During the 1954–55 Syracuse Nationals season (their 6th), the National Basketball Association (NBA) was struggling financially and down to just 8 teams. Nationals owner Danny Biasone suggested that the league limit the amount of time taken for a shot. Biasone was upset with the stalling tactics of opposing teams. During the summer of 1954, Biasone had gotten together some of his pros and a group of high school players and timed them with a stopwatch.[1] Most shots were taken within 12 seconds, Biasone discovered. Biasone calculated that a 24-second shot clock would allow at least 30 shots per quarter and assist in increasing scoring. The result would speed up a game that often ended with long periods of teams just holding the ball. Quickness and athletic ability became prized as they never had been before. Excessive fouling didn't disappear completely, but just about everyone concluded that the clock was good for the game. The shot clock was a success with the result that scoring was up 14 points per game league wide.[2] In the 1st season of the shot clock, the Nats would take 1st place in the Eastern Division with a 43–29 record. They would later win the NBA Finals that season following them beating the Boston Celtics 3–1 and winning all of their home games against the Fort Wayne Pistons to win 4–3 for their first NBA Finals championship (and only one while under the Syracuse Nationals name). HoopsHype later ranked this squad as the team with the eighth-easiest path to an NBA Finals championship due to the records of their two opponents they faced off against.[3]
See main article: 1954 NBA draft.
[4]| 1954-55 NBA Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=100 | Team | BOS | FWP | MIL | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | SYR |
| — | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 6–6 | ||
| 5–4 | — | 11–1 | 9–3 | 2–7 | 6–3 | 8–4 | 2–7 | ||
| 3–6 | 1–11 | — | 5–7 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 4–5 | ||
| 6–3 | 3–9 | 7–5 | — | 4–5 | 6–3 | 8–4 | 6–3 | ||
| 6–6 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 5–4 | — | 5–7 | 5–4 | 4–8 | ||
| 5–7 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 7–5 | — | 5–4 | 5–7 | ||
| 5–4 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 4–5 | 4–5 | — | 2–7 | ||
| Syracuse | 6–6 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 7–2 | — | |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31 | Minneapolis Lakers | 94–97 | Loss | 0–1 |
| Nov 6 | @ Boston Celtics | 84–107 | Loss | 0–2 |
| Nov 7 | Milwaukee Hawks | 97–80 | Win | 1–2 |
| Nov 11 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | 88–86 | Win | 2–2 |
| Nov 13 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | 72–85 | Loss | 2–3 |
| Nov 14 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | 92–99 | Loss | 2–4 |
| Nov 16 | Philadelphia Warriors (at New York, NY) | 86–85 | Win | 3–4 |
| Nov 18 | Fort Wayne PIstons | 91–82 | Win | 4–4 |
| Nov 20 | @ Rochester Royals | 80–79 | Win | 5–4 |
| Nov 21 | Boston Celtics | 110–104 | Win | 6–4 |
| Nov 25 | Milwaukee Hawks | 91–85 | Win | 7–4 |
| Nov 27 | @ New York Knicks | 80–74 | Win | 8–4 |
| Nov 28 | New York Knicks | 79–77 | Win | 9–4 |
| Dec 1 | New York Knicks (at Philadelphia) | 86–88 | Loss | 9–5 |
| Dec 2 | Rochester Royals | 82–78 | Win | 10–5 |
| Dec 4 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | 73–79 | Loss | 10–6 |
| Dec 5 | Philadelphia Warriors | 89–72 | Win | 11–6 |
| Dec 7 | Philadelphia Warriors (at New Haven, CT) | 88–81 | Win | 12–6 |
| Dec 8 | @ Rochester Royals | 78–105 | Loss | 12–7 |
| Dec 9 | Boston Celtics | 120–107 | Win | 13–7 |
| Dec 11 | @ Boston Celtics | 90-94 | Loss | 13–8 |
| Dec 12 | Philadelphia Warriors | 87-96 | Loss | 13–9 |
| Dec 14 | @ New York Knicks | 91-82 | Win | 14–9 |
| Dec 15 | New York Knicks (at Boston, MA) | 81-88 | Loss | 14–10 |
| Dec 18 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | 83-86 | Loss | 14–11 |
| Dec 19 | Minneapolis Lakers | 108-93 | Win | 15–11 |
| Dec 25 | @ New York Knicks | 101-109 | Loss | 15–12 |
| Dec 26 | New York Knicks | 97-92 (OT) | Win | 16–12 |
| Dec 28 | Rochester Royals (at New York, NY) | 84-82 | Win | 17–12 |
| Dec 29 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | 70-72 | Loss | 17–13 |
| Jan 1 | Boston Celtics | 108-102 | Win | 18–13 |
| Jan 2 | Milwaukee Hawks | 79-91 | Loss | 18–14 |
| Jan 6 | Minneapolis Lakers | 106-117 | Loss | 18–15 |
| Jan 8 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | 100-97 | Win | 19–15 |
| Jan 9 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | 72-77 | Loss | 19–16 |
