NBA professional basketball team season (won championship)
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1952–53 Minneapolis Lakers season was the fifth season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[ 1] The Lakers continued to be the dominant force in the league as they won the Western Division with a 48–22 record. In the playoffs, the Lakers would sweep the Indianapolis Olympians in 2 straight. In the Western Finals, the Lakers would win the first 2 games at home. Against the Fort Wayne Pistons, the Lakers were pushed to a 5th game. The series returned to Minneapolis, where the Lakers won the 5th game 74–58. In the Finals, the Lakers vanquished the New York Knickerbockers for their 2nd straight Championship, and 4th Championship overall in the franchise's first five seasons in the NBA.[ 2] HoopsHype later ranked this squad as the team with the fourth-easiest path to an NBA Finals championship, noting them as the team who had the easiest path while facing off against opponents who held mostly above-average records that season, with the only outlier being their first round opponent of the Indianapolis Olympians under their final season of existence.[ 3]
Offseason
NBA draft
Roster
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(August 2023 )
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
1952-53 NBA Records
Team
BAL
BOS
FWP
IND
MIL
MIN
NYK
PHI
ROC
SYR
Baltimore
—
2–8
0–6
2–4
3–3
1–5
0–10
6–4
0–6
2–8
Boston
8–2
—
4–2
4–2
5–1
1–5
6–4
9–1
4–2
5–6
Fort Wayne
6–0
2–4
—
7–3
7–3
1–9
4–2
5–0
3–7
1–5
Indianapolis
4–2
2–4
3–7
—
5–6
4–6
1–5
5–1
3–7
1–5
Milwaukee
3–3
1–5
3–7
6–5
—
3–7
1–5
4–2
3–7
3–3
Minneapolis
5–1
5–1
9–1
6–4
7–3
—
4–2
6–0
4–6
2–4
New York
10–0
4–6
2–4
5–1
5–1
2–4
—
10–0
3–3
6–4
Philadelphia
4–6
1–9
0–5
1–5
2–4
0–6
0–10
—
2–4
2–8
Rochester
6–0
2–4
7–3
7–3
7–3
6–4
3–3
4–2
—
2–4
Syracuse
8–2
6–5
5–1
5–1
3–3
4–2
4–6
8–2
4–2
—
Game log
#
Date
Opponent
Score
High points
Record
1
November 1
Boston
91–94
Vern Mikkelsen (17)
1–0
2
November 2
@ Fort Wayne
81–69
Jim Pollard (18)
2–0
3
November 5
@ Baltimore
97–75
Slater Martin (21)
3–0
4
November 8
@ Philadelphia
93–71
George Mikan (18)
4–0
5
November 9
@ Syracuse
89–96
George Mikan (25)
4–1
6
November 11
@ Boston
101–92
Slater Martin (20)
5–1
7
November 13
@ New York
91–100
George Mikan (32)
5–2
8
November 15
@ Rochester
89–97
George Mikan (29)
5–3
9
November 16
Milwaukee
51–87
George Mikan (14)
6–3
10
November 20
@ Fort Wayne
89–81
George Mikan (32)
7–3
11
November 22
Fort Wayne
89–96
George Mikan (35)
8–3
12
November 23
@ Milwaukee
62–46
George Mikan (17)
9–3
13
November 27
Indianapolis
69–90
Vern Mikkelsen (19)
10–3
14
November 28
@ Indianapolis
97–82
Slater Martin (22)
11–3
15
November 29
@ Rochester
71–83
Jim Pollard (17)
11–4
16
November 30
Philadelphia
66–91
George Mikan (23)
12–4
17
December 1
N Baltimore
67–89
Mikan, Mikkelsen (17)
13–4
18
December 3
@ Boston
106–102 (OT)
Jim Pollard (29)
14–4
19
December 4
@ New York
81–71
Vern Mikkelsen (24)
15–4
20
December 6
New York
78–85 (OT)
George Mikan (27)
16–4
21
December 8
N Indianapolis
76–81
George Mikan (25)
16–5
22
December 11
