1950-51 NBA Finals
April 7, 1951 – April 21, 1951
1950-51 NBA Finals result: RRRochester Royals def. NYKNew York Knicks, 4-3, April 7, 1951 – April 21, 1951.
Result
| Team | Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | RRRochester Royals | 4-3 |
| Runner-up | NYKNew York Knicks |
Games
| Game | Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 7, 1951 | RRRochester Royals 92–65 New York Knicks | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York |
| Game 2 | April 8, 1951 | RRRochester Royals 99–84 New York Knicks | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York |
| Game 3 | April 11, 1951 | RRRochester Royals 78–71 New York Knicks | Madison Square Garden (III), New York, New York |
| Game 4 | April 13, 1951 | NYKNew York Knicks 79–73 Rochester Royals | Madison Square Garden (III), New York, New York |
| Game 5 | April 15, 1951 | NYKNew York Knicks 92–89 Rochester Royals | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York |
| Game 6 | April 18, 1951 | NYKNew York Knicks 80–73 Rochester Royals | Madison Square Garden (III), New York, New York |
| Game 7 | April 21, 1951 | RRRochester Royals 79–75 New York Knicks | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York |
Finals MVP
The Finals MVP award was not introduced until 1969; no Finals MVP was named for this series.
Series context
The 1951 NBA Finals were the first championship series in league history to reach a decisive seventh game, and they matched the Rochester Royals against the New York Knicks in a best-of-seven series that ran from April 7 to April 21, 1951. Rochester came out of the gate dominant, winning Game 1 92-65 and Game 2 99-84 on consecutive days to open a 2-0 lead, then took Game 3 78-71 to move to the brink of a sweep. New York refused to fold, however, winning Game 4 79-73 and then Game 5 92-89 to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Knicks forced a decisive Game 7 by taking Game 6 80-73 in New York. In the finale back in Rochester on April 21, the Knicks actually led late, up 74-72 with under three minutes remaining, before Rochester's Arnie Risen and Bob Davies delivered clutch free throws down the stretch to secure a 79-75 win and the championship. This Finals matchup was historically notable as the only NBA Finals ever to feature two teams based in the same state (New York), a quirk of the league's geography at the time when it still included several smaller upstate and midwestern markets alongside major cities. It was also the first championship appearance in franchise history for both Rochester and New York, and it remains, to date, the only NBA championship the Royals ever won; the franchise later relocated multiple times, eventually becoming the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, and finally the Sacramento Kings. Rochester's roster featured stars like Bob Davies, an innovative ball-handler and passer often credited as a pioneer of the behind-the-back dribble, and Arnie Risen at center, while New York was led by Hall of Fame guard Dick McGuire and coach Joe Lapchick. The dramatic Game 7 comeback attempt by New York, falling just short in the final minutes, set a template for tense championship-deciding games that would recur throughout NBA history. The early 1950s NBA remained a league in transition, still absorbing franchises from the old National Basketball League and BAA, with teams based in smaller cities like Rochester, Syracuse, Fort Wayne, and Sheboygan playing alongside the bigger markets of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. This period predates the introduction of the 24-second shot clock (which arrived in 1954-55) and the wide adoption of many rules taken for granted in later basketball, meaning games in this Finals series, while lower-scoring than later eras, still featured hard-fought, physical, low-possession basketball emblematic of the league's formative years.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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