By 1951, only three original BAA teams were still in the NBA: the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors (now in San Francisco as the Golden State Warriors).
All members of the inaugural Western Division had folded by 1950, with three of them lasting one season (Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Cleveland Rebels).
Western and Eastern champions Chicago and Washington immediately played a long semifinal series with Washington having home-court advantage.
Chicago won the sixth game in Washington one day before Philadelphia concluded its two short series with other runners-up.
[6] Note: Prior to the 1969–70 season, league leaders in points and assists were determined by totals rather than averages.