1969 ABA playoffs

Basketball competition August 2023 ABA playoffs 1969 1968–69 April 5 – May 7, 1969 8 Oakland Oaks 1 Indiana Pacers Miami Floridians New Orleans Buccaneers 1968 1970 The 1969 ABA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1968–69 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Oakland Oaks defeating the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals. Warren Jabali of the Oaks was named the Playoff MVP. Notable events The Oakland Oaks won the ABA championship after finishing with the league's best record during the regular season (60–18, .769). The Pittsburgh Pipers had accomplished the same feat the year prior. Rick Barry, now eligible to play for the Oaks after being forced to sit out the previous season, averaged 34.0 points during the regular season. However, Barry only played 35 regular season games before injuring a knee and missing the playoffs. The Oaks, like the Pittsburgh Pipers before them, did not play in the following season as the same team. The Oakland Oaks became the Washington Caps for the 1969–1970 ABA season; the Pittsburgh Pipers had become the Minnesota Pipers after winning the ABA championship the prior season. The Oaks' 60–18 (.769) record in this season was the best in ABA history until the Kentucky Colonels finished the 1971–1972 season with a record of 68–16 (.810), a record that was never surpassed. Warren Jabali of Oakland was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs. Bracket Division Semifinals Division Finals ABA Finals Western Division Eastern Division 1 Oakland Oaks 4 3 Denver Rockets 3 4 Dallas Chaparrals 3 2 New Orleans Buccaneers 4 1 Indiana Pacers 4 3 Kentucky Colonels 3 4 Minnesota Pipers 3 2 Miami Floridians 4 1 Oakland Oaks 4 2 New Orleans Bucs 0 1 Indiana Pacers 4 2 Miami Floridians 1 W1 Oakland Oaks 4 E1 Indiana Pacers 1 Division Semifinals Division Semifinals (1) Oakland Oaks vs. (3) Denver Rockets #eee April 5 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Denver Rockets 99 Oakland Oaks 129 Box score 22–30 35–36 21–30 21–33 Wayne Hightower 23 Warren Jabali 28 Ken Wilburn 12 Ira Harge 17 Beck, Jones 4 each Jabali, Moe, Critchfield 4 each 2,358 Oakland leads series, 1–0 April 6 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Denver Rockets 122 Oakland Oaks 119 Box score 31–26 24–32 41–22 26–39 Larry Jones 31 Warren Jabali 33 Byron Beck 17 Ira Harge 15 Jeff Congdon 10 Brown, Logan 5 each 1,580 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 8 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Oakland Oaks 121 Denver Rockets 99 Box score 33–31 38–16 22–28 28–24 Warren Jabali 42 Larry Jones 28 Warren Jabali 15 Jones, Piatkowski 8 each Larry Brown 4 Jeff Congdon 5 5,062 Oakland leads series, 2–1 April 10 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Oakland Oaks 108 Denver Rockets 109 Box score 26–22 28–30 23–34 31–23 Warren Jabali 24 Lonnie Wright 23 Gary Bradds 16 Julian Hammond 10 Larry Brown 6 Larry Jones 8 5,431 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 12 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Denver Rockets 118 Oakland Oaks 128 Box score 25–34 26–33 31–34 36–27 Byron Beck 21 Warren Jabali 34 Byron Beck 14 Warren Jabali 14 Larry Jones 5 Moe, Brown, Logan 3 each 3,156 Oakland leads series, 3–2 April 13 Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Oakland Oaks 115 Denver Rockets 126 Box score 16–32 32–35 31–30 36–29 Warren Jabali 20 Larry Jones 33 Ira Harge 12 Wright, Jones 11 each Larry Brown 5 Jones, Hightower, Congdon 4 each 6,841 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 16 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Denver Rockets 102 Oakland Oaks 115 Box score 27–35 29–24 19–20 27–36 Wayne Hightower 23 Doug Moe 28 Wayne Hightower 14 Ira Harge 16 Jeff Congdon 9 Larry Brown 6 5,123 Oakland wins series, 4–3 (2) New Orleans Buccaneers vs. (4) Dallas Chaparrals #eee April 5 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Dallas Chaparrals 106 New Orleans Buccaneers 129 Box score 20–38 25–30 25–22 36–39 Glen Combs 21 Jimmy Jones 22 Manny Leaks 9 Red Robbins 14 3,765 New Orleans leads series, 1–0 April 7 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Dallas