1952–53 NBA season

The 1952–53 NBA season was the seventh season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

1952–53 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 31, 1952 – March 17, 1953 March 17 – April 2, 1953 (Playoffs) April 4–10, 1953 (Finals)
Number of games	69-71
Number of teams	10
Draft
Top draft pick	Mark Workman
Picked by	Baltimore Bullets
Regular season
Top seed	Minneapolis Lakers
Top scorer	Neil Johnston (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	New York Knicks
Eastern runners-up	Boston Celtics
Western champions	Minneapolis Lakers
Western runners-up	Fort Wayne Pistons
Finals
Venue	69th Regiment Armory, Manhattan, New York Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Champions	Minneapolis Lakers
Runners-up	New York Knicks

Notable occurrences

• The 1953 NBA All-Star Game was played in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the West beating the East 79–75. George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers won the game's MVP award.
• Don Meineke of the Fort Wayne Pistons wins the inaugural Rookie of the Year award.

Coaching changes

Offseason
Team	1951–52 coach	1952–53 coach
Milwaukee Hawks	Doxie Moore	Andrew Levane
In-season
Team	Outgoing coach	Incoming coach
Baltimore Bullets	Chick Reiser	Clair Bee

Final standings

Eastern Division

Eastern Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-New York Knicks	47	23	.671	-	22-4	15-14	10-5	30-10
x-Syracuse Nationals	47	24	.662	0.5	32-2	10-20	5-2	26-15
x-Boston Celtics	46	25	.648	1.5	21-3	11-18	14-4	28-13
x-Baltimore Bullets	16	54	.229	31	11-20	1–19	4-15	10-30
Philadelphia Warriors	12	57	.174	34.5	5-12	1–28	6-17	7-33

Western Division

Western Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-Minneapolis Lakers	48	22	.686	-	24–2	16–15	8–5	17–13
x-Rochester Royals	44	26	.629	4	24–8	13–17	7–1	27–13
x-Fort Wayne Pistons	36	33	.522	11.5	25–9	8–19	3–5	18–22
x-Indianapolis Olympians	28	43	.394	20.5	19–14	4–23	5–6	15–26
Milwaukee Hawks	27	44	.380	21.5	14–8	3–24	10–12	15–26

x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Main article: 1953 NBA playoffs

Division Semifinals

Division Finals

NBA Finals

E1

New York*

2

E4

Baltimore

0

E1

New York*

3

Eastern Division

E3

Boston

1

E3

Boston

2

E2

Syracuse

0

E1

New York*

1

W1

Minneapolis*

4

W1

Minneapolis*

2

W4

Indianapolis

0

W1

Minneapolis*

3

Western Division

W3

Fort Wayne

2

W3

Fort Wayne

2

W2

Rochester

1

• * Division winner
• Bold Series winner
• Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points	Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors	1,564
Rebounds	George Mikan	Minneapolis Lakers	1,007
Assists	Bob Cousy	Boston Celtics	547
FG%	Neil Johnston	Philadelphia Warriors	.452
FT%	Bill Sharman	Boston Celtics	.850

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: Don Meineke, Fort Wayne Pistons

• All-NBA First Team:
  • George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
  • Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
  • Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
  • Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics
  • Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
• All-NBA Second Team:
  • Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
  • Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers
  • Andy Phillip, Philadelphia Warriors
  • Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics
  • Bobby Wanzer, Rochester Royals

See also

• List of NBA regular season records