1959 NBA Playoffs

1959 NBA playoffs

The 1959 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1958-59 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. It was the Celtics' second NBA championship.

This was the first NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Celtics; as of 2015, they have met in the Finals 12 times. Boston won the first eight NBA Finals series of the rivalry, spanning 3 decades – the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s – before the Lakers finally defeated Boston for the title in 1985 and again in 1987, with Boston topping the Lakers again in 2008.

This was the only Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals series that took place while the Lakers were based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They remained in Minneapolis one more year before moving to their current home of Los Angeles, California.

  Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals
                           
   
  1  St. Louis 2  
Western Division
    2  Minneapolis 4  
3  Detroit 1
  2  Minneapolis 2  
    W2  Minneapolis 0
  E1  Boston 4
     
   
1  Boston 4
Eastern Division
    3  Syracuse 3  
3  Syracuse 2
  2  New York 0  

Western Division

Champion: Minneapolis Lakers

Division Semifinals

(1) St. Louis Hawks have division semifinals bye.

(2) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) Detroit Pistons: Lakers win series 2-1

Last Playoff Meeting: 1957 NBA Western Division Semifinals (Minneapolis won 2-0)

Division Finals

(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers: Lakers win series 4-2

Last Playoff Meeting: 1957 NBA Western Division Finals (St. Louis won 3-0)

Eastern Division

Champion: Boston Celtics

Division Semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics have division semifinals bye.

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals: Nationals win series 2-0

Last Playoff Meeting: 1952 NBA Eastern Division Finals (New York won 3-1)

Division Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals: Celtics win series 4-3

Last Playoff Meeting: 1957 NBA Eastern Division Finals (Boston won 3-0)

NBA Finals

Main article: 1959 NBA Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers: Celtics win series 4-0

Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Celtics and Lakers.

External links

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