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| Dates | March 31–April 12 | |||||||||
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| Hall of Famers | Lakers: George Mikan (1959) Jim Pollard (1978) Clyde Lovellette (1988) Vern Mikkelsen (1995) Slater Martin (1982) Nationals: Dolph Schayes (1973) Earl Lloyd (2003) Coaches: John Kundla (1995) Al Cervi (1985, player) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Nationals defeatedCeltics, 2–0 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Lakers defeatedRoyals, 2–1 | |||||||||
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The1954 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the1954 NBA playoffs, which concluded theNational Basketball Association (NBA)'s1953–54 season. TheWestern Division championMinneapolis Lakers faced theEastern Division championSyracuse Nationals in a best-of-seven series with Minneapolis having home-court advantage.[1] The Lakers won their third consecutive NBA championship and fifth title in six years dating from 1949.
Minneapolis won game one and the teams thereafter alternated victories, with the Lakers winning the decisive game by a seven-point margin at home. The seven games were played in thirteen days, beginning Wednesday, March 31 and concluding Monday, April 12. The entire postseason tournament spanned 28 days in which both Minneapolis and Syracuse played 13 games.[1][2]
This was the last major professional sports championship won by aMinneapolis-St. Paul-based team until theMinnesota Twins won the1987 World Series.
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| Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | March 31 | Minneapolis Lakers | 79–68 (1–0) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 2 | April 3 | Minneapolis Lakers | 60–62 (1–1) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 3 | April 4 | Syracuse Nationals | 67–81 (1–2) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 4 | April 8 | Syracuse Nationals | 80–69 (2–2) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 5 | April 10 | Syracuse Nationals | 73–84 (2–3) | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Game 6 | April 11 | Minneapolis Lakers | 63–65 (3–3) | Syracuse Nationals |
| Game 7 | April 12 | Minneapolis Lakers | 87–80 (4–3) | Syracuse Nationals |
Lakers win series 4–3
March 31 |
| Syracuse Nationals 68,Minneapolis Lakers79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:13–10, 18–24, 19–22, 18–23 | ||
| Pts:Bob Lavoy 15 Rebs:Wally Osterkorn 8 Asts:Paul Seymour 6 | Pts:Clyde Lovellette 16 Rebs:George Mikan 10 Asts:Slater Martin 6 | |
| Minneapolis leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 3 |
| Syracuse Nationals62,Minneapolis Lakers 60 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–15,13–12,20–11, 14–22 | ||
| Pts:Wally Osterkorn 20 Rebs:Wally Osterkorn 17 Asts:Lavoy,Seymour 3 each | Pts:George Mikan 15 Rebs:George Mikan 15 Asts:Vern Mikkelsen 3 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 4 |
| Minneapolis Lakers81,Syracuse Nationals 67 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:24–16, 14–17,20–11, 23–23 | ||
| Pts:George Mikan 30 Rebs:George Mikan 15 Asts:Slater Martin 7 | Pts:Bob Lavoy 18 Rebs:Bob Lavoy 15 Asts:Paul Seymour 7 | |
| Minneapolis leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 8 |
| Minneapolis Lakers 69,Syracuse Nationals80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–18,20–18, 18–21, 17–23 | ||
| Pts:Whitey Skoog 16 Rebs:Jim Pollard 9 Asts:Slater Martin 6 | Pts:Paul Seymour 25 Rebs:Bob Lavoy 11 Asts:Paul Seymour 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 10 |
| Minneapolis Lakers84,Syracuse Nationals 73 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:22–17,19–14, 21–21,22–21 | ||
| Pts:Vern Mikkelsen 21 Rebs:Mikan,Lovellette 13 each Asts:Slater Martin 7 | Pts:Dolph Schayes 17 Rebs:Earl Lloyd 8 Asts:Paul Seymour 5 | |
| Minneapolis leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 11 |
| Syracuse Nationals65,Minneapolis Lakers 63 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–27,19–16,16–6, 11–14 | ||
| Pts:Paul Seymour 16 | Pts:George Mikan 30 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
April 12 |
| Syracuse Nationals 80,Minneapolis Lakers87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–17, 18–21, 22–27,26–22 | ||
| Pts:Dolph Schayes 18 | Pts:Jim Pollard 21 | |
| Minneapolis wins series, 4–3 | ||
Game two was the first NBA Finals contest to be carried live on national television, with theDuMont network providing the coverage. Game five was also aired by DuMont, featuringMarty Glickman doing play-by-play andLindsey Nelson as the color analyst.
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See also:WNBA Finals | ||
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