# 1967–68 Dallas Chaparrals season

The 1967–68 Dallas Chaparrals season was the first season of the Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association. The Chaps fell to the New Orleans Buccaneers in the Division Finals after beating the Houston Mavericks in the Semifinals. That playoff victory would be their only victory for the Chaparrals, as they fell in the Semifinals throughout the next four years before officially moving the team to San Antonio to become the San Antonio Spurs.

## Draft picks

    First five rounds:
* #1. Matt Aitch, Michigan State University (Sr.)
* #2. Jim Burns, Northwestern University (Sr.)
* #3. Gary Gray, Oklahoma City University (Sr.)
* #4. Pat Riley, University of Kentucky (Sr.)
* #5. Jamie Thompson, Wichita State University (Sr.)
    Extra Rounds:
* #6 Paul Brateris, Tennessee Wesleyan College (Sr.)
* #7 Jeff Fitch, East Texas State College (Sr.)
* #8 Ted Manning, North Carolina A&T State University (Sr.)
* #9 Duane Heckman, Dickinson College (Sr.)
* #10 Gilbert McDowell, Tennessee Wesleyan College (Sr.)
* #11 Jerry Southwood, Vanderbilt University (Sr.)
* #12 Tom Storm, Montana State University (Sr.)
It was later revealed by the Chaparrals' general manager at the time (and later, one-time future head coach) Max Williams that the draft ordering the team did that year was due to the team's original co-owner, Roland Speth (who later became the manager of The Monkees band), mistaking Williams' draft listing that he did in alphabetical order (with last names going from A-Z) as a list for the best possible talents being taken at hand as early as they could have done so.

## Final standings
### Western Division

| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | 48 | 30 | .615 | – |
| Dallas Chaparrals | 46 | 32 | .590 | 2 |
| Denver Rockets | 45 | 33 | .577 | 3 |
| Houston Mavericks | 29 | 49 | .372 | 19 |
| Anaheim Amigos | 25 | 53 | .321 | 23 |
| Oakland Oaks | 22 | 56 | .282 | 26 |

### Record vs. opponents

1967–68 ABA Records :
| Team | ANA | DAL | DEN | HOU | IND | KEN | MIN | NJA | NOB | OAK | PIT |
| Anaheim | — | 2–8 | 3–7 | 6–3 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–7 | 6–4 | 1–5 |
| Dallas | 8–2 | — | 4–5 | 8–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–2 | 2–4 |
| Denver | 7–3 | 5–4 | — | 6–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 2–4 |
| Houston | 3–6 | 2–8 | 3–6 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 0–10 | 7–3 | 2–4 |
| Indiana | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 6–5 | 3–8 | 6–4 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–6 |
| Kentucky | 6–0 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–6 | — | 5–5 | 4–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–7 |
| Minnesota | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 5–5 | — | 7–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–7 |
| New Jersey | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–4 | 3–7 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 3–8 |
| New Orleans | 7–2 | 6–4 | 5–5 | 10–0 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 6–3 | 3–3 |
| Oakland | 4–6 | 2–7 | 3–7 | 3–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–6 | — | 0–6 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 7–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | — |

## Playoffs

Western Division Semifinals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | March 23 | Dallas | 111–110 | 1–0 | 1,857 |
| 2 | March 25 | Dallas | 115–97 | 2–0 | 891 |
| 3 | March 26 | Houston | 116–103 | 3–0 | 3,117 |
Chaparrals win series 3–0
Western Division Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 5 | New Orleans | 99–104 | 0–1 | 3,332 |
| 2 | April 9 | New Orleans | 112–109 | 1–1 | 5,287 |
| 3 | April 10 | Dallas | 107–110 | 1–2 | 4,825 |
| 4 | April 11 | Dallas | 103–119 | 1–3 | 3,623 |
| 5 | April 13 | New Orleans | 107–108 | 1–4 | 4,614 |
Chaparrals lose series 4–1

## Awards and honors

1968 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 9, 1968)
* Cliff Hagan
* John Beasley