1947–48 Baltimore Bullets season

The 1947–48 BAA season was the Bullets' first season in the Basketball Association of America (later named the NBA), after playing their first three seasons in the American Basketball League.^[1] This was also their second overall championship season after previously winning the 1946 ABL Championship over the Philadelphia Sphas (though the Bullets would self-identify themselves as three-time champions due to their overwhelming regular season record in the original ABL personally overriding that league's own judgment of Baltimore forfeiting the 1947 ABL Championship to the Trenton Tigers on their ends since Baltimore felt the ABL was taking too long with setting up their own championship series and they wanted to participate in the 1947 World Professional Basketball Tournament instead since they felt the ABL was going to delay the start of their own championship series much longer than they really needed to do so^[2]) and their only BAA/NBA championship that they won with a 4–2 series win over the defending champion Philadelphia Warriors. With their departure from the NBA during the 1954–55 season, the Baltimore Bullets are currently considered the only defunct NBA team to ever win a championship under the BAA/NBA name.

1947–48 Baltimore Bullets season
BAA champions
Head coach	Buddy Jeannette
Arena	Baltimore Coliseum
Results
Record	28–20 (.583)
Place	Division: 2nd (Western)
Playoff finish	BAA Champions
Stats at Basketball Reference
Radio	WBAL
< 1946–47 1948–49 >

Draft picks

Main article: 1947 BAA draft

Despite the Baltimore Bullets not originally playing in the Basketball Association of America during its inaugural season, the Bullets were allowed to participate in the inaugural BAA draft (now known as the NBA draft following the eventual merger of the Basketball Association of America and National Basketball League to become the modern-day National Basketball Association) after two of their inaugural teams in the Cleveland Rebels and Detroit Falcons dropped out of the BAA (following a vote by the then-current team owners at the time on what their plans were going to be entering the following season) due to Baltimore having a major dispute with the original American Basketball League during their playoff period and subsequently wanting to join the newly-created BAA in the process. As a result of that, the Bullets held the last selections of each round due to them having the best record of every team involved in the BAA at this time despite them playing their previous season in the original ABL (losing only three regular season games in the ABL despite playing less games there with 34 total regular season matches there, while the best BAA team last season, the Washington Capitols, had a 49–11 record), though official records of this draft outside of the first round in terms of ordering are currently unknown at this time.

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)	Nationality	College
1	10	Larry Killick	PG	United States	Vermont
2	20	Bob Jake	–	United States	Vermont
3	30	John Rusinko	G	United States	Penn State
4	40	Harry Gallatin	PF/C	United States	Northeast Missouri State Teachers College
5	49	Charles Raynor	–	United States	Houston
6	57	Scotty Hamilton	PG	United States	West Virginia
7	64	Hugh Hampton	–	United States	High Point College
8	70	Elmer Gainer	PF/C	United States	DePaul
9	75	Chick Reiser	SG/SF	United States	New York University
10	78	Robert Bolyard	SG/SF	United States	Toledo

Roster

1947–48 Baltimore Bullets roster

• v
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Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 23 Herm Fuetsch 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1918-07-06 Polytechnic HS (CA) F/C 29 Kleggie Hermsen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1923-03-12 Minnesota G/F 32 Paul Hoffman 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1925-04-12 Purdue G 26 Buddy Jeannette 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1917-09-15 Washington & Jefferson G 20 Red Klotz 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1921-10-21 Villanova F/C 35 Grady Lewis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1917-03-25 Oklahoma G/F 31 Carl Meinhold 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1926-03-29 LIU Brooklyn G/F 27 Chick Reiser 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1914-12-17 NYU G/F 21 Dick Schulz 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1917-01-03 Wisconsin F/C 33 Connie Simmons 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1925-03-15 Flushing HS (NY)

Head coach Buddy Jeannette Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Regular season

