1971 ABA Playoffs - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1971 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 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion 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:...

defeating the Eastern Division champion 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...

, four games to three in the ABA finals.

Notable events

There was a one game playoff for fourth place in the Western Division because the Texas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets had tied with regular season records of 30-54. The game was played on April 1 and the Chaparrals won 115-109.

This was the first season in ABA history in which the team with the best regular season record did not win the ABA championship. 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...

had the league's best record during this season at 58-26 (.690), putting them one game ahead of the eventual league champion Utah Stars

Utah Stars

in the Western Division.

This was the first season in ABA history in which neither regular season division champion made it to the ABA finals. The second place Utah Stars represented the West while the Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

, second place in the East behind 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 :...

, met them in the finals.

13,260 fans attended Game Seven of the ABA championship series between the Utah Stars and Kentucky Colonels at the Salt Palace

Salt Palace

This article describes a large building in Utah. A one-story building made of locally mined salt blocks in Grand Saline, Texas is also called the "Salt Palace"....

in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

, Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

on May 18, 1971. After the Stars won 131-121 the fans stormed the floor and mobbed the court for twenty minutes. Willie Wise

Willie Wise

Willie M. Wise is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'6" forward from Drake University, Wise earned a spot on the American Basketball Association's Los Angeles Stars as a walk-on in 1969...

and Zelmo Beaty

Zelmo Beaty

Zelmo "Big Z" Beaty is a former American basketball player.A 6'9" center from Prairie View A&M, Beaty was selected with the third pick of the 1962 National Basketball Association Draft by the St. Louis Hawks. Beaty was named to the inaugural NBA All-Rookie Team in 1963, and played a total of...

rode off the floor carried upon the shoulders of Utah fans.

Zelmo Beaty was named Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

Western Division

Champion: 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:...

Division Semifinals

(1) 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. (3) Memphis Pros

Memphis Pros

Memphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.-Origins:The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA and played for three seasons, 1967-1970, winning the Western Division championship in 1969...

:
Pacers win series 4-0

Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 114, Memphis 98
Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 106, Memphis 104
Game 3 @ Memphis: Indiana 91, Memphis 90
Game 4 @ Memphis: Indiana 102, Memphis 101

(2) 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. (4) Texas Chaparrals:
Stars win series 4-0

Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 125, Texas 115
Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 137, Texas 107
Game 3 @ Texas: Utah 113, Texas 101
Game 4 @ Texas: Utah 128, Texas 107

Division Finals

(1) 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. (2) 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:...

:
Stars win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Indiana: Utah 120, Indiana 118
Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 120, Utah 107
Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 121, Indiana 108
Game 4 @ Utah: Utah 126, Indiana 99
Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 127, Utah 109
Game 6 @ Utah: Indiana 105, Utah 102
Game 7 @ Indiana: Utah 108, Indiana 101

Eastern Division

Champion: 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...

Division Semifinals

(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:
Squires win series 4-2

Game 1 @ Virginia: Virginia 113, New York 105
Game 2 @ Virginia: Virginia 114, New York 108
Game 3 @ New York: New York 135, Virginia 131
Game 4 @ New York: New York 130, Virginia 127
Game 5 @ Virginia: Virginia 127, New York 124
Game 6 @ New York: Virginia 118, New York 114

(2) 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...

vs. (4) The Floridians:
Colonels win series 4-2

Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 116, Florida 112
Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 120, Florida 110
Game 3 @ Florida: Florida 120, Kentucky 102
Game 4 @ Florida: Florida 129, Kentucky 117
Game 5 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 118, Florida 101
Game 6 @ Florida: Kentucky 112, Florida 103

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. (2) 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...

:
Colonels win series 4-2

Game 1 @ Virginia: Kentucky 136, Virginia 132
Game 2 @ Virginia: Virginia 142, Kentucky 122
Game 3 @ Kentucky: Virginia 150, Kentucky 137
Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 128, Virginia 110
Game 5 @ Virginia: Kentucky 117, Virginia 105
Game 6 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 129, Virginia 117

ABA Finals

Kentucky Colonels

:
Stars win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 136, Kentucky 117
Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 138, Kentucky 125
Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 116, Utah 110
Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 129, Utah 125
Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 137, Indiana 127
Game 6 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 105, Utah 102
Game 7 @ Utah: Utah 131, Kentucky 121

External links

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