1955 NBA playoffs (original) (raw)
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Postseason tournament
1955 NBA playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 15–April 10, 1955 |
| Season | 1954–55 |
| Teams | 6 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Syracuse Nationals (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Semifinalists | Minneapolis LakersBoston Celtics |
| ← 19541956 → |
The 1955 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1954-55 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Syracuse Nationals defeating the Western Conference champion Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
This was the only title for the Nationals under that moniker; the franchise won its next title in 1967 as the Philadelphia 76ers.
For the Pistons, this was their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history; they returned the next year, but didn't win their first title until 1989 as the Detroit Pistons.
After experimenting with a round robin playoff format in 1954, the NBA moved to a system in which the top team in each conference earned a first-round bye, giving them the right to start out in the division finals. It remained in place until 1967, when it changed to an eight-team format in which all teams played the first round.
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Division Semifinals
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Eastern Division Semifinals
[edit]
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning three of the first four meetings.
Previous playoff series[1]
| New York leads 3–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
| 1951 Boston Celtics 0, New York Knicks 2 1951 Eastern Division Semifinals 1952 Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 2 1952 Eastern Division Semifinals 1953 Boston Celtics 1, New York Knicks 3 1953 Eastern Division Finals 1954 Boston Celtics 2, New York Knicks 0 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals |
Western Division Semifinals
[edit]
- Bob Davies’s final NBA game.
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings.
Previous playoff series[2]
| Minneapolis leads 4–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
| 1949 Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 0 1949 Western Division Finals 1951 Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 3 1951 Western Division Finals 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 3, Rochester Royals 1 1952 Western Division Finals 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 0 1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 1 1954 Western Division Finals |
Eastern Division Finals
[edit]
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nationals winning two of the first three meetings.
Previous playoff series[3]
| Syracuse leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
| 1953 Boston Celtics 2, Syracuse Nationals 0 1953 Eastern Division Semifinals 1954 Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals 1954 Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Finals |
Western Division Finals
[edit]
- Jim Pollard’s final NBA game.
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first three meetings.
Previous playoff series[4]
| Minneapolis leads 3–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
| 1950 Fort Wayne Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2 1950 Central Division Finals 1953 Fort Wayne Pistons 2, Minneapolis Lakers 3 1953 Western Division Finals 1954 Fort Wayne Pistons 0, Minneapolis Lakers 2 1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals |
NBA Finals: (E1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (W1) Fort Wayne Pistons
[edit]
- George King hit a free throw with 12 seconds left, then stole the ball from Andy Phillip with 3 seconds left to seal it.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[5]
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Boston Celtics versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Detroit Pistons versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.