1953 NBA Finals
1953 basketball championship series
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The 1953 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1953 NBA playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1952–53 season. The Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers faced the Eastern Division champion New York Knickerbockers in a best-of-seven series with Minneapolis having home-court advantage.[1] By winning four games to one, the Lakers won their fifth title in six years dating from 1948, the club's final season in the National Basketball League.
DatesApril 4–10
Hall of FamersLakers:
George Mikan (1959)
Jim Pollard (1978)
Slater Martin (1982)
Vern Mikkelsen (1995)
Knicks:
Harry Gallatin (1991)
Al McGuire (1992, coach)
Dick McGuire (1993)
Nat Clifton (2014)
Carl Braun (2019)
Coaches:
Joe Lapchick (1966, player)
John Kundla (1995)
George Mikan (1959)
Jim Pollard (1978)
Slater Martin (1982)
Vern Mikkelsen (1995)
Knicks:
Harry Gallatin (1991)
Al McGuire (1992, coach)
Dick McGuire (1993)
Nat Clifton (2014)
Carl Braun (2019)
Coaches:
Joe Lapchick (1966, player)
John Kundla (1995)
Eastern finalsKnickerbockers defeated Celtics, 3–1
Western finalsLakers defeated Pistons, 3–2
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| Dates | April 4–10 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Famers | Lakers: George Mikan (1959) Jim Pollard (1978) Slater Martin (1982) Vern Mikkelsen (1995) Knicks: Harry Gallatin (1991) Al McGuire (1992, coach) Dick McGuire (1993) Nat Clifton (2014) Carl Braun (2019) Coaches: Joe Lapchick (1966, player) John Kundla (1995) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Knickerbockers defeated Celtics, 3–1 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Lakers defeated Pistons, 3–2 | |||||||||
The five games were played in seven days, beginning Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5, in Minneapolis and concluding there on the following Friday. Meanwhile, two mid-week games were played in New York City. The entire postseason tournament spanned 25 days in which Minneapolis played 12 games, New York 11.[1]
Series summary
| Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 4 | Minneapolis Lakers | 88–96 (0–1) | New York Knickerbockers |
| Game 2 | April 5 | Minneapolis Lakers | 73–71 (1–1) | New York Knickerbockers |
| Game 3 | April 7 | New York Knickerbockers | 75–90 (1–2) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 4 | April 8 | New York Knickerbockers | 69–72 (1–3) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 5 | April 10 | New York Knickerbockers | 84–91 (1–4) | Minneapolis Lakers |
Lakers win series 4–1
Team rosters
Minneapolis Lakers
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Head coach
Legend
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New York Knickerbockers
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Legend
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Game summaries
April 4 |
| New York Knickerbockers 96, Minneapolis Lakers 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 24–29, 23–20, 30–21 | ||
| Pts: Carl Braun 21 | Pts: George Mikan 25 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 5 |
| New York Knickerbockers 71, Minneapolis Lakers 73 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–26, 14–21, 24–11, 17–15 | ||
| Pts: Connie Simmons 17 | Pts: George Mikan 18 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 7 |
| Minneapolis Lakers 90, New York Knickerbockers 75 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–14, 18–24, 26–22, 25–15 | ||
| Pts: George Mikan 20 | Pts: Connie Simmons 18 | |
| Minneapolis leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 8 |
| Minneapolis Lakers 71, New York Knickerbockers 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–16, 20–18, 13–16, 17–19 | ||
| Pts: George Mikan 27 | Pts: Connie Simmons 17 | |
| Minneapolis leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 10 |
| Minneapolis Lakers 91, New York Knickerbockers 84 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–18, 25–17, 25–25, 22–24 | ||
| Pts: Jim Pollard 17 Asts: Vern Mikkelsen 6 |
Pts: Carl Braun 19 Asts: Ernie Vandeweghe 4 | |
| Minneapolis wins series, 4–1 | ||