1954 NBA Finals
1954 basketball championship series
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| Dates | March 31–April 12 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Famers | Lakers: George Mikan (1959) Jim Pollard (1978) Clyde Lovellette (1988) Vern Mikkelsen (1995) Slater Martin (1982) Nationals: Dolph Schayes (1973) Earl Lloyd (2003) Coaches: John Kundla (1995) Al Cervi (1985, player) | |||||||||
| Eastern Finals | Nationals defeated Celtics, 2–0 | |||||||||
| Western Finals | Lakers defeated Royals, 2–1 | |||||||||
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The 1954 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1954 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1953–54 season. The Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers faced the Eastern Division champion Syracuse Nationals in a best-of-seven series with Minneapolis having home-court advantage.[1] The Lakers won their third consecutive NBA championship and their fifth title in seven years dating from 1949.
Minneapolis won game one and the teams thereafter alternated victories, with the Lakers winning the decisive game by a seven-point margin at home. The seven games were played in thirteen days, beginning Wednesday, March 31 and concluding Monday, April 12. The entire postseason tournament spanned 28 days in which both Minneapolis and Syracuse played 13 games.[1][2]
Series summary
| Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | March 31 | Minneapolis Lakers | 79–68 (1–0) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 2 | April 3 | Minneapolis Lakers | 60–62 (1–1) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 3 | April 4 | Syracuse Nationals | 67–81 (1–2) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 4 | April 8 | Syracuse Nationals | 80–69 (2–2) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 5 | April 10 | Syracuse Nationals | 73–84 (2–3) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 6 | April 11 | Minneapolis Lakers | 63–65 (3–3) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 7 | April 12 | Minneapolis Lakers | 87–80 (4–3) | Syracuse Nationals |
Lakers win series 4–3
Team rosters
Minneapolis Lakers
- v
- t
- e
Minneapolis Lakers 1953–54 NBA champions
- 12 Holstein
- 15 Schnittker
- 17 Pollard
- 18 Saul
- 19 Mikkelsen
- 20 Skoog
- 22 Martin
- 34 Lovellette
- 99 Mikan
- Head coach: Kundla
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Syracuse Nationals
Television
Game two was the first NBA Finals contest to be carried live on national television, with the DuMont network providing the coverage. Game five was also aired by DuMont, featuring Marty Glickman doing play-by-play and Lindsey Nelson as the color analyst.
See also
- 76ers–Lakers rivalry
References
- ^ a b "1953–54 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
Select "Previous Season" from the heading for 1952–53, and so on. Select "Finals" from League Playoffs for the daily schedule of the final series, and so on. - ^ "NBA Division Playoffs Open Tonight". The Washington Post. March 16, 1954.
External links
- 1954 Finals at NBA.com
- 1954 NBA Playoffs at Basketball-Reference.com
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