1972 ABA Playoffs#(1) Utah Stars vs. (3) Dallas Chaparrals

The Kentucky Colonels, despite finishing the season with the best record in the history of the ABA (68–16, .810), winning 8 of 11 regular season games against the New York Nets and finishing 24 games ahead of the Nets in the regular season standings, lost their first round series to the Nets.

The Floridians played their final game on April 6, 1972, losing at home in their Eastern Division semifinal series to the Virginia Squires 115–106. The Squires swept the series 4 games to none behind rookie Julius Erving who grabbed at least seventeen rebounds in three of those four games. On June 13, 1972, the league bought the Floridians and disbanded the team.

The Indiana Pacers became the first team to win a second ABA championship.

Freddie Lewis of the Pacers was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

This was the first season in which two future NBA teams met for the ABA Championship. This only happened one other time in the league's history, during its final year in 1976 when the Denver Nuggets edged past the Colonels 4–3 to meet the Nets in the ABA championship series.

Five of the seven playoff series ended in final games in which the home team lost.

{{3RoundBracket-Byes | RD1= Division Semifinals

| RD2= Division Finals

| RD3= ABA Finals

| RD1-group1=Western Division

| RD1-group2=Eastern Division

| RD1-seed1=1

| RD1-team1=Utah Stars

| RD1-score1=4

| RD1-seed2=3

| RD1-team2=Dallas Chaparrals

| RD1-score2=0

| RD1-seed3=4

| RD1-team3=Denver Rockets

| RD1-score3=3

| RD1-seed4=2

| RD1-team4=Indiana Pacers

| RD1-score4=4

| RD1-seed5=1

| RD1-team5=Kentucky Colonels

| RD1-score5=2

| RD1-seed6=3

| RD1-team6=New York Nets

| RD1-score6=4

| RD1-seed7=4

| RD1-team7=The Floridians

| RD1-score7=0

| RD1-seed8=2

| RD1-team8=Virginia Squires

| RD1-score8=4

| RD2-seed1=1

| RD2-team1=Utah Stars

| RD2-score1=3

| RD2-seed2=2

| RD2-team2=Indiana Pacers

| RD2-score2=4

| RD2-seed3=3

| RD2-team3=New York Nets

| RD2-score3=4

| RD2-seed4=2

| RD2-team4=Virginia Squires

| RD2-score4=3

| RD3-seed1=W2

| RD3-team1=Indiana Pacers

| RD3-score1=4

| RD3-seed2=E3

| RD3-team2=New York Nets

| RD3-score2=2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date= April 1|place=Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1= Dallas Chaparrals |score1= 96

|team2= Utah Stars |score2=106

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204010UTS.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–20 |Q2= 21–28 |Q3= 21–32 |Q4= 28–26

|points1= Steve "Snapper" Jones 22 |points2=Jimmy Jones 27

|rebounds1=George Johnson 11|rebounds2= Zelmo Beaty 17

|assist1=George Johnson 5|assist2=Jones, Combs 5 each

|attendance= 8,783

|series= Utah leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 3|place= Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1= Dallas Chaparrals |score1= 107

|team2= Utah Stars |score2=113

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204030UTS.html Box score]

|Q1= 24–28 |Q2= 36–26 |Q3= 30–30 |Q4= 17–29

|points1= Donnie Freeman 36 |points2= Willie Wise 36

|rebounds1=Collis Jones 12 |rebounds2= Zelmo Beaty 14

|assist1= Joe Hamilton 5|assist2= Jimmy Jones 9

|attendance= 9,121

|series=Utah leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 5 |place= Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas

|team1= Utah Stars |score1=96

|team2= Dallas Chaparrals |score2= 89

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204050DLC.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–17 |Q2= 24–24 |Q3= 20–23 |Q4= 26–25

|points1=Willie Wise 25 |points2= Donnie Freeman 21

|rebounds1= Willie Wise 16|rebounds2=Rich Jones 12

|assist1= Willie Wise 4|assist2= Rich Jones 5

|attendance= 4,076

|series= Utah leads series, 3–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 7 |place= Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas

