An Alternate history of the NBA and ABA from 1969

1969-70 ABA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Alcindor joins the ABA in its third season and his signing for the league pays immediate dividends as the ABA gets a National TV Contract with CBS for the next 4 seasons running to 1973 in addition fans flock in greater numbers than before to see Alcindor in action and he doesn't disappoint the fans as in his first game he averages 29, 12 and 6 as he picked up where he left off from his UCLA days and quickly asserted himself as the best player in the league. As for the Nets the team he joined contained players such as Levern Tart, Bill Melchonni and Les Hunter and with the addition of Alcindor the Nets record improved to 53-31 and also built up a rivalry with another star rookie big man in Spencer Haywood of the Denver Rockets and it quickly became apparent that the race for both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year would go to these two players. Haywood would win the All Star Game MVP as the West would prove to be too good for the East but it would be Alcindor who would win the major individual awards of Rookie of the Year and MVP.

    In the playoffs some changes were already taking place as due to the Nets having home court advantage they would win the first round matchup against the Colonels in 7 games but would fall short to the experience of the Indiana Pacers as they would double on Alcindor as the Nets had no other major threat on the team though the Pacers were taken to 6 games they would still win the series and the ABA title with Roger Brown being named as the Playoffs MVP for this season for his effort in giving Indiana their first professional basketball title. Alcindor's first season was a success for him as a player but not as a team though due to the elimination at the hand of the Pacers who were now seen as the Yardstick in the ABA and it was clear that the Nets needed more help for them to win an ABA title.

    Eastern Division​


    Eastern DivisionWLPCTGB
    Indiana Pacers *5727.700-
    New York Nets *5331.5164.0
    Kentucky Colonels *4341.48014.0
    Carolina Cougars *4044.46417.0
    Pittsburgh Pipers2658.34531.0
    Miami Floridians2262.27435.0

    Western Division​

    Western DivisionWLPCTGB
    Denver Rockets *5034.594-
    Dallas Chaparrals *4539.5365.0
    Washington Caps *4341.5127.0
    Los Angeles Stars *4341.5127.0
    New Orleans Buccaneers4044.48010.0



    1970 ABA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    PG Jimmy Jones (New Orleans Buccaneers)
    SG Larry Jones ( Denver Rockets)
    SF Warren Jabali (Washington Capitols)
    PF Cincinnatus Powell (Dallas Chaparrals)
    C Spencer Haywood (Denver Rockets)


    Bench:

    PG Larry Brown ( Washington Capitols)
    SG Glen Combs ( Dallas Chaparrals)
    SG Steve Jones ( New Orleans Buccaneers)
    SF Rick Barry ( Washington Capitols)
    PF Warren Davis ( Los Angeles Stars)
    PF John Beasley ( Dallas Chaparrals)
    C Gerald Goven ( New Orleans Buccaneers)

    East

    PG Louie Dampier ( Kentucky Colonels)
    SG Donnie Freeman ( Miami Floridians)
    SF Doug Moe (Carolina Cougars)
    PF Bob Netolicky ( Indiana Pacers)
    C Lew Alcindor ( New York Nets)

    Bench


    PG Charlie Williams ( Pittsburgh Pipers)
    SG Darel Carrier ( Kentucky Colonels)
    SG Bob Verga ( Carolina Cougars)
    SG Levern Tart ( New York Nets)
    SF Roger Brown ( Indiana Pacers)
    C Gene Moore ( Kentucky Colonels)
    C Mel Daniels ( Indiana Pacers)

    1970 ABA Playoffs

    Western Division

    Denver (1) vs Washington (3)

    Dallas (2) vs Los Angeles (4)

    Eastern Division

    Indiana (1) vs Carolina ( 3)

    New York (2) vs Kentucky (4)

    Western Division

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Denver Rockets vs. (3) Washington Caps: Rockets win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 130, Washington 111
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Denver 143, Washington 133
    • Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 125, Denver 120
    • Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 131, Denver 114
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 132, Washington 110
    • Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 116, Denver 111
    • Game 7 @ Denver: Denver 143, Washington 119
    (2) Dallas Chaparrals vs. (4) Los Angeles Stars: Stars win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Dallas: Los Angeles 115, Dallas 103
    • Game 2 @ Dallas: Dallas 129, Los Angeles 121
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Dallas 116, Los Angeles 104
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 144, Dallas 138
    • Game 5 @ Dallas: Los Angeles 146, Dallas 139
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 124, Dallas 123
    Division Finals

    (1) Denver Rockets vs. (4) Los Angeles Stars: Stars win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 123, Los Angeles 113
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Los Angeles 114, Denver 105
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 119, Denver 113
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 114, Denver 110
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Los Angeles 109, Denver 107

    Eastern Division

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Carolina Cougars: Pacers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 123, Carolina 105
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 103, Carolina 98
    • Game 3 @ Carolina: Indiana 115, Carolina 106
    • Game 4 @ Carolina: Indiana 110, Carolina 106
    (2) New York Nets vs. (4) Kentucky Colonels: Nets win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: New York 122, Kentucky 118
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 113, New York 111
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 107, Kentucky 99
    • Game 4 @ New York: Kentucky 128, New York 101
    • Game 5 @ Kentucky: New York 127, Kentucky 112
    • Game 6 @ New York: Kentucky 116, New York 113
    • Game 7 @ New York: New York 112, Kentucky 101
    Division Finals

    (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) New York Nets: Pacers win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: New York 114, Indiana 110
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 121, New York 110
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 118, Indiana 114
    • Game 4 @ New York: Indiana 111, New York 103
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 117, New York 103
    • Game 6 @ New York: Indiana 110, New York 105

    ABA Finals

    (1) Indiana Pacers VS. (4) Los Angeles Stars: Pacers win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 109, Los Angeles 93
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 114, Los Angeles 111
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 109, Indiana 106
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Indiana 142, Los Angeles 120
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Los Angeles 117, Indiana 113
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Indiana 111, Los Angeles 107

    Next to see how the NBA season fared after losing the most hyped college prospect since Wilt Chamberlain
     
    Last edited:
    • 1969-70 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Even if not for the introduction of a generational talent into professional basketball it was the beginning of a new era in the NBA as the Boston Celtics dynasty was over with the dual retirements of Sam Jones and Bill Russell heralding a rebuild for the Celtics with the major star now being John Havlicek as Red Auerbach sought to work his magic once again.

    Without Alcindor the 1969 NBA Draft would end up being nowhere near as good it could have been with Jo Jo White being the best pick as far the NBA went. As for the team that would have drafted him in the Milwaukee Bucks without Alcindor lost 18 games and ended the season with 38 wins and didn't make the playoffs ending up as the 5th seed with the Cincinnati Royals won 3 more games and would make the playoffs before being swiftly eliminated by the Baltimore Bullets in 5 games in what was the last appearance for Oscar Robertson for this franchise as for the Bullets they would still lose to the Knicks in 7 games this time in the Conference Finals.

    There are no other changes from OTL as the West playoffs still play out the same which still means that the Lakers and Knicks meet in the finals and that Willis Reed's game 7 heroics become part of NBA Folklore as the New York Knicks win their first NBA Championship with their team style of basketball which will forever put them down as the teams that played basketball the right way.

    The biggest questions at the end of the season were would the Lakers finally get over the hump and where would Oscar Robertson be playing at the start of next season.

    Eastern Division
    		WLPCTGB
    x-New York Knicks6121.744–
    X- -Philadelphia 76ers4636.56315
    x-Baltimore Bullets5329.6468
    x- Cincinnati Royals4042.48221
    Milwaukee Bucks3844.43923
    Boston Celtics3448.41527
    Detroit Pistons3151.37830


    Western Division
    		WLPCTGB
    x-Atlanta Hawks4834.585–
    x-Los Angeles Lakers4636.5612
    x-Chicago Bulls3943.4769
    x-Phoenix Suns3943.4769
    Seattle SuperSonics3646.43912
    San Francisco Warriors3052.36618
    San Diego Rockets2755.32921



    1970 NBA All Star Game rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
    SG Lou Hudson ( Atlanta Hawks)
    SF Elgin Baylor (Los Angeles Lakers)
    PF Connie Hawkins (Phoenix Suns)
    C Elvin Hayes ( San Diego Rockets)

    Bench

    PG Lenny Wilkens ( Seattle SuperSonics)
    SG Jeff Mullins ( Golden State Warriors)
    SG Dick Van Arsdale (Phoenix Suns)
    SF Joe Caldwell (Atlanta Hawks)
    SF Chet Walker ( Chicago Bulls)
    PF Bill Bridges ( Atlanta Hawks)
    C Nate Thurmond (Golden State Warriors) did not play due to injury replaced by
    C Bob Rule ( Seattle Supersonics)

    East

    Starters

    PG Oscar Robertson ( Cincinnati Royals)
    SG Walt Frazier ( New York Knicks)
    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)
    PF Billy Cunningham ( Philadelphia 76ers)
    C Willis Reed ( New York Knicks) All Star Game MVP

    Bench

    PG Flynn Robinson ( Milwaukee Bucks)
    SG Hal Greer ( Philadelphia 76ers)
    SG Jimmy Walker ( Detroit Pistons)
    SF Tom Van Arsdale ( Cincinnati Royals)
    PF Gus Johnson ( Baltimore Bullets)
    PF Dave DeBusschere ( New York Knicks)
    C Wes Unseld ( Baltimore Bullets)

    Western Division​

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

    Division Semi-finals

    (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (3) Chicago Bulls : Hawks win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Atlanta : Atlanta 129, Chicago 111
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 124, Chicago 104
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Atlanta 106, Chicago 101
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 131, Atlanta 120
    • Game 5 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 113, Chicago 107
    (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Phoenix Suns : Lakers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @Los Angeles: Los Angeles 128, Phoenix 112
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Phoenix 129, Los Angeles 121
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 112, Los Angeles 98
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 112, Los Angeles 102
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 138, Phoenix 121
    • Game 6 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 104, Phoenix 93
    • Game 7 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 129, Phoenix 94

    Division Finals

    (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers : Lakers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Atlanta : Los Angeles 119, Atlanta 115
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Los Angeles 105, Atlanta 94
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, Atlanta 114
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 133, Atlanta 114

    Eastern Division​

    Champion: New York Knicks

    Division Semi-finals

    (1) New York Knicks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers: Knicks win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 110, Philadelphia 102
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 103, Philadelphia 98
    • Game 3 @ Philadelphia: New York 115, Philadelphia 106
    • Game 4 @ Philadelphia: New York 130, Philadelphia 96
    (2) Baltimore Bullets vs. (4) Cincinnati Royals: Bullets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 122, Cincinnati 118
    • Game 2 @ Baltimore: Cincinnati 113, Baltimore 111
    • Game 3 @ Cincinnati: Baltimore 107, Cincinnati 99
    • Game 4 @ Cincinnati: Baltimore 128, Cincinnati 101
    • Game 5 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 127, Cincinnati 112
    Eastern Division Finals

    (1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Baltimore Bullets: Knicks win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 120, Baltimore 117
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 106, Baltimore 99
    • Game 3 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 127, New York 113
    • Game 4 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 102, New York 92
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 101, Baltimore 80
    • Game 6 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 96, New York 87
    • Game 7 @ New York: New York 127, Baltimore 114

    NBA Finals​

    E (1) New York Knicks VS. W (2) Los Angeles Lakers: Knicks win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 124, Los Angeles 112
    • Game 2 @ New York: Los Angeles 105, New York 103
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: New York 111, Los Angeles 108 Jerry West hit a desperation buzzer-beating 60-foot shot to tie it at 102 and force OT.
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 121, New York 115
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 107, Los Angeles 100
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 135, New York 113
    • Game 7 @ New York : New York 113, Los Angeles 99 Willis Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause and inspiring the Knicks to win the title.
     
    • 1970-71 ABA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Before the beginning the ABA had been forced to change its commissioner as George Mikan has resigned as commissioner of the ABA as the other owners wanted to move the league office to New York and Mikan wanted it to stay in Minneapolis as he had a travel agency there but the other owners won out as even though he had gotten Lew Alcindor to sign with the ABA there had been 2 teams that had failed in Minnesota in the first 3 years so it made sense for the office to be in New York Mikan was replaced as commissioner by Jack Dolph who was the head of CBS Sports which was the network broadcasting the league and the process towards a merger would be started with the NBA but would be delayed by the Oscar Robertson lawsuit against the NBA which was filed to prevent the merger from happening

    Alcindor’s second season in the ABA started with the addition of the second star that the Nets needed which started because of a SI piece which focused on the Virginia Squires and their star player Rick Barry who didn't want to play in Virginia after the team had moved for the 2nd season in a row firstly from Oakland to Washington in 69-70 and from Washington to Virginia for the 70-71 season. Rick Barry wanted to leave Virginia and wasnt subtle about his intentions and as a result insulted the entire state when he said that he didn't want his son to come home and say ‘’Hi y'all’’ as Barry wanted to play in either California where he had spent the first 2 years of his career in the NBA with the then San Francisco Warriors or New York and as there was no team in California which was playing in the ABA at the time with the relocation of the Los Angeles Stars to Utah in 1970 this only left the New York Nets and with Barry’s trade demands and the threat that he would return to the NBA the Squires gave him to the Nets for only a 1st round pick and Cash which Virginia's owner Earl Foreman needed the cash and the franchise was in financial trouble for not the first or last time . The team that Barry joined in 1970 still contained Alcindor and Melchonni and had also added Billy Paultz to play power forward although he could also play center and as a result of the Barry trade the Nets were now the favourites to win the ABA title with their new coach Lou Carnesecca even with the Pacers being the defending champions as well as the Utah Stars who made the finals the previous year and had now added Zelmo Beaty who had been one of the better centers in the NBA who was seen to be the final piece of puzzle for Utah to win an ABA title.

    The Nets had high expectations and this season they were fulfilled as the Nets would go 63-21 for the season which was the best record in the league and gave the Nets the 1st seed in the Eastern Division as Alcindor and Barry established themselves at the best 1-2 punch in the ABA with Barry becoming more of a perimeter player with Alcindor using the skyhook to demolish opponents and as a result of this season Alcindor would win his 1st ABA MVP with averages of 35.4 points and 17.6 rebounds.

    In the Playoffs The Nets would first face the Kentucky Colonels who had Dan Issel who was named Co Rookie of the Year in the 1st round of the playoffs and beat them 4-1 which would advance them to the Eastern Division finals where they would meet the Virginia Squires who even though they had lost Barry had gone 53-31 with Charlie Scott also being named Co Rookie of the Year but that 1-2 punch was too much for the Squires with them also losing in 5 games to the Nets which would advance them to the ABA Finals where they would meet the Utah Stars who had just beaten the Indiana Pacers in a grueling 7 game series and had a good team with Zelmo Beaty and Bill Sharman as the Coach but the Nets would be too good for them in 5 games and they couldn’t stop Alcindor who won the Playoffs MVP in addition to the Regular season honour and at the end of the season he announced that he had changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar who in only his 2nd season had already won his first ABA title and it didn't appear to be his last award by any sense.

    Eastern Division

    Eastern DivisionWLPCTGB
    New York Nets *6321.735-
    Virginia Squires *5331.63110.0
    Kentucky Colonels *4242.50021.0
    The Floridians *3549.41628.0
    Pittsburgh Condors3450.41729.0
    Carolina Cougars3252.38131.0

    Western Division​

    Western DivisionWLPCTGB
    Indiana Pacers *5628.668-
    Utah Stars *5628.6680.0
    Memphis Pros *3648.42820.0
    Texas Chaparrals *2658.29930.0
    Denver Rockets *2658.29930.0


    1971 ABA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Jimmy Jones (Memphis Pros)
    SG Donnie Freeman (Texas Chaparrals)
    SF Roger Brown (Indiana Pacers)
    PF Zelmo Beaty (Utah Stars)
    C Mel Daniels (Indiana Pacers)

    Bench

    SG Ron Boone (Utah Stars)
    SG Steve Jones (Memphis Pros)
    SG Glen Combs (Utah Stars)
    SF Wendell Ladner (Memphis Pros)
    PF Bob Netolicky (Indiana Pacers)
    PF Red Robbins (Utah Stars)
    C Julius Keye (Denver Rockets)


    East

    Starters

    PG Bill Melchionni ( New York Nets)
    SG Joe Caldwell ( Carolina Cougars)
    SF John Brisker ( Pittsburgh Condors)
    PF Dan Issel ( Kentucky Colonels)
    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Charlie Scott ( Virginia Squires)
    PG Mack Calvin ( The Flordians)
    SG Larry Jones ( Pittsburgh Condors)
    SF Rick Barry ( New York Nets)
    SF Cincinnatus Powell ( Kentucky Colonels)
    PF Neil Johnson ( Virginia Squires)
    C Mike Lewis ( Pittsburgh Condors)

    Western Division​

    Champion: Utah Stars

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Memphis Pros: Pacers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 114, Memphis 98
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 106, Memphis 104
    • Game 3 @ Memphis: Indiana 91, Memphis 90
    • Game 4 @ Memphis: Indiana 102, Memphis 101
    (2) Utah Stars vs. (4) Texas Chaparrals: Stars win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 125, Texas 115
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 137, Texas 107
    • Game 3 @ Texas: Utah 113, Texas 101
    • Game 4 @ Texas: Utah 128, Texas 107
    Division Finals

    (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Utah Stars: Stars win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Utah 120, Indiana 118
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 120, Utah 107
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 121, Indiana 108
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Utah 126, Indiana 99
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 127, Utah 109
    • Game 6 @ Utah: Indiana 105, Utah 102
    • Game 7 @ Indiana: Utah 108, Indiana 101

    Eastern Division​

    Champion: New York Nets

    Division Semifinals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 113, Kentucky 105
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 114, Kentucky 108
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: New York 135, Kentucky 131
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 130, New York 127
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 127, Kentucky 124
    (2) Virginia Squires vs. (4) The Floridians: Squires win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Virginia: Virginia 116, Florida 112
    • Game 2 @ Virginia: Virginia 120, Florida 110
    • Game 3 @ Florida: Florida 120, Virginia 102
    • Game 4 @ Florida: Florida 129, Virginia 117
    • Game 5 @ Virginia: Virginia 118, Florida 101
    • Game 6 @ Florida: Virginia 112, Florida 103
    Division Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Virginia Squires: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 136, Virginia 132
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 142, Virginia 122
    • Game 3 @ Virginia: Virginia 150, New York 137
    • Game 4 @ Virginia: New York 128, Virginia 110
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 117, Virginia 105

    ABA Finals​

    (1) New York Nets VS. (2) Utah Stars : Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 136, Utah 117
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 138, Utah 125
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 116, New York 110
    • Game 4 @ Utah: New York 129, Utah 125
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 137, Utah 127

    ​

    ​

     
    • 1970-71 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Royals Trade Robertson to Bullets for Gus Johnson​


    Baltimore, May 21 (UPI) —Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals was traded to day to the Baltimore Bullets, where he'll join another league MVP - Wes Unseld in the line‐up.
    The 31‐year‐old Robertson, who played his collegiate basketball and 10 years of pro ball in Cincinnati, had become a bit disenchanted with the Royals in recent months and the trade was no surprise.
    To get him, the Bullets gave up Gus Johnson one of the league's best Power forwards who is an 3 time All-Star and will fit with the new fast paced offence that the Royals want to implement.
    The Baltimore coach, Gene Shue, was extremely pleased with the acquisition, saying, “Robertson will fit in just perfectly with the team . He's going to take some of the pressure sure off from Wes and Earl.”


    Shue said, “We think we're improving our team and that's what we're out to do. Oscar has always been a leader and we expect him to be a leader on our team.”

    Choice of Four Clubs
    The Bullets confirmed that Robertson got a three‐year contract but did, not reveal other details. Some estimates put his salary at $200,000 a year — about $75,000 more than he had been receiving at Cincinnati.

    Robertson had his choice of four clubs, it was reported, and he chose Baltimore. The terms of his contract with the Royals gave him veto rights over any trade.
    Robertson said sometime ago he had been approached by the Royals' management and told he would be traded because Cincinnati could not afford to pay him what it was expected he would be asking after the current season. He denied that he had actively sought a trade.
    There were differences be tween the star guard and the new coach, Bob Cousy, in recent months. Some grew out of a difference of opinion over style of play.


    Robertson sat out 12 games of the season because of a reported groin injury. There were reports at the time that Cousy felt the injury was not so serious as it was made out to be.

    A 25.3‐Point Average
    Robertson averaged 25.3 points a game, hitting 51.1 per cent from the field and 80.9 per cent from the free‐throw line during the season that just ended.

    Johnson who is already 32 has played his entire career in Baltimore and in the 69/70 season has averaged 17 and 13 however his playoff numbers are not as good with him averaging only 13 and 10 in this postseason.

    I knew something was going to happen when I heard those rumors about Oscar coming here,” Johnson said. “I don't feel bad about it. People here have been good to me and I tried to do my best under the circumstances.

    “I have some offers from the A.B.A. and I wouldn't mind going to the Coast,” he said.

    May 22nd 1970 New York Times

    Oscar was traded to Baltimore as without Kareem there is no way that he would go to Milwaukee, Phoenix offered Jim Fox, Art Harris and A First Round Pick for Robertson and as the Lakers werent trading Wilt Chamberlain and there was no chance that Walt Frasier was leaving New York after his Game 7 heroics it appeared as though the Suns would get the Big O until Baltimore offered Gus Johnson in a straight up swap, Oscar had a no trade clause and threatened to use it unless Baltimore could give him a 3 year/600k a year contract which he accepted so Oscar joined a team with Wes Unseld and Earl Monroe as its two biggest stars along with Kevin Loughery and Jack Marin as solid support players. There was two potential Questions though would Monroe and Unseld be able to play together and how would Oscar be able to adjust to the Bullets style of play which was built on Wes Unseld's unique outlet passes and the easy fast break baskets that resulted from them.

    The 1970 NBA Draft had only one change of any note as to fill their vacant centre position Milwaukee had to talk Sam Lacey who would end up being a 1 time all star but was not someone who would guarantee you an NBA title as their 1st round pick from 1969 was winning titles in the ABA. This also means that Cincinnati sinks to the 10th pick as there were 3 expansion teams added that year and they picked 7th-9th in the 1970 draft. Also taking place was that due to the expansion the league realigned into the Eastern and Western Conference instead of Divisions and some teams shifted conferences due to this.

    RoundPickPlayerPos.NationalityTeamSchool/Club Team
    1​
    5​
    		Sam LaceyC
    23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksNew Mexico State

    Unlike in our timeline where in this season the Bucks dominated all before on their way to their first NBA title it was a more even season with the Knicks once again getting the best record in the league with 53 wins with the Bullets and 76ers just behind with 48 wins apiece in the East . Meanwhile in the west the Bucks wouldn't even make the playoffs as without both Abdul Jabbar and Robertson their record would sink to 38-44. Teams that benefited from the Bucks misfortune were the Lakers and Bulls with 52 wins and the Suns who won 51 games taking the top 3 seeds in the conference with the Warriors on 44 wins in the 4th seed,

    The MVP for this season went to Jerry West as he led the Lakers to 52 wins which was the best record in the West and without a 7 foot 2 centre in Milwaukee was the best player in the league and after being robbed of it in 1970 he finally won the MVP. Baltimore would have some initial problems in the backcourt after the Big O trade as Robertson would take some time to adjust to the Bullets system while he and Monroe would have to work out their chemistry in the backcourt but eventually the Bullets would get back on track and be primed for a post season run that they would never forget,

    In the East it was still the Bullets who made it to the NBA Finals as they would beat the Knicks in 7 games getting their revenge for losing to the Knicks in the past 2 seasons meanwhile in the West the Lakers would beat the Bulls and the Suns would beat the Warriors to set up an unlikely conference finals matchup which went to the Lakers in 6 games setting up the experience and veteran laden Lakers against the young Bullets for whom it was their first NBA finals Appearance and with the addition of the Big O and with Elgin Baylor having missed the whole season due to injuries the Lakers had only West and Chamberlain as major stars. This finals was billed as the Oscar vs West duel to see who was the best point guard in the league in a matchup which West would win as he would average 31 points and 8 assists however the Lakers lose in the NBA Finals for the 4th year in succession as Earl Monroe would outplay Gail Goodrich substantially in the backcourt while the forwards would match each other which meant that the key matchup would be between Wes Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain and with most of the Lakers offense still going to Wilt the Bullets were able to outrun their veteran laden opponents and beat the Lakers in 7 games with Wes Unseld being named as the Finals MVP to go along with his Regular season MVP from 1969.


