The Philadelphia Warriors won the 1950-51 NBA East division race at 40-26, 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics. It came down to the final days: the Philadelphia Warriors did not lead for good until March 11, 1951.
Final standings. The Washington Capitols folded on January 9, 1951, thirty-five games into the season, and the league dispersed their players the same day. Their line ends there.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 33 times.
The Philadelphia Warriors trailed by as many as 3 games on February 18, 1951.
The Philadelphia Warriors took first place for good on March 11, 1951.
The Boston Celtics led by 2 games as late as March 5, 1951.
The Philadelphia Warriors went 12-2 from February 19, 1951 to March 18, 1951, turning a deficit of 3 games into a lead of 2.5 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 89 of the 105 days played.
Five teams held first place.
The Philadelphia Warriors spent 46 of the season's 139 charted days in first place.