1970–71 NBA season
The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Three new teams made their debut: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Buffalo Braves.
| 1970–71 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 13, 1970 – March 23, 1971 March 24–April 19, 1971 (Playoffs) April 21–30, 1971 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 17 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Bob Lanier |
| Picked by | Detroit Pistons |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Season MVP | Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee) |
| Top scorer | Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Baltimore Bullets |
| Eastern runners-up | New York Knicks |
| Western champions | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Finals MVP | Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee) |
Notable occurrences
- The NBA expanded to 17 teams as the Portland Trail Blazers, Buffalo Braves, and Cleveland Cavaliers began play. For the first time, the league was divided into Conferences (East and West), each with two divisions. The Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks were shifted from the old Eastern Division to the Western Conference's Midwest Division, and the Atlanta Hawks were switched from the Western Division to the Eastern Conference's Central Division.
- The 1971 NBA All-Star Game was played at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California, with the West beating the East 108-107. Lenny Wilkens of the Seattle SuperSonics won the game's MVP award.
- In only their third year of existence, the Bucks won the NBA Championship, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four straight games.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1969–70 coach | 1970–71 coach |
| Phoenix Suns | Jerry Colangelo | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| San Francisco Warriors | George C. Lee | Al Attles |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| N/A | ||
Final standings
By division
| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-New York Knicks | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 32–9 | 19–20 | 1–1 | 10–6 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 5 | 24–15 | 21–18 | 2–2 | 10–6 |
| Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 | 25–14 | 18–22 | 1–2 | 8–8 |
| Buffalo Braves | 22 | 60 | .268 | 30 | 14–23 | 6–30 | 2–7 | 2–10 |
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Baltimore Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 | – | 24–13 | 16–25 | 2–2 | 10–6 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 36 | 46 | .439 | 6 | 21–20 | 14–26 | 1–0 | 9–7 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 49 | .402 | 9 | 17–16 | 11–28 | 5–5 | 16–6 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 15 | 67 | .183 | 27 | 11–30 | 2–37 | 2–0 | 1–13 |
| Midwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Milwaukee Bucks | 66 | 16 | .805 | – | 34–2 | 28–13 | 4–1 | 14–4 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 51 | 31 | .622 | 15 | 30–11 | 17–19 | 4–1 | 7–11 |
| Phoenix Suns | 48 | 34 | .585 | 18 | 27–14 | 19–20 | 2–0 | 9–9 |
| Detroit Pistons | 45 | 37 | .549 | 21 | 24–17 | 20–19 | 1–1 | 6–12 |
| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | 30–11 | 17–22 | 1–1 | 15–7 |
| x-San Francisco Warriors | 41 | 41 | .500 | 7 | 20–18 | 19–21 | 2–2 | 12–10 |
| San Diego Rockets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 8 | 24–15 | 15–26 | 1–1 | 14–8 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 38 | 44 | .463 | 10 | 27–13 | 11–30 | 0–1 | 10–14 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 29 | 53 | .354 | 19 | 18–21 | 9–26 | 2–6 | 3–15 |
By conference
| # | Eastern Conference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | |
| 1 | z-New York Knicks | 52 | 30 | .634 |
| 2 | y-Baltimore Bullets | 42 | 40 | .512 |
| 3 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 |
| 4 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 36 | 46 | .439 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 |
| 6 | Cincinnati Royals | 33 | 49 | .402 |
| 7 | Buffalo Braves | 22 | 60 | .268 |
| 8 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 15 | 67 | .183 |
| # | Western Conference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | |
| 1 | z-Milwaukee Bucks | 66 | 16 | .805 |
| 2 | y-Los Angeles Lakers | 48 | 34 | .585 |
| 3 | x-Chicago Bulls | 51 | 31 | .622 |
| 4 | x-San Francisco Warriors | 41 | 41 | .500 |
| 5 | Phoenix Suns | 48 | 34 | .585 |
| 6 | Detroit Pistons | 45 | 37 | .549 |
| 7 | San Diego Rockets | 40 | 42 | .488 |
| 8 | Seattle SuperSonics | 38 | 44 | .463 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 29 | 53 | .354 |
Notes
- z, y – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | |||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee | 4 | |||||||||||
| P2 | San Francisco | 1 | |||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee | 4 | |||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||
| P1 | L.A. Lakers | 1 | |||||||||||
| M2 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||
| P1 | L.A. Lakers | 4 | |||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee | 4 | |||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore | 0 | |||||||||||
| A1 | New York | 4 | |||||||||||
| C2 | Atlanta | 1 | |||||||||||
| A1 | New York | 3 | |||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore | 4 | |||||||||||
| A2 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore | 4 | |||||||||||
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Lew Alcindor | Milwaukee Bucks | 31.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Wilt Chamberlain | Los Angeles Lakers | 18.2 |
| Assists per game | Norm Van Lier | Cincinnati Royals | 10.1 |
| FG% | Johnny Green | Cincinnati Royals | .587 |
| FT% | Chet Walker | Chicago Bulls | .859 |
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- Rookies of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Portland Trail Blazers and Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics
- Coach of the Year: Dick Motta, Chicago Bulls
- All-NBA First Team:
- All-NBA Second Team:
- All-NBA Rookie Team:
- NBA All-Defensive Team:
- First Team:
- Second Team:
References
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com
External links
- Sports Illustrated: (Oct. 26, 1970) Big O Joins Lew in Milwaukee
- Sports Illustrated: (Feb. 8, 1971) Knicks-Bucks Preview of the Playoffs
- Sports Illustrated: (April 19, 1971) Knicks vs Bucks
- Sports Illustrated: (May 10, 1971) Oscar and the Bucks are No. 1
- Milwaukee Bucks: Looking Back At The 1971 NBA Finals
- NBA.com article about the 1970-71 season
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