1971 ABA playoffs

Postseason tournament August 2023 ABA playoffs 1971 1970–71 April 2 – May 18, 1971 8 Utah Stars 1 Kentucky Colonels Virginia Squires Indiana Pacers 1970 1972 The 1971 ABA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970–71 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA finals. Notable events There was a one-game playoff for fourth place in the Western Division because the Texas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets had tied with regular season records of 30–54. The game was played on April 1 and the Chaparrals won 115–109. This was the first season in ABA history in which the team with the best regular season record did not win the ABA championship. The Indiana Pacers had the league's best record during this season at 58–26 (.690), putting them one game ahead of the eventual league champion Utah Stars in the Western Division. This was also the first season in ABA history in which neither regular season division champion made it to the ABA finals. The second place Utah Stars represented the West while the Kentucky Colonels, second place in the East behind the Virginia Squires, met them in the finals. Game 3 of the Eastern Finals saw 287 total points scored. This was the most points scored in any ABA playoff game, and would be the most points scored in a playoff game in either the NBA or ABA until 1992, when the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns combined to score 304 total points in the Western Conference Semifinals that year (albeit with the need of a double-overtime session in mind). In the Finals, the home team won every game. 13,260 fans attended the decisive Game 7 of the ABA championship series between the Utah Stars and Kentucky Colonels at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 18, 1971. After the Stars won 131–121, the fans stormed the floor and mobbed the court for twenty minutes. Willie Wise and Zelmo Beaty rode off the floor carried upon the shoulders of Utah fans.Remember the ABA: Utah Stars https://web.archive.org/web/20081218181640/http://www.remembertheaba.com/Utah-Stars.html 2008-12-18 Zelmo Beaty was named the Most Valuable Player of the ABA Playoffs. Bracket Division semifinals Division finals ABA finals Western Division Eastern Division 1 Indiana Pacers 4 3 Memphis Pros 0 4 Texas Chaparrals 0 2 Utah Stars 4 1 Virginia Squires 4 3 New York Nets 2 4 The Floridians 2 2 Kentucky Colonels 4 1 Indiana Pacers 3 2 Utah Stars 4 1 Virginia Squires 2 2 Kentucky Colonels 4 W2 Utah Stars 4 E2 Kentucky Colonels 3 Western Division Tiebreaker Game #eee April 1 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Texas Chaparrals 115 Denver Rockets 109 Box score 30–18 18–32 31–29 36–30 Larry Cannon 18 Donnie Freeman 33 Julius Keye 23 Gene Moore 16 John Barnhill 6 Donnie Freeman 6 2,594 Texas wins tiebreaker Both teams won their regular season finales to set up a game for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Division; Denver had beaten Texas seven of twelve times in the regular season.https://newspaperarchive.com/childress-index-apr-01-1971-p-10/ Play-Off Spot Is Still Open in ABA Childress Index Associated Press April 1, 1971 April 7, 2025 The Chaparrals shot out to an early lead that went to 14 three times in the first quarter, but Denver fought back to lead by two at halftime. In the second half, the Rockets led by 5 at one point before Texas overcame their troubles on the scoring of Donnie Freeman (33) and Gene Moore (28). The two teams battled and were tied multiple times in the final six minutes before Freeman scored a layup with a foul shot to give the Chaparrals a 107–104 lead with 3:32 left that they would never relinquish.https://newspaperarchive.com/greeley-daily-tribune-apr-02-1971-p-21/ Chaps End Rockets' Year Steve Bauer Greeley Daily Tribune April 2, 1971 April 7, 2025 Division Semifinals Western Division