1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season was the fourth season of the Colonels in the American Basketball Association. University of Kentucky star Dan Issel was signed by the Colonels. Issel was given a 10-year contract worth $1.4 million, while playing all but one game in the whole season, leading to him being named Rookie of the Year, alongside averaging 29.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game during the season. Despite a 10–5 record, Rhodes was fired during the season. After having business manager Alex Groza coach the team for 2 games, Frank Ramsey was hired to coach the rest of the season. In the Semifinals, the Colonels beat The Floridians in a four-game sweep. In the Eastern Division Finals, they beat the Virginia Squires in six games to reach their first ABA Finals. In the championship series, they lost to the Utah Stars in seven games.
Alex Groza (2–0)
Frank Ramsey (32–35)
| 1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Gene Rhodes (10–5) Alex Groza (2–0) Frank Ramsey (32–35) |
| Arena | Freedom Hall |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–40 (.524) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | ABA Finals (lost to the Stars 3–4) |
Notably, this was the first season for the Colonels after rebranding from their original colors of chartreuse and white.
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Gene Rhodes / Alex Groza / Frank Ramsey Legend
|
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Eastern Division | 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 |
ABA Playoffs
ABA Eastern Division Semifinals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 2 | Kentucky | 116–112 | 1–0 | 3,182 |
| 2 | April 4 | Kentucky | 120–110 | 2–0 | 3,881 |
| 3 | April 6 | Florida | 102–120 | 2–1 | 4,126 |
| 4 | April 8 | Florida | 117–129 | 2–2 | 4,268 |
| 5 | April 10 | Kentucky | 118–101 | 3–2 | 4,996 |
| 6 | April 12 | Florida | 112–103 | 4–2 | 4,478 |
Colonels win series, 4–2
ABA Eastern Division Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 15 | Virginia | 136–132 | 1–0 | 4,250 |
| 2 | April 17 | Virginia | 122–142 | 1–1 | 5,000 |
| 3 | April 19 | Kentucky | 137–150 | 1–2 | 4,777 |
| 4 | April 21 | Kentucky | 128–110 | 2–2 | 5,221 |
| 5 | April 23 | Virginia | 115–107 | 3–2 | 10,013 |
| 6 | April 24 | Kentucky | 129–117 | 4–2 | 12,822 |
Colonels win series, 4–2
ABA Finals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | May 3 | Utah | 117–136 | 0–1 | 12,051 |
| 2 | May 5 | Utah | 125–138 | 0–2 | 13,208 |
| 3 | May 7 | Kentucky | 116–110 | 1–2 | 12,337 |
| 4 | May 8 | Kentucky | 129–125 (OT) | 2–2 | 9,863 |
| 5 | May 12 | Utah | 127–137 | 2–3 | 13,260 |
| 6 | May 15 | Kentucky | 105–102 | 3–3 | 11,793 |
| 7 | May 18 | Utah | 121–131 | 3–4 | 13,260 |
Colonels lose series, 4–3
Awards and honors
1971 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 23, 1971)
- Dan Issel
- Cincy Powell
- ABA Rookie of the Year
- Dan Issel (shared with Charlie Scott)
- ABA All-Second Team
- Dan Issel (tied with Zelmo Beaty for the Center position)
