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.
| 1952–53 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 31, 1952 – March 17, 1953 March 17 – April 2, 1953 (Playoffs) April 4–10, 1953 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 69-71 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Mark Workman |
| Picked by | Baltimore Bullets |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Top scorer | Neil Johnston (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Knicks |
| Eastern runners-up | Boston Celtics |
| Western champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Runners-up | New York Knicks |
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.
| 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 |
Final standings
Eastern Division
| 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
| 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 Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Baltimore | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Boston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Syracuse | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minneapolis* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minneapolis* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Indianapolis | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Minneapolis* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| 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
- All-NBA First Team:
- All-NBA Second Team:
- Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
- Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers
- Andy Phillip, Philadelphia Warriors
- Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics
- Bobby Wanzer, Rochester Royals
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