# 1949–50 New York Knicks season

The 1949–50 New York Knicks season was the fourth season for the team and the first following the merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League that formed the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the regular season, the Knicks finished in second place in the Eastern Division, posting a 40–28 record and advancing to the NBA playoffs. New York won its first round series against the Washington Capitols, 2–0, to make it to the Eastern Division finals. There, the team was defeated two games to one by the Syracuse Nationals.

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 7 | Dick McGuire | G | United States | St. John's |
| 2 | – | Harry Donovan | G | United States | Muhlenberg College |
| 3 | – | Ernie Vandeweghe | F/G | United States | Colgate |

## Regular season
### Season standings

| Eastern Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 51 | 13 | .797 | – | 31–1 | 15–12 | 5–0 | 9–1 |
| x-New York Knicks | 40 | 28 | .588 | 13 | 19–10 | 18–16 | 3–2 | 20–6 |
| x-Washington Capitols | 32 | 36 | .471 | 21 | 21–13 | 10–20 | 1–3 | 13–13 |
| x-Philadelphia Warriors | 26 | 42 | .382 | 25 | 15–15 | 8–23 | 3–4 | 9–17 |
| Baltimore Bullets | 25 | 43 | .368 | 26 | 16–15 | 8–25 | 1–3 | 8–18 |
| Boston Celtics | 22 | 46 | .324 | 29 | 12–14 | 5–28 | 5–4 | 11–15 |

### Record vs. opponents

1949–50 NBA records :
| Team | AND | BAL | BOS | CHI | DEN | FWP | IND | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | SHE | STL | SYR | TCB | WAS | WAT |
| Anderson | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 7–2 | 1–1 | 7–0 |
| Baltimore | 1–1 | — | 2–4 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
| Boston | 2–0 | 4–2 | — | 0–6 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 |
| Chicago | 1–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 |
| Denver | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | 0–7 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–6 | 0–7 | 0–2 | 2–5 |
| Fort Wayne | 1–1 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
| Indianapolis | 5–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–7 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 5–2 |
| Minneapolis | 1–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | — | 5–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 |
| New York | 1–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–5 | — | 1–5 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 |
| Philadelphia | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 | — | 1–5 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 |
| Rochester | 2–0 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | — | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 |
| Sheboygan | 2–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 4–3 |
| St. Louis | 0–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–6 | 1–1 |
| Syracuse | 4–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 7–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 1–1 | — | 6–1 | 1–1 | 6–1 |
| Tri-Cities | 2–7 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–2 | 1–6 | — | 1–1 | 4–3 |
| Washington | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 |
| Waterloo | 0–7 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–6 | 3–4 | 1–1 | — |

### Game log
## Playoffs

1950 playoff game log :
Division semifinals: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh assistsLocationSeries
1
March 21
@ Washington
W 90–87
Carl Braun (26)
Carl Braun (6)
Uline Arena
1–0
2
March 22
Washington
W 103–83
Harry Gallatin (20)
Dick McGuire (6)
Madison Square Garden III
2–0 :
Division finals: 1–2 (home: 1–0; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh assistsLocationSeries
1
March 26
@ Syracuse
L 83–91 (OT)
Carl Braun (22)
Carl Braun (4)
State Fair Coliseum
0–1
2
March 30
Syracuse
W 80–76
Vince Boryla (21)
Dick McGuire (7)
Madison Square Garden III
1–1
3
April 2
@ Syracuse
L 80–91
Gallatin, Vandeweghe (17)
Dick McGuire (5)
State Fair Coliseum
1–2 :
1950 schedule :