The Short, Unhappy Pythagorean Life of the Pittsburgh Pipers 1967-1972

Now here's the action for Monday, April 9:

Squires 122, Cougars 108 (VA wins series 4-3)

This game was tied at eighty-five after three quarters, but the Squires dominated the final twelve minutes to wrap up the series in front of a hostile crowd at the Greensboro Coliseum. As usual, Julius Erving was right in the middle of things, scoring thirty points and pulling down ten rebounds to go with eight assists. Fatty Taylor added twenty-two more points on nine of twelve shooting. The home squad got nineteen points from Snapper Jones on six of ten from the floor. Shooting guard Ted McClain came off the bench with fourteen, and center Mike Lewis checked in with an exact double-double: ten points and ten rebounds.

The Squires never trailed in the final period, taking the lead for good on Dr. J's bank shot off the glass thirty-eight seconds in.

The Sqiures went on to lose the Eastern finals to the Kentucky Colonels in five games. The Indiana Pacers then defeated the Colonels in seven games to win their second consecutive ABA championship.

Next: We go back in time to the 1968 ABA Finals between the Pacers and the Minnesota Muskies.

Thoughts?
 
Now it's time for Game 1 of the 1968 ABA Finals from the Met Center in Minneapolis. The date is Thursday, April 18:

1st Quarter: Small forward Doug Moe scored four straight points for the Bucs to break a 2-2 tie a little over a minute into the contest. The Muskies fought back to tie the game 9-9 at the 8:58 mark, as guards Donnie Freeman and Ron Parry worked a nifty give-and-go, with Perry getting the deuce.

The first major run of the game began at the 6:20 mark, as the Buccaneers reeled off nine in a row to break a 13-13 deadlock. Power man Jack Moreland was the catalyst; he was fouled while making a wide-open hook shot and converted the old-fashioned three-pointer, then drained a fifteen-footer off of the sweet dish from Moe. He finished the run by sinking two free throws at the 4:12 mark. The lead reached eleven at 26-15 on a slam from shooting guard Jimmy Jones, and Moe closed out the scoring with a fifteen-foot jumper at the 1:30 mark. A troubling pattern developed at the end of the period, as the Bucs missed their last four field goal attempts. Nonetheless, they led the Muskies 28-17 after twelve minutes of action.

2nd Quarter: The New Orleans lead reached thirteen when forward Jesse Branson swished a fadeaway shot from eight feet less than a minute in, then fourteen when Gerald Govan made one of two from the line. An old-fashioned three from Moe made it 35-20 at the 9:06 mark, and the Met Center was deathly silent. The Muskies whittled the lead down to ten at 36-26 on Freeman's turnaround jumper at 7:38, but the Bucs successfully kept their advantage in double digits, extending it to 42-27 at 4:53 on a bank off the glass from Red Robbins.

The Muskies then came to life, as they went on a 12-2 run to end the half. It started when Perry found center Mel Daniels for a nice-looking left wing jumper. Shooting guard Sammy Smith made one of two free throws, then his replacement Terry Kunze let one go from the left wing with a man in his face. It dropped, and the Muskies were back within ten. Power forward Errol Palmer canned a jumper to bring the Minnesota deficit into the single digits, then banked one in from the free throw line to make it 42-36 with 1:40 left in the half. Moe broke the run temporarily with a deuce, but Daniels hit one of two from the line, then closed the half with a rim-rattling dunk off of a Freeman feed. The Met Center cheered its heroes, who had not only gone on a run, but held the Bucs to just one bucket in the last 4:53. Unfortunately, the Bucs still held the halftime advantage, 44-39.

3rd Quarter: The Muskies got to within 45-43 in the first minute on Perry's scoop shot off the glass, but couldn't get over the hump, as the Bucs scored the next two baskets. A jumper by point guard Dick Clark (no relation to the host of Pyramid and American Bandstand). made it 52-47 at the 8:34 mark, but Robbins immediately answered with a jumper from nine feet away. He then made two free throws, and Moreland dunked off of a turnover rom Hunter to get the New Orleans lead back into double digits at 58-47 with 6:20 left.

