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{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 22|place= [[Indiana Assembly Hall]], [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], [[Indiana]]
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 22|place= [[Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall|Assembly Hall]], [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], [[Indiana]]
|team1= [[Utah Stars]]|score1= 108
|team1= [[Utah Stars]]|score1= 108
|team2= '''[[Indiana Pacers]]'''|score2=''' 118'''
|team2= '''[[Indiana Pacers]]'''|score2=''' 118'''
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{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |place= [[Indiana Assembly Hall]], [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], [[Indiana]]
{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |place= [[Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall|Assembly Hall]], [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]], [[Indiana]]
|team1=[[Utah Stars]] |score1= 99
|team1=[[Utah Stars]] |score1= 99
|team2='''[[Indiana Pacers]]'''|score2=''' 105'''
|team2='''[[Indiana Pacers]]'''|score2=''' 105'''

Revision as of 06:15, 18 March 2025

1972 ABA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesMarch 31 – May 20, 1972
Season1971–72
Teams8
Final positions
ChampionsIndiana Pacers (2nd title)
Runner-upNew York Nets
Semifinalists
← 1971
1973 →

The 1972 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1971–1972 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Nets, four games to two in the 1972 ABA Finals.

Notable events

The Kentucky Colonels, despite finishing the season with the best record in the history of the ABA (68–16, .810), winning 8 of 11 regular season games against the New York Nets and finishing 24 games ahead of the Nets in the regular season standings, lost their first round series to the Nets.

The Floridians played their final game on April 6, 1972, losing at home in their Eastern Division semifinal series to the Virginia Squires 115–106. The Squires swept the series 4 games to none behind rookie Julius Erving who grabbed at least seventeen rebounds in three of those four games. On June 13, 1972, the league bought the Floridians and disbanded the team.

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

Freddie Lewis of the Pacers was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

This was the first season in which two future NBA teams met for the ABA Championship. This only happened one other time in the league's history, during its final year in 1976 when the Denver Nuggets edged past the Colonels 4–3 to meet the Nets in the ABA championship series.

Five of the seven playoff series ended in final games in which the home team lost.

Bracket

Division Semifinals Division Finals ABA Finals
         
1 Utah Stars 4
3 Dallas Chaparrals 0
1 Utah Stars 3
Western Division
2 Indiana Pacers 4
4 Denver Rockets 3
2 Indiana Pacers 4
W2 Indiana Pacers 4
E3 New York Nets 2
1 Kentucky Colonels 2
3 New York Nets 4
3 New York Nets 4
Eastern Division
2 Virginia Squires 3
4 The Floridians 0
2 Virginia Squires 4

Division Semifinals

Western Division Semifinals

(1) Utah Stars vs. (3) Dallas Chaparrals

April 1
Dallas Chaparrals 96, Utah Stars 106
Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 21–28, 21–32, 28–26
Pts: Steve "Snapper" Jones 22
Rebs: George Johnson 11
Asts: George Johnson 5		 Pts: Jimmy Jones 27
Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 17
Asts: Jones, Combs 5 each
Utah leads series, 1–0
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 8,783
April 3
Dallas Chaparrals 107, Utah Stars 113
Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 36–26, 30–30, 17–29
Pts: Donnie Freeman 36
Rebs: Collis Jones 12
Asts: Joe Hamilton 5		 Pts: Willie Wise 36
Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 14
Asts: Jimmy Jones 9
Utah leads series, 2–0
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 9,121
April 5
Utah Stars 96, Dallas Chaparrals 89
Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 24–24, 20–23, 26–25
Pts: Willie Wise 25
Rebs: Willie Wise 16
Asts: Willie Wise 4		 Pts: Donnie Freeman 21
Rebs: Rich Jones 12
Asts: Rich Jones 5
Utah leads series, 3–0
April 7
Utah Stars 103, Dallas Chaparrals 99
Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 29–29, 25–18, 23–27
Pts: Ron Boone 21
Rebs: Willie Wise 16
Asts: Jimmy Jones 4		 Pts: Donnie Freeman30
Rebs: S. Jones, R. Jones 7 each
Asts: Joe Hamilton 5
Utah wins series, 4–0

(2) Indiana Pacers vs. (4) Denver Rockets

March 31
Denver 96, Indiana 102
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Indiana leads series, 1–0
April 1
Denver 106, Indiana 105
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Series tied 1–1
April 4
Denver 120, Indiana 122
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Indiana leads series, 2–1
April 6
Indiana 96, Denver 112
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Series tied, 2–2
April 8
Denver 79, Indiana 91
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Indiana leads series, 3–2
April 9
Indiana 99, Denver 106
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Series tied, 3–3
April 13
Denver 89, Indiana 91
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Indiana wins series, 4–3

