SWC75
Bored Historian
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December
The third straight game with the Knicks was the first game of a twin bill in Philadelphia. This was the game where Wally Osterkorn took a knee in the thigh and developed the calcium deposit that eventually ended his career. The Nats were “not frantic” because Jim Tucker was soon to complete his classes at Duquesne. They had defied Abe Saperstein, who wanted Tucker of the Globetrotters, to sign him. It was quite a sacrifice as Saperstein refused to bring the Globies to a city that had signed a guy he wanted for at least a year so Tucker cost Danny Biasone a lot of money but he was felt to be worth it and now he would be needed immediately. “The Duquesne ace can do everything required of a great star. He’s the fluid-moving kind of athlete who makes everything look easily done. His height and rebounding will greatly enhance the Nat’s defense which even now is why they are in 1st place.” Tucker would not have an outstanding NBA career. He only played for three years and averaged only 4.1 points per game. But he was a key member of the 1955 championship team, providing much-needed depth.
The Knicks beat the Nats, 86-88, behind 19 points and 19 rebounds by Sweetwater Clifton. But the next day the Nats were back in Syracuse beating the Rochester Royals 82-78. Behind 59-65, two turnovers by the “aging” Bob Davies and seven points by Dolph Schayes led a 14-5 blitz that turned the game around. Schayes had 11 of his 24 points in the final quarter. One concern was that the Nats were down to only eight players at this point. Another was that the game was witnessed by only 2,028 fans, half the number the Nats management felt was necessary to maintain the team in Syracuse.
At War with the Warriors
Now came three straight games against the Warriors. On the 4th in Philadelphia, the Warriors “routed” the Nats by 73-79, (it was 60-75 with four minutes to go). Neil Johnston, the lantern-jawed Philly center had an incredible 27 points and 39 rebounds, the later mark breaking a league record long held by George Mikan. The Nats missed 16 of their first 20 shots to contribute to that rebounding total and fell behind 2-10 and were never really in it after that. Schayes had only a single basket and 4 points. Reserve Billy Kenville led the team in scoring with only 14 points.
The next night in Syracuse, the Nationals got revenge with a 89-72 thumping. A 9-0 run broke open a close game in the fourth period to give the Nats a 74-62 lead. Johnston had 21 points and 21 rebounds in this one but the Nats really hit the boards with Schayes grabbing 17 and Rocha and Lloyd each getting 11. Schayes had 24 points while Paul Seymour had 19 points and 8 assists. The Nats were in first at 12-6 to Philly’s 7-5. It was at this point that the league decided the games against the new defunct Bullets, who had gone 3-13, would not count. Both the Nats and Warriors had played and beaten the Bullets once, so the position in the standings remained the same although their records changed to 11-6 and 6-5 respectively.
The third game against the Warriors took place in New Haven Connecticut. The Nats “disposed of the Philadelphia threat for the time being” with an 88-81 win, overcoming an 8 point deficit after blowing a 10 point lead. Johnston had only 16 points and he missed 10 minutes due to a cut eye. The floor the game was played on was notably slippery and several players took spills as a result. Philly now fell out of second with a 7-6 record to Boston’s 10-8.
“It seems our fellows were too content”
Just as things seemed to be going good the Royals crushed the Nats in Rochester, 78-105, their worst loss to date against their upstate rivals. It was 46-52 at the half, (Syracuse actually led by 13 at one point), but only 32-53 afterwards. The Royals hit a then astronomical 52% from the field. You would have liked to have been a flea on the wall in Cervi’s locker room after that game- it sure beat being one of the players.
Those players responded by running Red Auerbach’s Celtics out of the War Memorial, 120-107, (12/9), setting a War Memorial record for points in regulation, (they’d scored 121 on the road, 125 in overtime while the Celtics had the league record of 128). The home team scored 66 points in the second half, a team record. They hit 36 of 40 free throws. Rocha, Lloyd and Kenville scored 20 each while Schayes had 19 and Seymour 18. Paul also had 11 assists. Unfortunately, only 2,052 fans saw the display.
Over 5,000 saw LeMoyne, (which played some big-time teams in those days), upset nationally ranked Western Kentucky in the same building two days later. That same day, the Celtics got revenge with a 90-94 win in the Boston Garden in a nationally televised game. Dolph Schayes tied the game at 88 all with 75 seconds left. Steals by Sharman and Cousy in the final minute sealed the deal. Cousy even had a dunk! It was small consolation but it was only the 3rd time in 21 games the Celtics had scored under 100 points. Schayes had 28 and Seymour 21 but it wasn’t enough. Lloyd and McCauley renewed the tradition of fights breaking out in Nats-Celts game with a brawl in the second quarter.
