1959–60 NBA season

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1959–60 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 17, 1959 – March 10, 1960
March 11–26, 1960 (Playoffs)
March 27–April 9, 1960 (Finals)
Number of games75
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)NBC
Draft
Top draft pickBob Boozer
Picked byCincinnati Royals
Regular season
Top seedBoston Celtics
Season MVPWilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)
Top scorerWilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern championsBoston Celtics
  Eastern runners-upPhiladelphia Warriors
Western championsSt. Louis Hawks
  Western runners-upMinneapolis Lakers
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upSt. Louis Hawks
NBA seasons

The 1959–60 NBA season was the 14th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning their 2nd straight NBA title, beating the St. Louis Hawks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences[]

  • On November 7, 1959 in a game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia Warriors, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain played the first game of their 10-year professional rivalry.
  • The 1960 NBA All-Star Game was played in Philadelphia, with the East beating the West 125–115. Rookie Wilt Chamberlain of the local Philadelphia Warriors won the game's MVP award.
  • The Minneapolis Lakers played their final season in the Twin Cities. There would not be another NBA team in Minnesota until the birth of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989–90.
  • In an interesting quirk in the schedule, the Philadelphia Warriors and Minneapolis Lakers play a two-game series in California on January 31 – February 1, 1960, with the first game being played in San Francisco (the Warriors' future home) and the second in Los Angeles (the Lakers' future home).
  • The NBA schedule was expanded from 72 games per team to 75.
Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1958–59 coach 1959–60 coach
Philadelphia Warriors Al Cervi Neil Johnston
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Detroit Pistons Red Rocha Dick McGuire
Minneapolis Lakers John Castellani Jim Pollard
New York Knicks Andrew Levane Carl Braun

Final standings[]

Eastern Division[]

Eastern Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Boston Celtics 59 16 .787 – 25–2 24–9 10–5 28–11
x-Philadelphia Warriors 49 26 .653 10 22–6 12–19 15–1 22–17
x-Syracuse Nationals 45 30 .600 14 25–4 12–19 8–7 21–18
New York Knicks 27 48 .360 32 13–18 9–19 5–11 7–32


Western Division[]

Western Division
 Wins Losses PCT GB  Home   Road  Neutral Division
x-St. Louis Hawks 46 29 .613 – 28–5 12–20 6–4 27–12
x-Detroit Pistons 30 45 .400 16 17–14 6–21 7–10 20–19
x-Minneapolis Lakers 25 50 .333 21 9–15 9–21 7–14 17–22
Cincinnati Royals 19 56 .253 27 9–22 2–20 8–14 14–25


x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs[]

Main article: 1960 NBA playoffs
  Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals
                           
E3 Syracuse 1     E1 Boston* 4
E2 Philadelphia 2     E2 Philadelphia 2  
Eastern Division
  E1 Boston* 4
  W1 St. Louis* 3
W3 Minneapolis 2     W1 St. Louis* 4
W2 Detroit 0     W3 Minneapolis 3
Western Division

* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

This bracket:
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Statistics leaders[]

Category Player Team Stat
Points Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors 2,707
Rebounds Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia Warriors 1,941
Assists Bob Cousy Boston Celtics 715
FG% Kenny Sears New York Knicks .477
FT% Dolph Schayes Syracuse Nationals .893

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

NBA awards[]

References[]


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