1972 ABA playoffs

Basketball competition August 2023 ABA playoffs 1972 1971–72 March 31 – May 20, 1972 8 Indiana Pacers 2 New York Nets Virginia Squires Utah Stars 1971 1973 The 1972 ABA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1971–72 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Nets, four games to two in the 1972 ABA Finals. Notable events 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. Bracket Division Semifinals Division Finals ABA Finals Western Division Eastern Division 1 Utah Stars 4 3 Dallas Chaparrals 0 4 Denver Rockets 3 2 Indiana Pacers 4 1 Kentucky Colonels 2 3 New York Nets 4 4 The Floridians 0 2 Virginia Squires 4 1 Utah Stars 3 2 Indiana Pacers 4 3 New York Nets 4 2 Virginia Squires 3 W2 Indiana Pacers 4 E3 New York Nets 2 Division Semifinals Western Division Semifinals (1) Utah Stars vs. (3) Dallas Chaparrals #eee April 1 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Dallas Chaparrals 96 Utah Stars 106 Box score 26–20 21–28 21–32 28–26 Steve "Snapper" Jones 22 Jimmy Jones 27 George Johnson 11 Zelmo Beaty 17 George Johnson 5 Jones, Combs 5 each 8,783 Utah leads series, 1–0 April 3 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Dallas Chaparrals 107 Utah Stars 113 Box score 24–28 36–26 30–30 17–29 Donnie Freeman 36 Willie Wise 36 Collis Jones 12 Zelmo Beaty 14 Joe Hamilton 5 Jimmy Jones 9 9,121 Utah leads series, 2–0 #eee April 5 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Utah Stars 96 Dallas Chaparrals 89 Box score 26–17 24–24 20–23 26–25 Willie Wise 25 Donnie Freeman 21 Willie Wise 16 Rich Jones 12 Willie Wise 4 Rich Jones 5 4,076 Utah leads series, 3–0 April 7 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Utah Stars 103 Dallas Chaparrals 99 Box score 26–25 29–29 25–18 23–27 Ron Boone 21 Donnie Freeman 30 Willie Wise 16 S. Jones, R. Jones 7 each Jimmy Jones 4 Joe Hamilton 5 3,918 Utah wins series, 4–0 (2) Indiana Pacers vs. (4) Denver Rockets #eee March 31 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Denver Rockets 96 Indiana Pacers 102 Box score 25–20 24–26 23–30 24–26 Ralph Simpson 26 Roger Brown 28 Dave Robisch 17 Mel Daniels 18 Larry Brown 4 Brown, Lewis 4 each 6,103 Indiana leads series, 1–0 April 1 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Denver Rockets 106 Indiana Pacers 105 Box score 27–22 30–33 23–31 26–19 Ralph Simpson 32 Billy Keller 31 Byron Beck 13 George McGinnis 15 Ralph Simpson 4 George McGinnis 8 6,521 Series tied 1–1 #eee April 4 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Indiana Pacers 122 Denver Rockets 120 Box score 26–26 35–23 26–36 23–25 12–10 Roger Brown 30 Ralph Simpson 33 Mel Daniels 19 Julius Keye 19 Freddie Lewis 7 Ralph Simpson 6 5,304 Indiana leads series, 2–1 April 6 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Indiana Pacers 96 Denver Rockets 112 Box score 24–30 24–25 22–24 26–33 Freddie Lewis 33 Simpson, Beck 28 each George McGinnis 16 Julius Keye 20 Freddie Lewis 5 Larry Brown 7 6,109 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 8 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Denver Rockets 79 Indiana Pacers 91 Box score 19–24 15–16 22–30 23–31 Ralph Simpson 19 Billy Keller 25 Julius Keye 17 Mel Daniels 20 Simpson, Keye 2 each Roger Brown 5 9,428 Indiana leads series, 3–2 April 9 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Indiana Pacers 99 Denver Rockets 106 Box score 18–24 27–27 25–30 29–25 Mel Daniels 26 Byron Beck 24 Mel Daniels 23 Julius Keye 18 Freddie Lewis 9 Larry Brown 8 5,815 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 13 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Denver Rockets 89 Indiana Pacers 91 Box score 21–22 25–22 20–31 23–16 Ralph Simpson 30 Brown, Lewis 20 each Julius Keye 18 Mel Daniels 20 Larry Brown 7 Roger Brown 7 8,643 Indiana wins series, 4–3 Eastern Division Semifinals (1) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) New York Nets #eee April 1 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky New York Nets 122 Kentucky Colonels 108 Box score 23–23 31–29 36–24 32–32 Rick Barry 50 Artis Gilmore 30 Billy Paultz 