BAA as the foundation for a merger was laid. The Nationals "recipe for success" began by recruiting Leo Ferris. Staying in the NBL, Ferris signed Al Cervi to be player-coach and outbid the New York Knicks for the services of Dolph Schayes who made his professional debut, leading the Nationals to a winning record for the first time with a record of 40–23. In the playoffs the Nationals defeated the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in two straight games. In the semifinals, the Nationals lost to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second straight season in four games. In 1949, when the NBL and the BAA merged into the NBA, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were brought into the NBA. The Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–50 season, with a league-best record of 51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play solid basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in two games. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, beating their big-city rivals in a three-game series. In the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nationals lost just their second home game of the season 68–66. The Nationals did not recover, as they fell behind 3–1 before falling in six games. Despite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–51 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season, 1950–51, the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, finishing in fourth place with a record of 32–34. In the playoffs the Nationals played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the first-place Warriors in two straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought five-game series, losing the finale by just two points. Cervi, playing less and coaching more, emphasized a patient offense and a scrappy defense, which led the league in the 1951–52 season by yielding a stingy 79.5 points per game as the Nationals won the Eastern Division with a solid 40–26 record. In the playoffs, the Nationals knocked off the Warriors again in a three-game series. In the Eastern Finals, the Nationals fell to the Knickerbockers again, dropping the