The 1951–52 NBA season was the sixth season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences The Tri-Cities Blackhawks relocated from the "Tri-Cities" area (Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois & Davenport, Iowa) to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Milwaukee Hawks. The 1952 NBA All-Star Game was played in Boston, Massachusetts, with the East beating the West 108–91. Paul Arizin of the Philadelphia Warriors won the game's MVP award.
+Coaching changesOffseason Team 1950–51 coach 1951–52 coach Baltimore Bullets Walt Budko Fred Scolari Fort Wayne Pistons Murray Mendenhall Paul Birch Indianapolis Olympians Wally Jones Herm SchaeferIn-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach Baltimore Bullets Fred Scolari Chick Reiser
Final standings
Eastern Division
Western Division
x – Clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
Statistics leaders + Category Player Team Stat Points Paul Arizin Philadelphia Warriors 1,674 Rebounds Larry FoustMel Hutchins Fort Wayne PistonsMilwaukee Hawks 880 Assists Andy Phillip Philadelphia Warriors 539 FG% Paul Arizin Philadelphia Warriors .448 FT% Bobby Wanzer Rochester Royals .904
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: Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics Bob Davies, Rochester Royals Dolph Schayes, Syracuse Nationals George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers All-NBA Second Team: Larry Foust, Fort Wayne Pistons Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers Andy Phillip, Philadelphia Warriors Jim Pollard, Minneapolis Lakers Bobby Wanzer, Rochester Royals
NBA Rookie of the Year G Bill Tosheff, Indianapolis Olympians & F/C Mel Hutchins, Milwaukee Hawks
See also List of NBA regular season records
References