Season standings

# Western Division v t e Team W L PCT GB 1 x-St. Louis Bombers 29 19 .604 – 2 x-Baltimore Bullets 28 20 .583 1 3 x-Chicago Stags 28 20 .583 1 4 x-Washington Capitols 28 20 .583 1

Record vs. opponents

1947–48 BAA records
Team	BAL	BOS	CHI	NYK	PHI	PRO	STL	WAS
Baltimore	—	5–1	5–3	5–1	2–4	6–0	3–5	2–6
Boston	1–5	—	3–3	1–7	4–4	6–2	2–4	3–3
Chicago	3–5	3–3	—	6–0	4–2	4–2	3–5	5–3
New York	1–5	7–1	0–6	—	4–4	7–1	4–2	3–3
Philadelphia	4–2	4–4	2-4	1–7	—	8–0	3–3	2–4
Providence	0–6	2–6	2–4	1–7	0–8	—	0–6	1–5
St. Louis	5–3	4–2	5–3	2–4	3–3	6–0	—	4–4
Washington	6–2	3–3	3–5	3–3	4–2	5–1	4–4	—

Game log

#	Date	Opponent	Score	High points	Record
1	Wednesday, November 12	@ Washington	55–63	Kleggie Hermsen (18)	0–1
2	Thursday, November 13	Boston	85–74	Chick Reiser (19)	1–1
3	Saturday, November 15	@ Chicago	67–63	Paul Hoffman (14)	2–1
4	Thursday, November 20	New York	68–56	Chick Reiser (19)	3–1
5	Friday, November 21	@ Boston	89–73	Buddy Jeannette (17)	4–1
6	Saturday, November 22	Chicago	75–72	Chick Reiser (19)	5–1
7	Thursday, November 27	@ Providence	76–61	Jeannette, Meinhold (13)	6–1
8	Saturday, November 29	@ St. Louis	71–67	Kleggie Hermsen (21)	7–1
9	Tuesday, December 2	@ Boston	77–69 (OT)	Chick Reiser (22)	8–1
10	Wednesday, December 3	@ Philadelphia	73–58	Buddy Jeannette (15)	9–1
11	Thursday, December 4	St. Louis	51–65	Mike Bloom (12)	9–2
12	Saturday, December 6	@ Chicago	65–73	Buddy Jeannette (17)	9–3
13	Thursday, December 11	Washington	69–71 (OT)	Mike Bloom (18)	9–4
14	Saturday, December 13	New York	66–80	Kleggie Hermsen (17)	9–5
15	Wednesday, December 17	@ Washington	64–66	Jeannette, Schulz (16)	9–6
16	Thursday, December 18	St. Louis	74–67	Chick Reiser (16)	10–6
17	Sunday, December 21	@ Chicago	83–93	Kleggie Hermsen (23)	10–7
18	Thursday, December 25	Chicago	87–70	Kleggie Hermsen (21)	11–7
19	Sunday, December 28	@ St. Louis	63–67	Dick Schulz (16)	11–8
20	Thursday, January 1	Philadelphia	60–72	Chick Reiser (13)	11–9
21	Saturday, January 3	@ New York	79–70	Kleggie Hermsen (18)	12–9
22	Tuesday, January 6	Providence	82–64	Chick Reiser (17)	13–9
23	Thursday, January 8	Chicago	78–75	Hoffman, Jeannette (15)	14–9
24	Sunday, January 11	@ St. Louis	54–69	Paul Hoffman (12)	14–10
25	Thursday, January 15	@ Providence	98–78	Bloom, Hoffman (19)	15–10
26	Friday, January 16	@ Philadelphia	63–72	Chick Reiser (16)	15–11
27	Saturday, January 17	Philadelphia	77–79	Mike Bloom (18)	15–12
28	Thursday, January 22	St. Louis	68–71	Mike Bloom (14)	15–13
29	Saturday, January 24	@ New York	72–58	Chick Reiser (16)	16–13
30	Tuesday, January 27	@ Chicago	74–78	Chick Reiser (20)	16–14
31	Friday, January 30	Washingtona	95–71	Chick Reiser (18)	17–14
32	Saturday, January 31	@ Providence	68–62	Kleggie Hermsen (22)	18–14
33	Wednesday, February 4	@ Washington	72–77	Paul Hoffman (18)	18–15
34	Thursday, February 5	Providence	100–74	Hoffman, Jeannette (19)	19–15
35	Thursday, February 12	New York	96–86	Kleggie Hermsen (24)	20–15
36	Sunday, February 15	@ St. Louis	63–69	Paul Hoffman (17)	20–16
37	Thursday, February 19	@ Boston	79–76 (OT)	Paul Hoffman (17)	21–16
38	Saturday, February 21	@ Washington	72–85	Kleggie Hermsen (14)	21–17
39	Tuesday, February 24	@ Philadelphia	71–83	Paul Hoffman (16)	21–18
40	Thursday, February 26	Washington	97–70	Connie Simmons (17)	22–18
41	Saturday, February 28	@ New York	78–56	Connie Simmons (14)	23–18
42	Sunday, February 29	@ Boston	62–65	Grady Lewis (12)	23–19
43	Thursday, March 4	St. Louis	84–75	Carl Meinhold (16)	24–19
44	Saturday, March 6	Boston	81–68	Connie Simmons (23)	25–19
45	Thursday, March 11	Chicago	86–83	Carl Meinhold (16)	26–19
46	Saturday, March 13	Philadelphia	64–62	Chick Reiser (18)	27–19
47	Thursday, March 18	Washington	64–71	Hermsen, Hoffman (15)	27–20
48	Saturday, March 20	Providence	75–58	Buddy Jeannette (19)	28–20

