The 1970–71 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's fourth season in the American Basketball Association and fourth as a team. Entering this season, the Pacers sought to repeat as champions of the entire ABA, as well as remain in the state of Indiana so that they would be financially stable enough to showcase that a champion team in the ABA can stay intact and not move elsewhere for various reasons. This season saw the Pacers come close to matching their best record at the time with a 58–26 record helping solidify them as the Western Division champions by the end of the regular season. In the 1971 ABA Playoffs, the Pacers would sweep the Memphis Pros, but ultimately lose a seven-game series to the eventual champion Utah Stars (who would get their revenge after losing the 1970 ABA Playoffs' championship match in what turned out to their last games played under the original Los Angeles Stars name); for the next few seasons after that, the Stars would become bitter divisional rivals with the Pacers during their ABA tenure before the Utah franchise eventually folded operations by December 1975 during what later became the final ABA season played.
ABA Draft
Player School/Club teamDennis AwtreySanta ClaraVince FritzOregon StateSurry OliverStephen F. AustinDon CurnuttMiamiRick EricksonWashington StateBilly JonesLouisiana CollegeJerry KrollDavidsonBob RileyMt. St. Mary'sHeyward DotsonColumbiaMickey FosterArizonaSeaburn HillArizona StateTed HillerySt. Joseph's (IN)Jeff SewellMarquette
Roster
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Season standings Western Division Team W L Pct.Indiana Pacers5826.690Utah Stars5727.679Memphis Pros4143.488Texas Chaparrals3054.357Denver Rockets3054.357
Awards, records, and honors Mel Daniels (averaged 21.0 points, 18.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) won the ABA MVP award for the second time in four years; he last won the award in the 1968–69 ABA season. Mel Daniels also won the ABA All-Star Game MVP
ABA All-Stars Roger Brown Mel Daniels Bob Netolicky
Team leaders Stat Player Average per gamePointsMel Daniels21.0AssistsBill Keller and Freddie Lewis5.3ReboundsMel Daniels18.0(4.8 offensive and 13.2 defensive rebounds)FG%Donald Sidle.548MinutesRoger Brown41.0
ABA Playoffs ABA Western Division Semifinals vs Memphis Pros Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 2 Indiana 114–98 1–0 7,562 2 April 3 Indiana 106–104 2–0 8,701 3 April 5 Memphis 91–90 3–0 4,107 4 April 7 Memphis 102–101 4–0 3,681 Pacers win series, 4–0
ABA Western Division Finals vs Utah Stars Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 12 Indiana 118–120 0–1 7,734 2 April 14 Indiana 120–107 1–1 9,458 3 April 17 Utah 107–121 1–2 12,711 4 April 20 Utah 99–126 1–3 12,761 5 April 22 Indiana 127–109 2–3 8,279 6 April 24 Utah 105–102 3–3 13,208 7 April 28 Indiana 101–108 3–4 11,202 Pacers lose series, 4–3
References