1949-51: Lakers Win First NBA Finals
The BAA and the NBrged after that season, and the NBA was born for the 1949-50 campaign. In its first yea the NBA consisted. If anything, the Lakers were even better than they had been the season before. The team included a trio of promising first-year players in forward Vern Mikkelsen adn guards Slater martin and Bud Grant. (Grant went on on to greater fame as coach of the football Minnesota Vikings.)
Minneapolis seemed to have a lock on the top spot in the Central Divison, but Rochester put together a 15-game winning streak as the campaign wond down, and the teams ended the regular season tied for first with identical 51-17 records. The Lakers then edged the Royals by a single basket in a one-game playoff to claim the fivision title.
For hte second season in a row Minneapolis waltzed through the preliminary rounds of the postseason. The powerful Lakers felled the Chicago stags in teh Central division Semifinals, swept the Fort Wayne Pistons in two game in the division finals, and then dusted the Anderson duffey packers in two games in the NBA Semifinals.
The first NBA Finals pitted Lakers against the Syracuse Nationals. The Nats had the home-court advantage, but the Lakers took Game 1 in Syracuse when reserve guard Bod Harrison heaved in a 40-foot at the buzzer to give Minneapolis a two-point victory. The Nationals evened the series the next night. When the Finals reconvened in minnesota five days later, Minneapolis pounded out a 91-77 win, then followed that with a vicotry in Game 4. Syracuse postponed the inevistable by shutting down Mikan in game 5, but the Lakers came back with a 110-95 victory in Game 6 to earn the first NBA Championship. Mikan, who had led the league in scoring during hte regular season with 27.4 points per game (only oen other player topped 20.0 ppg). poured in 31.3 points per contest in the playoffs.
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