| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 18–April 25, 1952 |
| Season | 1951–52 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Minneapolis Lakers (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | New York Knicks |
| Semifinalists | |
The 1952 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1951–52 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Minneapolis Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
For the first time in NBA history, all teams that made the playoffs the year before meet again, but this time with different outcomes. This would happen again in 1957, in 1966, and then 1973 before a few more teams add to the playoffs in 1975, 1977 and 1984.
The first NBA dynasty, the Lakers, won their third NBA title in the last 4 years and what would become their first of 3 straight titles.