|team1= Utah Stars |score1=103

|team2= Dallas Chaparrals |score2= 99

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204070DLC.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–25 |Q2= 29–29 |Q3= 25–18 |Q4= 23–27

|points1= Ron Boone 21 |points2= Donnie Freeman 30

|rebounds1= Willie Wise 16|rebounds2= S. Jones, R. Jones 7 each

|assist1= Jimmy Jones 4|assist2= Joe Hamilton 5

|attendance= 3,918

|series= Utah wins series, 4–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date= March 31|place= Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1= Denver Rockets|score1= 96

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 102

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197203310INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 25–20 |Q2= 24–26 |Q3= 23–30 |Q4= 24–26

|points1= Ralph Simpson 26 |points2= Roger Brown 28

|rebounds1=Dave Robisch 17 |rebounds2= Mel Daniels 18

|assist1=Larry Brown 4 |assist2=Brown, Lewis 4 each

|attendance= 6,103

|series= Indiana leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 1 |place= Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1= Denver Rockets|score1= 106

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 105

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204010INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 27–22 |Q2= 30–33 |Q3= 23–31 |Q4= 26–19

|points1= Ralph Simpson 32 |points2=Billy Keller 31

|rebounds1=Byron Beck 13 |rebounds2= George McGinnis 15

|assist1= Ralph Simpson 4|assist2= George McGinnis 8

|attendance= 6,521

|series= Series tied 1–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 4 |place= Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado

|team1= Indiana Pacers|score1=122

|team2=Denver Rockets |score2= 120

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204040DNR.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–26 |Q2= 35–23 |Q3= 26–36 |Q4= 23–25 |OT= 12–10

|points1= Roger Brown 30 |points2= Ralph Simpson 33

|rebounds1= Mel Daniels 19|rebounds2= Julius Keye 19

|assist1= Freddie Lewis 7|assist2= Ralph Simpson 6

|attendance= 5,304

|series= Indiana leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 6 |place= Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado

|team1= Indiana Pacers|score1= 96

|team2= Denver Rockets |score2= 112

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204060DNR.html Box score]

|Q1= 24–30 |Q2= 24–25 |Q3= 22–24 |Q4= 26–33

|points1= Freddie Lewis 33 |points2= Simpson, Beck 28 each

|rebounds1=George McGinnis 16 |rebounds2= Julius Keye 20

|assist1= Freddie Lewis 5|assist2= Larry Brown 7

|attendance= 6,109

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 8 |place= Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1= Denver Rockets|score1= 79

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 91

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204080INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 19–24 |Q2= 15–16 |Q3= 22–30 |Q4= 23–31

|points1= Ralph Simpson 19|points2= Billy Keller 25

|rebounds1=Julius Keye 17 |rebounds2= Mel Daniels 20

|assist1=Simpson, Keye 2 each |assist2=Roger Brown 5

|attendance= 9,428

|series= Indiana leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 9 |place= Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado

|team1= Indiana Pacers|score1= 99

|team2=Denver Rockets |score2= 106

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204090DNR.html Box score]

|Q1= 18–24 |Q2= 27–27 |Q3= 25–30 |Q4= 29–25

|points1= Mel Daniels 26 |points2= Byron Beck 24

|rebounds1=Mel Daniels 23 |rebounds2= Julius Keye 18

|assist1=Freddie Lewis 9 |assist2= Larry Brown 8

|attendance= 5,815

|series= Series tied, 3–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 13 |place= Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1= Denver Rockets|score1= 89

