1970–71 ABA season
Sports season
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The 1970–71 ABA season was the fourth season of the American Basketball Association.
| 1970–71 ABA season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 14, 1970 – May 18, 1971 |
| Games | 84 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Indiana Pacers |
| Season MVP | Mel Daniels (Indiana) |
| Top scorer | Dan Issel (Kentucky) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Kentucky Colonels |
| Eastern runners-up | Virginia Squires |
| Western champions | Utah Stars |
| Western runners-up | Indiana Pacers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Utah Stars |
| Runners-up | Kentucky Colonels |
Notable franchise moves from the previous season included:
- The Washington Caps moved to Norfolk, Virginia, became the Virginia Squires regional franchise, 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. (Originally, the Buccaneers planned to be a regional franchise called the Louisiana Buccaneers for this season.)
Other notable events included the jumping of last season's Most Valuable Player Spencer Haywood from the Denver Rockets to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics after playing just one season with them, which inflamed ABA management amid rumblings of failed talks to merge with the NBA.[1]
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.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1969–70 coach | 1970–71 coach |
| New York Nets | York Larese | Lou Carnesecca |
| Pittsburgh Condors | Buddy Jeannette | Jack McMahon |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Carolina Cougars | Bones McKinney | Jerry Steele |
| Denver Rockets | Joe Belmont | Stan Albeck |
| The Floridians | Harold Blitman | Bob Bass |
| Kentucky Colonels | Gene Rhodes Alex Groza (interim) |
Alex Groza (interim) Frank Ramsey |
| Texas Chaparrals | Max Williams | Bill Blakeley |
Teams
Map of teams
Eastern Division 
Western Division
Final standings
Eastern Division
| 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
| 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
Awards and honors
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- 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
