1950–51 NBA season

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.

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 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

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 starts. 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.
  • 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 ended 75–73 after 78 minutes, including six overtimes.[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 Warriors4026.606–28–411–211–122–14
x-Boston Celtics3930.565125–510–234–221–19
x-New York Knicks3630.545422–510–254–021–15
x-Syracuse Nationals3234.485823–109–24–19–17
Baltimore Bullets2442.3641620–124–240–612–24
Washington Capitols1025.286307–123–120–16–12

Western Division
Western Division W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Minneapolis Lakers4424.647–29–312–213–024–12
x-Rochester Royals4127.603329–512–22–18–15
x-Fort Wayne Pistons3236.4711227–75–270–218–6
x-Indianapolis Olympians3137.4561319–1210–242–115–20
Tri-Cities Blackhawks2543.3681922–132–281–212–24
x – Clinched playoff spot

Statistics leaders
CategoryPlayerTeamStat
PointsGeorge MikanMinneapolis Lakers1,932
ReboundsDolph SchayesSyracuse Nationals1,080
AssistsAndy PhillipPhiladelphia Warriors414
FG%Alex GrozaIndianapolis Olympians.470
FT%Joe FulksPhiladelphia 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. "Longest NBA basketball game". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 5 September 2019.


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