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 91

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204130INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 21–22 |Q2= 25–22 |Q3= 20–31 |Q4= 23–16

|points1= Ralph Simpson 30 |points2=Brown, Lewis 20 each

|rebounds1=Julius Keye 18 |rebounds2= Mel Daniels 20

|assist1=Larry Brown 7 |assist2=Roger Brown 7

|attendance= 8,643

|series= Indiana wins series, 4–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 1 |place= Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

|team1= New York Nets|score1= 122

|team2= Kentucky Colonels|score2= 108

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204010KEN.html Box score]

|Q1= 23–23 |Q2= 31–29 |Q3= 36–24 |Q4= 32–32

|points1= Rick Barry 50 |points2= Artis Gilmore 30

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 16 |rebounds2= Artis Gilmore 18

|assist1=John Roche 8 |assist2= Louie Dampier 8

|attendance= 4,772

|series= New York leads series, 1–0

}}

With his 50-point performance, Barry became the first and only ABA player to score 50 points in multiple postseason games.{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-02-1972-5031126/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/|title=Nets Shock Colonels|work=Kingston Sunday Freeman|date=April 2, 1972|agency=UPI}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 4 |place= Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

|team1= New York Nets|score1= 105

|team2= Kentucky Colonels|score2= 90

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204040KEN.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–17 |Q2= 26–17 |Q3= 28–29 |Q4= 25–27

|points1= Rick Barry 35 |points2= Dan Issel 22

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 16 |rebounds2= Artis Gilmore 16

|assist1=Washington, Roche 7 each |assist2= Gilmore, Dampier 5 each

|attendance= 8,212

|series= New York leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 5 |place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1= Kentucky Colonels|score1= 105

|team2= New York Nets|score2= 99

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204050NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 23–31 |Q2= 30–19 |Q3= 33–26 |Q4= 19–23

|points1=Gilmore, Simon 25 |points2= Rick Barry 39

|rebounds1=Artis Gilmore 22 |rebounds2= Billy Paultz 14

|assist1=Louie Dampier 6 |assist2= John Roche 6

|attendance= 14,056

|series= New York leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 7 |place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1= Kentucky Colonels|score1= 92

|team2= New York Nets|score2= 100

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204070NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 22–30 |Q2= 28–16 |Q3= 23–25 |Q4= 19–29

|points1= Dan Issel 28 |points2= John Roche 38

|rebounds1=Artis Gilmore 13 |rebounds2= Billy Paultz 17

|assist1=Louie Dampier 6|assist2= Washington, Roche 5 each

|attendance= 14,091

|series= New York leads series, 3–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date= April 8|place= Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky

|team1= New York Nets|score1= 93

|team2= Kentucky Colonels|score2=109

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204080KEN.html Box score]

|Q1= 17–22 |Q2= 20–22 |Q3= 27–33 |Q4= 29–32

|points1= John Roche 26 |points2= Dan Issel 24

|rebounds1= Billy Paultz 11|rebounds2= Artis Gilmore 19

|assist1=John Roche 9 |assist2= Louie Dampier 16

|attendance= 7,949

|series= New York leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 10 |place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1=Kentucky Colonels |score1= 96

|team2= New York Nets|score2= 101

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204100NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 24–26 |Q2= 24–31 |Q3= 28–23 |Q4= 20–21

|points1= Artis Gilmore 24 |points2= John Roche 32

|rebounds1= Artis Gilmore 18|rebounds2= Billy Paultz 19

|assist1=Louie Dampier 4 |assist2= Ollie Taylor 8

|attendance= 11,533

|series= New York wins series, 4–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date= March 31|place= Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia

|team1= The Floridians |score1= 107

|team2= Virginia Squires|score2=114

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197203310VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 24–26 |Q2= 29–26 |Q3= 20–23 |Q4= 26–24 |OT=8–15

|points1= Jabali, Long 22 each |points2= Julius Erving 32

|rebounds1= Jabali, Long 17 each|rebounds2= Julius Erving 19

|assist1= Warren Jabali 7 |assist2= Julius Erving 8

|attendance= 3,770

|series= Virginia leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 1 |place= Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia

|team1= The Floridians|score1= 100

|team2= Virginia Squires|score2=125

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204010VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 19–26 |Q2= 25–33 |Q3= 30–36 |Q4= 26–30

