1957-58 NBA Season

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As originally written by Tony Miller:

The fall of 1957 saw two teams leave for greener pastures. The Fort Wayne Pistons vacated northeastern Indiana for Detroit, taking up residence in the Olympia. While the league left Indiana, another team took residence on the state’s doorstep: the Rochester Royals moved to Cincinnati, where they would play at Cincinnati Gardens, which is 19.7 miles east of the state line and 4.5 miles north of Kentucky.

Gowdy and Nelson were again the voices of the NBA. Chick Hearn, not yet the voice of the Lakers but no longer the announcer for the Bradley Braves, paired with each man once, and each regular voice called a game solo. Bill O’Donnell, who worked for the Syracuse Chiefs and Orangemen, joined Nelson for one game involving his hometown team.

Data from ”The NBA on NBC 1954-55 to 1961-62”, courtesy librarybob and jtgrace1.

DECEMBER

Saturday 12/14:

Knicks-Hawks, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Chick Hearn

Saturday 12/21:

Lakers-Celtics, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

JANUARY

Saturday 1/4:

Warriors-Pistons, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

Saturday 1/11:

Nationals-Royals, 1:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Chick Hearn

Saturday 1/18:

Pistons-Hawks, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

Saturday 1/25:

Lakers-Knicks (at 69th Regiment Armory), 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

FEBRUARY

Saturday 2/1:

Nationals-Lakers, 2:00, NBC. Lindsey Nelson, Bill O’Donnell

Saturday 2/8:

Hawks-Nationals, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

Saturday 2/15:

Celtics-Warriors, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

Saturday 2/22:

Nationals-Knicks, 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson, Chick Hearn

MARCH

Saturday 3/1:

Royals-Warriors (at Camden, N.J.), 2:00, NBC. Curt Gowdy, Lindsey Nelson

Saturday 3/8:

Pistons-Celtics, 2:00, NBC. Lindsey Nelson, Chick Hearn

Saturday 3/15:

West semis, g1: Royals-Pistons, 2:00, NBC. Lindsey Nelson, Chick Hearn

Saturday 3/22:

West finals, g2: Hawks-Pistons, 2:00, NBC. Lindsey Nelson, Chick Hearn

Saturday 3/29:

NBA Finals, g1: Hawks-Celtics, 2:30, NBC. Lindsey Nelson, Chick Hearn

(Games 4 and 6 of the finals, both in St. Louis on the next two Saturdays, didn’t air. Baseball, again, one would assume.)

(Note: Royals center Maurice Stokes, three-time All-Star and 1956 Rookie of the Year, suffered a seizure on the plane to Cincinnati after the 3/15 game. He slipped into a coma and was rendered a quadriplegic, the result of post-traumatic encephalitis after being knocked out on a drive to the basket in a game three days earlier. He died in 1970. The story of his last 12 years (and his relationship with teammate Jack Twyman) is worth a read in and of itself.)