1949–50 Boston Celtics season

The 1949–50 Boston Celtics season was the fourth season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After the Basketball Association of America that the Celtics were in merged operations with the rivaling National Basketball League to create the present-day NBA, the Celtics would compete in the Eastern Division that remained mostly intact outside of the NBL's Syracuse Nationals replacing the Providence Steamrollers, with teams there competing in 68 games for the regular season outside of the aforementioned Syracuse Nationals. Despite the Celtics and every other Eastern Division team having more games played than the Nationals this season, the Celtics would finish the season as a last place team in their division with a 22–46 record, being four games behind the Philadelphia Warriors in their division and failing to qualify for the NBA's inaugural 1950 NBA playoffs. This was the last time the Celtics both finished below .500 and missed the playoffs until the 1969–70 season.

1949–50 Boston Celtics season
Head coach	Doggie Julian
Arena	Boston Arena Boston Garden
Results
Record	22–46 (.324)
Place	Division: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Radio	WMEX

BAA/NBA Draft

Main article: 1949 BAA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	4	Tony Lavelli	F	United States	Yale
2	–	George Kaftan	F	United States	Holy Cross
3	–	Joe Mullaney	G	United States	Holy Cross
8	–	Duane Klueh	G	United States	Indiana State
–	–	Ed Little	–	United States	Denver JC
–	–	Jim Simpson	–	United States	Bates
–	–	Emerson Speicher	–	United States	Bowling Green
–	–	Bill Tom	–	United States	Rice
–	–	Bill Vandenburgh	–	United States	Washington
–	–	Russ Washburn	–	United States	Colby
–	–	Bill Weight	–	United States	BYU

Roster

1949–50 Boston Celtics roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From F/C 19 Bob Doll 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Colorado F/C 10 Gene Englund 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Wisconsin G/F 16 Johnny Ezersky 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Rhode Island F/C 10 Ward Gibson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Creighton G 4 Sidney Hertzberg 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) CCNY F 9 George Kaftan 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Holy Cross F/C 22 Bob Kinney 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Rice F 4−11 Tony Lavelli 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Yale G/F 5 Ed Leede 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Dartmouth C 16 John Mahnken 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Georgetown G 17 Joe Mullaney 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Holy Cross F/C 3 George Nostrand 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Wyoming G 7 Dermie O'Connell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Holy Cross G/F 15 Jim Seminoff 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) USC G/F 8 Howie Shannon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Kansas State F 12 Art Spector 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Villanova F/C 13 Brady Walker 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) BYU

Head coach Doggie Julian Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Neutral	Div
x-Syracuse Nationals	51	13	.797	–	31–1	15–12	5–0	9–1
x-New York Knicks	40	28	.588	13	19–10	18–16	3–2	20–6
x-Washington Capitols	32	36	.471	21	21–13	10–20	1–3	13–13
x-Philadelphia Warriors	26	42	.382	25	15–15	8–23	3–4	9–17
Baltimore Bullets	25	43	.368	26	16–15	8–25	1–3	8–18
Boston Celtics	22	46	.324	29	12–14	5–28	5–4	11–15

