# 1972–73 Carolina Cougars season

The 1972–73 Carolina Cougars season was the 4th season of the Cougars in the American Basketball Association. The Cougars finished 2nd in points per game with 115.6 points per game and 5th in points allowed with 110.7 points per game. By the time the season was half over, the team was 28–14, with a season best eleven game winning streak occurring during that span, while they went 29–13 in the second half. The biggest losing streak was 4, which occurred after they had already won over 50 games. They clinched the best record in the Eastern Division after beating the San Diego Conquistadors on March 25, 1973, with their 57th victory, is tied for 9th most by a team in one ABA season. In the playoffs, they beat the New York Nets in five games to go to the Division Finals with a chance to go to the ABA Finals. But the Cougars failed to advance, losing to the Kentucky Colonels in seven games, with the final one in their home court.
During the regular season, the Cougars played 28 games in Greensboro, 13 in Charlotte, and 2 in Raleigh; in the playoffs, the team played 4 games in Greensboro, 2 in Charlotte, and one in Raleigh.

## Roster

* 54 Roger Brown - Center
* 27 Joe Caldwell - Small forward
* 20 Mack Calvin - Point guard
* 32 Billy Cunningham - Power forward
* 33 Ira Harge - Center
* 21 Steve Jones - Shooting guard
* 42 Mike Lewis - Center
* 23 Gene Littles - Point guard
* 22 Ed Manning - Power forward
* 24 Ted McClain - Shooting guard
* 52 Tom Owens - Center
* 14 Steve Previs - Point guard
* 21 Bob Warren - Shooting guard
* 44 Dennis Wuycik - Small forward

## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| Team | W | L | % | GB |
| Carolina Cougars | 57 | 27 | .679 | - |
| Kentucky Colonels | 56 | 28 | .667 | 1 |
| Virginia Squires | 42 | 42 | .500 | 15 |
| New York Nets | 30 | 54 | .357 | 27 |
| Memphis Tams | 24 | 60 | .286 | 33 |

## Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | March 30 | Greensboro (Carolina) | 104–96 | 1–0 | 4,725 |
| 2 | March 31 | Raleigh (Carolina) | 111–114 | 1–1 | 6,343 |
| 3 | April 3 | New York | 101–91 | 2–1 | 8,418 |
| 4 | April 5 | New York | 112–108 | 3–1 | 7,867 |
| 5 | April 6 | Greensboro (Carolina) | 136–113 | 4–1 | 6,388 |
Cougars win series, 4–1
Eastern Division Finals vs. Kentucky Colonels
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 11 | Charlotte (Carolina) | 103–113 | 0–1 | 9,165 |
| 2 | April 14 | Greensboro (Carolina) | 125–105 | 1–1 | 5,103 |
| 3 | April 16 | Kentucky | 94–108 | 1–2 | 10,422 |
| 4 | April 18 | Kentucky | 102–91 | 2–2 | 16,238 |
| 5 | April 20 | Greensboro (Carolina) | 112–107 | 3–2 | 11,988 |
| 6 | April 21 | Kentucky | 100–119 | 3–3 | 16,892 |
| 7 | April 24 | Charlotte (Carolina) | 96–107 | 3–4 | 10,231 |
Cougars lose series, 4–3

## Awards and honors

1973 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on February 6, 1973)
* Mack Calvin
* Joe Caldwell
* Billy Cunningham
* ABA Most Valuable Player: Billy Cunningham (24.1 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and 6.3 assists per game)
* ABA Coach of the Year: Larry Brown
* ABA Executive of the Year: Carl Scheer
* All-ABA First Team selection: Billy Cunningham
* All-ABA Second Team selection: Mack Calvin
* All-Defensive Team selection: Joe Caldwell
* All-Rookie Team selection: Dennis Wuycik