1950–51 NBA season

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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 games68
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[]

  • 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]
  • 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

Final standings[]

Eastern Division[]

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[]

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[]

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 1
W2 Rochester 2

* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

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Statistics leaders[]

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[]

References[]

  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 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Longest NBA basketball game". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 5 September 2019.


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