1974 ABA Playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 29 – May 10, 1973 |
| Season | 1972–73 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New York Nets (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Utah Stars |
| Semifinalists | |
The 1974 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New York Nets defeating the Western Division champion Utah Stars, four games to one in the ABA Finals.
Notable events
[edit]A one-game playoff was held to determine the fourth-place finisher in the Western Division because the San Diego Conquistadors and Denver Rockets had both tied for fourth place during the regular season. The game was played on March 29, 1974, with the Conquistadors posting a 131–111 win at Denver.
The Carolina Cougars played their final game on April 8, 1974, losing at home to the Kentucky Colonels 128–119 in the last game of their Eastern Division semifinal series, which the Colonels swept 4 games to none. The Cougars played in the remaining two seasons of the ABA as the Spirits of St. Louis and were one of only two teams (the Colonels being the other) remaining during the ABA-NBA merger to not enter the NBA.
The New York Nets and Utah Stars won the Eastern Division and Western Division, respectively, in both the regular season and the playoffs.[1]
The New York Nets became the first team since the 1969-1970 Indiana Pacers to win the ABA championship after posting the league's best regular season record.
Julius Erving of the New York Nets was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs. He won that distinction again in 1976 and became the only player in ABA history to repeat as the MVP of the league playoffs.
Bracket
[edit]| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | ABA Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Utah Stars | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | San Diego Conquistadors | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Utah Stars | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Utah Stars | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York Nets | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Nets | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Virginia Squires | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | New York Nets | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Carolina Cougars | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4 | ||||||||||||
Western Division Tiebreaker Game
[edit]March 29
|
| San Diego Conquistadors 131, Denver Rockets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–37, 19–30, 33–33, 30–31 | ||
| Pts: Bo Lamar 40 Rebs: Tim Bassett 12 Asts: Jimmy O'Brien 12 |
Pts: Beck, Robisch 18 each Rebs: Beck, Green 8 each Asts: Al Smith 20 | |
| San Diego wins tiebreaker | ||
Division Semifinals
[edit]Western Division Semifinals
[edit](1) Utah Stars vs. (4) San Diego Conquistadors
[edit](2) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs
[edit]March 30
|
| San Antonio 113, Indiana 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |
April 3
|
| Indiana 96, San Antonio 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |
April 6
|
| San Antonio 100, Indiana 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Indiana leads series, 3–2 |
April 12
|
| San Antonio 79, Indiana 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Indiana wins series, 4–3 |
Eastern Division Semifinals
[edit](1) New York Nets vs. (4) Virginia Squires
[edit]March 29
|
| Virginia Squires 96, New York Nets 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 19–26, 26–27, 24–27 | ||
| Pts: Cincy Powell 22 Rebs: Cincy Powell 15 Asts: Mike Barr 7 |
Pts: Julius Erving 24 Rebs: Larry Kenon 12 Asts: Julius Erving 12 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 1
|
| Virginia Squires 110, New York Nets 129 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 20–39, 28–24, 34–33 | ||
| Pts: George Carter 27 Rebs: Carter, Eakins 7 each Asts: Fatty Taylor 6 |
Pts: Julius Erving 35 Rebs: Larry Kenon 12 Asts: Gale, Taylor 7 each | |
| New York leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 4
|
| New York Nets 115, Virginia Squires 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–21, 26–31, 24–32, 36–32 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 29 Rebs: Julius Erving 12 Asts: Brian Taylor 7 |
Pts: Jim Eakins 31 Rebs: Fatty Taylor 9 Asts: Fatty Taylor 5 | |
| New York leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 7
|
| New York Nets 116, Virginia Squires 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 30–15, 24–27, 32–17 | ||
| Pts: Larry Kenon 25 Rebs: Larry Kenon 11 Asts: Erving, Gale 5 each |
Pts: Cincy Powell 22 Rebs: Cincy Powell 10 Asts: Fatty Taylor 8 | |
| New York leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 8
|
| Virginia Squires 96, New York Nets 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 26–23, 27–29, 27–36 | ||
| Pts: Jim Eakins 36 Rebs: Jim Eakins 21 Asts: Fatty Taylor 4 |
Pts: Larry Kenon 22 Rebs: Billy Paultz 9 Asts: Erving, Taylor 5 each | |
| New York wins series, 4–1 | ||
(2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) Carolina Cougars
[edit]April 1
|
| Carolina Cougars 102, Kentucky Colonels 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 24–28, 21–26, 33–35 | ||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 21 Rebs: Jim Chones 7 Asts: Gene Littles 6 |
Pts: Artis Gilmore 33 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 19 Asts: Chuck Williams 7 | |
| Kentucky leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 5
|
| Kentucky Colonels 99, Carolina Cougars 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 23–25, 27–23, 31–27 | ||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore 34 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: Artis Gilmore 4 |
Pts: Calvin, McClain 20 each Rebs: Joe Caldwell 13 Asts: Mack Calvin 5 | |
| Kentucky leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 6
|