The Warriors broke the National’s 8 game home winning streak on the 12th, 87-96, despite 32 points and 16 rebounds by Dolph Schayes. Neil Johnston had 25/16. Syracuse had a 50-40 lead but it melted away until the Warriors took over in the fourth period. Cervi’s verdict: “it seems our fellows were too content”. He said they lacked hustle and threatened to shake up his line-up.
Clinging to a slim lead
The team again responded with a win, 91-82 over the Knicks in New York. Sweetwater Clifton used some Globetrotter type moves to push the Knicks to a 22-32 lead but Bill Kenville came off the bench to score 18 and lead the comeback. Dolph Schayes was held to one field goal but got 18 rebounds. But the Knicks beat the Nats the next night, (12/15) in the first game of a double-header in Boston, 81-88 as 6-11 Ray Felix scored 27 points. The Knicks led by as much as 15 points in the final period.
Another disappointing trip to Minneapolis resulted in an 83-86 loss on the 18th. It was their third loss in three games with the Lakers, who led 52-73 before the visitors rallied to make it respectable. The two teams then boarded trains and traveled all day to get back to Syracuse for a game at the War Memorial. The trip seemed to do the Nats more good: they reversed the previous day’s result with a resounding 108-93 win. The Nats had fallen briefly out of first place with a 14-11 record to the Knicks’ 13-10 record, including a win that afternoon. The Nats used what the Herald-Journal called “a small man pivot attack and a fast break” to jump out to an early lead, which they never lost. Seymour had 28 points to tie his career high. The Lakers’ John Kundla went to a small line-up and the Nat’s lead shrunk from 81-60 to 90-83. But Dick Farley came off the bench to score five points down the stretch as the Nats beat the still-powerful Lakers for the first time all season.
At this point, clinging to first place with a 15-11 record, the Nats got 5 days off for Christmas. It was something of a disappointing start for the league favorite. Fort Wayne in the Western Division had steamed to a 18-6 record and a 5 ½ game lead over the Lakers. The Nats had only a half game lead over the Knicks. Five years earlier the Nats had been 51-13 for the entire season.
A Coal in the Stocking
When the teams returned to action, the Knicks took over first place by beating the Nats, 101-109 on Christmas Day in Madison Square Garden. The Nats led early, 13-8 but the Knicks went on a 20-43 run to take a commanding 33-51 halftime lead. The Nationals went scoreless for 6 minutes. Syracuse came back to score 68 points in the second half but it wasn’t enough. The Knicks only used seven players. Six of them scored in double figures and the seventh had 8 points. That couldn’t have put Cervi in a Holiday mood. Schayes led Syracuse with 30 points.
Once again the two teams traveled to Syracuse for a game the next day. At this point Jack Slattery of the Herald Journal lauded the NBA for its development as an attraction, saying it had gone from “infancy” to being seen by 180 million people on TV. Actually, I suspect it was a bit short of that as the entire population of the country was less than that, (151 million in 1950: 179 million ten years later). But the league had scored a phenomenal 21.7 rating, (meaning that percentage of households with TV sets were watching: I Love Lucy averaged 58.8% that year) for its Christmas Day broadcast. The league had been on the limited Dumont Network, which began national telecasts of the league the year before and this had caused NBC to pick up the contract for the 1954-55 season. The play-by-lay man was SU’s own Marty Glickman.
The TV coverage heightened local interest in the team. 4,801 fans, (the second largest War Memorial crowd to date that year), were given a “late Christmas gift” by the Nats, who took back first place with a 97-92 overtime triumph. The Knicks led 83-85 after a Gene Shue free throw with 9 seconds left in regulation. Earl Lloyd tipped in a Connie Simmons hook shot with three seconds left and Carl Braun of the Knicks barely missed a 90 footer at the buzzer. Billy Kenville tipped in another miss to give Syracuse the lead for good with 1:16 left. Rocha scored 22, Seymour 21 and Schayes 20 in what New York writer Leonard Koppett called the “most exciting and best played game of the season.
On the 28th, the Nats beat the Royals in the first game of a Madison Square Garden double-header, 84-82. The crowd was the NBA’s largest of the year, 14,813. It was 79 all when Schayes hit a long set shot to put the Nats up for good. The Knicks beat the Warriors in the second game but Syracuse was safely in first with a 17-12 record to the Knicks’ 14-12. The next night they both lost, the Nats to Philly, 70-72 in a twin bill with the Globetrotters while the Royals beat the Knicks, 93-89. In the game against the Warriors, Neil Johnston again was a dominant force, scoring the last ten points of the game. He had 21 points and Paul Arizin 23 but Dolph Schayes only 10.
This ended the schedule for 1954. By ending the year in first place with a 17-13 record, the Nats had guaranteed that Al Cervi would coach the East in the annual All-Star game. It was the only thing they could be sure of as the new year began.
