Washington Capitols

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Washington Capitols
Washington Capitols logo.svg
Division Eastern
Founded1946
Folded1952
HistoryWashington Capitols
1946–1952
Arena Uline Arena
Location Washington, D.C.
Team colorsGreen, white
  
Division titles2 (1947, 1949)

The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.

Contents

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 Capitols were one of seven teams that quickly left the NBA: The NBA contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: The Anderson Packers, Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks jumped to the NPBL, while the Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Bombers folded. The league went from 17 teams to 11 before the 1950–1951 season started. Midway through the 1950–1951 season, the Washington Capitols folded as well, bringing the number of teams in the league down to ten. [1]

Earl Lloyd, the first African American athlete to play for an NBA team, debuted for the Capitols in Rochester, New York on October 31, 1950. [2]

The franchise played the 1951–52 season in the American Basketball League, but the team folded again in January, 1952.

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.

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 Capitols captured two Divisional Championships: (1946–47 and 1948–49) and made the playoffs in (1947, 1948 tie-breaker, 1949 and 1950).

Winning streaks

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.

The arena

The Capitols played in historic Uline Arena, located at 1132, 1140, and 1146 3rd St. NE, Washington, District of Columbia. The capacity was 7,500. The facility still exists and has been repurposed into retail and office space. [3]

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Fame

Washington Capitols Hall of Famers
Players
No.NamePositionTenureInducted
10 Bill Sharman G 1950–19511976
Coaches
NamePositionTenureInducted
Red Auerbach Head coach1947–19491969
Contributors
NamePositionTenureInducted
Earl Lloyd 1 F 1950–19512003

Notes:

Notable alumni

Leading scorers by season

Coaches and others

Season-by-season records

BAA/NBA champions Division championsPlayoff berth
SeasonLeague Division FinishWinsLosses Win% GB Playoffs Awards
1946–47 BAA Eastern 1st†4911.817—Lost BAA Semifinals (Stags) 2–4
1947–48 BAA Western 4th2820.5831Lost Division Tiebreaker (Stags)
1948–49 BAAEastern1st3822.633—Won Division semifinals (Warriors) 2–0
Won Division finals (Knicks) 2–1
Lost BAA Finals (Lakers) 2–4
1949–50 NBAEastern3rd3236.47121Lost Division semifinals (Knicks) 0–2
1950–51 ‡NBAEastern6th1025.28630
Regular season record157114.5791946–1951
Playoff record812.400Postseason 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. [5]

‡ The Capitols folded midway during the season on January 9, 1951.

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References

  1. ↑ "1949-50 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com.
  2. ↑ Spencer S. Hsu (June 12, 2003). "History Buffs Fight to Save Uline Arena; Coliseum Hosted Dylan, Beatles and Malcolm X". The Washington Post. ProQuest   409539211.
  3. ↑ "Uline Arena - Douglas Development". douglasdevelopment.com.
  4. ↑ "Earl Lloyd". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  5. ↑ "1946–47 BAA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
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