| 1951–52 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Regular season | |
| Top scorer | Paul Arizin (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Knicks |
| Eastern runners-up | Syracuse Nationals |
| Western champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Rochester Royals |
| Finals | |
| Finals champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Runners-up | New York Knicks |
| NBA seasons | |
| ← 1950–51 | |
The 1951–52 NBA season was the 6th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences[]
- The Tri-Cities Blackhawks relocated from the "Tri-Cities" area of Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Milwaukee Hawks.
- The 1952 NBA All-Star Game was played in Boston, Massachusetts, with the East beating the West 108-91. Paul Arizin of the Philadelphia Warriors won the game's MVP award.
Final standings[]
- x - Clinched playoff spot
Eastern Division[]
| Eastern Division v •d •e | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 40 | 26 | .606 | - | 26-7 | 12-18 | 2-1 | 21-15 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 39 | 27 | .591 | 1 | 22-7 | 10-19 | 7-1 | 22-14 |
| x-New York Knicks | 37 | 29 | .561 | 3 | 21-4 | 12-22 | 4-3 | 23-13 |
| x-Philadelphia Warriors | 33 | 33 | .500 | 7 | 24-7 | 6–25 | 3-1 | 14-22 |
| Baltimore Bullets | 20 | 46 | .303 | 20 | 17-15 | 2–22 | 1-9 | 10-26 |
Western Division[]
| Western Division v •d •e | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Rochester Royals | 41 | 25 | .621 | - | 28-5 | 12-18 | 1-2 | 22-14 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 40 | 26 | .606 | 1 | 21-5 | 13-20 | 6-1 | 24-12 |
| x-Indianapolis Olympians | 34 | 32 | .515 | 7 | 25-6 | 4-24 | 5-2 | 18-18 |
| x-Fort Wayne Pistons | 29 | 37 | .439 | 12 | 22-11 | 6–24 | 1-2 | 17-19 |
| Milwaukee Hawks | 17 | 49 | .258 | 24 | 8-13 | 3–22 | 6-14 | 9-27 |
Statistics leaders[]
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Paul Arizin | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,674 |
| Rebounds | Larry Foust Mel Hutchins |
Fort Wayne Pistons Milwaukee Hawks |
880 |
| Assists | Andy Phillip | Philadelphia Warriors | 539 |
| FG% | Paul Arizin | Philadelphia Warriors | 44.8 |
| FT% | Bobby Wanzer | Rochester Royals | 90.4 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points, rebounds, and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
NBA awards[]
- All–NBA First Team:
- Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors
- Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics
- Bob Davies, Rochester Royals
- Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com