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The NBA Time Machine: 1973

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published May 15, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1973

Relocating Royalty

Moving west

Since 1968, Cincinnati Royals personnel had been eyeing game opportunities in Omaha, Nebraska. They had played plenty of “home” matches in the city over the past half a decade, ranging from twelve to forty-two in a season.

This was the year the franchise permanently committed, dubbing themselves the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and splitting their home schedule between the two cities. They adopted the “Kings” surname to avoid confusion with the Kansas City Royals MLB team.

Due to this relocation, there were divisional re-assignments:

  • The Kansas City-Omaha Kings were moved from the Central Division to the Midwest Division, also placing them in the Western Conference.
  • The Houston Rockets were moved from the Pacific Division to the Central Division, also placing them in the Eastern Conference.
  • The Phoenix Suns were moved from the Midwest Division to the Pacific Division.

In other good news for the squad, they improved by six games and saw starting guard Tiny Archibald receive his first All-Star Game invitation.

9-and-73ers?

During the off-season, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Billy Cunningham jumped ship to the ABA. This was already seen as a catastrophic loss for the team, who were coming off an underwhelming thirty-win run – to make matters worse, coach Jack Ramsay departed to coach the Buffalo Braves. This left the 76ers’ locker room in disrepair, hinting towards an inevitably messy year.

After starting the season 0-15, the pitiful club finally managed a narrow two-point win against the Houston Rockets in early November. They won a couple of contests on occasion, but were largely amidst pathetic losing streaks. They lost fourteen straight from December to early January, and then completed a separate spell of twenty consecutive defeats from January to February.

While the roster was already awful, coach Roy Rubin was also heavily criticized for his lack of aptitude, being deemed fraudulent. He lacked insight and failed to encourage players during practice, which instilled bad habits in them. Rubin was replaced with 76ers guard Kevin Loughery, who neglected his playing duties to coach instead. They managed a grand five wins in February under his lead, but finished the season with the worst winning percentage of all-time.

E For “Exit”

A shocking trade during the off-season sent Houston Rockets star Elvin Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for Jack Marin. Statistically speaking, this swap was incredibly lop-sided. Hayes was an absolute two-way behemoth, anchoring elite defenses while ranking sixth all-time in points per game. Marin was a talented forward coming off of his first All-Star selection, but the gap in talent was clear.

This generated skepticism regarding Hayes’ place in Houston culture. It was known that he frequently argued with coach Tex Winter, which was perhaps a breaking point for the front office – they were not interested in tantrums from a superstar, and opted to build around somebody else. Funnily enough, Winter was fired by the team seven months later.

The Bullets ultimately benefitted from the newfound acquirement, improving by fourteen games and finishing with a top five defense. Hayes’ impact on the glass was also profound, as Baltimore improved to the fifth spot league-wide in rebounds per game.

Barry’s Back!

During the summer of 1972, ABA star Rick Barry was prohibited by law from playing for any team besides the Golden State Warriors once his current contract ended. This was a byproduct of the various disputes the forward had with the franchise when he initially left them in 1967.

Upon his return, Barry posted a noticeably different style in comparison to his two first seasons. He was far less geared towards scoring, now adopting an unfamiliar “point forward” role in which he would often orchestrate his team’s offense. He led Golden State in assists, and his average of 4.9 was the highest of his NBA career.

Despite the return of their former superstar, the Warriors seemed to decline slightly. It’s hard to deduce whether this is his wrongdoing – their overall defense took a slight dip, and star Cazzie Russell had a down year.

Almost There

On their fifth game of the season, the Boston Celtics faced the Buffalo Braves. They had a field day dominating their divisional rival, leading by a thick forty-three points by the fourth quarter.

Buffalo shocked the Massachusetts audience in the fourth, scoring a record-breaking fifty-eight points to attempt a comeback. This was well over twice the amount scored by Boston, who truly only won because of the enormous cushion they built prior. The Braves’ sophomore guard Randy Smith was the star of the show, with an efficient twenty-nine points anchoring the failed comeback.

Standout Players

Dave Cowens

In light of the Celtics having their best season in franchise history, Cowens became Boston’s first M.V.P. winner since Bill Russell. He showed up in every game, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists on the way.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Despite Cowens’ marvelous run, Abdul-Jabbar was still the league’s best player. His scoring declined slightly, but he still finished top two in points average despite that. His career high mark of five assists is perhaps the most notable breakthrough, establishing him among the best playmaking bigs in the NBA.

Tiny Archibald

Archibald made history by becoming the first player to lead the league in both points and assists in the same season – Oscar Robertson had done so prior with averages, but the league identified leaders off of totals at the time. Tiny’s acrobatics catapulted the Kings to the top ranked league offense.

Wilt Chamberlain

At the age of thirty-six, Chamberlain remained a force. While he saw a career low in scoring – only supplying a little over ten points a game – his defensive impact was still near-untouchable. Once again, he played every night and averaged over forty minutes en route to another sixty-win Lakers campaign.

Pete Maravich

The Hawks returned to the win column thanks to Pistol Pete’s best year-long performance yet. He averaged career highs in all three major categories, also putting together four forty-point games.

John Havlicek

Hondo’s eleventh season was yet another great one. Cowens got a lot of media attention and favoritism for the M.V.P. award – and rightfully so – but Havlicek was arguably just as vital to the Celtics’ success. He was the team’s offensive engine, leading them in both points and assists.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*6814Baltimore Bullets*5230
New York Knicks*5725Atlanta Hawks*4636
Buffalo Braves2161Houston Rockets3349
Philadelphia 76ers973Cleveland Cavaliers3250
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Milwaukee Bucks*6022Los Angeles Lakers*6022
Chicago Bulls*5131Golden State Warriors*4735
Detroit Pistons4042Phoenix Suns3844
Kansas City-Omaha Kings3646Seattle SuperSonics2656
Portland Trail Blazers2161

Fun Facts

  • Yet another headline-worthy campaign was completed by the Boston Celtics, who won a colossal sixty-eight games.
    • This winning percentage was good for the third-best in NBA history, and the highest of the franchise to date.
    • The gritty identity they claimed in their last couple seasons finally reached its maximum potential, with them ranking first in defense league-wide.
  • The Philadelphia 76ers finished with the lowest win total and worst winning percentage professional basketball had seen to date.
  • For the first time since its conception, the new divisional system seemed balanced – all eight teams in the win column made the playoffs, and all nine with a losing record missed it.
  • While the Kansas City-Omaha Kings managed to boast the number-one-ranked offense, they settled with a pathetic seventeenth-place finish on the other end of the ball – good for last in the league.
  • The Milwaukee Bucks ended the year in the top five for both offense and defense – this was their third consecutive year of doing such.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Portland Trail Blazers
Buffalo Braves
Cleveland Cavaliers
Phoenix Suns
Philadelphia 76ers
Milwaukee Bucks
Seattle SuperSonics
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics		LaRue Martin
Bob McAdoo
Dwight Davis
Corky Calhoun
Freddie Boyd
Russ Lee
Bud Stallworth
Tom Riker
Bob Nash
Paul Westphal