Semifinals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Memphis Pros #eee April 2 Boxscore Memphis Pros 98 Indiana Pacers 114 24–28 31–27 19–30 24–29 Jones, Williams 24 each Wil Jones 14 Wil Jones 6 Roger Brown 26 Mel Daniels 18 Billy Keller 8 Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana 7,562 Indiana leads series, 1–0 April 3 Boxscore Memphis Pros 104 Indiana Pacers 106 25–22 28–28 29–25 22–31 Steve "Snapper" Jones 31 Gerald Govan 20 Govan, Ladner 6 each Mel Daniels 31 Mel Daniels 25 Billy Keller 7 Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana 8,701 Indiana leads series, 2–0 #eee April 5 Boxscore Indiana Pacers 91 Memphis Pros 90 21–24 23–24 23–26 24–16 Freddie Lewis 23 Mel Daniels 19 Brown, Lewis, Jabali 4 each Steve "Snapper" Jones 31 Gerald Govan 15 Govan, W. Jones, J. Jones 5 each Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee 4,107 Indiana leads series, 3–0 April 7 Boxscore Memphis Pros 101 Indiana Pacers 102 22–24 21–33 27–18 20–15 12–11 Mel Daniels 29 Mel Daniels 20 Freddie Lewis 8 Jimmy Jones 22 Jimmy Jones 14 Gerald Govan 8 Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee 3,681 Indiana wins series, 4–0 (2) Utah Stars vs. (4) Texas Chaparrals #eee April 2 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Texas Chaparrals 115 Utah Stars 125 Box score 26–30 34–36 33–32 22–27 Donnie Freeman 32 Mervin Jackson 26 John Beasley 11 Zelmo Beaty 18 Boone, Jackson 8 each 4,375 Utah leads series, 1–0 April 3 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Texas Chaparrals 107 Utah Stars 137 Box score 26–36 28–28 29–31 24–42 Donnie Freeman 23 Glen Combs 25 Croft, Moore 9 each Willie Wise 15 6,061 Utah leads series, 2–0 #eee April 4 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Utah Stars 113 Texas Chaparrals 101 Box score 22–20 35–29 30–30 26–22 Zelmo Beaty 32 Donnie Freeman 30 Zelmo Beaty 15 Gene Moore 15 4,675 Utah leads series, 3–0 April 6 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Utah Stars 128 Texas Chaparrals 107 Box score 27–22 27–35 35–23 39–27 Ron Boone 23 Levern Tart 31 Red Robbins 13 Gene Moore 18 3,666 Utah win series, 4–0 Eastern Division Semifinals (1) Virginia Squires vs. (3) New York Nets #eee April 2 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia New York Nets 105 Virginia Squires 113 Box score 26–17 28–36 24–28 27–32 Rick Barry 32 Mike Barrett 22 Billy Paultz 16 Jim Eakins 16 Bill Melchionni 12 Charlie Scott 10 6,149 Virginia leads series, 1–0 April 4 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia New York Nets 108 Virginia Squires 114 Box score 33–31 28–35 28–27 19–21 Rick Barry 32 Charlie Scott 29 Billy Paultz 16 George Carter 14 Bill Melchionni 11 Charlie Scott 9 7,143 Virginia leads series, 2–0 #eee April 6 Hofstra Physical Fitness Center, Hempstead, New York Virginia Squires 131 New York Nets 135 Box score 35–23 33–45 31–29 32–38 Scott, Barrett 27 each Rick Barry 43 Jim Eakins 11 Billy Paultz 20 Mike Barrett 7 Bill Melchionni 9 3,504 Virginia leads series, 2–1 Due to Island Garden being booked without expecting the Nets to reach the postseason, the Nets had to play their home playoff games in different locations.New York Nets Fan Memories (Page 1) https://web.archive.org/web/20111012163446/http://remembertheaba.com/FanMemories/NetsFanMemories1.html 2011-10-12 April 7 Hofstra Physical Fitness Center, Hempstead, New York Virginia Squires 127 New York Nets 130 Box score 36–34 37–30 18–35 36–31 George Carter 35 Bill Melchionni 35 Jim Eakins 13 Jim Ard 13 Doug Moe 6 Bill Melchionni 14 4,134 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 9 Richmond Arena, Richmond, Virginia New York Nets 124 Virginia Squires 127 Box score 30–30 32–36 36–34 26–27 Rick Barry 36 Mike Barrett 30 Billy Paultz 15 Carter, Scott 10 each Paultz, DePre, Melchionni 5 each Mike Barrett 6 4,250 Virginia leads series, 3–2 April 10 Felt Forum, New York City, New York Virginia Squires 118 New York