1970–71 Memphis Pros season

August 2023 Memphis Pros ABA 1971 P.L. Blake (early on)Memphis Area Sports, Inc. Charles Cavagnaro 41 43 ABA 3rd Babe McCarthy Mid-South Coliseum Division Semifinals(lost to Pacers 0–4) New Orleans Buccaneers The 1970–71 Memphis Pros season was the first season of the Pros in the American Basketball Association after three seasons in New Orleans as the Buccaneers, with P.L. Blake of Mississippi buying the team on August 21, 1970, and moving the team 10 days later to Memphis. Due to having to reuse the Bucs' jerseys with a name that would fit the four letters they had put on the home and road jerseys, the team was named "Pros". However the Pros had to deal with limited dates to book for games at the Mid-South Coliseum, with some of the games being played in Jackson, Mississippi. On October 20, 1970, the Pros played their first ever game, playing the New York Nets in Memphis, losing 108–103. The biggest losing streak was 8, coming near the end of the season, with them losing 20 out of their last 30 games. However, they sneaked into the playoffs, finishing third over the Texas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets by 11 games. The Pros finished dead last in points scored per game with 109.2, but finished first in points allowed at 109.9 per game. In the playoffs, they were swept by the Indiana Pacers.https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MMP/1971_games.html 1970-71 Memphis Pros Schedule and Results Meanwhile, Blake had decided to let the league take over operations of the team less than midway through the season, claiming losses of $200,000. With the threat of the team being bought and relocated somewhere else, the city of Memphis attempted to save the team with a public offering named "Save the Pros" on February 12, 1971, in which people could buy stock certificates of either $5, $10, or $50. In total, over 4,000 people bought stock in the team. The plan worked, and the Pros would subsequently be owned by Memphis Area Sports Inc., a local group with a 24-member board of directors, instead. Roster Memphis Pros 1970–71 #D50032 #FFFFFF #041E42 #D50032 22 Al Cueto C 6 7 230 August 2, 1946 Tulsa 34 Lee Davis PF 6 8 235 October 11, 1945 NC Central 12 Coby Dietrick C 6 10 220 July 23, 1948 San Jose State 25 Gerald Govan C 6 10 220 January 2, 1942 Saint Mary of the Plains College 15 Jimmy Jones basketball PG 6 4 188 January 1, 1945 Grambling State University 23 Steve Jones basketball SG 6 5 205 October 17, 1942 Oregon 11 Wil Jones basketball, born 1947 PF 6 8 205 February 27, 1947 Albany State University 33 Wendell Ladner SF 6 5 220 1948-10-06 Southern Miss 32 Craig Raymond C 6 11 235 April 5, 1945 BYU 24 Skeeter Swift SG 6 3 204 East Tennessee State June 19, 1946 21 Bob Warren SG 6 5 basketball 190 July 17, 1946 Vanderbilt 10 Charlie Williams basketball PG 6 0 165 September 5, 1943 Seattle University Babe McCarthy https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MMP/1971.html Final standings Western Division Western DivisionWLPCTGBIndiana Pacers * 58 26 .690 —Utah Stars * 57 27 .679 1.0Memphis Pros * 41 43 .488 17.0Texas Chaparrals * 30 54 .357 28.0Denver Rockets 30 54 .357 28.0 ABA Playoffs Memphis Pros 1971 yes #D50032 #FFFFFF Memphis Pros ABA Eastern Division Semifinals yes no yes #041E42 #FFFFFF 0 2 0 2 yes |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 2 | @ Indiana | L 98–114 | J. Jones, Williams (24) | W. Jones (14) | W. Jones (6) | Indiana Farmers Coliseum7,562 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 3 |@ Indiana | L 104–106 | Steve "Snapper" Jones (31) |Gerald Govan (20) | Govan, Ladner (6) | Indiana Farmers Coliseum 8,701 | 0–2 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | April 5 | Indiana | L 90–91 | Steve "Snapper" Jones (31) | Gerald Govan (15) | Govan, W. Jones, J. Jones (5) | Mid-South Coliseum 4,107 | 0–3 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | April 7 | Indiana | L 101–102 (OT) | Jimmy Jones (22) | Jimmy Jones (14) |Gerald Govan (8) | Mid-South Coliseum3,681 | 0–4 TEX 1971 yes Awards and honors 1971 ABA All-Star Game selection (game played on January 23, 1971) Jimmy Jones Steve Jones Wendell Ladner References External links RememberTheABA.com 1970–71 regular season and playoff results Memphis Pros page Memphis Pros Memphis Pros, 1970-71 Memphis Pros, 1970-71 Category:Basketball in Tennessee