# 1948–49 BAA season

The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America. The 1949 BAA Playoffs ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating the Washington Capitols in six games in the BAA Finals.
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1948–49 BAA season is considered the third NBA season. Following the season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.

## Notable occurrences

Four National Basketball League teams (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Rochester) joined the BAA for the 1948–49 season.
Coaching changes :
| Offseason |||
| Team | 1947–48 coach | 1948–49 coach |
| Boston Celtics | Honey Russell | Doggie Julian |
| Providence Steamrollers | Nat Hickey | Ken Loeffler |
| St. Louis Bombers | Ken Loeffler | Grady Lewis |
| In-season |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Chicago Stags | Harold Olsen | Philip Brownstein |

## Teams

1948-49 Basketball Association of America :
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Eastern | Baltimore Bullets | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Coliseum | 4,500 |
| Eastern | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 13,909 |
| Eastern | New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 18,496 |
| Eastern | Philadelphia Warriors | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Arena | 5,526 |
| Eastern | Providence Steamrollers | Providence, Rhode Island | Rhode Island Auditorium | 5,300 |
| Eastern | Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | Uline Arena | 8,000 |
| Western | Chicago Stags | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 17,000 |
| Western | Fort Wayne Pistons * | Fort Wayne, Indiana | North Side High School Gym | 3,000 |
| Western | Indianapolis Jets * | Indianapolis, Indiana | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 15,000 |
| Western | Minneapolis Lakers * | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Auditorium | 10,000 |
| Western | Rochester Royals * | Rochester, New York | Edgerton Park Arena | 4,200 |
| Western | St. Louis Bombers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 15,000 |
* NBL teams joining BAA *

## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| # | Eastern Divisionvte | Eastern Divisionvte | Eastern Divisionvte | Eastern Divisionvte | Eastern Divisionvte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | x-Washington Capitols | 38 | 22 | .633 | – |
| 2 | x-New York Knicks | 32 | 28 | .533 | 6 |
| 3 | x-Baltimore Bullets | 29 | 31 | .483 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Philadelphia Warriors | 28 | 32 | .467 | 10 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 25 | 35 | .417 | 13 |
| 6 | Providence Steamrollers | 12 | 48 | .200 | 26 |

### Western Division

| # | Western Divisionvte | Western Divisionvte | Western Divisionvte | Western Divisionvte | Western Divisionvte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | x-Rochester Royals | 45 | 15 | .750 | – |
| 2 | x-Minneapolis Lakers | 44 | 16 | .733 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Chicago Stags | 38 | 22 | .633 | 7 |
| 4 | x-St. Louis Bombers | 29 | 31 | .483 | 16 |
| 5 | Fort Wayne Pistons | 22 | 38 | .367 | 23 |
| 6 | Indianapolis Jets | 18 | 42 | .300 | 27 |

## Playoffs

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | BAA Finals | BAA Finals | BAA Finals |
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Philadelphia | 0 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Philadelphia | 0 | E1 | Washington* | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | E1 | Washington* | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | E2 | New York | 1 | | | |
| E2 | New York | 2 | E2 | New York | 1 | | | |
| E3 | Baltimore | 1 | | | | | | |
| E3 | Baltimore | 1 | | | | E1 | Washington* | 2 |
| | | | | | | W2 | Minneapolis | 4 |
| W1 | Rochester* | 2 | | | | | | | W2 | Minneapolis | 4 |
| W4 | St. Louis | 0 | | | | | | |
| W4 | St. Louis | 0 | W1 | Rochester* | 0 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W1 | Rochester* | 0 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | | | |
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | | | |
| W3 | Chicago | 0 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points | George Mikan | Minneapolis Lakers | 1,698 |
| Assists | Bob Davies | Rochester Royals | 321 |
| FG% | Arnie Risen | Rochester Royals | .423 |
| FT% | Bob Feerick | Washington Capitols | .859 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

## BAA awards

* All-BAA First Team:
** G Max Zaslofsky, Chicago Stags
** G/F Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
** C George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
** F Jim Pollard, Minneapolis Lakers
** F Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors
* All-BAA Second Team
** C Arnie Risen, Rochester Royals
** C Bob Feerick, Washington Capitols
** F/C Bones McKinney, Washington Capitols
** G Ken Sailors, Providence Steamrollers
** G John Logan, St. Louis Bombers