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The 1948–49 BAA season was the third and final season of the Basketball Association of America. The 1949 BAA Playoffs ended with the Minneapolis Lakers winning the BAA Championship, beating the Washington Capitols in six games in the BAA Finals.
| 1948–49 BAA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Basketball Association of America |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration |
|
| Number of games | 60 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Andy Tonkovich |
| Picked by | Providence Steamrollers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Rochester Royals |
| Top scorer | George Mikan (Minneapolis) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Washington Capitols |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Western champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Rochester Royals |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Runners-up | Washington Capitols |
The NBA recognizes the three BAA seasons as part of its own history so the 1948–49 BAA season is considered the third NBA season.[1] Following the season, the BAA and National Basketball League merged to create the National Basketball Association or NBA.[2]
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Four National Basketball League teams (Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Rochester) joined the BAA for the 1948–49 season.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1947–48 coach | 1948–49 coach |
| Boston Celtics | Honey Russell | Doggie Julian |
| Providence Steamrollers | Nat Hickey | Ken Loeffler |
| St. Louis Bombers | Ken Loeffler | Grady Lewis |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Chicago Stags | Harold Olsen | Philip Brownstein |
| 1948-49 Basketball Association of America | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Baltimore Bullets | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Coliseum | 4,500 |
| Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 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 | |
| Washington Capitols | Washington, D.C. | Uline Arena | 8,000 | |
| Western | Chicago Stags | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 17,000 |
| Fort Wayne Pistons * | Fort Wayne, Indiana | North Side High School Gym | 3,000 | |
| Indianapolis Jets * | Indianapolis, Indiana | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 15,000 | |
| Minneapolis Lakers * | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minneapolis Auditorium | 10,000 | |
| Rochester Royals * | Rochester, New York | Edgerton Park Arena | 4,200 | |
| St. Louis Bombers | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Arena | 15,000 | |
| NBL teams joining BAA * |
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Eastern Division 
Western Division
Eastern Division
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Western Division
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| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | BAA Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Philadelphia | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Baltimore | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rochester* | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | St. Louis | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rochester* | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Minneapolis | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | George Mikan | Minneapolis Lakers | 1,698 |
| Assists | Bob Davies | Rochester Royals | 321 |
| FG% | Arnie Risen | Rochester Royals | .423 |
| FT% | Bob Feerick | Washington Capitols | .859 |
Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.
- All-BAA First Team:
- All-BAA Second Team
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