Then Perry went on an eight-point run of his own, which included the game's first outside three pointer to get the home squad to within 60-55. Future Hall of Famer Larry Brown immediately answered with the Bucs' first outside three, but Freeman's traditional three brought the Muskies back to within 63-60 at 3:42. Once again, the Bucs had the answer, as Moreland made three the hard way. The Muskies kept digging, and Skip Thoren's reverse layup cut their deficit to two at 2:13. The teams traded buckets for the next minute, and the Muskies finally tied the game at seventy-two on Thoren's layup with 1:13 to play. Small forward Jesse Branson reclaimed the lead for New Orleans on its next possession, and Jones made two free throws to close out the quarter. After three, it was New Orleans 76, Minnesota 72.

4th Quarter: The lead bounced back and forth between two and four for the first couple of minutes, Jones made two free throws at the nine-minute mark to put the Bucs up 86-80, then fed Giovan for a one-handed swish to put the visitors up by eight. Moreland' jumper from eleven feet put the Bucs up 92-82 with 7:51 to play, and Moe's old-fashioned three at 7:32 expanded the lead to twelve. and Brown followed with a jumper to out the Bucs up by fourteen at 97-83. Point guard Leland Mitchell made two free throws at 4:04 to put the visitors in triple digits, and they called off the dogs from there. The final was 108-89, and the Bucs lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Due to technical difficulties, I used more than one sim to complete this report, so there are no stats and no Player of the Game.

The series will continue with Game 2 on Thursday night here at the Met Center.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 2 of the 1968 ABA Finals from the Met Center in Minneapolis. The date is Saturday, April 20:

1st Quarter: The first twelve minutes was even for the most part. The Bucs scored five of the first six points, but the Muskies hit a pair of buckets to bring themselves back even. From there the teams traded baskets for the most part. The Muskies' biggest lead of the period so far came at the 5:07 mark, as Ron Perry hit back-to-back shots to put the home squad up 20-15. The first was a bank shot off the glass; the second was a wide-open jumper from the foul line. Another Perry deuce came off the dish from Errol Palmer to make it 22-16 with 4:07 to play. The Bucs' Jesse Branson cut the lead to 24-21 by banking one off the glass and in at 2:10, and reserve power forward John Dickson ended the period with a wide-open jumper from the right wing. The Muskies had played their best basketball of the series to this point, and they had a 26-23 lead at the end of one to show for it.

2nd Quarter: The Bucs' Jimmy Jones scored the first four points of the period, hitting two free throws at 10:51 to give the Bucs their first lead of the game at 27-26. The Muskies scored the next four, but the Bucs came back with the next five, as Red Robbins' traditional three-pointer gave them a 32-30 lead at 8:39. This quickly turned into an 11-2 run, with Doug Moe contributing both a delicious little jumper off of a Jack Moreland feed and a coast-to-coast slam dunk that left the visitors up 38-32 at 7:11. After a bit of back-and-forth, the Bucs finally made it eight for the first time (44-36) on Larry Brown's reverse layup off of a Moe feed.

Much as they had in Game 1, the Muskies went to work, patiently whittling the lead down to two (48-46) when Mel Daniels made a pair of free throws at 2:41 to cap off an 8-2 run. The lead went back and forth between two and four for the rest of the half, with Jack Moreland's flip-in off of a Brown pass stopping the seesaw for the moment. Our halftime score: Bucs 54, Muskies 50.

3rd Quarter: A Branson dunk forty-two seconds in reestablished the eight-point New Orleans lead at 58-50. The Muskies spent much of the period getting the lead down to six or four, only for the Bucs to get a bucket and pull away again. The Bucs finally made it a double-digit game with thirty-nine seconds left when Moe hit a pull-up jumper from the deep left wing to make it 78-68. After a Muskies' foul shot briefly cut the lead back down to nine, Robbins ended the period in style by banking one in off the glass just as the horn sounded. We've now played three at the Met Center, and the Bucs are enjoying their largest lead of the evening so far. It's New Orleans 80, Minnesota 69.

