American Basketball Association 1970-71
The 1970-71 ABA season was the American Basketball Association's fourth season . The season began on October 14, 1970. 11 teams took part in the game. Each team played 84 games. The four best in each division qualified for the playoffs. On May 18, 1971, the season ended with the ABA Championship. The Utah Stars defeated the Kentucky Colonels in the finals , becoming ABA champions for the first time.
Season Notes
- The Dallas Chaparrals became a regional team and were now called Texas Chaparrals .
- Originally, the New Orleans Buccaneers were supposed to contest the season as the regional Louisiana Buccaneers , but moved to Memphis , Tennessee , where they became the Memphis Pros . The name was chosen because the jerseys that had already been bought could be changed with little effort.
- Because of the negotiations with the NBA regarding the merger of the two leagues, the Washington Caps were relocated to Virginia , where they continued to play as Virginia Squires . The franchise moved from the Western Division to the Eastern Division in exchange for the Indiana Pacers .
- The Los Angeles Stars moved to Utah , where they competed as Utah Stars .
- After a change of ownership, the Pittsburgh Pipers were renamed Pittsburgh Condors .
- The Miami Floridians became a regional team and were only called The Floridians .
- The ABA All-Star Game took place on January 23, 1971 in Greensboro , North Carolina .
- Kentucky Colonels rookie Dan Issel made the most points per game of the season. (29.9)
- In a playoff for the final playoff spot, the Texas Chaparrals defeated the Denver Rockets 115-109.
Awards
- ABA Most Valuable Player: Mel Daniels (Indiana)
- ABA Rookie of the Year: Charlie Scott (Virginia) and Dan Issel (Kentucky)
- ABA Coach of the Year: Al Bianchi (Virginia)
- ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: Mel Daniels (Indiana)
ABA All-League Team
| Item | First team | Second team |
|---|---|---|
| F. | Roger Brown , Indiana | John Brisker , Pittsburgh |
| F. | Rick Barry , New York | Joe Caldwell , Carolina |
| C. | Mel Daniels, Indiana | Zelmo Beaty , Utah and Dan Issel, Kentucky |
| G | Mack Calvin , Floridians | Donnie Freeman , Miami |
| G | Charlie Scott, Virginia | Larry Cannon , Denver |
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 | Virginia Squires (1) | 55 | 29 | .655 | - |
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels (2) | 44 | 40 | .525 | 11 |
| 3 | New York Nets (3) | 40 | 44 | .476 | 15th |
| 4th | The Floridians (4) | 37 | 47 | .440 | 18th |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Condors | 36 | 48 | .429 | 19th |
| 6th | Carolina Cougars | 34 | 50 | .405 | 21st |
| Western Division | |||||
| # | team | S. | N | PCT | P |
| 1 | Indiana Pacers (1) | 58 | 26th | .690 | - |
| 2 | Utah Stars (2) | 57 | 27 | .679 | 1 |
| 3 | Memphis Pros (3) | 41 | 43 | .488 | 17th |
| 4th | Texas Chaparrals (4) | 30th | 54 | .357 | 28 |
| 5 | Denver Rockets | 30th | 54 | .357 | 28 |
Playoffs 1971
The play-off rounds were played in the best-of-seven format.
| Division semifinal | Division Final | ABA Championship | |||||||||||
| E1 | Virginia Squires | 4th | |||||||||||
| E4 | New York Nets | 2 | |||||||||||
| E1 | Virginia Squires | 2 | |||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4th | |||||||||||
| E3 | The Floridians | 2 | |||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4th | |||||||||||
| E2 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 | |||||||||||
| W2 | Utah stars | 4th | |||||||||||
| W2 | Utah stars | 4th | |||||||||||
| W4 | Texas Chaparrals | 0 | |||||||||||
| W2 | Utah stars | 4th | |||||||||||
| W1 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | |||||||||||
| W3 | Memphis Pros | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
ABA Finals 1971
| game | date | Home team | Away team | Result | was standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 3rd | Utah | Kentucky | 136: 117 | 1-0 |
| 2 | 5th of May | Utah | Kentucky | 138: 125 | 2-0 |
| 3 | May 7th | Kentucky | Utah | 116: 110 | 1: 2 |
| 4th | 8th of May | Kentucky | Utah | 129: 125 (nV) | 2: 2 |
| 5 | 12th of May | Utah | Kentucky | 137: 127 | 3: 2 |
| 6th | May 15 | Kentucky | Utah | 105: 102 | 3: 3 |
| 7th | May 18 | Utah | Kentucky | 131: 121 | 4: 3 |
- Zelmo Beaty of the Utah Stars was named Most Valuable Player of the ABA Finals.