The Rochester Royals, now the Kings, won their 1st and only NBA title in 1951, defeating New York in Game 7.
The Kings have made 31 trips to the playoffs in their franchise history. They won one championship, which came when they were the Rochester Royals. Let’s highlight that squad and their path to winning a title.
1951 NBA Championship
The Kings franchise began as the Rochester Royals in 1948-49. In both of their first two seasons, they made the playoffs. They went 51-17 during the 1949-50 season but were eliminated in the Central Division semifinals by the Fort Wayne Pistons.
The Royals went 41-27 during the 1950-51 regular season, which helped them qualify for the playoffs. Bob Davies made the All-Star team that season, averaging 15.2 points and 4.6 assists per game. The leading scorer for the Royals was Arnie Risen, who averaged 16.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. In total, the Royals had four players who averaged at least 10 points per game.
The Royals emerged from the Western Division semifinals in three games against the Pistons. They faced the Minneapolis Lakers in the Western Division Finals and defeated them in four games. It was a close series with three of the four games being decided by five or fewer points.
The NBA Finals brought a matchup with the Knicks. The Royals dominated in the early going, winning Game 1 by a score of 92-65. They then took Game 2 by 15 points. Game 3 was closer, but the Royals won again to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Just when it looked like the Royals were poised for a sweep, the Knicks won Game 4 by six points. The Knicks then pulled out a three-point win in Game 5. The Knicks then staved off elimination again, winning Game 6 to even up the series.
With the prospect of blowing a 3-0 series lead, Risen stepped up in Game 7 to score 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Davies also played well, recording 20 points as the Royals won the game and their first championship.
During the Royals’ playoff run, Risen averaged 19.5 points and 14.0 rebounds across 14 games. Davies averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 assists. Another key contributor was Jack Coleman, who averaged 10.0 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
The Royals made the playoffs each of the next four seasons, but did not advance past the Western Division finals. The franchise moved to Cincinnati in 1957-58 and eventually became the Sacramento Kings in 1985-86. They have yet to reach the NBA Finals once more.