|points1= Willie Long 22 |points2= Julius Erving 27

|rebounds1=Warren Jabali 13 |rebounds2=Julius Erving 17

|assist1= Long, Tucker, Calvin 3 each|assist2=Julius Erving 7

|attendance= 2,921

|series= Virginia leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date= April 4|place= Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida

|team1= Virginia Squires|score1= 118

|team2= The Floridians|score2=113

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204040FLO.html Box score]

|Q1= 31–34 |Q2= 30–29 |Q3= 30–25 |Q4= 27–25

|points1= Julius Erving 53 |points2= Mack Calvin 27

|rebounds1= Julius Erving 14|rebounds2= Jabali, Raymond 12 each

|assist1= Julius Erving 6|assist2=Jabali, Calvin 8 each

|attendance= 2,965

|series= Virginia leads series, 3–0

}}

Due to prior bookings, the Floridians played their playoff games at the north campus of Miami-Dade Junior College. Julius Erving tied the playoff record for points scored in an ABA playoff game with 53. Irving iced the game with two late free throws that gave them a four-point lead.{{cite news|url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19720405.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-April+5%2C+1972-------# |title=Irving's 53 Points Ties Playoff Record In ABA|work=Suffolk News-Herald |agency=UPI|date=April 5, 1972 |access-date=April 5, 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-06-1972-5031052/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ |title=Squires Expected To Put End To Sad History of Floridians|work=Danville Bee |agency=Associated Press|date=April 6, 1972|access-date=April 13, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 6|place= Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida

|team1= Virginia Squires|score1= 115

|team2= The Floridians|score2=106

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204060FLO.html Box score]

|Q1= 28–31 |Q2= 29–21 |Q3= 29–21 |Q4= 29–33

|points1= Julius Erving 39 |points2=Mack Calvin 23

|rebounds1= Julius Erving 27|rebounds2=Ron Franz 11

|assist1= Erving, Taylor 5 each|assist2=Mack Calvin 10

|attendance= 3,117

|series= Virginia wins series, 4–0

}}

With reports that loomed about the dissolving of The Floridians, the Squires dominated the second and third quarters to win the series. This was the last game played by The Floridians, as the team elected to fold in the offseason rather than relocate (rumors had indicated the possibility of playing in Cincinnati) or play further.{{cite news|url=https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19720405.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-April+5%2C+1972-------# |title=Irving's 53 Points Ties Playoff Record In ABA|work=Suffolk News-Herald |agency=UPI|date=April 5, 1972 |access-date=April 5, 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-07-1972-5031131/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/|title=Squires Sweep Floridians|work=Winchester Evening Star |agency=Associated Press|date=April 7, 1972|access-date=April 14, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 15 |place= Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1= Indiana Pacers|score1= 100

|team2= Utah Stars|score2= 108

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204150UTS.html Box score]

|Q1= 28–23 |Q2= 28–35 |Q3= 25–24 |Q4= 19–26

|points1= George McGinnis 31 |points2= Jimmy Jones 25

|rebounds1=Mel Daniels 17|rebounds2= Red Robbins 16

|assist1=George McGinnis 6|assist2= Jimmy Jones 8

|attendance= 9,854

|series= Utah leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 17 |place= Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1= 109

|team2= Utah Stars |score2= 117

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204170UTS.html Box score]

|Q1= 27–25 |Q2= 28–29 |Q3= 24–34 |Q4= 30–29

|points1= George McGinnis 28 |points2= Willie Wise 30

|rebounds1=George McGinnis 20 |rebounds2= Zelmo Beaty 25

|assist1=McGinnis, Brown 7 each |assist2= Jimmy Jones 10

|attendance= 11,780

|series= Utah leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 19 |place= Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana

|team1= Utah Stars|score1= 111

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 116

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204190INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 24–28 |Q2= 26–23 |Q3= 26–32 |Q4= 35–33

|points1= Willie Wise 19 |points2= Roger Brown 30

|rebounds1=Zelmo Beaty 12 |rebounds2= Mel Daniels 19

|assist1=Boone, Jackson 5 each |assist2=Brown, Lewis 5 each

|attendance= 7,489

|series= Utah leads series, 2–1

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= April 22|place= Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana

