The 1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season was the first and only season of the Muskies in the newly created American Basketball Association. The team was created on February 2, 1967, for the price of $30,000 to L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson. The team was named after a nickname for the Muskellunge, which is a fish found in Minnesota. The team did well on the court, finishing second to the Pittsburgh Pipers in the Eastern Division. In the playoffs, they made it to the Division Finals, but the Muskies lost in 5 games to the Pipers. However, this proved to be the only season for the Muskies due to them losing money (reportedly $400,000) with middling attendance in relation to minimal season tickets purchased. (In the five playoff games played in Minnesota, they averaged 3,511 in attendance, with the highest being 8,357 for Game 3 of the Division Finals and the lowest being 661 for Game 1 of the Semifinals.) A plan to play 9 games in their following season within other places around Minnesota and a television contract for them were both curtailed, and the Muskies moved to Miami on May 24, 1968 to become the Miami Floridians. However, basketball in Minnesota would not be curtailed for long, as the inaugural champion Pittsburgh Pipers moved to play in the same location in that same season the Muskies moved to Miami to become the Floridians going forward.
Roster
Final standings Eastern Division + Team W L PCT. GB Pittsburgh Pipers C 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 24 Minnesota 115–102 1–0 661 2 March 26 Minnesota 95–100 1–1 3,874 3 March 27 Kentucky 116–107 2–1 1,458 4 March 29 Kentucky 86–94 2–2 4,472 5 March 30 Minnesota 114–108 3–2 879 Muskies win series 3–2
ABA Eastern Division Finals Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 4 Pittsburgh 117–125 0–1 3,159 2 April 6 Pittsburgh 137–123 1–1 2,123 3 April 10 Minnesota 99–107 1–2 8,357 4 April 13 Minnesota 108–117 1–3 3,787 5 April 14 Pittsburgh 105–114 1–4 3,350 Muskies lose series, 4–1
Awards and honors 1968 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 9, 1968) Mel Daniels Donnie Freeman Les Hunter
Jim Pollard was selected to coach the Eastern Division squad.
References
Muskies on Basketball Reference
External links RememberTheABA.com 1967-68 regular season and playoff results RememberTheABA.com Minnesota Muskies page