russell, playing in just his first professional season after debuting midway through the year following his participation in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Russell was a revelation defensively, setting a Finals record with 32 rebounds in Game 7 alone and averaging an extraordinary rebounding total across the series, establishing the shot-blocking, rebounding style of play that would define the Celtics dynasty for the next decade-plus. Bob Cousy directed Boston's fast-breaking offense, while St. Louis countered with Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan. This Finals is widely regarded as one of the greatest in NBA history and marked the true beginning of the Celtics' era of dominance under Auerbach and Russell.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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