1950 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesMarch 20–April 23, 1950
Season1949–50
Teams12
Final positions
ChampionsMinneapolis Lakers (2nd title)
Runner-upSyracuse Nationals
← 1949
1951 →
The 1949-50 NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers.

The 1950 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the inaugural National Basketball Association 1949–50 season. The tournament concluded with the Central Division champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Division champion Syracuse Nationals 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

Twelve teams qualified for the playoffs. Including tiebreaker games that preceded two of the six first-round series, they began play on Monday to Wednesday, March 20 to 22, and the best-of-seven Finals concluded in game six on Sunday, April 23. The champions played the greatest number of games, 13 in a span of 34 days, on a schedule including both back-to-back games and as many as six days off.[1]

Bracket

The NBA was created in 1949 by merger of two competing professional basketball leagues, the BAA and NBL. For its first season only, the NBA teams were arranged in three divisions: Eastern, comprising the five surviving BAA Eastern Division teams plus Syracuse from the NBL; Central, comprising the five surviving BAA Western Division teams; and Western, comprising all the NBL teams except Syracuse.[1][2] Within each division the top four teams were matched in two rounds of short series to generate a champion, after which the three division champions contended for the NBA title. With three contenders the third round of the tournament comprised a bye for one and a best-of-three match between the other two.[1]

Division SemifinalsDivision FinalsNBA SemifinalsNBA Finals
E1Syracuse*2
E4Philadelphia0
E1Syracuse*2
Eastern Division
E2New York1
E3Washington0
E2New York2
C1Minneapolis*2
C4Chicago0
C1Minneapolis*21Syracuse2
Central Division
C3Fort Wayne03Anderson02Minneapolis4
C3Fort Wayne2
2Minneapolis2
C2Rochester0
W1Indianapolis*2
W4Sheboygan1
W1Indianapolis*1
Western Division
W2Anderson2
W3Tri-Cities1
W2Anderson2

Division Tiebreakers

Central Division Tiebreakers

Chicago Stags @ Fort Wayne Pistons

March 20
Chicago Stags 69, Fort Wayne Pistons 86
Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 14–24, 12–16, 22–24
Pts: Max Zaslofsky 14
Asts: Phillip, Kudelka 4 each		 Pts: Fred Schaus 18
Asts: Fred Schaus 6
Fort Wayne finishes as the Central's #3 seed, Chicago as the Central's #4 seed
North Side High School Gym, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Referees: Pat Kennedy, Jim Beiersdorfer

Minneapolis Lakers @ Rochester Royals

March 21
Minneapolis Lakers 78, Rochester Royals 76
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 16–20, 20–16, 22–17
Pts: George Mikan 35
Asts: Herm Schaefer 7		 Pts: Bob Davies 26
Asts: Bob Davies 6
Minneapolis finishes as the Central's #1 seed, Rochester as the Central's #2 seed
Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York
Referees: Pat Kennedy, Eddie Boyle

Division Semifinals

Central Division Semifinals

(1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (4) Chicago Stags

March 22
Chicago Stags 75, Minneapolis Lakers 85
Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 18–17, 16–20, 24–26
Pts: Leo Barnhorst 17
Asts: Andy Phillip 4		 Pts: George Mikan 30
Asts: George Mikan 3
Minneapolis leads series, 1–0
March 25
Minneapolis Lakers 75, Chicago Stags 67
Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 19–17, 18–16, 19–17
Pts: George Mikan 34 Pts: Max Zaslofsky 31
Minneapolis wins series, 2–0

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.[a]

(2) Rochester Royals vs. (3) Fort Wayne Pistons

March 23
Fort Wayne Pistons 90, Rochester Royals 84
Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 26–20, 18–20, 24–29
Pts: Wager, Schaefer 18 each Pts: three players 15 each
Fort Wayne leads series, 1–0
March 24
Rochester Royals 78, Fort Wayne Pistons 79 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 11–23, 21–19, 17–11, Overtime: 8–9
Pts: Arnie Risen 17 Pts: Bob Carpenter 27
Fort Wayne wins series, 2–0

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a][3]

