5 youngest teams to win an NBA Championship
Winning an NBA championship is an impressive feat to achieve, even more so if a franchise manages to do it with a young roster.
The modern era of the NBA has been all about experienced teams pipping relatively young sides to the title. But there have been a few exceptions where youth has triumphed over experience.
On that note, here's a look at the five youngest teams in terms of average age to have won the NBA championship:
#5 1951-52 Minneapolis Lakers - 25.94 years
The 1951-52 Minneapolis Lakers were led by the talismanic George Mikan, who is revered as one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
The Lakers went on to win the championship that season despite having an extremely young roster with an average age of 25.9 years. They defeated the New York Knickerbockers in seven games, winning the final game by an emphatic 82-65 scoreline.
Mikan was instrumental in the Lakers' success that season, averaging 23.8 points per game. The young side was coached by John Kundla, and finished second in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season.
#4 1954-55 Syracuse Nationals - 25.86 years
The Syracuse Nationals entered the 1954-55 NBA season led by point guard George King, who later played a pivotal role in helping the team win a championship.
They defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games, with Game 7 being a tightly contested affair. The game ended 92-91, with King stealing the inbound pass made by the Pistons in the dying moments of the game.
In the regular season, they finished first in the Eastern Conference, with a 43-29 record. They had an impressive 25-7 home record as head coach Al Cervi led the young team to their first NBA championship in only their sixth season in the league.
Syracuse National owner Danny Biasone played a key role in introducing a reduced shot clock that year, which saw an immediate bump in scoring and assist numbers.
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