1952–53 New York Knicks season

1952–53 New York Knicks season
Division champions
Head coachJoe Lapchick
General managerNed Irish
ArenaMadison Square Garden
Results
Record47–23 (.671)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(lost to Lakers 1–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWPIX
RadioWMGM
< 1951–52 1953–54 >

The 1952–53 New York Knicks season was the seventh season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a 47–23 record, the Knicks won the regular season Eastern Division title by a half-game over the Syracuse Nationals and made the NBA Playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

In the first round of the 1953 NBA Playoffs, the Knicks swept the Baltimore Bullets 2–0 in a best-of-three series to advance to the Eastern Division finals. There, New York defeated the Boston Celtics 3–1 to make the NBA Finals for the third straight year. In the Finals, the Knicks lost to the Minneapolis Lakers, four games to one. The club would wait another 17 years to make an NBA championship final, winning it in 1970.

NBA draft

Main article: 1952 NBA draft

Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players picked by the franchise that played at least one game in the league.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 5 Ralph Polson F/C  United States Whitworth
– – Dick Bunt G  United States NYU
– – Bert Cook G/F  United States Utah State
– – Dick Surhoff F  United States Long Island

Regular season

Season standings

Eastern Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
x-New York Knicks 47 23 .671 - 22-4 15-14 10-5 30-10
x-Syracuse Nationals 47 24 .662 0.5 32-2 10-20 5-2 26-15
x-Boston Celtics 46 25 .648 1.5 21-3 11-18 14-4 28-13
x-Baltimore Bullets 16 54 .229 31 11-20 1–19 4-15 10-30
Philadelphia Warriors 12 57 .174 34.5 5-12 1–28 6-17 7-33
x – clinched playoff spot

