NBA team season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1952–53 NBA season was the Pistons' fifth season in the NBA and 12th season as a franchise.[ 1]
The Pistons finished the season above .500 at 36-33 (.522), 3rd in the Western Division. The team advanced to the playoffs, defeating the Rochester Royals 2–1 in the opening series, including a 67–65 home nail-biter to take the series, but lost in the division finals 3–2 to the Minneapolis Lakers as each team won at home in the 5-game series. The Pistons were led on the season by center-forward Larry Foust (14.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg, NBA All-Star), guard Andy Phillip (10.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, NBA All-Star) and Don Meineke (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg), who would win the inaugural NBA Rookie of the Year Award .[ 2] First round draft choice Dick Groat (11.9 ppg) would play for the Pistons while finishing his degree at Duke University , left the team in February 1953 to serve in the United States Army and returned to sports in 1955 to pursue a baseball career. Groat became one of 13 players to play in both the NBA and Major League Baseball .[ 3] [ 4]
x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents [ edit ]
1952-53 NBA Records
Team
BAL
BOS
FWP
IND
MIL
MIN
NYK
PHI
ROC
SYR
Baltimore
—
2–8
0–6
2–4
3–3
1–5
0–10
6–4
0–6
2–8
Boston
8–2
—
4–2
4–2
5–1
1–5
6–4
9–1
4–2
5–6
Fort Wayne
6–0
2–4
—
7–3
7–3
1–9
4–2
5–0
3–7
1–5
Indianapolis
4–2
2–4
3–7
—
5–6
4–6
1–5
5–1
3–7
1–5
Milwaukee
3–3
1–5
3–7
6–5
—
3–7
1–5
4–2
3–7
3–3
Minneapolis
5–1
5–1
9–1
6–4
7–3
—
4–2
6–0
4–6
2–4
New York
10–0
4–6
2–4
5–1
5–1
2–4
—
10–0
3–3
6–4
Philadelphia
4–6
1–9
0–5
1–5
2–4
0–6
0–10
—
2–4
2–8
Rochester
6–0
2–4
7–3
7–3
7–3
6–4
3–3
4–2
—
2–4
Syracuse
8–2
6–5
5–1
5–1
3–3
4–2
4–6
8–2
4–2
—
1952–53 Game log
#
Date
Opponent
Score
High points
Record
1
November 1
@ Rochester
82–94
Frank Brian (15)
0–1
2
November 2
Minneapolis
81–69
Larry Foust (19)
0–2
3
November 6
Rochester
84–64
Frank Brian (20)
0–3
4
November 9
Indianapolis
71–74
Frank Brian (18)
1–3
5
November 11
@ Indianapolis
63–78
Larry Foust (16)
1–4
6
November 15
@ Milwaukee
68–71
Frank Brian (22)
1–5
7
November 16
New York
83–112
Dick Groat (25)
2–5
8
November 20
Minneapolis
89–81
Fred Schaus (24)
2–6
9
November 22
@ Minneapolis
89–96
Larry Foust (21)
2–7
10
November 23
Philadelphia
80–92
Fred Schaus (22)
3–7
11
November 26
@ Milwaukee
80–72
Don Meineke (19)
4–7
12
November 27
Milwaukee
87–95 (OT)
Dwight Eddleman (24)
5–7
13
November 29
N Boston
71–78
Frank Brian (17)
5–8
14
November 30
Baltimore
95–100 (2OT)
Dwight Eddleman (27)
6–8
15
December 4
Syracuse
78–70
Dwight Eddleman (21)
6–9
16
December 5
@ Indianapolis
74–84
Larry Foust (27)
6–10
17
December 6
@ Baltimore
103–91
Fred Schaus (21)
7–10
18
December 7
New York
91–102
Don Meineke (27)
8–10
19
December 11
Milwaukee
70–71 (OT)
Larry Foust (22)
9–10
20
December 14
Indianapolis
