The 1971 NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...

was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

's 1970-1971 season

1970-71 NBA season

The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...

. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference

Western Conference (NBA)

Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

 champion Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

 defeating the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...

 champion Baltimore Bullets

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

, four games to none in the NBA Finals

1971 NBA Finals

The 1971 NBA Finals was played at the conclusion of the NBA's 25th Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games...

.

Led by Finals MVP and the previous season's Rookie of the Year Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...

, the Bucks not only became the fastest expansion team in NBA history to win the championship (a record that they still hold), but they did so in dominating fashion, finishing 12-2 in the playoffs with an unprecedented 14.5 points postseason average point differential.

The playoff format was changed from the previous two-division format. There were now four divisions, with each division qualifying its champion and second-place team. In the conference semifinals, the champion of each division played the second place team in the other, with the divisional champion having home-court advantage. The two conference semifinals winners then played for the conference championship.

This was the first NBA Finals appearance for the Bullets, and would be their only trip to the championship round in Baltimore; they would make three more appearances (winning one championship) later in this decade.

The 1971 playoffs would be the last for the San Francisco Warriors under that moniker; the following season, symbolizing their already-established home base of Oakland

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, they changed their name to the Golden State Warriors.

Western Conference

Champion: Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

Conference Semifinals

(M1) Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

vs. (P2) San Francisco Warriors:
Bucks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ San Francisco: Milwaukee 107, San Francisco 96
• Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 104, San Francisco 90
• Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 114, San Francisco 102
• Game 4 @ San Francisco: San Francisco 106, Milwaukee 104
• Game 5 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 136, San Francisco 86

(P1) Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

vs. (M2) Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

:
Lakers win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 100, Chicago 99
• Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 105, Chicago 95
• Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 106, Los Angeles 98
• Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 112, Los Angeles 102
• 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

Conference Finals

(M1) Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

vs. (P1) Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
Bucks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 106, Los Angeles 85
• Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 91, Los Angeles 73
• Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, Milwaukee 107
• Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Milwaukee 117, Los Angeles 94
• Game 5 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 116, Los Angeles 98

Eastern Conference

Champion: Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets has been the name of three different basketball franchises:* Baltimore Bullets , an American Basketball League franchise and National Basketball Association franchise that folded in 1954....

Conference Semifinals

(A1) New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

vs. (C2) Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

:
Knicks win series 4-1

• Game 1 @ New York: New York 112, Atlanta 101
• Game 2 @ New York: Atlanta 113, New York 104
• Game 3 @ Atlanta: New York 110, Atlanta 95
• Game 4 @ Atlanta: New York 113, Atlanta 107
• Game 5 @ New York: New York 111, Atlanta 107

(C1) Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets has been the name of three different basketball franchises:* Baltimore Bullets , an American Basketball League franchise and National Basketball Association franchise that folded in 1954....

vs. (A2) Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

:
Bullets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Baltimore: Philadelphia 126, Baltimore 112
• Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Baltimore 119, Philadelphia 107
• Game 3 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 111, Philadelphia 103
• Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Baltimore 120, Philadelphia 105
• Game 5 @ Baltimore: Philadelphia 104, Baltimore 103
• Game 6 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 98, Baltimore 84
• Game 7 @ Baltimore: Baltimore 128, Philadelphia 120

Conference Finals

(A1) New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 vs. (C1) Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets has been the name of three different basketball franchises:* Baltimore Bullets , an American Basketball League franchise and National Basketball Association franchise that folded in 1954....

:
Bullets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ New York: New York 112, Baltimore 111
• Game 2 @ New York: New York 107, 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

(M1) Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

VS. (C1) Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets

Baltimore Bullets has been the name of three different basketball franchises:* Baltimore Bullets , an American Basketball League franchise and National Basketball Association franchise that folded in 1954....

:
Bucks win series 4-0

• Game 1 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 98, Baltimore 88
• Game 2 @ Baltimore: Milwaukee 102, Baltimore 83
• Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 107, Baltimore 99
• Game 4 @ Baltimore: Milwaukee 118, Baltimore 106 (Bucks wins their first championship only 3 years after founding.)

External links

• Basketball-Reference.com's 1971 NBA Playoffs page