1949–50 Syracuse Nationals season

The 1949–50 Syracuse Nationals season was the first season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Nationals played its previous three seasons in the National Basketball League, which merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA.

Al Cervi, nicknamed "Digger" for his superior defensive skills, guided the team with his competitive nature while serving as a player-coach. As the Syracuse Post-Standard describes, "The Nationals shot poorly but succeeded because they played Cervi-style basketball: nasty, with an emphasis on defense."

The Nationals went to the NBA Finals after beating the Philadelphia Warriors and New York Knicks, but lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in six games.

Roster
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;    " ! colspan="2" style="background-color:#D0103A; color:#FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Syracuse Nationals 1949–50 roster ! Players !! Coaches {| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;" ! Pos. !! # !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
 * - style="background-color:#0046AD; color:#FFFFFF;  text-align: center;"
 * valign="top" |
 * valign="top" |

Game log

 * 1949–50 Schedule
 * 1949–50 Schedule

Playoffs

 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 1
 * March 22
 * Philadelphia
 * W 93–76
 * George Ratkovicz (25)
 * Dolph Schayes (6)
 * State Fair Coliseum
 * 1–0
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 2
 * March 23
 * @ Philadelphia
 * W 59–53
 * Dolph Schayes (16)
 * Al Cervi (2)
 * Philadelphia Arena
 * 2–0


 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 1
 * March 26
 * New York
 * W 91–83 (OT)
 * Dolph Schayes (26)
 * Andrew Levane (4)
 * State Fair Coliseum
 * 1–0
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 2
 * March 30
 * @ New York
 * L 76–80
 * George Ratkovicz (17)
 * Al Cervi (4)
 * Madison Square Garden III
 * 1–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 3
 * April 2
 * New York
 * W 91–80
 * Dolph Schayes (24)
 * Schayes, Cervi (3)
 * State Fair Coliseum
 * 2–1


 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 1
 * April 8
 * Minneapolis
 * L 66–68
 * Dolph Schayes (19)
 * State Fair Coliseum 7,552
 * 0–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 2
 * April 9
 * Minneapolis
 * W 91–85
 * George Ratkovicz (17)
 * State Fair Coliseum 8,280
 * 1–1
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 3
 * April 14
 * @ Minneapolis
 * L 77–91
 * Johnny Macknowski (25)
 * Paul Seymour (5)
 * St. Paul Auditorium 10,288
 * 1–2
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 4
 * April 16
 * @ Minneapolis
 * L 69–77
 * Schayes, Hannum (18)
 * Bill Gabor (6)
 * St. Paul Auditorium 10,512
 * 1–3
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"
 * 5
 * April 20
 * Minneapolis
 * W 83–76
 * Dolph Schayes (19)
 * State Fair Coliseum 9,024
 * 2–3
 * - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"
 * 6
 * April 23
 * @ Minneapolis
 * L 95–110
 * Dolph Schayes (23)
 * Johnny Macknowski (5)
 * Minneapolis Auditorium 9,812
 * 2–4
 * Johnny Macknowski (5)
 * Minneapolis Auditorium 9,812
 * 2–4


 * Nationals had a bye in the NBA Semifinals as the team with the best record amongst teams who advanced past the Division Finals.

Awards and records

 * Al Cervi, All-NBA Second Team
 * Dolph Schayes, All-NBA Second Team