The 1950-51 Boston Celtics season marked an important chapter in the franchise’s history as it was the fifth season for the team in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which had merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA in 1949. Under head coach Red Auerbach, who was in his first year with the Celtics, the team began to shape the future that would lead to their eventual dominance in the league.
During the regular season, the Celtics finished with a record of 39 wins and 30 losses. This performance was enough to secure a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Division. The team’s roster featured standout performers such as Ed Macauley, who was an All-Star and made significant contributions to the team’s performance on the court. Macauley was instrumental in both scoring and defense, solidifying his status as one of the top players in the league at the time.
Despite their regular-season success, the Celtics faced challenges in the playoffs. They were matched against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Division Semifinals and unfortunately lost the series 2-0. This early playoff exit was a setback, but it provided valuable experience for the team and coach Auerbach, setting the stage for future success. Overall, the 1950-51 season was a building block for the Celtics, laying the groundwork for the dynasty that would soon follow.
- Regular Season Record: 39-30
- Playoff Result: Division Semifinals: 0-2
Boston Celtics Roster and Stats for 1950-51 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Ed Macauley | 68 | 20.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 22.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bob Cousy | 69 | 15.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 14.5 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sonny Hertzberg | 64 | 9.8 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Chuck Cooper | 66 | 9.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dick Mehen | 6 | 7.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Bones McKinney | 34 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 13.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kleggie Hermsen | 23 | 6.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ed Leede | 57 | 6.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Harry Boykoff | 32 | 6.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Bob Donham | 68 | 6.1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bob Harris | 43 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| John Mahnken | 45 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Frank Kudelka | 27 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ed Stanczak | 19 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Andy Duncan | 14 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Brady Walker | 15 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Kenny Sailors | 10 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
Boston Celtics in the 1951 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs Second Round vs. New York Knicks
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1951 | vs. New York Knicks | L 83-69 | |
| Mar 24, 1951 | @ New York Knicks | L 92-78 |
Boston Celtics 1950-51 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1950-51 season for the Boston Celtics.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 01, 1950 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | L 107-84 | |
| Nov 02, 1950 | @ Tri-Cities Blackhawks | L 79-65 | |
| Nov 04, 1950 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | L 77-68 | |
| Nov 07, 1950 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 83-64 | |
| Nov 09, 1950 | vs. Minneapolis Lakers | W 76-71 | |
| Nov 11, 1950 | @ Washington Capitols | W 78-77 | |
| Nov 12, 1950 | vs. Indianapolis Olympians | W 78-75 | |
| Nov 15, 1950 | vs. Washington Capitols | W 79-74 | |
| Nov 16, 1950 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 82-73 | |
| Nov 18, 1950 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 80-76 | |
| Nov 19, 1950 | vs. Washington Capitols | L 81-75 | |
| Nov 21, 1950 | @ New York Knicks | W 89-83 | |
| Nov 23, 1950 | vs. Tri-Cities Blackhawks | W 94-78 | |
| Nov 25, 1950 | @ Rochester Royals | L 90-82 | |
| Nov 26, 1950 | vs. New York Knicks | W 93-90 | |
| Nov 28, 1950 | vs. Philadelphia Warriors | L 76-74 | |
| Nov 30, 1950 | vs. Washington Capitols | L 85-81 | |
| Dec 02, 1950 | @ Washington Capitols | W 83-75 | |
| Dec 03, 1950 | vs. Baltimore Bullets | W 97-85 | |
| Dec 09, 1950 | vs. Syracuse Nationals | L 86-85 | |
| Dec 12, 1950 | vs. Fort Wayne Pistons | W 87-81 | |
| Dec 13, 1950 | @ Washington Capitols | L 110-79 | |
| Dec 16, 1950 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 119-88 | |
| Dec 17, 1950 | vs. Rochester Royals | W 88-75 | |
| Dec 19, 1950 | vs. New York Knicks | L 86-80 | |
| Dec 23, 1950 | vs. Minneapolis Lakers | W 87-81 | |
| Dec 25, 1950 | @ Rochester Royals | L 90-77 | |
| Dec 26, 1950 | vs. Syracuse Nationals | W 102-100 | |
| Dec 30, 1950 | @ New York Knicks | L 77-60 | |
| Dec 31, 1950 | vs. New York Knicks | W 100-90 | |
| Jan 01, 1951 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 106-89 | |
| Jan 03, 1951 | @ Tri-Cities Blackhawks | W 84-82 | |
| Jan 05, 1951 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | L 69-54 | |
| Jan 07, 1951 | vs. Washington Capitols | W 91-86 | |
| Jan 14, 1951 | vs. Philadelphia Warriors | W 97-87 | |
| Jan 15, 1951 | vs. Philadelphia Warriors | W 98-73 | |
| Jan 18, 1951 | vs. Tri-Cities Blackhawks | W 105-85 | |
| Jan 20, 1951 | @ Tri-Cities Blackhawks | L 91-85 | |
| Jan 21, 1951 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | W 112-106 | |
| Jan 23, 1951 | @ Indianapolis Olympians | W 83-79 | |
| Jan 25, 1951 | vs. Fort Wayne Pistons | W 99-97 | |
| Jan 27, 1951 | @ New York Knicks | L 76-75 | |
| Jan 28, 1951 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 104-83 | |
| Jan 30, 1951 | vs. Syracuse Nationals | W 96-87 | |
| Feb 01, 1951 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | L 82-80 | |
| Feb 02, 1951 | vs. Syracuse Nationals | W 96-90 | |
| Feb 04, 1951 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | L 98-84 | |
| Feb 05, 1951 | vs. Indianapolis Olympians | W 70-57 | |
| Feb 08, 1951 | vs. Tri-Cities Blackhawks | W 85-70 | |
| Feb 10, 1951 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 81-76 | |
| Feb 11, 1951 | vs. Rochester Royals | W 93-77 | |
| Feb 13, 1951 | @ Philadelphia Warriors | L 104-98 | |
| Feb 15, 1951 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 94-80 | |
| Feb 16, 1951 | vs. Philadelphia Warriors | W 81-76 | |
| Feb 18, 1951 | vs. Indianapolis Olympians | W 78-75 | |
| Feb 21, 1951 | vs. New York Knicks | W 87-85 | |
| Feb 22, 1951 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 72-69 | |
| Feb 24, 1951 | @ Baltimore Bullets | L 84-75 | |
| Feb 25, 1951 | vs. Philadelphia Warriors | W 93-83 | |
| Mar 01, 1951 | vs. New York Knicks | L 84-78 | |
| Mar 03, 1951 | @ Baltimore Bullets | W 95-87 | |
| Mar 04, 1951 | vs. Minneapolis Lakers | W 92-86 | |
| Mar 06, 1951 | @ Indianapolis Olympians | L 75-73 | |
| Mar 07, 1951 | @ Fort Wayne Pistons | W 99-95 | |
| Mar 11, 1951 | @ Minneapolis Lakers | L 98-96 | |
| Mar 13, 1951 | vs. Rochester Royals | L 111-107 | |
| Mar 16, 1951 | vs. Fort Wayne Pistons | W 90-88 | |
| Mar 17, 1951 | @ Rochester Royals | L 114-89 | |
| Mar 18, 1951 | @ Syracuse Nationals | L 97-89 |