The third straight game with the Knicks was the first game of a twin bill in Philadelphia. This was the game where Wally Osterkorn took a knee in the thigh and developed the calcium deposit that eventually ended his career. The Nats were “not frantic” because Jim Tucker was soon to complete his classes at Duquesne. They had defied Abe Saperstein, who wanted Tucker of the Globetrotters, to sign him. It was quite a sacrifice as Saperstein refused to bring the Globies to a city that had signed a guy he wanted for at least a year so Tucker cost Danny Biasone a lot of money but he was felt to be worth it and now he would be needed immediately. “The Duquesne ace can do everything required of a great star. He’s the fluid-moving kind of athlete who makes everything look easily done. His height and rebounding will greatly enhance the Nat’s defense which even now is why they are in 1st place.” Tucker would not have an outstanding NBA career. He only played for three years and averaged only 4.1 points per game. But he was a key member of the 1955 championship team, providing much-needed depth.
The Knicks beat the Nats, 86-88, behind 19 points and 19 rebounds by Sweetwater Clifton. But the next day the Nats were back in Syracuse beating the Rochester Royals 82-78. Behind 59-65, two turnovers by the “aging” Bob Davies and seven points by Dolph Schayes led a 14-5 blitz that turned the game around. Schayes had 11 of his 24 points in the final quarter. One concern was that the Nats were down to only eight players at this point. Another was that the game was witnessed by only 2,028 fans, half the number the Nats management felt was necessary to maintain the team in Syracuse.
At War with the Warriors
Now came three straight games against the Warriors. On the 4th in Philadelphia, the Warriors “routed” the Nats by 73-79, (it was 60-75 with four minutes to go). Neil Johnston, the lantern-jawed Philly center had an incredible 27 points and 39 rebounds, the later mark breaking a league record long held by George Mikan. The Nats missed 16 of their first 20 shots to contribute to that rebounding total and fell behind 2-10 and were never really in it after that. Schayes had only a single basket and 4 points. Reserve Billy Kenville led the team in scoring with only 14 points.
The next night in Syracuse, the Nationals got revenge with a 89-72 thumping. A 9-0 run broke open a close game in the fourth period to give the Nats a 74-62 lead. Johnston had 21 points and 21 rebounds in this one but the Nats really hit the boards with Schayes grabbing 17 and Rocha and Lloyd each getting 11. Schayes had 24 points while Paul Seymour had 19 points and 8 assists. The Nats were in first at 12-6 to Philly’s 7-5. It was at this point that the league decided the games against the new defunct Bullets, who had gone 3-13, would not count. Both the Nats and Warriors had played and beaten the Bullets once, so the position in the standings remained the same although their records changed to 11-6 and 6-5 respectively.
The third game against the Warriors took place in New Haven Connecticut. The Nats “disposed of the Philadelphia threat for the time being” with an 88-81 win, overcoming an 8 point deficit after blowing a 10 point lead. Johnston had only 16 points and he missed 10 minutes due to a cut eye. The floor the game was played on was notably slippery and several players took spills as a result. Philly now fell out of second with a 7-6 record to Boston’s 10-8.
“It seems our fellows were too content”
Just as things seemed to be going good the Royals crushed the Nats in Rochester, 78-105, their worst loss to date against their upstate rivals. It was 46-52 at the half, (Syracuse actually led by 13 at one point), but only 32-53 afterwards. The Royals hit a then astronomical 52% from the field. You would have liked to have been a flea on the wall in Cervi’s locker room after that game- it sure beat being one of the players.
Those players responded by running Red Auerbach’s Celtics out of the War Memorial, 120-107, (12/9), setting a War Memorial record for points in regulation, (they’d scored 121 on the road, 125 in overtime while the Celtics had the league record of 128). The home team scored 66 points in the second half, a team record. They hit 36 of 40 free throws. Rocha, Lloyd and Kenville scored 20 each while Schayes had 19 and Seymour 18. Paul also had 11 assists. Unfortunately, only 2,052 fans saw the display.
Over 5,000 saw LeMoyne, (which played some big-time teams in those days), upset nationally ranked Western Kentucky in the same building two days later. That same day, the Celtics got revenge with a 90-94 win in the Boston Garden in a nationally televised game. Dolph Schayes tied the game at 88 all with 75 seconds left. Steals by Sharman and Cousy in the final minute sealed the deal. Cousy even had a dunk! It was small consolation but it was only the 3rd time in 21 games the Celtics had scored under 100 points. Schayes had 28 and Seymour 21 but it wasn’t enough. Lloyd and McCauley renewed the tradition of fights breaking out in Nats-Celts game with a brawl in the second quarter.
