About the 1947-48 PBLA Season
The Professional Basketball League of America began
play in the fall of 1947 with 16 teams divided into Northern and
Southern divisions.
The ambitious new league was unable to complete its first season.
The PBLA folded on November 13, 1947, after only a
few weeks of play, leaving teams with dramatically different numbers
of games played.
Because the season was never completed, these standings represent each
team's record when the league ceased operations rather than the results
of a completed regular season. No PBLA champion was crowned.
Northern Division
| Team |
W |
L |
Pct. |
GB |
Points |
PPG |
Opp. Points |
Opp. PPG |
Diff. |
| Chicago Gears |
8 |
0 |
1.000 |
— |
583 |
72.9 |
455 |
56.9 |
+16.0 |
| St. Paul Saints |
6 |
3 |
.667 |
2.5 |
497 |
55.2 |
446 |
49.6 |
+5.6 |
| Grand Rapids Rangers |
3 |
3 |
.500 |
4 |
317 |
52.8 |
308 |
51.3 |
+1.5 |
| Louisville Colonels |
2 |
4 |
.333 |
5 |
301 |
50.2 |
323 |
53.8 |
-3.6 |
| Omaha Tomahawks |
2 |
4 |
.333 |
5 |
298 |
49.7 |
345 |
57.5 |
-7.8 |
| Kansas City Blues |
1 |
5 |
.167 |
6 |
275 |
45.8 |
304 |
50.7 |
-4.9 |
| Waterloo Pro-Hawks |
1 |
5 |
.167 |
6 |
308 |
51.3 |
340 |
56.7 |
-5.4 |
| St. Joseph Outlaws |
1 |
6 |
.143 |
6.5 |
340 |
48.6 |
406 |
58.0 |
-9.4 |
Southern Division
| Team |
W |
L |
Pct. |
GB |
Points |
PPG |
Opp. Points |
Opp. PPG |
Diff. |
| Houston Mavericks |
2 |
0 |
1.000 |
2 |
121 |
60.5 |
98 |
49.0 |
+11.5 |
| Atlanta Crackers |
7 |
1 |
.875 |
— |
421 |
52.6 |
353 |
44.1 |
+8.5 |
| Birmingham Skyhawks |
5 |
2 |
.714 |
1.5 |
388 |
55.4 |
358 |
51.1 |
+4.3 |
| Tulsa Ranchers |
7 |
3 |
.700 |
1 |
433 |
43.3 |
412 |
41.2 |
+2.1 |
| Chattanooga Majors |
3 |
3 |
.500 |
3 |
299 |
49.8 |
327 |
54.5 |
-4.7 |
| Oklahoma City Drillers |
2 |
3 |
.400 |
3.5 |
216 |
43.2 |
224 |
44.8 |
-1.6 |
| New Orleans Hurricanes |
3 |
5 |
.375 |
4 |
455 |
56.9 |
491 |
61.4 |
-4.5 |
| Springfield Squires |
1 |
7 |
.125 |
6 |
385 |
48.1 |
447 |
55.9 |
-7.8 |
Standings Notes
W = Wins |
L = Losses |
Pct. = Winning Percentage |
GB = Games Behind
Points represents total points scored,
PPG represents points scored per game,
Opp. Points represents total points allowed, and
Diff. represents average scoring differential per game.
Chicago finished unbeaten at 8-0 and had the PBLA's
highest scoring average at 72.9 points per game. Houston was also
undefeated at 2-0 when league operations ended.
Because the league folded before clubs played an equal number of games,
winning percentages and games-behind figures can look unusual compared
with standings from a completed season.
The PBLA's Unfinished Season
The PBLA attempted to compete in an already crowded professional
basketball market that included the Basketball Association of America,
National Basketball League and American Basketball League.
The Chicago Gears entered the PBLA after winning the 1947 NBL
championship and featured star center George Mikan.
Chicago won all eight of its PBLA games before the league shut down.
With the PBLA dissolving before its schedule could be completed, no
playoffs were held and no official league champion was determined.
The surviving standings provide a snapshot of one of the shortest-lived
professional basketball leagues in American history.
