The 1954 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1954 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1953–54 season. The Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers faced the Eastern Division champion Syracuse Nationals in a best-of-seven series with Minneapolis having home-court advantage.[1] The Lakers won their third consecutive NBA championship and their fifth title in seven years dating from 1949.

1954 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla 4
Syracuse Nationals Al Cervi 3
DatesMarch 31–April 12
Hall of FamersLakers:
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 finalsNationals defeated Celtics, 2–0
Western finalsLakers defeated Royals, 2–1
← 1953 NBA finals 1955 →

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]

Series summary

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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

Team rosters

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Minneapolis Lakers

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Syracuse Nationals

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Television

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Game two was the first NBA Finals contest to be carried live on national television, with the DuMont network providing the coverage. Game five was also aired by DuMont, featuring Marty Glickman doing play-by-play and Lindsey Nelson as the color analyst.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "1953–54 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
      Select "Previous Season" from the heading for 1952–53, and so on. Select "Finals" from League Playoffs for the daily schedule of the final series, and so on.
  2. ^ "NBA Division Playoffs Open Tonight". The Washington Post. March 16, 1954.
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