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 23, 1972Elvin HayesHouston RocketsTradedBaltimore Bullets(25.2p/14.6r/3.3a)
June 23, 1972Jack MarinBaltimore BulletsTradedHouston Rockets(22.3p/6.8r/2.2a)
July 1, 1972Rick BarryNew York Americans (ABA)SignedGolden State Warriors(31.5p/7.5r/4.1a)
August 1, 1972Jimmy WalkerDetroit PistonsTradedHouston Rockets(21.3/4r/3a)
August 2, 1972John BriskerPittsburgh Condors (ABA)SignedSeattle SuperSonics(28.9p/9.1r/4.1a)
August 23, 1972Butch BeardCleveland CavaliersTradedSeattle SuperSonics(15.4p/4.1r/6.7a)
August 23, 1972Lenny WilkensSeattle SuperSonicsTradedCleveland Cavaliers(18p/4.2r/9.6a)
January 26, 1973Tom Van ArsdaleKansas City-Ohama KingsTradedPhiladelphia 76ers(12.4p/3.5r/1.8a)
January 26, 1973John BlockPhiladelphia 76ersTradedKansas City-Ohama Kings(17.9p/9.2r/2a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
June 15, 1972Coach Roy RubinPhiladelphia 76ersHiredRecord: n/a
January 10, 1973Coach Tom NissalkeSeattle SuperSonicsFiredRecord: 13-32
January 10, 1973Coach Bucky BuckwalterSeattle SuperSonicsAppointed (Interim)Record: 13-24
January 21, 1973Coach Tex WinterHouston RocketsFiredRecord: 17-30
January 21, 1973Coach Johnny EganHouston RocketsHiredRecord: 16-19
January 23, 1973Coach Roy RubinPhiladelphia 76ersFiredRecord: 4-47
January 23, 1973Coach Kevin LougheryPhiladelphia 76ersAppointed (Interim)Record: 5-26
March 30, 1973Coach John MacLeodPhoenix SunsHiredRecord: n/a

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Elgin BaylorLos Angeles Lakers10x All-NBA
11x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP
1959 ROTY

League Leaders

If a stat is not listed, it was not recorded at the time. As time goes on, this section will begin to include steals per game, blocks per game, etc.

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGTiny Archibald (34)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30.2)
Spencer Haywood (29.2)
Lou Hudson (27.1)
Pete Maravich (26.1)
RPGWilt Chamberlain (18.6)
Nate Thurmond (17.1)
Dave Cowens (16.2)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16.1)
Wes Unseld (15.9)
APGTiny Archibald (11.4)
Lenny Wilkens (8.4)
Dave Bing (7.8)
Oscar Robertson (7.5)
Norm Van Lier (7.1)
FG%Wilt Chamberlain (72%)
Matt Guokas (57%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (55%)
Curtis Rowe (51%)
Jim Fox (51%)
FT%Rick Barry (90%)
Calvin Murphy (88%)
Mike Newlin (88%)
Jimmy Walker (88%)
Bill Bradley (87%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-2
Boston and Atlanta were slated for their second straight first round matchup. The Hawks went home in six last time, and entered the Boston Garden seeking a different outcome.

John Havlicek immediately made a statement, powering the Celtics with fifty-four points in Game 1 – the fourth-highest single scoring game in playoffs history. Both this and the succeeding Game 2 were blowout wins for the home team, who had hopes to extend their lead back down south.

The Hawks protected their turf, winning two hard-fought matches under Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich’s lead. Matters were now up to the final three games, which Boston dominated – two shooting clinics from Jo Jo White sealed the deal, while M.V.P. Dave Cowens owned the glass.

New year, same old outcome.
East / New York Knicks beat Baltimore Bullets, 4-1
At this point, the Knicks-Bullets duel was disturbingly guaranteed – this was their FIFTH straight head-to-head in the post-season. Historically speaking, New York had the upper edge, with three of the last four rounds won.

While the Bullets’ roster seemed better than in previous years – largely thanks to having two of the game’s best big men – they immediately fell into a 3-0 deficit. They had no reliable perimeter defense, struggling to contain the Knicks’ new backcourt of Walt Frazier and former Bullet Earl Monroe. They finally managed a Game 4 win at home, holding their foes to only eighty-nine points – Elvin Hayes also put together his second-straight thirty-point outing.

However, a statement closing from the Knicks was inevitable – three of their starters exceeded twenty points to ensure their fifth consecutive Conference Finals appearance.
West / Golden State Warriors beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2
The Bucks and Warriors now met for the third year in a row, establishing yet another tense inter-conference rivalry. Golden State had never beaten Milwaukee, but were looking to change tides with the re-acquisition of Rick Barry.

Surprisingly, the two clubs split victories in Milwaukee Arena. Game 1 was a landslide win from the home team, but stiff defense left the series tied. What makes Golden State’s feat even more impressive was that Rick Barry went out two minutes into the first quarter – Cazzie Russell responded with a twenty-five point heater off the bench.

Milwaukee won in yet another blowout behind thirty-four points from Oscar Robertson, but an overwhelming takeover game from Rick Barry resulted in yet another series tie. Golden State shockingly took a road win afterwards – Nate Thurmond was instrumental in their success, limiting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to nineteen points on terrible efficiency. The two-time M.V.P. also shot three-for-ten at the foul line, a blunder that cost them the game.

With momentum on their side, the Warriors handled business at home with a blowout victory. This was their first time beating the Bucks in a playoff series, and the franchise’s first Conference Finals trip since 1968.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Chicago Bulls, 4-3
As per usual, repeated first round matchups were this post-season’s narrative. The Lakers and Bulls were scheduled for their third straight first-round series, of which Chicago had never emerged triumphant.

The pedigree of the defending champions was on full display during their 2-0 series lead, of which Gail Goodrich was the clear leader. Surprisingly, Chicago responded head-on with two wins of their own, citing big games from Chet Walker and Bob Love for their resilience.

After a dominant Lakers Game 5 victory – in which Chamberlain had a 21/29/4 stat-line – it seemed easy for the Californian club to advance. However, Chicago simply refused to let down their fans – yet another home victory followed the Bulls, who were determined to upset their rivals. They nearly achieved such in the tiebreaker, which they only lost by three – Wilt Chamberlain was an unstoppable force, totaling over twenty points and rebounds again.

The Bulls had fallen short once more, still unable to advance past the first round. Fans at least had Norm Van Lier to be excited for, though – the 6’1″ guard was truly sensational, with twenty-eight points and fourteen (!) rebounds in the deflating loss.

Conference Finals

East / New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics, 4-3
The Eastern Conference playoffs were a direct mirror of last year thus far, with yet another Atlantic Division clash. New York got the best of Boston last time, but the sixty-eight-win Celtics looked like a different beast. This was especially true after winning by twenty-six points in the opener, with Jo Jo White and John Havlicek compiling masterclasses.

Simply put, that sort of defeat enraged the Knicks. They proceeded to win the next three matches in convincing fashion, including a fierce double overtime in Game 4. A lot of New York’s victories were balanced efforts, but Walt Frazier’s thirty-seven points defined that night.

On the brink of elimination, the Celtics managed to take Game 5 by a single point. The M.V.P. solidified his selection in a must-win moment, with thirty-two points and sixteen rebounds. Boston proceeded to force Game 7 two nights later, putting their foes under immense pressure to deliver.

A hard-fought, defensively-inclined final contest was controlled by the Knicks, who had five double-digit scorers. Frazier continued to assert himself, being only three assists short of a triple-double. The defending Eastern Conference Champions had now upset one of the best regular season teams ever, avoiding the scrutiny tied to blowing a 3-1 lead.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State Warriors, 4-1
Any sense of reason would lead everybody to overwhelmingly favor Los Angeles in this Western Conference Finals. Still, it would be unwise to doubt a hungry Golden State team that just eliminated a perennial powerhouse in Milwaukee.

The depth of the Lakers was truly baffling. In their three consecutive wins to open the series, somebody different dominated each game. First it was Jim McMillian, then Jerry West – scoring was more balanced in Game 3, but McMillian continued to assert himself.

The Warriors refused to go out sad, at least avoiding the sweep in the fourth meet. Rick Barry continued to have a very disappointing series, but Cazzie Russell delivered a thirty-three-point bomb off the bench that secured a somewhat narrow win.

Did it truly matter, though? Gail Goodrich thought not. The star delivered forty-four points and eight assists to dismantle his inter-state rivals, earning the Lakers their fourth Finals appearance in the last five seasons.

