1953–54 Minneapolis Lakers season
| 1953–54 Minneapolis Lakers season | |
|---|---|
|
NBA Champions | |
|
Division Champions | |
| Fifth NBA Championship | |
| Head coach | John Kundla |
| Arena | Minneapolis Auditorium |
| Results | |
| Record | 46–26 (.639) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish |
NBA Finals (Won 4-3) |
|
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Radio | WLOL |
The 1953–54 NBA season was the franchise's sixth season in the NBA. The Lakers won the Western Division with a 46–26 record. George Mikan was hampered by knee troubles as he averaged only 18.1 points per game. The Lakers signed a promising rookie named Clyde Lovellette, who was able to alleviate the pressure on Mikan.[1] In the first round, the Lakers won 3 straight to face the Rochester Royals in the Western Finals. The Lakers would beat the Royals to qualify for the NBA Finals. In the finals, the Lakers and Syracuse Nationals alternated wins. In the end, the Lakers emerged with their 3rd straight title, and 5th overall in the franchise's first six seasons in the NBA. They became the first NBA team to win three consecutive NBA championships.[2] In the seventh and final game, the Lakers won by a score of 87–80, for the franchise's final NBA title before their relocation to Los Angeles in 1960. Following the season, Mikan would announce his retirement.[1]
Roster
Depth chart
| Pos. | St:165px;"|Inactive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | George Mikan | Clyde Lovellette | ||
| PF | Vern Mikkelsen | Dick Schnittker | ||
| SF | Jim Pollard | Jim Holstein | ||
| SG | Whitey Skoog | Pep Saul | ||
| PG | Slater Martin |
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 46 | 26 | .639 | – | 20–4 | 13–15 | 13–7 | 19–13 |
| x-Rochester Royals | 44 | 28 | .611 | 2 | 18–10 | 12–15 | 14–3 | 22–10 |
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 40 | 32 | .556 | 6 | 19–8 | 11–17 | 10–7 | 17–15 |
| Milwaukee Hawks | 21 | 51 | .292 | 25 | 11–14 | 5–17 | 6–20 | 6–26 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1953–54 NBA records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | FWP | MIL | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | SYR |
| Baltimore | — | 1–9 | 0–8 | 2–6 | 2–6 | 3–7 | 4–6 | 1–7 | 3–7 |
| Boston | 9–1 | — | 4–4 | 6–2 | 3–5 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 4–4 | 5–5 |
| Fort Wayne | 8–0 | 4–4 | — | 9–2 | 5–5 | 3–5 | 6–2 | 3–8 | 2–6 |
| Milwaukee | 6–2 | 2–6 | 2–9 | — | 3–8 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 1–9 | 1–7 |
| Minneapolis | 6–2 | 5–3 | 5–5 | 8–3 | — | 5–3 | 6–2 | 6–5 | 5–3 |
| New York | 7–3 | 5–5 | 5–3 | 5–3 | 3–5 | — | 7–3 | 7–1 | 5–5 |
| Philadelphia | 6–4 | 4–6 | 2–6 | 5–3 | 2–6 | 3–7 | — | 1–7 | 6–4 |
| Rochester | 7–1 | 4–4 | 8–3 | 9–1 | 5–6 | 1–7 | 7–1 | — | 3–5 |
| Syracuse | 7–3 | 5–5 | 6–2 | 7–1 | 3–5 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 5–3 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Semifinals
Western Division
| Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis Lakers | 3 | 0 |
| Rochester Royals | 2 | 1 |
| Fort Wayne Pistons | 0 | 4 |
West Division Finals
(1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (2) Rochester Royals: Lakers win series 2–1
- Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 89, Rochester 76
- Game 2 @ Rochester: Rochester 74, Minneapolis 73
- Game 3 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 82, Rochester 72
NBA Finals
(W1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (E1) Syracuse Nationals: Lakers win series 4–3
- Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 79, Syracuse 68
- Game 2 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 62, Minneapolis 60
- Game 3 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 81, Syracuse 67
- Game 4 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 80, Minneapolis 69
- Game 5 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 84, Syracuse 73
- Game 6 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 65, Minneapolis 63
- Game 7 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 87, Syracuse 80
Awards and honors
- George Mikan, All-NBA First Team
- Jim Pollard, All-NBA Second Team
- George Mikan, NBA All-Star Game
- Jim Pollard, NBA All-Star Game
- Slater Martin, NBA All-Star Game
References
- 1 2 http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/mpls/mplslakers.html
- ↑ Numbelivable!, p.95, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0