| Jan 11 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | 82-93 | Loss | 19–17 |
| Jan 13 | Fort Wayne Pistons | 100-83 | Win | 20–17 |
| Jan 16 | Rochester Royals | 90-85 | Win | 21–17 |
| Jan 19 | Philadelphia Warriors (at Hershey, PA) | 98-97 (OT) | Win | 22–17 |
| Jan 20 | Boston Celtics | 92-87 | Win | 23–17 |
| Jan 23 | New York Knicks | 89-98 | Loss | 23–18 |
| Jan 25 | Fort Wayne Pistons (at Buffalo, NY) | 66-69 | Loss | 23–19 |
| Jan 26 | Philadelphia Warriors (at Boston, MA) | 107-99 | Win | 24–19 |
| Jan 27 | Fort Wayne Pistons | 94-79 | Win | 25–19 |
| Jan 28 | @ Boston Celtics | 90-101 | Loss | 25–20 |
| Jan 30 | Philadelphia Warriors | 83-93 | Loss | 25–21 |
| Feb 3 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | 85-104 | Loss | 25–22 |
| Feb 4 | @ Boston Celtics | 88-114 | Loss | 25–23 |
| Feb 5 | @ Rochester Royals | 94-88 | Win | 26–23 |
| Feb 6 | New York Knicks | 77-75 | Win | 27–23 |
| Feb 8 | Boston Celtics (at New York, NY) | 115-88 | Win | 28–23 |
| Feb 9 | @ Boston Celtics | 94-104 | Loss | 28–24 |
| Feb 10 | Minneapolis Lakers | 85-81 | Win | 29–24 |
| Feb 12 | Milwaukee Hawks | 92-66 | Win | 30–24 |
| Feb 13 | Rochester Royals | 88-87 | Win | 31–24 |
| Feb 14 | Milwaukee Hawks (at Toledo, OH) | 82-81 | Win | 32–24 |
| Feb 17 | Boston Celtics | 107-93 | Win | 33–24 |
| Feb 18 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | 86-110 | Loss | 33–25 |
| Feb 19 | @ New York Knicks | 80-78 | Win | 34–25 |
| Feb 20 | New York Knicks | 104-84 | Win | 35–25 |
| Feb 22 | Boston Celtics (at New York, NY) | 95-97 | Loss | 35–26 |
| Feb 24 | Rochester Royals | 97-83 | Win | 36–26 |
| Feb 27 | Philadelphia Warriors | 105-77 | Win | 37–26 |
| Mar 1 | @ New York Knicks | 105-102 | Win | 38–26 |
| Mar 2 | Fort Wayne Pistons (at Elkhart, IN) | 103-90 | Win | 39–26 |
| Mar 3 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | 83-81 | Win | 40–26 |
| Mar 4 | @ Milwaukee Hawks | 99-96 | Win | 41–26 |
| Mar 6 | Philadelphia Warriors | 107-101 | Win | 42–26 |
| Mar 9 | @ Rochester Royals | 97-100 | Loss | 42–27 |
| Mar 10 | Minneapolis Lakers (at New York, NY) | 93-96 | Loss | 42–28 |
| Mar 12 | Fort Wayne Pistons | 112-92 | Win | 43–28 |
| Mar 13 | Milwaukee Hawks | 76-77 | Loss | 43–29 |
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1| March 22| Boston| W 110–100| Red Kerr (27)| —| Paul Seymour (8)| Onondaga War Memorial| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2| March 24| Boston| W 116–110| Dolph Schayes (22)| Dolph Schayes (18)| Paul Seymour (12)| Onondaga War Memorial| 2–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3| March 26| @ Boston| L 97–100 (OT)| Red Kerr (20)| Dolph Schayes (14)| George King (10)| Boston Garden| 2–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4| March 27| @ Boston| W 110–94| Dolph Schayes (28)| Earl Lloyd (18)| King, Seymour (8)| Boston Garden| 3–1|-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1| March 31| Fort Wayne| W 86–82| Red Rocha (19)| —| Onondaga War Memorial
7,500| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2| April 2| Fort Wayne| W 87–84| Dolph Schayes (24)| —| Onondaga War Memorial
5,845| 2–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3| April 3| @ Fort Wayne| L 89–96| Rocha, Schayes (21)| —| Butler Fieldhouse
3,200| 2–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4| April 5| @ Fort Wayne| L 102–109| Dolph Schayes (28)| —| Butler Fieldhouse
2,611| 2–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5| April 7| @ Fort Wayne| L 71–74| Bill Kenville (15)| —| Butler Fieldhouse
4,110| 2–3|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6| April 9| Fort Wayne| W 109–104| Dolph Schayes (28)| —| Onondaga War Memorial
4,997| 3–3|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7| April 10| Fort Wayne| W 92–91| King, Kenville (15)| Paul Seymour (8)| Onondaga War Memorial
6,697| 4–3|-
In the Finals, the Nats would get off to a fast start; taking the first 2 games at home against the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, as home court shifted, the Pistons would spark back to life; taking all 3 games to take a 3–2 series lead. Heading back to Syracuse for Game 6 the Nats kept their Championship hopes alive by defeating the Pistons 109–104 to force a decisive game 7 at home. Game 7 would prove to be as tight as the entire series had played out to that point. As time started running out on the Pistons title hopes late in the 4th quarter of game 7 point guard George King sank a clutch free throw to give the Nats a 92–91 lead. King would then steal the inbound pass as time ticked away to clinch the NBA title for the Nationals.