Top Teams
Champion: Boston Celtics
Runner-up: Minneapolis Lakers
Best Offense: Boston Celtics: 95.0 ORating
Best Defense: Philadelphia Warriors: 89.6 DRating
Best Net: Boston Celtics: +5.1 NetRating
Awards
MVP: Bob Pettit
Finals MVP:
Defensive Player of the Year:
Sixth Man of the Year:
Most Improved Player:
Rookie of the Year: Elgin Baylor
Historical Context
Relative ORating: 0.90
Relative Pace: 1.17
Relative TS%: 0.91
Relative FG%: 0.91
Relative FT%: 1.01
Relative 3-Point Attempt Rate: 0.00
Relative Free Throw Attempt Rate: 1.14
PLAYOFFS
| Round | Result | Winner | WinnerGames | Loser | LoserGames |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division Semifinals | Syracuse defeated New York (2-0) | Syracuse | 2 | New York | 0 |
| Western Division Semifinals | Minneapolis defeated Detroit (2-1) | Minneapolis | 2 | Detroit | 1 |
| Eastern Division Finals | Boston defeated Syracuse (4-3) | Boston | 4 | Syracuse | 3 |
| Western Division Finals | Minneapolis defeated St. Louis (4-2) | Minneapolis | 4 | St. Louis | 2 |
| NBA Finals | Boston defeated Minneapolis (4-3) | Boston | 4 | Minneapolis | 3 |
REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS (CONFERENCE)
| Conference | Team | W | L | PCT | Home | Road | Neutral | Conf | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | Boston Celtics | 52 | 20 | 0.722 | 26-4 | 13-15 | 13-1 | 23-13 | 23-13 |
| Eastern Division | New York Knicks | 40 | 32 | 0.556 | 21-9 | 15-15 | 4-8 | 19-17 | 19-17 |
| Eastern Division | Syracuse Nationals | 35 | 37 | 0.486 | 17-9 | 7-24 | 8-7 | 14-22 | 14-22 |
| Eastern Division | Philadelphia Warriors | 32 | 40 | 0.444 | 17-9 | 7-24 | 8-7 | 14-22 | 14-22 |
| Conference | Team | W | L | PCT | Home | Road | Neutral | Conf | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Division | St. Louis Hawks | 49 | 23 | 0.681 | 28-3 | 14-15 | 7-5 | 27-9 | 27-9 |
| Western Division | Minneapolis Lakers | 33 | 39 | 0.458 | 15-7 | 9-17 | 9-15 | 18-18 | 18-18 |
| Western Division | Detroit Pistons | 28 | 44 | 0.389 | 13-17 | 8-20 | 7-7 | 17-19 | 17-19 |
| Western Division | Cincinnati Royals | 19 | 53 | 0.264 | 9-19 | 2-25 | 8-9 | 10-26 | 10-26 |
REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS (DIVISION)
| Division | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | Boston Celtics | 52 | 20 | 0.722 | - |
| Eastern Division | New York Knicks | 40 | 32 | 0.556 | 12 |
| Eastern Division | Syracuse Nationals | 35 | 37 | 0.486 | 17 |
| Eastern Division | Philadelphia Warriors | 32 | 40 | 0.444 | 20 |
| Division | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Division | St. Louis Hawks | 49 | 23 | 0.681 | - |
| Western Division | Minneapolis Lakers | 33 | 39 | 0.458 | 16 |
| Western Division | Detroit Pistons | 28 | 44 | 0.389 | 21 |
| Western Division | Cincinnati Royals | 19 | 53 | 0.264 | 30 |
REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS (PYTHAGOREAN)
| Conference | Team | W | L | TrueWinPercentage | PF | PA | PythagoreanWinPercentage | PythagoreanWins | PythagoreanLosses | ActualVersusExpected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Division | Boston Celtics | 52 | 20 | 0.722 | 8394 | 7946 | 0.682 | 49.10 | 22.90 | 2.9 |
| Eastern Division | New York Knicks | 40 | 32 | 0.556 | 7911 | 7950 | 0.483 | 34.77 | 37.23 | 5.23 |
| Eastern Division | Syracuse Nationals | 35 | 37 | 0.486 | 8131 | 7886 | 0.605 | 43.55 | 28.45 | -8.55 |
| Eastern Division | Philadelphia Warriors | 32 | 40 | 0.444 | 7471 | 7643 | 0.422 | 30.35 | 41.65 | 1.65 |
| Conference | Team | W | L | TrueWinPercentage | PF | PA | PythagoreanWinPercentage | PythagoreanWins | PythagoreanLosses | ActualVersusExpected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Division | St. Louis Hawks | 49 | 23 | 0.680 | 7811 | 7564 | 0.610 | 43.91 | 28.09 | 5.09 |
| Western Division | Minneapolis Lakers | 33 | 39 | 0.458 | 7621 | 7728 | 0.452 | 32.52 | 39.48 | 0.48 |
| Western Division | Detroit Pistons | 28 | 44 | 0.389 | 7546 | 7657 | 0.449 | 32.36 | 39.64 | -4.36 |
| Western Division | Cincinnati Royals | 19 | 53 | 0.264 | 7393 | 8060 | 0.231 | 16.65 | 55.35 | 2.35 |