Finals

New York Knicks beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-1
Twice had this matchup defined the final stage, and now was the third instance of it occurring. New York and Los Angeles had both won a championship in these cases, and now would be the true decisive tiebreaker.

The Lakers won the first match behind a big Gail Goodrich scoring performance, with the Knicks narrowly taking Game 2 to head home tied. The two matches in New York were both Knicks wins by slight amounts – Willis Reed delivered some quality efforts, and Dave DeBusschere showed up big in Game 4. This 3-1 lead was their biggest during any of the three Finals versus Los Angeles.

Halfway through the fifth meet, the game was relatively even – however, a massive third quarter from New York practically guaranteed a championship. The defense on Jerry West had been good all series, and it especially stood out here – his efficiency was awful, and a vintage Wilt Chamberlain performance could not save him.

In a reverse of last year, the Los Angeles Lakers were gentleman’s swept at the highest level. New York became the first team to win multiple championships in the 70’s, and looked prepared to be the next great dynasty.
The New York Knicks win the 1973 NBA championship!
Willis Reed was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Bob McAdooDave CowensWillis ReedTom Heinsohn

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Tiny Archibald
Jerry West
John Havlicek
Spencer Haywood
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Walt Frazier
Pete Maravich
Rick Barry
Elvin Hayes
Dave Cowens

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
John Havlicek
Dave DeBusschere
Wilt Chamberlain		Norm Van Lier
Don Chaney
Mike Riordan
Paul Silas
Nate Thurmond

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
John Block
Bill Bradley
Dave Cowens*
Dave DeBusschere
Walt Frazier
John Havlicek
Lou Hudson
Bob Kauffman
Pete Maravich
Jack Marin
Wes Unseld
Jo Jo White
Lenny Wilkens		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Tiny Archibald
Rick Barry
Dave Bing
Wilt Chamberlain
Bob Dandridge
Gail Goodrich
Connie Hawkins (IR)
Spencer Haywood
Bob Lanier
Bob Love (IR)
Charlie Scott
Nate Thurmond
Chet Walker
Jerry West
Sidney Wicks
East beats West, 104-84

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Freddie Boyd
Dwight Davis
Bob McAdoo
Lloyd Neal
Jim Price

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics111957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969
Lakers61949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
Warriors21947, 1956
76ers21955, 1967
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971

The NBA Time Machine: 1972

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published May 6, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1972

West Coast Wonder

Changes

Shortly after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first title, reigning M.V.P. Lew Alcindor announced his intentions to undergo a name change. Moving forward, he claimed the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – this about translated to “noble one, servant of the Almighty”. Abdul-Jabbar was the first player to publicly embrace Islamic beliefs in the NBA landscape.

No Loss In Los Angeles

After an underwhelming ’71 campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to react promptly. Their two superstars were nearing their mid-thirties in age, and the rest of the core wasn’t exactly young either. The front office started by firing Joe Mullaney, who amassed a 94-70 record and Finals appearance with the team.

Los Angeles directed their interest towards former player-turned-coach Bill Sharman, who was active in the ABA. Sharman had seen three Finals appearances in his coaching career – one with the San Francisco Warriors in 1967, and two with the rival league’s Utah Stars in the past two years. The latter of those resulted in a championship, his first as a coach.

The Lakers offered a contract to Sharman that was eventually accepted, much to the dismay of the Stars. The franchise’s owner brought suit against him, and he nearly had to pay over two-hundred-thousand dollars due to contract breaching – however, Sharman escaped the legal warfare unscathed.

His coaching techniques immediately bolstered L.A.’s culture – his “shootaround” sessions, designed to get players warmed up and calm, rendered the team as the most disciplined in the NBA. Under Sharman’s lead, the Lakers won sixty-nine total games, experienced a thirty-three game winning streak, and finished as the best offense league-wide.

The only sour spot of this historic season was the retirement of Elgin Baylor – the multiple-time All-Star felt as if he was not physically capable of helping the team any longer. Such a decision was unfortunately the right one, as a dominant stretch of victories begun immediately after his leave.

Oaktown, H-Town

Much to the surprise of basketball fans, the San Diego Rockets announced a move to Houston after being sold. There was a strong sense of doubt regarding the decision – given the Texas hotspot had no former reputation as a basketball-oriented city – but the decision to settle was still pursued, despite them having to jump between multiple arenas for home games.

They also hired a new coach in Tex Winter, who notoriously clashed with star Elvin Hayes. Winter’s offensive philosophy was undesirable to the center, and there was a noticeable decline in the team’s performance.

In other news, the San Francisco Warriors permanently moved to Oakland and changed their moniker to the Golden State Warriors. A handful of matches were hosted in San Diego, but they did not again play in their origin of San Francisco.

Get Well Soon, Cap…

Ongoing tendonitis issues in his knee limited Willis Reed’s play this year. He was sidelined for two weeks, and shortly attempted a comeback that ended in failure. He only managed to appear in eleven games total, all at the start of the season – this also rendered him unavailable for the playoffs.

Branding Transformation

Starting this year, the NBA adopted a new red-and-blue logo. It incorporated a silhouette of Jerry West. It was largely influenced by the MLB’s logo.

Standout Players

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Fresh off a Finals M.V.P., Abdul-Jabbar looked to continue dominating. Career highs in all three major statistical categories – plus anchoring the top-ranked defense – made this his best season to date.

Jerry West

West was the first option on the greatest team the league had seen, leading all players in assists and influencing sixty-nine wins. A big part of this was availability – his seventy-seven games played was the most in his career since the ’66 season.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt’s dedication to protecting the rim had never been stronger. He won his tenth career rebounding title while shooting a ridiculous sixty-four-percent from the field. Los Angeles benefited greatly from his presence – their top-two ranked defense would not have been possible without his physical sacrifices.

John Havlicek

The Celtics finished with over fifty wins for the first time since Bill Russell and Sam Jones’ retirement. Why? The answer to that would be John Havlicek. He asserted himself as the best forward in the NBA, finishing top five in both scoring and assists.

Archie Clark

Clark had been nothing more than a one-time All-Star and solid starting player up to this point, but this was a shocking breakout year. Following a trade to Baltimore early into the season, the point guard finished top four in assists and led the Bullets in scoring.

Nate Thurmond

While Thurmond had more dominant statistical seasons in the past, this was by far his greatest effort to date. Under his lead, Golden State finished top four in defense and managed the first fifty-win season in the franchise’s history.

Tiny Archibald

The Royals sophomore took an enormous leap, joining Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West as the only players to finish top three in scoring and assists in the same season. Archibald helped Cincinnati finish in the top half of league offenses despite his dull supporting cast.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*5626Baltimore Bullets*3844
New York Knicks*4834Atlanta Hawks*3646
Philadelphia 76ers3052Cincinnati Royals3052
Buffalo Braves2260Cleveland Cavaliers2359
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Milwaukee Bucks*6319Los Angeles Lakers*6913
Chicago Bulls*5725Golden State Warriors*5131
Phoenix Suns4933Seattle SuperSonics4735
Detroit Pistons2656Houston Rockets3448
Portland Trail Blazers1864

Fun Facts

  • The Los Angeles Lakers set a new record for the most wins, at sixty-nine – and best winning percentage, at .841 – in NBA history.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers’ streak of thirty-three consecutive games won became the longest in American sports history.
    • In a bittersweet coincidence, the beginning of this stretch coincided with the retirement of Elgin Baylor.
    • The streak ended to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 9th.
  • For the first time in the franchise’s history, the Philadelphia 76ers missed the playoffs.
  • For the first time since 1957, an entire division – in this case, the Central Division – finished with a losing record.
  • This was the Baltimore Bullets’ first losing season since the beginning of the Wes Unseld era.
  • This season marked the first winning campaign for the Seattle SuperSonics franchise.
    • Despite this, they still missed the playoffs due to the new eligibility format.
  • For the first time since 1967, two teams finished with sixty wins.
    • In the last instance, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics shared such an achievement.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Cleveland Cavaliers
Portland Trail Blazers
Buffalo Braves
Cincinnati Royals
Atlanta Hawks
Seattle SuperSonics
Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics		Austin Carr
Sidney Wicks
Elmore Smith
Ken Durrett
George Trapp
Fred Brown
Cliff Meely
Darnell Hillman+
Stan Love
Clarence Glover