    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCT
    1z-New York Knicks5329.646
    2y-Baltimore Bullets4834.584
    3x-Philadelphia 76ers4834.584
    4x-Atlanta Hawks3943.475
    5Boston Celtics4636.561
    6Cincinnati Royals3547.426
    7Buffalo Braves2260.268
    8Cleveland Cavaliers1567.183


    Western Conference

    TeamWLPCT
    1z-Los Angeles Lakers5230.634
    2y-Phoenix Suns5131.622
    3x-Chicago Bulls5230-.634
    4x-San Francisco Warriors4438.537
    5Detroit Pistons4834.585
    6San Diego Rockets4537.549
    7Seattle SuperSonics4042.488
    8Milwaukee Bucks3844.463
    9Portland Trail Blazers2953.354




    1971 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Dave Bing (Detroit Pistons)
    SG Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
    SF Connie Hawkins (Phoenix Suns)
    PF Jerry Lucas ( San Francisco Warriors)
    C Wilt Chamberlain ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    Reserves

    PG Lenny Wilkens ( Seattle SuperSonics) MVP
    SG Geoff Petrie ( Portland Trail Blazers)
    SG Jeff Mullins ( San Francisco Warriors)
    SF Dick Van Arsdale (Phoenix Suns
    SF Chet Walker (Chicago Bulls)
    PF Bob Love (Chicago Bulls)
    C Nate Thurmond (San Francisco Warriors)


    East

    Starters

    PG Walt Frazier ( New York Knicks)
    SG Earl Monroe ( Baltimore Bullets)
    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)
    PF Billy Cunningham ( Philadelphia 76ers)
    C Willis Reed ( New York Knicks)

    Reserves

    PG Jo Jo White ( Boston Celtics)
    PG Oscar Robertson ( Baltimore Bullets)
    SF Lou Hudson ( Atlanta Hawks)
    SF John Johnson ( Cleveland Cavaliers)
    PF Dave DeBusschere ( New York Knicks)
    PF Gus Johnson ( Cincinnati Royals )
    C Wes Unseld ( Baltimore Bullets)


    Western Conference​

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Chicago Bulls: Lakers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 114, Chicago 98
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 106, Chicago 104
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 91, Memphis 90
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 102, Memphis 101
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, Chicago 89
    • Game 6 @ Chicago: Chicago 113, Los Angeles 99
    • Game 7 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 109, Chicago 98
    (2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) San Francisco Warriors: Suns win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 125, San Francisco115
    • Game 2 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 137, San Francisco 107
    • Game 3 @ San Francisco: Phoenix 113, San Francisco 101
    • Game 4 @ San Francisco: San Francisco 128, Phoenix 107
    • Game 5 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 108, San Francisco 86
    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Phoenix Suns: Lakers win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 120, Phoenix 118
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 120, Phoenix 107
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 121, Los Angeles 108
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 126, Phoenix 99
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Phoenix 127, Los Angeles 109
    • Game 6 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 105, Phoenix 102

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: Baltimore Bullets

    Eastern Conference Semifinals

    (1) New York Knicks vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers : Knicks win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ New York : New York 113, Philadelphia 105
    • Game 2 @ New York: Philadelphia 114, New York 108
    • Game 3 @ Philadelphia: New York 135, Philadelphia 131
    • Game 4 @ Philadelphia : New York 130, Philadelphia 127
    • Game 5 @ New York: Philadelphia 127, New York 124
    • Game 6 @ Philadelphia: New York 118, Philadelphia 114
    (2) Baltimore Bullets vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks : Bullets win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Baltimore : Baltimore 116, Atlanta 112
    • Game 2 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 120, Atlanta 110
    • Game 3 @ Atlanta: Baltimore 120, Atlanta 102
    • Game 4 @ Atlanta: Baltimore 129, Atlanta 117
    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Baltimore Bullets : Bullets win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 112, Baltimore 111
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 142, Baltimore 88
    • Game 3 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 114, New York 88
    • Game 4 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 101, New York 80
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 89, Baltimore 84
    • Game 6 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 113, New York 96
    • Game 7 @ New York: Baltimore 93, New York 91

    NBA Finals​

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers VS. (2) Baltimore Bullets : Bullets win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 136, Baltimore 117
    • Game 2 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 138, Los Angeles 125
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 116,Baltimore 110
    • Game 4 @ Baltimore : Baltimore 129, Los Angeles 125
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 137, Baltimore 127
    • Game 6 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 105, Los Angeles 102
    • Game 7 @ Los Angeles: Baltimore 131, Los Angeles127
     
    • 1971-72 ABA Season

    • Jezza1998

    For the 72 season the Nets would dominate with Kareem once again winning the MVP award with 37 and 17 a game and leading the Nets to a record of 67-17 which was equal first with the Kentucky Colonels who with the addition of Artis Gilmore who was the rookie of the year propelled the Colonels with their new coach Joe Mullaney who they got from the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA and it was inevitable that these two teams would meet in the Eastern Division finals and they did as the Nets would once again beat the Viriginia Squires 4 games to 1 who had Julius Erving in his rookie season in addition to still having Charlie Scott who would sign for Phoenix in the NBA at the end of the season while Kentucky would sweep the Miami Flordians in their first round matchup. So the stage was set for the Eastern Division finals and they sort of disappointed as the Nets would beat the Colonels in 5 games as Rick Barry dominated the series and Kentucky big man duo of Gilmore and Dan Issel were subpar and the Nets would once again advance to the ABA finals and meet the Indiana Pacers who still had their core of Daniels, Brown and Lewis and had just added George Mcginnis but unlike the last time they met in the playoffs this time the Nets had the firepower to beat the Pacers and they would do so in a 6 games series and this time it would be Rick Barry would be named the playoffs MVP as he would once again dominate the series.


    Eastern Division​

    TeamWL%GB
    Kentucky Colonels6717.798-
    New York Nets6717.798
    Virginia Squires4440.52424
    The Floridians3351.39334
    Carolina Cougars3252.38135
    Pittsburgh Condors2361.29844

    Western Division​

    TeamWL%GB
    Utah Stars6024.714-
    Indiana Pacers4737.56013
    Dallas Chaparrals4242.50018
    Denver Rockets3450.40526
    Memphis Pros2658.31034

    1972 ABA All Star Game

    West

    Starters

    PG Donnie Freeman (Dallas Chaparrals)
    SG Willie Wise (Utah Stars)
    SF Roger Brown (Indiana Pacers)
    PF Zelmo Beaty (Utah Stars)
    C Mel Daniels ( Indiana Pacers)

    Bench

    PG Freddie Lewis ( Indiana Pacers)
    SG Glen Combs ( Utah Stars)
    SG Steve Jones ( Dallas Chaparrals)
    SG Ralph Simpson ( Denver Rockets)
    SF Wendell Ladner ( Carolina Cougars)
    PF Wil Jones ( Memphis Pros)
    PF Arthur Becker ( Denver Rockets)



    East

    Starters

    PG Charlie Scott ( Virginia Squires)
    SG Rick Barry ( New York Nets)
    SF Julius Erving ( Virginia Squires)
    PF Dan Issel ( Kentucky Colonels) MVP
    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Bill Melchonni ( New York Nets)
    PG Louie Dampier ( Kentucky Colonels)
    PG Mack Calvin ( Miami Flordians)
    SG Warren Jabali ( Miami Flordians)
    SG George Thompson ( Pittsburgh Condors)
    SF John Brisker ( Pittsburgh Condors)
    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)



    Western Division​

    Champion: Indiana Pacers

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (3) Dallas Chaparrals: Stars win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 106, Dallas 96
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 113, Dallas 107
    • Game 3 @ Dallas: Utah 96, Dallas 89
    • Game 4 @ Dallas: Utah 103, Dallas 99
    (2) Indiana Pacers vs. (4) Denver Rockets: Pacers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 102, Denver 96
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Denver 106, Indiana 105
    • Game 3 @ Denver: Indiana 122, Denver 120
    • Game 4 @ Denver: Denver 112, Indiana 96
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Denver 79
    • Game 6 @ Denver: Denver 106, Indiana 99
    • Game 7 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Denver 89
    Division Finals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 108, Indiana 100
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 117, Indiana 109
    • Game 3 @ Indiana: Indiana 116, Utah 111
    • Game 4 @ Indiana: Indiana 118, Utah 108
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 139, Indiana 130
    • Game 6 @ Indiana: Indiana 105, Utah 99
    • Game 7 @ Utah: Indiana 117, Utah 113

    Eastern Division​

    Champion: New York Nets

    Division Semifinals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (3) Virginia Squires: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 122,Virginia 108
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 105, Virginia 90
    • Game 3 @ Virginia: Virginia 105, New York 99
    • Game 4 @ Virginia: New York 100, Virginia 92
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 109, Virginia 93
    (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (4) The Floridians: Colonels win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 114, Florida 107
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 125, Florida 100
    • Game 3 @ Florida: Kentucky 118, Florida 113
    • Game 4 @ Florida: Kentucky 115, Florida 106
    Division Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 138, Kentucky 121
    • Game 2 @ New York: Kentucky 115, New York 106
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: New York 119, Kentucky 117
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: New York 118, Kentucky 107
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 116, Kentucky 107

    ABA Finals​

    (2) Indiana Pacers VS. (1) New York Nets: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 124, Indiana 103
    • Game 2 @ New York: Indiana 117, New York 115
    • Game 3 @ Indiana: New York 114, Indiana 108
    • Game 4 @ Indiana: New York 110, Indiana 105
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 100, Indiana 99
     
    • 1971-72 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Meanwhile in the NBA Earl Monroe would still end up being traded to the New York Knicks for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and some draft picks to join Walt Frazier in the backcourt, in response the Bullets would still trade Kevin Loughery for Archie Clark and pick Phil Chenier in the hardship draft which came about due to Spencer Haywood leaving college to join the ABA then would still jump to the NBA joining the Seattle Supersonics for the 71 NBA Season .

    The Lakers replaced Joe Mullaney as coach after losing the 1971 NBA title to the Baltimore Bullets and the Lakers would hire Bill Sharman as their new head coach having previously taken two teams to the NBA/ABA Finals yet losing both times. The season would start with the retirement of Elgin Baylor on the 9th November 1971 on the same day as the Lakers won what was their 4th consecutive game in a row they would win another 33 in succession not losing till they met the New York Knicks on the 21st January by 3 points. The Lakers would be the league's dominant team ending up with a 71-11 record with Sharman instituting the Celtics famed fast break offense with Wilt Chamberlain as the rebounding defensive centre with Jerry West and Gail Goodrich being the teams leading scorers with Jerry West leading the league in assists, Wilt Chamberlain leading the league in rebounds, . And for the only time ever in NBA history the first two places in MVP Voting were from the same team as voters were mostly undecided on who warranted the award more for their contribution to the Lakers success in the end the Voters decided on Wilt Chamberlain who won his 5th MVP award equalling his great rival of the 60s in Bill Russell by playing in more of Russell’s style.

    Another storyline this season was the revival of the Boston Celtics as after two whole seasons of missing the playoffs they would come back as the 1st seed in the East led by John Havlicek the key holdover from the Dynasty of the 60s and two new stars in Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White they would end up losing in the conference finals to the Knicks in 5 games but with the the addition of one more piece the future seemed bright for the Celtics.

    The playoffs were a cakewalk for the Lakers as they would sweep both the Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls before beating the New York Knicks to win their 2nd straight title in 5 games with Wilt being named the finals MVP as he with Willis Reed being absent due to injury the Dipper would dominate in the paint against Jerry Lucas.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCT
    1z-Boston Celtics5626.683
    2y-Baltimore Bullets3844.463
    3x-New York Knicks4834.585
    4x-Atlanta Hawks3646.439
    5Philadelphia 76ers3052.366
    5Cincinnati Royals3052.366
    7Cleveland Cavaliers2359.280
    8Buffalo Braves2260.268

    Western Conference
    TeamWLPCT
    1z-Los Angeles Lakers7111.864
    2y-Chicago Bulls6022.804
    3x-Phoenix Suns5329.647
    4x-Golden State Warriors5529.670
    5Seattle SuperSonics4933.598
    6Houston Rockets3844.463
    7Milwaukee Bucks3844.463
    8Detroit Pistons2656.317
    9Portland Trail Blazers1864.220

    NBA awards​


    1972 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Jerry West ( Los Angeles Lakers)
    SG Gail Goodrich ( Los Angeles Lakers)
    SF Bob Love ( Chicago Bulls)
    PF Spencer Haywood ( Seattle SuperSonics)
    C Wilt Chamberlain ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    Bench

    PG Norm Van Lier ( Chicago Bulls)
    SG Jimmy Walker ( Detroit Pistons)
    SF Cazzie Russell ( Golden State Warriors)
    SF Connie Hawkins (Phoenix Suns)
    PF Elvin Hayes ( Houston Rockets)
    PF Paul Silas ( Phoenix Suns)
    C Bob Lanier ( Detroit Pistons)

    East

    Starters

    PG Walt Frazier ( New York Knicks)
    SG John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)
    SF Lou Hudson ( Atlanta Hawks)
    PF Billy Cunnigham ( Philadelphia 76ers)
    C Dave Cowens ( Boston Celtics)

    Bench

    PG Jo Jo White ( Boston Celtics)
    PG Oscar Robertson ( Baltimore Bullets)
    SG Archie Clark ( Baltimore Bullets)
    SF Jack Marin ( Baltimore Bullets)
    PF Bob Kaufmann ( Buffalo Braves)
    PF Dave DeBusschere ( New York Knicks)
    C Wes Unseld ( Baltimore Bullets)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Phoenix Suns : Lakers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 106, Phoenix 96
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 113, Phoenix 107
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 96, Phoenix 89
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 103, Phoenix 99
    (2) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Golden State Warriors : Bulls win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 102, Golden State 96
    • Game 2 @ Chicago: Golden State 106, Chicago 105
    • Game 3 @ Oakland: Chicago 122, Golden State 120
    • Game 4 @ Oakland: Chicago 112, Indiana 96
    • Game 5 @ Chicago: Golden State 91, Chicago 79
    • Game 6 @ Oakland: Chicago 106, Golden State 99
    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Chicago Bulls : Lakers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 108, Chicago 100
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 117, Chicago 109
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Los Angeles 116, Chicago 111
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Los Angeles 118, Chicago 108

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Knicks

    Eastern Conference Semifinals

    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Atlanta Hawks : Celtics win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 122, Atlanta 108
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 105, Atlanta 90
    • Game 3 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 105, Boston 99
    • Game 4 @ Atlanta: Boston 100, Atlanta 92
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Atlanta 109, Boston 93
    • Game 6 @ Boston: Boston 101, Atlanta 96
    (2) New York Knicks vs. (4) Baltimore Bullets: Knicks win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 114, Baltimore 107
    • Game 2 @ New York: Baltimore 125, New York 100
    • Game 3 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 118, New York 113
    • Game 4 @ Baltimore: New York 115, Baltimore 106
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 106, Baltimore 82
    • Game 6 @ Baltimore: New York 107, Baltimore 101
    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: New York 138, Boston 91
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 115, New York 106
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 119, Boston 117
    • Game 4 @ New York: New York 118, Boston 107
    • Game 5 @ Boston: New York 116, Boston 107

    NBA Finals​

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers VS. (2) New York Knicks: Lakers win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: New York 124, Los Angeles 103
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 117, New York 115
    • Game 3 @ New York: Los Angeles 114, New York 108
    • Game 4 @ New York: Los Angeles 110, New York 105
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 114, New York 100
     
    • 1972-73 ABA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Throughout the summer of 1972 progress on the Oscar Robertson suit was still ongoing with the reserve clause being the key stumbling block as the players wanted that to be rescinded completely so players didn't have to sit out a season if they switched league like Rick Barry and Zelmo Beaty had done and so the players also had a say in where they could play at a certain point in their careers while the Owners wanted to keep the clause which would the amount of player movement. With Kareem being in the ABA the NBA’s television rating had gone down while the ABA’s ratings were going up every season even though the NBA still had better ratings it was becoming more and more clear to the NBA that the ABA might potentially have more leverage in merger talks and with both league’s television contracts being up for negotiation at the end of the season if a merger could happen at the end of this season it would be more suitable in that regard and a merger bill was put forward in front of the US senate during the 73 season one attempt to merge with a senate bill had already failed as both the Senate and the Players didn’t think it was an acceptable compromise.

    For the 1973 ABA season a surprise packet emerged to seriously challenge the Nets who retained Rick Barry as he was never forced to resign with the Golden State Warriors after the 72 season and as a result wasn’t ordered to go back to the Golden State Warriors, the Carolina Cougars who in the first 5 seasons of the league had never been a serious contender had pulled a coup when they had signed UNC alum and NBA Superstar Billy Cunningham and with the arrival of a young coach and capable assistant in Larry Brown and Doug Moe the Cougars would win 56 games to have the 2nd best record in the league and Cunningham would win the MVP award as a combination of both voter fatigue and the sudden rise of the Cougars combined to prevent Abdul Jabbar from winning 3 consecutive MVP awards

    In the playoffs the Cougars would lose to the Colonels in 7 games while the Nets would easily sweep aside the Squires in what was Julius Erving's final appearance in Virginia as part of the Squires which would set up a rematch between the Colonels and the Nets and in an upset the Colonels would get revenge on the Nets beating them in 6 games as Gilmore would do a good job on Kareem while Louie Dampier would go off in this series Meanwhile in the West the Indiana Pacers would once again beat all comers to make their fourth finals series in 5 years and they were determined to win this series which they did in 7 games because George Mcginnis who won the playoffs MVP award dominated the series leading the team who still had Lewis, Daniels and Brown although they were on the downward path of their careers to their 2nd ABA title which tied them with the Nets.


    Eastern Division​

    TeamWL%GB
    New York Nets6024.715-
    Carolina Cougars5628.6674
    Kentucky Colonels5430.6436
    Virginia Squires4044.47620
    Memphis Tams2460.28636

    Western Division​

    TeamWL%GB
    Utah Stars5529.655-
    Indiana Pacers5133.6074
    Denver Rockets4737.5608
    San Diego Conquistadors3054.35725
    Dallas Chaparrals2856.33327


    1973 ABA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    PG Jimmy Jones ( Utah Stars)
    SG Warren Jabali ( Denver Rockets)
    SF Willie Wise ( Utah Stars)
    PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers)
    C Mel Daniels ( Indiana Pacers)

    Bench

    PG Chuck Williams ( San Diego Conquistadors)
    SG Ralph Simpson ( Denver Rockets)
    SF Rich Jones ( Dallas Chaparrals)
    PF Chuck Williams ( San Diego Conquistadors)
    C Zelmo Beaty ( Indiana Pacers)

    East

    PG Bill Melchionni ( New York Nets)
    SG Mack Calvin ( Carolina Cougars)
    SF Rick Barry ( New York Nets)
    PF Billy Cunningham ( Carolina Cougars)
    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets

    Bench

    PG Louie Dampier ( Kentucky Colonels)
    SG George Thompson ( Memphis Tams)
    SF Joe Caldwell ( Carolina Cougars)
    PF Dan Issel ( Kentucky Colonels)


    Western Division​

    Champion: Indiana Pacers

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (4) San Diego Conquistadors: Stars win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 107, San Diego 93
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 103, San Diego 92
    • Game 3 @ San Diego: Utah 97, San Diego 96
    • Game 4 @ San Diego: Utah 120, San Diego 98
    (2) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Denver Rockets: Pacers win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 114, Denver 91
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 106, Denver 93
    • Game 3 @ Denver: Denver 105, Indiana 94
    • Game 4 @ Denver: Indiana 97, Denver 95
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 121, Denver 107
    Division Finals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 124, Indiana 107
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Indiana 116, Utah 110
    • Game 3 @ Indiana: Indiana 118, Utah 108
    • Game 4 @ Indiana: Utah 104, Indiana 103
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Indiana 104, Utah 102
    • Game 6 @ Indiana: Indiana 107, Utah 98

    Eastern Division​

    Champion: Kentucky Colonels

    Division Semifinals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (4) Virginia Squires : Nets win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ New York New York 104, Virginia 96
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 114, Virginia 111
    • Game 3 @ Virginia: New York 101, Virginia 91
    • Game 4 @ Virginia: New York 112, Virginia 108
    (2) Carolina Cougars vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels : Colonels win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Carolina: Kentucky 113, Carolina 103
    • Game 2 @ Carolina: Carolina 125, Kentucky 105
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 108, Carolina 94
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Carolina 102, Kentucky 91
    • Game 5 @ Carolina: Carolina 112, Kentucky 107
    • Game 6 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 119, Carolina 100
    • Game 7 @ Carolina: Kentucky 107, Carolina 96
    Division Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels: Colonels win series 4-2
    • Game 1 @ New York: Kentucky 129, New York 101
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 109, Kentucky 94
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 115, New York 113
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 108, New York 90
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 114, Kentucky 103
    • Game 6 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 106, New York 99

    ABA Finals​

    (3) Kentucky Colonels VS. (2) Indiana Pacers: Pacers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Indiana 111, Kentucky 107
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 114, Indiana 102
    • Game 3 @ Indiana: Kentucky 92, Indiana 88
    • Game 4 @ Indiana: Indiana 90, Kentucky 86
    • Game 5 @ Kentucky: Indiana 89, Kentucky 86
    • Game 6 @ Indiana: Kentucky 109, Indiana 93
    • Game 7 @ Kentucky: Indiana 88, Kentucky 81
     
    • 1972-73 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    As for the NBA this season saw several teams make moves to ensure they were contenders to win the title this season with the Bullets making the biggest move trading Jack Marin and cash for Superstar Power Forward Elvin Hayes to play with Oscar Robertson, Wes Unseld and Archie Clark, the Lakers and Knicks stayed pat and the Celtics who had the best record in the East the last season traded Charlie Scott who had jumped from the ABA to the NBA and who had signed with Phoenix but Boston had his draft rights as they had selected him with the 7th round in 1970 NBA Draft and so they traded him for rebounding forward Paul Silas who was the final piece of the Celtics quick rebuild.

    Even though the signs were there the Celtcs still shocked everyone by winning 69 games falling just 2 games short of the Lakers record from the previous season as a result it was inevitable that a Celtic would win the MVP and the voters decided on Dave Cowens the 6 foot 9 center who was the defensive hub and emotional leader of this team and Tom Heinsohn would win Coach of the Year for leading the Celtics to the best record in the league.

    The other shock this season was how bad the Philadelphia 76ers were this season as they went 9-73 for the worst record and winning percentage in NBA history up to that point and the Knicks and Bullets were the two of the better teams in the East and they would once again meet in the playoffs while the Celtics would face the Atlanta Hawks who had Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson but pretty much nothing else. In the 1st round the Knicks would once again beat the Bullets while the Celtics would easily win over the Hawks which would once again mean that the Knicks would play the Celtics in the Eastern finals which in hindsight were basically the NBA finals as the west was weak this year but due to some egregious referring and a shoulder injury to John Havlicek the Knicks would withstand blowing a 3-1 lead and win the 7th game in the Boston Garden which had never happened before to advance to their 3rd NBA finals series in 4 seasons.

    While in the West it would once again be the Lakers who would get the top seed in the West with only a 62-20 record this season as the age of the team was clearly starting to show while the Bulls would once again be their closest challenger the Pistons and Suns would be suprise playoff entrants although both of these teams would be easily and the Bulls and Lakers would once again meet in the Conference finals and the Lakers would once again win although the Bulls did take them to 7 games which clearly showed that the Bulls were serious contenders for a NBA title and their chance might come in the near future.

    For the third time in 4 years the Knicks and Lakers would meet in the NBA finals and as both teams were aging there was a chance that this might be both of these teams last chance to win a title and the Knicks were the team that took that chance winning the series in 5 games with Willis Reed winning his 2nd finals MVP award and it gave Earl Monroe, Jerry Lucas and Phil Jackson their first ring. Wilt Chamberlain would retire at the end of this season and with an extra MVP his resume looked a bit better but was still dwarfed by his great rival of the 60s Bill Russell.

    Eastern Conference

    TeamWLPCT
    1z-Boston Celtics6913.841
    2x-New York Knicks5923.719
    3y-Baltimore Bullets5428.658
    4x-Atlanta Hawks4834.585
    5Houston Rockets3448.414
    6Cleveland Cavaliers3250.390
    7Buffalo Braves2161.256
    8Philadelphia 76ers973.110

    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCT
    1z-Los Angeles Lakers6220.756
    2y-Chicago Bulls5527.682
    3x-Detroit Pistons4438.536
    4x-Phoenix Suns4141.500
    5Golden State Warriors3844.463
    6Kansas City–Omaha Kings
    		3844.463
    7Milwaukee Bucks3646.439
    8Seattle SuperSonics2656.317
    9Portland Trail Blazers2161.256


    1973 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    PG Tiny Archibald ( Kansas City Kings)
    SG Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
    SF Sidney Wicks (Portland Trail Blazers)
    PF Spencer Haywood (Seattle Super Sonics)
    C Wilt Chamberlain ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    Bench

    PG Dave Bing ( Detroit Pistons)
    PG Charlie Scott ( Phoenix Suns)
    SG Gail Goodrich ( Los Angeles Lakers)
    SF Chet Walker ( Chicago Bulls)
    SF Bob Dandridge ( Milwaukee Bucks)
    PF Bob Love ( Chicago Bulls)
    PF Connie Hawkins ( Phoenix Suns)
    C Nate Thurmond ( Golden State Warriors)
    C Bob Lanier ( Detroit Pistons)


    East

    PG Walt Frasier ( New York Knicks)
    SG Pete Maravich ( Atlanta Hawks)
    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)
    PF Dave DeBusschere ( New York Knicks)
    C Dave Cowens ( Boston Celtics)

    Bench

    PG Lenny Wilkens ( Cleveland Cavaliers)
    PG Jo Jo White ( Boston Celtics)
    SF Bill Bradley ( New York Knicks)
    SF Jack Marin ( Houston Rockets)
    SF Lou Hudson ( Atlanta Hawks)
    PF John Block ( Philadelphila 76ers)
    PF Bob Kaufmann ( Buffalo Braves)
    PF Elvin Hayes ( Baltimore Bullets)
    C Wes Unseld ( Baltimore Bullets)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers

    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Phoenix Suns: Lakers win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 107, Phoenix 93
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 103, Phoenix 92
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 97, Phoenix 96
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 120, Phoenix 98
    (2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) Detroit Pistons: Bulls win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 114, Detroit 91
    • Game 2 @ Chicago: Chicago 106, Detroit 93
    • Game 3 @ Detroit: Detroit 105, Chicago 94
    • Game 4 @ Detroit: Chicago 97, Detroit 95
    • Game 5 @ Chicago: Chicago 121, Detroit 107
    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Chicago Bulls: Lakers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 107, Chicago 104
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 108, Chicago 93
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 96, Los Angeles 86
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 98, Los Angeles 94
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 123, Chicago 102
    • Game 6 @ Chicago: Chicago 101, Los Angeles 98
    • Game 7 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 95, Chicago 92

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Knicks

    Eastern Conference Semifinals

    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks: Celtics win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 134, Atlanta 109
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Boston 126, Atlanta 111
    • Game 3 @ Boston: Atlanta 118, Boston 105
    • Game 4 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 97, Boston 94
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 108, Atlanta 101
    • Game 6 @ Atlanta: Boston 121. Atlanta 103
    (2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Baltimore Bullets: Knicks win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 95, Baltimore 83
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 123, Baltimore 103
    • Game 3 @ Baltimore: New York 103, Baltimore 96
    • Game 4 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 97, New York 89
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 109, Baltimore 99
    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 134, New York 108
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 129, Boston 96
    • Game 3 @ Boston: New York 108, Boston 91
    • Game 4 @ New York: New York 117, Boston 110
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 98, New York 97
    • Game 6 @ New York: Boston 110, New York 100
    • Game 7 @ Boston: New York 94, Boston 78

    NBA Finals​

    (2) New York Knicks VS. (1) Los Angeles Lakers: Knicks win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, New York 112
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: New York 99, Los Angeles 95
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 87, Los Angeles 83
    • Game 4 @ New York: New York 103, Los Angeles 98
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: New York 102, Los Angeles 93
     
    • 1973-74 ABA & NBA Seasons

    • Jezza1998

    ABA

    For this season there would once again be no merger as the Oscar Robertson suit was still ongoing but the draft for an agreement was already in place for when the suit was settled. and as a result in anticipation of a merger both the ABA and NBA signed 1 year deals with CBS and ABC respectively which means that the NBA on CBS didn't start in 1973.