a: Game Played at Fifth Regiment Armory

Playoffs

Western Division tiebreaker

Chicago Stags vs. Baltimore Bullets: Bullets win series 1-0

• Game 1 @ Chicago (Thursday, March 25): Baltimore 75, Chicago 72

First round

(W2) Baltimore Bullets vs. (E2) New York Knicks: Bullets win series 2-1

• Game 1 @ Baltimore (Saturday, March 27): Baltimore 85, New York 81
• Game 2 @ New York (Easter Sunday, March 28): New York 79, Baltimore 69
• Game 3 @ Baltimore (Thursday, April 1): Baltimore 84, New York 77

Semifinals

(W2) Baltimore Bullets vs. (W3) Chicago Stags: Bullets win series 2-0

• Game 1 @ Chicago (Wednesday, April 7): Baltimore 73, Chicago 67
• Game 2 @ Baltimore (Thursday, April 8): Baltimore 89, Chicago 72

BAA Finals

Main article: 1948 BAA Finals

(E1) Philadelphia Warriors vs. (W2) Baltimore Bullets: Bullets win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia (Saturday, April 10): Philadelphia 71, Baltimore 60
• Game 2 @ Philadelphia (Tuesday, April 13): Baltimore 66, Philadelphia 63
• Game 3 @ Baltimore (Thursday, April 15): Baltimore 72, Philadelphia 70
• Game 4 @ Baltimore (Saturday, April 17): Baltimore 78, Philadelphia 75
• Game 5 @ Philadelphia (Tuesday, April 20): Philadelphia 91, Baltimore 82
• Game 6 @ Baltimore (Wednesday, April 21): Baltimore 88, Philadelphia 73

Transactions

Main article: List of 1947–48 BAA season transactions

Trades

January 20, 1948	To Baltimore Bullets Grady Lewis[3]	To St. Louis Bombers Irv Rothenberg
February 9, 1948	To Baltimore Bullets Connie Simmons[3]	To Boston Celtics Mike Bloom

Purchases

Player	Date purchased	Former team
Jerry Rullo[3]	October 14, 1947	Philadelphia Warriors