| Kentucky Colonels 120, Carolina Cougars 110 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–14, 26–22, 38–31, 30–43 | ||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore 19 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 15 Asts: Chuck Williams 8 |
Pts: Mack Calvin 25 Rebs: Jim Chones 9 Asts: Caldwell, Littles 3 each | |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–0 | ||
April 8
|
| Carolina Cougars 119, Kentucky Colonels 128 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 25–35, 24–30, 39–35 | ||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 31 Rebs: McClain, Cunningham, Caldwell 7 each Asts: Gene Littles 7 |
Pts: Artis Gilmore 33 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: Louie Dampier 8 | |
| Kentucky wins series, 4–0 | ||
Division Finals
[edit]Western Division Finals
[edit](W1) Utah Stars vs. (W2) Indiana Pacers
[edit]April 13
|
| Indiana 96, Utah 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
April 15
|
| Indiana 102, Utah 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah leads series, 2–0 |
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
April 17
|
| Utah 99, Indiana 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah leads series, 3–0 |
Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
|
April 18
|
| Utah 107, Indiana 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah leads series, 3–1 |
Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
|
April 22
|
| Indiana 110, Utah 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah leads series, 3–2 |
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
April 25
|
| Utah 89, Indiana 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Series tied, 3–3 |
Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
|
April 27
|
| Indiana 87, Utah 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, – | ||
| Utah wins series, 4–3 |
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
Eastern Division Finals
[edit](1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels
[edit]April 13
|
| Kentucky Colonels 106, New York Nets 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–26, 21–26, 24–38, 31–29 | ||
| Pts: Dan Issel 22 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 10 Asts: Chuck Williams 7 |
Pts: Julius Erving 35 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Brian Taylor 7 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 15
|
| Kentucky Colonels 80, New York Nets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 13–18, 26–30, 19–30 | ||
| Pts: Louie Dampier 16 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 18 Asts: Artis Gilmore 4 |
Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Wendell Ladner 14 Asts: Wendell Ladner 5 | |
| New York leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 17
|
| New York Nets 89, Kentucky Colonels 87 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–31, 27–23, 24–19, 20–14 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 30 Rebs: Julius Erving 14 Asts: Gale, Williamson 4 each |
Pts: Dan Issel 26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 27 Asts: Louie Dampier 8 | |
| New York leads series, 3–0 | ||
With the game tied, Julius Erving hit a 15-foot shot at the buzzer to deliver a victory for New York. It is believed to be the first ABA buzzer-beater playoff shot in history.[2]
April 20
|
| New York Nets 103, Kentucky Colonels 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 33–22, 20–23, 19–18 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Billy Paultz 12 Asts: Brian Taylor 6 |
Pts: Artis Gilmore 20 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: John Roche 7 | |
| New York wins series, 4–0 | ||
ABA Finals: (E1) New York Nets vs. (W1) Utah Stars
[edit]April 30
|
| Utah Stars 85, New York Nets 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–22, 26–20, 25–25, 20–22 | ||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 25 Rebs: Wise, Gerald Govan 12 each Asts: Jones, Wise, Govan, Bruce Seals 2 each |
Pts: Julius Erving 47 Rebs: Larry Kenon 20 Asts: John Williamson 5 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 4
|
| Utah Stars 94, New York Nets 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 18–33, 30–20, 27–37 | ||
| Pts: Jones, Wise 19 each Rebs: Wise, Govan 12 each Asts: Ron Boone 8 |
Pts: Julius Erving 32 Rebs: Larry Kenon 13 Asts: Bill Melchionni 7 | |
| New York leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 6
|
| New York Nets 103, Utah Stars 100 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 26–18, 31–19, 20–32, Overtime: 9–6 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 24 Rebs: Julius Erving 13 Asts: Mike Gale 8 |
Pts: Jimmy Jones 28 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 16 Asts: Jimmy Jones 6 | |
| New York leads series, 3–0 | ||
May 8
|
| New York Nets 89, Utah Stars 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 24–24, 34–24, 13–23 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 18 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Julius Erving 7 |
Pts: Jimmy Jones 24 Rebs: Gerald Govan 23 Asts: Ron Boone 10 | |
| New York leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 10
|
| Utah Stars 100, New York Nets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 21–22, 29–30, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: Willie Wise 34 Rebs: Gerald Govan 10 Asts: Willie Wise 6 |
Pts: Larry Kenon 23 Rebs: Julius Erving 16 Asts: Williamson, Gale 5 each | |
| New York wins series, 4–1 | ||
Statistical leaders
[edit]| Category | Total | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played | |
| Points | Willie Wise | Utah Stars | 420 | Julius Erving | New York Nets | 27.9 | 14 |
| Rebounds | Gerald Govan | Utah Stars | 246 | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 18.6 | 8 |
| Assists | Ron Boone | Utah Stars | 109 | Ron Boone | Utah Stars | 6.1 | 18 |
| Steals | Brian Taylor | New York Nets | 33 | Mike Barr | Virginia Squires | 2.4 | 5 |
| Blocks | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 30 | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 3.8 | 8 |
Total leaders
[edit]|
Points
Rebounds
|
Assists
Minutes
|