4th Quarter: The Bucs scored the first eight points of the period to leave their hosts in the dust. Branson and Brown each made uncontested shots, and Branson also contributed a pair of free throws, as did Robbins. The lead hit twenty-one (92-71) at 8:31 when Robbins successfully drove to the basket off of Moe's pass, and topped out at twenty-three (98-75) on Jones' inside three with 5:59 left. Jones hit a jumper from the right side off of a Gerald Govan pass on the Bucs' next possession to put them at a hundred, and the teams ran out the clock from there. The Muskies' reserves made the final score look a tad more respectable, but the Bucs still cruised to a 109-95 win and a two games to none series lead.

Moe was chosen as Player of the Game by the writers in attendance after finishing with fourteen points and fifteen rebounds. Moreland finished with twenty points and pulled down thirteen boards, while Robbins was seven of fourteen from the floor and seven of seven from the charity stripe for a team-high twenty-one points, and he also pulled down ten boards. For the Muskies, Daniels had twenty-three points on ten of nineteen from the floor plus fourteen rebounds, while Donnie Freeman finished with twelve points and ten rebounds.

The series will take a three-day break before reconvening for Game 3 at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans on Wednesday night (April 24).

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 3 of the 1968 ABA Finals from the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. The date is Wednesday, April 24:

1st Quarter: The twams traded baskets until the 8:46 mark, when Doug Moe took a pass from Larry Brown, drove the lane, and canned a jump hook to put the Bucs up 11-6. The Muskies fought back to tie on Ron Perry's outside three twenty-seven seconds later, and there was more trading until Brown's layup at 4:44 capped a personal run of five straight New Orleans points and put the home squad up 22-17. Errol Palmer tied things up at twenty-two with a nifty fadeaway jumper at 3:19, and the visitors took their first lead since 2-0 at the 2:58 mark when Les Hunter made the front half of a one-and-one. The teams traded free throws for most of the rest of the period, but backup shooting guard Red Stroud ended it by taking a pass from Brown and banking a shot off the glass and in. At the end of a first quarter that saw six ties and seven lead changes, the Bucs led the Muskies 30-27.

2nd Quarter: The Bucs led by five three different times early in the period, but the Muskies pulled even again on Mel Daniels' jumper off of Donnie Freeman's assist, which tied the game at thirty-eight with 7:41 to play. Leland Mitchell immediately hit an outside three to put the Bucs back in the lead, and Moe's baby jumper from eleven feet at 5:16 gave them a game-high seven-point lead, which expanded to nine when Moe swished a wide-open fadeaway a little less than a minute later, then hit double digits for the first time at 4:16 when he finished a traditional three. The Muskies got the deficit down to eight a couple of times, but two free throws from Gerald Govan made it 62-50 New Orleans with fifty-seven seconds to play. The Muskies had worked back to within nine by the time the buzzer sounded, but for the third game in a row the Bucs had dominated most of the action. Our halftime score: New Orleans 65, Minnesota 56.

3rd Quarter: The Bucs established their biggest lead of the game so far in the first minute, when Moe found Red Robbins for a wide-open fadeaway to put the Bucs up by thirteen. Daniels made two free throws at 9:51 to get the Muskies back within eight at 71-63, but the Bucs pulled away for good soon after. Brown banked one in off the rim to make it 81-67 at 6:47, and Jimmy Jones converted a tip-in to increase the lead to seventeen (86-69) at 4:44. Hunter hit a fadeaway to cut the deficit to fourteen with 2:24 left, but Robbins' inside three snuffed any momentum before it could sprout wings. Moe made one of two free throws at 1:36 to give the Bucs their first twenty-point lead (96-76), and Robbins' tip-in with 1:01 left put the Bucs in triple digits as the Lakefront Arena thundered its applause. The quarter ended with the Bucs enjoying their largest lead of the series so far, 102-77.

