1954–55 NBA season
The 1954–55 NBA season was the ninth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Syracuse Nationals winning the NBA Championship, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
| 1954–55 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 30, 1954 – March 14, 1955 March 15–27, 1955 (Playoffs) March 31–April 10, 1955 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 72 |
| Number of teams | 8 (9)note |
| TV partner(s) | NBC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Frank Selvy |
| Picked by | Baltimore Bullets |
| Regular season | |
| Top scorer | Neil Johnston (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Syracuse Nationals |
| Eastern runners-up | Boston Celtics |
| Western champions | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Western runners-up | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Syracuse Nationals |
| Runners-up | Fort Wayne Pistons |
Notable occurrences
- In response to the relatively slow pace of games, the NBA introduced a 24-second shot clock. The shot clock revitalized the game and scoring skyrocketed league-wide.
- The Baltimore Bullets dropped out of the NBA and folded on November 27, 1954 after playing 14 games (record 3–11), the last time (as of 2019) that an NBA franchise has folded; these games and all statistics were deleted from the NBA's records. The NBA would return to Baltimore when the Chicago Zephyrs relocated there as the "new" Bullets for the 1963–64 season, though the franchise would relocate to Washington in 1973, where they remain today as the Washington Wizards.
- As a result of Baltimore having folded, the NBA schedule was redrafted so each team now played 12 games against divisional opponents, and 9 games against the four teams in the other division, for a total of 72 games.
- The 1955 NBA All-Star Game was played in New York City, with the East beating the West 100–91. Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics won the game's MVP award.
- NBC began televising NBA games. This continued until the 1962–63 season, when ABC took over. NBC would begin televising NBA games again in 1990.
- The Milwaukee Hawks played their final season in the Wisconsin city before moving to St. Louis, Missouri the following season. The NBA would return to Milwaukee with the expansion Bucks in 1968.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1953–54 coach | 1954–55 coach |
| Fort Wayne Pistons | Paul Birch | Charles Eckman |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| N/A | ||
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Eastern Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 43 | 29 | .597 | – | 25–7 | 10–17 | 8–5 | 21–15 |
| x-New York Knicks | 38 | 34 | .528 | 5 | 17–9 | 8–17 | 13–8 | 15–21 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 36 | 36 | .500 | 7 | 21–5 | 4–22 | 11–9 | 19–17 |
| Philadelphia Warriors | 33 | 39 | .458 | 10 | 14–5 | 6–20 | 13–14 | 17–19 |
Western Division
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 43 | 29 | .597 | – | 21–6 | 9–14 | 13–9 | 28–8 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 40 | 32 | .556 | 3 | 18–6 | 10–14 | 12–12 | 18–18 |
| x-Rochester Royals | 29 | 43 | .403 | 14 | 17–11 | 4–19 | 8–13 | 14–22 |
| Milwaukee Hawks | 26 | 46 | .361 | 17 | 6–11 | 9–16 | 11–19 | 14–22 |
x – clinched playoff spot
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,631 |
| Rebounds | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,085 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | 557 |
| FG% | Larry Foust | Fort Wayne Pistons | .487 |
| FT% | Bill Sharman | Boston Celtics | .897 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards
- Rookie of the Year: Bob Pettit, Milwaukee Hawks
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