1953–54 Syracuse Nationals season
| 1953–54 Syracuse Nationals season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Al Cervi |
| Arena | Onondaga War Memorial |
| Results | |
| Record | 42–30 (.583) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Finals (eliminated 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Radio | WSYR |
The 1953–54 Syracuse Nationals season was the 5th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the Eastern Division Finals, the Nationals swept the Boston Celtics 2-0 to make it to the NBA Finals. The Nationals would go on to lose the Finals in 7 games to the Minneapolis Lakers.[1]
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-New York Knicks | 44 | 28 | .611 | – | 18–8 | 15–13 | 11–7 | 24–16 |
| x-Boston Celtics | 42 | 30 | .583 | 2 | 17–6 | 10–19 | 15–5 | 25–15 |
| x-Syracuse Nationals | 42 | 30 | .583 | 2 | 26–6 | 11–17 | 5–7 | 21–19 |
| Philadelphia Warriors | 29 | 43 | .403 | 15 | 10–9 | 6–16 | 13–18 | 19–21 |
| Baltimore Bullets | 16 | 56 | .222 | 28 | 12–18 | 0–22 | 4–16 | 11–29 |
- x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents
| 1953-54 NBA Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | FWP | MIL | MIN | NYK | PHI | ROC | SYR |
| Baltimore | — | 1–9 | 0–8 | 2–6 | 2–6 | 3–7 | 4–6 | 1–7 | 3–7 |
| Boston | 9–1 | — | 4–4 | 6–2 | 3–5 | 5–5 | 6–4 | 4–4 | 5–5 |
| Fort Wayne | 8–0 | 4–4 | — | 9–2 | 5–5 | 3–5 | 6–2 | 3–8 | 2–6 |
| Milwaukee | 6–2 | 2–6 | 2–9 | — | 3–8 | 3–5 | 3–5 | 1–9 | 1–7 |
| Minneapolis | 6–2 | 5–3 | 5–5 | 8–3 | — | 5–3 | 6–2 | 6–5 | 5–3 |
| New York | 7–3 | 5–5 | 5–3 | 5–3 | 3–5 | — | 7–3 | 7–1 | 5–5 |
| Philadelphia | 6–4 | 4–6 | 2–6 | 5–3 | 2–6 | 3–7 | — | 1–7 | 6–4 |
| Rochester | 7–1 | 4–4 | 8–3 | 9–1 | 5–6 | 1–7 | 7–1 | — | 3–5 |
| Syracuse | 7–3 | 5–5 | 6–2 | 7–1 | 3–5 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 5–3 | — |
Playoffs
East Division Semifinals
| Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Nationals | 4 | 0 |
| Boston Celtics | 2 | 2 |
| New York Knicks | 0 | 4 |
East Division Finals
(1) Syracuse Nationals vs. (2) Boston Celtics: Nationals win series 2-0
- Game 1 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 109, Boston 94
- Game 2 @ Boston: Syracuse 83, Boston 76
NBA Finals
(W1) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (E1) Syracuse Nationals: Lakers win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 79, Syracuse 68
- Game 2 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 62, Minneapolis 60
- Game 3 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 81, Syracuse 67
- Game 4 @ Syracuse: Syracuse 80, Minneapolis 69
- Game 5 @ Syracuse: Minneapolis 84, Syracuse 73
- Game 6 @ Minneapolis: Syracuse 65, Minneapolis 63
- Game 7 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 87, Syracuse 80