| 1954–55 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Regular season | |
| Top scorer | Neil Johnston (Philadelphia) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Syracuse Nationals |
| Eastern runners-up | Boston Celtics |
| Western champions | Ft. Wayne Pistons |
| Western runners-up | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Finals | |
| Finals champions | Syracuse Nationals |
| Runners-up | Ft. Wayne Pistons |
| NBA seasons | |
| ← 1953–54 | |
The 1954–55 NBA Season was the 9th 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 as scoring skyrocketed league-wide.
- The Baltimore Bullets ceased operations after playing 14 games, with a record of 3 and 11. Games involving Baltimore were not included in the final standings. It would be the last time an NBA franchise folded.
- The NBA schedule had to be adjusted. 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.
Final standings[]
Eastern Division[]
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Nationals C | 43 | 29 | .597 | - |
| New York Knicks | 38 | 34 | .528 | 5 |
| Boston Celtics | 36 | 36 | .500 | 7 |
| Philadelphia Warriors | 33 | 39 | .458 | 10 |
Western Division[]
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne Pistons | 43 | 29 | .597 | - |
| Minneapolis Lakers | 40 | 32 | .556 | 3 |
| Rochester Royals | 29 | 43 | .403 | 14 |
| Milwaukee Hawks | 26 | 46 | .361 | 17 |
C - NBA Champions
Statistics leaders[]
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,631 |
| Rebounds | Neil Johnston | Philadelphia Warriors | 1,085 |
| Assists | Bob Cousy | Boston Celtics | 557 |
| FG% | Larry Foust | Fort Wayne Pistons | 48.7 |
| FT% | Bill Sharman | Boston Celtics | 89.7 |
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:
- Neil Johnston, Philadelphia Warriors
- Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals
- Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics
- Bob Pettit, Milwaukee Hawks
- Larry Foust, Fort Wayne Pistons
- Rookie of the Year: Bob Pettit, Milwaukee Hawks
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com