1950–51 NBA season

1950–51 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 31, 1950 – March 18, 1951
March 20 – April 4, 1951 (Playoffs)
April 7–21, 1951 (Finals)
Number of games65-68
Number of teams11 (10 midway through the season)
Draft
Top draft pickChuck Share
Picked byBoston Celtics
Regular season
Top seedMinneapolis Lakers
Top scorerGeorge Mikan (Minneapolis)
Playoffs
Eastern championsNew York Knicks
  Eastern runners-upSyracuse Nationals
Western championsRochester Royals
  Western runners-upMinneapolis Lakers
Finals
ChampionsRochester Royals
  Runners-upNew York Knicks
NBA seasons

The 1950–51 NBA season was the fifth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Rochester Royals winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences

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  • The NBA began recording rebounds.
  • The NBA contracted, losing six teams (Anderson Packers, Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks jumped to the NPBL, while the Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Bombers folded) and shrank from 17 teams to 11 before the season started. Midway through the season, the Washington Capitols folded as well, bringing the number of teams in the league down to ten. Washington, D.C. would not have another professional basketball team until the American Basketball Association’s Oakland Oaks relocated there for one season in 1969–70. Washington’s next NBA team would not be established until a future reformed version of the Baltimore Bullets relocated there in 1973.
  • Earl Lloyd became the NBA's first Black player when (in the opening game of the season in Rochester) the Washington Capitols put him in the game after halftime. He went on to score six points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds, but the breaking of the color barrier merited barely a mention in news reports of the time.[1] Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the New York Knicks also played in their teams' openers within a few days.
  • The lowest scoring game in NBA history occurred on November 22, 1950, where the Fort Wayne Pistons would defeat the Minneapolis Lakers by the final score of 19–18. It would be a catalyst for the NBA to implement the shot clock a few seasons later.
  • The longest game in NBA history (by playing time) took place on January 6, 1951, between the Indianapolis Olympians and the Rochester Royals. The game, held in Rochester at Edgerton Park Arena, ended 75–73 after 78 minutes, including six overtimes.[2] The overtimes saw only 18 points scored between the two teams, so this game also became a factor in the introduction of the shot clock.[1]
  • During the month of January 1951, it was discovered by New York District Attorney Frank Hogan that Sol Levy, a referee that has been a part of the NBA for three seasons, had arranged to fix the outcomes of six different NBA games under an accomplice of his.[3] Levy would later be suspended, arrested, and subsequently permanently banned from the NBA for his role in fixing NBA games, becoming the first official to be banned in such a case.[4] Baltimore Bullets rookie Norm Mager would subsequently be the first official NBA player to be permanently banned afterward when it was discovered he was involved in the CCNY point-shaving scandal back when he was a senior there.
  • The first annual NBA All-Star Game, a showcase of the league's top players, was played in Boston, Massachusetts, with the East beating the West 111–94. Ed Macauley of the Boston Celtics received the first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.
Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1949–50 coach 1950–51 coach
Boston Celtics Doggie Julian Red Auerbach
Tri-Cities Blackhawks Red Auerbach Dave MacMillan
Washington Capitols Bob Feerick Bones McKinney
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Baltimore Bullets Buddy Jeannette Walt Budko
Indianapolis Olympians Cliff Barker Wally Jones
Tri-Cities Blackhawks Dave MacMillan Johnny Logan
Mike Todorovich

Teams

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1950-51 National Basketball Association
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Eastern Baltimore Bullets Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Coliseum 4,500
Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 18,496
Philadelphia Warriors Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Arena 5,526
Syracuse Nationals Syracuse, New York State Fair Coliseum 7,500
Washington Capitols Washington, D.C. Uline Arena 8,000
Western Fort Wayne Pistons Fort Wayne, Indiana North Side High School Gym 3,000
Indianapolis Olympians Indianapolis, Indiana Hinkle Fieldhouse 15,000
Minneapolis Lakers Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis Auditorium 10,000
Rochester Royals Rochester, New York Edgerton Park Arena 4,200
Tri-Cities Blackhawks Moline, Illinois Wharton Field House 6,000

Map of teams

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Eastern Division Western Division

Final standings

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Eastern Division

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Eastern Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Philadelphia Warriors 40 26 .606 – 28–4 11–21 1–1 22–14
x-Boston Celtics 39 30 .565 1 25–5 10–23 4–2 21–19
x-New York Knicks 36 30 .545 4 22–5 10–25 4–0 21–15
x-Syracuse Nationals 32 34 .485 8 23–10 9–24 – 19–17
Baltimore Bullets 24 42 .364 16 20–12 4–24 0–6 12–24
Washington Capitols 10 25 .286 30 7–12 3–12 0–1 6–12

Western Division

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Western Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Minneapolis Lakers 44 24 .647 – 29–3 12–21 3–0 24–12
x-Rochester Royals 41 27 .603 3 29–5 12–22 – 18–15
x-Fort Wayne Pistons 32 36 .471 12 27–7 5–27 0–2 18–6
x-Indianapolis Olympians 31 37 .456 13 19–12 10–24 2–1 15–20
Tri-Cities Blackhawks 25 43 .368 19 22–13 2–28 1–2 12–24
x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

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Main article: 1951 NBA playoffs
Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals
         
E1 Philadelphia* 0
E4 Syracuse 2
E4 Syracuse 2
Eastern Division
E3 New York 3
E3 New York 2
E2 Boston 0
E3 New York 3
W2 Rochester 4
W1 Minneapolis* 2
W4 Indianapolis 1
W1 Minneapolis* 1
Western Division
W2 Rochester 3
W3 Fort Wayne 0
W2 Rochester 2
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Team Stat
Points George Mikan Minneapolis Lakers 1,932
Rebounds Dolph Schayes Syracuse Nationals 1,080
Assists Andy Phillip Philadelphia Warriors 414
FG% Alex Groza Indianapolis Olympians .470
FT% Joe Fulks Philadelphia Warriors .855

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

NBA awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Maiorana, Sal. "Remembering the Royals". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York: USA Today Network. pp. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  2. ^ "Longest NBA basketball game". Guinness World Records. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "ESPN Classic - Explosion: 1951 scandals threaten college hoops". www.espn.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "When an NBA Referee Was Convicted of Shaving Points". ESPN.com. July 24, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
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