# 1970–71 ABA season

The 1970–71 ABA season was the fourth season of the American Basketball Association.
Notable franchise moves from the previous season included:
* The Washington Caps moved to Norfolk, Virginia, became the Virginia Squires and switched divisions with the Indiana Pacers.
* The Miami Floridians became more of a regional franchise and were renamed simply The Floridians.
* The Los Angeles Stars moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and became the Utah Stars.
* The Dallas Chaparrals became a regional franchise and were renamed the Texas Chaparrals.
* The New Orleans Buccaneers moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and became the Memphis Pros.
Other notable events included the jumping of last season's Most Valuable Player Spencer Haywood from the Denver Rockets to the NBA Seattle Supersonics after playing just one season with them, which inflamed ABA management amid rumblings of failed talks to merge with the NBA.
The Utah Stars, led by Zelmo Beaty and Willie Wise, won the ABA championship, defeating the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3, in the ABA Finals.

## Teams

1970-71 American Basketball Association :
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Eastern | Carolina Cougars | Greensboro, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum Dorton Arena | 15,000 9,605 7,610 |
| Eastern | Kentucky Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | 16,664 |
| Eastern | New York Nets | West Hempstead, New York | Island Garden | 5,200 |
| Eastern | Pittsburgh Condors | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 12,580 |
| Eastern | The Floridians | Miami Beach, Florida Tampa, Florida St. Petersburg, Florida Jacksonville, Florida West Palm Beach, Florida | Miami Beach Convention Center Curtis Hixon Hall Bayfront Arena Jacksonville Coliseum West Palm Beach Auditorium | 15,000 7,000 7,500 11,000 5,000 |
| Eastern | Virginia Squires | Norfolk, Virginia Hampton, Virginia Richmond, Virginia Salem, Virginia Roanoke, Virginia | Old Dominion University Fieldhouse Hampton Coliseum Richmond Arena Salem Civic Center Roanoke Civic Center | 5,200 9,777 6,000 6,820 9,828 |
| Western | Denver Rockets | Denver, Colorado | Denver Auditorium Arena | 6,841 |
| Western | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | 10,000 |
| Western | Memphis Pros | Memphis, Tennessee | Mid-South Coliseum | 10,085 |
| Western | Texas Chaparrals | University Park, Texas Dallas, Texas Fort Worth, Texas Lubbock, Texas | Moody Coliseum Dallas Memorial Auditorium Tarrant County Coliseum Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | 8,998 9,815 16,057 11,200 |
| Western | Utah Stars | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Palace | 12,166 |

### Map of teams
## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| Virginia Squires * | 55 | 29 | .655 | — |
| Kentucky Colonels * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 11.0 |
| New York Nets * | 40 | 44 | .476 | 15.0 |
| The Floridians * | 37 | 47 | .440 | 18.0 |
| Pittsburgh Condors | 36 | 48 | .429 | 19.0 |
| Carolina Cougars | 34 | 50 | .405 | 21.0 |

### Western Division

| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| Indiana Pacers * | 58 | 26 | .690 | — |
| Utah Stars * | 57 | 27 | .679 | 1.0 |
| Memphis Pros * | 41 | 43 | .488 | 17.0 |
| Texas Chaparrals * | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28.0 |
| Denver Rockets * | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28.0 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team (the Rockets and the Chaparrals played a one-game playoff to settle the tie for the final playoff spot, which the Chaparrals won)
Bold – ABA champions

## Awards and honors

* ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (2nd time)
* Rookie of the Year: Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires & Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
* Coach of the Year: Al Bianchi, Virginia Squires
* Playoffs MVP: Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars
* All-Star Game MVP: Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers
* All-ABA First Team
** Roger Brown, Indiana Pacers (1st First Team selection, 3rd overall selection)
** Rick Barry, New York Nets (3rd selection)
** Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (4th selection)
** Mack Calvin, The Floridians
** Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires
* All-ABA Second Team
** John Brisker, Pittsburgh Condors
** Joe Caldwell, Carolina Cougars
** Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars (tied with Issel)
** Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (tied with Beaty)
** Donnie Freeman, Texas Chaparrals (3rd selection)
** Larry Cannon, Denver Rockets
* All-ABA Rookie Team
** Joe Hamilton, Texas Chaparrals
** Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
** Wendell Ladner, Memphis Pros
** Samuel Robinson, The Floridians
** Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires