I've decided to expand this timeline to cover the last four years of the ABA after the Pipers folded. There are two seasons where the postseason played out exactly as it did in real life, and I'll document those two first. We begin with 1974-75 in the East:
Kentucky Colonels: 61-23 (+3)
New York Nets: 61-23 (+3)
Spirits of St. Louis: 31-53 (-1)
Memphis Sounds: 28-56 (+1)
Virginia Squires: 16-68 (+1)
Even the tie between the Colonels and the Nets for first place stays the same, as each team gains three games. The only team to drop a game is the third-place Spirits. The Colonels would beat the Nets 108-99 at Freedom Hall in Louisville on April 4 to take the division title despite a thirty-four point effort from the Nets' Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
Both semifinal series went five games, with the Colonels defeating the Sounds and the Spirits upsetting the Nets. The final also went five games, with the Colonels defeating the Spirits.
Now to the West:
Denver Nuggets: 59-25 (-6)
San Antonio Spurs: 53-31 (+2)
Indiana Pacers: 45-39 (0)
Utah Stars: 37-47 (-1)
San Diego Conquistadors: 28-56 (-3)
The Nuggets drop a division-high six games, but still take the crown by six games over the Spurs, who only improve by a pair. The Pacers stand pat, while both the Stars and Conquistadors drop games behind them. The Conquistadors' three-game slip means that they finish nine games behind the fourth-place stars and thirty-one games behind the Nuggets.
Both Western semifinal series went six games, with the Nuggets defeating the Stars and the Pacers upsetting the Spurs. The Pacers pulled another upset in the division finals, shocking the top-seeded Nuggets in seven games. Their magic ran out in the ABA Finals, however, as the Colonels defeated them in five games to claim their first ABA championship.
Next: We examine the ABA's final season, 1975-76.
Thoughts?
Kentucky Colonels: 61-23 (+3)
New York Nets: 61-23 (+3)
Spirits of St. Louis: 31-53 (-1)
Memphis Sounds: 28-56 (+1)
Virginia Squires: 16-68 (+1)
Even the tie between the Colonels and the Nets for first place stays the same, as each team gains three games. The only team to drop a game is the third-place Spirits. The Colonels would beat the Nets 108-99 at Freedom Hall in Louisville on April 4 to take the division title despite a thirty-four point effort from the Nets' Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
Both semifinal series went five games, with the Colonels defeating the Sounds and the Spirits upsetting the Nets. The final also went five games, with the Colonels defeating the Spirits.
Now to the West:
Denver Nuggets: 59-25 (-6)
San Antonio Spurs: 53-31 (+2)
Indiana Pacers: 45-39 (0)
Utah Stars: 37-47 (-1)
San Diego Conquistadors: 28-56 (-3)
The Nuggets drop a division-high six games, but still take the crown by six games over the Spurs, who only improve by a pair. The Pacers stand pat, while both the Stars and Conquistadors drop games behind them. The Conquistadors' three-game slip means that they finish nine games behind the fourth-place stars and thirty-one games behind the Nuggets.
Both Western semifinal series went six games, with the Nuggets defeating the Stars and the Pacers upsetting the Spurs. The Pacers pulled another upset in the division finals, shocking the top-seeded Nuggets in seven games. Their magic ran out in the ABA Finals, however, as the Colonels defeated them in five games to claim their first ABA championship.
Next: We examine the ABA's final season, 1975-76.
Thoughts?
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