The Warriors broke the National’s 8 game home winning streak on the 12th, 87-96, despite 32 points and 16 rebounds by Dolph Schayes. Neil Johnston had 25/16. Syracuse had a 50-40 lead but it melted away until the Warriors took over in the fourth period. Cervi’s verdict: “it seems our fellows were too content”. He said they lacked hustle and threatened to shake up his line-up.
Clinging to a slim lead
The team again responded with a win, 91-82 over the Knicks in New York. Sweetwater Clifton used some Globetrotter type moves to push the Knicks to a 22-32 lead but Bill Kenville came off the bench to score 18 and lead the comeback. Dolph Schayes was held to one field goal but got 18 rebounds. But the Knicks beat the Nats the next night, (12/15) in the first game of a double-header in Boston, 81-88 as 6-11 Ray Felix scored 27 points. The Knicks led by as much as 15 points in the final period.
Another disappointing trip to Minneapolis resulted in an 83-86 loss on the 18th. It was their third loss in three games with the Lakers, who led 52-73 before the visitors rallied to make it respectable. The two teams then boarded trains and traveled all day to get back to Syracuse for a game at the War Memorial. The trip seemed to do the Nats more good: they reversed the previous day’s result with a resounding 108-93 win. The Nats had fallen briefly out of first place with a 14-11 record to the Knicks’ 13-10 record, including a win that afternoon. The Nats used what the Herald-Journal called “a small man pivot attack and a fast break” to jump out to an early lead, which they never lost. Seymour had 28 points to tie his career high. The Lakers’ John Kundla went to a small line-up and the Nat’s lead shrunk from 81-60 to 90-83. But Dick Farley came off the bench to score five points down the stretch as the Nats beat the still-powerful Lakers for the first time all season.
At this point, clinging to first place with a 15-11 record, the Nats got 5 days off for Christmas. It was something of a disappointing start for the league favorite. Fort Wayne in the Western Division had steamed to a 18-6 record and a 5 ½ game lead over the Lakers. The Nats had only a half game lead over the Knicks. Five years earlier the Nats had been 51-13 for the entire season.
A Coal in the Stocking
When the teams returned to action, the Knicks took over first place by beating the Nats, 101-109 on Christmas Day in Madison Square Garden. The Nats led early, 13-8 but the Knicks went on a 20-43 run to take a commanding 33-51 halftime lead. The Nationals went scoreless for 6 minutes. Syracuse came back to score 68 points in the second half but it wasn’t enough. The Knicks only used seven players. Six of them scored in double figures and the seventh had 8 points. That couldn’t have put Cervi in a Holiday mood. Schayes led Syracuse with 30 points.
Once again the two teams traveled to Syracuse for a game the next day. At this point Jack Slattery of the Herald Journal lauded the NBA for its development as an attraction, saying it had gone from “infancy” to being seen by 180 million people on TV. Actually, I suspect it was a bit short of that as the entire population of the country was less than that, (151 million in 1950: 179 million ten years later). But the league had scored a phenomenal 21.7 rating, (meaning that percentage of households with TV sets were watching: I Love Lucy averaged 58.8% that year) for its Christmas Day broadcast. The league had been on the limited Dumont Network, which began national telecasts of the league the year before and this had caused NBC to pick up the contract for the 1954-55 season. The play-by-lay man was SU’s own Marty Glickman.
The TV coverage heightened local interest in the team. 4,801 fans, (the second largest War Memorial crowd to date that year), were given a “late Christmas gift” by the Nats, who took back first place with a 97-92 overtime triumph. The Knicks led 83-85 after a Gene Shue free throw with 9 seconds left in regulation. Earl Lloyd tipped in a Connie Simmons hook shot with three seconds left and Carl Braun of the Knicks barely missed a 90 footer at the buzzer. Billy Kenville tipped in another miss to give Syracuse the lead for good with 1:16 left. Rocha scored 22, Seymour 21 and Schayes 20 in what New York writer Leonard Koppett called the “most exciting and best played game of the season.
On the 28th, the Nats beat the Royals in the first game of a Madison Square Garden double-header, 84-82. The crowd was the NBA’s largest of the year, 14,813. It was 79 all when Schayes hit a long set shot to put the Nats up for good. The Knicks beat the Warriors in the second game but Syracuse was safely in first with a 17-12 record to the Knicks’ 14-12. The next night they both lost, the Nats to Philly, 70-72 in a twin bill with the Globetrotters while the Royals beat the Knicks, 93-89. In the game against the Warriors, Neil Johnston again was a dominant force, scoring the last ten points of the game. He had 21 points and Paul Arizin 23 but Dolph Schayes only 10.
This ended the schedule for 1954. By ending the year in first place with a 17-13 record, the Nats had guaranteed that Al Cervi would coach the East in the annual All-Star game. It was the only thing they could be sure of as the new year began.