    For the final ABA season the Nets would have to replace Lou Carnesecca due to him returning to St John’s college and they would replace him with Kevin Loughery the former Bullets guard and the Nets would get some additional firepower with the additions of John Williamson and Larry Kenon who were rookies but also Julius Erving from the Virgina Squires who had already established himself as one of the best players in the ABA in his first 2 seasons with them only having to trade away Billy Paultz to get him due to the Squires continuing financial troubles and the fears that he may jump to the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks in particular to play with Pete Maravich and when these 3 players along with young point guard Brian Taylor paired up with Kareem and Rick Barry the Nets had once again catapulted themselves as favourites to win the ABA title and they did not disappoint as they dominated the season right from the beginning putting together a records of 74-10 which was the best record in the history of the ABA and Kareem would win his 3rd MVP award with averages of 30 and 15 while Erving and Barry would also excel on this team and the Nets attendance and ratings went skyhigh after the acquisition of Erving in particular as his style of play was unique for his time. The playoffs was basically a contest to see who the Nets would beat to win the title and the winner of that contest was the aging Utah Stars who made it to their 3rd finals series in 5 years but had the misfortune of first running into the Pacers and then the Nets and would get swept in the finals with Kareem winning his 2nd Playoffs MVP award.

    Eastern Division

    TeamWL%GB
    New York Nets7410.850-
    Kentucky Colonels5133.60723
    Carolina Cougars4440.52430
    Virginia Squires2460.28550
    Memphis Tams1965.22655

    Western Division​

    TeamWL%GB
    Utah Stars5133.607-
    Indiana Pacers4638.5485
    San Antonio Spurs4539.5366
    San Diego Conquistadors3747.44014
    Denver Rockets3747.44014


    1974 ABA All Star Game

    West

    Starters

    PG Jimmy Jones ( Utah Stars)
    SG Ron Boone ( Utah Stars)
    SF Ralph Simpson ( Denver Rockets)
    PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers)
    C Swen Nater ( San Antonio Spurs)

    Bench

    SG Warren Jabali ( Denver Rockets)
    SF Willie Wise ( Utah Stars)
    PF Stew Johnson ( San Diego Conquistadors)
    PF Rich Jones ( San Antonio Spurs)
    C Mel Daniels ( Indiana Pacers)

    East

    Starters

    PG Mack Calvin ( Carolina Cougars)
    SG Ted McClain ( Carolina Cougars)
    SF Julius Erving ( New York Nets)
    PF Dan Issel ( Kentucky Colonels)
    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Louie Dampier ( Kentucky Colonels)
    SG George Gervin ( Virginia Squires)
    SF Rick Barry ( New York Nets)
    PF Larry Kenon ( New York Nets)
    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)



    Western Division​

    Champion: Utah Stars

    Division Semifinals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (4) San Diego Conquistadors: Stars win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 114, San Diego 99
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 119, San Diego 105
    • Game 3 @ San Diego: San Diego 97, Utah 96
    • Game 4 @ San Diego: San Diego 100, Utah 98
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 110, San Diego 93
    • Game 6 @ San Diego: Utah 110, San Diego 99
    (2) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs: Pacers win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Indiana: San Antonio 113, Indiana 109
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 128, San Antonio 101
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 115, Indiana 96
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: Indiana 91, San Antonio 89
    • Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 105, San Antonio 100
    • Game 6 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 102, Indiana 86
    • Game 7 @ Indiana: Indiana 86, San Antonio 79
    Division Finals

    (1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers: Stars win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 105, Indiana 96
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 106, Indiana 102
    • Game 3 @ Indiana: Utah 99, Indiana 90
    • Game 4 @ Indiana: Indiana 118, Utah 107
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Indiana 110, Utah 101
    • Game 6 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Utah 89
    • Game 7 @ Utah: Utah 109, Indiana 87

    Eastern Division​

    Champion: New York Nets

    Division Semifinals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (4) Virginia Squires: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 108, Virginia 96
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 129, Virginia 110
    • Game 3 @ Virginia: Virginia 116, New York 115
    • Game 4 @ Virginia: New York 116, Virginia 88
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 108, Virginia 96
    (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) Carolina Cougars: Colonels win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 118, Carolina 102
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 99, Carolina 96
    • Game 3 @ Carolina: Kentucky 120, Carolina 110
    • Game 4 @ Carolina: Kentucky 128, Carolina 119
    Division Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels: Nets win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 119, Kentucky 106
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 99, Kentucky 80
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: New York 89, Kentucky 87
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: New York 103, Kentucky 90

    ABA Finals​

    (1) New York Nets VS. (1) Utah Stars: Nets win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 89, Utah 85
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 118, Utah 94
    • Game 3 @ Utah: New York 103, Utah 100
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Utah 97, New York 89
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 111, Utah 100
    NBA

    In the NBA it would be a season of change as Jerry West retiring at the end of the season the Lakers would transition into a new era as for the Knicks their 3 Hall of Fame big men Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere and Jerry Lucas all had announced that they would retire at the end of this season so and it became clearly evident that younger and hungrier foes were now better namely the Celtics in the East and the Bulls in the West who had lost in 7 games against the Knicks and Lakers respectively and would be the 1 seed in their respective conferences as for the MVP this season that would go to Bob Mcadoo the Brave big man who was in his 2nd season and lead them to their 4th seed in the East and their 1st playoff appearance.

    In the playoffs the Bulls would easily beat the Bucks who were the 4th seed as the Warriors lost 6 more games with the absence of Rick Barry and the Pistons would beat the Lakers to send Jerry West out into retirement which meant the Bulls and the Pistons would meet in the Western Conference finals and the Bulls experience and defence would be too much for the Pistons as they would win in 6 games. In the East the Celtics would beat the Braves in a closer than expected series and finally beat the Knicks in 4 games to end the Knicks golden era and to set up a Celtics vs Bulls finals matchup.

    In the finals it would be a close defensive battle but Boston’s edge at the center position in particular would be the difference as they would win in 5 games with John Havlicek being named the finals MVP as the Celtics would win their 12th title and their first since Bill Russell’s retirement in 1969.


    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics5824.707–
    2x-New York Knicks5032.6108
    3y-Capital Bullets4735.5739
    4x-Buffalo Braves4240.51214
    5Atlanta Hawks3547.42721
    6Houston Rockets3250.39024
    7Cleveland Cavaliers2953.35427
    8Philadelphia 76ers2557.30531


    Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Chicago Bulls5725.696–
    2x-Detroit Pistons5428.6595
    3x-Los Angeles Lakers5032.6107
    4y-Milwaukee Bucks4240.51215
    5Golden State Warriors3844.48719
    6Seattle SuperSonics3646.43923
    7Kansas City–Omaha Kings3349.40226
    8Phoenix Suns3052.36629
    9Portland Trail Blazers2755.32932


    1974 NBA All Star Game

    West

    Starters

    PG Geoff Petrie ( Portland Trail Blazers)
    SG Gail Goodrich ( Los Angeles Lakers)
    SF Chet Walker ( Chicago Bulls)
    PF Spencer Haywood ( Seattle SuperSonics)
    C Bob Lanier ( Detroit Pistons)

    Bench

    PG Norm Van Lier ( Chicago Bulls)
    PG Charlie Scott ( Phoenix Suns)
    SG Dave Bing ( Detroit Pistons)
    PF Sidney Wicks ( Portland Trail Blazers)
    C Nate Thurmond ( Golden State Warriors)
    C Neal Walk ( Phoenix Suns)

    East

    Starters

    PG Walt Frazier ( New York Knicks)
    SG Pete Maravich ( Atlanta Hawks)
    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)
    PF Dave DeBusschere ( New York Knicks)
    C Dave Cowens ( Boston Celtics)

    Bench

    PG Jo Jo White ( Boston Celtics)
    SG Phil Chenier ( Capitol Bullets)
    SF Lou Hudson ( Atlanta Hawks)
    PF Rudy Tomjanovich ( Houston Rockets)
    C Bob McAdoo ( Buffalo Braves)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Chicago Bulls

    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Milwaukee Bucks: Bulls win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 114, Milwaukee 99
    • Game 2 @ Chicago: Chicago 119, Milwaukee 105
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 97, Chicago 96
    • Game 4 @ Milwaukee: Chicago 100, Milwaukee 98
    • Game 5 @ Chicago: Chicago 110, Milwaukee 93
    (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers : Pistons win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ Detroit: Los Angeles 113, Detroit 109
    • Game 2 @ Detroit: Detroit 128, Los Angeles 101
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, Detroit 96
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Detroit 91, Los Angeles 89
    • Game 5 @ Detroit: Detroit 105, Los Angeles 100
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 102, Detroit 86
    • Game 7 @ Detroit: Detroit 86, Los Angeles 79
    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Detroit Pistons : Bulls win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 105, Detroit 96
    • Game 2 @ Chicago: Chicago 106, Detroit 102
    • Game 3 @ Detroit: Chicago 99, Detroit 90
    • Game 4 @ Detroit: Detroit 118, Chicago 107
    • Game 5 @ Chicago: Detroit 110, Chicago 101
    • Game 6 @ Chicago: Chicago 109, Detroit 87

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: Boston Celtics

    Eastern Conference Semifinals

    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (4) Buffalo Braves : Celtics win series 4-2

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 108, Buffalo 96
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Buffalo 129, Boston 110
    • Game 3 @ Buffalo: Boston 116, Buffalo 115
    • Game 4 @ Buffalo: Buffalo 116, Boston 88
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 98, Buffalo 96
    • Game 6 @ Buffalo: Boston 106, Buffalo 104
    (2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Capitol Bullets: Knicks win series 4-3

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 118, Capitol 102
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 99, Capitol 96
    • Game 3 @ Landover: Capitol 120, New York 110
    • Game 4 @ Landover: Capitol 128, New York 119
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 106. Capitol 105
    • Game 6 @ Landover: Capitol 109, New York 92
    • Game 7 @ New York: New York 91, Capitol 81
    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (2) New York Knicks : Celtics win series 4-0

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 119, New York 106
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 99, New York 80
    • Game 3 @ New York: Boston 89, New York 87
    • Game 4 @ New York: Boston 103, New York 90

    NBA Finals​

    (1) Boston Celtics VS. (1) Chicago Bulls: Celtics win series 4-1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 89, Chicago 85
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 102, Chicago 94
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Boston 103, Chicago 100
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 97, Boston 89
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 111, Chicago 100
     
    • The Merger Announcement

    • Jezza1998

    Pro Basketball Leagues Merge; New York to Retain Two Teams​



    By Sam Goldaper Special to The New York Times


    HYANNIS, Mass., May 22—

    The National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association finally merged today into a 24‐team league.


    Six of the A.B.A.'s ten teams —the New York Nets, the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Rockets , the Kentucky Colonels, the Utah Stars and the San Antonio Spurs —have been absorbed into the N.B.A. and will play in the 1974–75 season.


    Each of these franchises will pay $3.2 million in cash to the N.B.A., with the first payment of $1 million due on July 15 and the remainder on Sept. 15. The Nets also must indemnify the Knicks for moving into their New York territory. The Nets play their games at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, L.I. Mike Burke, president of the Knicks, said the indemnification would be “roughly in the same ball park” as the Islanders paid the Rangers when the Long Island team joined the National Hockey League in 1972. The islanders’ owners, some of whom also have a share of the Nets, are paying Madison Square Garden 54 million over a 20‐year period. The Garden owns the Rangers.




    More negotiations between the Knicks and Nets will be held and they could result in trades that could possibly lower the Nets’ indemnirication payments.
    Since the A. B. A. began as an 11‐team league for the 1967–68 season, it had 18 different franchises, two commissioners and had been involved in countless lawsuits. The league contends it has lost $30 million.




    The Virginia Squires, Carolina Cougars, Memphis Tams and the San Diego Conquistadors were all left out of the consolidation and they will be paid about $3 million each by the six teams accepted into the N.B.A.

    All of the players will be dispersed in a special draft in which the 18 N.B.A. teams, plus the six newcomers, will participate. The Philadelphia 76ers will have the first pick because they had the worst record in the league.

    ​

    There could be a lot of trading or selling of draft picks as teams prepare for the 1974 NBA Draft at which all NBA teams are eligible with the six ABA teams picking from 19 to 24 in reverse order based on record.


    Intensive merger negotiations between Larry O'Brien, the N.B.A. commissioner, and Jack Dolph, his A.B.A. counterpart, began at the suggestion of Federal Judge Robert L. Carter of the Southern New York District Court. He asked both sides to attempt an out‐of‐court settlement of the A.B.A. antitrust suit against the N.B.A.
    Lawyers for both sides are scheduled to appear before Judge Carter tomorrow to tell him what progress has been made. But he already has been informed of today's agreement.

    David Stern and Michael Cardozo, the N.B.A. lawyers who worked until 6:30 this morning to hammer out the agreement with Bob Carlson, the A.B.A. lawyer, figured it would take 60 to 90 days before all deals were completed.

    Although many problems may still develop in future negotiations, nothing is expected to hinder the ultimate agreement. Especially since each N.B.A. owner will receive almost $700,000 and there is an almost additional $5 million awaiting them in the third year of their television contract with CBS after the NBA had decided to accept their offer over ABC due to the extra revenue . The television network had promised the extra money if the N.B.A. would accept at least four teams into the league.



    The vote for the consolidation was 17‐1, with the unexpected dissenting vote cast by Sam Schulman, the owner of the Seattle SuperSonics. Schulman had been a leading proponent for the merger for almost six years.

    “It was a protest vote,” said Schulman. “There were some little things they did that upset me, like taking away some of the draft rights certain teams had held.”

    Would Schulman have voted against the merger if his was the deciding vote? He smiled and offered a “no comment.”

    O'Brien, who spent most of his first year in office determined to take pro basketball out of the courts, has now succeeded in effecting two major settlements of problems that had cost the league more than $1.5 million in legal and court costs this year. During the N.B.A. All Star break a settlement of the so‐called Oscar Robertson antitrust suit was made with the N.B.A. Players Association due to the dropping of the reverse course being made unconstitutional by the Supreme Court

    The N.B.A. advisory committee, consisting of Abe Pollin of the Washington Bullets, Burke, William Wirtz of the Chicago Bulls and William Alverson of the Milwaukee Bucks, plus O'Brien and Simon Gourdine, the deputy commissioner, came to the league's annual meeting with merger plans involving four, five and six A.B.A. teams.

    The owners favored the four‐team plan but with the ABA's increased ratings as well as the fact that the renegade league was in a more stable financial shape the ABA would win out with 6 teams ultimately being admitted.

    When the $3.2 million cash settlement was finally substituted yesterday for the original $4.5 million five‐year payout plan, Prentice Yancey, the general counsel of the A.B.A. Players Association, was summoned from Atlanta.



    During the all‐night negotiations, Yancey entered into an accord that included the honoring of all present A.B.A. contracts, including those of players who may not make it to the N.B.A. A pool was also set up that would pay off the contracts of those players whose teams had folded.

    Yancey said the A.B.A. player representatives would have to approve the deal.

    As for the new N.B.A. teams, their rosters were frozen as of May I. They will not share in’ any television monies for the next two years and, should the league decide to share gate receipts in the future, they would be excluded from the vote. In the N.B.A. the home team weeps all the receipts. The new teas will have no say in their alignment in the league's forming of divisions.

    Larry Fleisher, the general counsel of the N.B.A. Players Association, sail, “It's better to have four teams disbanded rather than six. I don't think the N.B.A. and the ABA would have been able fight for another year.
     
    • 1974-75 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The 1973-74 season would be the last season with 2 leagues as the Oscar Robertson suit was settled in early 1974 after a compromise bill was settled between the Owners and the Players with the help of the US Senate as there was not yet unrestricted free agency as there is now but there would have to be compensation offered if a team signed another team’s player. With that settled the 2 leagues merged in April 1974 with 6 teams being accepted into the NBA there were the New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets who changed their name from the Rockets at the end of the 74 season, Utah Stars, San Antonio Spurs and the Kentucky Colonels with all of the other teams being bought out and all of the players from those teams being placed in a dispersal draft to be allocated to all of the other teams in the NBA.

    The terms of the merger included

    • The new teams' arrival was treated as an expansion, not a merger. The six remaining ABA teams had to pay a $3.2 million expansion fee to the NBA by September 15, 1974.
    • The New York Nets were to pay an additional $4.8 million indemnity directly to their in-town rival, the New York Knicks, as compensation for "invading" the New York area.
    • The four ABA teams would receive no votes related to the distribution of gate receipts or the alignment of NBA divisions for one year.
    • The remaining players from all of the other ABA teams would be made available to NBA teams through a dispersal draft including the ABA teams who were included in the merger
    • The 1974 NBA Draft would be available to all teams in the new NBA.
    • The NBA Would adopt the 3 point line at the beginning of the 1974-75 season
    As the league's had now merged the new NBA had to sign their next television contract and they decided to sign with CBS for the next 4 seasons which angered the ABC executive at the time Roone Arlidge who would take revenge.

    The 1974 NBA Draft was held on the 28th May 1974 and the 6 ABA teams would be included in the draft with their picks being from 19th to 24th in the draft at the end of the 1st round and the former ABA teams got some good players in this range with Indiana still getting Billy Knight with the 21st pick and the Utah Stars getting Truck Robinson with the 22nd pick in the draft Another notable pick in this draft was of the very first high schooler to enter the NBA Moses Malone who was selected 4th overall by the Phoenix Suns as they were still looking for a center and felt he was worth the time that it would take to develop his game. Also due to these changes Philadelphila selected John Drew with the 25th pick and the Houston Rockets selected Phil Smith with the 29th pick. Milwaukee ended up taking Brian Winters with the 12th pick instead of the Lakers who with the 14th pick selected Maurice Lucas to be their new power forward.




    14Moses MaloneF/C
    EirMOCyqSWWh_KPbMWGdcIbjr6twwNmyp3Rao74YyBRNnI4rkAVENeyQwmH_Jjd2-BaLgT42UON3-nWUt-0qi8i1hWWbDVPNEPGlYkGYqcj2yYwo79FMHvKOZZKV42tRltGEIwaf
    United States    		Phoenix SunsPetersburg (Vir)



    112Brian Winters+G/F
    uF6ug5_NUE4dPGhcTwNB2UIK4HbjROwUb8QtON_dk1T7rlfXM1NMPw1X8XLJOcqWJg-dv3ho5GRCkkxCAtqmTT1MyV61kbGvTAPMn_zAOMJsbMLNA42530YlhTKFwtWCdOU7Q5e8
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksSouth Carolina (Sr.)




    114Maurice Lucas*F/C
    T-5meV1zwPdG56sG5el030udQdrW3HazXMMQs6HHUZiFcdvunWHsd3AG5YDNzTz4qlG861s94CNOhiJUJPJLJNlHZr4UqmW29ZDPNzE4vFogqz8IVSUa2NGyn6KnB3uUPGF3DcJc
    United States    		Los Angeles LakersMarquette (Jr.)




    221Billy Knight+G/F
    2rameQEsxOvK7jAKaL9CHp_cF9Bz4ksQaY85NwpDoNKcf_-JFRw9Uys4LA6Ga5tuLy2mmWoc-pIBzGWZSaSbODr3plv6050i45B0Kh_QwaxVwMmlM1j7dV8fgEvVJ97j36Cs3GrP
    United States    		Indiana PacersPittsburgh (Sr.)
    222Truck Robinson*F/C
    115SvyA8cWR9_YzpzO4dDJLXPkIvApmEKygQwQGhd8hU_JCSSuWjULsrLqP654ctHNP5NX1eKzUVqr8DgL6D_CGpF2dYCwHTrMG9qr-niTp2Jco0yb-C8_yvJFuIGsVD2_0mZIMP
    United States    		Utah StarsTennessee State (Sr.)





    225John Drew+G/F
    JRydzZfzWjgvdb6awtRH3STpPRnocFsWe7yTsYvsKgBU0enMEZn8DPqEvY2wbRfIizzKf_y8qIz2cTNlYdZmliVNQXu26qLHdVMNYaz4O1TiHIvTHWAVTEkD5L4rPGxBTyhC7xtg
    United States    		Philadelphia 76ersGardner–Webb (Jr.)





    229Phil Smith*G
    t5bmTmGuTp6ZdsREKp0CoQa28-H92V8klFG8j5ty07aS9OuUhGjOkwM02m8fx7WvkuNFFzKZP4psOlHRWAHeWt6j5uIDT-ymSDcJzyuBQ3EKpBrtpaGG-epqV75Uvwv2J8zlg4go
    United States    		Houston RocketsSan Francisco (Sr.)




    The dispersal draft took place on the 5th August 1974 with not many players being taken who would change the landscape of the league as it was mainly role players who comprised the teams that didn't make the NBA.


    Rick Barry would be forced to leave the New York Nets due to the financial indemnity they had incurred on the Knicks and ironically after the Knicks had taken Bill Bradley over Barry in the 1965 NBA Draft they would not miss this second chance to take Barry in exchange for waiving $ 3 million of the indemnity payment.

    The Lakers also don’t sign Cazzie Russell as they are rebuilding and don't want to give up future 1st round picks as they don't see any big name superstars who would be available to be traded there.

    The Stars, Nuggets and Spurs would go in the western conference while the Pacers, Nets and Colonels would go in the eastern conference joining these teams was a new expansion team called the New Orleans Jazz who made a very risky trade for Pete Maravich who was an LSU legend but would certainly attract fans and so the stage was set for what would be one of the most interesting seasons in NBA History.
    As for the teams who were part of the merger the Pacers had just transitioned to the George Mcginnis era with Billy Knight, Darnell Hillman and Don Buse taking over for Roger Brown, Freddie Lewis and Roger Brown the Stars were on the downswing as Zelmo Beaty would retire and the team would start to rebuild, the Nuggets had obtained Carl Scheer as GM and gotten Larry Brown as coach with Doug Moe as his assistant and a decent team with no superstar but a decent team nonetheless, the Spurs having just obtained George Gervin were on the rise, Kentucky replaced Babe McCarthy with Hubie Brown to help the Colonels reach the promised land and as for the Nets even with the loss of Barry they still had the Big 2 in Abdul-Jabbar and Erving along with a good supporting cast in Larry Kenon, John Williamson and Brian Taylor.

    And the season was an interesting one to say the least as the East was very top heavy with the Nets winning 66 games even with the loss of Rick Barry winning his 1st MVP award with averages of 30, 6, 6 and 3 steals leading the league was required as Kareem and Erving both had some minor injuries and Bob McAdoo and George McGinnis teams records weren't good enough to justify winning the award and the Knicks were looking like a contender once again with the elite Frasier and Monroe backcourt it became evident that an elite big men for the Knicks was needed to contend Then it would be the Celtics, Bullets and Colonels who all would win 57 games with the Bullets getting the 2 seed, Kentucky the 3 seed which left Boston stuck in 4th position. Buffalo and New York would fill the other 2 seeds in the playoff picture in the East.

    Meanwhile in the West Larry Brown introduced himself to the NBA by winning 62 games with the Nuggets and leading them to the 1st seed in the West and which enabled him to win the Coach of the Year award while the Bulls would finish with the 2nd seed with their team that was getting on in age and whose best chance at a title was probably gone by this point then it was the Spurs, Kansas City Kings which was a surprise and finally the Supersonics and Pistons.

    In the West the Playoffs were a bit boring as the Nuggets made it to the finals easily beating the Supersonics and Bulls in 5 games the Bulls defeat ending their era of contention as the team was aging with Chet Walker retiring at the end of the season and with Jerry Sloan and Bob Love to follow him out the door in the near future it was time for a rebuild in Chicago.

