1951–52 NBA season

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

Teams

1951-52 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 7,000
Syracuse Nationals Syracuse, New York Onondaga War Memorial 6,230
Western Fort Wayne Pistons Fort Wayne, Indiana North Side High School Gym 3,000
Indianapolis Olympians Indianapolis, Indiana Hinkle Fieldhouse 15,000
Milwaukee Hawks Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee Arena 10,783
Minneapolis Lakers Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis Auditorium 10,000
Rochester Royals Rochester, New York Edgerton Park Arena 4,200

Map of teams

Eastern Division Western Division

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

Main article: 1952 NBA 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

See also

References


Stub icon

This article related to a basketball competition is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.