# 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.

## 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 started. 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.
* Earl Lloyd became the NBA's first Black player when (in the opening game of the season in Rochester) the Washington Capitols put him in the game after halftime. He went on to score six points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds, but the breaking of the color barrier merited barely a mention in news reports of the time. Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton of the New York Knicks also played in their teams' openers within a few days.
* 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, held in Rochester at Edgerton Park Arena, ended 75–73 after 78 minutes, including six overtimes. The overtimes saw only 18 points scored between the two teams, so this game also became a factor in the introduction of the shot clock.
* During the month of January 1951, it was discovered by New York District Attorney Frank Hogan that Sol Levy, a referee that has been a part of the NBA for three seasons, had arranged to fix the outcomes of six different NBA games under an accomplice of his. Levy would later be suspended, arrested, and subsequently permanently banned from the NBA for his role in fixing NBA games, becoming the first official to be banned in such a case. Baltimore Bullets rookie Norm Mager would subsequently be the first official NBA player to be permanently banned afterward when it was discovered he was involved in the CCNY point-shaving scandal back when he was a senior there.
* 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 |

## Teams

1950-51 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 | Philadelphia Arena | 5,526 |
| Eastern | Syracuse Nationals | Syracuse, New York | State Fair Coliseum | 7,500 |
| Eastern | Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | Uline Arena | 8,000 |
| Western | Fort Wayne Pistons | Fort Wayne, Indiana | North Side High School Gym | 3,000 |
| Western | Indianapolis Olympians | 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 | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Moline, Illinois | Wharton Field House | 6,000 |

## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| Eastern Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| x-Philadelphia Warriors | 40 | 26 | .606 | – | 28–4 | 11–21 | 1–1 | 22–14 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 39 | 30 | .565 | 1 | 25–5 | 10–23 | 4–2 | 21–19 |
| x-New York Knicks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 4 | 22–5 | 10–25 | 4–0 | 21–15 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 32 | 34 | .485 | 8 | 23–10 | 9–24 | – | 19–17 |
| Baltimore Bullets | 24 | 42 | .364 | 16 | 20–12 | 4–24 | 0–6 | 12–24 |
| Washington Capitols | 10 | 25 | .286 | 30 | 7–12 | 3–12 | 0–1 | 6–12 |

### Western Division

| Western Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 44 | 24 | .647 | – | 29–3 | 12–21 | 3–0 | 24–12 |
| x-Rochester Royals | 41 | 27 | .603 | 3 | 29–5 | 12–22 | – | 18–15 |
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 32 | 36 | .471 | 12 | 27–7 | 5–27 | 0–2 | 18–6 |
| x-Indianapolis Olympians | 31 | 37 | .456 | 13 | 19–12 | 10–24 | 2–1 | 15–20 |
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks | 25 | 43 | .368 | 19 | 22–13 | 2–28 | 1–2 | 12–24 |
    x – Clinched playoff spot

## Playoffs

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

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points | George Mikan | Minneapolis Lakers | 1,932 |
| Rebounds | Dolph Schayes | Syracuse Nationals | 1,080 |
| Assists | Andy Phillip | Philadelphia Warriors | 414 |
| FG% | Alex Groza | Indianapolis Olympians | .470 |
| FT% | Joe Fulks | Philadelphia 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

* All-NBA First Team:
** Alex Groza, Indianapolis Olympians
** Ralph Beard, Indianapolis Olympians
** Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
** George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
** Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics
* All-NBA Second Team:
** Frank Brian, Tri-Cities Blackhawks
** Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors
** Dick McGuire, New York Knicks
** Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers
** Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals