1939–40 National Basketball League (United States) season

1939–40 NBL season National Basketball League Basketball 28 8 November 22, 1939 – March 6, 1940 March 6–9, 1940 (Playoffs) March 11–16, 1940 (Finals) Regular season Akron Firestone Non-Skids Akron Firestone Non-Skids Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh) NBL (United States) Most Valuable Player Award Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh) Playoffs Eastern Akron Firestone Non-Skids Detroit Eagles Western Oshkosh All-Stars Sheboygan Red Skins Finals Akron Firestone Non-Skids Oshkosh All-Stars *Firestone Clubhouse, Akron, Ohio South Park School Gymnasium, Oshkosh, Wisconsin List of National Basketball League (United States) seasons NBL 1938–39 National Basketball League (United States) season 1938–39 1940–41 National Basketball League (United States) season 1940–41 The 1939–40 NBL season was the fifth National Basketball League (NBL) season. The regular season began on November 22, 1939, and ended on March 6, 1940. The playoffs began on the same day as the end of the regular season due to the Akron Firestone Non-Skids and Detroit Eagles both uniquely deciding to have their last regular season game against each other also count as a playoff game at the same time and ran until March 16, 1940, with the Akron Firestone Non-Skids once again defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars by 3 games to 2 in a rematch of the previous season's NBL Championship, with this rematch resulting in a reverse sweep by the Firestone Non-Skids after previously being down 0–2 early in the series.Nelson Murry R. The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949 2009 McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers 978-0-7864-4006-1, pp. 68–80 Teams The Pittsburgh Pirates did not field a team in the 1939–40 season. Instead, they would be replaced by the Chicago Bruins, who had previously competed in the American Basketball League in its first iteration before the long-term effects of the Great Depression forced it to shut down operations on a temporary basis. The Cleveland White Horses also relocated to Detroit, Michigan and were renamed the Detroit Eagles.Nelson Murry R. The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949 2009 McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers 978-0-7864-4006-1, p. 53Nelson Murry R. The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949 2009 McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers 978-0-7864-4006-1, p. 70 +Eastern DivisionAkron Firestone Non-Skids Akron, OhioAkron Goodyear Wingfoots Akron, OhioDetroit Eagles Detroit, MichiganIndianapolis Kautskys Indianapolis, IndianaWestern DivisionChicago Bruins Chicago, IllinoisHammond Ciesar All-Americans Hammond, IndianaOshkosh All-Stars Oshkosh, WisconsinSheboygan Red Skins Sheboygan, Wisconsin +Coaching changesOffseason Team 1938–39 coach 1939–40 coachAkron Goodyear WingfootsLefty Byershttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/akron-goodyear-webfoots-2/ AKRON GOODYEAR WEBFOOTSRay Detrickhttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/akron-goodyear-webfoots-3/ AKRON GOODYEAR WEBFOOTSIndianapolis KautskysBob Nipperhttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/indianapolis-kautskys-4/ INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYSWard Meyershttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/indianapolis-kautskys-5/ INDIANAPOLIS KAUTSKYSOshkosh All-StarsGeorge Hotchkisshttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/oshkosh-all-stars-2/ OSHKOSH All-STARSLon Darlinghttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/oshkosh-all-stars-3/ OSHKOSH All-STARSSheboygan Red SkinsEdwin Schuttehttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/sheboygan-redskins/ SHEBOYGAN RED SKINSFrank Zummachhttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/sheboygan-redskins-2/ SHEBOYGAN RED SKINSIn-season Team Outgoing coach Incoming coachHammond Ciesar All-AmericansLou Boudreauhttps://probasketballencyclopedia.com/season/hammond-ciesar-all-americans/ HAMMOND CIESAR ALL-AMERICANSEddie Ciesar (interim)Eddie Ciesar (interim)Leo Bereolos Preseason Prior to the start of the season, the Oshkosh All-Stars sold shares of their team worth $25 each to raise funds following financial losses in the previous season. The NBL would also adopt the ten second backcourt violation in order to help speed up the game more as well as provide teams with more opportunities to score throughout the game.Sachare Alex The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia: Second Edition 1994 Villard Books (Random House, Inc.) 0-679-43293-0 , p. 16 Regular season Teams were scheduled to play a 28-game regular season, playing four games (two home, two away) against every other team. The final game of the regular season between the Akron Firestone Non-Skids and the Detroit Eagles also served as the first game in their playoff series.https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/seasons/1940.html 1939-40 NBL Season Summary Basketball-Reference.com Team standings Eastern Division Western Division Postseason Playoffs The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The Akron Firestone Non-Skids returned to the NBL Championship after sweeping the Detroit Eagles 2–0 in the Eastern Division playoff. The Oshkosh All-Stars also returned to the championship after defeating the Sheboygan Red Skins 2–1 in the Western Division playoff. In the rematch of last season's championship, Akron successfully defended its title, defeating the All-Stars by 3 games to 2. The result meant that Oshkosh had now finished second for three consecutive seasons. Division Playoffs NBL Championship E1 Akron Firestone Non-Skids 2 E2 Detroit Eagles 0 W1 Oshkosh All-Stars 2 W2 Sheboygan Red Skins 1 E1 Akron Firestone Non-Skids 3 W1 Oshkosh All-Stars 2Bold Series winner World Professional Basketball Tournament 1940 World Professional Basketball Tournament After the conclusion of the NBL season, three NBL teams, the Chicago Bruins, the Oshkosh All-Stars, and the Sheboygan Red Skins, competed in the 1940 edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. The Red Skins lost to the eventual third-placed Syracuse Reds in the quarterfinals, while the Bruins finished as runners-up to the Harlem Globetrotters after defeating the All-Stars in the quarterfinals. Statistics Leaders Category Player Team Stat Points Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 361https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/leaders/ NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Points Basketball-Reference.com Free-Throws Leroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 139https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/leaders/ NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Free Throws Basketball-Reference.com Field goals Ernie Andres Indianapolis Kautskys 130https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/leaders/ NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Field Goals Basketball-Reference.com Note: Prior to the 1969–70 NBA season, league leaders in points were determined by totals rather than averages. Also, rebounding and assist numbers were not recorded properly in the NBL like they would be in the BAA/NBA, as would field goal and free-throw shooting percentages. Awards NBL Most Valuable Player: Leroy Edwards, Oshkosh All-Stars NBL Coach of the Year: Paul Sheeks, Akron Firestone Non-Skids NBL Rookie of the Year: Ben Stephens, Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 25em All-NBL First Team: G/F – Soup Cable, Akron Firestone Non-Skids G/F – Charley Shipp, Oshkosh All-Stars C/F – Leroy Edwards, Oshkosh All-Stars G/F – Ben Stephens, Akron Goodyear Wingfoots G/F – Wibs Kautz, Chicago Bruins All-NBL Second Team: G/F – Ernie Andres, Indianapolis Kautskys G/F – Otto Kolar, Sheboygan Red Skins G/F – Rube Lautenschlager, Sheboygan Red Skins G/F – Jack Ozburn, Akron Firestone Non-Skids G/F – Nat Frankel, Detroit Eagles http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/6925/nbl.html https://web.archive.org/web/20050818001517/http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/6925/nbl.html 2005-08-18 Steve Dimitry's NBL Web Site See also National Basketball League (United States) References External links NBL Standings, 1937–1949 on apbr.org National Basketball League III – 1939–40 NBL Season Overview on retroseasons.com