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1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season
Division champions
Head coachVince Cazzetta
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Results
Record54–24 (.692)
PlaceDivision: 1st
Playoff finishWon ABA Championship
1968–69 >

The 1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season was the 1st season of the ABA. The Pipers finished first in the Eastern Division and won their first and only ABA title.[1]

In the Eastern Division semifinals, the Pipers swept the Indiana Pacers in three games. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Pipers eliminated the Minnesota Muskies, in five games. The Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers appeared in the ABA Championships for the first time and were defeated by the Pipers in seven games. The Pipers would soon move to Minnesota for the next season, only to return a year later. Plaguing injuries nagged the team for the rest of their brief tenure in Pittsburgh, as they would disband in 1972, only four years after winning the title. The Pipers hold a legacy as the first ABA champion along with Pittsburgh's only professional basketball champion.

Roster

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Bold indicates player was on final roster when team won championship.

Season standings

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1969–70 ABA Eastern Standings[2]
Western Division W L PCT. GB
Pittsburgh Pipers 54 24 .692
Minnesota Muskies 45 39 .641 4
Indiana Pacers 38 40 .487 16
Kentucky Colonels 36 46 .462 18
New Jersey Americans 36 46 .462 18

Record vs. opponents

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1967-68 ABA Records
Team ANA DAL DEN HOU IND KEN MIN NJA NOB OAK PIT
Anaheim 2–8 3–7 6–3 2–4 0–6 1–5 2–4 2–7 6–4 1–5
Dallas 8–2 4–5 8–2 3–3 5–1 2–4 3–3 4–6 7–2 2–4
Denver 7–3 5–4 6–3 4–2 2–4 2–4 5–1 5–5 7–3 2–4
Houston 3–6 2–8 3–6 3–3 3–3 3–3 3–3 0–10 7–3 2–4
Indiana 4–2 3–3 2–4 3–3 6–5 3–8 6–4 3–3 4–2 4–6
Kentucky 6–0 1–5 4–2 3–3 5–6 5–5 4–7 2–4 3–3 3–7
Minnesota 5–1 4–2 4–2 3–3 8–3 5–5 7–3 5–1 5–1 4–7
New Jersey 4–2 3–3 1–5 3–3 4–6 7–4 3–7 3–3 5–1 3–8
New Orleans 7–2 6–4 5–5 10–0 3–3 4–2 1–5 3–3 6–3 3–3
Oakland 4–6 2–7 3–7 3–7 2–4 3–3 1–5 1–5 3–6 0–6
Pittsburgh 5–1 4–2 4–2 4–2 6–4 7–3 7–4 8–3 3–3 6–0

Playoffs

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Eastern Division Semifinals[3]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 March 25 Pittsburgh 146–127 1–0 2,189
2 March 26 Pittsburgh 121–108 2–0 3,684
3 March 27 Indiana 133–114 3–0 3,141

Pipers win series, 3–0

Division Finals[3]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 4 Pittsburgh 125–117 1–0 3,159
2 April 6 Pittsburgh 123–137 1–1 2,123
3 April 10 Minnesota 107–99 2–1 8,357
4 April 13 Minnesota 117–108 3–1 3,787
5 April 14 Pittsburgh 114–105 4–1 3,350

Pipers win series, 4–1

ABA Finals[3]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 18 Pittsburgh 120–112 1–0 2,665
2 April 20 Pittsburgh 100–109 1–1 3,877
3 April 24 New Orleans 101–109 1–2 6,300
4 April 25 New Orleans 106–105 (OT) 2–2 7,000
5 April 27 Pittsburgh 108–111 2–3 3,347
6 May 1 New Orleans 118–112 3–3 7,200
7 May 4 Pittsburgh 122–113 4–3 11,457

Pipers win series, 4–3

In six out of the 15 playoff games he played, Hawkins was the lead scorer. As such, he was named Playoffs MVP. Hawkins would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. As it turned out, this would be his only championship.

Awards, records, and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "Remember the ABA: Pittsburgh Condors". Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "1967-68 ABA Season Summary". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "1967-68 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2015.