1955 Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse went 43-29 and finished first in the Eastern Division. Al Cervi coached. The Nationals had the best defense in the league and a deep, physical roster built around Schayes.

Schayes, a 6-8 forward with a soft outside shot and relentless rebounding, made the All-NBA first team. Captain Paul Seymour ran the offense at 14.6 points and led the team in assists. Red Rocha and rookie Red Kerr split the center work, and Earl Lloyd gave them defense and rebounding on the wing.

Syracuse beat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern finals, then met Fort Wayne for the title. The series went seven. In the decider George King sank a free throw for a 92-91 lead in the final seconds, then stole the ball to end it.

Biasone had helped invent the 24-second clock and convinced the NBA to use it that season, and his team won the first title under it. Earl Lloyd and Jim Tucker, both on this roster, became the first Black players to win an NBA championship. The franchise later moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers.

The starting five was Paul Arizin, Dolph Schayes, George King, Red Kerr, and Jack George. Al Cervi coached the group with Earl Lloyd as the primary bench scorer.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Paul Seymour (captain and assist leader, All-NBA second team); Dick Farley (rookie); Jim Tucker (one of the first Black players to win an NBA title).

The 1955 playoffs ran through divisional rounds before the Finals. The Syracuse Nationals still needed four series wins in many years, but the league had fewer teams than the 30-franchise map used today.

The Syracuse Nationals share a lineage with other banners from 1967, 1983. Compare those seasons on the franchise hub to see how the roster and style changed between title runs.

Looking back, the Syracuse Nationals won the 1955 NBA title, the first championship of the 24-second shot clock era, a clock their own owner Danny Biasone had pushed the league to adopt. Dolph Schayes led them at 18.5 points and 12 rebounds a game. They beat the Fort Wayne Pistons in a seven-game Finals decided by a single point in the last game.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Syracuse Nationals titles, use the franchise hub linked below.