4th Quarter: The Muskies put together what may be their best quarter of the series so far, albeit against a mixture of Bucs starters on the way out and reserves. Daniels' turnaround at 7:48 brought the Bucs lead back down to twenty at 106-86, but Jones ended his night by scooping one in off the glass at 5:25 to give the Bucs their biggest lead of the night at 114-87. The Bucs cleared their bench entirely after that, which allowed the Muskies to put together a decent run. Perry's bank off the glass with 1:14 remaining made their run 13-1 and got them back to with 115-100, and Freeman's slam dunk with thirty seconds left made it 115-104 and convinced Bucs coach Babe McCarthy to put his starting five back in. The final was 119-104, and the Bucs led the series three games to none, but the Muskies had closed the game on a 17-5 run. What impact that would have on Game 4 was anybody's guess.

Moe was once again named Player of the Game by the writers in attendance. He shot eleven of twenty-three from the floor and finished with twenty-six points and fourteen rebounds. Robbins added nineteen points (including nine of ten free throws) and fifteen rebounds. Jack Moreland added thirteen points and eleven boards, and Jesse Branson pulled down ten more rebounds to go with six points. Daniels led the Muskies with twenty-five points and nineteen rebounds, while Hunter shot eight of fifteen from the field to finish with seventeen points and ten rebounds. Sammy Smith added ten points and ten boards.

The series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow night at the Lakefront Arena, as the Bucs try for the sweep.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 4 of the 1968 ABA Finals from Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. The date is Thursday, April 25:

Note: I'm a bit under the weather, so I'm going to do a short recap. I'll be back to my longer writeups next time.

Buccaneers 138, Muskies 129 (2OT; NO sweeps series 4-0)

Doug Moe wrapped up his series MVP award by scoring thirty-two points for the Bucs and pulling down thirteen rebounds. Jimmy Jones added twenty-three points and ten boards, and Jack Moreland scored eighteen points and pulled down eleven boards, while Red Robbins had eighteen and fourteen respectively. Larry Brown scored sixteen points and added ten assists. For the Muskies, Mel Daniels scored thirty-one points and led all rebounders with twenty-four. Sammy Smith scored fourteen points and added sixteen boards, while Les Hunter added sixteen and ten respectively. The game was tied at 104 after four quarters and 116 after the first overtime.

This is the first ABA championship for the Bucs.

Next: We begin the 1970 Finals, as the Bucs meet the Indiana Pacers.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 1 of the 1970 ABA Finals from the Indiana State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis. The date is Friday, May 15:

1st Quarter: The teams traded baskets for the first three minutes and change before the Pacers rattled off seven straight points to take a 13-6 lead. The key plays were Roger Browns inside three-points and a thunderous slam dunk by Bob Netolicky. Brown hit an outside three at 7:11, then followed up with a squeaky clean jumper from he right wing to put the home squad up ten at 18-8. The lead bounced back and forth between six and eight for a while, then Red Robbins tipped one in from up close to cut the Indiana lead to 22-18 at 3:50. The Pacers answered with six points in a row to reestablish a double-digit lead; Brown fed point guard Tom Thacker for a ten-foot jumper that put the Pacers up 28-18 at 2:31. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter, with Ron Franz' short jumper in the final seconds bringing the Bucs within eight after one. Our score: Pacers 32, Bucs 24.

2nd Quarter: Netolicky opened the scoring with a neat little floater that reestablished Indiana's double-digit lead. The lead expanded to eleven at 37-26 on shooting guard Billy Keller's jumper less than two minutes in, then hit thirteen (42-29) on Brown's jumper at the 8:53 mark. The Bucs scored the next six, with Gerald Gowan's jumper bringing the visitors within 42-35 at 7:27. There were two stretches of over a minute each without any scoring at all, but the Bucs made it a six-point game (46-40)on Govan's inside three at 3:31.

After another scoreless minute and a half, the teams began to trade buckets again. The Pacers led by nine twice, the last time on Netolicky's twelve-footer assisted by Brown with forty-seven seconds left in the half. But Jack Moreland's layup in the dying seconds brought the Bucs within seven as the teams went to the locker room. At the half, it's Indiana 53, New Orleans 46.