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

1952–53 game log
# Date Opponent Score High points Record
1 November 1 Baltimore 53–69 Nathaniel Clifton (20) 1–0
2 November 8 @ Baltimore 92–62 Nathaniel Clifton (22) 2–0
3 November 11 @ Rochester 94–104 Carl Braun (19) 2–1
4 November 13 Minneapolis 91–100 Ernie Vandeweghe (21) 3–1
5 November 15 Boston 68–79 Carl Braun (17) 4–1
6 November 16 @ Fort Wayne 83–112 Connie Simmons (17) 4–2
7 November 18 Indianapolis 90–100 Vince Boryla (22) 4–3
8 November 20 N Indianapolis 72–67 Harry Gallatin (16) 5–3
9 November 22 Syracuse 68–98 Max Zaslofsky (22) 6–3
10 November 23 @ Syracuse 73–76 Harry Gallatin (13) 6–4
11 November 26 @ Baltimore 94–92 Connie Simmons (20) 7–4
12 November 27 N Baltimore 104–92 Nathaniel Clifton (19) 8–4
13 November 29 Indianapolis 72–94 Ernie Vandeweghe (16) 9–4
14 December 2 @ Philadelphia 89–82 (OT) Carl Braun (24) 10–4
15 December 3 N Philadelphia 75–100 Vince Boryla (21) 11–4
16 December 4 Minneapolis 81–71 Connie Simmons (20) 11–5
17 December 6 @ Minneapolis 78–85 (OT) Carl Braun (25) 11–6
18 December 7 @ Fort Wayne 91–102 Carl Braun (16) 11–7
19 December 9 Rochester 77–75 Max Zaslofsky (21) 11–8
20 December 13 @ Rochester 99–97 (OT) Carl Braun (25) 12–8
21 December 14 @ Milwaukee 74–69 Gallatin, Simmons (14) 13–8
22 December 16 Syracuse 93–98 (OT) Max Zaslofsky (22) 14–8
23 December 20 @ Baltimore 102–99 (OT) Carl Braun (28) 15–8
24 December 21 Baltimore 77–102 Connie Simmons (17) 16–8
25 December 22 N Milwaukee 80–75 Nathaniel Clifton (18) 17–8
26 December 25 Boston 84–97 Ernie Vandeweghe (21) 18–8
27 December 27 N Fort Wayne 91–92 Connie Simmons (20) 18–9
28 December 28 Philadelphia 54–72 Ernie Vandeweghe (15) 19–9
29 January 1 @ Philadelphia 108–82 Ernie Vandeweghe (26) 20–9
30 January 3 Syracuse 77–85 (OT) Connie Simmons (22) 21–9
31 January 4 @ Boston 100–103 Carl Braun (22) 21–10
32 January 7 N Syracuse 114–93 Carl Braun (25) 21–11
33 January 8 Milwaukee 68–81 Carl Braun (22) 22–11
34 January 9 @ Indianapolis 58–54 Carl Braun (16) 23–11
35 January 11 @ Minneapolis 79–85 Ernie Vandeweghe (21) 23–12
36 January 17 Philadelphia 76–84 Ernie Vandeweghe (20) 24–12
37 January 18 @ Boston 83–99 Harry Gallatin (20) 24–13
38 January 21 N Milwaukee 70–72 Nathaniel Clifton (14) 24–14
39 January 22 N Boston 112–89 Max Zaslofsky (26) 25–14
40 January 24 Fort Wayne 76–82 Carl Braun (20) 26–14
41 January 25 @ Syracuse 97–62 Harry Gallatin (22) 27–14
42 January 27 @ Rochester 74–72 Harry Gallatin (15) 28–14
43 January 29 @ Philadelphia 72–61 Clifton, Gallatin (18) 29–14
44 January 31 Boston 69–76 Braun, Clifton (21) 30–14
45 February 1 N Philadelphia 85–90 Harry Gallatin (21) 31–14
46 February 3 N Milwaukee 76–69 Nathaniel Clifton (18) 32–14
47 February 5 @ Minneapolis 73–81 Connie Simmons (17) 32–15
48 February 6 @ Indianapolis 84–73 Nathaniel Clifton (21) 33–15
49 February 7 Philadelphia 63–86 Harry Gallatin (23) 34–15
50 February 8 @ Boston 79–87 Nathaniel Clifton (15) 34–16
51 February 11 @ Baltimore 86–80 Carl Braun (18) 35–16
52 February 13 N Baltimore 106–96 Vince Boryla (23) 36–16
53 February 14 Indianapolis 79–91 Vince Boryla (22) 37–16
54 February 15 @ Syracuse 85–81 Carl Braun (21) 38–16
55 February 17 Milwaukee 67–86 Harry Gallatin (21) 39–16
56 February 18 N Boston 66–69 Ernie Vandeweghe (18) 39–17
57 February 21 Philadelphia 69–85 Carl Braun (18) 40–17
58 February 22 @ Boston 83–87 (OT) Connie Simmons (20) 40–18
59 February 24 Minneapolis 63–79 Carl Braun (15) 41–18
60 February 25 N Rochester 79–71 (OT) Carl Braun (25) 41–19
61 February 28 Fort Wayne 74–85 Ernie Vandeweghe (29) 42–19
62 March 1 @ Syracuse 64–79 Connie Simmons (19) 42–20
63 March 3 Rochester 88–109 Harry Gallatin (25) 43–20
64 March 5 N Baltimore 80–69 Nathaniel Clifton (17) 44–20
65 March 6 Syracuse 66–75 Vince Boryla (22) 45–20
66 March 8 Boston 89–78 Harry Gallatin (17) 45–21
67 March 11 N Baltimore 113–107 (3OT) Carl Braun (24) 46–21
68 March 12 @ Philadelphia 90–85 Connie Simmons (29) 47–21
69 March 14 Syracuse 95–81 Nathaniel Clifton (18) 47–22
70 March 15 @ Fort Wayne 69–81 Harry Gallatin (30) 47–23

Playoffs

1953 playoff game log
Division semifinals: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points Location Series
1 March 17 Baltimore W 80–62 Connie Simmons (25) Madison Square Garden III 1–0
2 March 20 @ Baltimore W 90–81 Vince Boryla (20) Baltimore Coliseum 2–0
Division finals: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High assists Location Series
1 March 25 Boston W 95–91 Connie Simmons (18) Dick McGuire (8) Madison Square Garden III 1–0
2 March 26 @ Boston L 70–86 Harry Gallatin (17) Carl Braun (7) Boston Garden 1–1
3 March 28 Boston W 101–82 Harry Gallatin (23) Dick McGuire (11) Madison Square Garden III 2–1
4 March 29 @ Boston W 82–75 Carl Braun (18) Nat Clifton (9) Boston Garden 3–1
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 4 @ Minneapolis W 96–88 Carl Braun (21) — Minneapolis Auditorium
5,000 		1–0
2 April 5 @ Minneapolis L 71–73 Connie Simmons (17) — Minneapolis Auditorium
4,848 		1–1
3 April 7 Minneapolis L 75–90 Connie Simmons (18) — 69th Regiment Armory
5,100 		1–2
4 April 8 Minneapolis L 69–71 Connie Simmons (17) — 69th Regiment Armory
5,200 		1–3
5 April 10 Minneapolis L 84–91 Carl Braun (19) Ernie Vandeweghe (4) 69th Regiment Armory
5,200 		1–4
1953 schedule

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Transactions

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "New York Knickerbockers". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "1952–53 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  3. ^ "1952 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 8, 2012.