On This Date in Sports April 21, 1948: Shooting for the Title
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Baltimore Bullets shoot down the Philadelphia Warriors hopes for a second straight championship, winning 88-73 in Game 6 of the Basketball Association of American Finals at the Baltimore Coliseum. The new league, in its infancy, had just completed a competitive second season as six of the eight teams were separated by three games in the standings. In the clincher, the Bullets had five players in double digits to overcome a game-high 28 points from Joe Fulks.
The Philadelphia Warriors had won the first BAA Championship in 1947, beating the Chicago Stags four games to one. The Warriors, coached by Eddie Gottlieb, looked to again be the best team in the BAA, posting a record of 27-21. The BAA had 11 teams in its inaugural season and had four teams fold after the first season. Needing an eighth team, the league invited the Baltimore Bullets from the American Basketball League to join. The Bullets, led by player-coach Buddy Jeannette had a successful first season in the BAA, posting a record of 28-20.
By winning the Eastern Division, the Bullets had a bye into the Semifinals against the St. Louis Bombers, who won the Western Division. The Bullets, meanwhile, needed to play a series of tiebreakers with the Chicago Stags and Washington Capitols just to get into the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Bullets beat the New York Knickerbockers in a three-game series, 2-1. In the semifinals, they would win two straight games against the Stags while the Warriors battled the Bombers in a seven-game war, winning the finale 85-46.
The Warriors got off to a strong start in the BAA Finals, winning the opener at home 71-60 as Chick Halbert led the way with 19 points. Things looked bleak for Baltimore in Game 2, as the Warriors held a 41-20 lead at the half. However, the Bullets found their mark in the third quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 20-7. The Bullets continued their hot shooting in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Warriors 26-15 as they evened the series with a 66-63 win as Connie Simmons had a game-high 25 points. Game 3 in Baltimore was the most thrilling game of the series as the two teams battled back and forth, with the Bullets winning 72-70. Game 4 would be a duel between the Warriors, Joe Fulks, and Paul Hoffman of Baltimore. Fulks scored 29 points, while Hoffman scored 27 as the Bullets won a third straight game 78-75.
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Down 3-1 and facing elimination at home, the Warriors won Game 5 by a score of 91-82. Led by Fulks, the Warriors got off to a strong start in Game 6 at the Baltimore Coliseum, outscoring the Bullets 18-13 in the first quarter. Baltimore turned things around in the second quarter, scoring 24 points to take a 37-31 lead at the half. The Bullets continued to control the game in the third quarter and extended the lead to 63-48. The Bullets' lead was too much to overcome as Chuck Reiser (15), Buddy Jeannette (15), Paul Hoffman (15), Kleggie Hermsen (12), and Connie Simmons (12) each scored in double figures.