1951–52 NBA season

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1951–52 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationNovember 1, 1951 – March 16, 1952
March 18–April 8, 1952 (Playoffs)
April 12–25, 1952 (Finals)
Number of games66
Number of teams10
Draft
Top draft pickGene Melchiorre
Picked byBaltimore Bullets
Regular season
Top seedRochester Royals
Top scorerPaul Arizin (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern championsNew York Knicks
  Eastern runners-upSyracuse Nationals
Western championsMinneapolis Lakers
  Western runners-upRochester Royals
Finals
ChampionsMinneapolis Lakers
  Runners-upNew York Knicks
NBA seasons

The 1951–52 NBA season was the sixth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences[]

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1950–51 coach 1951–52 coach
Baltimore Bullets Walt Budko Fred Scolari
Fort Wayne Pistons Murray Mendenhall Paul Birch
Indianapolis Olympians Wally Jones Herm Schaefer
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Baltimore Bullets Fred Scolari Chick Reiser

Final standings[]

Eastern Division[]

Eastern Division W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Syracuse Nationals 40 26 .606 26–7 12–18 2–1 21–15
x-Boston Celtics 39 27 .591 1 22–7 10–19 7–1 22–14
x-New York Knicks 37 29 .561 3 21–4 12–22 4–3 23–13
x-Philadelphia Warriors 33 33 .500 7 24–7 6–25 3–1 14–22
Baltimore Bullets 20 46 .303 20 17–15 2–22 1–9 10–26


Western Division[]

Western Division W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Rochester Royals 41 25 .621 28–5 12–18 1–2 22–14
x-Minneapolis Lakers 40 26 .606 1 21–5 13–20 6–1 24–12
x-Indianapolis Olympians 34 32 .515 7 25–6 4–24 5–2 18–18
x-Fort Wayne Pistons 29 37 .439 12 22–11 6–24 1–2 17–19
Milwaukee Hawks 17 49 .258 24 8–13 3–22 6–14 9–27
x – Clinched playoff spot

Playoffs[]

  Division Semifinals Division Finals NBA Finals
                           
E1 Syracuse* 2  
E4 Philadelphia 1  
  E1 Syracuse* 1
Eastern Division
  E3 New York 3  
E3 New York 2
E2 Boston 1  
  E3 New York 3
  W2 Minneapolis 4
W1 Rochester* 2
W4 Fort Wayne 0  
  W1 Rochester* 1
Western Division
  W2 Minneapolis 3
W3 Indianapolis 0
W2 Minneapolis 2

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


Statistics leaders[]

Category Player Team Stat
Points Paul Arizin Philadelphia Warriors 1,674
Rebounds Larry Foust
Mel Hutchins
Fort Wayne Pistons
Milwaukee Hawks
880
Assists Andy Phillip Philadelphia Warriors 539
FG% Paul Arizin Philadelphia Warriors .448
FT% Bobby Wanzer Rochester Royals .904

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

NBA awards[]

References[]


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