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
May 7, 1971Jerry LucasSan Francisco WarriorsTradedNew York Knicks(19.2p/15.8r/3.7a)
October 18, 1971Archie ClarkPhiladelphia 76ersTradedBaltimore Bullets(21.3p/4.8r/5.4a)
November 5, 1971Elgin BaylorLos Angeles LakersRetired(11.8p/6.3r/2.0a)
November 10, 1971Earl MonroeBaltimore BulletsTradedNew York Knicks(21.7p/2.7r/3.3a)
March 14, 1972Charlie ScottVirginia Squires (ABA)SignedBoston Celtics(34.6p/5.1r/4.8a)
March 14, 1972Charlie ScottBoston CelticsTradedPhoenix Suns
March 14, 1972Paul SilasPhoenix SunsTradedBoston Celtics(17.5p/11.9r/4.3a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
May 14, 1971Coach Tex WinterHouston RocketsHiredRecord: n/a
June 3, 1971Coach Joe MullaneyLos Angeles LakersFiredRecord: 48-34
July 12, 1971Coach Bill SharmanLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: n/a
October 13, 1971Coach Dolph SchayesBuffalo BravesFiredRecord: 0-1
October 13, 1971Coach Johnny McCarthyBuffalo BravesHiredRecord: n/a
November 1, 1971Coach Butch Van Breda KolffDetroit PistonsResignedRecord: 6-4
November 1, 1971Coach Terry DischingerDetroit PistonsAppointed (Interim)Record: 0-2
November 3, 1971Coach Earl LloydDetroit PistonsHiredRecord: 20-50
February 2, 1972Coach Rolland ToddPortland Trail BlazersFiredRecord: 12-44
February 3, 1972Coach Stu InmanPortland Trail BlazersAppointed (Interim)Record: 6-20
March 26, 1972Coach Jack RamsayPhiladelphia 76ersResignedRecord: 30-52
March 27, 1972Coach Johnny McCarthyBuffalo BravesFiredRecord: 22-59
April 2, 1972P.coach Lenny WilkensSeattle SuperSonicsResignedRecord: 47-35
April 3, 1972Coach Jack McCloskeyPortland Trail BlazersHiredRecord: n/a
April 6, 1972Coach Jack RamsayBuffalo BravesHiredRecord: n/a
April 20, 1972Coach Tom NissalkeSeattle SuperSonicsHiredRecord: n/a
April 24, 1972Coach Richie GuerinAtlanta HawksReassignedRecord: 36-46

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Bob BoozerCincinnati Royals
New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers
Chicago Bulls
Seattle SuperSonics
Milwaukee Bucks		1x Champ
1x All-Star
Bailey HowellDetroit Pistons
Baltimore Bullets
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers		2x Champ
1x All-NBA
6x All-Star
Adrian Smith
(jumped to ABA)		Cincinnati Royals
San Francisco Warriors		1x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP

League Leaders

If a stat is not listed, it was not recorded at the time. As time goes on, this section will begin to include steals per game, blocks per game, etc.

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGKareem Abdul-Jabbar (34.8)
Tiny Archibald (28.2)
John Havlicek (27.5)
Spencer Haywood (26.2)
Gail Goodrich (25.9)
RPGWilt Chamberlain (19.2)
Wes Unseld (17.6)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16.6)
Nate Thurmond (16.1)
Dave Cowens (15.2)
APGJerry West (9.7)
Lenny Wilkens (9.6)
Tiny Archibald (9.2)
Archie Clark (8.0)
John Havlicek (7.5)
FG%Wilt Chamberlain (64%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57%)
Walt Bellamy (54%)
Dick Snyder (52%)
Jerry Lucas (51%)
FT%Jack Marin (89%)
Calvin Murphy (89%)
Gail Goodrich (85%)
Chet Walker (84%)
Dick Van Arsdale (84%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-2
For the first time since moving to Atlanta, the Hawks had to play their historic rival Boston Celtics. After an expected Celtics win in Game 1, a duel between star forwards ensued. Boston’s John Havlicek finished with forty-three points, and Atlanta’s Lou Hudson got forty-one of his own. The Hawks managed a solid road win, only to get blown out on their turf a couple nights later – despite the loss, Pete Maravich posted a glamorous 37/9/6 statline.

After winning by a mere two points in Game 4 – thanks to another Maravich effort – the Hawks ventured back up north. They ended up losing to the Celtics in back-to-back matches, with Boston’s Dave Cowens closing out with twenty-six points and twenty rebounds.
East / New York Knicks beat Baltimore Bullets, 4-2
For the fourth year in a row, New York and Baltimore met in the post-season. The Knicks were still without Willis Reed, so the outcome was relatively unpredictable.

The Bullets opened up with a surprising overtime victory, riding off Archie Clark’s thirty-eight points. Regression to the mean did occur, though, as the Knicks won by twenty-two in the next match behind a near-triple-double from Walt Frazier. Clark once again took over in Game 3 as the Bullets won by a single point, taking an unexpected 2-1 lead.

Their efforts ended up being pointless as New York responded with three consecutive wins, largely dependent on Frazier and Jerry Lucas’ abilities. Clark was bad in Games 4 and 5, and his thirty-one point bounce back in the decisive sixth was not enough to stave off elimination.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Chicago Bulls, 4-0
After a fierce series between these two teams that went to seven games, they were slated for another head-to-head. The difference this time around was a healthy Jerry West – after averaging thirty points and ten assists in the two Lakers home games, it was safe to say his impact was immediate. Goodrich was a human flamethrower, and Chicago couldn’t be efficient for their lives – even proven playoff performer Bob Love had a horrible outing.

Wilt Chamberlain was two points and assists short of a triple-double in Game 4, which was the final nail in the coffin for the Bulls. They suffered a sweep at the hands of the historic Lakers squad, still yet to win a playoff series.
West / Milwaukee Bucks beat Golden State Warriors, 4-1
Last time these teams met, Milwaukee completed a comfortable gentleman’s sweep. It was predicted that the fight would be tougher now that the Warriors had leveled up a bit – they were a fifty-win team whose star was arguably having his most impactful season to date.

Shock infested Bucks fans when Golden State managed to win Game 1 in Milwaukee Arena, with four of their players scoring twenty or more points. Nate Thurmond also grabbed twenty boards and dished nine assists.

Milwaukee tightened up with a statement blowout win afterwards, with only Thurmond managing a good performance. This would become the theme of the series – Thurmond’s sheer authority on both ends of the ball was wasted by pathetic play from his supporting cast, and they could not take advantage of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s awful efficiency. Respect to Jim Barnett for his ferocity, though – he played very well in Games 4 and 5.

Ultimately, the Bucks handled business with three straight cushioned victories.

Conference Finals

East / New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics, 4-1
For the first time this decade, the Knicks didn’t seem like clear favorites in the East. They finished with a worse regular season record than the Celtics and lacked one of their stars.

This matchup was proof that veteran experience goes a long way, though. New York won by a disrespectful twenty-two-point margin in Game 1, humiliating fans of the green team. They had six double-digit scorers in this game, while the Celtics’ only members of that club were John Havlicek and Jo Jo White – both of whom were very inefficient.

