The 76ers are one of four current NBA teams with roots in the National Basketball League (NBL), which began in 1937. The league was based in the Midwest and financed by companies such as the Goodyear and FirestoneRubber Companies of Akron, Ohio, and General Electric Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The companies had fielded teams in the Midwest Industrial League and matched their clubs against 10 previously independent teams for the 1937-38 season. The league suffered from disorganization (teams scheduled games at their own discretion), but the participation of many of the top college players of the era helped the NBL last 12 seasons. For the 1946-47 season Syracuse joined the fold, one of five new teams that year. The Nationals were coached by Bennie Borgmann and led by rookie guard Jerry Rizzo and by the 6-9, 31-year-old veteran center, Mike Novak.Syracuse finished the regular season 21-23 and was ousted in the playoffs by Rochester, three games to one.The following season, 1947-48, the Nationals went 24-36.
                  In the summer of 1948 four of the NBL's top teams-the Minneapolis Lakers (who had the sport's biggest name, George Mikan), Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, and Indianapolis Kautskys-left that league for the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The National Basketball League made it through the 1948-49 season but folded shortly thereafter.While the NBL was dying, Syracuse had revitalized its team with a new starting five, including veteran Al "Digger" Cervi and rookie Dolph Schayes. Cervi, a fiery guard, had been the captain of the Rochester Royals
since 1945, but an argument with owner Les Harrison caused him to switch teams. The Nats finished at 40-23for the second-best record in the league. Indiana's faster Anderson Packers team, which had the league's best record, ran past the Nationals and their more deliberate style in the division finals.