1951 NBA Playoffs

The 1951 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1950-1951 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Rochester Royals defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, four games to three in the NBA Finals.

The Rochester Royals (currently the Sacramento Kings) had appeared in the NBL Finals all three years they'd been in the league, winning one championship. Their 1951 NBA championship win marks the first (and as of 2007, only) time the franchise has made it to the NBA Finals, let alone win the title.

New York made the first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history; it'd turn out to be their first of three consecutive appearances in the league's championship series. They would have to wait until 1970 for their first NBA championship, however.

The 1951 playoffs featured the return of the Boston Celtics to the postseason after a three-year absence; they would not fail to make the playoffs again until 1970, after they had won eleven NBA championships.

Bracket

3RoundBracket-Byes | RD1= Division Semifinals
RD2= Division Finals
RD3= NBA Finals
group1=Western Division
group2=Eastern Division

RD1-seed1=1
RD1-team1=Minneapolis
RD1-score1=2
RD1-seed2=4
RD1-team2=Indianapolis
RD1-score2=1

RD1-seed3=3
RD1-team3=Fort Wayne
RD1-score3=1
RD1-seed4=2
RD1-team4=Rochester
RD1-score4=2

RD1-seed5=1
RD1-team5=Philadelphia
RD1-score5=0
RD1-seed6=4
RD1-team6=Syracuse
RD1-score6=2

RD1-seed7=3
RD1-team7=New York
RD1-score7=2
RD1-seed8=2
RD1-team8=Boston
RD1-score8=0

RD2-seed1=1
RD2-team1=Minneapolis
RD2-score1=1
RD2-seed2=2
RD2-team2=Rochester
RD2-score2=3

RD2-seed3=4
RD2-team3=Syracuse
RD2-score3=2
RD2-seed4=3
RD2-team4=New York
RD2-score4=3

RD3-seed1=W2
RD3-team1=Rochester
RD3-score1=4
RD3-seed2=E3
RD3-team2=New York
RD3-score2=3

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1951.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1951 NBA Playoffs page]