With the NBA struggling financially and down to just 8 teams, Nationals owner Danny Biasone suggested that the league limit the amount of time taken for a shot. Biasone was upset with the stalling tactics of opposing teams. During the summer of 1954, Biasone had gotten together some of his pros and a group of high school players and timed them with a stopwatch. Most shots were taken within 12 seconds, Biasone discovered. Biasone calculated that a 24 second shot clock would allow at least 30 shots per quarter and assist in increasing scoring. The result would speed up a game that often ended with long periods of teams just holding the ball. Quickness and athletic ability became prized as they never had been before. Excessive fouling didn't disappear completely, but just about everyone concluded that the clock was good for the game. The shot clock was a success with the result that scoring was up 14 points per game league wide. In the first season of the shot clock, the Nats would take first place in the Eastern Division with a 43-29 record.

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School
1	6	Red Kerr	(C/F)		Illinois University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Red Rocha Red Rocha Ephraim J. "Red" Rocha was a professional basketball player and coach.-Basketball:...	Red Kerr Johnny Kerr John G. “Red” Kerr was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals...	Connie Simmons Connie Simmons Cornelius "Connie" Leo Simmons was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey....
PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...	Dolph Schayes Dolph Schayes Adolph "Dolph" Schayes is a retired American professional basketball player and coach in the NBA. A top scorer and rebounder, he was a member of the 1955 NBA champion Syracuse Nationals and a 12-time All-Star....	Wally Osterkorn Wally Osterkorn Walter Raymond Osterkorn was an American professional basketball player.A 6'5" forward from the University of Illinois, Osterkorn began his pro career with the St. Paul Lights of the National Professional Basketball League during the 1950-51 season. When St...
SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...	Earl Lloyd Earl Lloyd Earl Francis Lloyd is a retired American basketball player. He was the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950-51 NBA season...	Jim Tucker Jim Tucker (basketball) James D. Tucker is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward from Duquesne University, Tucker played three seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Syracuse Nationals...
SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...	Paul Seymour Paul Seymour (basketball) Paul Norman Seymour was an American basketball player and coach. A 6'1" guard, he played collegiately at the University of Toledo, and had a 12-year career in the NBA and its predecessor, the Basketball Association of America...	Dick Farley Dick Farley (basketball) Richard L. Farley was an American professional basketball player.A 6'4" guard/forward from Winslow, Indiana, Farley played for the 1953 Indiana University national championship team...
PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...	George King George King (basketball) George Smith King was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.-1946-1950:...	Billy Kenville	Billy Gabor Billy Gabor William A. Gabor is an American former professional basketball player.A 5'11" guard/forward, Gabor played collegiately at Syracuse University during the 1940s. He averaged 12.1 points per game during his freshman year before joining the United States Army Air Corps in 1943...

Season schedule

Date	Opponent	Score	Result	Record
Oct 31	Minneapolis Lakers	94-97	Loss	0-1
Nov 6	@ Boston Celtics	84-107	Loss	0-2
Nov 7	Milwaukee Hawks	97-80	Win	1-2
Nov 11	@ Fort Wayne Pistons	88-86	Win	2-2
Nov 13	@ Milwaukee Hawks	72-85	Loss	2-3
Nov 14	@ Minneapolis Lakers	92-99	Loss	2-4
Nov 16	Philadelphia Warriors (at New York, NY)	86-85	Win	3-4
Nov 18	Fort Wayne PIstons	91-82	Win	4-4
Nov 20	@ Rochester Royals	80-79	Win	5-4
Nov 21	Boston Celtics	110-104	Win	6-4
Nov 25	Milwaukee Hawks	91-85	Win	7-4
Nov 27	@ New York Knicks	80-74	Win	8-4
Nov 28	New York Knicks	79-77	Win	9-4
Dec 1	New York Knicks (at Philadelphia)	86-88	Loss	9-5
Dec 2	Rochester Royals	82-78	Win	10-5
Dec 4	@ Philadelphia Warriors	73-79	Loss	10-6
Dec 5	Philadelphia Warriors	89-72	Win	11-6
Dec 7	Philadelphia Warriors (at New Haven, CT)	88-81	Win	12-6
Dec 8	@ Rochester Royals	78-105	Loss	12-7
Dec 9	Boston Celtics	120-107	Win	13-7

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
Dolph Schayes	72	887	213			1333

Playoffs

After a first round bye in the playoffs, the Nats would beat the Boston Celtics in 4 games as the Nats would reach the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight season.

NBA finals

In the finals the Nats would get off to a fast start taking the first 2 games at home against the Fort Wayne Pistons. However, as the series moved to Fort Wayne the Pistons would spark back to life taking all 3 games to take a 3-2 series lead. Back in Syracuse for Game 6 on the Nats kept Championship hopes alive by beating the Pistons 109-104 to force a 7th game at home. Game 7 would be as tight as the series as George King

George King (basketball)

George Smith King was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.-1946-1950:...

sank a free throw to give the Nats a 92-91 lead in the final seconds. King would then steal inbound pass to clinch the NBA Championship for the Nationals.

Game	Date	Home Team	Result	Road Team
Game 1	March 31	Syracuse	86-82	Fort Wayne
Game 2	April 2	Syracuse	87-84	Fort Wayne
Game 3	April 3	Fort Wayne	96-89	Syracuse
Game 4	April 5	Fort Wayne	109-82	Syracuse
Game 5	April 7	Fort Wayne	74-71	Syracuse
Game 6	April 9	Syracuse	109-104	Fort Wayne
Game 7	April 10	Syracuse	92-91	Fort Wayne

Nationals win series 4-3