The 1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season was the very first season of the ABA and the team alike. The Pipers finished first in the Eastern Division and won their first and only ABA title.

In the Eastern Division semifinals, the Pipers swept the Indiana Pacers in three games. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Pipers eliminated the Minnesota Muskies, in five games. The Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers appeared in the ABA Championships for the first time and were defeated by the Pipers in seven games. The Pipers would soon move to Minnesota for the next season, only to return a year later. Plaguing injuries nagged the team and bad ownership problems following a future rebranding into the Pittsburgh Condors for the rest of their brief tenure in Pittsburgh, as they would disband in 1972, only four years after winning the title. The Pipers hold a legacy as the first ABA champion along with Pittsburgh's only professional basketball champion.

Roster

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Season standings + Team W L PCT. GB Pittsburgh Pipers * 54 24 .692 — Minnesota Muskies * 50 28 .641 4 Indiana Pacers * 38 40 .487 16 Kentucky Colonels * 36 42 .462 18 New Jersey Americans 36 42 .462 18

ABA Playoffs ABA Eastern Division Semifinals Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 March 25 Pittsburgh 146–127 1–0 2,189 2 March 26 Indiana 121–108 2–03,684 3 March 27 Pittsburgh 133–114 3–03,141 Pipers win series, 3–0

ABA Division Finals Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 4 Pittsburgh 125–117 1–0 3,159 2 April 6 Pittsburgh 123–137 1–1 2,123 3 April 10 Minnesota 107–99 2–1 8,357 4 April 13 Minnesota 117–108 3–1 3,787 5 April 14 Pittsburgh 114–105 4–1 3,350 Pipers win series, 4–1

ABA Finals Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 18 Pittsburgh 120–112 1–0 2,665 2 April 20 Pittsburgh 100–109 1–1 3,877 3 April 24 New Orleans 101–109 1–2 6,300 4 April 25 New Orleans 106–105 (OT) 2–2 7,000 5 April 27 Pittsburgh 108–111 2–3 3,347 6 May 1 New Orleans 118–112 3–3 7,200 7 May 4 Pittsburgh 122–113 4–3 11,457 Pipers win championship series, 4–3

In six out of the 15 playoff games he played, Connie Hawkins was the lead scorer. As such, he was named Playoffs MVP. Hawkins would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. As it turned out, this would be his only championship.

Awards, records, and honors 1968 ABA All-Star Game Connie Hawkins Chico Vaughn Most Valuable Player Connie Hawkins

References