The 1954 NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...

was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

's 1953-1954 season

1953-54 NBA season

The 1953–54 NBA season was the 8th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning their 5th NBA Championship in 6 years, beating the Syracuse Nationals 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...

. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference

Western Conference (NBA)

Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

 champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...

 champion Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...

, four games to three in the NBA Finals

1954 NBA Finals

-Series Summary:Lakers win series 4-3-Team rosters:-External links:*...

.

For the Lakers it was their third consecutive NBA championship, and fifth in the last six years.

With the folding of the Indianapolis Olympians

Indianapolis Olympians

The Indianapolis Olympians were a National Basketball Association team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was the Hinkle Fieldhouse.-Franchise history:...

 after the previous year's playoffs, leaving the NBA with nine teams, they resorted to a round-robin

Round-robin tournament

A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...

 playoff format in 1954 for the only time in the league's history.

Although the Minneapolis Lakers, Fort Wayne Pistons, Rochester Royals and Syracuse Nationals all play in different cities now (Los Angeles, Detroit, Sacramento and Philadelphia respectively), this was the first NBA playoff in which every team that participated still exists today.

Division Semifinals

The top 3 teams in each Division played a double round-robin in the Semifinals. The top 2 teams in the round-robin advanced to the Division Finals (shaded). The 2nd game between Minneapolis and Rochester (the final game to be played in the group) was cancelled because it would not affect seeding.

Western Division

Team	W	L
Minneapolis Lakers	3	0
Rochester Royals Rochester Royals The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League....	2	1
Fort Wayne Pistons Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...	0	4

Eastern Division

Team	W	L
Syracuse Nationals Syracuse Nationals The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...	4	0
Boston Celtics Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...	2	2
New York Knicks New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...	0	4

Playoff Bracket

Western Division

Champion: Minneapolis Lakers

Division Finals

(1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (2) Rochester Royals

Rochester Royals

The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League....

:
Lakers win series 2-1

• Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 89, Rochester 76
• Game 2 @ Rochester: Rochester 74, Minneapolis 73
• Game 3 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 82, Rochester 72

Eastern Division

Champion: New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

Division Finals

(1) Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...

vs. (2) Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

:
Nationals win series 2-0

• Game 1 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 109, Boston 94
• Game 2 @ Boston: Syracuse 83, Boston 76

NBA finals

(1) Minneapolis Lakers VS. (1) Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse Nationals

The Syracuse Nationals were an American professional basketball team that existed from 1946 to 1963 as part of the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . They are currently known as the Philadelphia 76ers, and are the NBA's oldest continued franchise.The team began in...

:
Lakers win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 79, Syracuse 68
• Game 2 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 62, Minneapolis 60 (Paul Seymour
  Paul Seymour (basketball)
  Paul Norman Seymour was an American basketball player and coach. A 6'1" guard, he played collegiately at the University of Toledo, and had a 12-year career in the NBA and its predecessor, the Basketball Association of America...
  
  hits a 43-foot game-winning shot with 7 seconds left)
• Game 3 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 81, Syracuse 67
• Game 4 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 80, Minneapolis 69
• Game 5 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 84, Syracuse 73
• Game 6 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 65, Minneapolis 63
• Game 7 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 87, Syracuse 80

External links

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1954 NBA Playoffs page