    Meanwhile in the East it was a bit more exciting as the Braves took the Celtics to 3 games in their 1st round matchup while the Knicks would beat Kentucky in 3 games and the Knicks would continue their run beating the Bullets in the 2nd round sending Oscar Robertson into retirement while the Nets would beat the Celtics ending their title defense. Time for the conference finals and after 1 season it certainly appeared as though the ABA had the better players as 3 of their teams were still in contention for an NBA title compared to only 1 NBA team and the Nets would beat the Knicks in the battle of New York with Julius Erving’s dunks firing up the opposing crowd in particular summing up the series.

    And on to the 1975 NBA Finals which had a very distinct ABA feel to them as the finalists were 2 ABA teams in the Denver Nuggets and the New York Nets. These teams were also very opposite one another as Denver was a good solid team which several 2nd or 3rd tier players but no superstar whereas the Nets had 2 superstars in Erving and Abdul Jabbar and it was the Nets starpower which would enable them to win the series in 5 games with Kareem winning his 1st NBA Finals MVP Award leading the Nets to their 4th titles in 5 years.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-New York Nets6616.795–
    2y-Washington Bullets5725.6949
    3x-Boston Celtics5725.6949
    4x-Kentucky Colonels5725.6949
    5x-New York Knicks5230.63314
    6x-Buffalo Braves4537.54921
    7Indiana Pacers4438.52422
    8Philadelphila 76ers3844.46328
    9Houston Rockets3745.45129
    10Cleveland Cavaliers3646.43930
    11Atlanta Hawks3052.36636

    12New Orleans Jazz2260.26849


    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Denver Nuggets6220.744–
    2y-Chicago Bulls4636.56116
    3x-San Antonio Spurs4537.54817
    4x-Kansas City–Omaha Kings4240.51220
    5x-Seattle SuperSonics4141.50021
    6x-Detroit Pistons3943.47623
    7Portland Trail Blazers3646.44026
    8Phoenix Suns3646.44026
    9Golden State Warriors3547.42827
    10Milwaukee Bucks3448.41528
    11Utah Stars3448.41528

    12Los Angeles Lakers3052.36632



    1975 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Nate Archibald ( Kansas City Kings)

    SG George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    SF Ralph Simpson ( Denver Rockets)

    PF Spencer Haywood ( Seattle SuperSonics)

    C Swen Nater ( San Antonio Spurs)

    Bench

    PG Mack Calvin ( Denver Rockets)

    SG James Silas ( San Antonio Spurs)

    SG Ron Boone ( Utah Stars)

    SF Bob Dandridge ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    PF Sidney Wicks ( Portland Trail Blazers)

    PF Bob Lanier Detroit Pistons)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)


    East

    Starters

    PG Walt Frasier ( New York Knicks)

    SG Rick Barry ( New York Knicks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New York Nets)

    PF Bob McAdoo ( Buffalo Braves)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Freddie Lewis ( Indiana Pacers)

    SG Louie Dampier ( Kentucky Colonels)

    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)

    PF George Mcginnis ( Indiana Pacers)

    PF Dan Issel ( Kentucky Colonels)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)

    C Dave Cowens ( Boston Celtics)


    Western Conference​


    Champion: Denver Nuggets


    Western Conference First Round

    (4) Kansas City Kings vs. (5) Seattle Super Sonics: Super Sonics win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 112, Seattle 103
    • Game 2 @ Seattle: Seattle 122, Kansas City 117
    • Game 3 @ Kansas City: Seattle 112, Kansas City 108

    (3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Detroit Pistons: Spurs win series 2-0

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 122, Detroit 107
    • Game 2 @ Detroit: San Antonio 126, Detroit 120

    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Seattle Super Sonics: Nuggets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 122, Seattle 107
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Denver 126, Seattle 120
    • Game 3 @ Seattle: Denver 122, Seattle 108
    • Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 132, Denver 110
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 130, Seattle 119
    (2) Chicago Bulls vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs: Bulls win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: Chicago 122, San Antonio 119
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: Chicago 98, San Antonio 93
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 113, San Antonio 103
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: San Antonio 110, Chicago 109
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 123, Chicago 117
    • Game 6 @ Chicago: Chicago 115, San Antonio 100
    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Denver Nuggets vs. (2) Chicago Bulls: Nuggets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 131, Chicago 128
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Denver 131, Chicago 124
    • Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 118, Denver 112
    • Game 4 @ Chicago: Denver 126, Chicago 109
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 109, Chicago 90

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Nets

    Eastern Conference First Round

    (4) Kentucky Colonels vs. (5) New York Knicks : Knicks win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 108, New York 100
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 118, Kentucky 112
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: New York 100, Kentucky 97


    (3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Buffalo Braves: Celtics win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 102, Buffalo 97
    • Game 2 @ Buffalo: Buffalo 112, Boston 87
    • Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 98, Buffalo 96



    Eastern Conference Semifinals

    (2) Washington Bullets vs. (5) New York Knicks: Knicks win series 4–0

    • Game 1 @ Washington: New York 98, Washington 91
    • Game 2 @ Washington: New York 119, Washington 105
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 101, Washington 80
    • Game 4 @ New York: New York 107, Washington 93
    (1) New York Nets vs. (3) Boston Celtics : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: Boston 111, New York 105
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 115, Boston 97
    • Game 3 @ Boston: New York 113, Boston 108
    • Game 4 @ Boston: New York 100, Boston 89
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 108, Boston 107
    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (5) New York Knicks: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York Nets 112, New York Knicks 109
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York Nets 108, New York Knicks 103
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York Knicks 103, New York Nets 97
    • Game 4 @ New York: New York Nets 117, New York Knicks 98
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York Nets 123, New York Knicks 103

    NBA Finals​

    (1) New York Nets VS. (1) Denver Nuggets : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 (May 13) @New York: New York 120, Denver 94
    • Game 2 (May 15) @ New York: New York 95, Denver 93
    • Game 3 (May 18) @ Denver: New York 109, Denver 101
    • Game 4 (May 19) @ Denver: Denver 94, New York 86
    • Game 5 (May 22) @ New York: New York 110, Denver 105
     
    Last edited:
    • 1975-76 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    For the 2nd season in the new NBA changes in league position and the earlier merger of the two league ensured that the draft order would be different but the big winners of the 1975 draft were the Atlanta Hawks who with the 1st pick from the Pete Maravich trade and their own pick which was 3rd they would still take David Thompson and Marvin Webster and actually keep both of them other changes in the draft were that the Utah Stars would get Alvin Adams as their new center, Lionel Hollins would go to Milwaukee while Darryl Dawkins went to Golden State and Junior Bridgeman would start his career in Portland. Due to their being more teams in the league each round would now consist of 24 picks and that enabled Kentucky to select Gus Williams with the 19th and Denver to get World B Free with the 23rd pick and Milwaukee would strengthen their frontcourt by drafting Dan Roundfield with the 28th pick,

    14Alvan Adams+F/C
    oc7En9ZPQbO3MP3QmHIdLrp7IY2Q_lOH8cghAij4HxqtLggObCBLL2YVbF1PAdWx_vmCv3IeuaPsF8A5sqwvUsKx4sY6Yc7Wo_UfsH1ykzmJlEslOUTwtiwrbzgoTb-Vy_Gut1js=s0
    United States    		Utah StarsOklahoma (Jr.)
    15Darryl DawkinsC
    prIah9h2jFc__pgistXIZqdFucUBalIQXFcieeQ832CmVkB45sm_YMv12qJh4K1t0QWiSRKalLbhPqp3mmug04bpu2IPu7lYtWlIyJsYZy008ZMe40wI6ehabSo8ZB6nlgM_dV5Z=s0
    United States    		Golden State WarriorsMaynard Evans HS (Florida) (HS Sr.)
    16Lionel Hollins+G
    SNsMdhtyk2U2elZ7C7XUbJQRlnuT8G1oiVhm9Yo_Y18tk07zXrjFW-0XBPKcKee_wDXkI9oXPbTxKJQHmUFDCZm4tIY7OaXwhR3z-zdxWsOV2A4d9XarBWl7QYJazEdGWNC5-etc=s0
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksArizona State (Sr.)
    18Junior BridgemanG/F
    qilH85BgTiCM_2Ol8RBw7Olah8-SKsDLbnTIw4Xr62RTPXE-hw9PuWAVhDTNqLP1BLObzEkGy0FxZJStgN-kWcX-_0_OCWqmW2e-j_w-ZLz2hQouMonYBG0O-DyCn_6Iw26f_73G=s0
    United States    		Portland Trail BlazersLouisville (Sr.)
    120Gus Williams*G
    hs1Pn8VH7FVHDNCBNhMP0VJdu7dYMpjh4nhNuRlG1N1mMNkOOT_rxkBapKN1eZPCmrFv_o2fEyRMldKv4a3HhT0Uco8i5Bmkfr4ge6_ADyWsPKa7kiQHWwrrGleISaGqGUFGXCCN=s0
    United States    		Kentucky ColonelsUSC (Sr.)
    123Lloyd Free*[1]G
    YrsZxROnHMJdNBeXACKcQG7TdICt9omK9AXmIiGGbm3KviJGUwpVMccBo6bDPB1TNvPVCBAGr-L4eKFLj-lysn1n11lMX9vJ5ldNMHoNihdbF0zlTTCvY9n1PogCbWf15wvka31Q=s0
    United States    		Denver NuggetsGuilford (Jr.)
    228Dan Roundfield*F/C
    2lJmvtwzw1oQuKZAps5VWOJTkeTfiuR5hUGVChyTB4P_ruV3tIpZkvWNskpId_qY0t0qBeT4icmCkJDN94MPLxFZHOs8HY8MY7kVXtzPBg4SEwcfhYa5thSd8NJiQZODG5qt9uCX=s0
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksCentral Michigan (Sr.)

    This was a season of surprises as even though Denver and New Jersey were once again the favourites a bunch of new teams came to contend as Cleveland in the East in addition to San Antonio and Seattle in the West did very well in the regular season although they wouldn’t make it too far in the playoffs. The Nets would end this season by winning 64 games with Kareem once again being named as the league's MVP as the Nets would once again claim the 1st seed in the East with Boston, Kentucky, Cleveland, Indiana and Kentucky. The Nuggets would win 52 games as the absence of both Dan Issel and David Thompson severely hindered their season but still claimed the 1st seed in the West with San Antonio, Seattle, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Portland behind them in the Western Conference.

    In the West playoffs the Supersonics would beat the Trailblazers and the Suns would beat the Bucks as Paul Westphal went off, then the Nuggets would be defeated by the Suns in an upset and would meet the Spurs in the Conference finals as they beat Seattle beat Phoenix's heroic run would end there as the Spurs would make their 1st finals series where they would meet the Nets who beat the Cavaliers and Celtics. The Nets would defeat another ex NBA team to win title in San Antonio this time in 5 games as they had no answer for Abdul-Jabbar who won his 5th regular season MVP and his 2nd NBA Finals MVP to go along with his 2 ABA Finals MVP awards.


    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-New Jersey Nets6418.780–
    2y-Boston Celtics5428.64610
    3x-Kentucky Colonels5230.62212
    4x-Washington Bullets5032.59814
    5x-Cleveland Cavaliers4834.58616
    6x-Indiana Pacers4537.54919
    7Buffalo Braves4438.53620
    8New York Knicks4339.50021
    9Philadelphia 76ers3745.45127
    10Atlanta Hawks3646.43928
    11Houston Rockets3547.42729

    12New Orleans Jazz3052.36734




    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Denver Nuggets5230.645–
    2y-San Antonio Spurs4834.5614
    3x-Seattle SuperSonics4339.5249
    4x-Milwaukee Bucks4240.51210
    5x-Phoenix Suns 4042.48812
    6x-Portland Trail Blazers3844.46414
    7Detroit Pistons3646.44016
    8Golden State Warriors3646.44016
    9Kansas City Kings3547.42817
    10Los Angeles Lakers3448.41518
    11Utah Stars3349.40219

    12Chicago Bulls2458.30628


    1976 NBA All Star Game Lineups

    West

    Starters

    PG Nate Archibald Kansas City Kings

    SG James Silas San Antonio Spurs

    SF George Gervin San Antonio Spurs

    PF Maurice Lucas Los Angeles Lakers

    C Bob Lanier Detroit Pistons


    Bench

    PG Ron Boone Utah Stars

    SG Fred Brown Seattle SuperSonics

    SG Brian Winters Milwaukee Bucks

    SF Jamaal Wilkes Golden State Warriors

    SF Ralph Simpson Denver Nuggets

    SF Bob Dandridge Milwaukee Bucks

    PF Curtis Rowe Detroit Pistons

    C Alvin Adams Utah Stars


    East

    Starters

    PG Dave Bing Washington Bullets

    SG Rick Barry New York Knicks

    SF Julius Erving New York Nets

    PF Bob McAdoo Buffalo Braves

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar New York Nets

    Bench

    PG Brian Taylor New York Nets

    SG Walt Frasier New York Knicks

    SG Doug Collins Philadelphila 76ers

    SF John Havlicek Boston Celtics

    PF George McGinnis Indiana Pacers

    PF Dan Issel Kentucky Colonels

    C Dave Cowens Boston Celtics


    Western Conference​

    Champion: San Antonio Spurs


    Western Conference Quarterfinals
    (3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers: Sonics win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 95,Portland 89
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 131, Seattle 106
    • Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 124, Portland 123



    (4) Milwaukee Bucks vs (5) Phoenix Suns : Suns win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 105, Phoenix 92
    • Game 2 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 111, Milwaukee 106
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Phoenix 108, Milwaukee 97



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Phoenix Suns: Suns win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 102, Phoenix 99
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Phoenix 116, Denver 111
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 103, Denver 91
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 130, Denver 114
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 114, Phoenix 108
    • Game 6 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 123, Denver 112
    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics: Spurs win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 122, Seattle 119
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 98, Seattle 93
    • Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 113, San Antonio 103
    • Game 4 @ Seattle: San Antonio 110, Seattle 109
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 123, Seattle 117


    Western Conference Finals

    (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Spurs win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 116, Phoenix 101
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 105, San Antonio 79
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 111, San Antonio 103
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: San Antonio 110, Phoenix 108
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 110, Phoenix 108
    • Game 6 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 115, San Antonio 110
    • Game 7 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 121, Phoenix 114

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Nets


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Kentucky Colonels VS. (6) Indiana Pacers: Colonels win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Louisville: Kentucky 120, Indiana 94
    • Game 2 @ Indianapolis: Indiana 95, Kentucky 93
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 109, Indiana 101



    (4) Washington Bullets vs. (5) Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavaliers win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 100, Cleveland 95
    • Game 2 @ Cleveland: Cleveland 80, Washington 75
    • Game 3 @ Washington: Cleveland 87, Washington 85



    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) New York Nets vs. (5) Cleveland Cavaliers: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 98, Cleveland 91
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 119, Cleveland 105
    • Game 3 @ Cleveland: New York 101, Cleveland 80
    • Game 4 @ Cleveland: Cleveland 107, New York 93
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 111,Cleveland 99


    (2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels: Celtics win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 98, Kentucky 87
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 105, Kentucky 90
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 105, Boston 90
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 105, Boston 98
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 128, Kentucky 126
    • Game 6 @ Kentucky: Boston 87, Kentucky 80


    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Boston Celtics: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 112, Boston 109
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 108, Boston 103
    • Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 103, Boston 97
    • Game 4 @ Boston: New York 117, Boston 98
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 123, Boston 103

    NBA Finals​

    (E1) New York Nets VS. (W2) San Antonio Spurs: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 120, San Antonio 118
    • Game 2 @ New York: San Antonio 127, New York 121
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: New York 117, San Antonio 111
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: New York 121, San Antonio 112
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 118, San Antonio 110
     
    • 1976-77 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The big question in the NBA at the start of the 1977 season could be the New Jersey Nets run of championships come to an end and if so who by there would be the usual suspects and some new teams who would come up to challenge the Nets dominance but first to the 1976 NBA Draft.

    In this draft the Buffalo Braves got the 1st overall pick as they owned New Orleans’s pick and would take point guard John Lucas with that pick with the 6th pick the Kansas City Kings lucked into future scoring champions Adrian Dantley and Robert Parish would end up on the New York Knicks to play alongside Spencer Haywood for a rejuvenated Knicks who would retain their draft pick in this TL Parish would be used as piece in the Bob Mcadoo trade to the Knicks. Boston would luck out by taking Alex English with the 23rd pick, Lonnie Shelton would find himself in Georgia as part of the Atlanta Hawks who took him with the 25th pick and Future finals MVP Dennis Johnson was picked 30th by Kansas City Kings.

    RoundPickPlayerPos.NationalityTeamSchool/club team
    11John LucasG
    FFcbce3MXsZffkDrtGAHSpRfOLpxU3ue4N77TinH__vqoyqXWNEUBmd6VSDbqcm90VrTpo1ytcedr5-cBfr3mEppfK0DSNKEFrgcaSu5fP1zfwQgOPBTaaTG43QEEIiJpdr5NWv7=s0
    United States    		Buffalo Braves (from New Orleans)[a]Maryland (Sr.)

    16Adrian Dantley^G/F
    AX8_p79sFV6JnsoaN5Z8MGggBKvlOhzlLyfwfVnxdRA-sZWr55ImqyLMzOh-r74y2V_NRDWLAGyLuSkSNH954_HI1-i5jqUUrTWAxaJ5lyWNoxpdc60366F_naWTbj01z0fN0jle=s0
    United States    		Kansas City Kings

    18Robert Parish^C
    m0_wzEiOA_9ky3FZn8V96jnu_FIvG0jR7W3GeeFyUw9VclJSNw72UhyRf5Kytt2VAJh39CXjJQDVlfTtCvHAQVyeBcGAjTgsDKeAO_SOpY6nyCa8y0xBvaL1c_DVr62h3rENGxVp=s0
    United States    		New York KnicksCentenary (Sr.)

    123Alex English^F
    RQ4xkMPUfxgboi4o3cY11na1f24dSNVIooEURaqwBKq2l3JuZx0I4O2u3TOiO9uJkJ9qjOIbpUxwRdJZRmM-xTgMrqZrqMsB_s3rh6_c35abQQRZ_YM4IJY3fXZECa5IuqfHAGFt=s0
    United States    		Boston CelticsSouth Carolina (Sr.)


    225Lonnie Shelton+F/C
    Myn4WijWFlup-2Bo_zOlR3vswfIYHQoBZ-LIYiwAiwfKFocUdkTIuY5lZyKT-14RtkK38-ARFjLaQ_N7IZMS_H1ozEOSBTT0zS_qu8zu1648zhfFdvuhQpUgTI7ug-aKv4UsNGR9=s0
    United States    		Atlanta Hawks ( from New Orleans)Oregon State (Jr.)

    229Dennis Johnson^G
    Eb6ZRvwMcvl1kRp9rvO4nMss1zQoe3zfp4duVC9MaIS2D2mIebvaLq-fS-E_Zt0Uwm8NFa7dEf2nODXN6H8IUO1bRcaAnqVCgXJmfYf73Z7PlxV_XzeV4NctdblYCHS916xXmpbO=s0
    United States    		Kansas City KingsPepperdine (Sr.)

    One notable free agency signing which would become very important in the next few years was that New Orleans still signed Gail Goodrich from the Los Angeles Lakers and gave them their next 3 1st round picks.

    A lot of teams records changed this season due to the different moves that they had moved as the Nets, Suns, Hawks and Knicks all changed for the better while the Lakers, Bucks, Warriors and 76ers all changed for the worst with the Nets once again getting the 1st seed in the East with Washington, Kentucky, Boston, New York and Atlanta filling the playoff picture in the East whilst in the West Portland topped the standings with Denver, San Antonio, Detroit, Kansas and Seattle all having a chance at the title.


    In the East it would once again be the Nets to make the finals with the Bullets being the victim in the East finals after beating Kentucky to make it to that point, meanwhile in the West a legitimate challenger to Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s status as best center in the league finally arrived as Bill Walton finally started to fulfill his limitless potential as Portland would make their first NBA Finals appearance after beating Kansas City and San Antonio to make it that far with Lenny Wilkens as Coach and a decent supporting cast containing Sidney Wicks, Junior Bridgeman and Geoff Petrie there was a feeling that Portland might be around for years to come and even though the Nets would beat them in 6 with this time Erving winning the Award for Finals MVP as Walton and Kareem canceled each other out and Erving had a field day it was thought at the time that the NBA would see a lot more of Bill Walton and this Portland team that would show that this was as good as it got for both player and franchise for the next few years.


    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-New Jersey Nets6121.756–
    2y-Washington Bullets4933.59812
    3x-Kentucky Colonels4834.58513
    4x-Boston Celtics4438.53717
    5x-New York Knicks4240.52519
    6-x-Atlanta Hawks4141.50020
    7Indiana Pacers4042.48821
    8Cleveland Cavaliers3745.45124
    9Houston Rockets3745.45124
    10Buffalo Braves3646.43925
    11Philadelphila 76ers3448.41527
    12New Orleans Jazz3052.36731



    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Portland Trail Blazers5230.634–
    2y-Denver Nuggets4834.5864
    3x-San Antonio Spurs4834.5864
    4x-Detroit Pistons4636.5616
    5x-Kansas City Kings4438.5378
    6x- Seattle SuperSonics4438.5378
    7Los Angeles Lakers4042.48812
    8Phoenix Suns4042.48812
    9Chicago Bulls3646.43916
    10Golden State Warriors3448.41518
    11Milwaukee Bucks3052.36622
    12Utah Stars2854.34324



    1977 NBA All Star Game Rosters


    Western Conference


    Starters

    PG Norm Van Lier (Chicago Bulls)

    SG Paul Westphal ( Phoenix Suns)

    SF George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    PF Maurice Lucas ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    C Bob Lanier ( Detroit Pistons)

    Bench

    PG Tiny Archibald ( Kansas City Kings)

    SG Phil Smith ( Golden State Warriors)

    SG Ron Boone ( Kansas City Kings)

    SF Bob Dandridge ( Milwaukee Bucks

    PF Truck Robinson ( Utah Stars)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)

    C Billy Paultz ( San Antonio Spurs)


    Eastern Conference

    Starters

    PG Pete Maravich ( New Orleans Jazz)

    SG David Thompson ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New York Nets)

    PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Jo Jo White ( Boston Celtics)

    SG Doug Collins ( Philadelphia 76ers)

    SF Billy Knight ( Indiana Pacers)

    SF Rick Barry ( New York Nets)

    PF Elvin Hayes ( Washington Bullets)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)

    C Bob McAdoo ( New York Knicks)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Portland Trail Blazers


    Western Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) San Antonio Spurs     vs. (6) Seattle Super Sonics: Spurs win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 96,Seattle 83
    • Game 2 @ Seattle: Seattle 107, San Antonio 104
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: Portland 106, Chicago 98



    (4) Detroit Pistons vs (5) Kansas City Kings : Kings win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Detroit: Detroit 95, Kansas City 92
    • Game 2 @ Kansas City: Kansas City138, Detroit 108
    • Game 3 @ Detroit: Kansas City 109, Detroit 101



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Portland Trail Blazers     vs. (5) Kansas City Kings: Trail Blazers win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Portland: Portland 101, Kansas City 100
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Kansas City 121, Portland 110
    • Game 3 @ Kansas City: Portland 110, Kansas City 96
    • Game 4 @ Kansas City: Portland 105, Kansas City 96
    • Game 5 @ Portland: Kansas City 114, Portland 105 ( OT)
    • Game 6 @ Kansas City: Portland 108, Kansas City 92
    (2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs : Spurs win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 115, San Antonio 106
    • Game 2 @ Denver: Denver 95, San Antonio 86
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 109, Denver 105
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 114, Denver 103
    • Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 112, San Antonio 105
    • Game 6 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 115, San Antonio 106
    • Game 7 @ Denver: San Antonio 97, Denver 84


    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Portland Trail Blazers     vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs: Trail Blazers win series 4–0

    • Game 1 @ Portland: Portland 121, San Antonio 109
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 99, San Antonio 97
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: Portland 102, San Antonio 97
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: Portland 105, San Antonio 101

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Nets


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3)     Kentucky Colonels VS. (6) Atlanta Hawks : Colonels win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Louisville: Kentucky 109, Atlanta 100
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Atlanta 91, Kentucky 83
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 104, Atlanta 98



    (4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) New York Knicks : Knicks win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 104, New York 102 Jo Jo White Buzzer Beater
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 80, Boston 109
    • Game 3 @ Boston: New York 107, Boston 99



    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) New York Nets     vs. (5) New York Knicks: Nets win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York Nets 113, New York Knicks 101
    • Game 2 @ New York : New York Knicks 109, New York Nets 100
    • Game 3 @ New York : New York Nets 113, New York Knicks 111
    • Game 4 @ New York : New York Knicks 124, New York Nets 119
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York Nets 110,New York Knicks 91
    • Game 6 @ New York: New York Knicks 113,New York Nets 108
    • Game 7 @ New York: New York Nets 83,New York Knicks 77


    (2) Washington Bullets vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels: Bullets win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 111, Kentucky 101
    • Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 124, Kentucky 118 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 93, Washington 90
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Washington 107, Kentucky 103
    • Game 5 @ Washington: Kentucky 128, Washington 115
    • Game 6 @ Kentucky: Washington 108, Kentucky 103


    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Net    s vs. (2) Washington Bullets : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 128, Washington 117
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 106, Washington 97
    • Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 118, New York 94
    • Game 4 @ Washington: New York 107, Washington 95
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 112, Washington 103

    NBA Finals​

    (E1) New York Nets VS. (W1) Portland Trail Blazers : Nets win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 113, Portland 97
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 107, Portland 89
    • Game 3 @ Portland: Portland 123, New York 113 Bill Walton's two famous plays of tipping the ball against Kareem Abdul Jabbar off an alley-oop from Bob Gross, then dunking the ball off of Dave Twardzik's steal and alley-oop pass.
    • Game 4 @ Portland: Portland 120, New York 108 Bill Walton's famous dunk on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 114, Portland 104
    • Game 6 @ Portland: New York 109, Portland 107
     
    Last edited:
    • 1977-78 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Life in the NBA went on and the 1977 Draft was the first order of business with the Utah Stars getting the 1st pick and as they already had Truck Robinson and Alvin Adams they would select Otis Birdsong with the 1st pick in the draft to continue their rebuild, with the 2nd pick the Lakers who owned New Orleans’s pick would take Kent Benson from Indiana University, Milwaukee still gets Marques Johnson this time with their own pick as Swen Nater is still in San Antonio, Greg Ballard would go to Washington as Philadelphila would trade him away for Kevin Porter which left Walter Davis to call Oakland home as the Warriors would pick him at 5. After Kenny Carr was selected at 6 by Chicago, Bernard King would be taken 7th by the Buffalo Braves and Jack Sikma would be selected at 8 by the Rockets. Other notable picks included Rickey Green to Kansas and Norm Nixon to Washington to replace Kevin Porter.



