1972 ABA Playoffs - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1972 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

's 1971-1972 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, four games to two in the ABA Finals.

Notable events

The Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...

, despite finishing the season with the best record in the history of the ABA (68-16, .810), winning 8 of 11 regular season games against the New York Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

and finishing 24 games ahead of the Nets in the regular season standings, lost their first round series to the Nets.

The Floridians played their final game on April 6, 1972, losing at home in their Eastern Division semifinal series to the Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

115-106. The Squires swept the series 4 games to none behind rookie Julius Erving

Julius Erving

Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....

who grabbed at least thirty rebounds in three of those four games. On June 13, 1972 the league bought the Floridians and disbanded the team.

The Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

became the first team to win a second ABA championship.

Freddie Lewis

Freddie Lewis

Frederick L. Lewis is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association and now defunct American Basketball Association from 1966 to 1977....

of the Pacers was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

This was the first season in which two future NBA teams met for the ABA Championship. This only happened one other time in the league's history, during its final year in 1976 when the Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

edged past the Colonels 4-3 to meet the Nets in the ABA championship series.

Five of the seven playoff series ended in final games in which the home team lost.

Western Division

Champion: Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

Division Semifinals

(1) Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...

vs. (3) Dallas Chaparrals

Dallas Chaparrals

The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, later becoming the San Antonio Spurs and joining the NBA.The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas...

:
Stars win series 4-0

Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 106, Dallas 96
Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 113, Dallas 107
Game 3 @ Dallas: Utah 96, Dallas 89
Game 4 @ Dallas: Utah 103, Dallas 99

(2) Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

vs. (4) Denver Rockets:
Pacers win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 102, Denver 96
Game 2 @ Indiana: Denver 106, Indiana 105
Game 3 @ Denver: Indiana 122, Denver 120
Game 4 @ Denver: Denver 112, Indiana 96
Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Denver 79
Game 6 @ Denver: Denver 106, Indiana 99
Game 7 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Denver 89

Division Finals

(1) Utah Stars

Utah Stars

The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...

vs. (2) Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

:
Pacers win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 108, Indiana 100
Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 117, Indiana 109
Game 3 @ Indiana: Indiana 116, Utah 111
Game 4 @ Indiana: Indiana 118, Utah 108
Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 139, Indiana 130
Game 6 @ Indiana: Indiana 105, Utah 99
Game 7 @ Utah: Indiana 117, Utah 113

Eastern Division

Champion: New York Nets

Division Semifinals

(1) Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

vs. (3) New York Nets:
Nets win series 4-2

Game 1 @ Kentucky: New York 122, Kentucky 108
Game 2 @ Kentucky: New York 105, Kentucky 90
Game 3 @ New York: Kentucky 105, New York 99
Game 4 @ New York: New York 100, Kentucky 92
Game 5 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 109, New York 93
Game 6 @ New York: New York 101, Kentucky 96

(2) Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

vs. (4) The Floridians:
Squires win series 4-0

Game 1 @ Virginia: Virginia 114, Florida 107
Game 2 @ Virginia: Virginia 125, Florida 100
Game 3 @ Florida: Virginia 118, Florida 113
Game 4 @ Florida: Virginia 115, Florida 106

Division Finals

(1) Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

vs. (3) New York Nets:
Nets win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Virginia: Virginia 138, New York 91
Game 2 @ Virginia: Virginia 115, New York 106
Game 3 @ New York: New York 119, Virginia 117
Game 4 @ New York: New York 118, Virginia 107
Game 5 @ Virginia: Virginia 116, New York 107
Game 6 @ New York: New York 146, Virginia 136
Game 7 @ Virginia: New York 94, Virginia 88

ABA Finals

Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 124, New York 103
Game 2 @ Indiana: New York 117, Indiana 115
Game 3 @ New York: Indiana 114, New York 108
Game 4 @ New York: New York 110, Indiana 105
Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 100, New York 99
Game 6 @ New York: Indiana 108, New York 105

External links

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