The 1974–75 San Diego Conquistadors season was the third and final full season of play for the Conquistadors in the American Basketball Association. While the team was finally was able to play in the San Diego Sports Arena due to the franchise being able to resolve something with proprietor Peter Graham by this time, the Conquistadors still floundered both on the court and in the box office, with Wilt Chamberlain having left the team's coaching staff after the previous season due to his increasing lack of care in being a head coach without playing basketball on his end. They finished fifth in points per game at 109.9, but worst in points allowed at 115.5 per game. One of the most notable games they played was against the New York Nets in a quadruple-overtime game on February 14, winning what would become the highest-scoring game in ABA history in a 176–166 final score (which would be the highest-scoring professional basketball game overall (either in the ABA or NBA) until the Detroit Pistons (who previously won the lowest-scoring game in NBA history back when they were the Fort Wayne Pistons) defeated the Denver Nuggets in a 186–184 triple-overtime game in the NBA on December 13, 1983). A victory over the Virginia Squires (the worst team of the entire ABA not just during this season, but arguably all time in terms of seasons completed at this time) on March 12 turned out to be their last, as they would lose 11 straight games to end the season, finishing the Western Division dead last and failing to make it to the 1975 ABA Playoffs by 7 games. After this season ended, Frank Goldberg (who formerly held ownership interest in the Denver Nuggets) bought the San Diego Conquistadors, assuming the $2 million in team debt that was held at that point in time. Goldberg soon renamed the team for the upcoming season, with the team now becoming the San Diego Sails for what would have later become the ABA's final season of play. However, the Sails would ultimately fold only 11 games into that brief season of theirs.
ABA Draft
Round Pick Player Position(s) Nationality College 1 3 Major Jones PF United States Albany State 1 8 Cliff Pondexter PF United States Long Beach State 2 13 Gus Bailey SG/SF United States UTEP 4 33 Richie O'Connor G United States Fairfield 5 44 Greg Lee PG United States UCLA 6 53 Richard Wallace G United States Georgia Southern College 7 64 Leon Benbow SG United States Jacksonville 8 73 Daniel Anderson PG United States USC 9 84 Stan Washington PG United States San Diego 10 93 Marques Johnson SF United States UCLA The alternating draft picks after the third round relates to them tying the Denver Rockets (now Denver Nuggets) in terms of records last season. Also, this draft table does not include the "ABA Draft of NBA Players" done immediately afterward.
ABA Draft of NBA Players Round Pick Player Position(s) Nationality College NBA Team 1 4 Cazzie Russell SF United States Michigan Golden State Warriors 2 13 Sidney Wicks PF United States UCLA Portland Trail Blazers 3 24 Curtis Rowe PF United States UCLA Detroit Pistons 4 33 Gail Goodrich SG United States UCLA Los Angeles Lakers 5 44 Connie Hawkins PF/C United States Iowa Los Angeles Lakers The "ABA Draft of NBA Players" that was done on April 17, 1974 happened immediately after the actual ABA Draft done for this season was concluded on that day. None of the five players drafted by the Conquistadors would report to the team this season, though Connie Hawkins previously played a couple of seasons with the formerly existing Pittsburgh/Minnesota Pipers before being unbanned by the NBA (with his prior banning relating to alleged involvement with Jack Molinas in the 1961 NCAA University Division men's basketball gambling scandal during his freshman year at the University of Iowa when he didn't play college basketball whatsoever there) and signing a deal with that league's Phoenix Suns in 1969. Incidentally, Hawkins would also join Gail Goodrich as the only selections by the Conquistadors there to become future members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Roster
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Final standings Western Division + Team W L PCT. GB Denver Nuggets 65 19 .774 - San Antonio Spurs 5133.607 14 Indiana Pacers 45 39 .536 20 Utah Stars 38 46 .452 27 San Diego Conquistadors 31 53 .369 34
Awards and honors 1975 ABA All-Star Game selection (game played on January 28, 1975) Caldwell Jones
References
External links RememberTheABA.com 1974–75 regular season and playoff results San Diego Conquistadors page