| 1948–49 BAA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Basketball Association of America |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Games | 60 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Andy Tonkovich |
| Picked by | Providence Steamrollers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Rochester Royals |
| Top scorer | George Mikan (Minneapolis) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Washington Capitols |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Western champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Rochester Royals |
| Finals | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Runners-up | Washington Capitols |
| BAA/NBA seasons | |
The1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of theBasketball Association of America. The1949 BAA Playoffs ended with theMinneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating theWashington Capitols in six games in theBAA Finals.
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1948–49 BAA season is considered the third NBA season.[1] Following the season, the BAA andNational Basketball League merged to create theNational Basketball Association or NBA.[2]
FourNational Basketball League teams (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Rochester) joined the BAA for the 1948–49 season.
| Off-season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1947–48 coach | 1948–49 coach |
| Boston Celtics | Honey Russell | Doggie Julian |
| Providence Steamrollers | Nat Hickey | Ken Loeffler |
| St. Louis Bombers | Ken Loeffler | Grady Lewis |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Chicago Stags | Harold Olsen | Philip Brownstein |
|
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| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | BAA Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Baltimore | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rochester* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | St. Louis | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rochester* | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | George Mikan | Minneapolis Lakers | 1,698 |
| Assists | Bob Davies | Rochester Royals | 321 |
| FG% | Arnie Risen | Rochester Royals | .423 |
| FT% | Bob Feerick | Washington Capitols | .859 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.