1958-59 NBA Season Standings

The Boston Celtics, powered by Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and Bill Sharman (the only trio from one team ever named to the All-NBA First Team together), swept the Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the Finals to win the first of what would become eight consecutive championships, a run that stands as the longest sustained dynasty in the history of major North American professional sports. Bob Pettit of St. Louis won league MVP for the second time in four seasons, while Minneapolis rookie Elgin Baylor, who nearly single-handedly kept the Lakers competitive on a team otherwise well past its early-1950s prime, won Rookie of the Year and immediately established himself as one of the league's most exciting players. Boston set a franchise scoring record with a 173-139 rout of Minneapolis during the regular season, an early sign of the offensive firepower the Celtics could generate to complement Russell's defense. St. Louis finished a strong second in the league at 49-23 to easily top the Western Division, while Cincinnati and Detroit continued to struggle near the bottom of the standings as both franchises worked to rebuild. The eight-team, two-division structure (Eastern and Western) remained unchanged from prior seasons, with realignment still more than a decade away.