1951 NBA playoffs


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The 1951 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 1950–51 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Rochester Royals defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

1951 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesMarch 20–April 21, 1951
Season1950–51
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsRochester Royals (1st title)
Runner-upNew York Knicks
Semifinalists

← 1950

1952 →

The eight qualified teams began tournament play on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 20 and 21, and the Finals concluded on Saturday, April 21. Rochester and New York played 14 games in a span of 33 days; their seven final games in fifteen days.[1]

The Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) were "royalty" in their first nine seasons, from 1945–46 to 1953–54 always one of the strong teams in their league. Rochester had played three seasons in the National Basketball League, winning the 1946 NBL championship and losing the Finals in 1947 and 1948. In one BAA and one NBA season, the team had won 75% of its games before losing in the second round, then first round, of the 1949 and 1950 playoffs. The 1950–51 team won more than 60% of its games, as the Royals would do for three more seasons, and participated in the club's only NBA Finals. That remains true more than 60 years later, covering stints in Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Sacramento.

The New York Knicks were an original Basketball Association of America franchise, now in its sixth season and participating in the BAA or NBA Finals for the first time. It would be the first three consecutive years as losing finalist.

Another six-year-old, original BAA team, the Boston Celtics had qualified only for the 1948 BAA Playoffs. Now the second-place Eastern Division team, Boston had earned home-court advantage for a first-round series with third-place New York. It was the first playoff meeting in the Celtics–Knicks rivalry and it would be the first of 19 consecutive years in the playoffs.

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

Eastern Division Semifinals

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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers/Nationals winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series[2]
Philadelphia 76ers/ Syracuse Nationals leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[3]

Western Division Semifinals

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This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series[4]
Fort Wayne leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

Eastern Division Finals

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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nationals winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series[5]
Syracuse leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

Western Division Finals

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This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series[6]
Minneapolis leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series

NBA Finals: (W2) Rochester Royals vs. (E3) New York Knicks

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  • This was the first time in NBA playoff history a team has forced a seventh game after falling behind 3–0 in the series, and the only time to date in the NBA Finals.

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[7]

  1. ^ "1950–51 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
      Select "Previous Season" from the heading for 1950–51, and so on. Select "Finals" from League Playoffs for the daily schedule of the final series, and so on.
  2. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.