How Good Were the 1957 Boston Celtics Actually?

The 1957 Boston Celtics are remembered as the start of a dynasty. But how good was this team, really? And how close did Red Auerbach’s first championship squad come to losing it all in a double-overtime Game 7 against the St. Louis Hawks? In this video, we look past the legend and examine the 1957 Celtics: the roster, the stats, the competition, and the myths that grew around them. We start with Bill Russell’s rookie season. He joined the team midseason after the Olympics and changed Boston’s defense almost overnight. Next to him was Bob Cousy, the league’s best playmaker, and Bill Sharman, one of its most accurate shooters. Tom Heinsohn, the Rookie of the Year, gave the Celtics a scoring punch up front. Frank Ramsey came off the bench as one of the first great sixth men, while Jim Loscutoff brought the toughness. Role players like Arnie Risen, Andy Phillip, Lou Tsioropoulos, and Togo Palazzi rounded out the rotation. Then we look at the other side. Bob Pettit led a talented Hawks team that also featured Cliff Hagan and Slater Martin, with Alex Hannum coaching from the bench. We also revisit the Syracuse series against Dolph Schayes, and how this Celtics team compares to the dynasty squads that followed.