1954–55 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 30, 1954 – March 14, 1955
March 15–27, 1955 (Playoffs)
March 31 – April 10, 1955 (Finals)
Number of games72
Number of teams8 (9)note
TV partner(s)NBC
Draft
Top draft pickFrank Selvy
Picked byBaltimore Bullets
Regular season
Top seedFort Wayne Pistons
Top scorerNeil Johnston (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern championsSyracuse Nationals
  Eastern runners-upBoston Celtics
Western championsFort Wayne Pistons
  Western runners-upMinneapolis Lakers
Finals
ChampionsSyracuse Nationals
  Runners-upFort Wayne Pistons

The 1954–55 NBA season was the ninth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Syracuse Nationals winning the NBA Championship, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Notable occurrences

  • In response to the relatively slow pace of games, the NBA introduced a 24-second shot clock. The shot clock revitalized the game and scoring skyrocketed league-wide.
  • The Baltimore Bullets dropped out of the NBA and folded on November 27, 1954 after playing 14 games (record 3 wins 11 loses), the last time (as of 2023) that an NBA franchise has folded; these games and all statistics were deleted from the NBA's records. The NBA would return to Baltimore when the Chicago Zephyrs relocated there as the "new" Bullets for the 1963–64 season, though the franchise would relocate to Washington in 1973, where they remain today as the Washington Wizards.
  • As a result of Baltimore having folded, the NBA schedule was redrafted so each team now played 12 games against divisional opponents, and 9 games against the four teams in the other division, for a total of 72 games.
  • The 1955 NBA All-Star Game was played in New York City, with the East beating the West 100–91. Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics won the game's MVP award.
  • NBC began televising NBA games. This continued until the 1962–63 season, when ABC took over. NBC would begin televising NBA games again in 1990.
  • The Milwaukee Hawks played their final season in the Wisconsin city before moving to St. Louis, Missouri the following season. The NBA would return to Milwaukee with the expansion Bucks in 1968.
Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1953–54 coach 1954–55 coach
Fort Wayne Pistons Paul Birch Charles Eckman
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
N/A

Final standings

Eastern Division

W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Syracuse Nationals4329.59725–710–178–521–15
x-New York Knicks3834.528517–98–1713–815–21
x-Boston Celtics3636.500721–54–2211–919–17
Philadelphia Warriors3339.4581014–56–2013–1417–19

Western Division

W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-Fort Wayne Pistons4329.59721–69–1413–928–8
x-Minneapolis Lakers4032.556318–610–1412–1218–18
x-Rochester Royals2943.4031417–114–198–1314–22
Milwaukee Hawks2646.361176–119–1611–1914–22

x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

Division SemifinalsDivision FinalsNBA Finals
E1Syracuse*3
E3Boston2E3Boston2
E2New York1E1Syracuse*4
W1Fort Wayne*3
W1Fort Wayne*3
W3Rochester1W2Minneapolis1
W2Minneapolis2
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals

Statistics leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
PointsNeil JohnstonPhiladelphia Warriors1,631
ReboundsNeil JohnstonPhiladelphia Warriors1,085
AssistsBob CousyBoston Celtics557
FG%Larry FoustFort Wayne Pistons.487
FT%Bill SharmanBoston Celtics.897

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

NBA awards

See also

References

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