Despite fifty-two combined points from Havlicek and White the next match, the Knicks won by a narrow one-point margin. Taking both of the first two games was huge for them, and left the Celtics largely demoralized moving forward. Regardless, they fought through adversity – Game 3 at home was theirs. In response, New York provided a beating to keep Boston’s optimism at a low.

In Game 5, three Knicks finished with double digit rebounds as they completed a gentleman’s sweep. This sent them to their second Finals appearance in three years, slated to face one of the last two Western Conference champions.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2
In a rematch of last year’s Conference Finals, the brewing rivalry between Los Angeles and Milwaukee continued. The Lakers looked like the greater team this year, but the Bucks were defending a title – all that could be expected from this series was determination from both clubs.

The classic matchup between Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar favored the latter in the first game, as the back-to-back M.V.P. dropped thirty-three points and secured eighteen rebounds in a Bucks blowout win on the road. After the Lakers’ Happy Hairston secured a series tie with his game-winning bucket, matters were headed to Milwaukee. And considering the Bucks managed a dominant victory – and proceeded to lose by only one point – it wasn’t absurd to say momentum was in their favor.

A quality scoring effort from L.A.’s starting lineup brought them up 2-1 a couple nights later, only to lose by twenty-six points shortly after. Every single Bucks win was in crude fashion, and Los Angeles would have to raise their intensity if they wanted to dethrone their opponent.

Thanks to sixty-nine combined points from Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Jim McMillian in Game 5, the Lakers completed their first blowout win of the series at home. Fatigue seemed to plague Milwaukee as the series progressed – Oscar Robertson only logged nine points in twenty-nine minutes, and Abdul-Jabbar was taking an ill-advised number of shots in every game.

With a chance to tie the series at home, the Bucks collapsed in the fourth quarter and accepted defeat at the hands of their foe. They could not sustain quality play, being littered with injuries – Robertson and Wali Jones both had pulled muscles, and Jon McGlocklin was dealing with a nagging back injury. Couple that with a rare dominant offensive performance from Chamberlain – as well as necessary support from the Lakers’ other starters – and yet another Finals trip for the Californian team was in the books.

Finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat New York Knicks, 4-1
In the sixties, the narrative was Lakers vs. Celtics. Now, Lakers vs. Knicks seemed to be the uprising cross-country clash – this was their second Finals meeting in the last three years. Los Angeles looked to avenge their disappointing loss in 1970, where they went out in embarrassing fashion to a rallying New York squad.

New York surprisingly managed to win the first game against the odds, similar to their series with Boston. Walt Frazier’s triple-double harmonized with Bill Bradley’s effective twenty-nine points, while just about everybody on the Lakers was terrible.

The sixty-nine-win team shut out the noise shortly after, thanks to great performances from Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich. The former began to take advantage of New York’s shallow rim protection as the series continued, and his increased aggression made up for how poorly Jerry West was playing.

Game 4 was an overtime battle – while West got to the line at every opportunity, Jerry Lucas and Walt Frazier could not be contained. The Knicks still lost regardless, now down 3-1 on their way back to the west coast.

The Lakers were now closer than ever to their first championship in nearly twenty years, and seized the opportunity without a thought. Four of the five starters scored over twenty points, and Chamberlain got twenty-nine rebounds.

They convincingly pulled away in the second half, completing the gentleman’s sweep – this was the Lakers’ long-awaited first title since moving to Los Angeles, and first since the great dynasties of Minneapolis. The Jerry West era had finally produced a ring.
The Los Angeles Lakers win the 1972 NBA championship!
Wilt Chamberlain was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Sidney WicksKareem Abdul-JabbarWilt ChamberlainBill Sharman

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
John Havlicek
Spencer Haywood
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Tiny Archibald
Archie Clark
Billy Cunningham
Bob Love
Wilt Chamberlain

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
Jerry Sloan
John Havlicek
Dave DeBusschere
Wilt Chamberlain		Norm Van Lier
Don Chaney
Paul Silas
Bob Love
Nate Thurmond

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Butch Beard
Archie Clark
Dave Cowens
Billy Cunningham
Dave DeBusschere
Walt Frazier
John Havlicek
Lou Hudson
John Johnson
Bob Kauffman
Jack Marin
Wes Unseld
Tom Van Arsdale
Jo Jo White		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Wilt Chamberlain
Gail Goodrich
Connie Hawkins
Elvin Hayes
Spencer Haywood
Bob Lanier
Bob Love
Oscar Robertson
Cazzie Russell
Paul Silas
Jimmy Walker
Jerry West*
Sidney Wicks
West beats East, 112-110

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Austin Carr
Phil Chenier
Clifford Ray
Elmore Smith
Sidney Wicks

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics111957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969
Lakers61949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
Warriors21947, 1956
76ers21955, 1967
Royals11951
Hawks11958
Knicks11970
Bucks11971

The NBA Time Machine: 1970

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published April 1, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1970

Six To Seven

The New Lew

Excitement defined the 1969 NBA draft with the incoming arrival of young basketball phenomenon Lew Alcindor. A skilled center that tore through leagues at the high school and college level, he was the most sought-after prospect since Wilt Chamberlain. From 1967-69, he won three consecutive NCAA championships with the UCLA Bruins and was undeniably considered the best talent in college basketball. The dunk was even banned at that level because of his dominance.

Once he completed his education, Alcindor was unsurprisingly bombarded with offers from teams everywhere. The most notable bidders were the Harlem Globetrotters, the ABA’s New York Nets, and whoever won the first pick in the NBA draft. That eventually became the Milwaukee Bucks, who won a coin toss with the Phoenix Suns for the opportunity.

Among the three, Milwaukee’s financial commitment appealed to Alcindor the most. It was four-hundred-thousand more dollars than what the Globetrotters offered, and towered above the Nets’ proposal as well. New York eventually tried to land Alcindor by guaranteeing over three million dollars, but he declined – the abrupt increase in money had an underlying tone of degradation, with Alcindor feeling like an object in a bidding war.

The Bucks improved substantially with their new rookie, improving by twenty-nine games and finishing second in the Eastern Division. Alcindor finished third in M.V.P. voting and assured a playoff berth in the franchise’s second season of existence.

Goodnight, Beantown

The changing of decades also signified a new era in NBA history – over the off-season, Boston Celtics greats Bill Russell and Sam Jones both retired. Russell immediately stepped down as coach of the Celtics as well.

The two biggest backbones of the dynasty that ruled basketball for thirteen years were now both missing, making the chase for a title an open race. This had enormous implications for Eastern Division teams, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers, who had a disturbing 0-7 record against Boston in the Finals.

Down Goes the Dipper

After what was arguably the worst post-season of his career, Wilt Chamberlain had to make changes going into the next year. Brand new coach Joe Mullaney wanted him to be the focal point of L.A.’s offense, similarly to how he was utilized during his years with the Warriors. Chamberlain complied, averaging 32.2 points per game in his first nine games of the season on fifty-seven-percent shooting.

However, the four-time-M.V.P. sustained a tendon injury in the ninth match of the year that had career-ending potential. He was sidelined indefinitely, but surprisingly made a return for the last few games of the season. The rustiness was apparent, although the fact he bounced back from such a travesty was already impressive as is – there was a clear want to show commitment to Los Angeles.

In the meantime, the Lakers persevered – forty-six wins still orbited the team, something to thank Jerry West for. Forwards Elgin Baylor and Happy Hairston did their fair of heavy lifting, but also missed a good chunk of games. L.A.’s success despite so many injuries was remarkable.

Coaching Chaos

Personnel matters were a mess this season, with eight of the fourteen NBA teams seeing some kind of coaching change. There was also a rise in player-coaches, with Bob Cousy (who came out of retirement), Lenny Wilkens, and Al Attles all suiting up at some point in the year.

pER gAME!

Starting with this season, the league began to base statistical titles on “per game” production, as opposed to totals over the season.

