The 1973–74 Memphis Tams season was the 2nd and final season of the Tams and 4th overall season of

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

basketball in Memphis. After the previous season had mercifully ended, doubt was put into if the Tams would stay in Memphis, as the phone lines and team office were closed. Charlie Finley tried to sell the team, with a Rhode Island group in discussion with Finley, but nothing came of it, with Finley subsequently dealing with a heart ailment for most of the summer, which rose a problem for the ABA, particularly with making schedules for the teams. The league's attempts to reach Finley came in late August, with the schedules for the league being released on August 25 - just over a month before the season was due to start. The Tams hired Butch Van Breda Kolff to coach on September 11, two days before the Tams' first pre-season game. The team floundered, losing 63 games. They finished 9th in points scored per game, at 101.2, while finishing 8th in points allowed at 108.2 per game. At one point in the season (November 29-December 21), they lost 13 straight games, with a 12-game losing streak occurring later in the year. Their best winning streak was 2, which they did four times. After the season, the league took over operations of the team. On July 17, 1974, Mike Storen, Issac Hayes, Avron Fogelman, and Kemmonis Wilson bought the team, rebranding the team as the

Memphis Sounds The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. Known durin ...

Roster

* 33 Jim Ard - Center * 15 Johnny Baum - Small forward * 20 Glen Combs - Point guard * 34 Lee Davis - Center * 32 Randy Denton - Center * 30 Charles Edge - Small forward * 21 Larry Finch - Shooting guard * 25 Mike Jackson - Power forward * 11 Wil Jones - Power forward * 24 Mo Layton - Point guard * 24 George Lehmann - Point guard * 35 Erwin Mueller - Power forward * 14 Johnny Neumann - Small forward * 25 Joe Reaves - Small forward * 35 Ronnie Robinson - Power forward * 10 Wilbert Robinson - Shooting guard * 23 George Thompson - Shooting guard * 20 Joby Wright - Power forward

Final standings

Eastern Division

Awards and honors

1974 ABA All-Star Game The seventh American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played January 30, 1974 at Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia before an audience at 10,624. Babe McCarthy of the Kentucky Colonels coached the East, while Joe Mullaney of the Utah Stars ...

selection (game played on January 30, 1974) * George Thompson

References

External links

RememberTheABA.com 1973–74 regular season and playoff results

{{DEFAULTSORT:1973-74 Memphis Tams season Memphis Tams Memphis Tams, 1973-74 Memphis Tams, 1973-74 Basketball in Memphis, Tennessee