The 1955–56 Philadelphia Warriors season George Senesky took over for Eddie Gottlieb as coach, the Warriors had a strong start by winning 12 of their first 16 games.[1] Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston were among the league's scoring leaders as the Warriors won the Eastern Division with a 45–27 record. The addition of rookie Tom Gola made the difference. In his first season Gola averaged 9.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.[1] In the Eastern Division Finals the Warriors beat the Syracuse Nationals in 5 games. In the NBA Finals, the Warriors won their 2nd Championship by beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 1. HoopsHype would later rank this championship squad as tied with the 1956–57 Boston Celtics from a season later team as the team with the second-easiest path to the NBA Finals ever in 2024 due to them being one of three total championship teams who had playoff opponents that averaged around an average overall record or less during their championship run.[2]
1955-56 NBA Records | |||||||||
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width=100 | Team | BOS | FWP | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | STL | SYR |
Boston | — | 4–5 | 7–2 | 5–7 | 6-33 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 | |
Fort Wayne | 5–4 | — | 5–7 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 4–5 | |
Minneapolis | 2–7 | 7–5 | — | 5–4 | 3–6 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 4–5 | |
New York | 7–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | — | 6–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 4–8 | |
Philadelphia | 7–5 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–6 | — | 6–3 | 6–3 | 9–3 | |
Rochester | 4–5 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 3–6 | 3–6 | — | 6–6 | 5–4 | |
St. Louis | 4–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 6–6 | — | 3–6 | |
Syracuse | 4–8 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–9 | 4–5 | 6–3 | — |
1955–56 Game log | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record | ||
1 | November 5 | 87–98 | Joe Graboski (18) | 1–0 | ||
2 | November 9 | 106–117 | Neil Johnston (29) | 1–1 | ||
3 | November 10 | 84–89 | Paul Arizin (33) | 2–1 | ||
4 | November 12 | N Minneapolis | 100–89 | Paul Arizin (34) | 3–1 | |
5 | November 17 | @ Philadelphia | 92–106 | Joe Graboski (21) | 4–1 | |
6 | November 19 | 94–102 | Neil Johnston (37) | 5–1 | ||
7 | November 23 | N Syracuse | 101–104 | Arizin, George (23) | 6–1 | |
8 | November 24 | 97–118 | Neil Johnston (32) | 7–1 | ||
9 | November 26 | 82–87 | Paul Arizin (22) | 8–1 | ||
10 | November 27 | @ Minneapolis | 94–99 | Paul Arizin (24) | 8–2 | |
11 | November 29 | 95–108 | Jack George (15) | 8–3 | ||
12 | December 1 | St. Louis | 98–115 | Neil Johnston (31) | 9–3 | |
13 | December 3 | @ New York | 109–102 | Paul Arizin (32) | 10–3 | |
14 | December 4 | @ Rochester | 84–107 | Neil Johnston (21) | 10–4 | |
15 | December 6 | N Minneapolis | 116–103 | Neil Johnston (32) | 11–4 | |
16 | December 9 | Syracuse | 92–101 | Jack George (30) | 12–4 | |
17 | December 11 | @ Fort Wayne | 91–96 | Paul Arizin (21) | 12–5 | |
18 | December 13 | N Boston | 109–108 | Neil Johnston (29) | 13–5 | |
19 | December 15 | Fort Wayne | 73–80 | Neil Johnston (22) | 14–5 | |
20 | December 18 | @ Syracuse | 79–99 | Neil Johnston (17) | 14–6 | |
21 | December 21 | @ Rochester | 96–92 | Neil Johnston (21) | 15–6 | |
22 | December 26 | New York | 108–97 | Paul Arizin (22) | 15–7 | |
23 | December 27 | @ New York | 79–80 | Paul Arizin (29) | 15–8 | |
24 | December 29 | Syracuse | 83–112 | Paul Arizin (20) | 16–8 | |
25 | January 1 | @ Boston | 113–121 | Paul Arizin (37) | 16–9 | |
26 | January 2 | N Rochester | 100–130 | Paul Arizin (23) | 17–9 | |
27 | January 3 | Fort Wayne | 82–102 | Tom Gola (20) | 18–9 | |
28 | January 4 | @ Syracuse | 88–87 | Neil Johnston (26) | 19–9 | |
29 | January 5 | N Fort Wayne | 81–92 | Joe Graboski (31) | 19–10 | |
30 | January 7 | New York | 97–104 | Neil Johnston (24) | 20–10 | |
31 | January 8 | @ New York | 95–83 | Neil Johnston (28) | 21–10 | |
32 | January 10 | St. Louis | 107–109 (OT) | Neil Johnston (35) | 22–10 | |
33 | January 11 | @ Rochester | 97–94 | Paul Arizin (32) | 23–10 | |
34 | January 12 | Rochester | 94–123 | Neil Johnston (23) | 24–10 | |