Eastern Division Semifinals

(1) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) New York Nets

April 1
New York 122, Kentucky 108
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York leads series, 1–0
April 4
New York 105, Kentucky 90
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York leads series, 2–0
April 5
Kentucky 105, New York 99
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York leads series, 2–1
April 7
Kentucky 92, New York 100
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York leads series, 3–1
April 8
New York 93, Kentucky
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York leads series, 3–2
April 10
Kentucky 96, New York 101
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
New York wins series, 4–2

(2) Virginia Squires vs. (4) The Floridians

March 31
The Floridians 107, Virginia Squires 114 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 29–26, 20–23, 26–24, Overtime: 8–15
Pts: Jabali, Long 22 each
Rebs: Jabali, Long 17 each
Asts: Warren Jabali 7		 Pts: Julius Erving 32
Rebs: Julius Erving 19
Asts: Julius Erving 8
Virginia leads series, 1–0
Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA
Attendance: 3,770
April 1
The Floridians 100, Virginia Squires 125
Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 25–33, 30–36, 26–30
Pts: Willie Long 22
Rebs: Warren Jabali 13
Asts: Long, Tucker, Calvin 3 each		 Pts: Julius Erving 27
Rebs: Julius Erving 17
Asts: Julius Erving 7
Virginia leads series, 2–0


April 4
Virginia Squires 118, The Floridians 113
Scoring by quarter: 31–34, 30–29, 30–25, 27–25
Pts: Julius Erving 53
Rebs: Julius Erving 14
Asts: Julius Erving 6		 Pts: Mack Calvin 27
Rebs: Jabali, Raymond 12 each
Asts: Jabali, Calvin 8 each
Virginia leads series, 3–0

Due to prior bookings, the Floridians played their playoff games at the north campus of Miami-Dade Junior College.[1]

April 6
Virginia Squires 115, The Floridians 106
Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 29–21, 29–21, 29–33
Pts: Julius Erving 39
Rebs: Julius Erving 27
Asts: Erving, Taylor 5 each		 Pts: Mack Calvin 23
Rebs: Ron Franz 11
Asts: Mack Calvin 10
Virginia wins series, 4–0

This was the last game played by The Floridians, as the team elected to fold in the offseason rather than relocate or play further.

Division Finals

Western Division Finals

(1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers

April 15
Indiana Pacers 100, Utah Stars 108
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 28–35, 25–24, 19–26
Pts: George McGinnis 31
Rebs: Mel Daniels 17
Asts: George McGinnis 6		 Pts: Jimmy Jones 25
Rebs: Red Robbins 16
Asts: Jimmy Jones 8
Utah leads series, 1–0
Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 9,854
April 17
Indiana Pacers 109, Utah Stars 117
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Utah leads series, 2–0
April 19
Utah Stars 111, Indiana Pacers 116
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Utah leads series, 2–1
April 22
Utah Stars 108, Indiana Pacers 118
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Series tied, 2–2
April 24
Indiana Pacers 130, Utah Stars 139
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Utah leads series, 3–2
April 26
Utah Stars 99, Indiana Pacers 105
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Series tied, 3–3
May 1
Indiana Pacers 117, Utah Stars 113
Scoring by quarter: –, –, –, –
Indiana wins series, 4–3

Eastern Division Finals

(2) Virginia Squires vs. (3) New York Nets

April 13
New York Nets 91, Virginia Squires 138
Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 13–34, 24–42, 32–34
Pts: John Roche 26
Rebs: Billy Paultz 15
Asts: John Roche 3		 Pts: Julius Erving 26
Rebs: Julius Erving 20
Asts: Julius Erving 15
Virginia leads series, 1–0
April 15
New York Nets 106, Virginia Squires 115
Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 25–31, 26–30, 25–26
Pts: Rick Barry 29
Rebs: Billy Paultz 14
Asts: Ollie Taylor 7		 Pts: Julius Erving 38
Rebs: Julius Erving 20
Asts: Julius Erving 7
Virginia leads series, 2–0
Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Attendance: 10,410
April 24
Virginia Squires 117, New York Nets 119
Scoring by quarter: 33–37, 34–31, 26–27, 24–24
Pts: Julius Erving 31
Rebs: Julius Erving 22
Asts: Erving, Eakins, Moe 5 each		 Pts: Roche, Barry 25 each
Rebs: Billy Paultz 14
Asts: Barry, Melchionni, Roche 5 each
Virginia leads series, 2–1

Game 3 occurred nine days after Game 2 due to the Coliseum being booked for several days (the ABA refused to have the games played at the Island Garden).[2]