16 Artis Gilmore 18 John Roche 8 Louie Dampier 8 4,772 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-02-1972-5031126/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ Nets Shock Colonels Kingston Sunday Freeman April 2, 1972 UPI April 4 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky New York Nets 105 Kentucky Colonels 90 Box score 26–17 26–17 28–29 25–27 Rick Barry 35 Dan Issel 22 Billy Paultz 16 Artis Gilmore 16 Washington, Roche 7 each Gilmore, Dampier 5 each 8,212 New York leads series, 2–0 #eee April 5 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Kentucky Colonels 105 New York Nets 99 Box score 23–31 30–19 33–26 19–23 Gilmore, Simon 25 Rick Barry 39 Artis Gilmore 22 Billy Paultz 14 Louie Dampier 6 John Roche 6 14,056 New York leads series, 2–1 April 7 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Kentucky Colonels 92 New York Nets 100 Box score 22–30 28–16 23–25 19–29 Dan Issel 28 John Roche 38 Artis Gilmore 13 Billy Paultz 17 Louie Dampier 6 Washington, Roche 5 each 14,091 New York leads series, 3–1 #eee April 8 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky New York Nets 93 Kentucky Colonels 109 Box score 17–22 20–22 27–33 29–32 John Roche 26 Dan Issel 24 Billy Paultz 11 Artis Gilmore 19 John Roche 9 Louie Dampier 16 7,949 New York leads series, 3–2 April 10 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Kentucky Colonels 96 New York Nets 101 Box score 24–26 24–31 28–23 20–21 Artis Gilmore 24 John Roche 32 Artis Gilmore 18 Billy Paultz 19 Louie Dampier 4 Ollie Taylor 8 11,533 New York wins series, 4–2 (2) Virginia Squires vs. (4) The Floridians #eee March 31 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia The Floridians 107 Virginia Squires 114 Box score 24–26 29–26 20–23 26–24 8–15 Jabali, Long 22 each Julius Erving 32 Jabali, Long 17 each Julius Erving 19 Warren Jabali 7 Julius Erving 8 3,770 Virginia leads series, 1–0 April 1 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia The Floridians 100 Virginia Squires 125 Box score 19–26 25–33 30–36 26–30 Willie Long 22 Julius Erving 27 Warren Jabali 13 Julius Erving 17 Long, Tucker, Calvin 3 each Julius Erving 7 2,921 Virginia leads series, 2–0 #eee April 4 Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Virginia Squires 118 The Floridians 113 Box score 31–34 30–29 30–25 27–25 Julius Erving 53 Mack Calvin 27 Julius Erving 14 Jabali, Raymond 12 each Julius Erving 6 Jabali, Calvin 8 each 2,965 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.https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19720405.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-April+5%2C+1972-------# Irving's 53 Points Ties Playoff Record In ABA Suffolk News-Herald UPI April 5, 1972 April 5, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-06-1972-5031052/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ Squires Expected To Put End To Sad History of Floridians Danville Bee Associated Press April 6, 1972 April 13, 2025 April 6 Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Virginia Squires 115 The Floridians 106 Box score 28–31 29–21 29–21 29–33 Julius Erving 39 Mack Calvin 23 Julius Erving 27 Ron Franz 11 Erving, Taylor 5 each Mack Calvin 10 3,117 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.https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=SNH19720405.1.12&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-April+5%2C+1972-------# Irving's 53 Points Ties Playoff Record In ABA Suffolk News-Herald UPI April 5, 1972 April 5, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-apr-07-1972-5031131/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ Squires Sweep Floridians Winchester Evening Star Associated Press April 7, 1972 April 14, 2025 Division Finals Western Division Finals (1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers #eee April 15 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 100 Utah Stars 108 Box score 28–23 28–35 25–24 19–26 George McGinnis 31 Jimmy Jones 25 Mel Daniels 17 Red Robbins 16 George McGinnis 6 Jimmy Jones 8 9,854 Utah leads series, 1–0 April 17 