# 1952–53 NBA season

The 1952–53 NBA season was the seventh 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 1 in the NBA Finals.

## Notable occurrences

* The 1953 NBA All-Star Game was played in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the West beating the East 79–75. George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers won the game's MVP award.
* Don Meineke of the Fort Wayne Pistons wins the inaugural Rookie of the Year award.
Coaching changes :
| Offseason |||
| Team | 1951–52 coach | 1952–53 coach |
| Milwaukee Hawks | Doxie Moore | Andrew Levane |
| In-season |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Baltimore Bullets | Chick Reiser | Clair Bee |

## Teams

1952-53 National Basketball Association :
| 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 | Municipal Auditorium | 12,000 |
| Eastern | Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga War Memorial | 6,230 |
| Western | Fort Wayne Pistons | Fort Wayne, Indiana | War Memorial Coliseum | 10,000 |
| Western | Indianapolis Olympians | Indianapolis, Indiana | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 15,000 |
| Western | Milwaukee Hawks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Milwaukee Arena | 10,783 |
| Western | Minneapolis Lakers | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Auditorium | 10,000 |
| Western | Rochester Royals | Rochester, New York | Edgerton Park Arena | 4,200 |

## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| Eastern Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| x-New York Knicks | 47 | 23 | .671 | - | 22-4 | 15-14 | 10-5 | 30-10 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 47 | 24 | .662 | 0.5 | 32-2 | 10-20 | 5-2 | 26-15 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 46 | 25 | .648 | 1.5 | 21-3 | 11-18 | 14-4 | 28-13 |
| x-Baltimore Bullets | 16 | 54 | .229 | 31 | 11-20 | 1–19 | 4-15 | 10-30 |
| Philadelphia Warriors | 12 | 57 | .174 | 34.5 | 5-12 | 1–28 | 6-17 | 7-33 |

### Western Division

| Western Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 48 | 22 | .686 | - | 24-2 | 16-15 | 8-5 | 17-13 |
| x-Rochester Royals | 44 | 26 | .629 | 4 | 24-8 | 13-17 | 7-1 | 27-13 |
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 36 | 33 | .522 | 11.5 | 25-9 | 8-19 | 3-5 | 18-22 |
| x-Indianapolis Olympians | 28 | 43 | .394 | 20.5 | 19-14 | 4-23 | 5-6 | 15-26 |
| Milwaukee Hawks | 27 | 44 | .380 | 21.5 | 14-8 | 3-24 | 10-12 | 15-26 |
x – clinched playoff spot

## Playoffs

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | New York* | 2 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Baltimore | 0 | | | | | | |
| E4 | Baltimore | 0 | E1 | New York* | 3 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | E1 | New York* | 3 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | E3 | Boston | 1 | | | |
| E3 | Boston | 2 | E3 | Boston | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Syracuse | 0 | | | | | | |
| E2 | Syracuse | 0 | | | | E1 | New York* | 1 |
| | | | | | | W1 | Minneapolis* | 4 |
| W1 | Minneapolis* | 2 | | | | | | | W1 | Minneapolis* | 4 |
| W4 | Indianapolis | 0 | | | | | | |
| W4 | Indianapolis | 0 | W1 | Minneapolis* | 3 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W1 | Minneapolis* | 3 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | W3 | Fort Wayne | 2 | | | |
| W3 | Fort Wayne | 2 | W3 | Fort Wayne | 2 | | | |
| W2 | Rochester | 1 | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,564 |
| Rebounds | George Mikan | Minneapolis Lakers | 1,007 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | 547 |
| FG% | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | .452 |
| FT% | Bill Sharman | Boston Celtics | .850 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

## NBA awards

* Rookie of the Year: Don Meineke, Fort Wayne Pistons
* All-NBA First Team:
** George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
** Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
** Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
** Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics
** Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
* All-NBA Second Team:
** Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
** Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers
** Andy Phillip, Philadelphia Warriors
** Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics
** Bobby Wanzer, Rochester Royals