American Basketball Association 1971-72
The 1971-72 ABA season was the American Basketball Association's fifth season . The season began on October 13, 1971. Eleven teams took part in the game. Each team played 84 games. The four best in each division qualified for the playoffs. On May 20, 1972, the season ended with the ABA Championship. The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Nets in the finals , becoming ABA champions for the second time.
Season Notes
- For the first time, almost the same teams as in the previous season took part in the league. Only the Texas Chaparrals gave up their status as a regional team and played again as the Dallas Chaparrals .
- Also for the first time, friendship comparisons between teams from the ABA and the NBA took place before the season . The first game was played by the Milwaukee Bucks (with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ) at the Dallas Chaparrals on September 21, 1971 and won with 106: 103. The NBA won 18 of the 26 games.
- After the owner of the Memphis Pros gave up, 4,600 Tennessee fans bought shares in the team.
- The ABA All-Star Game took place on January 29, 1972 in Louisville , Kentucky .
- Larry Miller of the Carolina Cougars sets an ABA record against the Memphis Pros with 67 points.
- The Kentucky Colonels had the most wins in a regular ABA season with 68 wins. Nevertheless, they did not survive the first round of the playoffs.
- After the season, the Pittsburgh Condors and The Floridians were dissolved from the league and the players distributed by means of a draft.
Awards
- ABA Most Valuable Player: Artis Gilmore (Kentucky)
- ABA Rookie of the Year: Artis Gilmore (Kentucky)
- ABA Coach of the Year: Tom Nissalke (Dallas)
- ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: Dan Issel (Kentucky)
ABA All-League Team
| Item | First team | Second team |
|---|---|---|
| F. | Dan Issel, Kentucky | Willie Wise , Utah |
| F. | Rick Barry , New York | Julius Erving , Virginia |
| C. | Artis Gilmore, Kentucky | Zelmo Beaty , Utah |
| G | Donnie Freeman , Dallas | Ralph Simpson , Denver |
| G | Bill Melchionni , New York | Charlie Scott , Virginia |
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 | Kentucky Colonels (1) | 68 | 16 | .810 | - |
| 2 | Virginia Squires (2) | 45 | 39 | .536 | 23 |
| 3 | New York Nets (3) | 44 | 40 | .524 | 24 |
| 4th | The Floridians (4) | 36 | 48 | .429 | 32 |
| 5 | Carolina Cougars | 35 | 49 | .417 | 33 |
| 6th | Pittsburgh Condors | 25th | 59 | .298 | 43 |
| Western Division | |||||
| # | team | S. | N | PCT | P |
| 1 | Utah Stars (1) | 60 | 24 | .714 | - |
| 2 | Indiana Pacers (2) | 47 | 37 | .560 | 13 |
| 3 | Dallas Chaparrals (3) | 42 | 42 | .500 | 18th |
| 4th | Denver Rockets (4) | 34 | 50 | .405 | 26th |
| 5 | Memphis Pros | 26th | 58 | .310 | 34 |
Playoffs 1972
The play-off rounds were played in the best-of-seven format.
| Division semifinal | Division Final | ABA Championship | |||||||||||
| E1 | Kentucky Colonels | 2 | |||||||||||
| E3 | New York Nets | 4th | |||||||||||
| E3 | New York Nets | 4th | |||||||||||
| E2 | Virginia Squires | 3 | |||||||||||
| E4 | The Floridians | 0 | |||||||||||
| E2 | Virginia Squires | 4th | |||||||||||
| E3 | New York Nets | 2 | |||||||||||
| W2 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
| W2 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
| W4 | Denver Rockets | 3 | |||||||||||
| W2 | Indiana Pacers | 4th | |||||||||||
| W1 | Utah stars | 3 | |||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas Chaparrals | 0 | |||||||||||
| W1 | Utah stars | 4th | |||||||||||
ABA Finals 1972
| game | date | Home team | Away team | Result | was standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 6th | Indiana | new York | 124: 103 | 1-0 |
| 2 | May 9 | Indiana | new York | 115: 117 | 1: 1 |
| 3 | 12th of May | new York | Indiana | 108: 114 | 1: 2 |
| 4th | May 15 | new York | Indiana | 110: 105 | 2: 2 |
| 5 | May 18 | Indiana | new York | 100: 99 | 3: 2 |
| 6th | May 20th | new York | Indiana | 105: 108 | 2: 4 |
- Indiana Pacers' Freddie Lewis was named ABA Finals Most Valuable Player.