Game log

1949–50 Game log
#	Date	Opponent	Score	High points	Record
1	November 3	at Sheboygan	83–98	Hertzberg, Leede (13)	0–1
2	November 5	at Chicago	70–86	Sidney Hertzberg (13)	0–2
3	November 6	at Waterloo	66–80	Bob Kinney (12)	0–3
4	November 10	Minneapolis	84–98	George Kaftan (18)	0–4
5	November 12	at Washington	76–68	Brady Walker (20)	1–4
6	November 15	Baltimore	76–81	Sidney Hertzberg (20)	1–5
7	November 16	at Philadelphia	80–93	Johnny Ezersky (15)	1–6
8	November 17	Indianapolis	90–68	Sidney Hertzberg (16)	2–6
9	November 19	at Baltimore	W 91–82	Sidney Hertzberg (22)	3–6
10	November 20	at Fort Wayne	89–99	Bob Kinney (14)	3–7
11	November 21	at Anderson	99–85	Sidney Hertzberg (23)	4–7
12	November 22	at Tri-Cities	72–80	Sidney Hertzberg (19)	4–8
13	November 24	Fort Wayne	85–99	Tony Lavelli (20)	4–9
14	November 26	at New York	84–96	George Kaftan (34)	4–10
15	November 30	Syracuse	71–87	Lavelli, Walker (17)	4–11
16	December 3	at Tri-Cities	82–87	Ed Leede (20)	4–12
17	December 4	at St. Louis	76–85	Bob Kinney (18)	4–13
18	December 6	at Indianapolis	82–93	Bob Kinney (24)	4–14
19	December 8	Philadelphia	91–87	George Kaftan (16)	5–14
20	December 10	vs Sheboygan	83–78	Brady Walker (15)	6–14
21	December 15	St. Louis	83–81	Ed Leede (21)	7–14
22	December 18	at Minneapolis	72–77	Sidney Hertzberg (18)	7–15
23	December 22	Minneapolis	87–69	Tony Lavelli (26)	8–15
24	December 23	at Washington	73–86	Englund, Lavelli (11)	8–16
25	December 25	at Rochester	79–88	Gene Englund (13)	8–17
26	December 26	vs Baltimore	82–57	Tony Lavelli (15)	9–17
27	December 27	New York	97–78	Bob Doll (18)	10–17
28	December 30	Fort Wayne	92–73	Bob Kinney (18)	11–17
29	January 1	at Fort Wayne	72–80	Howie Shannon (12)	11–18
30	January 4	at St. Louis	68–72	Hertzberg, Kaftan (17)	11–19
31	January 6	Baltimore	74–53	Gene Englund (17)	12–19
32	January 8	at Minneapolis	80–85 (OT)	Bob Kinney (18)	12–20
33	January 10	at Denver	97–84	George Kaftan (17)	13–20
34	January 13	Chicago	L 76–77	Bob Kinney (14)	13–21
35	January 14	at New York	L 80–82	Sidney Hertzberg (15)	13–22
36	January 17	Minneapolis	L 79–105	George Kaftan (16)	13–23
37	January 18	at Philadelphia	L 86–94	Bob Kinney (16)	13–24
38	January 19	Philadelphia	W 86–63	Howie Shannon (17)	14–24
39	January 22	at St. Louis	L 47–71	Tony Lavelli (11)	14–25
40	January 26	Fort Wayne	W 89–68	Sidney Hertzberg (21)	15–25
41	January 28	at Rochester	L 75–82	Ed Leede (14)	15–26
42	January 31	Rochester	L 72–85	Ed Leede (14)	15–27
43	February 1	vs. Chicago	L 76–78	Ed Leede (21)	15–28
44	February 3	Anderson	W 106–98	Ed Leede (24)	16–28
45	February 4	vs Waterloo	W 100–82	Howie Shannon (22)	17–28
46	February 5	vs. Chicago	L 70–77	Hertzberg, Kaftan (16)	17–29
47	February 7	Chicago	L 86–91	Ed Leede (21)	17–30
48	February 10	St. Louis	W 89–79	Ed Leede (24)	18–30
49	February 12	at Minneapolis	L 70–88	Sidney Hertzberg (22)	18–31
50	February 14	vs. Denver	L 78–84	Ed Leede (21)	18–32
51	February 15	at Fort Wayne	L 78–84	George Kaftan (19)	18–33
52	February 17	Rochester	L 73–81	Bob Kinney (19)	18–34
53	February 18	vs. Rochester	L 73–94	Sidney Hertzberg (16)	18–35
54	February 23	vs. Philadelphia	W 82–77	Ed Leede (24)	19–35
55	February 24	Washington	W 89–74	Tony Lavelli (19)	20–35
56	February 25	at Baltimore	W 82–66	Ed Leede (22)	21–35
57	February 27	Chicago	L 77–79	Bob Kinney (16)	21–36
58	March 1	at Philadelphia	L 64–77	Kinney, Lavelli (12)	21–37
59	March 2	New York	L 72–81	Tony Lavelli (28)	21–38
60	March 4	at Washington	L 75–95	Hertzberg, Lavelli (15)	21–39
61	March 7	vs. Washington	W 75–64	Tony Lavelli (19)	22–39
62	March 9	at Rochester	L 59–78	John Mahnken (12)	22–40
63	March 10	Washington	L 66–76	Tony Lavelli (22)	22–41
64	March 11	at Baltimore	L 75–79	Tony Lavelli (23)	22–42
65	March 12	at Syracuse	L 72–96	Howie Shannon (21)	22–43
66	March 14	St. Louis	L 76–86	Ed Leede (25)	22–44
67	March 15	at New York	L 84–88 (OT)	Tony Lavelli (28)	22–45
68	March 17	New York	L 96–98 (2OT)	Doll, Leede (22)	22–46