Chaparrals 108 New Orleans Buccaneers 122 Box score 23–34 32–35 24–20 29–33 Glen Combs 24 Jimmy Jones 45 Bedell, Leaks, Beasley 8 each Red Robbins 18 3,525 New Orleans leads series, 2–0 #eee April 10 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas New Orleans Buccaneers 106 Dallas Chaparrals 130 Box score 20–31 26–27 28–39 32–33 Red Robbins 29 Cincy Powell 26 Red Robbins 14 John Beasley 14 2,887 New Orleans leads series, 2–1 April 12 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas New Orleans Buccaneers 114 Dallas Chaparrals 107 Box score 25–28 31–35 31–21 27–23 Jimmy Jones 29 Beasley, Powell 20 each Red Robbins 13 Manny Leaks 12 5,482 New Orleans leads series, 3–1 #eee April 14 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Dallas Chaparrals 123 New Orleans Buccaneers 112 Box score 34–32 34–21 34–35 21–24 Cincy Powell 31 Jimmy Jones 37 Cincy Powell 18 Robbins, Govan 12 each 4,517 New Orleans leads series, 3–2 April 15 Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas New Orleans Buccaneers 118 Dallas Chaparrals 136 Box score 26–27 17–34 34–35 41–40 Jimmy Jones 21 Glen Combs 40 Red Robbins 13 John Beasley 15 4,366 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 17 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Dallas Chaparrals 95 New Orleans Buccaneers 101 Box score 22–24 23–27 24–29 26–21 Cincy Powell 24 Jimmy Jones 27 John Beasley 14 Red Robbins 24 5,823 New Orleans wins series, 4–3 Eastern Division Semifinals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels #eee Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Kentucky Colonels 128 Indiana Pacers 118 Box score 30–25 22–32 38–30 38–31 Darel Carrier 40 Roger Brown 38 Gene Moore 21 Mel Daniels 16 Louie Dampier 3 Bobby Hooper 6 6,319 Kentucky leads series, 1–0 This was the first time that the Pacers and Colonels (separated by roughly just over 100 miles from Interstate 65) played each other in the postseason. As it turned out, they would play each other four more times in the next eight years. April 9 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Kentucky Colonels 115 Indiana Pacers 120 Box score 29–29 24–30 23–28 39–33 Louie Dampier 31 Roger Brown 35 Gene Moore 13 Bob Netolicky 12 Louie Dampier 4 Freddie Lewis 5 6,789 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 10 Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Indiana Pacers 111 Kentucky Colonels 130 Box score 27–34 25–30 29–33 30–33 Mel Daniels 23 Darel Carrier 34 Roger Brown 15 Gene Moore 18 Roger Brown 6 Louie Dampier 10 4,235 Kentucky leads series, 2–1 April 13 Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Indiana Pacers 104 Kentucky Colonels 105 Box score 27–23 21–21 22–24 24–26 10–11 Freddie Lewis 26 Darel Carrier 24 Mel Daniels 19 Jim Ligon 19 Freddie Lewis 5 Carrier, Dampier 6 each 3,079 Kentucky leads series, 3–1 #eee April 14 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Kentucky Colonels 97 Indiana Pacers 116 Box score 19–26 27–26 32–28 19–36 Darel Carrier 21 Bob Netolicky 35 Jim Ligon 14 Mel Daniels 24 Darel Carrier 3 Freddie Lewis 8 5,612 Kentucky leads series, 3–2 April 15 Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Indiana Pacers 107 Kentucky Colonels 89 Box score 32–26 27–22 28–24 20–17 Roger Brown 25 Louie Dampier 27 Bob Netolicky 15 Gene Moore 22 Lewis, Thacker 5 each Ligon, Rascoe, Caldwell, Dampier 2 each 4,633 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 17 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Kentucky Colonels 111 Indiana Pacers 120 Box score 32–32 25–27 27–35 27–26 Louie Dampier 26 Bob Netolicky 32 Gene Moore 12 Bob Netolicky 16 Ligon, Carrier 3 each Brown, Lewis 3 each 11,005 Indiana wins series, 4–3 This was the first and only time in ABA history that a team overcame a 3–1 deficit to win a playoff series. (2) Miami Floridians vs. (4) Minnesota Pipers #eee April 7 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Minnesota Pipers 110 Miami Floridians 119 Box score 23–30 22–22 28–36 37–31 Steve Vacendak 28 Donnie Freeman 33 Connie Hawkins 14 Skip Thoren 12 4,103 Miami leads series, 1–0 April 9 West Palm Beach Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida