1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season
Head coachJohn Castellani
Jim Pollard
ArenaMinneapolis Armory
Results
Record25–50 (.333)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finishDivision Finals
(Lost to Hawks 3–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKSTP-TV
RadioWLOL
< 1958–59 1960–61 >

The 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season was the 12th season for the franchise in the NBA and final season in Minneapolis.[1] The Lakers finished in third-place in the NBA Western Division with a record of 25–50, 21 games behind the St. Louis Hawks. In their final season in the Twin Cities, the Lakers made the playoffs and defeated the Detroit Pistons two games to none in the Western Division Semifinals, before losing the West Finals to the Hawks, four games to three. The Lakers roster had 5 1st overall picks, Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley, Chuck Share, Ray Felix, and Frank Selvy, the most among any NBA teams in a season.

On January 18, the team had a harrowing flight in a snowstorm, returning to Minneapolis from St. Louis. The team's DC-3 had electrical problems and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Carroll, Iowa.[2][3][4][5]

On April 27, 1960, The NBA approved the relocation of the Lakers to Southern California and they became the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1960–61 season.

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Western Division
 Wins Losses PCT GB  Home   Road  Neutral Division
x-St. Louis Hawks 46 29 .613 – 28–5 12–20 6–4 27–12
x-Detroit Pistons 30 45 .400 16 17–14 6–21 7–10 20–19
x-Minneapolis Lakers 25 50 .333 21 9–15 9–21 7–14 17–22
Cincinnati Royals 19 56 .253 27 9–22 2–20 8–14 14–25
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents[]

1959–60 NBA records
Team BOS CIN DET MIN NYK PHI STL SYR
Boston — 8–1 9–0 8–1 12–1 8–5 6–3 8–5
Cincinnati 1–8 — 5–8 5–8 2–7 0–9 4–9 2–7
Detroit 0–9 8–5 — 7–6 4–5 2–7 5–8 4–5-1
Minneapolis 1–8 8–5 6–7 — 4–5 2–7 3–10 1–8
New York 1–12 7–2 5–4 5–4 — 4–9 3–6 2–11
Philadelphia 5–8 9–0 7–2 7–2 9–4 — 4–5 8–5
St. Louis 3–6 9–4 8–5 10–3 6–3 5–4 — 5–4
Syracuse 5–8 7–2 5–4 8–1 11–2 5–8 4–5 —

Playoffs[]

1960 playoff game log
Division Semifinals: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points Location Series
1 March 12 @ Detroit W 113–112 Elgin Baylor (40) Grosse Pointe High School 1–0
2 March 13 Detroit W 114–99 Frank Selvy (30) Minneapolis Armory 2–0
Division Finals: 3–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds Location
Attendance		 Series
1 March 16 @ St. Louis L 99–112 Elgin Baylor (19) Baylor, Hundley (9) Kiel Auditorium
8,377 		0–1
2 March 17 @ St. Louis W 120–113 Elgin Baylor (40) Elgin Baylor (14) Kiel Auditorium
8,614 		1–1
3 March 19 St. Louis L 89–93 Elgin Baylor (27) — Minneapolis Armory 1–2
4 March 20 St. Louis W 103–101 Elgin Baylor (39) Elgin Baylor (16) Minneapolis Armory
6,852 		2–2
5 March 22 @ St. Louis W 117–110 (OT) Elgin Baylor (40) Elgin Baylor (18) Kiel Auditorium
10,043 		3–2
6 March 24 St. Louis L 96–117 Elgin Baylor (38) Frank Selvy (12) Minneapolis Armory 3–3
7 March 26 @ St. Louis L 86–97 Elgin Baylor (33) Elgin Baylor (13) Kiel Auditorium
6,195 		3–4
1960 schedule

Awards and records[]

References[]

  1. ^ 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers
  2. ^ "Plane in storm lands on farm". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. January 19, 1960. p. 13.
  3. ^ "Plane lands in cornfield; Lakers OK". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 19, 1960. p. 3, part 2.
  4. ^ Bonsignore, Vincent (June 4, 2001). "Lakers almost came to tragic end in 1960". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Los Angeles Daily News). p. C3.
  5. ^ "Lakers glad to be home after ordeal". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 19, 1960. p. 24.
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