3rd Quarter: The Bucs had the edge early, getting within three when Steve "Snapper" Jones buried a fifteen-footer at the 10:53 mark to close the Indiana lead to 55-52. Jones ended yet another scoreless period of over a minute and a half when he sprinted to the basket for a deuce that made it 60-58 Pacers at 7:31. The Pacers opened up a little daylight after that on a three-pointer from Netolicky that gave them a 69-62 lead at 5:34, but the Bucs promptly scored the next four to bring it back to a one-possession game. Forward Jerry Rook's layup at 2:21 brought the visitors within one (72-71), and shooting guard Skeeter Smith made three free throws after being fouled on an outside three to finally tie the game for the Bucs at seventy-four with 1:59 left in the quarter.

The teams traded baskets for the rest of the period, with the Pacers getting the better of it. Jimmy Jones buried a three to make it 82-81 Pacers with twenty-seven seconds left, but Mel Daniels answered from just beside the basket to close out the quarter. We've played three in Game 1, and the Pacers are clinging to an 84-81 lead.

4th Quarter: The Pacers scored the first eight points of the period to pull away for good. Keller's tip-in off the glass made it 92-81 with 10:25 to play in regulation. The Bucs tried to stay within shouting distance; Snapper's three from the left-hand corner brought them back to within 94-86 at 10:02. But the Pacers scored the next seven to put the finishing touches on a 17-5 skein that took them into double digits on shooting guard John Barnhill's fadeaway jumper at 8:17. The Bucs got back within ten at 101-91 on Jimmy's old-fashioned three at 6:11, but could get no closer until 2:29 remained, when Jimmy's putback finally got them back into single digits at 107-98. The benches emptied from there, and the final was Pacers 113, Bucs 101. The Pacers lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Brown was named Player of the Game. He finished with twenty-six points on nine of fifteen shooting from the floor, plus seven of ten from the free throw line. Netolicky finished with twenty-one points on nine of sixteen shooting and led the Pacers in rebounds with nineteen. Daniels was held to twelve points, but pulled down sixteen boards. Snapper was the Bucs' leading scorer with twenty-one points, while Robbins shot seven of eleven from the floor for fourteen points and pulled down fourteen rebounds. Govan also had fourteen rebounds to go with nine points.

Game 2 of this series will be on Sunday afternoon here at the State Fair Coliseum. The teams will play for three consecutive days, as Games 3 and 4 will be at New Orleans' Lakefront Arena on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
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I'm a bit under the weather again, so I'm going to do a brief recap of Game 2. I'll be back to normal with Game 3 next time.

Buccaneers 108, Pacers 102 (series tied 1-1)

Snapper Jones' thirty-three points on eleven of twenty-two from the floor and ten of eleven from the free throw line led the visitors, who escaped Indianapolis with a split. Red Robbins added twenty-four points and nineteen rebounds, and Gerald Govan also pulled down nineteen boards. Roger Brown had another big night in a losing cause, hitting nine of fifteen from the floor and twelve of fifteen from the line for thirty points. Mel Daniels added a double-double with seventeen points and eighteen rebounds, while Freddie Lewis added sixteen points.

Game 3 will be at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans tomorrow night (Monday, May 18)

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
I got myself completely screwed up keeping track of the score in Game 3, so it's another one-paragraph recap tonight. Hopefully things will be back to normal (whatever that is) next time.

Buccaneers 112, Pacers 110 (NO leads series 2-1)

Red Robbins hit a wide-open jumper with less than two seconds left to win the game for New Orleans. He finished with a double-double of sixteen points and eighteen rebounds, but the Bucs were led by twenty-four points from Snapper Jones. Jimmy Jones (no relation that I know of to Snapper) finished with sixteen points and ten assists, and Gerald Govan scored twelve points and pulled down ten boards. Reserve shooting guard Mike Butler hit four outside three on his way to sixteen points. Mel Daniels lad the way as usual for Indiana, scoring twenty-four points and leading all rebounders with twenty-six. Beb Netolicky added twenty-four points and ten rebounds, and both Daniels and Netolicky shot eleven of nineteen from the floor. Robbins took Player of the Game honors, as he hit six of eleven from the floor and all four of his free throw attempts.

Game 4 will be tomorrow night here at the Lakefront Arena,

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?
 