Minnesota Pipers 106 Miami Floridians 99 Box score 21–24 31–16 25–31 29–28 Connie Hawkins 26 Donnie Freeman 21 Trooper Washington 20 Skip Thoren14 1,688 Series tied, 1–1 #eee April 10 Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Miami Floridians 93 Minnesota Pipers 109 Box score 20–30 22–30 28–15 23–34 Donnie Freeman 20 Steve Vacendak 23 Willie Murrell 10 Trooper Washington 20 1,520 Minnesota leads series, 2–1 April 12 Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Miami Floridians 116 Minnesota Pipers 109 Box score 29–28 26–27 33–27 28–27 Willie Murrell 27 Connie Hawkins 28 Skip Thoren 26 Art Heyman 10 2,532 Series tied, 2–2 #eee April 13 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Minnesota Pipers 107 Miami Floridians 122 Box score 26–32 20–29 40–33 21–28 Connie Hawkins 24 Willie Murrell 29 Connie Hawkins 15 Skip Thoren 21 4,206 Miami leads series, 3–2 April 15 Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Miami Floridians 100 Minnesota Pipers 105 Box score 22–30 25–30 25–17 28–28 Skip Thoren 19 Connie Hawkins 33 Les Hunter 13 Connie Hawkins 20 1,345 Series tied, 3–3 #eee April 19 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Minnesota Pipers 128 Miami Floridians 137 Box score 26–29 19–35 44–40 39–33 Charlie Williams 31 Donnie Freeman 32 Connie Hawkins 13 Skip Thoren 16 5,072 Miami wins series, 4–3 Division Finals Western Division Finals (1) Oakland Oaks vs. (2) New Orleans Buccaneers #eee April 19 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California New Orleans Buccaneers 118 Oakland Oaks 128 Box score 30–30 30–29 35–39 23–30 Jimmy Jones 45 Henry Logan 30 Robbins, Govan 13 each Ira Harge 18 Jimmy Jones 8 Henry Logan 3 2,848 Oakland leads series, 1–0 April 21 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California New Orleans Buccaneers 124 Oakland Oaks 135 Box score 30–31 37–38 29–41 28–25 Jimmy Jones 31 Gary Bradds 33 Red Robbins 19 Warren Jabali 16 Jimmy Jones 7 Larry Brown 8 1,749 Oakland leads series, 2–0 #eee April 23 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Oakland Oaks 113 New Orleans Buccaneers 107 Box score 22–26 28–24 28–33 35–24 Gary Bradds 33 S. Jones, J. Jones 26 each Gary Bradds 14 Red Robbins 27 Ira Harge 3 Jimmy Jones 8 4,253 Oakland leads series, 3–0 April 25 Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Oakland Oaks 128 New Orleans Buccaneers 114 Box score 28–27 45–38 25–29 30–20 Warren Jabali 27 Jimmy Jones 27 Jim Eakins 14 Gerald Govan 12 Warren Jabali 5 3,583 Oakland wins series, 4–0 Eastern Division Finals (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Miami Floridians #eee April 20 Boxscore Miami Floridians 110 Indiana Pacers 126 18–28 24–32 22–38 46–28 Don Sidle 28 Les Hunter 20 Hunter, McHartley, Anderson 4 each Mel Daniels 32 Mel Daniels 14 Tom Thacker 10 Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana 8,721 Indiana leads series, 1–0 Due to the Fairgrounds being booked for the circus, the Pacers played 35 miles down the road in Anderson, Indiana.https://vault.si.com/vault/1969/04/28/solid-hit-in-the-funny-league https://web.archive.org/web/20210624125759/https://vault.si.com/vault/1969/04/28/solid-hit-in-the-funny-league dead June 24, 2021 Solid hit in the funny league Sports Illustrated April 28, 1969 April 22 Boxscore Miami Floridians 116 Indiana Pacers 131 29–22 27–34 25–38 35–37 Freeman, McHartley 22 each Hunter 13 Maurice McHartley 6 Roger Brown 33 Bob Netolicky 19 Freddie Lewis 7 Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana 7,243 Indiana leads series, 2–0 #eee April 23 Boxscore Indiana Pacers 119 Miami Floridians 105 37–27 27–25 28–31 27–22 Freddie Lewis 33 Daniels, Peeples 9 each Tom Thacker 11 Donnie Freeman 23 Skip Thoren 15 Willie Murrell 5 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida 2,112 Indiana leads series, 3–0 April 25 Boxscore Miami Floridians 110 Indiana Pacers 114 33–24 22–26 27–34 28–30 Roger Brown 44 Daniels, Netolicky 12 each Tom Thacker 10 Don Sidle 27 Sidle, Thoren 10 each Maurice McHartley 9 Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida 2,846 Indiana leads series, 3–1 #eee April 26 Boxscore Miami Floridians 105 