Nets 114 Box score 34–35 30–27 24–27 30–25 Charlie Scott 38 Rick Barry 45 Johnson, Carter 9 each Rick Barry 17 Charlie Scott 6 Jeff Congdon 7 3,016 Virginia wins series, 4–2 (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (4) The Floridians #eee April 2 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky The Floridians 112 Kentucky Colonels 116 Box score 28–25 24–33 32–25 28–33 Larry Jones 25 Dan Issel 26 Ira Harge 12 Jim Ligon 16 Warren Davis 9 Louie Dampier 11 3,182 Kentucky leads series, 1–0 April 4 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky The Floridians 110 Kentucky Colonels 120 Box score 31–33 24–28 23–29 32–30 Mack Calvin 35 Louie Dampier 28 Ira Harge 19 Jim Ligon 15 Louie Dampier 8 3,881 Kentucky leads series, 2–0 #eee April 6 Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Kentucky Colonels 102 The Floridians 120 Box score 26–33 26–31 24–30 26–26 Les Hunter 21 Mack Calvin 24 Dan Issel 16 Ira Harge 18 Mack Calvin 12 4,126 Kentucky leads series, 2–1 April 8 Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Kentucky Colonels 117 The Floridians 129 Box score 28–31 22–30 36–38 31–30 Cincy Powell 31 Mack Calvin 34 Jim Ligon 18 Ira Harge 20 Mack Calvin 10 4,268 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 10 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky The Floridians 101 Kentucky Colonels 118 Box score 27–32 17–17 31–33 26–36 Mack Calvin 29 Darel Carrier 31 Ira Harge 10 Jim Ligon 14 Louie Dampier 18 4,996 Kentucky leads series, 3–2 April 12 Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Kentucky Colonels 112 The Floridians 103 Box score 28–22 29–31 33–20 22–30 Dan Issel 27 Calvin, Davis, Tucker 18 each Jim Ligon 20 Ira Harge 19 4,478 Kentucky wins series, 4–2 Division Finals Western Division Finals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Utah Stars #eee April 12 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Utah Stars 120 Indiana Pacers 118 Box score 31–38 34–31 30–26 25–23 Mervin Jackson 28 Mel Daniels 27 Zelmo Beaty 15 Mel Daniels 15 Willie Wise 9 Brown, Lewis 7 each 7,734 Utah leads series, 1–0 April 14 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Utah Stars 107 Indiana Pacers 120 Box score 40–33 17–25 24–33 26–29 Mervin Jackson 27 Billy Keller 31 Beaty, Robbins 12 each Mel Daniels 20 Ron Boone 5 Brown, Jabali, Lewis 6 each 9,458 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 17 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 108 Utah Stars 121 Box score 22–33 28–32 31–28 27–28 Roger Brown 23 Ron Boone 27 Mel Daniels 20 Zelmo Beaty 14 Billy Keller 10 Ron Boone 11 12,711 Utah leads series, 2–1 April 20 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 99 Utah Stars 126 Box score 13–33 23–20 22–37 41–36 Billy Keller 20 Zelmo Beaty 22 Mel Daniels 16 Zelmo Beaty 13 Jabali, Mount 4 each Mervin Jackson 12 12,761 Utah leads series, 3–1 #eee April 22 Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana Utah Stars 109 Indiana Pacers 127 Box score 30–28 19–39 26–26 34–34 Willie Wise 21 Bob Netolicky 29 Red Robbins 14 Mel Daniels 27 Willie Wise 8 Billy Keller 9 8,279 Utah leads series, 3–2 April 24 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana Pacers 105 Utah Stars 102 Box score 26–20 20–28 30–21 29–33 Billy Keller 28 Zelmo Beaty 32 Mel Daniels 15 Zelmo Beaty 20 Billy Keller 6 Ron Boone 8 13,208 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 28 Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Utah Stars 108 Indiana Pacers 101 Box score 27–27 17–24 41–23 23–27 Willie Wise 31 Billy Keller 33 Red Robbins 14 Mel Daniels 17 Mervin Jackson 10 Roger Brown 5 11,202 Utah wins series, 4–3 Eastern Division Finals (1) Virginia Squires vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels #eee April 15 Richmond Arena, Richmond, Virginia Kentucky Colonels 136 Virginia Squires 132 Box score 31–23 36–41 39–33 30–35 Dan Issel 46 Charlie