April 26
Virginia Squires 107, New York Nets 118
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 30–32, 25–29, 30–26
Pts: Julius Erving 27
Rebs: Julius Erving 23
Asts: Fatty Taylor 5		 Pts: Rick Barry 33
Rebs: Billy Paultz 12
Asts: Bill Melchionni 8
Series tied, 2–2
April 29
New York Nets 107, Virginia Squires 116
Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 23–33, 26–29, 30–28
Pts: Rick Barry 34
Rebs: Billy Paultz 16
Asts: Bill Melchionni 5		 Pts: Ray Scott 26
Rebs: Julius Erving 32
Asts: Julius Erving 8
Virginia leads series, 3–2
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia
Attendance: 6,309
May 1
Virginia Squires 146, New York Nets 136
Scoring by quarter: 32–36, 27–37, 31–28, 46–45
Pts: Julius Erving 34
Rebs: Julius Erving 10
Asts: Julius Erving 7		 Pts: Rick Barry 43
Rebs: Billy Paultz 14
Asts: Bill Melchionni 9
Series tied, 3–3
May 4
New York Nets 94, Virginia Squires 88
Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 25–23, 27–27, 19–17
Pts: Rick Barry 27
Rebs: Billy Paultz 24
Asts: Bill Melchionni 7		 Pts: Julius Erving 35
Rebs: Julius Erving 20
Asts: Fatty Taylor 5
New York wins series, 4–3
Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Attendance: 10,410

ABA Finals: (E3) New York Nets vs. (W2) Indiana Pacers

May 6
New York Nets 103, Indiana Pacers 124
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 31–22, 22–35, 25–36
Pts: Rick Barry 34
Rebs: Billy Paultz 13
Asts: Melchionni, Roche 5 each		 Pts: Freddie Lewis 33
Rebs: George McGinnis 22
Asts: Billy Keller 4
Indiana leads series, 1–0
May 9
New York Nets 117, Indiana Pacers 115
Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 32–28, 34–28, 24–32
Pts: Rick Barry 29
Rebs: Billy Paultz 15
Asts: Bill Melchionni 7		 Pts: McGinnis, Brown 22 each
Rebs: George McGinnis 11
Asts: Billy Keller 6
Series tied, 1–1
May 12
Indiana Pacers 114, New York Nets 108
Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 25–23, 36–32, 24–24
Pts: George McGinnis 30
Rebs: George McGinnis 20
Asts: Freddie Lewis 7		 Pts: Rick Barry 44
Rebs: Trooper Washington 15
Asts: Bill Melchionni 7
Indiana leads series, 2–1
May 15
Indiana Pacers 105, New York Nets 110
Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 35–23, 25–24, 21–32
Pts: Freddie Lewis 22
Rebs: George McGinnis 16
Asts: Freddie Lewis 7		 Pts: Billy Paultz 30
Rebs: Billy Paultz 18
Asts: Rick Barry 9
Series tied, 2–2
May 18
New York Nets 99, Indiana Pacers 100
Scoring by quarter: 33–15, 19–22, 20–34, 27–29
Pts: Rick Barry 33
Rebs: Billy Paultz 15
Asts: John Roche 5		 Pts: Lewis, Keller 22 each
Rebs: George McGinnis 14
Asts: Billy Keller 8
Indiana leads series, 3–2
May 20
Indiana Pacers 108, New York Nets 105
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 28–28, 32–24, 20–25
Pts: Roger Brown 32
Rebs: Mel Daniels 12
Asts: Billy Keller 7		 Pts: Melchionni, Barry 23 each
Rebs: Billy Paultz 14
Asts: Melchionni, Barry 7 each
Indiana wins series, 4–2

Less than a month later, a series of events led to Rick Barry never playing for the Nets again. On June 23, 1972, a United States District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction to prohibit Barry from playing for any team other than the Golden State Warriors after his contract with the Nets ended, due to a 5-year contract signed in 1969. On October 6, 1972, the Nets released Barry and he returned to the Warriors.[3][4]

Three members of the Pacers eventually made the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Mel Daniels (2012), Roger Brown (2013), George McGinnis (2017), to go along with Rick Barry for the Nets (1987) while both head coaches from the series in Lou Carnesecca (1992) and Bobby Leonard (2014) also were later inducted.

Statistical leaders

Category Total Average
Player Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played
Points Rick Barry New York Nets 554 Julius Erving Virginia Squires 33.3 11
Rebounds Mel Daniels Indiana Pacers 302 Julius Erving Virginia Squires 20.4 11
Assists Freddie Lewis Indiana Pacers 87 Louie Dampier Kentucky Colonels 7.5 6

Total leaders

References

  1. ^ https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19720405.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-April+5%2C+1972-------#
  2. ^ Pluto, Terry (1990). Loose Balls. Simon & Schuster. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-4165-4061-8.
  3. ^ "Judge Orders Nets' Barry to Honor 5-Year Warriors' Pact He Signed in 1969". The New York Times. June 24, 1972. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rick Barry Returns To The Warriors". diva.sfsu.edu. KRON-TV. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
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