|team1= Utah Stars|score1= 108

|team2= Indiana Pacers|score2= 118

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204220INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 26–24 |Q2= 29–30 |Q3= 31–36 |Q4= 22–28

|points1= Jimmy Jones 26 |points2= Roger Brown 27

|rebounds1=Willie Wise 15 |rebounds2=McGinnis, Daniels 13 each

|assist1= Jimmy Jones 6 |assist2=Billy Keller 8

|attendance= 13,007

|series= Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 24 |place= Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1= Indiana Pacers|score1= 130

|team2= Utah Stars|score2= 139

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204240UTS.html Box score]

|Q1= 33–40 |Q2= 28–38 |Q3= 28–36 |Q4= 41–25

|points1= Mel Daniels 29 |points2= Willie Wise 34

|rebounds1=Mel Daniels 17 |rebounds2= Willie Wise 13

|assist1=Billy Keller 11|assist2= Jimmy Jones 11

|attendance= 12,526

|series= Utah leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |place= Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana

|team1=Utah Stars |score1= 99

|team2=Indiana Pacers|score2= 105

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204260INA.html Box score]

|Q1= 31–26 |Q2= 24–27 |Q3= 23–27 |Q4= 21–25

|points1= Willie Wise 30 |points2= Mel Daniels 20

|rebounds1= Zelmo Beaty 13|rebounds2= Mel Daniels 18

|assist1=Jimmy Jones 7 |assist2=Roger Brown 4

|attendance= 8,103

|series= Series tied, 3–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 1 |place= Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah

|team1= Indiana Pacers |score1= 117

|team2=Utah Stars |score2= 113

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205010UTS.html Box score]

|Q1=30–29 |Q2= 29–26 |Q3= 32–30 |Q4= 26–28

|points1= Roger Brown 27 |points2= Willie Wise 26

|rebounds1=Mel Daniels 15 |rebounds2= Wise, Beaty 11 each

|assist1=Freddie Lewis 6 |assist2= Willie Wise 7

|attendance= 12,724

|series= Indiana wins series, 4–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 13 |place= Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia

|team1= New York Nets|score1= 91

|team2= Virginia Squires|score2= 138

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204130VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 22–28 |Q2= 13–34 |Q3= 24–42 |Q4= 32–34

|points1= John Roche 26 |points2= Julius Erving 26

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 15 |rebounds2= Julius Erving 20

|assist1=John Roche 3|assist2= Julius Erving 15

|attendance= 5,526

|series= Virginia leads series, 1–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 15 |place= Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia

|team1= New York Nets |score1= 106

|team2= Virginia Squires |score2= 115

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204150VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 30–28 |Q2= 25–31 |Q3= 26–30 |Q4= 25–26

|points1= Rick Barry 29 |points2= Julius Erving 38

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 14 |rebounds2=Julius Erving 20

|assist1=Ollie Taylor 7 |assist2= Julius Erving 7

|attendance= 10,410

|series= Virginia leads series, 2–0

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 24 |place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1= Virginia Squires |score1= 117

|team2= New York Nets |score2= 119

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204240NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 33–37 |Q2= 34–31 |Q3= 26–27 |Q4= 24–24

|points1= Julius Erving 31|points2=Roche, Barry 25 each

|rebounds1=Julius Erving 22|rebounds2= Billy Paultz 14

|assist1=Erving, Eakins, Moe 5 each|assist2= Barry, Melchionni, Roche 5 each

|attendance= 11,893

|series= Virginia leads series, 2–1

}}

Game 3 occurred nine days after Game 2 due to the Coliseum being booked for several days (the ABA refused to have the games played at the Island Garden).{{cite book |last=Pluto |first=Terry |author-link= |date= 1990|title=Loose Balls |url= |location= |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=229|isbn=978-1-4165-4061-8}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date=April 26 |place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1=Virginia Squires |score1= 107

|team2= New York Nets|score2= 118

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204260NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 22–31 |Q2= 30–32 |Q3= 25–29 |Q4= 30–26

