1948–49 BAA season explained

1948–49 BAA season
League:Basketball Association of America
Sport:Basketball
No Of Games:60
No Of Teams:12
Draft:Draft
Draft Link:1948 NBA draft
Top Pick Link:List of first overall NBA draft picks
Picked By:Providence Steamrollers
Season:Regular season
Top Seed:Rochester Royals
Top Scorer:George Mikan (Minneapolis)
Playoffs:Playoffs
Playoffs Link:1949 BAA playoffs
Conf1:Eastern
Conf1 Link:Eastern Division (NBA)
Conf1 Champ:Washington Capitols
Conf1 Runner-Up:New York Knicks
Conf2:Western
Conf2 Link:Western Division (NBA)
Conf2 Champ:Minneapolis Lakers
Conf2 Runner-Up:Rochester Royals
Finals:Finals
Finals Link:1949 BAA Finals
Finals Champ:Minneapolis Lakers
Finals Runner-Up:Washington Capitols
Seasonslist:List of NBA seasons
Seasonslistnames:BAA/NBA
Prevseason Link:1947–48 BAA season
Prevseason Year:1947–48
Nextseason Link:1949–50 NBA season
Nextseason Year:1949–50

The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America. The 1949 BAA Playoffs ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating the Washington Capitols in six games in the BAA Finals.

The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1948–49 BAA season is considered the third NBA season.[1] Following the season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.[2]

Notable occurrences

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

Offseason
Team1947–48 coach1948–49 coach
Boston CelticsHoney RussellDoggie Julian
Providence SteamrollersNat HickeyKen Loeffler
St. Louis BombersKen LoefflerGrady Lewis
In-season
TeamOutgoing coachIncoming coach
Chicago StagsHarold OlsenPhilip Brownstein

Teams

1948-49 Basketball Association of America
Division Team City Arena Capacity
EasternBaltimore BulletsBaltimore, MarylandBaltimore Coliseum4,500
Boston CelticsBoston, MassachusettsBoston Garden13,909
New York KnicksNew York, New YorkMadison Square Garden18,496
Philadelphia WarriorsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia Arena5,526
Providence SteamrollersProvidence, Rhode IslandRhode Island Auditorium5,300
Washington CapitolsWashington, D.C.Uline Arena8,000
WesternChicago StagsChicago, IllinoisChicago Stadium17,000
Fort Wayne Pistons *Fort Wayne, IndianaNorth Side High School Gym3,000
Indianapolis Jets *Indianapolis, IndianaHinkle Fieldhouse15,000
Minneapolis Lakers *Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis Auditorium10,000
Rochester Royals *Rochester, New YorkEdgerton Park Arena4,200
St. Louis BombersSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis Arena15,000
NBL teams joining BAA *

Map of teams

Final standings

Western Division

Playoffs

See main article: 1949 BAA playoffs.

Statistics leaders

Category Player Team Stat
Points 1,698
Assists 321
FG% Rochester Royals .423
FT% .859

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

BAA awards

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NBA Season Recaps: 1946–2019. NBA.com. July 24, 2019. September 17, 2020.
  2. Web site: NBA is born. History. November 16, 2009. September 17, 2020.