1970–71 ABA season

Sports season

1970–71 ABA season

League| American Basketball Association
Sport| Basketball
Duration| October 14, 1970 – May 18, 1971
Number of games| 84
Number of teams| 11
Regular season
Top seed| Indiana Pacers
Season MVP| Mel Daniels (Indiana)
Top scorer| Dan Issel (Kentucky)
Finals
Champions| Utah Stars
Runners-up| Kentucky Colonels
ABA seasons

← 1969–70

1971–72 →

The 1970–71 ABA season was the fourth season of the American Basketball Association.

Notable franchise moves from the previous season included:

* The Washington Caps moved to Norfolk, Virginia, became the Virginia Squires and switched divisions with the Indiana Pacers.
* The Miami Floridians became more of a regional franchise and were renamed simply The Floridians.
* The Los Angeles Stars moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and became the Utah Stars.
* The Dallas Chaparrals became a regional franchise and were renamed the Texas Chaparrals.
* The New Orleans Buccaneers moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and became the Memphis Pros.

The Utah Stars, led by Zelmo Beaty and Willie Wise, won the ABA championship, defeating the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3, in the ABA Finals.

## Teams

[edit]

1970-71 American Basketball Association

Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity
Eastern  | Carolina Cougars | Greensboro, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum
Charlotte Coliseum
Dorton Arena | 15,000
9,605
7,610
Kentucky Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | 16,664
New York Nets | West Hempstead, New York | Island Garden | 5,200
Pittsburgh Condors | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 12,580
The Floridians | Miami Beach, Florida
Tampa, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida | Miami Beach Convention Center
Curtis Hixon Hall
Bayfront Arena
Jacksonville Coliseum
West Palm Beach Auditorium | 15,000
7,000
7,500
11,000
5,000
Virginia Squires | Old Dominion University Fieldhouse
Hampton Coliseum
Richmond Arena
Salem Civic Center
Roanoke Civic Center | Norfolk, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia | 5,200
9,777
6,000
6,820
9,828
Western  | Denver Rockets | Denver, Colorado | Denver Auditorium Arena | 6,841
Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | 10,000
Memphis Pros | Memphis, Tennessee | Mid-South Coliseum | 10,085
Texas Chaparrals | University Park, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Lubbock, Texas | Moody Coliseum
Dallas Memorial Auditorium
Tarrant County Coliseum
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | 8,998
9,815
16,057
11,200
Utah Stars | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Palace | 12,166

### Map of teams

[edit]

Carolina

Kentucky

New York

Pittsburgh

Floridians

Virginia

Denver

Indiana

Memphis

Texas

Utah

Eastern Division  Western Division

## Final standings

[edit]

### Eastern Division

[edit]

Team | W | L | PCT. | GB

|
|
|
|

Virginia Squires * | 55 | 29 | .655 | —
Kentucky Colonels * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 11.0
New York Nets * | 40 | 44 | .476 | 15.0
The Floridians * | 37 | 47 | .440 | 18.0
Pittsburgh Condors | 36 | 48 | .429 | 19.0
Carolina Cougars | 34 | 50 | .405 | 21.0

### Western Division

[edit]

Team | W | L | PCT. | GB

|
|
|
|

Indiana Pacers * | 58 | 26 | .690 | —
Utah Stars * | 57 | 27 | .679 | 1.0
Memphis Pros * | 41 | 43 | .488 | 17.0
Texas Chaparrals * | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28.0
Denver Rockets * | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28.0

Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team (the Rockets and the Chaparrals played a one-game playoff to settle the tie for the final playoff spot, which the Chaparrals won)

Bold – ABA champions

## Playoffs

[edit]

See also: 1971 ABA Playoffs

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Zelmo Beaty (Utah) was named Playoffs MVP Dan Issel (Kentucky) won the 1970–71 scoring title

* ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (2nd time)
* Rookie of the Year: Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires & Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
* Coach of the Year: Al Bianchi, Virginia Squires
* Playoffs MVP: Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars
* All-Star Game MVP: Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers
* All-ABA First Team
* Roger Brown, Indiana Pacers (1st First Team selection, 3rd overall selection)
* Rick Barry, New York Nets (3rd selection)
* Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (4th selection)
* Mack Calvin, The Floridians
* Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires
* All-ABA Second Team
* John Brisker, Pittsburgh Condors
* Joe Caldwell, Carolina Cougars
* Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars (tied with Issel)
* Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (tied with Beaty)
* Donnie Freeman, Texas Chaparrals (3rd selection)
* Larry Cannon, Denver Rockets
* All-ABA Rookie Team
* Joe Hamilton, Texas Chaparrals
* Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
* Wendell Ladner, Memphis Pros
* Samuel Robinson, The Floridians
* Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires

## References

[edit]

## External links

[edit]

* Sports portal

* 1970-71 ABA Season Summary | Basketball-Reference.com

* v
* t
* e

American Basketball Association seasons

Seasons|

* 1967–68
* 1968–69
* 1969–70
* 1970–71
* 1971–72
* 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76

Playoffs|

* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976

All-Star Games|

* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976

* Champions
* Awards and honors
* Broadcasters
* ABA–NBA merger (1976 ABA dispersal draft)

* v
* t
* e

1970–71 ABA season by team

* All-Star Game
* Draft
* Playoffs

Eastern Division|

* Carolina Cougars
* Kentucky Colonels
* New York Nets
* Pittsburgh Condors
* The Floridians
* Virginia Squires

Western Division|

* Denver Rockets
* Indiana Pacers
* Memphis Pros
* Texas Chaparrals
* Utah Stars

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