The NBA Belt · reign 393
Boston Celtics
Took the belt from St. Louis Hawks, 125–123, on April 13, 1957. Lost it to New York Knicks, 97–80, on November 28, 1957.
14Defenses
229Days
37thReign for the franchise
+3Closest call · Nov 12, 1957
14.5Average winning margin
3rdLongest of 3,250 reigns, by days
4thMost defenses of 3,250 reigns
Defended against
Pistons ×3Minneapolis Lakers ×3St. Louis Hawks ×2Knicks ×2Syracuse Nationals ×2Cincinnati RoyalsPhiladelphia Warriors
The seasons
- 1956–57: they had the best record (44–28–0); they won the NBA title while holding the belt; 1 belt game of this reign; the belt changed hands 38 times that season.
- 1957–58: they had the best record (49–23–0); St. Louis Hawks won the NBA title; 15 belt games of this reign; the belt changed hands 39 times that season.
Reign leaders
Most points for Boston Celtics across the 16 belt games of this reign with a box score.
| Player | PTS | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Sharman | 359 | 16 |
| 2 | Bill Russell | 318 | 16 |
| 3 | Tom Heinsohn | 295 | 16 |
| 4 | Frank Ramsey | 260 | 16 |
| 5 | Bob Cousy | 131 | 10 |
Every game of the reign
margins from Boston Celtics’ side| Belt game | Date | Result | Margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 864 | Apr 13, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat St. Louis Hawks 125–123 Playoffs Game → | +2 | Title change |
| 865 | Oct 22, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat St. Louis Hawks 115–90 | +25 | Defense |
| 866 | Oct 23, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Detroit Pistons 105–94 | +11 | Defense |
| 867 | Oct 26, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat New York Knicks 131–121 | +10 | Defense |
| 868 | Nov 2, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Syracuse Nationals 107–83 | +24 | Defense |
| 869 | Nov 3, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Syracuse Nationals 113–95 | +18 | Defense |
| 870 | Nov 5, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Detroit Pistons 111–105 | +6 | Defense |
| 871 | Nov 6, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Minneapolis Lakers 103–94 | +9 | Defense |
| 872 | Nov 8, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Cincinnati Royals 122–110 | +12 | Defense |
| 873 | Nov 11, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat St. Louis Hawks 92–88 | +4 | Defense |
| 874 | Nov 12, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Minneapolis Lakers 107–104 | +3 | Defense |
| 875 | Nov 16, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia Warriors 111–89 | +22 | Defense |
| 876 | Nov 21, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Detroit Pistons 112–90 | +22 | Defense |
| 877 | Nov 23, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat Minneapolis Lakers 131–107 | +24 | Defense |
| 878 | Nov 27, 1957 | Boston Celtics beat New York Knicks 120–107 | +13 | Defense |
| 879 | Nov 28, 1957 | New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics 97–80 Game → | −17 | Title change |