Indiana Pacers 127 20–28 32–32 29–34 24–33 Donnie Freeman 26 Don Sidle 13 Maurice McHartley 4 Freddie Lewis 35 Bob Netolicky 10 Tom Thacker 8 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana 3,528 Indiana wins series, 4–1 ABA Finals: (W1) Oakland Oaks vs. (E1) Indiana Pacers #eee April 30 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Indiana Pacers 85 Oakland Oaks 89 Box score 32–36 28–28 20–28 34–31 Bob Netolicky 33 Gary Bradds 40 Mel Daniels 18 Gary Bradds 17 Tom Thacker 4 Larry Brown 9 3,290 Oakland leads series, 1–0 In the second half of the season, Gary Bradds had taken over for an injured Rick Barry and acquired the nickname of "super sub". In Game 1, the "super sub" scored 40 points while going 16-of-25 with a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line as Oakland's fast break offense eventually pressed over Indiana in the final quarter.https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-01-1969-5015289/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ 'Super Sub' Leads Oaks Albuquerque Tribune AP May 1, 1969 April 5, 2025 May 2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Indiana Pacers 150 Oakland Oaks 122 Box score 133–32 40–18 36–35 41–37 Roger Brown 39 Warren Jabali 31 Bob Netolicky 15 Warren Jabali 15 Bobby Hooper 7 Larry Brown 5 4,171 Series tied, 1–1 The trio of Roger Brown, Bob Netolicky, and Freddie Lewis scored 110 points as the Pacers ran rough-shod over Oakland, scoring 40 points in the second quarter to lead by 23 at halftime. League MVP Mel Daniels had gone to the bench at the end of the first quarter with four fouls that led to their coach going to Netolicky to play center for the next two quarters, which resulted in him scoring 36 points. The Pacers won their first game over Oakland this year, having lost all six regular season matchups that year.https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-03-1969-5015294/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ Pacers Top Oakland Terre Haute Tribune UPI May 3, 1969 April 5, 2025 #eee May 3 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Oakland Oaks 134 Indiana Pacers 126 Box score 26–30 33–27 33–31 26–30 16–8 Warren Jabali 37 Brown, Daniels 29 each Ira Harge 22 Bob Netolicky 19 Larry Brown 8 Freddie Lewis 9 8,467 Ron Rakel, Andy Hershock Oakland leads series, 2–1 A tight game saw 14 ties and a few lead changes that saw Oakland lead by six with just seven minutes to go before Freddie Lewis stoked a 10–0 run to give them a 109–105 lead. With the Pacers leading 117–115, Roger Brown had a chance at the free-throw line to give them a bigger lead. However, he could only make one free throw and Gary Bradds recovered the rebound on the last miss and called time out to give Oakland the ball at the backcourt of Indiana with time expiring. Warren Jabali then posted up for a three-pointer and hit from over 25 feet out to send the game into overtime (he had just made two of his last 16 shots from the three-line). The teams traded baskets in overtime before Oakland finally pulled away. With the score 126–125, Doug Moe hit two free throws before Jabali then hit a 22-foot shot to increase the lead to five as the Oaks eventually won by eight.Dave Newhouse https://newspaperarchive.com/sunday-oakland-tribune-may-04-1969-p-47/ Oaks Pull One Out Sunday Oakland Tribune May 4, 1969 April 5, 2025Doug Moe https://from-way-downtown.com/2023/01/03/doug-moe-the-game-ill-never-forget-1969/ The Game I'll Never Forget Basketball Digest January 1981 April 5, 2025 Fans in Indiana were so emotional at the defeat that they apparently focused their attention on referees Ron Rakel and Andy Hershock and raised hands at them, with Rakel getting a cut lip.Dave Newhouse https://newspaperarchive.com/sunday-oakland-tribune-may-04-1969-p-48/ Oaks Come Back From The Brink Sunday Oakland Tribune May 4, 1969 April 5, 2025 May 5 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Oakland Oaks 144 Indiana Pacers 117 Box score 33–22 36–37 41–21 34–37 Warren Jabali 30 John Fairchild 18 Gary Bradds 19 Netolicky, Daniels 9 each Larry Brown 7 Bobby Hooper 11 7,133 Oakland leads series, 3–1 The two teams exchanged leads seven times