1955–56 St. Louis Hawks season

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1955–56 St. Louis Hawks season
Head coachRed Holzman
ArenaKiel Auditorium
Results
Record33–39 (.458)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finishWest Division Finals(eliminated 2–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKTVI
RadioKMOX
< 1954–55 1956–57 >

The 1955–1956 Saint Louis Hawks season was the 10th season for the franchise. After 4 last-place seasons in Milwaukee, the Hawks relocated to St. Louis. The city had once been home to the St. Louis Bombers, an early BAA franchise that folded in 1950. The Hawks were on the verge of becoming one of the top teams in the NBA, led by second year forward Bob Pettit, who would earn the very first MVP award in NBA history.[1] The Hawks would finish in third place with a 33–39 record.

In the playoffs against the Minneapolis Lakers, the Hawks were triumphant in Game 1 by a single point. Game 2 was played in Minneapolis, and the Hawks were blown out by 58 points in Game 2. The third game was contested in St. Louis. Once again, the Hawks would win by 1 point to advance to the Western Finals. In the three games, the Hawks were outscored by 56 points. In the Western Finals, the Hawks would win the first 2 games against the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, the Pistons would rebound to take the next 3 games and win the series.[1]

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Western Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Fort Wayne Pistons 37 35 .514 - 19-7 10-17 8-11 19-17
x-Minneapolis Lakers 33 39 .458 4 14-12 6-21 13-6 19-17
x-St. Louis Hawks 33 39 .458 4 15-11 11-17 7-11 18-18
Rochester Royals 31 41 .431 6 15-14 6-21 10-6 16-20


Record vs. opponents[]

1955-56 NBA Records
Team BOS FWP MIN NYK PHI ROC STL SYR
Boston — 4–5 7–2 5–7 5–7 5–4 5–4 8–4
Fort Wayne 5–4 — 5–7 5–4 4–5 7–5 7–5 4–5
Minneapolis 2–7 7–5 — 5–4 3–6 7–5 5–7 4–5
New York 7–5 4–5 4–5 — 6–6 6–3 4–5 4–8
Philadelphia 7–5 5–4 6–3 6–6 — 6–3 6–3 9–3
Rochester 4–5 5–7 5–7 3–6 3–6 — 6–6 5–4
St. Louis 4–5 5–7 7–5 5–4 3–6 6–6 — 3–6
Syracuse 4–8 5–4 5–4 8–4 3–9 4–5 6–3 —

Playoffs[]

1956 playoff game log
Division Tiebreaker (finished as West's #3 seed)
Game Date Team Score High points Location Record
1 March 16 Minneapolis L 97–103 Bob Pettit (22) Kiel Auditorium 0–1
Division Semifinals: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points Location Series
1 March 17 Minneapolis W 116–115 Bob Pettit (25) Kiel Auditorium 1–0
2 March 19 @ Minneapolis L 75–133 Bob Pettit (14) Minneapolis Auditorium 1–1
3 March 21 @ Minneapolis W 116–115 Bob Pettit (41) Minneapolis Auditorium 2–1
Division Finals: 2–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points Location Series
1 March 22 @ Fort Wayne W 86–85 Al Ferrari (17) War Memorial Coliseum 1–0
2 March 24 Fort Wayne W 84–74 Al Ferrari (21) Kiel Auditorium 2–0
3 March 25 @ Fort Wayne L 84–107 Alex Hannum (18) War Memorial Coliseum 2–1
4 March 27 Fort Wayne L 84–93 Jack Coleman (19) Kiel Auditorium 2–2
5 March 29 @ Fort Wayne L 97–102 Jack Coleman (20) War Memorial Coliseum 2–3
1956 schedule

Awards and honors[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "St. Louis Hawks – Sports Ecyclopedia".
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