The 1970–71 Memphis Pros season was the first season of the Pros in the American Basketball Association after three seasons in New Orleans as the Buccaneers, with P.L. Blake of Mississippi buying the team on August 21, 1970, and moving the team 10 days later to Memphis. Due to having to reuse the Bucs' jerseys with a name that would fit the four letters they had put on the home and road jerseys, the team was named "Pros". However the Pros had to deal with limited dates to book for games at the Mid-South Coliseum, with some of the games being played in Jackson, Mississippi. On October 20, 1970, the Pros played their first ever game, playing the New York Nets in Memphis, losing 108–103. The biggest losing streak was 8, coming near the end of the season, with them losing 20 out of their last 30 games. However, they sneaked into the playoffs, finishing third over the Texas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets by 11 games. The Pros finished dead last in points scored per game with 109.2, but finished first in points allowed at 109.9 per game. In the playoffs, they were swept by the Indiana Pacers.

Meanwhile, Blake had decided to let the league take over operations of the team less than midway through the season, claiming losses of $200,000. With the threat of the team being bought and relocated somewhere else, the city of Memphis attempted to save the team with a public offering named "Save the Pros" on February 12, 1971, in which people could buy stock certificates of either $5, $10, or $50. In total, over 4,000 people bought stock in the team. The plan worked, and the Pros would subsequently be owned by Memphis Area Sports Inc., a local group with a 24-member board of directors, instead.

Roster

Final standings Western Division Western DivisionWLPCTGBIndiana Pacers * 58 26 .690 —Utah Stars * 57 27 .679 1.0Memphis Pros * 41 43 .488 17.0Texas Chaparrals * 30 54 .357 28.0Denver Rockets 30 54 .357 28.0

ABA Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 2 | @ Indiana | L 98–114 | J. Jones, Williams (24) | W. Jones (14) | W. Jones (6) | Indiana Farmers Coliseum7,562 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 3 |@ Indiana | L 104–106 | Steve "Snapper" Jones (31) |Gerald Govan (20) | Govan, Ladner (6) | Indiana Farmers Coliseum 8,701 | 0–2

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | April 5 | Indiana | L 90–91 | Steve "Snapper" Jones (31) | Gerald Govan (15) | Govan, W. Jones, J. Jones (5) | Mid-South Coliseum 4,107 | 0–3 |- |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | April 7 | Indiana | L 101–102 (OT) | Jimmy Jones (22) | Jimmy Jones (14) |Gerald Govan (8) | Mid-South Coliseum3,681 | 0–4

Awards and honors 1971 ABA All-Star Game selection (game played on January 23, 1971) Jimmy Jones Steve Jones Wendell Ladner

References

External links RememberTheABA.com 1970–71 regular season and playoff results Memphis Pros page