|points1= Julius Erving 27 |points2= Rick Barry 33

|rebounds1=Julius Erving 23|rebounds2= Billy Paultz 12

|assist1=Fatty Taylor 5|assist2= Bill Melchionni 8

|attendance= 11,164

|series= Series tied, 2–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=April 29 |place=Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia

|team1= New York Nets|score1= 107

|team2=Virginia Squires |score2= 116

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197204290VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 28–26 |Q2= 23–33 |Q3= 26–29 |Q4= 30–28

|points1= Rick Barry 34 |points2= Ray Scott 26

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 16 |rebounds2= Julius Erving 32

|assist1=Bill Melchionni 5 |assist2= Julius Erving 8

|attendance= 6,309

|series= Virginia leads series, 3–2

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg= |date= May 1|place= Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1= Virginia Squires |score2= 136

|team2=New York Nets |score1= 146

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205010NYA.html Box score]

|Q1= 32–36 |Q2= 27–37 |Q3= 31–28 |Q4= 46–45

|points1= Julius Erving 34|points2= Rick Barry 43

|rebounds1=Julius Erving 10 |rebounds2= Billy Paultz 14

|assist1=Julius Erving 7 |assist2=Bill Melchionni 9

|attendance= 11,152

|series= Series tied, 3–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 4 |place= Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia

|team1=New York Nets |score1= 94

|team2=Virginia Squires |score2= 88

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205040VIR.html Box score]

|Q1= 23–21 |Q2= 25–23 |Q3= 27–27 |Q4= 19–17

|points1= Rick Barry 27 |points2= Julius Erving 35

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 24 |rebounds2=Julius Erving 20

|assist1=Bill Melchionni 7|assist2= Fatty Taylor 5

|attendance= 10,410

|series= New York wins series, 4–3

}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 6 |time= |place=Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana

|team1=New York Nets |score1=103

|team2=Indiana Pacers |score2=124

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205060INA.html Box score]

|Q1=25–31 |Q2=31–22|Q3=22–35|Q4=25–36

|points1=Rick Barry 34 |points2=Freddie Lewis 33

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 13 |rebounds2=George McGinnis 22

|assist1=Melchionni, Roche 5 each |assist2=Billy Keller 4

|attendance= 7,483

|referee=

|series=Indiana leads series, 1–0

}}

The two teams battled to a tough first half that saw New York lead by one point (56-55) at the half, but the Pacers took control late in the third quarter. The two teams were tied at 74 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter before Freddie Lewis started a rally for the Pacers with a three-point shot that was followed by made shots by Mel Daniels and company before Rick Mount made it 88-78 before the quarter ended with his made shot. The Pacers held on from there as Lewis led the Pacers in scoring with 33.{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-sunday-herald-may-07-1972-p-25/ |first=Jim|last=Bailey|title=Pacers Bury Nets, 124-103, In Championship Opener|work=Anderson Sunday Herald|date=May 7, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|date=May 9 |time= |place=Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1=New York Nets |score1=117

|team2=Indiana Pacers |score2=115

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205090INA.html Box score]

|Q1=27–27 |Q2=32–28 |Q3=34–28 |Q4=24–32

|points1=Rick Barry 29 |points2=McGinnis, Brown 22 each

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 15 |rebounds2=George McGinnis 11

