The 1974

ABA Playoffs ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux-A ...

was the postseason tournament of the

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, ...

's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

defeating the Western Division champion

Utah Stars The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. History prior to moving to ...

, four games to one in the ABA Finals.

Notable events

A one-game playoff was held to determine the fourth-place finisher in the Western Division because the

San Diego Conquistadors The San Diego Conquistadors (known as the San Diego Sails in their final, partial season), were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in San Diego. The "Q's", as they were popularly known, played from 1972 to 1975. As the Sails, the ...

and

Denver Rockets Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

had both tied for fourth place during the regular season. The game was played on March 29, 1974, with the Conquistadors posting a 131–111 win at Denver. The

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

played their final game on April 8, 1974, losing at home to the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

128–119 in the last game of their Eastern Division semifinal series, which the Colonels swept 4 games to none. The Cougars played in the remaining two seasons of the ABA as the

Spirits of St. Louis The Spirits of St. Louis were a basketball franchise based in St. Louis that played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1974 to 1976. This was the third and last city of a franchise that had begun as a charter member in 1967 as the ...

and were one of only two teams (the Colonels being the other) remaining during the ABA-NBA merger to not enter the NBA. The

and

won the Eastern Division and Western Division, respectively, in both the regular season and the playoffs.Remember the ABA: 1973-74 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results
/ref> The New York Nets became the first team since the 1969-1970

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

to win the ABA championship after posting the league's best regular season record.

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

of the

was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs. He won that distinction again in 1976 and became the only player in ABA history to repeat as the MVP of the league playoffs.

Western Division

Champion:

Division Semifinals (1)

vs. (4)

: ''Stars win series 4-2'' *Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 114, San Diego 99 *Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 119, San Diego 105 *Game 3 @ San Diego: San Diego 97, Utah 96 *Game 4 @ San Diego: San Diego 100, Utah 98 *Game 5 @ Utah: Utah 110, San Diego 93 *Game 6 @ San Diego: Utah 110, San Diego 99 (2)

vs. (3)

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

: ''Pacers win series 4-3'' *Game 1 @ Indiana: San Antonio 113, Indiana 109 *Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 128, San Antonio 101 *Game 3 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 115, Indiana 96 *Game 4 @ San Antonio: Indiana 91, San Antonio 89 *Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 105, San Antonio 100 *Game 6 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 102, Indiana 86 *Game 7 @ Indiana: Indiana 86, San Antonio 79 Division Finals (1)

vs. (2)

: ''Stars win series 4-3'' *Game 1 @ Utah: Utah 105, Indiana 96 *Game 2 @ Utah: Utah 106, Indiana 102 *Game 3 @ Indiana: Utah 99, Indiana 90 *Game 4 @ Indiana: Indiana 118, Utah 107 *Game 5 @ Utah: Indiana 110, Utah 101 *Game 6 @ Indiana: Indiana 91, Utah 89 *Game 7 @ Utah: Utah 109, Indiana 87

Eastern Division

Champion:

Division Semifinals (1)

vs. (4)

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...

: ''Nets win series 4-1'' *Game 1 @ New York: New York 108, Virginia 96 *Game 2 @ New York: New York 129, Virginia 110 *Game 3 @ Virginia: Virginia 116, New York 115 *Game 4 @ Virginia: New York 116, Virginia 88 *Game 5 @ New York: New York 108, Virginia 96 (2)

vs. (3)

: ''Colonels win series 4-0'' *Game 1 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 118, Carolina 102 *Game 2 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 99, Carolina 96 *Game 3 @ Carolina: Kentucky 120, Carolina 110 *Game 4 @ Carolina: Kentucky 128, Carolina 119 Division Finals (1)

vs. (2)

: ''Nets win series 4-0'' *Game 1 @ New York: New York 119, Kentucky 106 *Game 2 @ New York: New York 99, Kentucky 80 *Game 3 @ Kentucky: New York 89, Kentucky 87 *Game 4 @ Kentucky: New York 103, Kentucky 90

ABA Finals

(1)

VS. (1)

: ''Nets win series 4-1'' *Game 1 (Apr 30) @ New York: New York 89, Utah 85 *Game 2 (May 4) @ New York: New York 118, Utah 94 *Game 3 (May 6) @ Utah: New York 103, Utah 100 *Game 4 (May 8) @ Utah: Utah 97, New York 89 *Game 5 (May 10) @ New York: New York 111, Utah 100

References

External links

RememberTheABA.com page on 1974 ABA playoffs
{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 Aba Playoffs

Playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

American Basketball Association playoffs