1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season
The 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season was the 12th season for the franchise in the NBA and final season in Minneapolis.[1] The Lakers finished in third-place in the NBA Western Division with a record of 25–50, 21 games behind the St. Louis Hawks. In their final season in the Twin Cities, the Lakers made the playoffs and defeated the Detroit Pistons two games to none in the Western Division Semifinals, before losing the West Finals to the Hawks, four games to three. The Lakers roster had 5 1st overall picks, Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley, Chuck Share, Ray Felix, and Frank Selvy, the most among any NBA teams in a season.
| 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | John Castellani Jim Pollard |
| Arena | Minneapolis Armory |
| Results | |
| Record | 25–50 (.333) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Division Finals (Lost to Hawks 3–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KSTP-TV |
| Radio | WLOL |
On January 18, the team had a harrowing flight in a snowstorm, returning to Minneapolis from St. Louis. The team's DC-3 had electrical problems and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Carroll, Iowa.[2][3][4][5]
On April 27, 1960, The NBA approved the relocation of the Lakers to Southern California and they became the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1960–61 season.
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Division | Wins | Losses | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-St. Louis Hawks | 46 | 29 | .613 | – | 28–5 | 12–20 | 6–4 | 27–12 |
| x-Detroit Pistons | 30 | 45 | .400 | 16 | 17–14 | 6–21 | 7–10 | 20–19 |
| x-Minneapolis Lakers | 25 | 50 | .333 | 21 | 9–15 | 9–21 | 7–14 | 17–22 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 19 | 56 | .253 | 27 | 9–22 | 2–20 | 8–14 | 14–25 |
- x – clinched playoff spot
Record vs. opponents
| 1959–60 NBA records | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CIN | DET | MIN | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 8–1 | 9–0 | 8–1 | 12–1 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 8–5 |
| Cincinnati | 1–8 | — | 5–8 | 5–8 | 2–7 | 0–9 | 4–9 | 2–7 |
| Detroit | 0–9 | 8–5 | — | 7–6 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 5–8 | 4–5-1 |
| Minneapolis | 1–8 | 8–5 | 6–7 | — | 4–5 | 2–7 | 3–10 | 1–8 |
| New York | 1–12 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 5–4 | — | 4–9 | 3–6 | 2–11 |
| Philadelphia | 5–8 | 9–0 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 9–4 | — | 4–5 | 8–5 |
| St. Louis | 3–6 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 10–3 | 6–3 | 5–4 | — | 5–4 |
| Syracuse | 5–8 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 8–1 | 11–2 | 5–8 | 4–5 | — |
Playoffs
West Division Semifinals
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Minneapolis Lakers: Lakers win series 2-0
- Game 1 @ Detroit: Minneapolis 113, Detroit 112
- Game 2 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 114, Detroit 99
West Division Finals
(1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers: Hawks win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 112, Minneapolis 99
- Game 2 @ St. Louis: Minneapolis 120, St. Louis 113
- Game 3 @ Minneapolis: St. Louis 93, Minneapolis 89
- Game 4 @ Minneapolis: Minneapolis 103, St. Louis 101
- Game 5 @ St. Louis: Minneapolis 117, St. Louis 110 (OT)
- Game 6 @ Minneapolis: St. Louis 117, Minneapolis 96
- Game 7 @ St. Louis: St. Louis 97, Minneapolis 86
Awards and records
- Elgin Baylor, All-NBA First Team
- Elgin Baylor, NBA All-Star Game
- Dick Garmaker, NBA All-Star Game
- Rod Hundley, NBA All-Star Game
References
- 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers
- "Plane in storm lands on farm". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. January 19, 1960. p. 13.
- "Plane lands in cornfield; Lakers OK". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 19, 1960. p. 3, part 2.
- Bonsignore, Vincent (June 4, 2001). "Lakers almost came to tragic end in 1960". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Los Angeles Daily News). p. C3.
- "Lakers glad to be home after ordeal". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 19, 1960. p. 24.