To briefly break the fourth wall – this blog has always based its information on “per game” statistics, for the sake of continuity with later years.

Standout Players

Willis Reed

Reed continued his superstar play with a slightly increased career high in scoring, locking up sixty wins for the first time in New York City. All eyes were on the center as he grabbed every accolade imaginable – the M.V.P., All-Star Game M.V.P., All-NBA First Team, and All-Defensive First Team.

Lew Alcindor

Alcindor achieved arguably the greatest rookie season of all-time. He may have not grabbed an M.V.P. out of the gate like Wilt Chamberlain or Wes Unseld, but he took a young expansion franchise to fifty-six wins. It was not absurd to consider him the best talent in the NBA, despite his relative inexperience.

Jerry West

You would think a decade of superstar play would indicate an incoming decline for West, but he wanted no part of it. The point guard achieved his best season to date, seeing career highs in scoring and assists while lifting an injury-riddled Lakers team to the second seed.

Walt Frazier

While Reed deservingly got the media attention, Frazier was arguably just as important – if not more – to the Knicks’ success. This breakout campaign saw him amongst the top five scoring point guards, as well as a narrow second place on the Knicks. He became an elite and efficient playmaker as well, a development that made New York even more dangerous from all places.

Wes Unseld

Despite a disappointing playoff outing in the previous year, Unseld continued to show out. He led the Bullets through another fifty wins, while also improving massively on the offensive end.

Connie Hawkins

Hawkins was a rare example of an ABA player favoring to play in the NBA, despite his sustained success in the rival league. The small forward became an instant star for Phoenix, finishing top ten in scoring average and blessing the young franchise with their first playoff berth.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern DivisionWLWestern DivisionWL
New York Knicks*6022Atlanta Hawks*4834
Milwaukee Bucks*5626Los Angeles Lakers*4636
Baltimore Bullets*5032Chicago Bulls*3943
Philadelphia 76ers*4240Phoenix Suns*3943
Cincinnati Royals3646Seattle SuperSonics3646
Boston Celtics3448San Francisco Warriors3052
Detroit Pistons3151San Diego Rockets2755

Fun Facts

  • For the first time since 1950, the Boston Celtics finished with a losing record.
  • The Eastern Division continued to tower over the Western Division – the latter had no fifty-win teams and two playoff representatives with more losses than wins.
  • Despite being the worst team in the NBA, the San Diego Rockets were phenomenal defensively.
    • This served as a testament to the tenacity of sophomore Elvin Hayes.
  • Thanks to star player Connie Hawkins, the Phoenix Suns performed good enough for the fourth seed and a playoff appearance.
  • The Milwaukee Bucks‘ twenty-nine win elevation was the greatest season-to-season improvement in NBA history.
  • The Cincinnati Royals‘ struggles continued – this was their fourth consecutive year with a .500 record or worse.
    • The final of .439 was also their second-worst during Oscar Robertson’s tenure, only slightly hovering above his rookie season.
  • A year after getting the franchise to fifty wins for the first time, New York Knicks stars Willis Reed and Walt Frazier rose that bar to sixty.
    • New York joined the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers as the only teams to achieve such.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns
Seattle SuperSonics
Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls
San Diego Rockets
San Francisco Warriors
Cincinnati Royals
Boston Celtics
Atlanta Hawks		Lew Alcindor
Neal Walk
Lucius Allen
Terry Driscoll+
Larry Cannon+
Bingo Smith
Bob Portman
Herm Gilliam
Jo Jo White
Butch Beard

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 20, 1969Connie Hawkinsn/a (ABA free agency)SignedPhoenix Suns(30.2p/11.4r/3.9a)
September 2, 1969Chet WalkerPhiladelphia 76ersTradedChicago Bulls(18p/7.8r/1.8a)
October 25, 1969Jerry LucasCincinnati RoyalsTradedSan Francisco Warriors(10.3p/11.3r/2.3a)
November 18, 1969Bob CousyBoston CelticsTradedCincinnati Royals(13.2p/2.5r/6.8a)
November 21, 1969Bob CousyCincinnati RoyalsUn-retiredn/an/a

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
May 9, 1969Coach Ed JuckerCincinnati RoyalsFiredRecord: 41-41
May 9, 1969Player-coach Bob CousyCincinnati RoyalsHiredRecord: n/a
May 19, 1969Coach Butch Van Breda KolffLos Angeles LakersResignedRecord: 55-27
May 21, 1969Coach Butch Van Breda KolffDetroit PistonsHiredRecord: n/a
June 30, 1969Player-coach Bill RussellBoston CelticsRetiredRecord: 48-34
June 30, 1969Coach Joe MullaneyLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: n/a
July 11, 1969Coach Al BianchiSeattle SuperSonicsResignedRecord: 30-52
Summer 1969Player-coach Lenny WilkensSeattle SuperSonicsHiredRecord: n/a
September 15, 1969Coach Tom HeinsohnBoston CelticsHiredRecord: 34-48
December 9, 1969Coach Jack McMahonSan Diego RocketsFiredRecord: 9-17
December 10, 1969Coach Alex HannumSan Diego RocketsHiredRecord: 18-38
January 2, 1970Coach Red KerrPhoenix SunsFiredRecord: 15-23
January 2, 1970Interim Coach Jerry ColangeloPhoenix SunsAppointedRecord: 24-20
January 27, 1970Coach George LeeSan Francisco WarriorsFiredRecord: 22-30
January 27, 1970Player-coach Al AttlesSan Francisco WarriorsHiredRecord: 8-22

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Zelmo Beaty
(jumped to ABA)		Atlanta Hawks2x All-Star
1963 All-Rookie Team
Wayne EmbryCincinnati Royals
Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks		1x Champ
5x All-Star
Sam JonesBoston Celtics10x Champ
3x All-NBA
5x All-Star
Rudy LaRussoLos Angeles Lakers
San Francisco Warriors		5x All-Star
1x All-Defensive
Bill RussellBoston Celtics11x Champ
5x MVP
11x All-NBA
12x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP
1x All-Defensive
5x Rebounds leader

League Leaders

If a stat is not listed, it was not recorded at the time. As time goes on, this section will begin to include steals per game, blocks per game, etc.

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGJerry West (31.2)
Lew Alcindor (28.8)
Elvin Hayes (27.5)
Billy Cunningham (26.1)
Lou Hudson (25.4)
RPGElvin Hayes (16.9)
Wes Unseld (16.7)
Lew Alcindor (14.5)
Bill Bridges (14.4)
Gus Johnson (13.9)
APGLenny Wilkens (9.1)
Walt Frazier (8.2)
Clem Haskins (7.6)
Jerry West (7.5)
Gail Goodrich (7.5)
FG%Johnny Green (55%)
Darrall Imhoff (54%)
Lou Hudson (53%)
Jon McGlocklin (53%)
Dick Snyder (52%)
FT%Flynn Robinson (89%)
Chet Walker (85%)
Jeff Mullins (84%)
John Havlicek (84%)
Bob Love (84%)

Playoffs

Semifinals

East / Milwaukee Bucks beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1
Rolling into the post-season, the Bucks were favored going into this series. They were significantly better than the 76ers in the regular season, and Lew Alcindor was a nightmare matchup for Philly. Considering he never delivered less than thirty-three points – and maintained a killer efficiency along the way – there were no surprises at hand.

The 76ers avoided a sweep thanks to a strong outing from Billy Cunningham in Game 2, but it meant nothing. Not even fifty points from the star bought a Game 4 win – Philadelphia’s overall defensive effort was terrible. This would become their second consecutive 4-1 loss in the first round of the playoffs.
East / New York Knicks beat Baltimore Bullets, 4-3
The Bullets looked to reverse their disappointment of the previous year, and had a large task at hand facing the Knicks. The teams ultimately split the series with two home court victories each – Earl Monroe influenced Baltimore’s second, amassing thirty-four points.

