Calculating Team Pace Before 1973-74

Pace is a measure of the number of possessions a team uses per 48 minutes. Even with modern record keeping, this is an estimate. Box score numbers can’t tell us exactly how many possessions each team had.

Add in things like team turnovers (turnovers that aren’t attributed to any particular player), and estimating possessions can get complex. For 1973-74 and on, possession and therefore pace statistics are easily available.

However, prior to that year, offensive rebounds and turnovers were not tracked. Both of these are used in the standard estimations of possessions. Therefore, for the prior seasons you have to get creative. The good people at Basketball-Reference.com have already looked into this subject for us, detailed here. We’re going to simply use the pace calculations they have come up with.

Data is gathered from Basketball-Reference.com. If you find the below information helpful, please give them a visit.

Year	Team	Pace
1973	Los Angeles Lakers	112
1973	Milwaukee Bucks	108.3
1973	Boston Celtics	114.5
1973	New York Knicks	105.9
1973	Chicago Bulls	104.5
1973	Golden State Warriors	112.2
1973	Baltimore Bullets	108.7
1973	Detroit Pistons	111.5
1973	Atlanta Hawks	113.8
1973	Phoenix Suns	113
1973	Houston Rockets	115.2
1973	Kansas City-Omaha Kings	107.3
1973	Cleveland Cavaliers	108.3
1973	Seattle SuperSonics	110
1973	Portland Trail Blazers	110.4
1973	Buffalo Braves	110.9
1973	Philadelphia 76ers	115.2
1972	Los Angeles Lakers	116.9
1972	Milwaukee Bucks	111.2
1972	Chicago Bulls	108.6
1972	Phoenix Suns	113.7
1972	Boston Celtics	116.1
1972	New York Knicks	108
1972	Golden State Warriors	113
1972	Seattle SuperSonics	110.5
1972	Houston Rockets	114.7
1972	Baltimore Bullets	110.5
1972	Atlanta Hawks	110.7
1972	Philadelphia 76ers	115.8
1972	Cincinnati Royals	109.5
1972	Detroit Pistons	112.8
1972	Cleveland Cavaliers	111.5
1972	Portland Trail Blazers	112.3
1972	Buffalo Braves	108.3
1971	Milwaukee Bucks	113.4
1971	Chicago Bulls	109.7
1971	New York Knicks	112.2
1971	Los Angeles Lakers	115.7
1971	Phoenix Suns	115.3
1971	Boston Celtics	120.2
1971	Philadelphia 76ers	115.7
1971	Baltimore Bullets	116.5
1971	San Diego Rockets	118.5
1971	Detroit Pistons	111.3
1971	San Francisco Warriors	113.5
1971	Atlanta Hawks	117.2
1971	Seattle SuperSonics	116.5
1971	Cincinnati Royals	118.5
1971	Portland Trail Blazers	120.6
1971	Buffalo Braves	111.9
1971	Cleveland Cavaliers	110.6
1970	New York Knicks	114.3
1970	Milwaukee Bucks	115.8
1970	Philadelphia 76ers	120.9
1970	Baltimore Bullets	121
1970	Los Angeles Lakers	113.9
1970	Atlanta Hawks	114.4
1970	Boston Celtics	117.5
1970	Phoenix Suns	116.7
1970	Chicago Bulls	116.5
1970	Seattle SuperSonics	116.4
1970	Cincinnati Royals	118.5
1970	Detroit Pistons	111.6
1970	San Diego Rockets	125.1
1970	San Francisco Warriors	116.3
1969	New York Knicks	112.4
1969	Boston Celtics	117.5
1969	Philadelphia 76ers	120.4
1969	Baltimore Bullets	121.8
1969	Los Angeles Lakers	112.6
1969	Atlanta Hawks	113.9
1969	San Diego Rockets	123.8
1969	Cincinnati Royals	113.6
1969	San Francisco Warriors	117.1
1969	Chicago Bulls	113.4
1969	Detroit Pistons	116.8
1969	Seattle SuperSonics	117.4
1969	Milwaukee Bucks	117.5
1969	Phoenix Suns	118.4
1968	Philadelphia 76ers	124.3
1968	Los Angeles Lakers	118.1
1968	Boston Celtics	121.1
1968	St. Louis Hawks	113.7
1968	New York Knicks	117.2
1968	Baltimore Bullets	121.5
1968	Cincinnati Royals	114.6
1968	San Francisco Warriors	123.6
1968	Detroit Pistons	122
1968	Chicago Bulls	115.7
1968	Seattle SuperSonics	123.9
1968	San Diego Rockets	121.9
1967	Philadelphia 76ers	122.9
1967	Boston Celtics	121.2
1967	San Francisco Warriors	127.4
1967	Los Angeles Lakers	123
1967	Cincinnati Royals	118.6
1967	St. Louis Hawks	117.7
1967	New York Knicks	118.5
1967	Chicago Bulls	122.2
1967	Detroit Pistons	121.5
1967	Baltimore Bullets	123
1966	Boston Celtics	122
1966	Philadelphia 76ers	122.8
1966	Los Angeles Lakers	121.2
1966	Cincinnati Royals	120.4
1966	St. Louis Hawks	116.6
1966	Baltimore Bullets	123.1
1966	New York Knicks	118.9
1966	San Francisco Warriors	124.6
