Belt game 529 · March 28, 1953 · playoffs
New York Knicks take the belt
New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics 101–82 at home to start reign 234 of the NBA belt, the 31st for the franchise.
Boston Celtics had held it since March 26, 1953, with 0 defenses over 2 days.
New York Knicks held it for 8 days and 2 defenses, then lost it to Los Angeles Lakers on April 5, 1953.
234Reign number
31Team's reign
2Defenses
8Days held
Box score
Boston Celtics
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Cousy | 33 | 18 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 8-22 | — | 2-2 |
| Bill Sharman | 31 | 13 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 4-12 | — | 5-5 |
| Chuck Cooper | 21 | 11 | 0 | 4 | — | — | 4-9 | — | 3-4 |
| Kenny Rollins | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 4-9 | — | 1-1 |
| Bob Harris | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2-7 | — | 4-5 |
| Bob Brannum | 16 | 8 | 0 | 4 | — | — | 3-5 | — | 2-3 |
| Ed Macauley | 35 | 7 | 0 | 5 | — | — | 2-7 | — | 3-4 |
| Bob Donham | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2-11 | — | 2-8 |
| Francis Mahoney | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 1-6 | — | 0-0 |
| John Mahnken | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 0-3 | — | 0-0 |
New York Knicks
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG | 3P | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Gallatin | 34 | 23 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8-15 | — | 7-8 |
| Vince Boryla | 39 | 21 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 6-11 | — | 9-10 |
| Dick McGuire | 35 | 13 | 0 | 11 | — | — | 5-11 | — | 3-3 |
| Ernie Vandeweghe | 34 | 13 | 0 | 6 | — | — | 5-9 | — | 3-7 |
| Nat Clifton | 34 | 11 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 5-13 | — | 1-2 |
| Connie Simmons | 28 | 7 | 0 | 3 | — | — | 2-5 | — | 3-4 |
| Carl Braun | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 2-10 | — | 3-4 |
| Al McGuire | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 0-0 |
| Sherwin Raiken | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 0-1 |
| Dick Surhoff | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1-1 | — | 0-0 |
Player box scores: Historical NBA Data and Player Box Scores by Eoin Moore (CC0).