Washington Capitols
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2010) |
Washington Capitols | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Division | Eastern Division |
Founded | 1946 |
History | Washington Capitols 1946–1951 |
Arena | Uline Arena |
Location | Washington, D.C. |
Team colors | Green, white |
Division titles | 1: (1949) – or 2 ‡ |
The Washington Capitols were a charter Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.
History
The team was founded in 1946 as a charter BAA team; it became a charter NBA team in 1949. It folded on January 9, 1951 (with a 10–25 record). The Packers were one of six teams: Anderson Packers, Chicago Stags, Sheboygan Red Skins, St. Louis Bombers, Washington Capitols, Waterloo Hawks that dropped out of the league altogether in 1950-1951.[1]
The team would try to make a comeback in the 1951–52 season in the American Basketball League, but the team folded again in January 1952. The home arena was Uline Arena in Washington, capacity 7,500. The teams wore green and white. The NBA returned to the Washington, D.C. area in 1973, when the Baltimore Bullets became the Capital Bullets, now known as the Washington Wizards.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
The Capitols' 81.7 win percentage in the BAA's inaugural season was the highest in the NBA until surpassed by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1966–67.
The Washington Capitols are also noteworthy for two long win streaks during their short history. In 1946, the Capitols won 17 straight games — a single season streak that remained the NBA's longest until 1969. The 15–0 start of the 1948–49 team was the best in NBA history until the Golden State Warriors broke it in 2015–16 by starting 24-0, though the Houston Rockets had previously tied the Capitols' record in 1993–94.
- NBA Championships: None
- Divisional Championships: Regular Season: 2 (1946–47 and 1948–49) ; playoffs (1947, 1948 tie-breaker, 1949, 1950)
The arena
The Capitols played in historic Uline Arena, located at 1132, 1140, and 1146 3rd St. NE, Washington, District of Columbia. The facility still exists and has been repurposed into retail and office space.[2]
Notable alumni
Basketball Hall of Fame alumni
- Bill Sharman (1951)
- Red Auerbach (coach, 1947-1949)
Notable alumni
- Earl Lloyd (1950) first African American to play in the NBA
- Don Otten (1950)
- Fred Scolari (1948-1950)
Leading scorers by season
- 1947 – Bob Feerick – 16.8 ppg
- 1948 – Bob Feerick – 16.1 ppg
- 1949 – Bob Feerick – 13.0 ppg
- 1950 – Don Otten – 14.9 ppg (in 18 games. Jack Nichols scored 13.1 over 49 games, but Fred Scolari scored the most points, with 860 in 66 games.)
- 1951 – Bill Sharman – 12.2 ppg
Coaches and others
- 1947–1949 – Red Auerbach
- 1950 – Bob Feerick – player-coach
- 1951 – Bones McKinney – player-coach
- 1950 – Earl Lloyd – first African American to play in the NBA
Season-by-season records
League Champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
Season | League | Conference | Finish | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Playoffs | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1946–47 | BAA | – | – | Eastern | 1st † | 49 | 11 | .817 | – | Lost BAA Semifinals (Stags) 2–4 | |
1947–48 | BAA | – | – | Western | 2nd | 28 | 20 | .583 | 1 | Lost Division Tiebreaker (Stags) | |
1948–49 | BAA | – | – | Eastern | 1st | 38 | 22 | .633 | – | Won Division Semifinals (Warriors) 2–0 Won Division Finals (Knicks) 2–1 Lost BAA Finals (Lakers) 2–4 |
|
1949–50 | NBA | – | – | Eastern | 3rd | 32 | 36 | .471 | 21 | Lost Division Semifinals (Knicks) 0–2 | |
1950–51 ‡ | NBA | – | – | Eastern | 6th | 10 | 25 | .286 | 30 | ||
Regular Season record | 157 | 114 | .579 | 1946–1951 | |||||||
Playoff record | 8 | 12 | .400 | Postseason Series Record: 2–4 |
† The inaugural 1947 BAA Playoffs did not establish Eastern and Western champions and generated one finalist from the East, one from the West, only by coincidence. Washington and Chicago won the Eastern and Western Divisions and met in a best-of-seven series to determine one league championship finalist. (Washington lost the first two games, both at home, by 16 points each and lost the series four games to two; every game but the last was decided by at least 10 points.) Meanwhile, four runners-up played best-of-three matches to determine the other finalist. Philadelphia, second in the East, won that runners-up bracket and defeated Chicago in a best-of-seven series to win the BAA championship.[3]
‡ The Capitols folded midway during the season on January 9, 1951.
References
- ^ "1949-50 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Uline Arena - Douglas Development". douglasdevelopment.com.
- ^ "1946–47 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
External links
- Washington Capitols history
- Team page at Basketball-reference.com