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.^[1] Three new teams made their debut: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Buffalo Braves.

Notable occurrences

The NBA expanded to 17 teams as the Portland Trail Blazers, Buffalo Braves, and Cleveland Cavaliers began play.^[2] 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.
Before the season, on June 18, 1970, the NBA owners voted 13–4, to seek approval from Congress for a merger with the 11-team American Basketball Association into a 28-team league that would retain the NBA name.^[3] The NBA players opposed the merger, and Oscar Robertson filed an antitrust lawsuit that prevented further proceedings.
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.
The Rookie of the Year award was shared by two players for the first time in league history. They were Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics and Geoff Petrie of the Portland Trail Blazers.^[4]
In only their third year of existence, the Bucks won the NBA Championship, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four straight games. This was the first NBA finals to feature none of the NBA's foundation franchises; the Bullets franchise had joined the NBA as the Chicago Packers in 1961, and the Bucks franchise had joined in 1968. It was also the first NBA finals since 1956 to feature neither Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain.
Among those who retired this season include Al Attles, Bob Boozer, Connie Dierking, Bailey Howell, Tom Meschery and Adrian Smith.

Teams

Map of teams

Final standings

By division

By conference

Notes

z, y – division champions
x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

* Division winner
Bold Series winner
Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

NBA awards

Most Valuable Player: Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
Co-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:
- G – Dave Bing, Detroit Pistons
- G – Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
- C – Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- F – Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers
- F – John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
All-NBA Second Team:
- F – Gus Johnson, Baltimore Bullets
- F – Bob Love, Chicago Bulls
- C – Willis Reed, New York Knicks
- G – Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
- G – Oscar Robertson, Milwaukee Bucks
All-NBA Rookie Team:
- Geoff Petrie, Portland Trail Blazers
- Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons
- Calvin Murphy, San Diego Rockets
- Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics
- Pete Maravich, Atlanta Hawks
NBA All-Defensive First Team:
- Dave DeBusschere, New York Knicks
- Gus Johnson, Baltimore Bullets
- Nate Thurmond, San Francisco Warriors
- Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
- Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
- John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
- Paul Silas, Phoenix Suns
- Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jerry Sloan, Chicago Bulls
- Norm Van Lier, Cincinnati Royals

References

^ Moussavi, Sam (August 1, 2016). Milwaukee Bucks. Weigl Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4896-4704-7.
^ "Season Review: 1970-71". NBA.com. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
^ "NBA Okays Merger With ABA", AP report in Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle, June 19, 1970, p.D1
^ Janoff, Barry. "15 Reasons NBA 1970-71 Kicks the Butt of NBA 2010-11". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 27, 2022.