Eastern Division Semifinals

(1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (4) Philadelphia Warriors

March 22
Philadelphia Warriors 76, Syracuse Nationals 93
Scoring by quarter: 24–20, 14–28, 17–19, 21–26
Pts: Chink Crossin 20
Asts: Al Guokas 4		 Pts: George Ratkovicz 25
Asts: Dolph Schayes 6
Syracuse leads series, 1–0
March 23
Syracuse Nationals 59, Philadelphia Warriors 53
Scoring by quarter: 16–12, 10–19, 13–13, 20–9
Pts: Dolph Schayes 16
Asts: Al Cervi 2		 Pts: Vern Gardner 17
Asts: Leo Mogus 4
Syracuse wins series, 2–0

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a][4]

(2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Washington Capitols

March 21
New York Knicks 90, Washington Capitols 87
Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 16–20, 21–19, 27–23
Pts: Carl Braun 26
Asts: Carl Braun 6		 Pts: Fred Scolari 23
Asts: Don Otten 4
New York leads series, 1–0
Uline Arena, Washington, D.C.
Referees: Jocko Collins, Sam Schoenfeld
March 22
Washington Capitols 83, New York Knicks 103
Scoring by quarter: 21–25, 21–26, 21–24, 20–28
Pts: Don Otten 21
Asts: three players 3 each		 Pts: Harry Gallatin 20
Asts: Dick McGuire 6
New York wins series, 2–0

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Capitols winning the first meeting.[a]

Western Division Semifinals

(1) Indianapolis Olympians vs. (4) Sheboygan Red Skins

March 21
Sheboygan Red Skins 85, Indianapolis Olympians 86
Scoring by quarter: 24–23, 15–22, 25–14, 21–27
Pts: Jack Burmaster 19 Pts: Ralph Beard 17
Indianapolis leads series, 1–0
March 23
Indianapolis Olympians 85, Sheboygan Red Skins 95
Scoring by quarter: 31–21, 22–28, 15–20, 17–26
Pts: Alex Groza 26 Pts: Bob Brannum 17
Series tied, 1–1
March 25
Sheboygan Red Skins 84, Indianapolis Olympians 91
Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 18–19, 28–19, 16–26
Pts: Noble Jorgensen 20 Pts: Alex Groza 30
Indianapolis wins series, 2–1

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a]

(2) Anderson Packers vs. (3) Tri-Cities Blackhawks

March 21
Tri-Cities Blackhawks 77, Anderson Packers 89
Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 21–15, 19–21, 20–33
Pts: Jack Nichols 27 Pts: Red Owens 19
Anderson leads series, 1–0
March 23
Anderson Packers 75, Tri-Cities Blackhawks 76
Scoring by quarter: 9–13, 12–18, 22–21, 32–24
Pts: Frankie Brian 26 Pts: Jack Nichols 23
Series tied, 1–1
March 24
Tri-Cities Blackhawks 71, Anderson Packers 94
Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 18–25, 11–26, 21–21
Pts: Dike Eddleman 23 Pts: John Hargis 21
Anderson wins series, 2–1

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a]

Division Finals

Central Division Finals

(1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) Fort Wayne Pistons

March 27
Fort Wayne Pistons 79, Minneapolis Lakers 93
Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 14–30, 19–16, 32–28
Pts: Fred Schaus 20
Asts: Fred Schaus 4		 Pts: George Mikan 24
Asts: George Mikan 4
Minneapolis leads series, 1–0
March 28
Minneapolis Lakers 89, Fort Wayne Pistons 82
Scoring by quarter: 20–18, 26–20, 19–18, 24–26
Pts: George Mikan 37 Pts: Fred Schaus 33
Minneapolis wins series, 2–0

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a][5]

Eastern Division Finals

(1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (2) New York Knicks

March 26
New York Knicks 83, Syracuse Nationals 91 (OT)
Scoring by half: 42–36, 35–41 Overtime: 6–14
Pts: Carl Braun 22
Asts: Carl Braun 4		 Pts: Dolph Schayes 26
Asts: Andrew Levane 4
Syracuse leads series, 1–0
March 30
Syracuse Nationals 76, New York Knicks 80
Scoring by half: 33–42, 43–38
Pts: George Ratkovicz 17
Asts: Al Cervi 4		 Pts: Vince Boryla 21
Asts: Dick McGuire 7
Series tied, 1–1
April 2
New York Knicks 80, Syracuse Nationals 91
Scoring by half: 42–45, 38–46
Pts: Gallatin, Vandeweghe 17 each
Asts: Dick McGuire 5		 Pts: Dolph Schayes 24
Asts: Schayes, Cervi 3 each
Syracuse wins series, 2–1