|assist1=Bill Melchionni 7 |assist2=Billy Keller 6

|attendance=10,079

|referee=

|series=Series tied, 1–1

}}

This was the first home game played by the Pacers at the Coliseum in 26 days, as the venue had hosted circus and tennis events since the Pacers had won the First Round series. Bill Melchionni, fresh from recovering from a broken bone in his hand that had knocked him out until midway through the second round of the playoffs, contributed 26 points as the Nets withstood a late rally. The Nets led at halftime and were dominating the second half, even leading 114-99 with under five minutes to play before the Pacers scored sixteen straight points to actually take a one-point lead with 1:40 to go. Both teams kept missing shots down the line, with Rick Mount missing a quick shot after taking the rebound that saw the Nets quickly recover it and get it to Rick Barry, who scored from 14 feet out to give the Nets the lead with 27 seconds remaining. The Pacers then went down the court and missed before Barry was then fouled with little time to go. Barry made just one free throw before the Pacers got a last-second chance in the midcourt, where Mel Daniels missed a turnaround jumper that skidded off the rim that gave the Nets the victory.{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-daily-freeman-may-10-1972-p-41/ |agency=Associated Press|title=ABA Home Courts No Real Advantage|work=Kingston Daily Freeman|date=May 10, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-10-1972-p-56/|first=Don |last=Cronin |title=Melchionni ignite NY to tie ABA title series|work=Anderson Herald Bulletin|date=May 10, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 12 |time= |place=Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1= 114

|team2=New York Nets |score2=108

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205120NYA.html Box score]

|Q1=29–29 |Q2=25–23 |Q3=36–32 |Q4=24–24

|points1=George McGinnis 30 |points2=Rick Barry 44

|rebounds1=George McGinnis 20 |rebounds2=Trooper Washington 15

|assist1=Freddie Lewis 7 |assist2=Bill Melchionni 7

|attendance= 15,241

|referee=

|series=Indiana leads series, 2–1

}}

The efforts of rookie George McGinnis in Game 3 led Nets coach Lou Carnesecca to call him a "champion" type of heavy-weight contender. McGinnis (nursing a jammed finger on his left hand) scored 30 points and led the game in rebounds with 20, with nine of his points being in the first five minutes of the third quarter that saw Indiana take permanent control of the lead. Rick Barry led the game in scoring for the Nets with 44 (24 in the first half), but he went 8-of-13 from the free throw line despite leading the league in the category, while his teammate John Roche went 1-of-7 from the line. {{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-13-1972-p-30/ |agency=Associated Press|title=Pacers win third game behind rook McGinnis|work=Anderson Herald Bulletin|date=May 13, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox||date=May 15 |time= |place=Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1=105

|team2=New York Nets |score2=110

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205150NYA.html Box score]

|Q1=24–31 |Q2=35–23 |Q3=25–24 |Q4=21–32

|points1=Freddie Lewis 22 |points2=Billy Paultz 30

|rebounds1=George McGinnis 16 |rebounds2=Billy Paultz 18

|assist1=Freddie Lewis 7 |assist2=Rick Barry 9

|attendance=15,870

|referee=

|series=Series tied, 2–2

}}

Billy Paultz took control for the Nets, scoring 18 rebounds and 30 points while Rick Barry led the way in nine assists to go with 26 points as the aggressive defense of the Nets limited the Pacers to having no scorer with more than 23 points. Ollie Taylor gave New York the lead for good with his driving shot with just eight minutes to go in the game. {{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/canandaigua-daily-messenger-may-16-1972-p-7/ |agency=UPI|title=Nets Square It With Pacers 110-105|work=Canandaigua Daily Messenger|date=May 16, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 18 |time= |place=Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana

|team1=New York Nets|score1=99

|team2=Indiana Pacers |score2=100

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205180INA.html Box score]

|Q1=33–15|Q2=19–22 |Q3=20–34 |Q4=27–29

|points1=Rick Barry 33 |points2=Lewis, Keller 22 each

|rebounds1=Billy Paultz 15 |rebounds2=George McGinnis 14

|assist1=John Roche 5 |assist2=Billy Keller 8

|attendance= 10,079

|referee=John Vanak, Mark Schafman

|series=Indiana leads series, 3–2

}}

The Nets took advantage of poor shooting from Indiana to lead 33-15 and rode it to a 15-point halftime lead. However, the Pacers went on a 17-4 run to narrow the deficit in a matter of under four minutes. The Nets led by four with 27 seconds to go with Rick Barry making free throws, but Billy Keller hit a three-pointer (his fourth of the game) to narrow it to one with :17 to go. The Pacers got the ball back and free throws with Freddie Lewis managing to make two of them to give Indiana the lead with nine seconds to go. The Nets saw their inbound pass go through Barry's hands as Indiana clinched the victory.{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-19-1972-p-18/ |first=Kevin|last=Lane|title=Keller's bombs ignite Indiana to 3-2 margin|work=Anderson Herald Bulletin|date=May 19, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