    11Otis Birdsong*G
    EKG_9LIMFqeewEflZYKQ5omQtmkSQxPFhPDzZzmTa7c7CHgBupb-vXgSVXo5znuJ2z_OT6_OTA-HjgjBsZfsihutPcwqoS65ACvEPmLFHGqCZaNT4jhrwv17DVdCHXLearf8LqYx=s0
    United States    		Utah StarsHouston (Sr.)

    12Kent BensonC
    zolpA9NUjt9UUjaLv7RZM9SlXFQmECiKlTvMtAI6_xii5t_O62dzIgfeK3Aim6DNyhOdaD_awE-asI-1sIRyDBKxkBcsEjQKBJXoCmgzZxh4QhBSFCZ_p4eYYEGzo05S4cjmSwQi=s0
    United States    		Los Angeles Lakers (from New Orleans)Indiana (Sr.)

    13Marques Johnson*G/F
    dpWIhtp2Xbq-d_Fy1qHBFA_Z0GDVdPhUos0od9nXQwPfop9voQphcwCHqmgPi0uuySGzhK1pBMt62N9-zGwYncjIME_Aj08wnQxJAgr99fTSKhbndVklqA42QE12zOYortqOjuNo=s0
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksUCLA (Sr.)


    14Greg BallardF
    jdbyxMM53Hf1zxXSYhFyj9By8ZpG1lm2zgFFbYDNwKxaeORXamhoeKoE9gkSxadbLSo3FKXvVZ1uc8IITdPP61S1elWyPY4tNY7HszirhP3HLxb_Qlg6f0cKGpB4Sn9kQErOR9dX=s0
    United States    		Washington Bullets (from Philadelphila)[c]Oregon (Sr.)


    15Walter Davis*G/F
    o_EMbCZoLTMDgRre2UdgUmtm3jO-p_c3ST8W6vTBA9Jl6nNomoCjiRk9XNi6lO5ulIDDRcPk7_Q4jE1foYeEiMrhgy3WwS7ied7-fLDB6Awwc8qJxlfydkBa0Ci_K5dGasZURroS=s0
    United States    		Golden State WarriorsNorth Carolina (Sr.)


    16Kenny CarrF
    O4uwSZfDpOgTduJHzoN3aTMlsCtXTvvlI68MyqWaD3ul8RWed0mDWs7Mfm0nzvWyltWFVnaeUVM_vk14PzW0grO0kIU3ftTPj5wMd18w7lsstYAjfSOsgqDGUz63_9VDSjc3HF2_=s0
    United States    		Chicago BullsNC State (Jr.)


    17Bernard King^F
    B6gQx2etyvIoNEx5qvt30ru16tJ_mHE4-gJ9qDnDfjhr6qrCXzq_jp819dxatmVzn05JfOc-WocVgUWSSt6ZNwKOZFOcmZpikKBJpByY1Rd5t3dZfMyKJXTZB8AdLLAXCbfcZNUD=s0
    United States    		Buffalo BravesTennessee (Jr.)


    18Jack Sikma^F/C
    vPvenpCwiHQNhiNP51QwTKtTaG_L7hp1rBwyt-D0u00RluoqzJlCixO5ckZXYj51X5NWBlRWe_2OfTg6bPz4qOdXH4tJfLLeaJd9hxKNZjt7tVQPar60D9qwO4wBmhPKdWjQIdNB=s0
    United States    		Houston RocketsIllinois Wesleyan (Sr.)


    116Rickey Green+G
    zcCKdIFOsrpy-YAGqH_0guvAePDP4TT2u6uhUPwNkdgT36nbb85hfCyHdy9YgSP3R3Huu_dz5RT1aCZ_SUXlkzSBG_SBGatkHAye-DiNni1LHcWb9gdZYRbHl9s-7WCVAMp3wSld=s0
    United States    		Kansas City KingsMichigan (Sr.)


    122Norm Nixon+G
    gygkpS2Kyg8dsfAHU1V4TUCXtZRWtEmuYCtCCRGhKp16PJynCTTBvWPDihtOKXi-rjy_jxG7H4mdD4RUSVKDcwsrJPOr1Qsb0AGDclzdJ6EEtu7Qv9__lzSKS6nBHHr3Xgv6m17Y=s0
    United States    		Washington BulletsDuquesne (Sr.)

    After the draft came free agency and this would be the start of a new era as Free Agency would start to gain traction throughout the league with Jamaal Wilkes to the Lakers and Bob Dandrige to the Bullets the two main offseason moves.

    The main story of the 1978 season was of the increasing amount of violence which culminated in an incident forever known as the Punch. But before that incident took place the league’s best player Kareem Abdul Jabbar was suspended for 8 games along with missing an additional 2 months for breaking his hand when he punched Lakers rookie Kent Benson after Benson elbowed him in the stomach. Due to that incident the Nets failed to play up to their standards and would only win 56 games in the regular season which wasn’t the best record in the league as that belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers who had a blistering start to the season and were 50-10 before injuries to Geoff Petrie and Bill Walton ended Portland’s run as quickly as it began and even though that would still end up with the best record in the league at 57-25 they had a mountain to climb to get back to the NBA finals.

    In the West it would be the Blazers in the 1 seed with San Antonio, Phoenix, Denver, Los Angeles and Milwaukee in the playoffs whilst in the Eastern Conference it would be the Nets in pole position with Kentucky, Houston, Washington, Atlanta and the Knicks who would contend for the 78 title.

    In the west the Suns would eliminate the Bucks, while the Lakers would defeat the Nuggets and force the end of Larry Brown’s coaching tenure in Denver. In the 2nd round the Blazers would be defeated by the Lakers as both Walton and Petrie had injures reoccur that would mean the end of their time in Portland in one case and the end of their career in the other case. In the other matchup San Antonio would defeat Phoenix as Moses Malone was still maturing into the player that he would end up becoming. In the conference finals the Lakers run would come to an end as the San Antonio Spurs would make their 2nd NBA Finals appearance and the Iceman would be in the NBA Finals.

    As for the East in the 1st round New York would beat Atlanta in 3 games and the Bullets would beat the Rockets as the Bullets thought that this would be their best chance in their quest for a 2nd NBA championship. Those hopes would unfortunately be dashed by New Jersey as even though they had some fatigue from the last few seasons the Nets would still beat the Bullets and would advance to the conference finals once again where they would meet the Kentucky Colonels with Gus Wiliams in particular playing very well having ended Rick Barry’s time in New York in 6 games . In the conference finals a surprise would take place as the Nets would be defeated by the Kentucky Colonels in 6 games as Artis Gilmore would play the series of his life and the dip in intensity and the Colonels' big man duo would be enough to end the Nets quest for 4 consecutive NBA titles.

    So for the 1978 NBA Finals it would be the San Antonio Spurs against the Kentucky Colonels, two teams who were both from the old ABA but with two diametrically opposed styles as the Spurs had more of an ABA style while Kentucky played more on a traditional NBA style with 2 elite big men. It was due to Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore the two elite big men that the Kentucky Colonels would win the 1978 NBA championship in 7 games as their playoff experience and so many near misses would finally pay off for them as Hubie Brown would win his first NBA title as a coach with Artis Gilmore being named the Finals MVP.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-New Jersey Nets5329.646–
    2y-Kentucky Colonels5230.6341
    3X- New York Knicks4735.5736
    4x-Washington Bullets4339.52410
    5X- Houston Rockets4339.52411
    6x-Atlanta Hawks4141.50012
    7Buffalo Braves3943.47614
    8Indiana Pacers3745.45116
    9Cleveland Cavaliers3646.37717
    10Boston Celtics3052.31723
    11New Orleans Jazz2953.30524

    12Philadelphila 76ers2854.34325




    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Portland Trail Blazers5725.695–
    2y-San Antonio Spurs5329.6474
    3x-Phoenix Suns4735.57410
    4x-Denver Nuggets4735.57311
    5x-Los Angeles Lakers4537.54913
    6x-Milwaukee Bucks4438.53714
    7Golden State Warriors3745.42720
    8Chicago Bulls3547.40322
    9Detroit Pistons3448.39123
    10Seattle Supersonics3448.37823
    11Kansas City Kings3349.37824

    12Utah Stars3250.36625



    1978 NBA All Star Game


    West


    Starters

    PG Paul Westphal ( Phoenix Suns)

    SG George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    SF Walter Davis ( Golden State Warriors)

    PF Maurice Lucas (Los Angeles Lakers)

    C Bill Walton ( Portland Trail Blazers)


    Bench

    PG Lionel Hollins ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    SG Brian Winters ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    SF Junior Bridgeman ( Portland Trail Blazers)

    PF Truck Robinson ( Utah Stars)

    C Moses Malone (Phoenix Suns)

    C Bob Lanier ( Detroit Pistons)


    East


    Starters

    PG David Thompson ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SG Rick Barry ( New York Knicks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New York Nets)

    PF Bobby Jones ( Houston Rockets)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)


    Bench


    PG Doug Collins ( Philadelphia 76ers)

    SG Randy Smith ( Buffalo Braves)

    SF John Havlicek ( Boston Celtics)

    PF Elvin Hayes ( Washington Bullets)

    C Dave Cowens ( Boston Celtics)

    C Bob McAdoo ( New York Knicks)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: San Antonio Spurs


    Western Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Phoenix Suns     vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks : Suns win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 111, Milwaukee 103
    • Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Phoenix 94, Milwaukee 90





    (4) Denver Nuggets vs (5) Los Angeles Lakers : Lakers win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Los Angeles 102, Denver 90
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Denver 105, Los Angeles 99
    • Game 3 @ Denver: Los Angeles 111, Denver 102



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Portland: Los Angeles 104, Portland 95
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 96, Los Angeles 93 Bill Walton and Geoff Petrie’s final game in a Portland Trail Blazer uniform.
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 99, Portland 84
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 100, Portland 96
    • Game 5 @ Portland: Portland 110, Los Angeles 92
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 108, Portland 92



    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Phoenix Suns : Spurs win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 115, Phoenix 106
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 115, Phoenix 102
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 137, San Antonio 115
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: San Antonio 114, Phoenix 103
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 112, San Antonio 105
    • Game 6 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 115, San Antonio 106
    • Game 7 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 107, Phoenix 100


    Western Conference Finals

    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Spurs win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 116, Los Angeles 107
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 109, Los Angeles 107
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 102, San Antonio 97
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: San Antonio 123, Los Angeles 114
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 123 Los Angeles 108



    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: Kentucky Colonels


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) New York Knicks     VS. (6) Atlanta Hawks : Knicks win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 132, Atlanta 114
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: New York 109, Atlanta 107





    (4) Washington Bullets vs. (5) Houston Rockets : Bullets win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 103 , Houston 94
    • Game 2 @ Houston: Washington 107, Houston 103 (OT)





    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) New York Nets vs. (4) Washington Bullets: Nets win series 4–0

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York Nets 130, Washington Bullets 90
    • Game 2 @ New York : New York Nets 119, Washington Bullets 100
    • Game 3 @ Washington : New York Nets 133, Washington Bullets 121
    • Game 4 @ Washington : New York Nets 124, Washington Bullets 119


    (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) New York Knicks : Colonels win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 114, New York 103
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 121, New York 117
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 118, Kentucky 105
    • Game 4 @ New York: Kentucky 98, New York 95
    • Game 5 @ Kentucky: New York 116, Kentucky 105
    • Game 6 @ New York: Kentucky 103, New York 100


    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels : Colonels win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ New York: Kentucky 122, New York 117 (OT)
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 110, Kentucky 97
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 123, New York 104
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 121, New York 105
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 107, Kentucky 94
    • Game 6 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 101, New York 99

    NBA Finals​

    (E1) Kentucky Colonels VS. (W2) San Antonio Spurs : Colonels win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 106, San Antonio 102
    • Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 106, San Antonio 98
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 93, Kentucky 92
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: Kentucky 120, San Antonio 116 (OT)
    • Game 5 @ Kentucky: San Antonio 98, Kentucky 94
    • Game 6 @ San Antonio: Kentucky 105, San Antonio 99
     
    Last edited:
    • 1978-79 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The last season of the 70s began with the 1978 NBA Draft where there was 1 clear prospect who would have been the number 1 pick if not for the fact that he wouldn’t be available for 1 year as he was staying for senior year at Indiana State that player was of course Larry Bird but he wouldn't be the number 1 pick in the draft due to this fact. In fact the first pick of the 1978 Draft would actually be North Carolina Guard Phil Ford who was taken by the Utah Stars as they needed a point guard to help the team which looked to be on the rise. Philadelphia would take Mychal Thompson with the 2nd pick and The Celtics would then get 2 picks at 3 and 4 as they had gotten the New Orleans pick from the Lakers as they had picked up Kermit Washington after the Punch and gotten that in exchange for Charlie Scott with the 3rd pick Boston would take young big man Rick Robey while with their own pick they would still take Larry Bird and wait a year for him as he would still take Indiana State to the NCAA Championship game. Other notable picks in the draft included Purvis Short to the Warriors, Michael Ray Richardson to Kansas City to replace Tiny Archibald who had still been traded to the Braves, Reggie Theus to Milwaukee and Mike Mitchell to Washington.


    11Phil FordxG
    xzOSZll4XqzFxvQKni-8ULIVr6Jc7rQ1bjgnP0NVFGaxO7rVta9meUx606SwmP-b3MpX_ZLqaUxCEGwPlrqamJPKca1TRMzncZgoxqo2EHs6n3T54nUhTs58IelzgzViT80OiqCF=s0
    United States    		Utah StarsNorth Carolina (Sr.)
    12Mychal ThompsonF/C
    OkQ3w782aA5UpukeVo0JAac9aAomIpbZVnM-Zz0X9CHSr5VJzeQOrkC3rjKLG-IwEarcqvYN2vFBLx-_vGNbasmCGEAayylTjf8DUhgPclPmP4nPxBm3pJvfCZHsHLIJ7VasQcxU=s0
    Bahamas    		Philadelphia 76ersMinnesota (Sr.)
    14Micheal Ray Richardson+G/F
    Q6vd7A8PbvRObduel_lUPYSFFeywY_4zRz54fti2TNCzjUsTIVzzXRZPcN0eYJBowTRkpa9nQ5MCTe9Xh26-pM803x-myOJMDbcjjfEhulOp_CU1hj-TfB7arDtZ1006Xm02KWhP=s0
    United States    		Kansas City KingsMontana (Sr.)

    19Reggie Theus+G
    HFBN_pxi5upC8cEmAeDEbRLgNSLJO6vpOKv7rVqhK50GdraX7XtI31hbBdOQRqdQGPyEJTQR8pM6S19u8-PxZOheWShDi_JsAdd_2N-EF0RFwLDEiUVU0_t8bnSJzrMzvcele8gK=s0
    United States    		Milwaukee BucksUNLV (Jr.)

    115Mike Mitchell+F
    SUs5vFHlGJ_uW3Mr21HBbcy4VIu98KEzq3tIKpQW98ZZTX7u-S8ITW2C-fTnS0T4-342GW9NOkQy-GNwVvCsd9tkCxrLeEuoUS3tCrcRJxgWLZThX5-B_bITVmjPPWusqJAuLk-d=s0
    United States    		Washington BulletsAuburn (Sr.)


    There were two major events that took place in the offseason involving the Portland Trail Blazers the first was that Geoff Petrie would be forced to retire due to his knee injuries and Bill Walton would sit out the 79 season and sue Portland’s medical staff for rushing him back too early so Portland’s quick run with Walton was over as he would became a free agent at the end of the 79 season.

    The other event was that the Boston Celtics and the Buffalo Braves swapped owners as the Celtics owner wanted to move back to the West Coast and the Braves owners would accept the Celtics owner at the time’s offer as he would move the Braves to San Diego where they would become the San Diego Clippers. But it wasn't just owners who swapped franchises it was also players as one of the biggest trades in NBA History took place with the Braves getting Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington, Curtis Rowe and Rick Robey in exchange for Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes, Robert Parish and 2 future 2nd round picks from the Clippers.

    The Main free agent signing this season was that of Rick Barry to Phoenix as the Knicks had decided to rebuild as their aging core had already peaked and weren't looking to be title contenders and Barry was signed by the Suns to provide help to the duo of Malone and Westphal

    The main storyline this season was of another challenger to Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s pedestal as the Best center in the league as first it was Bill Walton now it was becoming more clear that Moses Malone was becoming more of a legitimate threats to Abdul Jabbar as he would lead the Phoenix Suns to 48 wins in the West and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player winning his first MVP award.

    But the big surprise this season was that the Utah Stars would suddenly improve to win 50 games with Phil Ford winning Rookie of the Year and Cotton Fitzsimmons winning Coach of the Year for the 1 seed in the West with Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver, Los Angeles and San Diego making the Playoffs while in the East the Nets would win 62 games with Kareem and Dr J still dominating and with the improved chemistry the Nets were once again the favourites in the East with Washington, Houston, Kentucky, Atlanta and New York.

    In the West the two California teams would be eliminated in the first round by San Antonio and Denver respectively, in the 2nd round the Stars would beat the Nuggets while the Suns would beat the Spurs with Moses Malone showing why he won the MVP and in the conference finals the Suns would beat the Stars in 7 games as the Stars lack of playoff experience showed and the Suns would make their first NBA finals appearance.

    As for the East, normal service resumed as the Nets would get revenge on Kentucky and then end Washington’s final chance for an NBA title in the conference as their age began to show after they beat the Rockets in their 2nd round matchup.

    The 1979 NBA Finals would be Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s second challenge to maintain his pedestal as the best center in the league and even though Moses got the better of the individual matchup the Suns had no one to stop Erving as Rick Barry was slowing down and as a result the Nets would win the series in 5 games with Erving winning the award for Finals MVP.

    After Kareem’s first 10 years in professional basketball 5 each in both leagues had won 7 titles and countless individual awards so he was certainly the player of the 1970s but now would come the 1980s as new players would enter the league and new teams would contend for the NBA title.

    #Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-New Jersey Nets6220.740–
    2y- Washington Bullets5230.63310
    3x-Houston Rockets4735.57315
    4x-Kentucky Colonels4735.57315
    5x-Atlanta Hawks4636.56116
    6x-New York Knicks3745.45125
    7Indiana Pacers3646.43926
    8Cleveland Cavaliers3349.40229
    8Philadelphila 76ers3151.37831
    10Detroit Pistons2953.35433
    11Boston Celtics2755.29535

    12New Orleans Jazz2458.29336




    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Utah Stars5032.610–
    2y-San Antonio Spurs4834.5852
    3x-Phoenix Suns4834.5852
    4x-Denver Nuggets4537.5495
    5x-Los Angeles Lakers4438.5496
    6x-San Diego Clippers4042.47610
    7Portland Trail Blazers39 43.52411
    8Kansas City Kings3844.46312
    9Milwaukee Bucks3844.46312
    10Golden State Warriors3844.46312
    11Seattle SuperSonics3648.43914


    12Chicago Bulls3052.34220


    1979 NBA All Star Game Lineups

    West

    Starters

    PG Paul Westphal ( Phoenix Suns)

    SG Otis Birdsong ( Utah Stars)
    SF George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    PF Maurice Lucas ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)

    Bench

    PG World B Free ( San Diego Clippers)

    SG Walter Davis ( Golden State Warriors)

    SF Marques Johnson ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    SF Bernard King ( Buffalo Braves)

    PF Truck Robinson ( Utah Stars)

    C Alvin Adams ( Utah Stars)

    East

    Starters

    PG Pete Maravich ( New Orleans Jazz)

    SG David Thompson ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New York Nets)

    PF Rudy Tomjanovich ( Houston Rockets)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New York Nets)

    Bench

    PG Calvin Murphy ( Houston Rockets)

    SG Dennis Johnson ( Houston Rockets)

    SF Bob Dandridge ( Washington Bullets)

    SF Campy Russell ( Cleveland Cavaliers)

    PF Elvin Hayes ( Washington Bullets)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Phoenix Suns


    Western Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Phoenix Suns     vs. (6) San Diego Clippers : Suns win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 107, San Diego 103
    • Game 2 @ San Diego: San Diego 96, Phoenix 92
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 101, San Diego 91





    (4) Denver Nuggets vs (5) Los Angeles Lakers : Lakers win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 119, Los Angeles 105
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 121, Denver 109
    • Game 3 @ Denver: Los Angeles 112, Denver 111



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Utah Stars     vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Stars win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 112, Los Angeles 95
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 108, Los Angeles 103 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, Utah 112
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Utah 117, Los Angeles 115
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 106, Los Angeles 100





    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Phoenix Suns : Suns win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 102, San Antonio 99
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 111, San Antonio 91
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: San Antonio 108, Phoenix 93
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 108, Phoenix 94
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 120, San Antonio 104




    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Utah Stars     vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Suns win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 108, Phoenix 93
    • Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 103, Phoenix 97
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 113, Utah 103
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 100, Utah 91
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Phoenix 99 Utah 93
    • Game 5 @ Phoenix: Utah 106 Phoenix 105
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Phoenix 114 Utah 110



    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New York Nets


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Houston Rockets     VS. (6) New York Knicks : Rockets win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 122, New York 114
    • Game 2 @ New York: Houston 111, New York 101





    (4) Kentucky Colonels vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks : Colonels win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 109, Atlanta 106
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Kentucky 100, Atlanta 91




    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) New York Nets     vs. (4) Kentucky Colonels: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York Nets 130, Kentucky Colonels 90
    • Game 2 @ New York : New York Nets 119, Kentucky Colonels 100
    • Game 3 @ Kentucky : Kentucky Colonels 133, New York Nets 121
    • Game 4 @ Kentucky : New York Nets 124, Kentucky Colonels 119
    • Game 4 @ New York : New York Nets 114, Kentucky Colonels 107


    (2) Washington Bullets vs. (3) Houston Rockets : Bullets win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 114, Houston 89
    • Game 2 @ Washington: Houston 107, Washington 99
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Washington 89, Houston 77
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Washington 120, Houston 118 (OT)
    • Game 5 @ Washington: Houston 104, Washington 86
    • Game 6 @ Houston: Washington 100, Houston 94


    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) New York Nets     vs. (2) Washington Bullets : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: Washington 118, New York 97
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 115, Washington 95
    • Game 3 @ Washington: New York 116, Washington 114
    • Game 4 @ Washington: New York 120, Washington 102
    • Game 5 @ New York: New York 107, Washington 103


    NBA Finals​

    (E1) New York Nets VS. (W3) Phoenix Suns: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 99, Phoenix 97
    • Game 2 @ New York: New York 98, Phoenix 80
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 105, New York 95
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: New York 120, Phoenix 116 (OT)
      Game 5 @ New York: New York 103, Phoenix 97
     
    • 1979-80 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The 1979 NBA draft was one of the better draft classes in NBA History and it’s number 1 pick was a 6 foot 9 point guard from Michigan State named Earvin Johnson more well known of course as Magic. He would be taken by the Lakers due to them having New Orleans’s pick due to them signing Gail Goodrich in 1976 and that still happens in this redraft as they still got the 1st pick in that coin flip against the Chicago Bulls.While future all stars Calvin Natt and Jim Paxson would go to Seattle and San Diego respectively in the only notable changes in this draft.


    18Calvin Natt+F
    koDg_Ko29DzMuz3zVncCA4UoSxFlvNx-pCmdU-gq_AB6FaQHsXjDQ5LM8WSU07MVetQAoeMFxtW1xZQtp-IETH7v9WyKN8euzYrh6-8NWs2PFXBvV7-PDa0GNAIua0ygbsRgP7Tz=s0
    United States    		Seattle Super SonicsNortheast Louisiana (Sr.)


    112Jim Paxson*G/F
    QXsaWdDLAfTkSaVlpbtH2EIdEvDUsAKYDbozVTYsbR5yREtUW_W9nv6T9R0dtXbMywnEte7QVhzQZoQheRlGv9vx9NZE6yryFeNAU9JOQfRSWwFGkFFcfASUN2q4ChDFV5Y7O_i5=s0
    United States    		San Diego ClippersDayton (Sr.)


    The main off season transaction which would prove to be very important in less than a year was that Boston signed M.L. Carr as a veteran free agent due to the rules at the time the Pistons were required to get compensation and Boston would oblige giving the Pistons Bob Mcadoo who had not performed to expectations in Boston and in exchange the Pistons would give both their own and Washington’s 1980 1st round draft picks.

    The New York Nets would move to New Jersey in this offseason as New York was still not big enough for 2 big NBA teams for the time being and the Knicks were never going to be the team to move even with all of the Nets success.