35 | January 14 | Boston | 104–103 | Paul Arizin (27) | 24–11 | |
36 | January 15 | @ St. Louis | 108–96 | Paul Arizin (35) | 25–11 | |
37 | January 18 | N Minneapolis | 94–105 | Neil Johnston (28) | 25–12 | |
38 | January 21 | Fort Wayne | 92–91 | Joe Graboski (28) | 25–13 | |
39 | January 22 | @ Boston | 129–115 | Paul Arizin (39) | 26–13 | |
40 | January 23 | N Boston | 120–104 | Neil Johnston (29) | 27–13 | |
41 | January 25 | Syracuse | 100–112 | Paul Arizin (26) | 28–13 | |
42 | January 26 | @ Syracuse | 89–100 | Paul Arizin (23) | 28–14 | |
43 | January 28 | @ Minneapolis | 108–85 | Paul Arizin (33) | 29–14 | |
44 | January 29 | @ Fort Wayne | 85–99 | Paul Arizin (20) | 29–15 | |
45 | January 31 | @ New York | 95–105 | Paul Arizin (38) | 29–16 | |
46 | February 1 | New York | 105–104 (2OT) | Joe Graboski (29) | 29–17 | |
47 | February 2 | N New York | 88–87 | Paul Arizin (31) | 30–17 | |
48 | February 3 | Rochester | 105–96 | Paul Arizin (31) | 30–18 | |
49 | February 5 | @ St. Louis | 93–105 | Paul Arizin (22) | 30–19 | |
50 | February 7 | N Syracuse | 95–128 | Neil Johnston (41) | 31–19 | |
51 | February 9 | St. Louis | 97–108 | Paul Arizin (34) | 32–19 | |
52 | February 11 | @ Minneapolis | 117–102 | Paul Arizin (34) | 33–19 | |
53 | February 12 | @ St. Louis | 87–79 | Neil Johnston (22) | 34–19 | |
54 | February 13 | N Fort Wayne | 105–94 | Paul Arizin (26) | 35–19 | |
55 | February 15 | N Fort Wayne | 101–78 | Paul Arizin (25) | 36–19 | |
56 | February 17 | Minneapolis | 111–134 | Arizin, Johnston (29) | 37–19 | |
57 | February 18 | N Boston | 115–101 | Neil Johnston (38) | 38–19 | |
58 | February 19 | @ Boston | 118–120 | Paul Arizin (39) | 38–20 | |
59 | February 22 | New York | 117–108 | Neil Johnston (29) | 38–21 | |
60 | February 24 | Boston | 129–135 | Joe Graboski (35) | 39–21 | |
61 | February 26 | @ Syracuse | 87–85 | Paul Arizin (26) | 40–21 | |
62 | February 29 | Rochester | 81–86 | Neil Johnston (21) | 41–21 | |
63 | March 1 | Minneapolis | 102–100 | Joe Graboski (28) | 41–22 | |
64 | March 3 | Syracuse | 96–102 | Paul Arizin (31) | 42–22 | |
65 | March 4 | @ Boston | 114–128 | Paul Arizin (39) | 42–23 | |
66 | March 6 | N St. Louis | 102–97 | Paul Arizin (31) | 42–24 | |
67 | March 7 | N New York | 108–87 | Neil Johnston (34) | 43–24 | |
68 | March 8 | Boston | 120–142 | Arizin, Johnston (29) | 44–24 | |
69 | March 10 | @ Rochester | 96–111 | Paul Arizin (21) | 44–25 | |
70 | March 11 | @ Syracuse | 88–99 | Paul Arizin (20) | 44–26 | |
71 | March 13 | St. Louis | 113–116 | Jack George (33) | 45–26 | |
72 | March 14 | @ New York | 108–115 | Neil Johnston (27) | 45–27 |
Philadelphia Warriors 1955–56 NBA champions
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 1| March 23| Syracuse| W 109–87| Paul Arizin (29)| Neil Johnston (24)| Gola, Beck (5)| Philadelphia Civic Center| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 2| March 25| @ Syracuse| L 112–118| Neil Johnston (43)| Neil Johnston (16)| Neil Johnston (7)| Onondaga War Memorial| 1–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 3| March 27| Syracuse| W 119–96| Joe Graboski (20)| Neil Johnston (18)| Tom Gola (10)| Philadelphia Civic Center| 2–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 4| March 28| @ Syracuse| L 104–108| Neil Johnston (35)| Neil Johnston (12)| Neil Johnston (7)| Onondaga War Memorial| 2–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 5| March 29| Syracuse| W 109–104| Paul Arizin (35)| Neil Johnston (18)| Neil Johnston (8)| Philadelphia Civic Center| 3–2|-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 1| March 31| Fort Wayne| W 98–94| Paul Arizin (28)| Neil Johnston (14)| Tom Gola (10)| Philadelphia Civic Center
4,128| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 2| April 1| @ Fort Wayne| L 83–84| Paul Arizin (27)| Arizin, Johnston (9)| Ernie Beck (6)| War Memorial Coliseum
6,976| 1–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 3| April 3| Fort Wayne| W 100–96| Paul Arizin (27)| Neil Johnston (14)| Tom Gola (8)| Philadelphia Civic Center
11,698| 2–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 4| April 5| @ Fort Wayne| W 107–105| Paul Arizin (30)| Tom Gola (9)| Joe Graboski (7)| War Memorial Coliseum
7,852| 3–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 5| April 7| Fort Wayne| W 99–88| Joe Graboski (29)| Joe Graboski (16)| Jack George (10)| Philadelphia Civic Center
11,194| 4–1|-