1966	Detroit Pistons	123.4
1965	Boston Celtics	123.6
1965	St. Louis Hawks	115.1
1965	Cincinnati Royals	115.8
1965	Los Angeles Lakers	113.9
1965	Philadelphia 76ers	119.1
1965	Baltimore Bullets	116.2
1965	Detroit Pistons	119.2
1965	New York Knicks	113.5
1965	San Francisco Warriors	119.7
1964	Boston Celtics	125
1964	Cincinnati Royals	115.9
1964	San Francisco Warriors	115.1
1964	St. Louis Hawks	114.6
1964	Los Angeles Lakers	111.6
1964	Baltimore Bullets	117
1964	Philadelphia 76ers	119.4
1964	New York Knicks	117.1
1964	Detroit Pistons	115.9
1963	Boston Celtics	127.3
1963	Syracuse Nationals	123.3
1963	Los Angeles Lakers	117.8
1963	St. Louis Hawks	115.6
1963	Cincinnati Royals	119
1963	San Francisco Warriors	123.2
1963	Detroit Pistons	120.3
1963	Chicago Zephyrs	112.2
1963	New York Knicks	117.5
1962	Boston Celtics	130.8
1962	Philadelphia Warriors	131.1
1962	Syracuse Nationals	128.8
1962	Los Angeles Lakers	123.3
1962	Cincinnati Royals	124.9
1962	Detroit Pistons	124.1
1962	St. Louis Hawks	124.6
1962	New York Knicks	125.6
1962	Chicago Packers	122.9
1961	Boston Celtics	134.4
1961	St. Louis Hawks	129.1
1961	Syracuse Nationals	129.1
1961	Philadelphia Warriors	132
1961	Los Angeles Lakers	124.9
1961	Detroit Pistons	126
1961	Cincinnati Royals	122.8
1961	New York Knicks	122.9
1960	Boston Celtics	136.3
1960	Philadelphia Warriors	133.3
1960	Syracuse Nationals	127.2
1960	St. Louis Hawks	120
1960	New York Knicks	125.9
1960	Detroit Pistons	123.1
1960	Minneapolis Lakers	121.2
1960	Cincinnati Royals	121.6
1959	Boston Celtics	128.7
1959	Syracuse Nationals	121
1959	St. Louis Hawks	115.6
1959	New York Knicks	118
1959	Detroit Pistons	117.8
1959	Minneapolis Lakers	115.5
1959	Philadelphia Warriors	118.4
1959	Cincinnati Royals	116.4
1958	Boston Celtics	124.8
1958	Syracuse Nationals	119.1
1958	New York Knicks	121.5
1958	St. Louis Hawks	119.5
1958	Philadelphia Warriors	117.8
1958	Cincinnati Royals	117.3
1958	Detroit Pistons	118.8
1958	Minneapolis Lakers	118.8
1957	Boston Celtics	118
1957	Philadelphia Warriors	108
1957	New York Knicks	110.5
1957	St. Louis Hawks	108.3
1957	Minneapolis Lakers	114.8
1957	Syracuse Nationals	112.3
1957	Rochester Royals	109.4
1957	Fort Wayne Pistons	107.7
1956	Philadelphia Warriors	108.5
1956	Boston Celtics	114.5
1956	Fort Wayne Pistons	103.2
1956	Syracuse Nationals	108.5
1956	New York Knicks	106.5
1956	Minneapolis Lakers	108
1956	St. Louis Hawks	109.4
1956	Rochester Royals	111.7
1955	Fort Wayne Pistons	100.7
1955	Syracuse Nationals	103.6
1955	Minneapolis Lakers	105.5
1955	New York Knicks	101.8
1955	Boston Celtics	108.6
1955	Philadelphia Warriors	102.9
1955	Rochester Royals	99.5
1955	Milwaukee Hawks	100.5
1954	Syracuse Nationals	93.5
1954	Minneapolis Lakers	93.5
1954	Rochester Royals	90.9
1954	Boston Celtics	93
1954	Fort Wayne Pistons	86.9
1954	New York Knicks	87.4
1954	Philadelphia Warriors	89.4
1954	Milwaukee Hawks	84.2
1954	Baltimore Bullets	91.3
1953	Minneapolis Lakers	93.7
1953	New York Knicks	93.1
1953	Syracuse Nationals	92.8
1953	Rochester Royals	94.1
1953	Boston Celtics	94.7
1953	Fort Wayne Pistons	91.1
1953	Indianapolis Olympians	86.3
1953	Milwaukee Hawks	88.6
1953	Baltimore Bullets	95.2
1953	Philadelphia Warriors	94.9
1952	Minneapolis Lakers	97.2
1952	Syracuse Nationals	96.1
1952	Boston Celtics	100
1952	Rochester Royals	92.7
1952	New York Knicks	94.9
1952	Indianapolis Olympians	96.7
1952	Philadelphia Warriors	95.5
1952	Fort Wayne Pistons	90.1
1952	Baltimore Bullets	97.3
1952	Milwaukee Hawks	90.7
1951	Minneapolis Lakers	94.8
1951	Philadelphia Warriors	99.3
1951	Rochester Royals	92.3
1951	Syracuse Nationals	98.1
1951	New York Knicks	94.8
1951	Boston Celtics	95.9
1951	Fort Wayne Pistons	102.4
1951	Baltimore Bullets	96.8
1951	Indianapolis Olympians	96.4
1951	Tri-Cities Blackhawks	103.9
1951	Washington Capitols	97.1

Calculating Team Pace Before 1973-74

Pace is a measure of the number of possessions a team uses per 48 minutes. Even with modern record keeping, this is an estimate. Box score numbers can’t tell us exactly how many possessions each team had.

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