American Basketball Association 1968-69
The 1968–69 ABA season was the American Basketball Association's second season . The season began on October 18, 1968. 11 teams took part in the game. Each team played 78 games. The four best in each division qualified for the playoffs. On May 7, 1969, the season ended with the ABA Championship. The Oakland Oaks defeated the Indiana Pacers in the finals and became champions of the ABA for the first time.
Season Notes
- Four teams moved before the start of the season: The Pittsburgh Pipers continued to play as the Minnesota Pipers . The New Jersey Americans became the New York Nets . The Anaheim Amigos were now called Los Angeles Stars . And the Minnesota Muskies were relocated to Miami , where they played the season as Miami Floridians .
- The ABA All-Star Game took place on January 28, 1969 in Louisville , Kentucky .
- The female jockey Penny Ann Early competed in a game for the Kentucky Colonels, albeit briefly.
- Rick Barry led the league in points per game (34.0) despite having to sit out half of the season with a knee injury.
Awards
- ABA Most Valuable Player: Mel Daniels (Indiana)
- ABA Rookie of the Year: Warren Armstrong (Oakland)
- ABA Coach of the Year: Alex Hannum (Oakland)
- ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: John Beasley (Dallas)
ABA All-League Team
| Item | First team | Second team |
|---|---|---|
| F. | Connie Hawkins , Minnesota | John Beasley , Dallas |
| F. | Rick Barry, Oakland | Doug Moe , Oakland |
| C. | Mel Daniels, Minnesota | Red Robbins , New Orleans |
| G | Larry Jones , Denver | Donnie Freeman , Miami |
| G | Jimmy Jones , New Orleans | Louie Dampier , Kentucky |
Final results
S = wins, N = defeats, PCT = percentage of wins, P = deficit on division leaders
The placements in the seed lists of the respective division playoffs are listed in brackets.
| Eastern Division | |||||
| # | team | S. | N | PCT | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana Pacers (1) | 44 | 34 | .564 | - |
| 2 | Miami Floridians (2) | 43 | 35 | .551 | 1 |
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels (3) | 42 | 36 | .538 | 2 |
| 4th | Minnesota Pipers (4) | 36 | 42 | .462 | 8th |
| 5 | New York Nets | 17th | 61 | .218 | 27 |
| Western Division | |||||
| # | team | S. | N | PCT | P |
| 1 | Oakland Oaks (1) | 60 | 18th | .769 | - |
| 2 | New Orleans Buccaneers (2) | 46 | 32 | .590 | 14th |
| 3 | Denver Rockets (3) | 44 | 34 | .564 | 16 |
| 4th | Dallas Chaparrals (4) | 41 | 37 | .526 | 19th |
| 5 | Los Angeles Stars | 33 | 45 | .423 | 27 |
| 6th | Houston Mavericks | 23 | 55 | .295 | 37 |
Playoffs 1969
The play-off rounds were played in the best-of-seven format.
| Division semifinal | Division Final | ABA Championship | |||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
| E3 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 | |||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
| E2 | Miami Floridians | 1 | |||||||||||
| E4 | Minnesota Pipers | 3 | |||||||||||
| E2 | Miami Floridians | 4th | |||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana Pacers | 1 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Oakland Oaks | 4th | |||||||||||
| W2 | New Orleans Buccaneers | 4th | |||||||||||
| W4 | Dallas Chaparrals | 3 | |||||||||||
| W2 | New Orleans Buccaneers | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Oakland Oaks | 4th | |||||||||||
| W3 | Denver Rockets | 3 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Oakland Oaks | 4th | |||||||||||
ABA Finals 1969
| game | date | Home team | Away team | Result | was standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April, 30th | Oakland | Indiana | 123: 114 | 1-0 |
| 2 | 2.May | Oakland | Indiana | 122: 150 | 1: 1 |
| 3 | May 3rd | Indiana | Oakland | 126: 134 (nV) | 1: 2 |
| 4th | 5th of May | Indiana | Oakland | 117: 144 | 1: 3 |
| 5 | May 7th | Oakland | Indiana | 135: 131 (nV) | 4: 1 |
- Oakland Oaks' Warren Armstrong has been named ABA Finals Most Valuable Player.