1957
Boston Celtics
Series Flow
1
Wins
0
Losses
Regular Season
44–28
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
7–3
Win–Loss
Finals
1–0
vs St. Louis Hawks
Finals MVP
Russell
Bill
Boston Celtics
44–28St. Louis Hawks
34–38Bob Pettit led the Hawks to a Game 7 double-overtime — the narrowest championship escape in Celtics history. His 37 points and 19 rebounds in Game 7 were not enough by two points.
Finals MVP
Bill Russell
#6 · Center
22.9
PPG
32.0
RPG
The first championship. The beginning of the dynasty. Russell's debut Finals — 32 rebounds per game.
First NBA championship in Celtics history
Russell's debut Finals series — 32 RPG established the defensive template that would win 10 more titles
Double-overtime Game 7 against Bob Pettit's Hawks remains one of the greatest Finals games ever played
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · W
1–0
125
BOS
123
STL
Double-overtime. Bob Pettit had 37 points and 19 rebounds and still lost. Bill Russell's defensive presence in the extra periods was decisive. The dynasty had begun.
Boston Celtics
Bill Russell
19 pts · 32 rebThe first championship performance of the greatest winner in team sports history.
STL
Bob Pettit
37 pts · 19 rebAn all-time great performance in a losing Game 7. One of basketball's great individual efforts.
The Champions
They Pushed Us to the Limit
Bob Pettit led the Hawks to a Game 7 double-overtime — the narrowest championship escape in Celtics history. His 37 points and 19 rebounds in Game 7 were not enough by two points.
25.0
PPG
19.0
RPG
37 and 19 in Game 7. Not enough. One of the great losing performances in Finals history.
History Written in 1957
Boston Celtics
First NBA Championship in franchise history — the beginning of 11 titles in 13 years
Bill Russell
First championship of his career — 32 rebounds per game in his debut Finals series
Game 7
Double-overtime thriller — one of the greatest Games 7 in Finals history
Beyond the Box Score
The 1957 NBA Finals Game 7 went to double overtime. Bob Pettit had 37 points and 19 rebounds and still lost by two. Bill Russell — in his first professional season — grabbed 32 rebounds per game for the series. The Celtics' 11-title dynasty began in double overtime in Boston Garden.
Red Auerbach had assembled the team: Russell as the defensive anchor, Cousy as the creative engine, and a supporting cast of Hall of Famers. It would be the most dominant run in professional sports history.
The Full Story
Every dynasty has a beginning. For the Boston Celtics, it was a double-overtime Game 7 in April 1957. Bill Russell, in his first NBA season, pulled down 32 rebounds per game against the St. Louis Hawks. Bob Pettit gave him everything he had — 37 points and 19 rebounds in the deciding game — and still lost by two.
Boston Garden erupted. Red Auerbach lit his cigar. The greatest dynasty in professional team sports history had begun. Eleven championships would follow in the next twelve years.