1948 Overview

From Hoopedia

1947-48 NBA Season

Life was fragile for pro basketball teams in the 1940s. Heading into its second year of operation, the BAA lost four of its original 11 franchises. The Detroit Falcons, Cleveland Rebels, Toronto Huskies and Pittsburgh Ironmen all slipped into past tense.

To cut costs, the BAA reduced the schedule to 48 games. The league still needed an eighth team to fill out two divisions, so it added the Baltimore Bullets. The newcomer went all the way to the championship.

The Bullets had a talented roster that included 5-11 player-coach Buddy Jeannette, 6-8 center Clarence “Kleggie” Hermsen, guard Chick Reiser, and forwards Paul Hoffman and Connie Simmons.

Philadelphia’s Jumpin’ Joe Fulks averaged 22.1 points per game in leading the Warriors, but the scoring title in those days was awarded on total points. Fulks missed five games, which allowed Chicago’s Max Zaslofsky to take it with a 21.0 average because he was the only player who broke the 1,000-point barrier.

Perhaps the most telling stat was the field goal percentage, led by Washington’s Bob Feerick at an icy .340. Most of the league shot below .300.

Interest jumped in New York when Joe Lapchick, who had played for the Original Celtics and coached at St. John’s, signed on to coach the Knicks.

The Bullets bested the Warriors in six games in the championship series, highlighted by Baltimore’s comeback from a 21-point halftime deficit in Game 2, which stands as the best in NBA playoff history.

The Bullets played in a dingy old coliseum in one of Baltimore’s poorer neighborhoods. “I’ll tell you how bad it was,” said player-coach Jeannette. “When they quit using it as an arena, they made a garage out of it.”