Syracuse
79–82
Vern Mikkelsen (31)
17–5
23
December 14
Rochester
77–95
Slater Martin (17)
18–5
24
December 19
@ Indianapolis
87–69
Slater Martin (22)
19–5
25
December 20
@ Milwaukee
75–86
Vern Mikkelsen (28)
19–6
26
December 25
Indianapolis
73–90
George Mikan (20)
20–6
27
December 27
Boston
71–94
Jim Pollard (20)
21–6
28
December 28
Milwaukee
77–86
Harrison , Mikkelsen (17)
22–6
29
December 30
@ Indianapolis
69–74
George Mikan (16)
22–7
30
December 31
Baltimore
56–82
George Mikan (19)
23–7
31
January 2
N Milwaukee
74–66
Vern Mikkelsen (22)
24–7
32
January 3
N Milwaukee
79–75
Slater Martin (22)
25–7
33
January 4
Rochester
80–83 (OT)
George Mikan (23)
26–7
34
January 6
N Rochester
85–69
George Mikan (26)
26–8
35
January 8
@ Syracuse
67–75
George Mikan (16)
26–9
36
January 10
N Fort Wayne
79–84
George Mikan (29)
27–9
37
January 11
New York
79–85
George Mikan (22)
28–9
38
January 14
@ Baltimore
112–104 (2OT)
George Mikan (46)
29–9
39
January 17
@ Rochester
101–109
George Mikan (41)
29–10
40
January 18
Milwaukee
83–70
George Mikan (22)
29–11
41
January 23
N Milwaukee
65–67
George Mikan (22)
29–12
42
January 25
Boston
82–87
George Mikan (30)
30–12
43
January 27
N Fort Wayne
96–76
Jim Pollard (23)
31–12
44
January 29
Syracuse
83–65
George Mikan (13)
31–13
45
January 31
Fort Wayne
80–87
George Mikan (23)
32–13
46
February 1
@ Fort Wayne
92–76
Slater Martin (19)
33–13
47
February 3
@ Indianapolis
93–96 (3OT)
George Mikan (29)
33–14
48
February 5
New York
73–81
George Mikan (36)
34–14
49
February 7
@ Rochester
72–87
George Mikan (25)
34–15
50
February 8
Indianapolis
67–71
George Mikan (24)
35–15
51
February 12
Syracuse
81–91
George Mikan (36)
36–15
52
February 14
Philadelphia
84–92
George Mikan (19)
37–15
53
February 15
@ Milwaukee
80–71
George Mikan (23)
38–15
54
February 17
N Baltimore
74–70
Vern Mikkelsen (19)
38–16
55
February 19
Rochester
87–107
Mikan, Pollard (17)
39–16
56
February 21
Fort Wayne
75–85
Jim Pollard (17)
40–16
57
February 22
@ Fort Wayne
78–90
George Mikan (26)
40–17
58
February 24
@ New York
63–79
Jim Pollard (12)
40–18
59
February 25
@ Baltimore
85–72
George Mikan (20)
41–18
60
February 26
@ Philadelphia
85–73
George Mikan (25)
42–18
61
February 27
N Philadelphia
75–98
George Mikan (22)
43–18
62
March 1
N Philadelphia
80–102
George Mikan (33)
44–18
63
March 3
N Fort Wayne
86–68
Vern Mikkelsen (23)
45–18
64
March 5
@ Syracuse
91–94
Vern Mikkelsen (23)
45–19
65
March 6
@ Boston
85–100
Vern Mikkelsen (21)
45–20
66
March 7
@ Rochester
82–84
Vern Mikkelsen (17)
45–21
67
March 8
Milwaukee
73–100
George Mikan (18)
46–21
68
March 9
N Indianapolis
83–95
Vern Mikkelsen (22)
46–22
69
March 12
Rochester
77–89
George Mikan (28)
47–22
70
March 17
@ Indianapolis
73–71
Pollard, Skoog (14)
48–22
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player
GP
REB
AST
STL
BLK
PTS
AVG
Playoffs
1953 playoff game log
Division Semifinals: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
Division Finals: 3–2 (home: 3–0; road: 0–2)
NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
1953 schedule
Awards and honors
References
1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s