Match the NBA Champions 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Philadelphia Warriors

The Warriors bested the Chicago Stags 4-1 for the Basketball Association of America championship that season. Joe Fulks of the Warriors was the only future Hall of Fame player on either team. Eddie Gottlieb was the winning coach.

The Chicago American Gears were the National Basketball League Champions that year. Had the Stags won Chicago would have had both champions in the major pro basketball leagues.

Answer: Baltimore Bullets

The Bullets beat the defending champion Warriors 4-2 in the series. Joe Fulks and Buddy Jeannette were both future Hall of Fame players. One played for each team in the series.

The Minneapolis Lakers won the National Basketball League championship that year. The NBL and the BAA would later merge to form the National Basketball Association, but former NBL titles weren't counted toward NBA totals.

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

1949 was the final year of the BAA. The Lakers beat the Capitals 4-2 that year, their first (and due to the merger, last) year in the league. In 1950 the NBA as it would become known was formed and the Lakers won the championship over the Syracuse Nationals by a 4-2 margin. That made three straight titles in three different leagues for the Lakers.

The Anderson Packers were the 1949 NBL champions in the year before the merger.

Answer: Rochester Royals

The Royals bested the New York Knicks in the first ever 7 game finals series in NBA history. To get to the finals the Royals beat the two-time defending champion Lakers 3-1 in a best of 5 series. Neither team in the finals had a Hall of Fame player on it.

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

In 1952, for the second year in a row, the Knicks lost a 7 game series. In 1953 the Lakers bested the Knicks again, this time 4-1. In 1952 the Lakers won their 5th NBA title in six years (6th in seven years if counting the NBL title) by beating the Syracuse Nationals 4-3.

Answer: Syracuse Nationals

The Nationals bested the Fort Wayne Pistons in a 7-game series. The Pistons has ousted the 3-time defending champion Lakers in the Western Conference finals before falling to the Nationals in the NBA finals. Syracuse beat the Boston Celtics to get to the finals.

Answer: Philadelphia Warriors

This time losing 4-1, the Fort Wayne Pistons lost in the finals for the second straight year. They beat the Hawks in the Western Conference finals. The Warriors beat the defending champion Nationals to get to the finals.

Answer: Boston Celtics

The Celtics beat the Hawks in double overtime in game 7 of the series, making it one of the most closely contested series in all of sports history. It was the first finals appearance for both teams. The Celtics knocked off the Nationals and the Hawks bested the Lakers to get to the finals. Boston sported 10 future Hall of Famers (three of them coaches) and the Hawks had four future HOF's themselves on the roster.

Answer: St. Louis Hawks

Following the 7-game loss to the Celtics in 1957, the Hawks avenged the loss 4-2 the following year as both teams met back in the finals. The Celtics sported 11 future Hall of Famers on the roster (three as coaches) and the Hawks this time had five (including the coach) of their own.

Answer: Boston Celtics

The Celtics won eight straight NBA titles from 59-66. They also won in 1957, and again in 1968 and 69, meaning they won 11 titles in 13 years. They were in the finals but lost in 1958, putting them in the finals 12 times in 13 years, including 10 straight seasons.