    One notable move that happened in the regular season was that the Lakers would trade for veteran center Bob Lanier as two of their high draft picks who had been big men in Kent Benson and Dave Meyers hadn't panned out the way that the Lakers had hoped for and the Lakers would trade their 1981 1st round pick along with Kent Benson to Detroit for Bob Lanier the Lakers were unable to trade their 1980 1st round pick as they had already traded that to Cleveland in exchange for their 1982 1st round pick.

    The 1980 season demonstrated that a new era had begun in the NBA as the Celtics and the Lakers had shown that they would be challenging the Nets reign of dominance in the NBA as the Lakers would be the 1 seed in the Western Conference with 54 wins with Magic, Maurice Lucas, Jamaal Wilkes and Lanier leading the way behind the Lakers in the West would be the Spurs, Stars, Suns. Blazers and Bucks.

    As for the East the Nets would finally get a concentrated challenge to their crown as the best team in the East as the Celtics would have one of the great turnarounds winning 61 games with rookie Larry Bird playing starring roles with Alex English, Tiny Archibald, Dave Cowens, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell and midseason pickup Pete Maravich also contributing to the Celtics success with Bird winning the rookie of the Year award. The Celtics would get the 1st seed in the East with the Nets winning 60 games as the 3rd seed with Kareem winning his first MVP award since 1977 his 7th overall in both leagues, the Rockets would get the 4th seed with 56 wins as Sikma and DJ would start to develop into stars following those 3 teams would be the Hawks who would be the 2nd seed due to the backcourt of David Thompson and Eddie Johnson in 5th and 6th were the Bullets and Colonels who were both on the decline.

    In the West 1st round the Stars would beat the Bucks in 3 games while the Blazers would lose to the Spurs in 3 games. In the 2nd round the Lakers would make quick work of the Suns in 5 games while the Spurs would beat the Stars in 6 games to set a Spurs-Lakers matchup in the conference finals where the Lakers with Magic taking more of a scoring role earlier in his career with the absence of Kareem leading them to victory over the Suns in 5 games to send them to their first NBA finals appearance since 1973 in Magic’s first season.

    As for the East the Bullets would be quickly knocked out in 2 games by the Rockets and the Colonels would try to surprise the Nets in their 1st round matchup with Gus Williams starring for them but would ultimately fall short . As for the Hawks they had the misfortune of running into the Nets and would lose in 5 games while Boston would overcome the Rockets in a sweep in what was Houston’s season in the loaded Eastern Conference. This ultimately set up a Nets-Celtics matchup in what promised to be a rivalry for the next few years and the Nets experience won this time as they would beat the Celtics in 5 games rather convincingly to set up a Lakers vs Nets finals matchup in what was a dream scenario for CBS who owned the television rights after the decline in ratings over the last 5 years.

    The 1980 NBA Finals would pit the Los Angeles Lakers led by the rookie sensation Magic Johnson against the New Jersey Nets led by the superstar duo of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Julius Erving and this was probably the most anticipated finals matchup since the Knicks and Lakers in 1970 but unlike that series this one wasn't one of the great finals series as the Nets experience proved to be too much for the Lakers in the first 4 games as they would take a 3-1 series lead heading into game 5. The game 4 victory was highlighted by one of Julius Erving’s best ever plays as he did a layup under the backboard after being forced baseline. In Game 5 it would be Kareem’s night to shine as he was forced off the field in the third quarter for a sprained ankle but would come back and help the Nets to secure the Game 5 victory and their 5th NBA title in 6 years to continue their dynasty. Kareem would win Finals MVP for his dominant performance against Bob Lanier in particular as he averaged 34 and 14 in the 5 game series.






    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics6121.744–
    2y-Atlanta Hawks5032.61011
    3x-New Jersey Nets6022.7321
    4x-Houston Rockets5626.6845
    5x-Washington Bullets4141.50020
    6x-Kentucky Colonels3943.47622
    7Cleveland Cavaliers3745.45124
    8Philadelphia 76ers3745.45124
    8Indiana Pacers3448.42727
    10New York Knicks2458.29327
    11New Orleans Jazz1864.21943



    12Detroit Pistons1666.19545

    ​

    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1c-Los Angeles Lakers5428.659–
    2y-San Antonio Spurs5032.6104
    3x-Utah Stars5329.6831
    4x-Phoenix Suns5230.6352
    5x-Milwaukee Bucks4735.57313
    6x-Portland Trail Blazers3844.46322
    7San Diego Clippers3547.42725
    8Kansas City Kings32 50.39022
    9Denver Nuggets3052.36624
    10Seattle Supersonics2854.234226
    11Chicago Bulls2656.31728
    12Golden State Warriors2458.29330

    ​



    Players of the week​

    WeekPlayer
    Oct 12 – 21Julius Erving (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    Oct 22 – 28Michael Ray Richardson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)
    Oct 29 – Nov 4Marques Johnson (Milwaukee Bucks) (1/1)
    Nov 5 – 11Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/2)
    Nov 12 – 18Phil Ford (Utah Stars) (1/1)
    Nov 19 – 25Walter Davis (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
    Nov 26 – Dec 2Adrian Dantley (Kansas City Kings) (1/1)
    Dec 3 – 9Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets) (1/2)
    Dec 10 – 16Dan Roundfield (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)
    Dec 17 – 23Swen Nater (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
    Dec 24 – 30Mike Mitchell (Washington Bullets) (1/1)
    Dec 31 – Jan 6Scott Wedman (Kansas City Kings) (1/1)
    Jan 7 – 13Greg Ballard (Washington Bullets) (1/1)
    Jan 14 – 20Dennis Johnson (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
    Jan 21 – 27George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
    Feb 4 – 10Rick Barry (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
    Feb 11 – 17Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets) (2/2)
    Feb 18 – 24Calvin Natt (Seattle Supersonics) (1/1)
    Feb 25 – Mar 3Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) (1/1)
    Mar 4 – 10Cliff Robinson (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)
    Mar 11 – 17Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) (2/2)
    Mar 18 – 24Billy Ray Bates (Portland Trail Blazers) (1/1)
    Mar 25 – 31Kevin Grevey (Washington Bullets) (1/1)

    Players of the month​

    MonthPlayer
    NovemberMoses Malone (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
    DecemberKareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    JanuaryGeorge Gervin (San Antonio Spurs) (1/1)
    FebruaryLarry Bird (Boston Celtics) (1/1)
    MarchJulius Erving (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)


    1980 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    SG World B Free ( San Diego Clippers)

    SF Adrian Dantley ( Kansas City Kings)

    PF George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)

    Bench

    PG Paul Westpahl ( Phoenix Suns)

    PG Michael Ray Richardson ( Kansas City Kings)

    SG Otis Birdsong ( Utah Stars)

    SF Marques Johnson ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    SF Walter Davis ( Golden State Warriors)

    PF Kermit Washington ( Portland Trail Blazers)

    C Alvin Adams ( Utah Stars)


    East


    Starters

    PG Dennis Johnson ( Houston Rockets)

    SG Eddie Johnson ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New Jersey Nets)

    PF Dan Roundfield ( Atlanta Hawks)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New Jersey Nets)

    Bench

    PG Tiny Archibald ( Boston Celtics)

    SG Reggie Theus ( Chicago Bulls)

    SF John Drew ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SF Larry Bird ( Boston Celtics)

    PF Elvin Hayes ( Washington Bullets)

    C Jack Sikma ( Houston Rockets)

    C Bill Cartwright ( New York Knicks)

    Western Conference

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers


    Western Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Utah Stars     vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers : Stars win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 120, Portland 110
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 105, Utah 95 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 103, Portland 86





    (4) Phoenix Suns vs (5) Milwaukee Bucks : Suns win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 96, Milwaukee 93
    • Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 106, Phoenix 96
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 114, Milwaukee 99



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers     vs. (4) Phoenix Suns : Lakers win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 119 , Phoenix 110
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 128, Phoenix 126 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Los Angeles 108, Phoenix 105
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 127, Los Angeles 101
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 126, Phoenix 101







    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Utah Stars : Stars win series 4–2

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: Utah 114, San Antonio 113
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 114, Utah 112 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 95, San Antonio 91
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Utah 112, San Antonio 107
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 112, Utah 107
    • Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 96, San Antonio 95




    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Los Angeles Laker    s vs. (3) Utah Stars : Lakers win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Utah 108, Los Angeles 107
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 108, Utah 99
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Los Angeles 104, Utah 100
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Los Angeles 98, Utah 93
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 111 Utah 105





    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New Jersey Nets


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) New Jersey Nets     VS. (6) Kentucky Colonels : Nets win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 111, Kentucky 96
    • Game 2 @ Louisville: New Jersey 112, Kentucky 104





    (4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Washington Bullets : Rockets win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 95, Washington 85
    • Game 2 @ Washington: Houston 106, Washington 101




    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (4) Houston Rockets: Celtics win series 4–0

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 119, Houston 101
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 99, Houston 79
    • Game 3 @ Houston : Boston 100, Houston 81
    • Game 4 @ Houston : Boston 140, Houston 119




    (2) Atlanta Hawks vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Atlanta: New Jersey 107, Atlanta 104
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: New Jersey 99, Atlanta 92
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: Atlanta 105, New Jersey 93
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 107, Atlanta 83
    • Game 5 @ Atlanta: New Jersey 105, Atlanta 98




    Eastern Conference Finals

    (3) New Jersey Nets     vs. (1) Boston Celtics : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: New Jersey 96, Boston 93
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 96, New Jersey 90
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 103, Boston 93
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 102, Boston 90
    • Game 5 @ Boston: New Jersey 105, Boston 94


    NBA Finals​

    (E1) New Jersey Nets VS. (W1) Los Angeles Lakers: Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 109, Los Angeles 102
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey: Los Angeles 107, New Jersey 104
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: New Jersey 111, Los Angeles 101
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: New Jersey 104, Los Angeles 103 Julius Erving makes the "Up and Under" move
    • Game 5 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 108, Los Angeles 103 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dunks the clutch 3-point play with 33 seconds left
     
    • 1980-81 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    For the 1981 NBA Season there would be a new expansion team as the Dallas Mavericks would join the NBA and would at first provide an easy game for the rest of the League. Their 1st round pick would be Kiki Vandeweghe who would be traded on draft night. With the entrance of Dallas into the league the realignment of teams between conferences took place as the Bulls and Bucks were now in the East while the Rockets and Jazz moved to the West.

    The 1980 NBA Draft proved a dilemma for Boston as they had the 1st pick but they didn't want the player who was thought of as the Number 1 pick in the draft who was Joe Barry Carroll as they already had Robert Parish as the successor to Dave Cowens but Boston did want a forward from Minnesota named Kevin McHale who had the widest array of low post moves ever seen in the history of the NBA and felt that they could get something else if they were to drop in the draft and also get McHale. Dave Cowens and Pete Maravich were willing to to stay for one more season as they were to be valuable bench players on a championship team

    The Celtics would end up trading the 1st and 13th picks in the 1980 NBA Draft for the 3rd pick who would be Kevin Mchale and backup center Wayne Cooper. .

    With that trade done before the draft the Warriors would have the 1st pick and they would take Joe Barry Caroll to be their new franchise player alongside Walter Davis , the New Orleans Jazz would finally start their rebuild by using the 2nd pick to select Louisville guard Darell Griffith. Andrew Toney would still go to a somewhat contending team in the Portland Trail Blazers with the 8th pick and the Warriors with the 13th pick they got from Boston would take Rickey Brown but would trade him and a future first in 1982 to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the 11th pick which was Kiki Vandeweghe whose father had played for the Knicks in the 50s and was from New York. Washington would still land Jeff Ruland with the 25th pick after a trade from the Warriors to replace Wes Unseld who was at the end of his career.


    18Andrew Toney+G
    _OEpWzeSWJcGLrS2vmXcIL5FAZOZ_-W599aQw8VPdVulV0CUHAxsSbhclfwrqNeEHkRrWLuaEFQsB2J1AXaUM-aSL7f_ve1Ub0Ob1R-xzGGrzFHnWLQj3W8IOw2OxU_-FaevgBot=s0
    United States    		Portland Trail BlazersSouthwestern Louisiana (Sr.)


    If the 1980 season showed that there was a change afoot in the league then the 1981 season would confirm that as once again the Boston Celtics would get the best record in the league with 66 wins as Alex English became a starter at shooting guard which helped them to get more wins and Larry Bird would win his first MVP award as Erving and Abdul Jabbar would take votes away from each other with the Nets supporting cast also starting to age the Nets would only win 57 games those 2 teams were top in the East followed by the Bucks, Sixers, Colonels and Pacers.

    In the West it would be a different story as the Lakers would only win 47 games as Magic was injured for most of the season and the Houston Rockets would take advantage winning 63 games to clinch the top seed in the West with the Stars on 55 and Spurs on 52 the two best challengers they would be followed by the Suns on 44 in 5th and Golden State with rookie of the year Darrell Griffith on 36 wins.

    The playoffs would begin with the Pacers losing to the Nets while the Colonels would defeat the Sixers. In the 2nd round the Celtics would beat the Colonels in 4 while the Nets would beat the Bucks in 5 games which would set up a rematch between the Celtics and Nets. Once again the Celtics and Nets would matchup for a place in the NBA Finals but unlike 1980 the Celtics were deeper with veterans such as Maravich, Cowens and Archibald alongside the new Big 3 of Bird, English and Parish this along with the aging of the Nets team ensured that Boston would win this series in 7 games in one of the greatest NBA playoff series of all time as Bird would dominate Erving and Kareem struggled to deal with both Parish and Cowens in the clutch moments.

    Whilst in the West the Lakers were upset in the 1st round by the Suns as Moses Malone would dominate while Magic choked in Game 3 in the other matchup the Spurs would be upset by the Kings. The 1 seed Rockets would easily beat the Suns in 5 games while Utah would be upset by Kansas in 6 games to set up an unlikely matchup between Kansas and Houston for a spot in the NBA Finals. This series was not what was expected at the start of the playoffs let alone the season but the Rockets had too much depth for the Kings and would win in 5 games to advance to their 1st NBA finals appearance.

    This finals promised to be a matchup of two of the deepest teams in the league and it somewhat fell flat as this series felt like a throwback to the 1970s with some players not performing as well as they should have but it did last 6 games and in a close series an unlikely hero would emerge as Boston forward Cedric Maxwell would take over in key situations as help the Celtics to win the series and was named the Finals MVP as the Celtics won their 13th title and both Dave Cowens and Pete Maravich would retire at the end of the season with an NBA ring in Maravich’ case or 2 in Cowens case.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics6616.804 –
    2y-Milwaukee Bucks5230.63414
    3x-New Jersey Nets5725.6969
    4x-Philadelphia 76ers4636.56120
    5x-Kentucky Colonels4537.54921
    6x-Indiana Pacers4438.53722
    7Washington Bullets3943.47627
    8Atlanta Hawks3854.46428
    9New York Knicks3448.40238
    10Cleveland Cavaliers2854.34142
    11Chicago Bulls2161.25645

    12Detroit Pistons1963.23247

    ​

    Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1c-Houston Rockets6319.768–
    2y-San Antonio Spurs5230.63411
    3x-Utah Stars5527.6718
    4x-Los Angeles Lakers4735.57316
    5x-Phoenix Suns4438.52519
    6x-Kansas City Kings4042.47623
    7Golden State Warriors3646.43926
    8Portland Trail Blazers3646.43927
    9San Diego Clippers3646.43921
    10Seattle SuperSonics3448.41523
    11Denver Nuggets3052.36727
    12New Orleans Jazz2458.29333

    ​

    13Dallas Mavericks1567.18342

    Players of the Week

    WeekPlayer
    Oct. 10 – Oct. 19Adrian Dantley (Kansas City Kings) (1/1)
    Oct. 20 – Oct. 26Otis Birdsong (Utah Stars) (1/1)
    Oct. 27 – Nov. 02David Thompson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)
    Nov. 03 – Nov. 09Elvin Hayes (Washington Bullets) (1/1)
    Nov. 10 – Nov. 16Billy Knight (Indiana Pacers) (1/1)
    Nov. 17 – Nov. 23Artis Gilmore (Kentucky Colonels) (1/1)
    Nov. 24 – Nov. 30Robert Parish (Boston Celtics) (1/1)
    Dec. 01 – Dec. 07Mike Dunleavy (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
    Dec. 08 – Dec. 14Dan Roundfield (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)
    Dec. 15 – Dec. 21Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    Dec. 22 – Dec. 28Dennis Johnson (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
    Dec. 29 – Jan. 04Bernard King (New York Knicks) (1/1)
    Jan. 05 – Jan. 11Nate Archibald (Boston Celtics) (1/1)
    Jan. 12 – Jan. 18Julius Erving (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    Jan. 19 – Jan. 25Phil Ford (Utah Stars) (1/1)
    Jan. 26 – Feb. 01Kenny Carr (Cleveland Cavaliers) (1/1)
    Feb. 02 – Feb. 08Caldwell Jones (Philadelphia 76ers) (1/1)
    Feb. 09 – Feb. 15Mike Newlin (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    Feb. 16 – Feb. 22Mike Mitchell (Washington Bullets) (1/1)
    Mar. 02 – Mar. 08Larry Smith (Golden State Warriors) (1/1)
    Mar. 09 – Mar. 15Moses Malone (Phoenix Suns) (1/1)
    Mar. 16 – Mar. 22Michael Ray Richardson (Atlanta Hawks) (1/1)
    Mar. 23 – Mar. 29Robert Reid (Houston Rockets) (1/1)

    Players of the month​

    MonthPlayer
    OctoberMagic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) (1/1)
    NovemberJulius Erving (New Jersey Nets) (1/1)
    DecemberFreeman Williams (Detroit Pistons) (1/1)
    JanuaryBernard King (New York Knicks) (1/1)
    FebruaryCalvin Murphy (Houston Rockets) (1/1)
    MarchKelvin Ransey (Chicago Bulls) (1/1)

    1981 NBA All Star Game Rosters

    West

    Starters

    PG Paul Westphal ( Phoenix Suns)

    SG Walter Davis ( Golden State Warriors)

    SF George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    PF Adrian Dantley ( Kansas City Kings)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)

    Reserves

    PG Dennis Johnson ( Houston Rockets)

    SG Michael Ray Richardson ( Kansas City Kings)

    SG Otis Birdsong ( Utah Stars)

    SF Jamaal Wilkes ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    PF Bobby Jones ( Houston Rockets )

    C Jack Sikma ( Houston Rockets)

    Eastern Conference

    PG Eddie Johnson ( Atlanta Hawks)

    SG Reggie Theus ( Chicago Bulls)

    SF Julius Erving ( New Jersey Nets)

    PF Larry Bird ( Boston Celtics)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New Jersey Nets)

    Bench

    PG Tiny Archibald ( Boston Celtics)

    SG Alex English ( Boston Celtics)

    SF Mike Mitchell ( Washington Bullets)

    SF Marques Johnson ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    C Robert Parish ( Boston Celtics)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)


    Western Conference

    Champion: Houston Rockets


    Western Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) Utah Stars vs. (6) Kansas City Kings : Kings win series 2–1

    • Game 1 @ Utah: Kansas City 98, Utah 97 ( OT)
    • Game 2 @ Kansas City: Utah 124, Kansas City 119 (OT)
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Kansas City 104, Utah 95





    (4) Phoenix Suns vs (5) Los Angeles Lakers : Suns win series 2-1

    • Game 1 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 111, Los Angeles 107
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 111, Phoenix 106
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 89, Los Angeles 86



    Western Conference Semifinals

    (1) Houston Rockets     vs. (4) Phoenix Suns : Rockets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 102 , Phoenix 80
    • Game 2 @ Houston: Houston 88, Phoenix 83
    • Game 3 @ Phoenix: Houston 93, Phoenix 92
    • Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 102, Houston 95
    • Game 5 @ Houston: Houston 101, Phoenix 89







    (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Kansas City Kings : Kings win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: Kansas City 107, San Antonio 98
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 125, Kansas City 113
    • Game 3 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 112, San Antonio 99
    • Game 4 @ Kansas City: San Antonio 114, Kansas City 112
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: Kansas City 123, San Antonio 117
    • Game 6 @ Kansas City: San Antonio 101, Kansas City 96
    • Game 7 @ San Antonio: Kansas City 105, San Antonio 100




    Western Conference Finals

    (1) Houston Rockets     vs. (6) Kansas City Kings : Rockets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 97, Kansas City 78
    • Game 2 @ Houston : Kansas City 88, Houston 79
    • Game 3 @ Kansas City: Houston 92, Kansas City 88
    • Game 4 @ Kansas City: Houston 100, Kansas City 89
    • Game 5 @ Houston: Houston 97 Kansas City 88





    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: Boston Celtics


    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

    (3) New Jersey Nets     VS. (6) Indiana Pacers : Nets win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 124, Indiana 108
    • Game 2 @ Indiana: New Jersey 96, Indiana 85





    (4) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) Kentucky Colonels : Colonels win series 2–0

    • Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Kentucky 90, Philadelphia 80
    • Game 2 @ Louisville: Kentucky 115, Philadelphia 114 (OT)




    Eastern Conference Semifinals


    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (5) Kentucky Colonels: Celtics win series 4–0

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 121, Kentucky 109
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 106, Kentucky 97
    • Game 3 @ Louisville : Boston 113, Kentucky 107
    • Game 4 @ Louisville : Boston 109, Kentucky 103




    (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Nets win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 125, Milwaukee 122
    • Game 2 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 109, Milwaukee 98
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: Milwaukee 109, New Jersey 99
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 99, Milwaukee 98
    • Game 5 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 116, Milwaukee 99




    Eastern Conference Finals

    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Celtics win series 4–3

    • Game 1 @ Boston: New Jersey 105, Boston 104
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 118, New Jersey 99
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 110, Boston 100
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 107, Boston 105
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 111, New Jersey 109
    • Game 6 @ New Jersey: Boston 100, New Jersey 98
    • Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 91, New Jersey 90


    NBA Finals​

    (E1) Boston Celtics VS. (W1) Houston Rockets: Celtics win series 4–1

    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 98, Houston 95 Larry Bird's famous play of following a missed jumper, jumping for the rebound, and switching ball from his right to left hand as his momentum was carrying him out of bounds as he scored.
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Houston 92, Boston 90
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Boston 94, Houston 71
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 91 , Boston 86
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 109, Houston 80
      Game 6 @ Houston: Boston 102, Houston 91
     
    • 1981-82 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The 1981 draft would take place on the 9th June and would be the beginning of the process to contention for both Dallas and Detroit as they would take Chicago natives Mark Aguirre and Isiah Thomas respectively. With the 3rd pick the Chicago Bulls would take Buck Williams from Maryland. With the 8th pick Seattle would take Tom Chambers so he ended up there 2 years before he did in real life and San Diego would take Rolando Blackman with the 9th pick. Los Angeles would end up with the steal of the draft by taking Larry Nance at pick 20.


    13Buck Williams*F/C
    QQ_XkBC4SMWkv2dHAiA_XThKj-J9vFCceS4RbUWu-nxDLQbguk7PzHnmIaL_72-J5YEIG1_Ll5kfxawzQAVoX1lIRJQTDAxOa7GfJVbW1AAsKK3oLrNkDk6-hqElwdK7XUHBigUj=s0
    United States    		Chicago BullsMaryland (Jr.)


    18Tom Chambers*F/C
    CaTX8GwfUxy5ErH9FCFkSvMET0HOypYDDcdQWeo7wtidrzDrDF340Eu4pd0zqn9ZP7qehJ3yOkCokmGG2mbA4fBtSHmcZBadhMB8aYJnmIc8aYnLKkYgdr07kuZtndGojHLzORGh=s0
    United States    		Seattle Super SonicsUtah (Sr.)


    19Rolando Blackman+G
    K6_nGKFjGUQ-dn17OpvoN95uBD3G7tyXNMZFxThEyMsYRXA3qoJS6RGWTBvpa2YS6J0-cBU0hfCdvtGLM3A2YTdnqKNcnnRZFNoNCUpppMz4Mgi0hvdNmJbMPLRI_fHISR9OHKJf=s0
    Panama
    ETGBe_bVnKaI4vcl3oztaoqRJLRWl9csDftxnadQyfPxN5PgmXTrtHl8XEZvEPmE7WsVQrPxGX6wPW70w5ZTYFE5mRuvqRsvn0H-mRtpNPAhD5OfEGZYXbUzetF0mA_prWEAtb6T=s0
    United States[1]    		San Diego ClippersKansas State (Sr.)


    120Larry Nance+F/C
    HxoYhNvTobm0z-XK1fMzhPPAQn1jAhUaW0QhKMamV85RE_eHL3Sa070TlQD1eRaGzxeDlJZ88NAwFxM8GTGF2hLm9pNiXPIdsRC6PT34oj9NsE4CICC7l1s-lcWuH7si7M4M2eYI=s0
    United States    		Los Angeles LakersClemson (Sr.)


    After the draft took place there was one big free agent signing as Gus Williams who had sat out the 1981 season due to contract disputes was now a free agent and would sign with the New Jersey Nets to give them someone who could replace Brian Taylor who was nearing the end of his career and would retire at the end of the 1982 season. The Lakers don't sign Mitch Kupchack and he ends up in New Jersey to still play alongside Kareem but being paid a lot less then he was at the Lakers.

    One offseason move that doesn't happen is that Portland keep Tom Owens and dont trade him to the Indiana Pacers for a future 1st round pick as they no longer have Mychal Thompson who is still on the 76ers and still need Owens as their starting center.

