1970–71 NBA season#Final standings
{{short description|25th NBA season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sports season
| title = 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)
| no_of_games = 82
| no_of_teams = 17
| TV = ABC
| draft = Draft
| draft_link = 1970 NBA draft
| top_pick_link = List of first overall NBA draft picks
| top_pick = Bob Lanier
| picked_by = Detroit Pistons
| season = Regular season
| top_seed = Milwaukee Bucks
| MVP = Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee)
| MVP_link = NBA MVP
| top_scorer = Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee)
| playoffs = Playoffs
| playoffs_link = 1971 NBA playoffs
| conf1 = Eastern
| conf1_link = Eastern Conference (NBA)
| conf1_champ = Baltimore Bullets
| conf1_runner-up = New York Knicks
| conf2 = Western
| conf2_link = Western Conference (NBA)
| conf2_champ = Milwaukee Bucks
| conf2_runner-up = Los Angeles Lakers
| finals = Finals
| finals_link = 1971 NBA Finals
| finals_venue = * Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland
| finals_champ = Milwaukee Bucks
| finals_runner-up = Baltimore Bullets
| finals_MVP = Lew Alcindor (Milwaukee)
| finals_MVP_link = NBA Finals MVP
| seasonslist = List of NBA seasons
| seasonslistnames = NBA
| prevseason_link = 1969–70 NBA season
| prevseason_year = 1969–70
| nextseason_link = 1971–72 NBA season
| nextseason_year = 1971–72
}}
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.{{Cite book |last=Moussavi |first=Sam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbe2DwAAQBAJ |title=Milwaukee Bucks |date=2016-08-01 |publisher=Weigl Publishers |isbn=978-1-4896-4704-7 |pages=23 |language=en}} Three new teams made their debut: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Buffalo Braves.
Notable occurrences
- For the first time, the league was divided into Conferences (Eastern and Western), 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.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle/71569094/ "NBA Okays Merger With ABA"], AP report in Rochester (NY) Democrat and Chronicle, June 19, 1970, p.D1 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, 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.{{Cite web |last=Janoff |first=Barry |title=15 Reasons NBA 1970-71 Kicks the Butt of NBA 2010-11 |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/696001-15-reasons-nba-1970-71-kicks-the-butt-of-nba-2010-11 |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}
- 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.* The NBA expanded to 17 teams as the Portland Trail Blazers, Buffalo Braves, and Cleveland Cavaliers began play.{{Cite web |title=Season Review: 1970-71 |url=https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1970-71 |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=NBA.com |language=en}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+Coaching changes ! colspan="3"|Offseason |
| Team
! 1969–70 coach ! 1970–71 coach |
|---|
| Buffalo Braves
| Expansion |
| Cleveland Cavaliers
| Expansion |
| Portland Trail Blazers
| Expansion |
| San Francisco Warriors |
| colspan="3"|In-season |
| Team
! Outgoing coach ! Incoming coach |
| colspan="3"|N/A |
Teams
| class="wikitable" style="width:auto" |
| bgcolor="#0047AB" align="center" colspan="5"|1970-71 National Basketball Association |
| bgcolor="red" align="center" colspan="5"|{{color|#FFFFFF|Eastern Conference}} |
| Division || Team || City || Arena || Capacity |
|---|
| rowspan="4" | Atlantic
| 13,909 |
| style="background-color:#00FF00;"
| Buffalo Braves * | 15,280 |
| New York Knicks
| 19,812 |
| Philadelphia 76ers
| 15,244 |
| rowspan="4" | Central
| 9,191 |
| Baltimore Bullets
| 11,271 |
| Cincinnati Royals
| Cincinnati, Ohio | 11,000 |
| style="background-color:#00FF00;"
| 10,000 |
| bgcolor="red" align="center" colspan="5"|{{color|#FFFFFF|Western Conference}} |
| rowspan="4" | Midwest
| 18,676 |
| Detroit Pistons
| 12,191 |
| Milwaukee Bucks
| 10,783 |
| Phoenix Suns
| Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 14,870 |
| rowspan="5" | Pacific
| 17,505 |
| style="background-color:#00FF00;"
| 12,888 |
| San Diego Rockets
| 14,500 |
| San Francisco Warriors
| 12,953 |
| Seattle SuperSonics
| 13,200 |
| class="wikitable"
| style="background-color:#00FF00;font-size:90%;" | Expansion team * |
Map of teams
{{CSS crop
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|Description=10px Atlantic Division 10px Central Division 10px Midwest Division 10px Pacific Division
|bSize=995
|cWidth=550
|cHeight=350
|oLeft=425
|oTop=0
|Content=
{{Location map+ | USA
| width = 575
| caption =
| places =
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 42.37
| lon_deg = -71.06
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Boston
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 42.88
| lon_deg = -78.88
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Buffalo
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 40.75
| lon_deg = -73.99
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = New York
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 39.90
| lon_deg = -75.17
| mark = Blue pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = right
| label = Philadelphia
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 33.78
| lon_deg = -84.39
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Atlanta
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 39.29
| lon_deg = -76.62
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = Baltimore
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 39.18
| lon_deg = -84.46
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = Cincinnati
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 41.50
| lon_deg = -81.66
| mark = Red pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = Cleveland
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 41.88
| lon_deg = -87.67
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = Chicago
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 42.33
| lon_deg = -83.05
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Detroit
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 43.04
| lon_deg = -87.92
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Milwaukee
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 33.47
| lon_deg = -112.10
| mark = Black pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Phoenix
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 33.96
| lon_deg = -118.34
| mark = Green pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Los Angeles
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 45.53
| lon_deg = -122.67
| mark = Green pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = Portland
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 32.76
| lon_deg = -117.21
| mark = Green pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = bottom
| label = San Diego
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 37.71
| lon_deg = -122.42
| mark = Green pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = San Francisco
| background=#ffe}}
{{Location map~ | USA
| lat_deg = 47.62
| lon_deg = -122.35
| mark = Green pog.svg
| label_size = 80
| position = top
| label = Seattle
| background=#ffe}}
}}
}}
{{Clear}}
Final standings
=By division=
{{1970–71 NBA Atlantic standings}}
{{1970–71 NBA Central standings}}
{{1970–71 NBA Midwest standings}}
{{1970–71 NBA Pacific standings}}
=By conference=
{{1970–71 NBA East standings}}
{{1970–71 NBA West standings}}
Notes
- z, y – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
{{main|1971 NBA playoffs}}
{{excerpt|1971 NBA playoffs|Bracket|bold=yes|hat=no}}
Statistics leaders
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ | |||
| 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
- Co-Rookies of the Year: Geoff Petrie, Portland Trail Blazers and Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics
- Coach of the Year: Dick Motta, Chicago Bulls
{{colbegin|colwidth=25em}}
- 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
{{colend}}