I have Pettit as my POY, but it doesn't seem right to see such little love for Cousy.
For some background on this season, with the addition of Tom Heinsohn and Andy Phillip, the 1957 Celtics begin at 15-4 (including a 10-game win streak) when both Cousy/Sharman are healthy. Auerbach's teams were always the best conditioned, as he emphasized this in practices. And now the rebounding situation was significantly aided by the addition of Heinsohn, and their defense found more success through a full-court press that utilized the skill sets of their guards, which allowed the Celtics to force constant turnovers:
Auerbach: "Everybody's looking for the free man and talking on defense."
Cousy explains the defensive change: "Hustle and rebounding"
Celtics' superb physical conditioning and all-over-the-court harassing on defense forced Holzman's lads to lose possession 16 times.
Celtics force no less than 23 turnovers, Cousy with 5 steals and Phillip with 3.
Coach Auerbach put on a press using three little men.
Andy Phillip Key Man in Auerbach's Press
During their 10-game win streak, only the Hawks (3rd ranked offense) and Pistons (4th ranked offense) managed to score over 100 points. In fact, they played the Warriors (1st ranked offense) back-to-back in November and held them to 83 and 78 points. Sportswriters were quick to credit Tom Heinsohn as well as Jim Loscutoff, Jack Nichols, and Lou Tsioropoulos for their defensive performances:
This early win streak, along with the impending arrivals of Bill Russell and Frank Ramsey, led to rumblings that the Celtics should be "broken up":
It cannot be overstated how instrumental Cousy was for the Celtics' hot start to the season. He had taken his game to another level as a dribbler, passer, and ball stealer. With the new additions and Cousy at the helm, the Celtics became a more balanced team that was already looking like a contender before Russell and Ramsey arrived.
October 29th: Cousy 10 straight points in final 95 seconds to carry Celtics past the Knicks.
November 28th: Cousy scores 27 points, steals ball 9 times, Hawks owner Ben Kerner: "One of the greatest performances any pro basketball player ever made--anywhere."
December 2nd: "Bob Cousy, whose playmaking magic is one of the big reasons for the fact the Celtics are leading the National Basket Ball Assocation by a big margin..."
December 6th: "Cousy never has been better with his dribbling and ball hawking."
December 10th: League says 10-game win steak largely due to Cousy.
December 12th: Cousy hit for 9 straight points in close game.
December 19th: "Cousy's dribbling, playmaking, and interceptions on defense were good evidence why he's recognized as the best player in the game--perhaps the best ever."
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The playoffs roll around, and Cousy's shot is still trying to return to form after being out for weeks to end the season with internal bleeding in his knee:
In the Eastern Division Finals, Cousy averages 19 points, 9.7 assists, and likely quite a few steals--here's Al Bianchi after Cousy's Game 1 performance where he stole 'at least' 7 passes:
"I thought it was one of his best games against us. He really tortured us the way he kept coming up with our passes. Maybe he wasn't blinding us with his shooting. But between Russell blocking and Cousy stealing our passes it was a rugged evening for us."
And a mention of Cousy having his 'usual' half-dozen steals. His already league-leading stealing ability probably exploded when Russell joined:
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In the Finals, Cousy plays more minutes than any player (46 MPG) and averages the
most assists in Finals history up until that point.
With the Celtics down 1-2 in Game 4, Cousy has 31 points and 8 assists in a close Celtics victory.
In a vital Game 5 to go up 3-2, the Celtics shoot 46 FG% as a team, and Cousy has 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 19 assists,
breaking his own record (15) for most assists in a playoff game. That many assists today is rare, back in 1957 it had only been eclipsed once before by Bob Davies (in a regular a season game). This kind of performance in the playoffs was unheard of, and it was certainly the greatest passing performance in playoff history at the time. I think people tend to gloss over this game to talk about his overall shooting efficiency in the series, but this was a legendary showing from Cousy, and is a testament to how valuable his passing could be.
Cousy's passing had Slater Martin admitting that he hadn't done a great job with Cousy:
"Besides, I haven't done a great job with Cousy, have I? In a couple of games I did all right. But Cousy hurt us with his passing when he wasn't shooting well."
While his shot was off, Cousy stepped his game up on defense and had Slater Martin struggling with 14/4 on 32% shooting:
I know some tend to make a big deal about Cousy's Game 7 performance, but there was a whole series leading up to that where he was playing very well. In Game 7, sharp shooter Bill Sharman shoots nearly as bad as Cousy in an exhausting 2OT, but Cousy does manage to hand out 11 assists and plays the entire game.
Although Cousy's efficiency suffered when Russell joined and the Celtics' pace and spacing declined, his passing and defensive play was finer than any season before this. This led to more opportunities for his teammates. It's always important to remember that the strategy of the Celtics revolved around the fastbreak, and nobody on the team could handle the ball like Cousy could. Naturally, he must take shots if nobody is open. And I'll finish with saying that there is a reason why Auerbach trusted him for so long--and I certainly won't argue against his basketball intelligence.
