At the 1947 BAA draft, the Knicks selected Dick Holub in the first round, with the fifth overall pick.[6] The Knicks also selected Wataru Misaka,[7] who made the team's final roster and became "the first person of color to play in modern professional basketball", just months after the Major League Baseballcolor line had been broken by the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson.[8] Misaka was cut after playing only three games with the team.[9] The 1947–48 season was the first as New York's head coach for Joe Lapchick, who had previously held the same position for college basketball's St. John's; he had been hired in March 1947.[10] The Knicks had a 13–13 record in the first 26 games of the season before going on an eight-game winning streak from January 28 to February 11. However, New York won only four of its final 12 regular season contests.[11]
In game one of the first round of the playoffs, held in Baltimore, the Bullets defeated the Knicks 85–81 behind a 34-point performance by Connie Simmons.[12] The Knicks evened the series at one victory apiece by winning the second game 79–69 in New York, as four players scored more than 10 points.[13] The win forced a decisive third game back in Baltimore, which the Knicks lost 84–77. Simmons led the Bullets with 22 points, while Chick Reiser added 21.[14] The Bullets went on to win the 1948 BAA Finals.[15]
