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NBA: Milwaukee Bucks On Verge Of Rare Feat

By Phil Watson

Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA legend Bob Pettit speaks as he honored with the Hometown Hero award during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game Legends Brunch at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Hall of Famer Bob Pettit won MVP honors while helping the Hawks reach the playoffs in their first season in St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

1955-56 St. Louis Hawks

In another tale of relocation and redemption, the St. Louis Hawks of 1955-56 became the first NBA team to go from having the worst record in the league to playing in the postseason the following year.

The Hawks had missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, including all four years the franchise was in Milwaukee, going 26-46 in 1954-55, despite the heroics of Rookie of the Year Bob Pettit.

The franchise had moved to Milwaukee after two years in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa, playing as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.

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    • After four years—and a .324 winning percentage—in Milwaukee, owner Ben Kerner moved the team again, this time to St. Louis.

    Pettit won NBA MVP honors with his averages of 25.7 points and 16.2 rebounds per game and the Hawks improved to 33-39, tying with the Minneapolis Lakers for second place, two games ahead of the Rochester Royals.

    But the Hawks lost a tiebreaker to the Lakers for the No. 2 spot, losing a 103-97 decision at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, and would not have home-court advantage for their division semifinal series with the Lakers.

    But the Hawks got a boost from the schedule makers. In a cost-saving move, the series opened in St. Louis—where the tiebreaker game had been held—and the Hawks got a 116-115 win in Game 1.

    The Lakers bounced back with a 133-75 obliteration of St. Louis in Game 2 in Minneapolis, but the Hawks stole Game 3 116-115 to advance to the division finals.

    The Hawks’ minus-18.7 scoring margin is the worst in NBA history for a team that won a postseason series.

    In the Western Division Finals against the Fort Wayne Pistons, the Hawks took a 2-0 lead, stealing Game 1 at Fort Wayne 86-85 and winning at home 84-74 in Game 2.

    But the Pistons came back to win Game 3 107-84 and took back home-court advantage with a 93-84 win at Kiel Auditorium in Game 4.

    Fort Wayne closed out the series with a 102-97 win at home in Game 5 to reach the NBA Finals for the second straight year, losing in five games to the Philadelphia Warriors.

    The Hawks, however, liked their new home. The team reached the playoffs in 12 of its 13 seasons in St. Louis, winning the NBA title in 1957-58.

    Next: 50 Greatest NBA Players Without a Championship

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