Game 5 featured an offensive meltdown from the Bullets, who had no players posting positive efficiency or over twenty points. Willis Reed feasted on Wes Unseld, managing a 36/36/3 effort. He was conversely much quieter in the following sixth match, which Baltimore ran away with to force a final tiebreaker.

New York generally maintained control over the seventh game, sporting six double-digit scorers and particularly good efforts from Dave DeBusschere and Dick Barnett. The magnifying glass was on Unseld for the loss – a pathetic two points characterized his night, while teammates Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson put everything on the floor with a combined fifty-five.

Baltimore’s effort was better this year, but they had now experienced back-to-back first-round exits.
West / Atlanta Hawks beat Chicago Bulls, 4-1
The Bulls were back in the playoffs after a down year, and had to face the first-seeded Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were notorious for their calculated, diverse offensive mechanics that made them difficult to outscore. Such a strategy was immediately on display, as they won by a combined forty-eight points in their first two wins of the series. Chicago’s perimeter defense was poor, giving Joe Caldwell and Lou Hudson whatever shots they wanted.

Game 3 was a better effort from the Bulls, but they fell apart in the second half and found themselves down 0-3. They fought away elimination with a phenomenal outing from Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, and Clem Haskins – the three combined for ninety-one points, managing great efficiency in the process.

The decisive fifth match was more defensive, but ultimately leaned in Atlanta’s favor. They just had the better personnel to ensure victory.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix Suns, 4-3
With Wilt Chamberlain returning to play, the Lakers were heavily favored to dismantle the inexperienced Phoenix Suns. All went as expected in the first match, with L.A.’s big three combining for eighty-eight points.

What was surprising was three consecutive Suns victories as a response, something nobody could have predicted. The Lakers failed to score efficiently or contain Phoenix, who had an arsenal of scorers prepared to go off on any given night. Elgin Baylor going down with an injury in Game 4 didn’t help either – he was sidelined halfway through the first quarter.

The reigning Western Division champions got their act together behind the dominance of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, as well as a hobbled Baylor. This included a convincing Game 6 road victory and blowout in the seventh game, which completed the second comeback down 3-1 in league history.

Division Finals

East / New York Knicks beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
The Knicks were the biggest story of the year, but the gap between them and Milwaukee wasn’t as large as some would assume. The Bucks only won four less games, and possessed one of the league’s best offenses. This was thanks to Lew Alcindor, who remained un-guardable against the best defense in the NBA. He averaged thirty-six points in the two opening Milwaukee losses, one of which was by a single point.

The Bucks caught fire at home for a Game 3 victory, but New York returned to form in the fourth match. Nobody on the Knicks performed as well as – or could effectively contain – Alcindor, but Milwaukee’s supporting cast was marginally worse and surely less experienced. They had hopes of avoiding elimination in Game 5, but were disrespectfully blown out behind thirty-two points from Willis Reed. This was perhaps Alcindor’s worst game of the series, although twenty-seven points on average efficiency could be much less compelling.

With this series victory, the Knicks were headed to the Finals for the first time since 1953.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-0
If there was one mistake the Lakers could not afford to make, it was letting their guard down again. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor looked phenomenal in the opener, and they won another at home to secure a 2-0 lead. Atlanta fought harder moving forward, with everybody but West struggling on the road against them – an overtime-accompanied Game 3 made for some intense basketball and a narrow L.A. victory. They only needed one more win to advance, which would be the first series sweep of the “big three” era.

Concern was non-existent in Game 4, as the Lakers blew their rivals out amidst a vintage West-Baylor exhibition. The most interesting quality of the match was a rare appearance from Hawks player-coach Richie Guerin, who was far removed from his days of stardom. Despite this, he managed to lead his team in scoring with thirty-one points. He made great usage of the set shot, a scoring form that had died down in usage for many years now.

Talk about a veteran performance, sweep or not.

Finals

New York Knicks beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-3
This was now the Lakers’ third Finals appearance in a row, going against a new Eastern opponent in the Knicks. The two clubs split wins in Madison Square Garden, with L.A. winning by a narrow two points in the final moments of Game 2. The story wasn’t much different than that of the Celtics Finals a year prior – Jerry West carried the offensive load, Elgin Baylor was efficient but less aggressive than needed, and Wilt Chamberlain was not scoring enough.

Willis Reed was relentless in Game 3, willing his team to a road win in overtime behind his impactful thirty-eight points. The following match was yet another overtime thriller, this time featuring a defining Game 4 victory by the Lakers. West accounted for sixty-percent of his squad’s production when you considered his gaudy assists total.

Darkness loomed over New York when Willis Reed went down in Game 5 with a leg injury, only managing to play a portion of the first quarter. This greatly hurt the chances of a Knicks championship – how would they pull through without their leader? The answer was Walt Frazier, who nearly achieved a triple-double en route to a Knicks upset victory.

Los Angeles had no choice but to respond at home, now down 3-2. Chamberlain immediately took advantage of Reed’s absence, with a performance reminiscent of his Warriors days. He scored forty-five points and grabbed twenty-seven rebounds, hardly missing any field goals along the way. This resulted in a blowout win for the Lakers that forced a Game 7.

The last match was in New York, a comforting environment for the disadvantaged Knicks. A legendary moment was made when a hobbled Reed walked onto the court during warmups, igniting the fans and motivating his teammates. He proceeded to make the first two field goals off his classic mid-range jumper on a hurt leg, as well as limiting Wilt Chamberlain to poor shooting from the jump.

Reed eventually had to sit once the injury was re-aggravated, but it did not matter – New York led 69-42 at the end of the first half, a relieving cushion. Walt Frazier was the unsung hero of the game, compiling thirty-six points, seven rebounds, and nineteen assists on exceptional efficiency.

The Lakers were unable to overcome the deficit behind constant turnovers and mediocrity from Jerry West. The Knicks became the last of the “original three teams” to win their first championship, and their opponent was now 0-7 in the Finals since moving to Los Angeles.
The New York Knicks win the 1970 NBA championship!
Willis Reed was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Lew AlcindorWillis ReedWillis ReedRed Holzman

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
Billy Cunningham
Connie Hawkins
Willis Reed		Oscar Robertson
John Havlicek
Lou Hudson
Gus Johnson
Lew Alcindor

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Walt Frazier
Jerry West
Dave DeBusschere
Gus Johnson
Willis Reed		John Havlicek
Joe Caldwell
Jerry Sloan
Bill Bridges
Lew Alcindor

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Lew Alcindor
Billy Cunningham
Dave DeBusschere
Walt Frazier
Hal Greer
John Havlicek
Gus Johnson
Willis Reed*
Oscar Robertson
Flynn Robinson
Tom Van Arsdale
Jimmy Walker		Elgin Baylor
Bill Bridges
Joe Caldwell
Connie Hawkins
Elvin Hayes
Lou Hudson
Jeff Mullins
Bob Rule (IR)
Nate Thurmond
Dick Van Arsdale
Chet Walker
Jerry West
Lenny Wilkens
East beats West, 142-135

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Lew Alcindor
Bob Dandridge
Mike Davis
Dick Garrett
Jo Jo White

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics111957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969
Lakers51949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954
Warriors21947, 1956
76ers21955, 1967
Royals11951
Hawks11958
Knicks11970

The NBA Time Machine: 1947

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published September 3, 2022

The NBA Time Machine:
1947

Welcome to a new series called The NBA Time Machine. The goal of this is to recap all seventy-five seasons in NBA history – as well as the nine seasons of the rival ABA – before the end of the 2022-23 season, ideally. See this as a database of sorts, with information and fun facts to look back onto.