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a][6]

Western Division Finals

(1) Indianapolis Olympians vs. (2) Anderson Packers

March 28
Anderson Packers 74, Indianapolis Olympians 77
Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 19–21, 20–17, 16–23
Pts: Milo Komenich 14 Pts: Alex Groza 31
Indianapolis leads series, 1–0
March 30
Indianapolis Olympians 67, Anderson Packers 84
Scoring by quarter: 23–15, 11–21, 20–25, 13–23
Pts: Joe Holland 14 Pts: three players 13 each
Series tied, 1–1
April 1
Anderson Packers 67, Indianapolis Olympians 65
Scoring by quarter: 17–18, 12–12, 18–14, 20–21
Pts: Frankie Brian 14 Pts: Alex Groza 26
Anderson wins series, 2–1

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a]

NBA Semifinals: (2) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) Anderson Packers

April 5
Anderson Packers 50, Minneapolis Lakers 75
Scoring by half: 19–27, 31–48
Pts: Bill Closs 12
Asts: three players 2 each		 Pts: George Mikan 26
Asts: Jim Pollard 5
Minneapolis leads series, 1–0
April 6
Minneapolis Lakers 90, Anderson Packers 71
Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 18–22, 21–8, 26–20
Pts: George Mikan 32 Pts: Bill Closs 16
Minneapolis wins series, 2–0

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a]

NBA Finals: (1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers

Main article: 1950 NBA Finals
April 8
Minneapolis Lakers 68, Syracuse Nationals 66
Scoring by quarter: 16–10, 18–20, 17–23, 17–13
Pts: George Mikan 37 Pts: Dolph Schayes 19
Minneapolis leads series, 1–0
April 9
Minneapolis Lakers 85, Syracuse Nationals 91
Scoring by quarter: 17–16, 14–28, 22–23, 32–24
Pts: George Mikan 32 Pts: George Ratkovicz 17
Series tied, 1–1
April 14
Syracuse Nationals 77, Minneapolis Lakers 91
Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 24–21, 16–24, 22–25
Pts: Johnny Macknowski 25
Asts: Paul Seymour 5		 Pts: George Mikan 28
Asts: George Mikan 8
Minneapolis leads series, 2–1
April 16
Syracuse Nationals 69, Minneapolis Lakers 77
Scoring by quarter: 22–27, 16–11, 19–24, 12–15
Pts: Schayes, Hannum 18 each
Asts: Bill Gabor 6		 Pts: George Mikan 28
Asts: Jim Pollard 4
Minneapolis leads series, 3–1
April 20
Minneapolis Lakers 76, Syracuse Nationals 83
Scoring by quarter: 16–14, 8–24, 19–23, 33–22
Pts: George Mikan 28 Pts: Dolph Schayes 19
Minneapolis leads series, 3–2
April 23
Syracuse Nationals 95, Minneapolis Lakers 110
Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 21–26, 17–30, 39–29
Pts: Dolph Schayes 23
Asts: Johnny Macknowski 5		 Pts: George Mikan 40
Asts: Jim Pollard 10
Minneapolis wins series, 4–2
Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 9,812
Referees: Jim Biersdorf, John Nucatola

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[a][7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Notes identifying the "last playoff meeting" (latest previous meeting) or "first playoff meeting" between two teams refer to BAA and NBA playoffs only—for this inaugural NBA season, that is, only to the BAA playoffs of 1946–47 to 1948–49. (This follows NBA recognition of BAA history as part of its own.)[8] All of the Western teams were new to the NBA; so was Syracuse, which participated in all but one of the Eastern playoff matches.[1][2] As Syracuse advanced from the East, two of the three division champions who composed the two-round League Finals were new to the NBA. Furthermore, only Chicago among the three Central Division playoff teams had been a member of the BAA for more than one season (compare 1947–48)[9] as the other three had moved from NBL to BAA in 1948.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "1949–50 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
      Select "Previous Season" from the heading for 1948–49, and so on. Select "Finals" from League Playoffs for the daily schedule of the final series, and so on.
  2. ^ a b "1948–49 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  3. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "NBA Season Recaps". NBA History (nba.com/history). July 1, 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  9. ^ "1947–48 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-03.

External links

NBA playoffs
1949–50 NBA season
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