1957 Boston Celtics

Boston had been a fast, high-scoring team for years under Red Auerbach with nothing to show for it in April. That changed when Auerbach traded Ed Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for the draft rights to Russell. The Celtics finished 44-28, first in the East, and finally had the rebounder and shot-blocker their guards had been missing.

Bob Cousy won the league MVP and ran the offense. Bill Sharman shot it from the outside. Russell joined in December after winning Olympic gold in Melbourne and still averaged almost 20 rebounds a game over 48 contests. Heinsohn won Rookie of the Year.

The Finals against the Hawks went the distance. The teams split the first six, with Cliff Hagan winning Game 6 on a buzzer tip. Game 7 went to double overtime. Heinsohn scored 37 with 23 rebounds before fouling out, and a late Bob Pettit miss at the buzzer forced the second OT, where Boston held on 125-123. Russell grabbed 32 rebounds in that game.

It was the first banner of what became eleven titles in thirteen years. No NBA Finals Game 7 since has gone past a single overtime.

The starting five was Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, and Jim Loscutoff. Red Auerbach coached the group with Frank Ramsey as the primary bench scorer.

This was title number 2 in a Boston Celtics run that stretched across consecutive or near-consecutive seasons. Repeat winners carried continuity from one year to the next.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Arnie Risen (veteran backup center); Andy Phillip (Hall of Fame playmaker near career's end).

The 1957 playoffs ran through divisional rounds before the Finals. The Boston Celtics still needed four series wins in many years, but the league had fewer teams than the 30-franchise map used today.

The Boston Celtics share a lineage with other banners from 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 2024. Compare those seasons on the franchise hub to see how the roster and style changed between title runs.

Looking back, the 1956-57 Celtics won the first championship in franchise history, and two rookies changed the team overnight: Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn. Boston went 44-28, then outlasted the St. Louis Hawks in a Game 7 that needed two overtimes. It remains the only NBA Finals Game 7 ever decided past a single extra period.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Boston Celtics titles, use the franchise hub linked below.