1946–47 Chicago American Gears season | |
---|---|
NBL champions | |
Head coach | Bobby McDermott (player-coach) |
Arena | International Amphitheatre |
Results | |
Record | 26–18 (.591) |
Place | Division: T–3 (Western) |
Playoff finish | Defeated Rochester Royals in NBL Championship, 3–1 |
The 1946–47 Chicago American Gears season was the Gears' third year in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL), which was also the tenth year the league existed.[1] Twelve teams competed in the NBL in 1946–47, comprising six teams in both the Eastern and Western Divisions.[2]
Chicago played their home games at International Amphitheatre.[3] Despite finishing tied for third place in the Western Division, the American Gears made a surprise playoffs run by winning the first series three games to two (3–2) over the Indianapolis Kautskys, followed by a 2–0 sweep of Oshkosh All-Stars in the semifinals.[2] They then went on to win their first league championship 3–1 over Eastern Division champion Rochester Royals.[2]
Player-coach Bobby McDermott (First Team), George Mikan (First), and Bob Calihan (Second) earned All-NBL honors.[2]
Roster
[edit]Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note: Bob Cotton, Bill McDonald, Irv Noren, Les Rothman, and Bob Synnott were not on the playoffs roster.
Regular season
[edit]Season standings
[edit]Pos. | Western Division | Wins | Losses | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oshkosh All-Stars | 28 | 16 | .636 |
2 | Indianapolis Kautskys | 27 | 17 | .614 |
T–3 | Chicago American Gears | 26 | 18 | .591 |
Sheboygan Red Skins | 26 | 18 | .591 | |
5 | Anderson Duffey Packers | 24 | 20 | .545 |
6 | Detroit Gems | 4 | 40 | .091 |
Playoffs
[edit]Opening Round
[edit](2W) Indianapolis Kautskys vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 3–2
- Game 1 @ Indianapolis: Chicago 74, Indianapolis 72
- Game 2 @ Indianapolis: Chicago 69, Indianapolis 61
- Game 3 @ Chicago: Indianapolis 68, Chicago 67
- Game 4 @ Chicago: Indianapolis 55, Chicago 54
- Game 5 @ Chicago: Chicago 76, Indianapolis 62
Semifinals
[edit](1W) Oshkosh All-Stars vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 2–0
NBL Championship
[edit](1E) Rochester Royals vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 3–1
- Game 1 @ Rochester: Rochester 71, Chicago 65[6]
- Game 2 @ Rochester: Chicago 67, Rochester 63[7]
- Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 78, Rochester 70[8]
- Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 79, Rochester 68[9]
Awards and honors
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "NBL Season Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "1946–47 NBL Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago American Gears → 1946–1947". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Gears Winners Over Oshkosh 'Stars, 60–54". The Post-Crescent. March 28, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gears Beat Oshkosh". Wisconsin State Journal. March 30, 1947. p. 30. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Royals Defeat Gears; Take Playoff Lead". The Journal Standard. April 4, 1947. p. 8. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "George Mikan's 27 Points Help Gears Win, 67–63". Chicago Tribune. April 6, 1947. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gears Battle Royals In Playoff Battle". The Journal Standard. April 8, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chicago Gears Take National Basketball Title". Carbondale Free Press. April 10, 1947. p. 7. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.