Prior to the start of the season, the Hawks made one of the biggest draft-day deals in NBA history.
The Hawks sent 2nd overall pick Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and second-year star Ed Macauley.
[1] The new head coach was Slater Martin, who led the Hawks to a 5–3 record.
[1] Martin did not want the added responsibility of head coach, so Alex Hannum took over for the rest of the season.
Game 7 in Boston went into double overtime and the Celtics emerged victorious, winning by 2 points.