Scott 35 Cincy Powell 18 George Carter 16 Louie Dampier 6 Charlie Scott 7 4,250 Kentucky leads series, 1–0 Issel scored 46 points, which was the most for a player in any game of the 1971 postseason, as the Colonels withstood a narrow second hand to win Game 1. April 17 Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, Norfolk, Virginia Kentucky Colonels 122 Virginia Squires 142 Box score 32–32 26–42 28–37 36–31 Dan Issel 32 Scott, Moe 28 each Dan Issel 10 Charlie Scott 9 Louie Dampier 7 Scott, Eakins 9 each 5,000 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 19 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Virginia Squires 150 Kentucky Colonels 137 Box score 34–35 36–41 39–30 41–31 C. Scott, R. Scott 30 each Dan Issel 27 Neil Johnson 11 Cincy Powell 27 Charlie Scott 13 Louie Dampier 9 4,777 Virginia leads series, 2–1 April 21 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Virginia Squires 110 Kentucky Colonels 128 Box score 35–34 25–29 24–35 26–30 Charlie Scott 30 Dan Issel 31 Neil Johnson 14 Jim Ligon 17 Fatty Taylor 4 Louie Dampier 11 5,221 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 23 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia Kentucky Colonels 117 Virginia Squires 105 Box score 28–27 38–26 19–27 30–27 Dan Issel 36 Doug Moe 29 Dan Issel 21 Neil Johnson 15 Louie Dampier 7 Scott, Barrett 7 each 10,013 Kentucky leads series, 3–2 April 24 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Virginia Squires 117 Kentucky Colonels 129 Box score 28–29 28–36 32–26 29–38 Carter, Moe 25 each Dan Issel 31 George Carter13 Jim Ligon 20 Charlie Scott 6 Louie Dampier 17 12,822 Kentucky wins series, 4–2 ABA Finals: (W2) Utah Stars vs. (E2) Kentucky Colonels #eee May 3 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Kentucky Colonels 117 Utah Stars 136 Box score 35–26 25–50 33–25 24–35 Darel Carrier 36 Beaty, Stone 26 each Cincy Powell 11 Zelmo Beaty 16 Jim Ligon 6 Mervin Jackson 9 12,051 Utah leads series, 1–0 Kentucky started the game with a rapid attack led by Dan Issel that had him score 17 points in the first 12 minutes as the Colonels led 32–19 at one point in the first quarter. Stars coach Bill Sharman decided to send in reserve George Stone into the game along with later sending in Ron Boone to get outside shooting strength that saw the two combined for 37 points as the Stars led by 16 at halftime. The Stars continued to roll with a defense and tough rebounding effort (outdoing them 59–56) as Zelmo Beaty and Stone led the Stars in scoring with 26 each. The 50 points scored in the second quarter set a league record for a playoff game.https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-examiner-may-04-1971-p-14/ Stone Ignites Stars to 136-117 Victory Ogden Standard Examiner UPI May 4, 1971 April 7, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/albuquerque-journal-may-04-1971-p-19/ Utah Beats Kentucky Albuquerque Journal AP May 4, 1971 April 7, 2025 May 5 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Kentucky Colonels 125 Utah Stars 138 Box score 28–37 34–28 29–32 34–41 Dan Issel 40 Zelmo Beaty 40 Dan Issel 11 Willie Wise 24 Dampier, Hunter 6 each Wise, Jackson 8 ach 13,208 Utah leads series, 2–0 In a game where both teams had a leading scorer with 40 points (Zelmo Beaty, Dan Issel), the Stars pulled a 2–0 series lead. Beaty went 18-of-23 while his teammate Willie Wise scored 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting with eight free throws to go with 24 rebounds and eight assists. Utah pulled away in the second quarter, never trailing after halftime; Utah shot 57 percent from the line while Kentucky could only muster 48 percent.https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-06-1971-p-32/ Steve Rudman Beaty Pours in 40 Points As Utah Gains 2-0 Edge Salt Lake Tribune May 6, 1971 April 7, 2025 #eee May 7 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Utah