1955 NBA playoffs
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The 1955 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1954-55 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Syracuse Nationals defeating the Western Conference champion Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 15–April 10, 1955 |
| Season | 1954–55 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Syracuse Nationals (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Semifinalists | |
This was the only title for the Nationals under that moniker; the franchise won its next title in 1967 as the Philadelphia 76ers.
For the Pistons, this was their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history; they returned the next year, but didn't win their first title until 1989 as the Detroit Pistons.
After experimenting with a round robin playoff format in 1954, the NBA moved to a system in which the top team in each conference earned a first-round bye, giving them the right to start out in the division finals. It remained in place until 1967, when it changed to an eight-team format in which all teams played the first round.
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Eastern Division Semifinals
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning three of the first four meetings.
| New York leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Division Semifinals
- Bob Davies’s final NBA game.
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings.
| Minneapolis leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Eastern Division Finals
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nationals winning two of the first three meetings.
| Syracuse leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Division Finals
- Jim Pollard’s final NBA game.
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
| Minneapolis leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals: (E1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (W1) Fort Wayne Pistons
- George King hit a free throw with 12 seconds left, then stole the ball from Andy Phillip with 3 seconds left to seal it.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[5]
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.