1973 ABA Playoffs - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1973 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

's 1972-1973 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...

, four games to three in the ABA Finals.

Notable events

The teams with the three best records in the ABA that year failed to win the championship. The Carolina Cougars

Carolina Cougars

Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful...

had the league's best record at 57-27 (.679), one game ahead of the Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

(56-28, .667) in the Eastern Division. The Utah Stars

Utah Stars

The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...

won the Western Division with a record of 55-29 (.655), four games ahead of the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, who won the league championship after posting a regular season record of 51-33 (.607).

The Pacers became the first team to win a third ABA championship.

The Colonels became the first team to lose two separate ABA championship series. The series also marked the second time in three years that the Colonels lost the ABA finals 4 games to 3; the same happened at the end of the 1971 ABA Playoffs

1971 ABA Playoffs

The 1971 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA finals.-Notable...

against the Utah Stars

Utah Stars

.

Two years after the 1973 finals the Colonels and Pacers would meet again at the end of the 1975 ABA Playoffs

1975 ABA Playoffs

The 1975 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels defeating the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals.The Kentucky...

with the Colonels winning the championship series.

The Pacers' George McGinnis

George McGinnis

George F. McGinnis is a retired American professional basketball player, most notably with the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association . He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana University in 1971...

was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

Western Division

Champion: Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

Division Semifinals

(1) Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...

vs. (4) San Diego Conquistadors

San Diego Conquistadors

The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...

:
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
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

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

Utah Stars

vs. (2) Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

:
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
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...

Division Semifinals

(1) Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful...

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

Game 1 @ Carolina: Carolina 104, New York 96
Game 2 @ Carolina: New York 114, Carolina 111
Game 3 @ New York: Carolina 101, New York 91
Game 4 @ New York: Carolina 112, New York 108
Game 5 @ Carolina: Carolina 136, New York 113

(2) Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...

vs. (3) Virginia Squires

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

:
Squires win series 4-1

Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 129, Virginia 101
Game 2 @ Kentucky: Virginia 109, Kentucky 94
Game 3 @ Virginia: Kentucky 115, Virginia 113
Game 4 @ Virginia: Kentucky 108, Virginia 90
Game 5 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 114, Virginia 103

Division Finals

(1) Carolina Cougars

Carolina Cougars

vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...

:
Colonels win series 4-3

Game 1 @ Carolina: Kentucky 1313, 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

ABA Finals

(2) Kentucky Colonels

Kentucky Colonels

VS. (2) Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

:
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

External links

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