Stars 110 Kentucky Colonels 116 Box score 27–30 28–25 26–28 29–33 Willie Wise 29 Darel Carrier 25 Willie Wise 17 Issel, Powell, Ligon 17 each Willie Wise 5 Louie Dampier 11 12,337 Utah leads series, 2–1 Wracked with injuries to Merv Jackson (tendonitis) and Red Robbins (intestinal flu), the Stars were trounced by the Colonels in a game where Zelmo Beaty ran into foul trouble early as the trio of Cincy Powell, Dan Issel and Jim Ligon dominated on the boards with 17 rebounds each; the Colonels outrebounded the Stars (69–57), particularly on the offensive side (23–14).https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-08-1971-p-18/ Steve Rudman Colonels Gun Down Stars, 116-110 Salt Lake Tribune May 8, 1971 April 7, 2025 May 8 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Utah Stars 125 Kentucky Colonels 129 Box score 24–35 30–32 31–30 34–22 6–10 Willie Wise 34 Louie Dampier 33 Willie Wise 17 Jim Ligon 17 Ron Boone 8 Darel Carrier 6 9,863 Series tied, 2–2 The Colonels ran off into a 13-point lead at halftime after the Stars shot miserably, but Utah (still with a sore Jackson and sickened Robbins) managed to narrow it down to single digits with time expiring. Zelmo Beaty fouled out with less than five minutes remaining, while Robbins missed foul shots and a jumper that would've given Utah a late lead as the two teams went into overtime. The Colonels took control from there, with Carrier and Louie Dampier scoring and playing defense that saw them outscore Utah 10–6 to tie the series. Utah shot 41.8 percent from the field while Kentucky shot 45.9%. Willie Wise had 34 points to lead Utah while Dampier had 33.https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-09-1971-p-40/ Steve Rudman Colonels Clip Stars in Overtime, Even Series Salt Lake Tribune May 9, 1971 April 7, 2025 #eee May 12 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Kentucky Colonels 127 Utah Stars 137 Box score 25–34 31–41 32–29 39–33 Dan Issel 33 Zelmo Beaty 32 Issel, Powell 16 each Zelmo Beaty 22 Louie Dampier 11 Glen Combs 8 13,250 Joe Gushue, John Vanak Utah lead series 3–2 Utah rode a first half where they led by 19 on 53 percent shooting to coast to victory, with Zelmo Beaty scoring 32 on 11-of-21 from the field (with 10 free throws) while getting 22 rebounds and five assists. A skirmish broke out in the third quarter when Willie Wise and Cincy Powell tangled that saw both benches empty before Ron Boone managed to "bop" Powell; Boone received a technical and Powell received a personal foul as the game moved forward.https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-13-1971-p-23/ Steve Rudman Utah Stars Gallop Past Kentucky, 137-127 Salt Lake Tribune May 9, 1971 April 7, 2025 May 15 Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Utah Stars 102 Kentucky Colonels 105 Box score 24–31 25–27 34–23 19–24 Willie Wise 34 Cincy Powell 31 Zelmo Beaty 16 Cincy Powell 17 Mervin Jackson 4 Louie Dampier 10 11,793 Series tied, 3–3 Cincy Powell openly had stated he would "get Ron Boone" in the days leading up to Game 6. As it turned out, Powell would impact the game by leading the Colonels in scoring with 31 points on 14-of-23 shooting (with three free throws) while getting 17 rebounds as the home team once again won in the Finals. Utah shot barely over 40% from the field (while missing all nine three-point attempts) and were outrebounded as late fouls plagued them; the trio of Ron Boone, Merv Jackson and Glen Combs combined for just 20. Within two hours of the box office being opened at Salt Palace for a Game 7, every ticket had been purchased.https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-16-1971-p-33/ Steve Rudman Colonels Win; Force Salt Palace Showdown Salt Lake Tribune May 16, 1971 April 7, 2025 #eee May 18 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Kentucky Colonels 127 Utah Stars 131 Box score 32–28 22–33 36–37 31–33 Dan