71–86
Larry Foust (27)
10–10
21
December 16
N Philadelphia
64–95
Foust, Groat (18)
11–10
22
December 18
@ Philadelphia
86–79
Larry Foust (22)
12–10
23
December 20
@ Rochester
89–92
Larry Foust (23)
12–11
24
December 21
Philadelphia
71–74
Don Meineke (16)
13–11
25
December 23
@ Indianapolis
59–72
Fred Schaus (14)
13–12
26
December 25
Milwaukee
69–71 (2OT)
Larry Foust (14)
14–12
27
December 27
N New York
91–92
Dick Groat (17)
15–12
28
December 28
Boston
89–66
Frank Brian (19)
15–13
29
December 31
Indianapolis
85–91
Larry Foust (25)
16–13
30
January 1
@ Syracuse
78–92
Larry Foust (22)
16–14
31
January 3
@ Rochester
101–106
Brian, Eddleman, Foust, Groat (13)
16–15
32
January 4
Philadelphia
68–79
Andy Phillip (25)
17–15
33
January 6
@ Milwaukee
71–73
Brian, Foust (17)
17–16
34
January 10
N Minneapolis
84–79
Fred Schaus (20)
17–17
35
January 11
Indianapolis
68–72
Larry Foust (17)
18–17
36
January 15
Boston
85–91
Dwight Eddleman (28)
19–17
37
January 16
N Indianapolis
68–75
Larry Foust (15)
20–17
38
January 18
Rochester
87–90
Dick Groat (22)
21–17
39
January 21
@ Boston
84–94
Frank Brian (21)
21–18
40
January 22
@ Syracuse
75–87
Larry Foust (15)
21–19
41
January 24
@ New York
76–82
Larry Foust (22)
21–20
42
January 25
Milwaukee
62–65
Don Meineke (15)
22–20
43
January 27
N Minneapolis
96–76
Andy Phillip (17)
22–21
44
January 29
Boston
98–111
Larry Foust (21)
23–21
45
January 30
N Rochester
70–68 (OT)
Phillip, Schaus (15)
23–22
46
January 31
@ Minneapolis
80–87
Dick Groat (19)
23–23
47
February 1
Minneapolis
92–76
Frank Brian (16)
23–24
48
February 5
Indianapolis
63–68
Andy Phillip (19)
24–24
49
February 8
Baltimore
78–89
Andy Phillip (19)
25–24
50
February 11
Syracuse
78–96
Frank Brian (20)
26–24
51
February 14
@ Baltimore
102–88
Fred Schaus (20)
27–24
52
February 15
Rochester
84–72
Chuck Share (17)
27–25
53
February 17
@ Rochester
88–78
Andy Phillip (19)
28–25
54
February 19
Baltimore
79–83 (OT)
Fred Scolari (17)
29–25
55
February 21
@ Minneapolis
75–85
Andy Phillip (15)
29–26
56
February 22
Minneapolis
78–90
Andy Phillip (20)
30–26
57
February 24
@ Rochester
91–80
Don Meineke (19)
31–26
58
February 26
@ Syracuse
77–89
Don Meineke (20)
31–27
59
February 28
@ New York
74–85
Larry Foust (20)
31–28
60
March 1
Milwaukee
74–76
Fred Scolari (24)
32–28
61
March 3
N Minneapolis
86–68
Larry Foust (18)
32–29
62
March 4
Syracuse
75–73 (2OT)
Larry Foust (20)
32–30
63
March 6
@ Indianapolis
73–64
Andy Phillip (23)
33–30
64
March 7
@ Baltimore
83–81 (OT)
Brian, Foust, Schaus (15)
34–30
65
March 8
Rochester
71–69
Foust, Phillip, Scolari (13)
34–31
66
March 9
Milwaukee
74–94
Fred Schaus (17)
35–31
67
March 11
@ Boston
92–98
Fred Scolari (26)
35–32
68
March 15
New York
69–81
Fred Schaus (18)
36–32
69
March 17
@ Milwaukee
61–87
Larry Foust (12)
36–33
1953 playoff game log
Division Semifinals: 2–1 (home: 0–1; road: 2–0)
Division Finals: 2–3 (home: 2–0; road: 0–3)
1953 schedule
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