The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950. History 1946–47 season In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the St. Louis Bombers at 38–22 each. A tiebreaker game between the two teams on March 31, 1947, resulted in the Stags defeating the Bombers in overtime, 73–66, to clinch the division and a first round bye. Under the initial playoff format, the two division champions faced each other in the Semifinals. The Stags defeated the Washington Capitols, the only team to finish with a better record than the Stags, 4–2, and went on to lose to the Philadelphia Warriors in the BAA Finals, 4–1. 1947–48 season The next season, the Stags finished second in their division with a 28–20 record, one game behind the St. Louis Bombers, and second overall in the league. In the playoffs, they won a tiebreaker game against the Washington Capitols, advancing to play the Boston Celtics in the First Round. The Stags won, moving into the Semifinals for the second consecutive year. However, they were defeated by the eventual champions, the Baltimore Bullets. 1948–49 season The next year, the Stags finished third, 38–22, seven games behind division-winning Rochester Royals. The playoffs were expanded from six to eight teams, and the Stags played the Minneapolis Lakers in the Division Semifinals where they lost 2–0. 1949–50 season In their final season, the Stags finished tied for third with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons with a 40–28 record, and again lost to the Lakers in the Division Semifinals. Purchase by Abe Saperstein, name change and folding Abe Saperstein, owner of the famed Harlem Globetrotters, bought the Stags in June 1950. In August, Saperstein announced that the team would be known as the Chicago Bruins and would play double-headers with his Globetrotters on most of its home dates in Chicago Stadium, something the now-former Stags had already done several times (in fact, the Stags final playoff game was part of a triple-header that also involved the Trotters). The Bruins also planned on playing "home games" in such cities as Detroit, Milwaukee, Peoria, Illinois, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati, making the Bruins a regional franchise. However, by September, Saperstein's deal to buy the club fell apart when he withdrew his offer and requested NBA president Maurice Podoloff return