1957 NBA playoffs | |||||
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Season | 1956–57 | ||||
Teams | 6 | ||||
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The 1957 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1956-57 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
It was the first title in Celtics history; as of 2016, they led the NBA in titles won with 17.
The Celtics and Hawks met in 4 out of 5 NBA Finals from 1957–1961, with the Celtics winning 3 out of 4. While the Hawks' dominance of the Western Division was succeeded by the Los Angeles Lakers afterward, Boston missed the NBA Finals just once between 1957–1969, and win the NBA title in every year but two.
In the division semifinals, the Philadelphia Warriors were swept by the Syracuse Nationals 2–0. This was the first time in NBA history that the defending champions were swept in the opening round. The next time the defending champions were swept in the opening round was in 2007. It was also the only time in which the playoff series leading to the Final resulted in sweeps.
St. Louis Hawks vs. Minneapolis Lakers: Hawks win series 1-0
St. Louis Hawks vs. Fort Wayne Pistons: Hawks win series 1-0
St. Louis defeats Fort Wayne & Minneapolis for #1 seed in West. Minneapolis gets #2 seed, Fort Wayne #3.
Champion: St. Louis Hawks