in the first eight minutes before Doug Moe pulled Oakland ahead for good with a shot to make it 17–16 as Oakland would proceed to lead by 10 at halftime and by 30 at the close of the third quarter.https://newspaperarchive.com/sports-clipping-may-06-1969-5015295/?utm_source=newspaperarchive&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=share_link&utm_content=newspaper_clipping/ Oaks Run It Up 144-117 The Argus UPI May 6, 1969 April 5, 2025 #eee May 7 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Indiana Pacers 131 Oakland Oaks 135 Box score 28–31 30–33 30–31 34–27 9–13 Freddie Lewis 33 Warren Jabali 39 Mel Daniels 25 Ira Harge 14 Freddie Lewis 7 Larry Brown 7 6,340 Oakland wins series, 4–1 Over 6,000 fans watched a climatic finish, among the biggest crowds attracted to see an Oaks game. The game went into overtime after Warren Jabali could only make one free throw to give Oakland a two-point lead before Ron Perry made two-of-three free throws (after being fouled by Ira Harge on a three-pointer shot) to create overtime. The Oaks, leading 131–130, were then boosted by Doug Moe making two free throws before getting the ball back after Roger Brown missed a shot before the ball eventually made it to Larry Brown, who was fouled with 14 seconds remaining to sink two more free throws to clinch the game.Dave Newhouse https://newspaperarchive.com/oakland-tribune-may-08-1969-p-37/ Oaks Predict a Long Reign Oakland Tribune May 8, 1969 April 5, 2025Dave Newhouse https://www.marinij.com/2020/05/07/on-this-date-1969-oakland-oaks-win-aba-championship/ On this Date, 1969: Oakland Oaks win ABA championship Oakland Tribune May 8, 1969 April 5, 2025 Following the conclusion of the championship series, the Oaks were slated to have been the first ABA champion to ask for a competitive championship match against the NBA champions, which became the Boston Celtics. However, the Celtics would immediately reject to the idea, though the notion of the ABA champion asking the NBA champion to compete against each other to find out who the ultimate champion in the sport of basketball would supposedly continue beyond the Oaks with every other ABA champion presumably trying and failing to get a championship match-up to go down between each other, with the most famous attempt occurring in 1975. The game turned out to be the last one played in Oakland. On August 21, 1969, the team was sold to Earl Foreman, who moved the team to Washington, D.C. in the summer despite owners Ken Davidson and Pat Boone saying differently in the title celebration (Rick Barry, who did not play the ABA Finals due to injury, claimed that Boone told him that the Oaks would never leave Oakland).George Ross https://newspaperarchive.com/oakland-tribune-aug-21-1969-p-37/ Oaks Fight To the End Oakland Tribune August 21, 1969 April 5, 2025Rick Barry https://from-way-downtown.com/2024/03/10/rick-barry-why-i-want-out-of-the-aba-1970/ Why I Want Out of the ABA Sport April 1970 April 5, 2025 It was later revealed in the book Loose Balls that the championship ring that was acquired by the Oaks' owners was accidentally written on a blank check as $1.5 million for his bank to spend on, which also helped lead to the Oaks franchise being sold off to Foreman that year. Sports Statistical leaders Category Total AveragePlayer Team Total Player Team Avg. Games played Points Warren Jabali Oakland Oaks 460 Jimmy Jones New Orleans Buccaneers 30.2 11 Rebounds Mel Daniels Indiana Pacers 237 Red Robbins New Orleans Buccaneers 15.9 15 Assists Larry Brown Oakland Oaks 87 Larry Brown Oakland Oaks 5.4 11 Total leaders Points Warren Jabali - 460 Roger Brown - 459 Freddie Lewis - 409 Bob Netolicky - 383 Mel Daniels - 333 Rebounds Mel Daniels - 237 Bob Netolicky - 214 Warren Jabali - 207 Ira Harge - 192 Red Robbins - 175 Assists Larry Brown - 87 Freddie Lewis - 79 Tom Thacker - 69 Jimmy Jones - 59 Roger Brown - 57 Minutes Freddie Lewis - 727 Bob Netolicky - 702 Roger Brown - 668 Warren Jabali - 662 Doug Moe - 593 References External links RememberTheABA.com page on 1969 ABA playoffs Basketball-Reference.com's 1969 ABA Playoffs page Playoffs Category:American Basketball Association playoffs