    The 1982 regular season was once again dominated by Boston as they would for the 3rd year in a row get the best record in the league with 68 wins with Alex English breaking out and becoming an elite 2nd option next to Larry Bird. The Bucks would once again win their division with 50 wins while the Nets bolstered with the additions of Williams and Kupchak would win 64 games to once again get the 3rd seed. Following those 3 teams this year would be the Washington Bullets who would win 46 games, Atlanta who won 41 games and Kentucky who took a step back with the loss of Gus Williams but would win 38 games.

    While in the West the Lakers would go through some internal strife firing their coach Paul Weshead early in the season replacing with him his assistant and former Laker Pat Riley but would still win 52 games to win their division and get the 2nd seed in the West behind the Houston Rockets who would win 61 games for the best in the Western Conference. Utah would once again be in 3rd with 51 wins, San Antonio would win 46 games for 4th in the West while Moses Malone would win his 2nd MVP award by carrying Phoenix to a 44 win season and 5th in the West, while the Kansas City Kings would once again make the 6th seed as they would win 41 games.

    The playoffs in the East was basically just to see the Nets vs Celtics in the Conference finals once again and that did happen as the Bullets beat the Hawks who were then swept by the Celtics and the Nets beat the Colonels and then the Bucks to set up that matchup. And this time the Nets would win it in 7 games as the Celtics came back from a 3-1 deficit but would lose in the 7th game as Gus Williams starred in game 7 scoring 32 points.

    As for the West it was a bit more interesting as Moses Malone would end his time in Phoenix by losing in 3 games to the Spurs while Utah would defeat the Warriors in 2 games. The Lakers would defeat the Stars in the 2nd round matchup with Magic Johnson dominating the series whilst the Rockets would defeat their local rivals the Spurs in 5 games. This set up the Rockets vs the Lakers in the conference finals which the Rockets would win with their depth as in 6 games which showed the Lakers that they needed someone to put them over the top in order to win a title.

    The finals pitted the Rockets vs the Nets which promised to be a close series as the Nets had 3 stars in Kareem, Erving and Williams while the Rockets had more depth as they had Murphy, Jones, Sikma and DJ and with the experience that this Rockets team had they would win the finals in 6 games as DJ got the better of Gus Williams, Bobby Jones played elite defence on Erving and Jack Sikma did his best against Kareem limiting him to 22 and 11 in the series while averaging 17 and 9 himself. Dennis Johnson would win the finals MVP and it cemented him as one of the best players in the league and it vindicated a decision by the Rockets to not trade him for Paul Westphal in the 1980 offseason as Westphal had noticeably declined since 1980 while DJ had only continued to be one of the best guards in the league.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics6814.828–
    2y-Milwaukee Bucks5032.60018
    3x-New Jersey Nets6418.7694
    4x-Washington Bullets4438.53724
    5x-Atlanta Hawks4141.50027
    6x-Kentucky Colonels3844.46430
    7Detroit Pistons3646.43932
    8Indiana Pacers3547.42733
    9Chicago Bulls3448.41534
    10Philadelphia 76ers3349.40235
    11New York Knicks3250.39036

    12Cleveland Cavaliers1567.18353



    Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1c-Houston Rockets6121.733–
    2y-Los Angeles Lakers5230.6349
    3x-Utah Stars5132.62210
    4x-San Antonio Spurs4636.58514
    5x-Phoenix Suns4438.53617
    6x-Kansas City Kings4141.50020
    7Denver Nuggets4042.48821
    8Portland Trail Blazers3844.46323
    9Seattle SuperSonics3052.36631
    10Golden State Warriors2854.34133
    11Dallas Mavericks2557.30536
    12New Orleans Jazz2062.24441

    13San Diego Clippers1765.20744


    1982 NBA All Star Game Rosters


    West


    Starters

    PG Magic Johnson ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    SG George Gervin ( San Antonio Spurs)

    SF Adrian Dantley ( Kansas City Kings)

    PF Lonnie Shelton ( Seattle SuperSonics)

    C Moses Malone ( Phoenix Suns)

    Bench

    PG Michael Ray Richardson ( Kansas City Kings)

    SG Dennis Johnson ( Houston Rockets)

    SF Jamaal Wilkes ( Los Angeles Lakers)

    SF Mike Mitchell ( San Antonio Spurs)

    PF Bobby Jones ( Houston Rockets)

    C Jack Sikma ( Houston Rockets)

    C Bob Lanier ( Los Angeles Lakers)



    East


    Starters

    PG Tiny Archibald ( Boston Celtics)

    SG Sidney Moncrief ( Milwaukee Bucks)

    SF Julius Erving ( New Jersey Nets)

    PF Larry Bird ( Boston Celtics)

    C Kareem Abdul Jabbar ( New Jersey Nets)

    Bench

    PG Isiah Thomas ( Detroit Pistons)

    PG Norm Nixon ( Washington Bullets)

    SG Alex English ( Boston Celtics)

    SF Bernard King ( New York Knicks)

    PF Buck Williams ( Chicago Bulls)

    C Artis Gilmore ( Kentucky Colonels)

    C Robert Parish ( Boston Celtics)

    Western Conference


    Champion: Houston Rockets



    Western Conference Quarterfinal    s


    (3) Utah Stars vs. (6) Kansas City Kings : Stars win series 2–1


    • Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 102, Kansas City 87
    • Game 2 @ Kansas City: Kansas City 91, Utah 70
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 104, Kansas City 95





    (4) San Antonio Spurs vs (5) Phoenix Suns : Spurs win series 2-1


    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: Phoenix 129, San Antonio 113
    • Game 2 @ Phoenix: San Antonio 126, Phoenix 110
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 124, Phoenix 119



    Western Conference Semifinals


    (1) Houston Rockets     vs. (4) San Antonio Spurs : Rockets win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 95 , San Antonio 93
    • Game 2 @ Houston: San Antonio 114, Houston 99
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: Houston 99, San Antonio 97
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: Houston 115, San Antonio 113
    • Game 5 @ Houston: Houston 109, San Antonio 103







    (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Utah Stars : Lakers win series 4–0


    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, Utah 96
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 117, Utah 98
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Los Angeles 114, Utah 106
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Los Angeles 112, Utah 107






    Western Conference Finals


    (1) Houston Rockets     vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers : Rockets win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 128, Los Angeles 117
    • Game 2 @ Houston : Los Angeles 122, Houston 113
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Houston 118, Los Angeles 108
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Houston 128, Los Angeles 123
    • Game 5 @ Houston: Los Angeles 117 Houston 112
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Houston 110 Los Angeles 101

    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New Jersey Nets



    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals


    (3) New Jersey Nets     VS. (6) Kentucky Colonels : Nets win series 2–0


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 111, Kentucky 76
    • Game 2 @ Louisville: New Jersey 98, Kentucky 95 (OT)





    (4) Washington Bullets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks : Bullets win series 2–0


    • Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 96, Atlanta 83
    • Game 2 @ Atlanta: Washington 103, Atlanta 92




    Eastern Conference Semifinals



    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (4) Washington Bullets: Celtics win series 4–0


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 109, Washington 91
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 106, Washington 103
    • Game 3 @ Washington : Boston 92, Washington 83
    • Game 4 @ Washington : Boston 103, Washington 99




    (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Nets win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 125, Milwaukee 122
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 120, Milwaukee 109
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 110, New Jersey 98
    • Game 4 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 100, Milwaukee 93
    • Game 5 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 102, Milwaukee 90




    Eastern Conference Finals


    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Celtics win series 4–3


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 121, New Jersey 81 Mother's Day Massacre
    • Game 2 @ Boston: New Jersey 121, Boston 113
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 99, Boston 97
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 119, Boston 94
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 114, New Jersey 85
    • Game 6 @ New Jersey: Boston 88, New Jersey 75
    • Game 7 @ Boston: New Jersey 120, Boston 106


    NBA Finals​

    (W1) Houston Rockets VS. (E3) New Jersey Nets : Rockets win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey : Houston 124, New Jersey 117
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 110, Houston 94
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 129, New Jersey 108
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 111 , New Jersey 101
    • Game 5 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 135, Houston 102
    • Game 6 @ Houston: Houston 114, New Jersey 104

     
    • 1982-83 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    Sampson to declare for the draft

    By Michael Wilbon

    May 15, 1982

    Ralph Sampson surprised almost everyone by opting to declare for the 1982 NBA Draft when all sources pointed that the most likely decision for Sampson to make was that he would be staying at Virginia for another season.

    The reason why it was seen as unlikely that Sampson would declare for the draft was that he would only declare if there was a guarantee that the Los Angeles Lakers would be the team to draft him.

    Unless Los Angeles can make a deal for San Diego's pick--which would guarantee the Lakers the right to draft Sampson--sources did say that the 7-foot-4 center would remain at Virginia for his fourth and final year. A 50-50 chance of playing with the Lakers would have not been enough to make Sampson leave, the sources said.

    But Sampson’s decision might be motivated by regrets that he might have in not declaring the 1980 NBA Draft when Red Auerbach tried to get him to declare for the 1980 NBA Draft when the Boston Celtics had the 1st pick Sampson opted to stay at Virginia and Boston had to make do with the McHale/Cooper trade which has worked out well for the Celtics so far.

    The Lakers do need a center to replace Bob Lanier who is nearing the end of his career and the Lakers plan to have Lanier mentor Sampson while he finds his feet if he is drafted by them.

    San Diego are a rebuilding team under their new owner Donald Sterling and looking for someone to build their franchise around preferably a big man as they have Rolando Blackman their 1981 draft choice as one piece of the Clippers puzzle already there.

    Attempts by the Lakers to guarantee San Diego’s pick are only heightening up with Sampson’s decision to declare for the draft.

    "Los Angeles has made us a wonderful offer and we know that would be a wonderful place for him to play," San Diego General Manager Ted Podleski said yesterday. "But we feel that San Diego is not a bad consolation. We've got something cooking here. We've got a pretty good young team that we'd like to improve.

    "If they (Los Angeles) make us an offer that would improve our team substantially, then we would make the deal," Podleski said. "It's a day-by-day, hour-by-hour situation."

    Laker General Manager Bill Sharman told the Los Angeles Times he was not optimistic about securing San Diego's pick. "They don't feel what we've offered is good enough," said Sharman. "It doesn't look like we're going to get anything accomplished. All the reports we get are that he's not coming out unless he comes to the Lakers. If that's the case, they (the Clippers) are turning down an awful lot."

    Sharman did not reveal the specifics of the Los Angeles offer, but did say it involved "a lot of money, draft picks and other considerations."

    San Diego owner Donald T. Sterling said yesterday he was offered the $6 million by Laker owner Jerry Buss at a party in Beverly Hills on Tuesday night. Sterling reportedly said he would accept $10 million plus a player, but Buss balked at including a player.


    Sampson turned down approximately $400,000 per year from the Boston Celtics after his freshman year, $800,000 a year from Dallas and Detroit after his sophomore year, and could make $1.5 million this year from Los Angeles or San Diego.

    Sampson's bargaining power could be drastically reduced next year if the first team drafting is one of the NBA's poorer franchises and could not afford to offer Sampson $1 million per year.

    When asked if San Diego, which had the second-worst record in the league this year, could afford Sampson, Podleski said, "Whomever we draft, we'll sign, no matter what."

    Seven underclassmen have already decided to forgo their final year of amateur eligibility to enter the NBA draft: Quintin Dailey of San Francisco, Terry Cummings of De Paul, Dominique Wilkins of Georgia, Cliff Levingston of Wichita State, John Bagley of Boston College, LaSalle Thompson of Texas and Rob Williams of Houston.

    North Carolina's James Worthy, who is expected to be the No. 1 choice overall if Sampson remains at Virginia, will probably announce today that he is leaving school for the NBA. Clark Kellogg of Ohio State also is expected to announce in favor of the draft

    The coin flip to determine whether Los Angeles or San Diego selects first takes place May 20


    The 1982 NBA Draft took place on the 29th June of that year and the Lakers would have the 1st pick thanks to that trade with Cleveland which would become a trend for the Cavs as they had already traded 4 consecutive 1st round picks to Dallas so they had a great chance at building a contender. But as for the Lakers they tried to get Ralph Sampson to leave Virginia early and declare for the 1982 NBA Draft which with him realising that he could contend for an NBA title in his first season playing alongside Magic Johnson he would accept as he felt that he could help the Lakers to win an NBA championship. As for the rest of the draft the Clippers would take North Carolina forward James Worthy, the Jazz would take Terry Cummings third as he could play both forward positions. At the 4th pick Dallas would take Dominique Wilkins who had only fallen this far due to him not wanting to play the Clippers or Jazz and Sleepy Floyd would be selected by Golden State and spend the bulk of his career there.


    11Ralph Sampson^C
    fWXaSwudCHwFHzXj-gZGXaYODzDQbgcgopgoblGoHOLtFfFvUr2sn25_ZijMXDi18b6w0J8bSPzmvPeevSFeT5HEuDdTDOKNtmUGLob81l6q1GdHvBmKQDX-WrBf_uAo9ylymuiu=s1600
    United States    		Los Angeles Lakers (from Cleveland)Virginia (Jr))


    12James Worthy^SF
    iMAjwwvWl2KLBMLfbC-LQPwsJSbMZmYmk6RxyqhaRTQwwwn__9LILjO-p6z1tK4ZOInXHmZpxmnpjUHEBJ6mgZJaREk8BffeTXXDLZWfkS0M1BjN0LPFkd6ZcTBaev9Qu_jeTrAC=s1600
    United States    		San Diego ClippersNorth Carolina (Jr.)


    13Terry Cummings*PF
    xgELqFF3g3l4a_Annda5DZzJwemxCZT-3yxQaesrx15hRmaE_PE-ScWQWkLfG9hbL909parT0GL4DgleL60XxwCD08eYXUqCAhp8Y9wAGYDf6SI4jhRrSHh8aQIZ4xNWtdbhgT_p=s1600
    United States    		New Orleans JazzDePaul (Jr.)


    14Dominique Wilkins^SF
    YFddlxA2bivn7H8bBkQRlfGoZ44bi0jUMi14RFLUqoAQNee2OqxYgA0JLbnqGbQ6-Zn3XSKeIYC55I9gQTV-KMhgVDMBeelvNuyAh267CSgsa0cK53XkLdLHVEA3bwVEDdFkdK9q=s1600
    United States    		Dallas MavericksGeorgia (Jr.)


    113Sleepy Floyd+SG
    llTUnKYp5uls4xdc-JTypUkHa2yCXMNWfqMnkZM1ALL7U3df6z8L9CuiGsduoNRbu7iRBt8uzjbBlgzuX2pqbUFjEn5nCDYb34NGo0CTuAfBbCXFIef2S_heqqiIqKNJB_xF5C46=s1600
    United States    		Golden State WarriorsGeorgetown (Sr.)



    MALONE GOES TO SPURS FOR DAVE CORZINE​

    The San Antonio Spurs today acquired Moses Malone, the National Basketball Association's most valuable player last season, in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for the veteran center Dave Corzine and San Antonio's No. 1 selection in next year's draft.
    On Sept. 2 the Spurs signed Malone to an offer sheet that reportedly would pay him a minimum of $11.8 million for six years and in excess of $15 million if several bonus clauses materialized. The Suns, under the league rule regarding free agency, had 15 days from Sept. 2 to match that offer, or lose Malone to the Spurs.
    However, on Sept. 8, the league called several provisions of the Spurs offer illegal. Today, the league said from its New York office that the three most-disputed provisions had been dropped ''by mutual consent of all parties involved,'' and thus Commissioner Larry O'Brien had approved the trade.
    Under the new contract, Malone, the 28-year-old center who has been the league's m.v.p. twice, still stands to make a minimum of $11.2 million. He will make an additional $100,000 in each of the next six seasons that the Spurs have a home playoff game, and another $100,000 a season if he averages 30 minutes a game, which he has done throughout his career.

    Those clauses would bring the value of the contract to $12.4 million. Should Malone play in the maximum home playoff games over the next six years, the figure could rise to $13 million. He could make even more in a clause tied to his 5 percent share of the team's gross receipts after $4 million and 10 percent after $6 million.
    ''I don't think anyone knew what I was worth until San Antonio spoke up,'' Malone said tonight after a hurriedly called news conference in San Antonio. The trade was announced jointly in San Antonio and Phoenix.
    Malone commented: ''No one in Phoenix recognized how much I did.'' After the challenge to the San Antonio offer, a hearing on the validity of the contract and offer sheet was held Monday in New York under Kingman Brewster, the former president of Yale.
    Angelo Drossos, owner of the Spurs, said: ''Neither party, I thought, felt victory or defeat after the Brewster ruling. It was a nothing ruling. It didn't mean anything.''

    According to the league statement today, though, certain provisions will be struck from the contract: ''The three provisions which will be deleted involve an annual bonus if San Antonio is not among the top six teams in the N.B.A. in road attendance, a bonus if San Antonio's home gate revenues are less than $3 million and a bonus if San Antonio does not have a statistical leader other than Malone in any year.''
    The league did allow provisions for $100,000 a year in guaranteed endorsements and the percentage of gross receipts above $4 million. D
    rossos said that he and his attorney, Laurence Shaiman, met twice on Sunday with lawyers for Karl Eller, the Suns owner, and Thomas, and were ''not close'' to a resolution. On Monday, while the N.B.A. arbitration was held, representatives of both clubs talked again and, said Drossos, ''there was no deal.''
    Tuesday, Drossos was in Atlanta, and at his request Shaiman called representatives of Eller to see if there would be any reason to fly to Phoenix and talk further about a possible deal. ''They said yes,'' Katz said.
    Meanwhile, Malone was en route to San Antonio, where he was to undergo a physical examination as part of San Antonio's tentative offer. He was booked on a flight from here back to Phoenix in midafternoon, but his plans were changed.
    ''Late this afternoon,'' Drossos said, ''we got the word agreeing, and it was go for the deal and no-go for Moses going back to San Antonio.''



    After the draft came free agency and the big question was where would Moses Malone go to as the first thought destination the Lakers had just taken Ralph Sampson who was to be their new franchise center he had to think of another option the team that actually came to get him was a surprising one in the San Antonio Spurs who did have to give up Dave Corzine and a 1983 1st round draft pick to get him from Phoenix but they did get him as the guy to put a team consisting of George Gervin, Mike Mitchell and Johnny Moore over the top and to win an NBA championship.

    Due to that one move the Spurs would be the 1 seed in the Western Conference winning 58 games with the Lakers bolstered with the arrival of Sampson would win 57 games and be right behind them in the West and just behind them would be the Houston Rockets on 55 wins with Calvin Murphy in his final season while the Stars would once again be the 4th seed with 50 wins and destined to be 1st round exits were the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers.

    Whilst in the East it was still the Celtics and Nets but the Celtics did appear vulnerable as the chemistry was slightly off and Bill Fitch was starting to lose the team but they would still win 61 games while the Nets would win 58 games as it was becoming more apparent to that the era of Erving and Abdul Jabbar was in it’s autumn. The Bucks would once again get the 2 seed with 46 wins after winning the Central Division and in a surprise the New York Knicks would win 45 games as Bernard King was firmly back as one of the best players in the league. In the 5th and 6th seeds would be the Kentucky Colonels on 42 wins and the Washington Bullets on 41 wins.

    In the West the Warriors would be eliminated by the Rockets in 2 games and the Blazers would upset the Stars in a 3 game series with Andrew Toney just going off in the series to cause the upset. Portland’s run would be ended in the second round by the Spurs who would win 5 games led by Moses Malone fresh off his 3rd MVP Victory while in the other series the Lakers would defeat the Rockets in 5 games which set up a Lakers-Spurs conference finals with this time the Spurs having the upper hand. And the Spurs would take advantage as they would win the series in 6 games with Malone having the upper hand over Sampson being the key factor.

    As for the East the playoffs went as they had been for the past 3 years with the Celtics beating the Knicks and the Nets beating the Bullets and Bucks in order to meet in the conference finals in which the Nets would beat the Celtics in 5 games as several Celtics were inferior versions of themselves in the playoffs compared to the regular season.

    This would set up an NBA Finals series of the San Antonio Spurs vs the New Jersey Nets in what was the first a rematch of the 1976 NBA Finals. This would be the second finals matchup between Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and in that first matchup Kareem’s experience had win out but this time Malone not only had the physical edge but he also had a lot more big game experience as did the whole roster and they would use that experience to win the 1983 NBA title beating the Nets in 6 game with Malone winning Finals MVP for getting the better of Kareem in the series this not only gave George Gervin an NBA ring but it also confirmed that Kareem’s 13 year reign as the best center in professional basketball was over and there was a new top dog in the NBA.

    But that would be as good as it got for Malone and the Spurs as they wouldn’t get this far again but the next 5 years would be a throwback to the 1960s a feud between the two most successful franchises in the NBA became a legendary rivalry for the first time.

    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics6121.744–
    2y-Milwaukee Bucks4636.55015
    3x-New Jersey Nets5824.7073
    4x-New York Knicks4537.54916
    5x-Kentucky Colonels4240.51219
    6x-Washington Bullets4141.50020
    7Atlanta Hawks3844.47623
    8Detroit Pistons3547.42626
    9Chicago Bulls3448.41327
    10Philadelphila 76ers3151.37630
    11Cleveland Cavaliers2260.26839

    12Indiana Pacers2062.24441

    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1c-San Antonio Spurs5824.707–
    2y-Los Angeles Lakers5725.6951
    3x-Houston Rockets5527.6703
    4x-Utah Stars5032.5858
    5x-Portland Trail Blazers4339.52415
    6x-Golden State Warriors4042.48818
    7Kansas City Kings3745.45121
    8Dallas Mavericks3448.41424
    9Seattle Supersonics3349.40125
    9New Orleans Jazz3052.36628
    11Denver Nuggets2557.30533
    12San Diego Clippers2162.25637

    12Phoenix Suns1468.17144



    WeekPlayer
    Oct. 29 – Nov. 7Reggie Theus (Chicago Bulls)
    Nov. 8 – Nov. 14Kelly Tripucka (Detroit Pistons)
    Nov. 15 – Nov. 21Alex English (Boston Celtics)
    Nov. 22 – Nov. 28Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    Nov. 29 – Dec. 5Buck Williams (Chicago Bulls)
    Dec. 6 – Dec. 12Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    Dec. 13 – Dec. 19Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
    Dec. 20 – Dec. 26Maurice Lucas (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Dec. 27 – Jan. 2Kiki Vandeweghe (Denver Nuggets)
    Jan. 3 – Jan. 9Mickey Johnson (New Jersey Nets)
    Jan. 10 – Jan. 16Alex English (Boston Celtics)
    Jan. 17 – Jan. 23Joe Barry Carroll (New York Knicks)
    Jan. 24 – Jan. 30Artis Gilmore (Kentucky Colonels)
    Jan. 31 – Feb. 6Moses Malone (San Antonio Spurs)
    Feb. 7 – Feb. 21Larry Nance (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Feb. 22 – Feb. 27Walter Davis (Golden State Warriors)
    Feb. 28 – Mar. 6John Drew (Philadelphia 76ers)
    Mar. 7 – Mar. 13Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Mar. 14 – Mar. 20Andrew Toney (Portland Trail Blazers)
    Gus Williams (New Jersey Nets)
    Mar. 21 – Mar. 27Jeff Ruland (Washington Bullets)
    Mar. 28 – Apr. 3Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    Apr. 4 – Apr. 10Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Apr. 11 – Apr. 17Mike Glenn (Atlanta Hawks)




    MonthPlayer
    October/NovemberLarry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    DecemberLarry Drew (Kansas City Kings)
    Moses Malone (San Antonio Spurs)
    JanuaryAlex English (Boston Celtics)
    FebruaryMoses Malone (San Antonio Spurs)
    MarchJeff Ruland (Washington Bullets)




    MonthRookie
    October/NovemberTerry Cummings (New Orleans Jazz)
    DecemberClark Kellogg (Indiana Pacers)
    JanuaryRalph Sampson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    FebruaryTerry Cummings (New Orleans Jazz
    MarchRalph Sampson (Los Angeles Lakers)




    MonthCoach
    October/NovemberScotty Robertson (Detroit Pistons)
    DecemberBilly Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers)
    JanuaryPat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers)
    FebruaryHubie Brown (New York Knicks)
    MarchStan Albeck (San Antonio Spurs)

    Eastern Conference All-Stars


    Pos.PlayerTeamAppearance
    Coach
    HCBill FitchBoston Celtics2nd
    Starters
    PGIsiah ThomasDetroit Pistons2nd
    SGSidney MoncriefMilwaukee Bucks2nd
    SFLarry BirdBoston Celtics4th
    PFJulius ErvingNew Jersey Nets7th
    CKareem Abdul JabbarNew Jersey Nets6th
    Reserves
    SF/SGMarques JohnsonMilwaukee Bucks4th
    CArtis GilmoreKentucky Colonels1st
    PGGus WilliamsNew Jersey Nets2nd
    CRobert ParishBoston Celtics3rd
    SGAlex EnglishBoston Celtics2nd
    SGDavid ThompsonAtlanta Hawks6th
    PFBuck WilliamsChicago Bulls2nd


    Western Conference All Stars



    Pos.PlayerTeamAppearance
    Coach
    HCPat RileyLos Angeles Lakers2nd
    Starters
    PGMagic JohnsonLos Angeles Lakers3rd
    SGGeorge GervinSan Antonio Spurs7th
    SFWalter DavisGolden State Warriors2nd
    PFMaurice LucasLos Angeles Lakers4th
    CKareem Abdul-JabbarSan Antonio Spurs13th
    Reserves
    SFMike MitchellSan Antonio Spurs2nd
    CRalph SampsonLos Angeles Lakers1st
    SGAndrew ToneyPortland Trail Blazers1st
    C/PFJack SikmaHouston Rockets3rd
    SFKiki VandewegheDenver Nuggets1st
    PGDennis JohnsonHouston Rockets2nd
    SF/SGJamaal WilkesLos Angeles Lakers3rd



