The 1970–71 The Floridians season was the third season of American Basketball Association in Florida and first as The Floridians, after two seasons as the Miami Floridians, as well as their fourth season as a franchise when including their only season played as the Minnesota Muskies. In an attempt to appeal to the entire regional, game were played in five cities: Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach. New head owner Ned Doyle decided to get rid of the entire team, except the coach. The Floridians finished 9th in points scored at 114.0 per game, but 5th in points allowed at 115.6 per game. The team's biggest losing streak was 6, which happened less than a month after the season began, though a 5-game winning streak followed that. But by the first half of the season, they were 17–25, and Blitman was fired after they had lost their fifth straight game on January 14 to make them 18–30. One day later, Bob Bass was hired by the team after resigning from Texas Tech. The next day, he won his first game, versus the Utah Stars. A seven-game winning streak near the end of the season helped clinch a playoff spot for the team, with the key win being versus the Pittsburgh Condors on March 28, the penultimate game of the season played in Jacksonville, beating them 130–117 to eliminate Pittsburgh. In the Semifinals, they overcame a 2–0 hole to tie the series up, but the Kentucky Colonels won the next two games to win the series.
Roster
Final standings Eastern Division + Team W L PCT. GBVirginia Squires 55 29 .655 -Kentucky Colonels 44 40 .524 11.0New York Nets 4044.47615.0The Floridians 3747.44018.0Pittsburgh Condors 3648.42919.0Carolina Cougars 3450.40521.0
ABA Playoffs ABA Eastern Division Semifinals Game Date Location Score Record Attendance 1 April 2 Kentucky 112–116 0–1 3,182 2 April 4 Kentucky 110–120 0–2 3,881 3 April 6 Miami-Dade (Florida) 120–102 1–2 4,126 4 April 8 Miami-Dade (Florida) 129–117 2–2 4,268 5 April 10 Kentucky 101–118 2–3 4,996 6 April 12 Miami-Dade (Florida) 103–112 2–4 4,478 The Floridians lose series, 4–2
Awards and honors 1971 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 23, 1971) Mack Calvin Larry Jones
References
Floridians on Basketball Reference
External links RememberTheABA.com 1970-71 regular season and playoff results The Floridians page