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It's another one-paragraph recap tonight, as my baseball sim took a long time to finish. I'll try my best to get back to longer recaps next time.

Buccaneers 119, Pacers 100 (NO leads series 3-1)

The Bucs are within one game of an upset, as they put away the Pacers with ease in front of a sellout crowd at the Lakefront Arena. Snapper Jones was the Bucs' leading scorer with twenty-three points, while Mike Butler and Jimmy Jones each added eighteen. Butler had another great game from three-point land, as he hit three of his four attempts. Gerald Govan and Red Robbins each added double-doubles; Govan had fifteen points and seventeen rebounds, while Robbins was held to ten points, but led all rebounders with twenty-three. Bob Netolicky led the Pacers with twenty-five points on eight of fifteen from the floor and a perfect nine for nine from the charity stripe, while Met Daniels hit nine of sixteen from the floor for eighteen points and also pulled down fifteen rebounds.

The series heads back to Indianapolis for Game 5 on Saturday night, May 23.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?
 
Now it's time for Game 5 of the 1970 ABA Finals from the State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis. The date is Saturday, May 23:

1st Quarter: The teams traded baskets for the first five minutes, with the Bucs grabbing the first multi-possession lead on a Snapper Jones jumper that made it 16-11 at 7:10. Jimmy Jones' conversion of Garald Govan's dish extended the New Orleans lead to seven on their next possession, and Jones converted a Red Robbins dish to make it 25-17 at the 5:10 mark. That was the midpoint of what turned out to be an 11-0 Bucs run which was capped off by a long outside three from Robbins that put the Bucs up fourteen (31-17) at 3:46. The Pacers worked their deficit back down into single digits by the 2:02 mark, as Roger Brown banked in a Billy Keller pass to get them back within 35-26. At the end of one quarter, the Bucs still led by nine at 37-28.

2nd Quarter: The Pacers cut their deficit to five at 37-32 on Netolicky's jumper from the free throw line with two men in his face; the assist went to Keller. Billy's old-fashioned three made it a 39-35 game on the next Indiana possession, but the Pacers didn't hit another field goal for over two minutes. They got within three (43-40) on Mel Daniels' right wing jumper at 8:13, and Brown's outside three cut the Bucs' lead to two a minute later.

The Bucs would pull away to a six-point lead a few times, but the Pacers always answered. John Barnhill's tip-in at 3:43 cut the New Orleans lead to 52-51, and the Pacers eventually evened things up at fifty-six on an outside three by Freddie Lewis and a turnaround jumper from Brown. Brown's jumper was the last Indiana basket of the half, the Bucs scored its last eight points, with Snapper's floater from the foul line taking us to halftime. After twenty-four minutes, it's Bucs 64, Pacers 56.

3rd Quarter: The Bucs' run continued to elven as a result of Jimmy's inside three to open the scoring in the second half. Robbins followed up on Snapper's missed jumper to open up a thirteen-point lead for the Bucs at the 10:34 mark, and Jimmy banked one in from thirteen feet to make it 74-60 New Orleans with nine and a half minutes to play in the period; the assist went to Tom Bowens. Two free throws from Robbins at 8:40 opened up a fifteen-point lead at 78-63, and after Brown's answering jumper on the next Pacers' possession, there was a mutual scoring drought lasting almost three minutes. Reserve center Oliver Darden tipped in a pass from Lewis to bring the Pacers back to within 78-68 at 4:57, and Bob Netolicky's dunk brought the Pacers' deficit down to eight as their faithful fans started to come back into the game.

After being held scoreless for five minutes and fifty-nine seconds, the Bucs finally scored on Jimmy's left side jumper at 2:41 to make it 80-71; they'd missed twelve consecutive shots in the interim. Jerry Rook's basket at 2:09 reestablished a twelve-point lead for the visitors at 84-72, and two free throws from reserve point guard Ron Parry opened the lead back up to 90-75 at 1:10. At the end of the period, the Bucs still held a fourteen-point lead and were twelve minutes away from their second ABA championship in three years. Our score: New Orleans 92, Indiana 78.