    Western Conference​

    Champion: San Antonio Spurs



    Western Conference Quarterfinals


    (3) Houston Rockets     vs. (6) Golden State Warriors : Rockets win series 2–1


    • Game 1 @ Houston: Houston 108, Golden State 97
    • Game 2 @ Oakland: Houston 105, Golden State 96







    (5) Portland Trail Blazers vs (4) Utah Stars : Trail Blazers win series 2-1


    • Game 1 @ Utah: Portland 121, Utah 108
    • Game 2 @ Portland: Utah 113, Portland 99
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Portland 117, Utah 112



    Western Conference Semifinals


    (1) San Antonio Spurs     vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers : Spurs win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 142 , Portland 123
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 126, Portland 109
    • Game 3 @ Portland: San Antonio 127, Portland 126 (OT)
    • Game 4 @ Portland: Portland 124, San Antonio 114
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 133, Portland 103







    (2) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3) Houston Rockets : Lakers win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, Houston 97
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 112, Houston 106
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Los Angeles 115, Houston 109 (OT)
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 108, Los Angeles 95
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 112, Utah 107






    Western Conference Finals


    (1) San Antonio Spurs     vs. (2) Los Angeles Lakers : Spurs win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 119, Los Angeles 107
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio : Los Angeles 113, San Antonio 103
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: San Antonio 113, Los Angeles 100
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: San Antonio 129, Los Angeles 121
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: Los Angeles 117 San Antonio 112
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: San Antonio 101 Los Angeles 100





    Eastern Conference​

    Champion: New Jersey Nets



    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals


    (3) New Jersey Nets     VS. (6) Washington Bullets : Nets win series 2–0


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 103, Washington 95
    • Game 2 @ Washington: New Jersey 98, Washington 79





    (4) New York Knicks vs. (5) Kentucky Colonels : Knicks win series 2–0


    • Game 1 @ New York: New York 118, Kentucky 107
    • Game 2 @ Louisville: New York 105, Kentucky 99




    Eastern Conference Semifinals



    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (4) Washington Bullets: Celtics win series 4–0


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 109, Washington 91
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 106, Washington 103
    • Game 3 @ Washington : Boston 92, Washington 83
    • Game 4 @ Washington : Boston 103, Washington 99




    (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Nets win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 125, Milwaukee 122
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 120, Milwaukee 109
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 110, New Jersey 98
    • Game 4 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 100, Milwaukee 93
    • Game 5 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 102, Milwaukee 90




    Eastern Conference Finals


    (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Nets win series 4–0


    • Game 1 @ Boston: New Jersey 116, Boston 95
    • Game 2 @ Boston: New Jersey 121, Boston 113
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 99, Boston 97
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 109, Boston 94


    NBA Finals​

    (W1) San Antonio Spurs VS. (E3) New Jersey Nets : Spurs win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ San Antonio : San Antonio 113, New Jersey 107
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 103, New Jersey 93
    • Game 3 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 111, San Antonio 94
    • Game 4 @ New Jersey: San Antonio 115 , New Jersey 108
    • Game 5 @ San Antonio: New Jersey 105, San Antonio 92
      Game 6 @ New Jersey: San Antonio 114, New Jersey 104
     
    Last edited:
    • 1983-84 NBA Season

    • Jezza1998

    The 1984 season would begin with the 1983 NBA Draft which took place on the 28th June 1983 this would be the NBA Commissioner's Larry O Brian’s final NBA Draft as he would hand over the position to David Stern. Due to the departure of Moses Malone the Phoenix Suns had pullumeted in the 83 season winning only 14 Games but they would earn the 1st pick which they would use to select Missouri center Steve Stipanovich, a solid center who would be forced to retire after 5 seasons due to degenerative knee condition. With the 2nd pick the Pacers would take Rodney McCray as they were starting their rebuild following the end of the George McGinnis era. Byron Scott would end up in San Diego with the 3rd pick and actually stay there as the Lakers don't have the assets to trade for him. Dale Ellis would still be selected by Dallas at 9th, while Jeff Malone would end up as the Chicago Bulls new shooting guard as he would be taken with the 8th pick in the draft. The playoffs would also consist of 16 teams as 8 teams in both conferences which meant that there would be no more 1st round byes and the first round would also be a best of 5 series.



    11Steve StipanovichC
    438L2QsRUmjggXMdRA-nOumHz2HYvV2EL2c1_B72_bWM1rlItVN1wSfM6Qvxe5uXbCcovnh3KFVcQ2ae2DzWrT9iIlICa9SUiRn4IHwoT_qSo8VKyYwYVSdvJ1x7qZ_NkerdPGt6
    United States    		Phoenix SunsMissouri (Sr.)
    12Rodney McCraySF
    hqi3NYQ6wgZ6b9UAHobQnpHk20l0Ppv8xcKZp08_gWaJWeJ_1EE9F4lcIcoSDbJR7cUqJleN1Inke1qTNqLR_hKU89XapKoNjixOD3EOtsU1Hdb_36F9l2dTiDpwNvU3K0-Lrpam
    United States    		Indiana PacersLouisville (Sr.)
    13Byron ScottSG
    KWTXluO4kysgW-VJ4gNDNpxEICk0rnO5RRpI5Tk8yCVJ9WheLY2Xa9vgEOI7XWPFBdZkA7ZJbsf01X6eSK1DXKP8Akx0cS0L-ru7iPUhLWfk2ghELdc0y36kTF9xIPXQIT4A185T
    United States    		San Diego ClippersArizona State (Jr.)



    19Jeff Malone+SG
    3aWfvbDPbagx89DBQ2twBOeT5XSN9J50PAJtaXaNDet-_5HSPuT2xEEEvcsLHcuhVJPCHQi-HCxb2YpgXX_YYGgsgvwnOz1tq33DxnL7YUMItU3LLt58av96ijrupwXF_SCMGEkH
    United States    		Chicago BullsMississippi State (Sr.)



    The main offseason transaction would actually be a coaching change as Bill Fitch would resign as coach of the Boston Celtics being replaced by former Celtics Hall of Fame player KC Jones who was nowhere near as good a coach as Fitch but would be perfect for this team as in this season Larry Bird would enter his peak this time at power forward at first winning his 2nd MVP award with Tiny Archibald in his final season, elite scorer in Alex English, one of the league’s best centers in Robert Parish and the 6th man of the year winner in Kevin McHale the Celtics would romp to a 67 win season and take the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee would once again be the 2nd seed with 52 wins while both the Nets and Knicks would get better records by winning 56 and 48 games respectively. The bottom half of the standings would consist of Detroit in their 1st playoff appearance of the Isiah Thomas era, Kentucky once again with their aging roster which meant that a rebuild was inevitable, Chicago who also would surprise and make their 1st playoff appearance in a while and finally Washington.

    As for the Western conference the Lakers would get the 1st seed with 52 wins with Sampson improving and the Lakers also added Randy Wittman via the draft to start at shooting guard which ensured that Michael Cooper would become the 6th Man. In the 2nd seed was actually a team that surprised everyone in the Dallas Mavericks as they would win 48 games and win the Midwest division lead by Mark Aguirre and Dominique Wilkins, behind them would be the Houston Rockets who would win 47 games with their team who were on the downswing with some key players either gone or slowing down. As for the defending champions San Antonio they would struggle at some points in the season ending with a record of 45-37 which was a disappointment for the team that had won the title the previous season. From 5 to 8 it was Portland led by Andrew Toney, Kansas who still had Adrian Dantley leading the way for them, Utah who were starting to also go on a downward trend and Seattle who were led by Tom Chambers.

    In the East playoffs the Celtics would sweep the Bullets, while the Bucks would be taken to 4 by the Bulls before advancing to the next round, as for the Nets they would finally end Kentucky’s playoff era as they would win in 4 games. The Knicks would still beat the Pistons in 5 games in a classic series. The Celtics and Nets would not meet in a conference finals as the Nets would be beaten by Milwaukee in 6 games while the Celtics would beat New York this time in 5. As for the Conference finals Boston would defeat the Bucks in 5 games and would look to the opposing coast as there was one team in particular they had wanted to face since 1980.

    As for the West, Los Angeles would defeat Seattle easily in 3 games while Dallas’s run would continue as they beat the playoff experienced Stars in 4 games. Houston would eliminate Kansas in 3 games as Bobby Jones just shut down Dantley and that was that as for the Spurs vs Blazers matchup the defending champions would not be upset as they would win in 4 games but the age of some of the players was beginning to show and their opponents would take advantage. In the 2nd round the Mavericks run would come to an end as the Rockets would win in 6 games to advance and the Spurs defence would come to an end as the Lakers would defeat them in 5 games which set up the same conference finals as 1982 but this time there would be a different result as Los Angeles would win 4 games to 2 to advance to the NBA Finals and what would be everyone’s dream matchup the Boston Celtics vs the Los Angeles Lakers.

    This would be the 1st time that the Lakers and Celtics met in the finals since 1969 and in one of the greatest finals series of all time with the Lakers easily winning both Games 1 and 3 and would have won the second game if not for Gerald Henderson stealing an errant pass from Jammal Wilkes to force overtime in which the Celtics were able to ensure that the Lakers didn't leave Boston with a 2-0 series lead. The 4th game was heading much the same way until Kurt Rambis was clotheslined by Kevin McHale which changed the tone of the series into a legitimate contest with the Celtics winning Game 4 in Overtime and also winning the 5th game with the Garden also known as the ‘’Heat Game’’. The Lakers would win the 6th game in the Forum which sent the series to a 7th game in the Boston Garden.

    Lakers Finish Celtics In Seven Games, 121-116

    By Anthony Cotton

    June 12, 1984
    On the occasion of the 166th consecutive sellout at Boston Garden, with 13 championship banners hanging from the ceiling, Magic Johnson scored six straight points late in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Celtics, 121-116, to win the NBA championship today.

    With Johnson, 25, scoring a team-high 42 points along with Fifteen rebounds and seven assists, the Lakers denied the Celtics the opportunity to win their Fourteenth NBA title and in the process erased a lifetime of frustration. The Lakers had lost eight straight previous championship series to Boston.

    For that matter, it was only the second time in their illustrious history the Celtics have lost a championship series. The St. Louis Hawks beat them in the 1957-58 season, also four games to two. It also marked the first time Boston lost a deciding game at the Garden.

    "This removes one of the most odious statements in basketball," Lakers owner Jerry Buss said. "It can no longer be said the Lakers have never defeated the Celtics in a championship series."

    Coach Pat Riley, winner of his first championship ring in three seasons, agreed. "It's like writing an autobiography. It's cathartic," he said. "Everything (in the past) has been purged, as it should be. Winning one time against them may not make a lot of difference to some, but it does to this team. Now we're 1-0 against them."

    Ralph Sampson scored 28 points, 12 rebounds on 11-for-15 shooting for the Lakers and Jammal Wilkes scored 16 points in what was his best performance since recovering from the illness that forced him to miss the first 2 rounds of the Playoffs.

    Magic said that the Lakers loss in the 1980 finals still "bothered me. Any time you make mistakes . . . it bothers you. It was a long year to wait for this moment."

    The Lakers won this series in large part because of their fast break, particularly after big wins in Game 1 and 3. They were outrebounded today, 52-43, giving Boston a 337-314 edge for the series.

    The Celtics were consistently outhustled by the Lakers today. "As soon as we left the locker room, everybody on this team knew that we'd win today," said Los Angeles forward Kurt Rambis, who had 10 rebounds. "That's what we did, we won this game on hustle."

    "They pounced on all the loose balls, they got all the big rebounds and Magic made all the excellent passes," Celtics guard Tiny Archibald said. "You just have to give them all the credit."

    Today, as he did throughout the series, with the notable expectation of Games 2 and 4 Johnson, the series MVP, turned back the Celtics at nearly every turn. Twelve of his points came in the final quarter, with his last six putting the game -- and the title -- on ice for the Lakers.

    In the Celtics' 129-125 victory in Game 4, much was made of their ability to stay close with three substitutes on the floor. That situation was reversed today. For much of the second quarter, the Celtics stayed with their starters while Los Angeles shuttled players in and out of the game.

    Although the teams were tied, 55-55, at the half, the Lakers were far fresher in the second half.

    "We stayed close with our two key people (Johnson and Sampson) on the bench," Riley said. "We didn't crack those last three or four minutes. If we were down by seven points, things might have been difficult."

    Instead, the relatively fresh Lakers went against a Boston team that would use only seven men over the course of the game, with each starter playing at least 39 minutes.

    "Fatigue wasn't a factor. We just didn't hit the shots we wanted," said Boston Coach K.C. Jones, citing the combined six-for-31 shooting by guards Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge. "They were playing us to hit from the outside and we just didn't do it." The Celtics shot only 39 percent (37 for 96) from the floor.

    Jones also refused to use Larry Bird's elbow, finger and ankle problems as excuses. Although he scored 28 points and got 10 rebounds, Bird missed 17 of 29 shots today and shot 48.4 percent for the series.

    "I live and die with the jump shot," he said. "That's what got me here and that's what won us championships. Every one I missed, I said the next one's going in, but they didn't."

    Even so, the Celtics did their best to make things uncomfortable for Los Angeles. The Lakers were leading, 82-73, entering the final quarter but Boston closed to 86-82 with 8:56 left behind the play of Bird and Kevin McHale (32 points, 16 rebounds).

    The next six points were scored by Johnson, Sampson (28 points) and Rambis. Bird then scored four straight points to cut the margin back to six with 6:46 remaining but McHale fouled out 1:35 later trying to block a shot by Rambis.

    McHale, the fourth-year veteran from Minnesota, averaged 20 points and nearly 8 rebounds a game in the finals. With him out of the game, Boston never got within five.

    "They just beat us," he said later. "There are no sour grapes here. They get all the glory."



    The 7th game would live up to all of the hype of the series as former Finals MVP in Cedric Maxwell would end up scoring 24 points as the Celtics would score 116 points yet that wouldn't be enough as Magic Johnson would take advantage of Tiny Archibald’s age and lack of size at the point guard position to score 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the Lakers to a 5 point victory in the Boston Garden and what would be the first NBA Title of the Showtime Era over their biggest rivals on their own floor.



    Meanwhile in Boston it was the opposite of jubilation as they had not only lost a very likely NBA title but had lost to the Lakers of all teams. This defeat would motivate Red Auerbach to make three moves in that offseason. Two of those moves would have a short term benefit to the Celtics while the other move would benefit the Celtics into the 90s and beyond.


    Eastern Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1z-Boston Celtics6715.818–
    2y-Milwaukee Bucks5032.61017
    3x-New Jersey Nets5626.68311
    4x-Detroit Pistons4834.61019
    5x-New York Knicks4735.57320
    6x-Kentucky Colonels4339.52524
    7x-Chicago Bulls4042.48827
    8x-Washington Bullets3745.45130
    9Atlanta Hawks3349.39234
    10Philadelphia 76ers3151.36836
    11Cleveland Cavaliers2656.31741



    12Indiana Pacers2458.29343



    #Western Conference
    TeamWLPCTGB
    1c-Los Angeles Lakers5230.634–
    2y-Dallas Mavericks4834.5854
    3x-Houston Rockets4735.5735
    4x-San Antonio Spurs4537.5497
    5x-Portland Trail Blazers4240.51210
    6x-Kansas City Kings4141.50011
    7x-Utah Stars4141.50011
    8x-Seattle Supersonics3844.46316
    9New Orleans Jazz3745.45115
    10Golden State Warriors3745.45115
    11Denver Nuggets3547.42717
    12San Diego Clippers2755.33025



    13Phoenix Suns2062.24532




    Yearly awards​



    WeekPlayer
    Oct. 28 – Nov. 6Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Kings)
    Nov. 7 – Nov. 13Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Nov. 14 – Nov. 20Kiki Vandeweghe (New York Knicks)
    Nov. 21 – Nov. 27Mark Aguirre (Dallas Mavericks)
    Nov. 28 – Dec. 4Rickey Green (New Orleans Jazz)
    Dec. 5 – Dec. 11Jeff Ruland (Washington Bullets)
    Dec. 12 – Dec. 18Adrian Dantley (Kansas City Kings)
    Dec. 19 – Dec. 26Dan Roundfield (Atlanta Hawks)
    Dec. 27 – Jan. 2Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
    Jan. 3 – Jan. 8Purvis Short (Golden State Warriors)
    Jan. 9 – Jan. 15Kelly Tripucka (Detroit Pistons)
    Jan. 16 – Jan. 22Buck Williams (Chicago Bulls)
    Jan. 31 – Feb. 5Bernard King (New York Knicks)
    Feb. 6 – Feb. 12Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets)
    Feb. 13 – Feb. 19Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    Feb. 20 – Feb. 26Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Feb. 27 – Mar. 4Mickey Johnson (Golden State Warriors)
    Mar. 5 – Mar. 11Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
    Mar. 12 – Mar. 18Adrian Dantley (Kansas City Kings)
    Mar. 19 – Mar. 25Moses Malone (San Antonio Spurs)
    Mar. 26 – Apr. 1Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
    Apr. 2 – Apr. 8Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles Lakers)
    Apr. 9 – Apr. 15Dominique Wilkins (Dallas Mavericks)


    MonthPlayer
    NovemberMagic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers)
    DecemberJeff Ruland (Washington Bullets)
    JanuaryMark Aguirre (Dallas Mavericks)
    FebruaryBernard King (New York Knicks)
    MarchKareem Abdul-Jabbar (New Jersey Nets)




    MonthRookie
    NovemberSteve Stipanovich (Phoenix Suns)
    DecemberJeff Malone (Chicago Bulls)
    JanuaryThurl Bailey (New Orleans Jazz)
    FebruaryJeff Malone (Chicago Bulls)
    MarchJeff Malone (Chicago Bulls)
    .

    MonthCoach
    NovemberDick Motta (Dallas Mavericks)
    DecemberFrank Layden (New Orleans Jazz)
    JanuaryK.C. Jones (Boston Celtics)
    FebruaryChuck Daly (Detroit Pistons)
    MarchJack Ramsay (Portland Trail Blazers)



    ​
    Pos.PlayerTeamAppearance
    Coach
    HCK.C. JonesBoston Celtics1st
    Starters
    PGIsiah ThomasDetroit Pistons3rd
    SGSidney MoncriefMilwaukee Bucks3rd
    SFJulius ErvingNew Jersey Nets10th
    PFLarry BirdBoston Celtics5th
    CKareem Abdul JabbarNew Jersey Nets14th
    Reserves
    SFBernard KingNew York Knicks4th
    C/PFBill LaimbeerDetroit Pistons2nd
    SF/SGKelly TripuckaDetroit Pistons2nd
    C/PFJeff RulandWashington Bullets1st
    PFKevin McHaleBoston Celtics1st
    SGAlex EnglishBoston Celtics3rd
    CRobert ParishBoston Celtics4th

    ​
    Pos.PlayerTeamAppearance
    Coach
    HCFrank LaydenNew Orleans Jazz1st
    Starters
    PGMagic JohnsonLos Angeles Lakers4th
    SGAndrew ToneyPortland Trail Blazers2nd
    SFGeorge GervinSan Antonio Spurs9th
    PFAdrian DantleyKansas City Kings4th
    CRalph SampsonLos Angeles Lakers2nd
    Reserves
    SFMark AguirreDallas Mavericks1st
    PFMaurice LucasLos Angeles Lakers4th
    SF/SGJim PaxsonSan Diego Clippers2nd
    C/PFJack SikmaHouston Rockets6th
    SFKiki VandewegheDenver Nuggets2nd
    PGRickey GreenNew Orleans Jazz1st
    SF/SGWalter DavisPhoenix Suns5th

    Western Conference​

    Champion: Los Angeles Lakers



    Western Conference Quarterfinals


    (1) Los Angeles Lakers     vs. (8) Seattle Supersonics : Lakers win series 3–0


    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 116, Seattle 105
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles : Los Angeles 109, Seattle 102
    • Game 3 @ Seattle: Los Angeles 109, Seattle 102





    (2) Dallas Mavericks vs. (7) Utah Stars : Mavericks win series 3–1


    • Game 1 @ Dallas: Dallas 123, Utah 121
    • Game 2 @ Dallas: Dallas 132 , Utah 116
    • Game 3 @ Utah: Utah 129, Dallas 124
    • Game 4 @ Utah: Dallas 121, Utah 117







    (3) Houston Rockets vs. (6) Kansas City Kings : Rockets win series 3–1


    • Game 1 @ Houston: Kansas City 113, Houston 106
    • Game 2 @ Houston: Houston 122, Kansas City 116
    • Game 3 @ Kansas City: Houston 106, Kansas City 103
    • Game 4 @ Kansas City: Houston 117, Kansas City 105





    (4) San Antonio Spurs vs (5) Portland Trail Blazers : Spurs win series 3-1


    • Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 88, Portland 86
    • Game 2 @ San Antonio: Portland 104, San Antonio 94
    • Game 3 @ Portland: San Antonio 107, Portland 96
    • Game 4 @ Portland: San Antonio 105, Portland 104 (OT)



    Western Conference Semifinals


    (1) Los Angeles Lakers     vs. (4) San Antonio Spurs : Lakers win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 134 , San Antonio 91
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 117, San Antonio 101
    • Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 125, Los Angeles 115
    • Game 4 @ San Antonio: Los Angeles 122, San Antonio 115
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 115, San Antonio 99







    (2) Dallas Mavericks vs. (3) Houston Rockets : Rockets win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ Dallas: Dallas 107, Houston 97
    • Game 2 @ Dallas: Houston 102, Dallas 96
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 106, Dallas 94
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Houston 111, Dallas 110
    • Game 5 @ Dallas: Dallas 118, Houston 107
    • Game 6 @ Houston: Houston 102, Dallas 82






    Western Conference Finals


    (1) Los Angeles Lakers     vs. (3) Houston Rockets : Lakers win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 110, Houston 94
    • Game 2 @ Los Angeles : Los Angeles 118, Houston 103 Magic Johnson's 24 assists sets an NBA playoff record for assists in a game.
    • Game 3 @ Houston: Houston 123, Los Angeles 120
    • Game 4 @ Houston: Los Angeles 126, Houston 115
    • Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Houston 117 Los Angeles 112
    • Game 6 @ Houston: Los Angeles 99 Houston 97





    Eastern Conference​


    Champion: Boston Celtics



    Eastern Conference Quarterfinals


    (1) Boston Celtics VS. (8) Washington Bullets : Celtics win series 3–0


    • Game 1 @ Boston : Boston 93, Washington 85
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 98, Washington 85
    • Game 3 @ Washington : Boston 98, Washington 95



    (2) Milwaukee Bucks VS. (8) Chicago Bulls : Bucks win series 3–1


    • Game 1 @ Milwaukee : Milwaukee 103, Chicago 91
    • Game 2 @ Milwaukee : Milwaukee 101, Chicago 85
    • Game 3 @ Chicago : Chicago 101, Milwaukee 87
    • Game 4 @ Chicago : Milwaukee 96, Chicago 93

    (3) New Jersey Nets VS. (8) Kentucky Colonels : Nets win series 3–1


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey : New Jersey 116, Kentucky 101
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey : New Jersey 116, Kentucky 102
    • Game 3 @ Louisville : Kentucky 108, New Jersey 100
    • Game 4 @ Louisville : New Jersey 101, Kentucky 98

    (4) Detroit Pistons vs. (5) New York Knicks : Knicks win series 3–2


    • Game 1 @ Detroit: New York 94, Detroit 93
    • Game 2 @ Detroit: Detroit 113, New York 105
    • Game 3 @ New York: New York 120, Detroit 105
    • Game 4 @ New York: Detroit 119, New York 112
    • Game 5 @ Detroit: New York 127, Detroit 123 Bernard King/Isiah Thomas Duel. King put up 44 points while having the flu and both middle fingers dislocated, while Thomas scored 16 points in the last 93 seconds of regulation to force OT.






    Eastern Conference Semifinals



    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (5) New York Knicks : Celtics win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 109, New York 91
    • Game 2 @ Boston : Boston 106, New York 103
    • Game 3 @ New York : New York 100, Boston 93
    • Game 4 @ New York : Boston 118, New York 113
    • Game 5 @ Boston : Boston 123, Washington 99







    (2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (3) New Jersey Nets : Bucks win series 4–2


    • Game 1 @ New Jersey: New Jersey 106, Milwaukee 100
    • Game 2 @ New Jersey: Milwaukee 98, New Jersey 94
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 100, New Jersey 93
    • Game 4 @ Milwaukee: New Jersey 106, Milwaukee 99
    • Game 5 @ New Jersey: Milwaukee 92, New Jersey 84
    • Game 6 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 98, New Jersey 97




    Eastern Conference Finals


    (1) Boston Celtics     vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks : Celtics win series 4–1


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 121, Milwaukee 94
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 125, Milwaukee 107
    • Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Boston 109, Milwaukee 97
    • Game 4 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 119, Boston 114
    • Game 5 @ Boston : Boston 119, Milwaukee 104




    NBA Finals​

    (W1) Los Angeles Lakers VS. (E1) Boston Celtics : Lakers win series 4–3


    • Game 1 @ Boston: Los Angeles 115, Boston 109
    • Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 124, Los Angeles 121 (OT) Gerald Henderson steals the ball
    • Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 137, Boston 104
    • Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Boston 129 , Los Angeles 125
    • Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 121, Los Angeles 103
    • Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 119, Boston 108
    • Game 7 @ Boston: Los Angeles 121, Boston 116 Magic Johnson score 42/15/7 to lead the Lakers to victory in the Garden
     
    Last edited:
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