The main motivation behind starting this series is having an ongoing project to keep up with over time. There’s a lot of content to touch upon, so it’ll feel infinite. I also want to highlight the history of the game from start to finish, as there are so many eras of basketball that should be better known than they are.

The Beginning

A Fresh League

Rewind back to 1947. The brand new Basketball Association of America, commonly referred to as the “BAA“, had a large end goal. In comparison to the other two U.S. professional leagues – the American Basketball League (ABL) and National Basketball League (NBL) – the BAA wanted to get comfortable with hosting games in large arenas to draw in big crowds.

Said arenas included iconic locations like Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden, which often hosted hockey teams. Owners would simply put a wooden floor directly over the ice for basketball games, which often led to leakage and poor conditions for the players. They managed, but not without several cancelled games and unhappy athletes.

Being young and under development, the BAA had very inconsistent attendance and coverage. Team executives often had to resort to antics to draw in fans – for example, the Detroit Falcons offered free admission to anybody who shared the same last name as star player Stan Miasek. Did it work? Not quite, but it showed the extent to which owners were willing to go for success.

Original Rules

Although there were key differences, the integral style of play was the same.

  • Each basket was worth two points, and if fouled, a player would go to the “foul line” for a chance at an extra point.
  • There were four twelve-minute quarters, which was a notable increase from the forty-minute games college played. If a game was tied, it would go into one or more overtime periods until there was a final winner.
  • There were three main positions – guards, forwards, and centers. Specific positions (i.e. point guards) were recognized, but not yet commonly highlighted.
  • There were eleven teams split into Eastern and Western Divisions – the winningest squads from each would find themselves in the annual playoff tournament.

However, some rules were vastly different, or did not exist yet:

  • There was not yet a 24-second shot clock – teams had as much time as they wanted to score the ball. This led to an abnormally low-scoring league, with the team average being 67.8 points per game (compare that to the 110.6 of the past 2021-22 season).
  • Players could commit up to five fouls before fouling out, compared to today’s six.
  • Zone defenses were instantly banned, forcing each player to commit to another man or a double team. If they were caught wandering without an assignment, an “illegal defense” technical foul was called on the team.
  • The lane was only six feet wide, which made it very easy for centers to control the paint.
  • Keep in mind that various things were either illegal or considered unsportsmanlike, including advanced dribbling (i.e., a crossover would be called as a carry), and dunking.
    • This naturally led to most offenses being focused on ball movement, as opposed to any sort of isolation play.

Standout Players

Joe Fulks

The league’s first true superstar, being the undisputed best from the regular season to playoffs. He can be credited with inventing the jump shot – at the time, this was a rare asset that made him stand out amongst the crowd.

Bob Feerick

Feerick was considered an elite sharpshooter, shooting 40% from the field – while that’s nothing special for today’s standards, it floated far above the 27% league shooting average. What makes it even more impressive is that he scored primarily from range, as opposed to getting easy looks inside.

Max Zaslofsky

The best guard in the league, Zaslofsky was immediately considered a premier player despite his young age. He became the youngest All-First Team member at only twenty-one years old.

Ed Sadowski

Sadowski is one of the more influential players of this era, being a huge center for the time (6’5″ was above average big man height). He failed to succumb to the “clumsy center” stereotype, cementing himself as one of the best scorers. He impacted winning basketball all season, finding a good rhythm with the Cleveland Rebels after forcing his way out of Toronto.

Around the League

Team Standings

An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern DivisionWLWestern DivisionWL
Washington Capitols*4911Chicago Stags*3922
Philadelphia Warriors*3525St. Louis Bombers*3822
New York Knicks*3327Cleveland Rebels*3030
Providence Steamrollers2832Detroit Falcons2040
Boston Celtics2238Pittsburgh Ironmen1545
Toronto Huskies2238

Fun Facts

  • The Washington Capitols set an all-time record for win percentage, winning 81% of their matches.
    • The team was so successful because of their elite defense and knowledge of the fast break, which overwhelmed opponents. A lot of that strategy can be credited to coach Red Auerbach.
  • The Chicago Stags, led by great scorer Max Zaslofsky, were the league’s first “all-offense, no-defense” team. They were by far the highest scorer, but also gave up a lot of points.
  • The New York Knicks notably had one of the worst offenses at the time – none of their players surpassed ten points per game. Instead, it was their concentrated defense that led them to a positive record.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
p – points
a – assists

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
December 4, 1946George NostrandToronto HuskiesTradedCleveland Rebels(8.9p/0.8a)
December 16, 1946Leo Mogus Cleveland RebelsTradedToronto Huskies(12.3p/1.6a)
December 16, 1946Ed SadowskiToronto HuskiesTradedCleveland Rebels(19.1p/0.8a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
February 12, 1947Coach Dutch DehnertCleveland RebelsFiredRecord: 17-20
February 12, 1947Coach Roy CliffordCleveland RebelsHired Record: 13-10

League Leaders

If a stat is not listed, it was not recorded at the time. As time goes on, this section will begin to include rebounds per game, turnovers per game, etc.

Key

PPG – points per game
APG – assists per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGJoe Fulks (23.2)
Bob Feerick (16.8)
Ed Sadowski (16.5)
Stan Miasek (14.9)
Max Zaslofsky (14.4)
APGErnie Calverley (3.4)
Kenny Sailors (2.3)
Ossie Schectman (2)
Howie Dallmar (1.7)
Mickey Rottner (1.7)
FG%Bob Feerick (40%)
Ed Sadowski (36%)
Earl Shannon (33%)
Coulby Gunther (33%)
Max Zaslofsky (32%)
FT%Fred Scolari (81%)
Tony Kappen (79%)
Stan Stutz (78%)
Bob Feerick (76%)
John Logan (74%)

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

New York Knicks beat Cleveland Rebels, 2-1
Was all about homecourt advantage, with each team winning on their respective court. Rebels center Ed Sadowski could not be contained, feasting on his matchup in the undersized Bud Palmer; the latter was shorter and sixty pounds lighter.

However, the Knicks managed to exceed expectations and win, as duo Bud Palmer and Stan Stutz averaged a combined 51.5 points in the two home games.
Philadelphia Warriors beat St. Louis Bombers, 2-1
Warriors star Joe Fulks had an awful first two games, although the team forced a tiebreaker in Game 2. Fulks righted his wrongs in Game 3, dropping twenty-four points in a blowout win.

Semifinals

Chicago Stags beat Washington Capitols, 4-2
The Washington Capitols became the first example of great regular season teams not living up to the hype in the postseason. Despite winning 49 games, they immediately fell down 3-0 to the explosive Chicago Stags.

Fan favorite star Bones McKinney had a sub-par outing, averaging only six points in Washington’s four losses. Even though they managed to take a couple games, this matchup was never in their hands.
Philadelphia Warriors beat New York Knicks, 2-0
The Knicks’ offensive issues re-emerged in this series, as they simply had no firepower to match with Philly’s scorers. This was the only sweep of this year’s playoffs.

Finals

Philadelphia Warriors beat Chicago Stags, 4-1
The Stags were simply no match for the Warriors, largely thanks to Joe Fulks. The 2nd game of the series was his only poor one, and Philadelphia still won.

The sole Stags win was by one point, and their star Max Zaslofsky was relatively bad throughout. It’s no surprise that they struggled to compete without him boosting their offense, and Joe Fulks dropping thirty-four points in the closeout game solidified the Warriors as the first champions in league history.
The Philadelphia Warriors win the 1947 BAA championship!

Awards

Note: All-Team selections were not yet selected based on position yet. This was the only major award given at the time.

All-BAA First TeamAll-BAA Second Team
Joe Fulks
Bob Feerick
Stan Miasek
Bones McKinney
Max Zaslofsky		Ernie Calverley
Frankie Baumholtz
John Logan
Chick Halbert
Fred Scolari

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

TeamCountYears
Warriors11947