4th Quarter: The Bucs hit the century mark at 100-85 on Jimmy's tip-in at 9:48. Ron Franz' jumper from just outside the foul line made it a seventeen-point game for the first time tonight at 104-87 with 8:08 left, and he hit one of two at the line on the Bucs' next possession to make it eighteen. Reserves finished things off from there, and the Bucs soon celebrated their second ABA title with a shocking 114-97 manhandling of the Pacers and a four games to one series victory.

Robbins was named both Player of the Game and series MVP. In Game 5, he led the Bucs with twenty-five points on eleven of twenty shooting and also pulled down twenty rebounds. jimmy also scored twenty-five points on eleven of sixteen from the floor, and Govan added a double-double with nineteen points and fourteen rebounds. The Pacers got thirty-one points from Brown on thirteen of twenty-one from the floor in a losing cause, and Netolicky shot eleven of twenty for twenty-three points.

The Bucs wouldn't defend their title in New Orleans in 1970-71; they moved to Memphis and became the Pros.

That's all for this thread, folks. Anyone wishing to do a timeline based on this thread, or a Pythagorean history of the NBA, has my permission.

Thanks for reading!
 
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This timeline is unexpectedly open again.

I was starting a list of champions for the timeline when I realized that I had done the 1967-68 playoffs wrong. I had the traditional 1-4 and 2-3 semifinals instead of the 1-3 and 2-4 semifinals that the ABA did. I redid the Eastern Division, but forgot to redo the West. This means that the semifinals should be Buccaneers/Chapparals and Rockets/Mavericks. The Bucs have already eliminated the Chaps three games to one, but the Rockets-Mavericks series has yet to be contested.

We begin with Game 1 at the Denver Auditorium Arena on Tuesday, March 26:

Rockets 119, Mavericks 88 (DEN leads series 1-0)

The homestanding Rockets used a thirty-six point third quarter to lay waste to the Mavs. Small forward Willie Murrell led the way for the Rockets with twenty points on eight of twelve shooting. Power forward Wayne Hightower added sixteen points and nine rebounds, while shooting guard Larry Jones contributed sixteen points and seven boards. Power forward Art Backer led the Mavs with sixteen points and ten rebounds, while reserve center Wayne Molis had a double-double off the bench with thirteen points and twelve rebounds.

The series will continue with Game 2 here in Denver tomorrow night.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the action for Wednesday, March 27:

Rockets 113, Mavericks 100 (DEN leads series 2-0)

The Mavs made it a bit closer tonight, but the Rockets eventually pulled away in the second half. Larry Jones led the way on offense, shooting eight of seventeen from the floor and hitting eleven of his twelve free throws for a total of twenty-seven points. He was one of four Rockets to post a double double, as he also pulled down eleven rebounds. The others were Willie Murrell (seventeen points, eleven boards), center Tom Hoover (fifteen points, eleven boards) and Wayne Hightower (twelve points, ten rebounds). Hoover in particular was hot, hitting on seven of his nine field goal attempts. Point guard Willie Somerset paced the Mavs with nineteen points on eight of fifteen from the floor, while Art Becker added eighteen points and shooting guard Joe Hamood had fourteen. Small forward Leary Lentz had the only double-double for Houston, scoring thirteen points and pulling down thirteen rebounds.

The series will move to Houston's Sam Houston Coliseum for Game 3 on Saturday night.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the action for Saturday, March 30:

Mavericks 114, Rockets 94 (DEN leads series 2-1)

Facing elimination, the Mavs turned up the defense, limiting the Rockets to just eight fourth quarter points while pulling away to a comfortable victory. Willie Somerset shot nine of fifteen from the floor and sank twelve of his thirteen free throws, finishing with thirty-one points to lead the home squad. Wayne Molis came off the bench to post a double-double with sixteen points and eleven rebounds, while center Dewitt Menyard pulled sown eleven boards to go with eight points. and reserve forward Guy Manning finished with fourteen points and six boards. Larry Jones had a double-double for the visitors, leading them with twenty points and pulling down twelve rebounds. while Willie Murrell and reserve forward Tommie Bowens each had thirteen points and six rebounds.