Issel 41 Zelmo Beaty 36 Cincy Powell 20 Willie Wise 20 Louie Dampier 14 Mervin Jackson 7 13,260 Utah wins series 4–3 A sellout crowd of 13,260 watched the game despite the game being broadcast locally in Utah. The Stars scored 10 of the first eleven points in the game, but Kentucky soon got hot and led by the end of the first quarter. Their biggest lead of the night was a seven-point lead early in the second quarter, but the Stars and Colonels both would trade the lead before Glen Combs gave the Stars a 41–40 lead. The Stars never trailed after the shot. Darel Carrier had 31 points for Kentucky, with three straight three-pointers near the end of the third quarter to help narrow the deficit. With 4:29 to go, Kentucky was down by just four after being down by as much as 14, but Willie Wise scored a layup with a made free throw to go along with Zelmo Beaty making a layup to give Utah a nine-point lead in just over a minute of play. The tough defense by Utah limited Kentucky to just 39 percent shooting while Beaty outrebounded Dan Issel in the battle of centers (16–12) to counteract the 41 points scored by Issel.https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-may-19-1971-p-41/ Steve Rudman Utah Stars Cap Meteoric Climb to ABA Crown Salt Lake Tribune May 19, 1971 April 7, 2025 Celebration spilled out of the 10,000-seat Salt Palace (where the fans actually swarmed the court) and into the streets of the state capital for jubilant Stars fans. It was the first professional sports championship for the state of Utah and the only one until MLS Cup 2009 by Real Salt Lake; it is still the only professional basketball championship in the state of Utah.https://www.ksl.com/article/40169012/here-come-the-stars-the-making-of-utahs-1st-pro-sports-championship Sean Walker Here Come the Stars: the making of Utah's 1st pro sports championship KSL.com June 11, 2016 April 7, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/provo-daily-herald-may-19-1971-p-7/ Joe Watts Stars Top Colonels for ABA Title 131-121 Provo Daily Herald May 19, 1971 April 7, 2025https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-daily-freeman-may-19-1971-p-35/ Utah Stars New ABA Champs Kingston Daily Freeman Associated Press May 19, 1971 April 7, 2025 Two members of the Stars would eventually be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Zelmo Beaty (2016) and head coach Bill Sharman (2004). This was the last game coached by Sharman with the Stars, as he elected to resign to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. He was replaced by LaDell Andersen. On June 20, Frank Ramsey (who had taken over for Gene Rhodes in the middle of the season as head coach) was fired by the Colonels and replaced by former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Joe Mullaney.https://newspaperarchive.com/corbin-times-tribune-jun-20-1971-p-3/ Associated Press Frank Ramsey Reported Fired As Colonel Coach Corbin Times Tribune June 20, 1971 April 7, 2025 Sports Statistical leaders Category Total AveragePlayer Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played Points Dan Issel Kentucky Colonels 534 Rick Barry New York Nets 33.7 6 Rebounds Zelmo Beaty Utah Stars 263 Mel Daniels Indiana Pacers 19.2 11 Assists Louie Dampier Kentucky Colonels 179 Louie Dampier Kentucky Colonels 9.4 19 Total leaders Points Dan Issel - 534 Zelmo Beaty - 418 Darel Carrier - 369 Willie Wise - 359 Cincy Powell - 350 Rebounds Zelmo Beaty - 263 Cincy Powell - 248 Dan Issel - 221 Willie Wise - 220 Jim Ligon - 219 Assists Louie Dampier - 179 Mervin Jackson - 109 Ron Boone - 94 Willie Wise - 82 Charlie Scott - 82 Minutes Louie Dampier - 828 Cincy Powell - 702 Zelmo Beaty - 698 Willie Wise - 691 Darel Carrier - 675 References External links RememberTheABA.com page on 1971 ABA playoffs Basketball-Reference.com's 1971 ABA Playoffs page Playoffs Category:American Basketball Association playoffs