Syracuse Nationals
When the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America and formed the National Basketball Association, Ratkovicz joined the Syracuse Nationals for the 1949–1950 season. Playing alongside future Basketball Hall of Famers Dolph Schayes and Al Cervi, Ratkovicz averaged eight-anf-a-half points per game in his first NBA season and played in the NBA Finals, where the Nationals lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in six games.
Statistically, Ratkovicz's best season came the following year during the 1950–1951 season. Playing in all 66 of the Nationals' team games, he averaged thirteen points and over eight rebounds per game. His 41.5% field goal percentage was the sixth highest in the NBA that season, and he also ranked in the top ten in free throws and free throw attempts.
Ratkovicz's role was reduced during the 1951–1952 season; playing in twenty-and-a-half minutes a game, he averaged seven-and-a-half points and five rebounds per game while serving as a backup to Dolph Schayes.
Read more about this topic: George Ratkovicz
Famous quotes containing the word syracuse:
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