Some More NBA/NHL ‘Offs Notes

Unofficially, but fairly certain is the fact that this year’s NBA and NHL final round result, with the home team (both the Nuggets and Golden Knights) clinching the title in #5, had transpired only once before then.

In 1956 both the then Philadelphia Warriors and Montreal Canadiens clinched their league crowns with a home win in game 5.

I noticed that in 1953, the Minneapolis Lakers lost game 1 at home to the New York Knicks but won the next 4 games to claim a fourth title in five seasons.

The next season, they made it six crowns in five seasons.

Subsequently, the Lakers who moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles for the ’60-’61 season, did not “title” until 1972, when after losing game 1 to the Knicks they won the last four to gain their first L.A. title.

In 1973, now fifty years ago and seventy years after 1953, the Knicks won the title, as they won the last four games to “5” the Lakers.

The great player, Tom Gola pictured above was a key player on that ’56 Warriors’ title team.

This man played on an NIT title team in ’52 with La Salle and an NCAA champion with them in ’54. They were denied in the ’55 final by the Bill Russell led San Francisco Dons.

Quite a four year span with three superb seasons!