{{Basketballbox|date=May 20 |time= |place=Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

|team1=Indiana Pacers |score1=108

|team2=New York Nets |score2=105

|report=[https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197205200NYA.html Box score]

|Q1=28–28 |Q2=28–28 |Q3=32–24 |Q4=20–25

|points1=Roger Brown 32 |points2=Melchionni, Barry 23 each

|rebounds1=Mel Daniels 12|rebounds2=Billy Paultz 14

|assist1=Billy Keller 7|assist2=Melchionni, Barry 7 each

|attendance= 10,434

|referee=

|series=Indiana wins series, 4–2

}}

Roger Brown contributed a game-high 32 points as the Pacers rode an energetic third quarter that turned a tied game at halftime to a lead of 11 at one point. The two teams were tied at halftime because Indiana went on a 21-9 run in the last seven minutes in the first half. The Pacers led by nine with less than six minutes to go before they had to hold off the Nets narrowing it late, with Brown scoring a three-pointer to give Indiana a seven-point lead with a minute to go. Bill Melchionni tried a desperation three-pointer with time expiring that just missed the basket. The Pacers became the first ABA team to win multiple championships.{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-sunday-herald-may-21-1972-p-25/ |agency=Associated Press|title=Indiana Captures ABA Championship|work=Anderson Sunday Herald|date=May 21, 1972 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}

Less than a month later, a series of events led to Rick Barry never playing for the Nets again. On June 23, 1972, a United States District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction to prohibit Barry from playing for any team other than the Golden State Warriors after his contract with the Nets ended, due to a 5-year contract signed in 1969. On October 6, 1972, the Nets released Barry and he returned to the Warriors.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/24/archives/judge-orders-nets-barry-to-honor-5year-warriors-pact-he-signed-in.html|title=Judge Orders Nets' Barry to Honor 5-Year Warriors' Pact He Signed in 1969|work=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press |date=June 24, 1972 |access-date=2023-07-07|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920123437/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/24/archives/judge-orders-nets-barry-to-honor-5year-warriors-pact-he-signed-in.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/232771|title=Rick Barry Returns To The Warriors|publisher=KRON-TV|website=diva.sfsu.edu|access-date=2019-07-12|archive-date=July 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712231000/https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/232771|url-status=live}}

Three members of the Pacers eventually made the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Mel Daniels (2012), Roger Brown (2013), George McGinnis (2017), to go along with Rick Barry for the Nets (1987) while both head coaches from the series in Lou Carnesecca (1992) and Bobby Leonard (2014) also were later inducted.

{{Portal|Sports}}

{{Portal|Sports}}

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-3}}

Points

1. Rick Barry - 554
2. John Roche - 425
3. Roger Brown - 409
4. Freddie Lewis - 383
5. Julius Erving - 366

Rebounds

1. Mel Daniels - 302
2. Billy Paultz - 288
3. George McGinnis - 227
4. Julius Erving - 224
5. Trooper Washington - 173

{{Col-3}}

Assists

1. Freddie Lewis - 87
2. John Roche - 84
3. Billy Keller - 84
4. Roger Brown - 81
5. Julius Erving - 72

Minutes

1. Roger Brown - 845
2. Billy Paultz - 809
3. Freddie Lewis - 805
4. John Roche - 763
5. Rick Barry - 749

{{Col-end}}

{{Clear}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141028055342/http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1972Playoffs.html RememberTheABA.com page on 1972 ABA playoffs]
• [https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/ABA_1972.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1972 ABA Playoffs page]

{{ABA seasons}}

{{Indiana Pacers 1971–72 ABA Champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1972 Aba Playoffs}}

Playoffs

Category:American Basketball Association playoffs