1946–47 BAA season

The 1946–47 BAA season was the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America. The league launched with 11 teams playing a 60-game schedule. The postseason tournament (the 1947 BAA Playoffs) at its conclusion, ended with the Philadelphia Warriors becoming the first BAA Champion, beating the Chicago Stags 4 games to 1 in the BAA Finals.

1946–47 BAA season
League	Basketball Association of America
Sport	Basketball
Duration	November 1, 1946 – March 31, 1947 April 2–14, 1947 (Playoffs) April 16–22, 1947 (Finals)
Number of games	60-61
Number of teams	11
Regular season
Top seed	Washington Capitols
Top scorer	Joe Fulks (Philadelphia)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Philadelphia Warriors[a]
Eastern runners-up	New York Knicks[a]
Western champions	Chicago Stags[a][b]
Western runners-up	Washington Capitols[a]
Finals
Venue	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Champions	Philadelphia Warriors
Runners-up	Chicago Stags

Following its third, the 1948–49 season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.^[1] The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment,^[2] so the 1946–47 BAA season is sometimes considered the first NBA season.

By 1951, only three original BAA teams were still in the NBA: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors (now in San Francisco as the Golden State Warriors). All members of the inaugural Western Division had folded by 1950, with three of them lasting one season (Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels). In addition, the Toronto Huskies also folded following the season, making a total of four teams folding before the BAA's second season.

Notable events

• On November 1, 1946, in the inaugural game of the new league, the New York Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies 68–66 in front of 7,090 spectators at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knicks against Toronto. In 1949, the BAA helped create the National Basketball Association by merger, and Schectman's shot may be considered the first basket in NBA history.^[3][4][5] The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history, sometimes without comment.^[2]

Teams

1946-47 Basketball Association of America
Division	Team	City	Arena	Capacity
Eastern	Boston Celtics	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston Arena Boston Garden	5,000 13,909
	New York Knicks	New York, New York	Madison Square Garden	18,496
	Philadelphia Warriors	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Philadelphia Arena	5,526
	Providence Steamrollers	Providence, Rhode Island	Rhode Island Auditorium	5,300
	Toronto Huskies	Toronto, Ontario	Maple Leaf Gardens	15,000
	Washington Capitols	Washington, D.C.	Uline Arena	8,000
Western	Chicago Stags	Chicago, Illinois	Chicago Stadium	17,000
	Cleveland Rebels	Cleveland, Ohio	Cleveland Arena	11,000
	Detroit Falcons	Detroit, Michigan	Detroit Olympia	15,000
	Pittsburgh Ironmen	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Duquesne Gardens	6,500
	St. Louis Bombers	St. Louis, Missouri	St. Louis Arena	15,000

Map of teams

Boston

New York

Phila-
delphia

Providence

Toronto

Washington

Chicago

Cleveland

Detroit

Pittsburgh

St. Louis

Eastern Division Western Division

Final standings

Eastern Division

# Eastern Division v t e Team W L PCT GB 1 x-Washington Capitols 49 11 .817 – 2 x-Philadelphia Warriors 35 25 .583 14 3 x-New York Knicks 33 27 .550 16 4 Providence Steamrollers 28 32 .467 21 5 Boston Celtics 22 38 .367 27 6 Toronto Huskies 22 38 .367 27

Western Division

# Western Division v t e Team W L PCT GB 1 x-Chicago Stags 39 22 .639 – 2 x-St. Louis Bombers 38 23 .623 1 3 x-Cleveland Rebels 30 30 .500 8.5 4 Detroit Falcons 20 40 .333 18.5 5 Pittsburgh Ironmen 15 45 .250 23.5

Playoffs

Main article: 1947 BAA playoffs

There were no byes. Western and Eastern champions Chicago and Washington immediately played a long semifinal series with Washington having home-court advantage. Chicago won the sixth game in Washington one day before Philadelphia concluded its two short series with other runners-up.^[6]

First Round

BAA Semifinals

BAA Finals

W1

Chicago*

4

E1

Washington*

2

W1

Chicago*

1

E3

New York

2

E2

Philadelphia

4

W3

Cleveland

1

E3

New York

0

E2

Philadelphia

2

W2

St. Louis

1

E2

Philadelphia

2

• * Division winner
• Bold Series winner

Statistics leaders

Category	Player	Team	Stat
Points	Joe Fulks	Philadelphia Warriors	1,389
Assists	Ernie Calverley	Providence Steamrollers	202
FG%	Bob Feerick	Washington Capitols	.401
FT%	Fred Scolari	Washington Capitols	.811

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.

BAA awards

• All-BAA First Team
  • G Max Zaslofsky, Chicago Stags
  • F Bones McKinney, Washington Capitols
  • F Joe Fulks, Philadelphia Warriors
  • C Stan Miasek, Detroit Falcons
  • F Bob Feerick, Washington Capitols
• All-BAA Second Team
  • G John Logan, St. Louis Bombers
  • G Ernie Calverley, Providence Steamrollers
  • C Chick Halbert, Chicago Stags
  • G Frankie Baumholtz, Cleveland Rebels
  • G Fred Scolari, Washington Capitols

See also

• List of NBA regular season records

Notes

1. The 1947 BAA Playoffs did not generate Eastern and Western champions and runners-up, as NBA Playoffs have done from 1951 to present. Eastern and Western leaders, or perhaps champions, Washington and Chicago played off to determine one finalist while four runners-up played off to determine the other finalist.
     The listed teams were BAA playoff finalists and semifinalists, as Eastern and Western champions and runners-up in the NBA have been playoff finalists and semifinalists from 1951 to present.
2. Chicago may reasonably be called Eastern champion.