1948-49 BAA Finals
April 4, 1949 – April 13, 1949
1948-49 BAA Finals result: MLMinneapolis Lakers def. WCWashington Capitols, 4-2, April 4, 1949 – April 13, 1949.
Result
| Team | Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | MLMinneapolis Lakers | 4-2 |
| Runner-up | WCWashington Capitols |
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 4, 1949 | MLMinneapolis Lakers 88–84 Washington Capitols | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Game 2 | April 6, 1949 | MLMinneapolis Lakers 76–62 Washington Capitols | Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Game 3 | April 8, 1949 | MLMinneapolis Lakers 94–74 Washington Capitols | Uline Arena, Washington, D.C. |
| Game 4 | April 9, 1949 | WCWashington Capitols 83–71 Minneapolis Lakers | Uline Arena, Washington, D.C. |
| Game 5 | April 11, 1949 | WCWashington Capitols 74–65 Minneapolis Lakers | Uline Arena, Washington, D.C. |
| Game 6 | April 13, 1949 | MLMinneapolis Lakers 77–56 Washington Capitols | St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota |
Finals MVP
The Finals MVP award was not introduced until 1969; no Finals MVP was named for this series.
Series context
The 1949 BAA Finals concluded the league's third and final season before its merger with the National Basketball League to form the NBA. The Minneapolis Lakers, led by dominant center George Mikan, faced the Washington Capitols, coached by a young Red Auerbach, in a best-of-seven series. Both teams reached the Finals by winning their conference finals: Minneapolis swept the Rochester Royals 2-0 in the Western finals, while Washington beat the New York Knicks 2-1 in the Eastern finals. Minneapolis also carried a significant rest advantage into the series, having been idle for five days after clinching its spot the preceding Tuesday, compared to Washington's one day of rest. Minneapolis jumped out to a commanding start, winning Game 1 88-84 on April 4, Game 2 76-62 on April 6, and Game 3 94-74 on April 8 to take a 3-0 series lead. Washington avoided the sweep by winning Game 4 83-71 on April 9 and Game 5 74-65 on April 11, but the Lakers closed out the championship on April 13 with a 77-56 win in Game 6. George Mikan was the dominant figure of the series and of the era, reportedly scoring 42 points in Game 1 and 35 in Game 3, extraordinary totals for a league in which most games were still decided in the 70s and 80s. Standing 6-foot-10, Mikan was the first true superstar big man in professional basketball, and his sheer scoring and rebounding dominance forced rule changes over the following years, including the eventual widening of the free-throw lane, nicknamed the "Mikan Rule." This championship is widely regarded as the beginning of the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty; the franchise, led by Mikan, would go on to win five championships between 1949 and 1954 across the BAA and NBA. For Washington, this loss marked the last Finals appearance for the Capitols franchise, which folded in January of the following season, and it was also the final Finals appearance for coach Red Auerbach with that team; Auerbach would go on to enormous success with the Boston Celtics beginning in the 1950s, eventually building one of the greatest dynasties in American professional sports history. The 1949 title also carried broader historical significance as the last champion crowned under the BAA banner. Later that year, the BAA absorbed several NBL franchises (including the Lakers themselves, who had won the 1948 NBL championship before jumping to the BAA for the 1948-49 season) to form the unified National Basketball Association for the 1949-50 season. The Lakers' 1949 BAA title, combined with their prior 1948 NBL title, meant Minneapolis entered the newly formed NBA as back-to-back champion across two different leagues, a distinction unique in professional basketball history and a signal of the dynasty to come.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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