 The Celtics unfortunately finished last in their division that season, but one newspaper joked that the team "doubtless [found] his music soothing".Lavelli signed with the rival New York Knicks prior to the start of the 1950–51 NBA season.He averaged 3.3 points per game with the Knicks and participated in their playoff run, which ended in the 1951 NBA Finals at the hands of the Rochester Royals.