Talk:1954 NBA playoffs

Round robin stage

Basketball-Reference (ref name=BBR54) does not report game dates or scores for the three-team round-robin stages that followed the regular season in each division.

1. These notes are compiled from historical newspapers.

Source: Washington Post, March 16, "NBA Division Playoffs Open Tonight" — "If there's a tie, the division leaders-- [NY, Minn] --will qualify automatically for the semifinals. The other two will play a single game on the second-place team's court for the other spot." [didn't happen] Boston is second-place in the East by coin flip over Syracuse. — This article nominally gives the entire first-round schedule but actually lists only 8 of 12 scheduled games.

• Tue 03-16 : Bos 93-71 @NY; FW 75-82 @Roc
• Wed 03-17 : Syr 96-95 @Bos (OT; 81 fouls); Roc 88-109 @Min
• Thu 03-18 : NY 69-75 @Syr (50 and 30 fouls!); Min 90-85 @FW
• Fri 03-19 : ——; ——
• Sat 03-20 : NY 78-79 @Bos; FW –<– @Min
• Sun 03-21 : Syr –>– @NY; Roc 89-71 @FW
• Mon 03-22 : Boston 85-98 @Syracuse (sixth and final Eastern game; Dolph Schayes scored 25 today, 104 in four games) — Hartford Courant, March 23, "Syracuse Wins Eastern NBA Playoffs By Routing Celtics 98-85: Eastern Division Rivals Matched In Next Series"
• Tue 03-23 : ——; Min@Roc [not played]

Sources for scores: Hartford Courant and Christian Science Monitor, several issues. Two scores yet missing.

2. Cash prizes: $3000 to each of six playoff clubs; $2500 for first-place season standing; $4500 and $3750 for semifinal winners and losers (ie, $3750 for advancing from the round-robin); $7500 and $5000 for final winner and loser.

Source: same Washington Post, March 16

deduced totals $52,000: NY 5500; Bos 6750; Syr 12500 [=3000+4500+5000]; Min 17500 [=5500+4500+7500]; Roc $6750; FW 3000

perhaps also $1500 for second-place season standing, determined by the Eastern round-robin as tie-breaker

3. We say concerning the sixth Western game, not played: "The second game between Minneapolis and Rochester (the final game to be played in the round-robin semifinals) was not played as both teams had already qualified for the Division Finals."

Evidently this is not true. Min@Roc was not played because Min had clinched a tie in the round-robin, and thereby clinched home-court advantage for the semifinal by its higher regular-season standing. Bos@Syr was played, despite both teams having qualified for the semifinal, because home-court advantage in that semifinal was at stake. Third-place (by coin flip) Syracuse earned home court in the semifinal series vs. Boston only by winning the sixth Eastern round-robin game.

Evidently, Syracuse (2–0) and Boston (2–1) eliminated New York (0–3) in the first four games. Both Games 5 and 6 --as of course a Game 7 tie-breaker Syracuse @Boston if necessary-- were played in order to determine home-court advantage in their subsequent best-of-three Eastern final.

--P64 (talk) 21:04, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

--P64 (talk) 22:45, 10 April 2015 (UTC)