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 109 Utah Stars 117 Box score 27–25 28–29 24–34 30–29 George McGinnis 28 Willie Wise 30 George McGinnis 20 Zelmo Beaty 25 McGinnis, Brown 7 each Jimmy Jones 10 11,780 Utah leads series, 2–0 #eee April 19 Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana Utah Stars 111 Indiana Pacers 116 Box score 24–28 26–23 26–32 35–33 Willie Wise 19 Roger Brown 30 Zelmo Beaty 12 Mel Daniels 19 Boone, Jackson 5 each Brown, Lewis 5 each 7,489 Utah leads series, 2–1 April 22 Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana Utah Stars 108 Indiana Pacers 118 Box score 26–24 29–30 31–36 22–28 Jimmy Jones 26 Roger Brown 27 Willie Wise 15 McGinnis, Daniels 13 each Jimmy Jones 6 Billy Keller 8 13,007 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 24 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 130 Utah Stars 139 Box score 33–40 28–38 28–36 41–25 Mel Daniels 29 Willie Wise 34 Mel Daniels 17 Willie Wise 13 Billy Keller 11 Jimmy Jones 11 12,526 Utah leads series, 3–2 April 26 Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana Utah Stars 99 Indiana Pacers 105 Box score 31–26 24–27 23–27 21–25 Willie Wise 30 Mel Daniels 20 Zelmo Beaty 13 Mel Daniels 18 Jimmy Jones 7 Roger Brown 4 8,103 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 1 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 117 Utah Stars 113 Box score 30–29 29–26 32–30 26–28 Roger Brown 27 Willie Wise 26 Mel Daniels 15 Wise, Beaty 11 each Freddie Lewis 6 Willie Wise 7 12,724 Indiana wins series, 4–3 Eastern Division Finals (2) Virginia Squires vs. (3) New York Nets #eee April 13 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia New York Nets 91 Virginia Squires 138 Box score 22–28 13–34 24–42 32–34 John Roche 26 Julius Erving 26 Billy Paultz 15 Julius Erving 20 John Roche 3 Julius Erving 15 5,526 Virginia leads series, 1–0 April 15 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia New York Nets 106 Virginia Squires 115 Box score 30–28 25–31 26–30 25–26 Rick Barry 29 Julius Erving 38 Billy Paultz 14 Julius Erving 20 Ollie Taylor 7 Julius Erving 7 10,410 Virginia leads series, 2–0 #eee April 24 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Virginia Squires 117 New York Nets 119 Box score 33–37 34–31 26–27 24–24 Julius Erving 31 Roche, Barry 25 each Julius Erving 22 Billy Paultz 14 Erving, Eakins, Moe 5 each Barry, Melchionni, Roche 5 each 11,893 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).Pluto Terry 1990 Loose Balls Simon & Schuster 229 978-1-4165-4061-8 April 26 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Virginia Squires 107 New York Nets 118 Box score 22–31 30–32 25–29 30–26 Julius Erving 27 Rick Barry 33 Julius Erving 23 Billy Paultz 12 Fatty Taylor 5 Bill Melchionni 8 11,164 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 29 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia New York Nets 107 Virginia Squires 116 Box score 28–26 23–33 26–29 30–28 Rick Barry 34 Ray Scott 26 Billy Paultz 16 Julius Erving 32 Bill Melchionni 5 Julius Erving 8 6,309 Virginia leads series, 3–2 May 1 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Virginia Squires 136 New York Nets 146 Box score 32–36 27–37 31–28 46–45 Julius Erving 34 Rick Barry 43 Julius Erving 10 Billy Paultz 14 Julius Erving 7 Bill Melchionni 9 11,152 Series tied, 3–3 #eee May 4 Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia New York Nets 94 Virginia Squires 88 Box score 23–21 25–23 27–27 19–17 Rick Barry 27 Julius Erving 35 Billy Paultz 24 Julius Erving 20 Bill Melchionni 7 Fatty Taylor 5 10,410 New York wins series, 4–3 ABA Finals: (E3) New York Nets vs. (W2) Indiana Pacers #eee May 6 Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana New York Nets 103 Indiana Pacers 124 Box score 25–31 31–22 22–35 25–36 Rick Barry 34 Freddie Lewis 33 Billy Paultz 13 George McGinnis 22 Melchionni, Roche 5 each Billy Keller 4 7,483 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-sunday-herald-may-07-1972-p-25/ Jim Bailey Pacers Bury Nets, 124-103, In Championship Opener Anderson Sunday Herald May 7, 1972 