1948–49 BAA season

1948–49 BAA season
League Basketball Association of America
Sport Basketball
Duration November 1, 1948 – March 20, 1949
March 22–April 2, 1949 (Playoffs)
April 4–13, 1949 (Finals)
Number of games 60
Number of teams 12
Draft
Top draft pick Andy Tonkovich
Picked by Providence Steamrollers
Regular season
Top scorer George Mikan (Minneapolis)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Washington Capitols
  Eastern runners-up New York Knicks
Western champions Minneapolis Lakers
  Western runners-up Rochester Royals
Finals
Champions Minneapolis Lakers
  Runners-up Washington Capitols

The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America. (Later that year the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.) The postseason tournament at its conclusion, the 1949 BAA Playoffs, ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating the Washington Capitols 4 games to 2 in the BAA Finals.

The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment,[1] so BAA 1948–49 is sometimes considered the third NBA season.

Notable occurrences

Four National Basketball League teams (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Rochester) joined the BAA for the 1948–49 season.

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1947–48 coach 1948–49 coach
Boston Celtics Honey Russell Doggie Julian
Providence Steamrollers Nat Hickey Ken Loeffler
St. Louis Bombers Ken Loeffler Grady Lewis
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Chicago Stags Harold Olsen Philip Brownstein

Final standings

Eastern Division

Western Division

Statistics leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
PointsGeorge MikanMinneapolis Lakers1,698
AssistsBob DaviesRochester Royals321
FG%Arnie RisenRochester Royals.423
FT%Bob FeerickWashington Capitols.859

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

BAA awards

References

  1. ↑ "NBA Season Recaps". NBA History (nba.com/history). July 1, 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-04.
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