Fun fact: The Rockets were held without a field goal for the first five minutes and three seconds of the final period, and they were just three for twenty-eight from the floor over the final twelve minutes.

The series will continue with Game 4 here at the Sam Houston Coliseum tomorrow afternoon.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?
 
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Here's the action for Sunday, March 31:

Mavericks 105, Rockets 91 (series tied 2-2)

The Mavs matched the Rockets' home sweep with one of their own, and this series is headed back to Denver for a deciding fifth game. Art Becker paced the Mavs' offense with twenty-one points, and Leary Lentz added a double-double with twelve points and sixteen rebounds. Joe Harnood's fifteen points included seven of nine from the line, and Dewitt Menyard just missed a double-double with thirteen points and nine rebounds. For the Rockets, Larry Jones led the offense with twenty-one points and seven rebounds, while Wayne Hightower added sixteen more. Willie Murrell had a double-double with fourteen points and sixteen rebounds, and reserve center Byron Beck added another with ten points and ten rebounds. Center Tom Hoover also pulled down ten rebounds.

The series will conclude with Game 5 at Denver's Auditorium Arena on Wednesday night.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?
 
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Here's the action for Wednesday, April 3:

Mavericks 111, Rockets 102 (HOU wins series 3-2)

The Mavs completed their comeback from two games to none down, shocking the Rockets in front of their home fans at the Auditorium Arena. Art Becker led the way offensively with a double-double, scoring twenty points and snagging thirteen rebounds. Dewitt Menyard added another, scoring thirteen points and adding thirteen boards. Willie Somerset and Leary Lentz each checked in with eighteen points. Willie Murrell led the way for the home squad with nineteen points on seven of fourteen from the floor, while Larry Jones added a double-double with sixteen points and ten rebounds. Becker provided the game-winning points for Houston when he sank a pair of free throws with 2:10 left in regulation to put the Mavs up 101-99.

The Mavs will now face the New Orleans Buccaneers in the Western Division finals.

As we saw earlier in this thread, the Bucs won the first three games against the Mavs. We'll pick up the series in our next post with Game 4 at the Sam Houston Coliseum on Thursday, April 11.

Next: We look at Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the action for Thursday, April 11:

Buccaneers 114, Mavericks 103 (NO sweeps series 4-0)

The Bucs gutted out a tough win over the Mavs to earn the series sweep and move on to the ABA Finals. Jimmy Jones shot seven of eleven from the floor and converted six of his seven free throws for a total of twenty points to lead the New Orleans offense, while Larry Brown contributed eighteen and Red Robbins notched a double-double with seventeen points and ten rebounds. Doug Moe was held to just six points, but pulled down a team-leading fourteen rebounds. Willie Somerset led the Mavs in a losing cause with nineteen points, while Art Becker and Joe Hanood each had fourteen. Reserve point guard Roger Schung added thirteen points, including ten free throws in twelve attempts.

The Bucs went on to sweep the Minnesota Muskies four games to none in the Finals to claim the first ever ABA championship.

Next: We wrap up this thread for good with the Roll Call of Champions.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the official list of Pythagorean ABA champions. Champions which are different from real life are in bold caps.

1968: NEW ORLEANS BUCCANEERS (1) Swept Minnesota Muskies 4-0 to win championship.
1969: Oakland Oaks (1) Defeated Indiana Pacers 4-1 to win championship.
1970: NEW ORLEANS BUCCANEERS (2) Defeated Indiana Pacers 4-1 to win championship.
1971: Utah Stars (1) Defeated Kentucky Colonels 4-3 to win championship.
1972: Indiana Pacers (1) Defeated New York Nets 4-2 to win championship.
1973: Indiana Pacers (2) Defeated Kentucky Colonels 4-3 to win championship.
1974: New York Nets (1) Defeated Utah Stars 4-1 to win championship.
1975: Kentucky Colonels (1) Defeated Indiana Pacers 4-1 to win championship.
1976: New York Nets (2) Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-2 to win championship.

That's all, folks. Thanks for reading!
 
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