April 7, 2025 May 9 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana New York Nets 117 Indiana Pacers 115 Box score 27–27 32–28 34–28 24–32 Rick Barry 29 McGinnis, Brown 22 each Billy Paultz 15 George McGinnis 11 Bill Melchionni 7 Billy Keller 6 10,079 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-daily-freeman-may-10-1972-p-41/ Associated Press ABA Home Courts No Real Advantage Kingston Daily Freeman May 10, 1972 April 7, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-10-1972-p-56/ Don Cronin Melchionni ignite NY to tie ABA title series Anderson Herald Bulletin May 10, 1972 April 7, 2025 #eee May 12 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Indiana Pacers 114 New York Nets 108 Box score 29–29 25–23 36–32 24–24 George McGinnis 30 Rick Barry 44 George McGinnis 20 Trooper Washington 15 Freddie Lewis 7 Bill Melchionni 7 15,241 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-13-1972-p-30/ Associated Press Pacers win third game behind rook McGinnis Anderson Herald Bulletin May 13, 1972 April 7, 2025 May 15 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Indiana Pacers 105 New York Nets 110 Box score 24–31 35–23 25–24 21–32 Freddie Lewis 22 Billy Paultz 30 George McGinnis 16 Billy Paultz 18 Freddie Lewis 7 Rick Barry 9 15,870 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/canandaigua-daily-messenger-may-16-1972-p-7/ UPI Nets Square It With Pacers 110-105 Canandaigua Daily Messenger May 16, 1972 April 7, 2025 #eee May 18 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana New York Nets 99 Indiana Pacers 100 Box score 33–15 19–22 20–34 27–29 Rick Barry 33 Lewis, Keller 22 each Billy Paultz 15 George McGinnis 14 John Roche 5 Billy Keller 8 10,079 John Vanak, Mark Schafman 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-herald-bulletin-may-19-1972-p-18/ Kevin Lane Keller's bombs ignite Indiana to 3-2 margin Anderson Herald Bulletin May 19, 1972 April 7, 2025 May 20 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Indiana Pacers 108 New York Nets 105 Box score 28–28 28–28 32–24 20–25 Roger Brown 32 Melchionni, Barry 23 each Mel Daniels 12 Billy Paultz 14 Billy Keller 7 Melchionni, Barry 7 each 10,434 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.https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-sunday-herald-may-21-1972-p-25/ Associated Press Indiana Captures ABA Championship Anderson Sunday Herald May 21, 1972 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.https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/24/archives/judge-orders-nets-barry-to-honor-5year-warriors-pact-he-signed-in.html Judge Orders Nets' Barry to Honor 5-Year Warriors' Pact He Signed in 1969 The New York Times Associated Press June 24, 1972 2023-07-07 September 20, 2020 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 livehttps://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/232771 Rick Barry Returns To The Warriors KRON-TV diva.sfsu.edu 2019-07-12 July 12, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190712231000/https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/232771 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. Sports Statistical leaders Category Total AveragePlayer Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played Points Rick Barry New York Nets 554 Julius Erving Virginia Squires 33.3 11 Rebounds Mel Daniels Indiana Pacers 302 Julius Erving Virginia Squires 20.4 11 Assists Freddie Lewis Indiana Pacers 87 Louie Dampier Kentucky Colonels 7.5 6 Total leaders Points Rick Barry - 554 John Roche - 425 Roger Brown - 409 Freddie Lewis - 383 Julius Erving - 366 Rebounds Mel Daniels - 302 Billy Paultz - 288 George McGinnis - 227 Julius Erving - 224 Trooper Washington - 173 Assists Freddie Lewis - 87 John Roche - 84 Billy Keller - 84 Roger Brown - 81 Julius Erving - 72 Minutes Roger Brown - 845 Billy Paultz - 809 Freddie Lewis - 805 John Roche - 763 Rick Barry - 749 References External links RememberTheABA.com page on 1972 ABA playoffs Basketball-Reference.com's 1972 ABA Playoffs page Playoffs Category:American Basketball Association playoffs