# 1974 ABA Playoffs

The 1974 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1973-1974 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion New York Nets defeating the Western Division champion Utah Stars, four games to one in the ABA Finals.

## Notable events

A one-game playoff was held to determine the fourth-place finisher in the Western Division because the San Diego Conquistadors and Denver Rockets had both tied for fourth place during the regular season. The game was played on March 29, 1974, with the Conquistadors posting a 131–111 win at Denver.
The Carolina Cougars played their final game on April 8, 1974, losing at home to the Kentucky Colonels 128–119 in the last game of their Eastern Division semifinal series, which the Colonels swept 4 games to none. The Cougars played in the remaining two seasons of the ABA as the Spirits of St. Louis and were one of only two teams (the Colonels being the other) remaining during the ABA-NBA merger to not enter the NBA.
The New York Nets and Utah Stars won the Eastern Division and Western Division, respectively, in both the regular season and the playoffs.
The New York Nets became the first team since the 1969-1970 Indiana Pacers to win the ABA championship after posting the league's best regular season record.
Julius Erving of the New York Nets was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs. He won that distinction again in 1976 and became the only player in ABA history to repeat as the MVP of the league playoffs.

## Bracket

| Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Division Finals | Division Finals | ABA Finals | ABA Finals | ABA Finals |
| 1 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | | | | |
| 4 | San Diego Conquistadors | 2 | | | | | | |
| 4 | San Diego Conquistadors | 2 | 1 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 1 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 2 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | | | |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs | 3 | 2 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | | | |
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | | W1 | Utah Stars | 1 |
| | | | | | | E1 | New York Nets | 4 |
| 1 | New York Nets | 4 | | | | | | | E1 | New York Nets | 4 |
| 4 | Virginia Squires | 1 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Virginia Squires | 1 | 1 | New York Nets | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 1 | New York Nets | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 0 | | | |
| 3 | Carolina Cougars | 0 | 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 0 | | | |
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4 | | | | | | |

## Western Division Tiebreaker Game

* March 29
* Box score
San Diego Conquistadors 131, Denver Rockets 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–37, 19–30, 33–33, 30–31 |||
| Pts: Bo Lamar 40 Rebs: Tim Bassett 12 Asts: Jimmy O'Brien 12 | Pts: Beck, Robisch 18 each Rebs: Beck, Green 8 each Asts: Al Smith 20 |
| San Diego wins tiebreaker |||
* Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 3,305

## Division Semifinals
### Western Division Semifinals
#### (1) Utah Stars vs. (4) San Diego Conquistadors

* March 30
* Box score
San Diego Conquistadors 99, Utah Stars 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–33, 23–29, 27–22, 19–30 |||
| Pts: Bo Lamar 23 Rebs: Tim Bassett 17 Asts: Tim Bassett 7 | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 27 Rebs: Gerald Govan 21 Asts: Ron Boone 9 |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 5,558
* April 1
* Box score
San Diego Conquistadors 105, Utah Stars 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–35, 17–24, 28–26, 35–34 |||
| Pts: Bo Lamar 41 Rebs: Tim Bassett 19 Asts: Lamar, O'Brien, Shepherd 5 each | Pts: Willie Wise 23 Rebs: Gerald Govan 25 Asts: Ron Boone 11 |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 6,242
* April 3
* Box score
Utah Stars 96, San Diego Conquistadors 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–35, 25–21, 27–17, 24–24 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 29 Rebs: Gerald Govan 17 Asts: Ron Boone 12 | Pts: Bo Lamar 22 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 18 Asts: Jones, Bassett, Johnson, O'Brien 5 each |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 |||
* Golden Hall, San Diego, California Attendance: 2,295
* April 4
* Box score
Utah Stars 98, San Diego Conquistadors 100 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–19, 28–23, 21–30, 14–28 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 30 Rebs: Gerald Govan 18 Asts: Gerald Govan 7 | Pts: Bo Lamar 32 Rebs: Jones, Bassett 13 each Asts: Jim O'Brien 5 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Golden Hall, San Diego, California Attendance: 2,089
* April 6
* Box score
San Diego Conquistadors 93, Utah Stars 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–19, 29–29, 19–31, 25–31 |||
| Pts: Tim Bassett 26 Rebs: Tim Bassett 19 Asts: O'Brien, Shepherd 4 each | Pts: Willie Wise 30 Rebs: Gerald Govan 19 Asts: Jimmy Jones 8 |
| Utah leads series, 3–2 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 6,648
* April 8
* Box score
Utah Stars 110, San Diego Conquistadors 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–20, 21–36, 24–16, 31–27 |||
| Pts: Wise, Jones 21 each Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 12 Asts: Jimmy Jones 7 | Pts: Bo Lamar 33 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 22 Asts: Bo Lamar 7 |
| Utah wins series, 4–2 |||
* Golden Hall, San Diego, California Attendance: 3,140

#### (2) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs

* March 30
* Box score
San Antonio Spurs 113, Indiana Pacers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 33–20, 23–27, 30–34 |||
| Pts: Rich Jones 27 Rebs: Gervin, Nater 10 each Asts: Gervi, Silas 4 each | Pts: Lewis, Daniels 19 each Rebs: Mel Daniels 11 Asts: Roger Brown 7 |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 7,438
* April 1
* Box score
San Antonio Spurs 101, Indiana Pacers 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 20–35, 32–30, 31–38 |||
| Pts: Rich Jones 26 Rebs: Swen Nater 12 Asts: 6 players tied with 2 | Pts: Billy Keller 39 Rebs: Darnell Hillman 10 Asts: Freddie Lewis 10 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,988
* April 3
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 96, San Antonio Spurs 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–31, 24–24, 25–27, 28–33 |||
| Pts: George McGinnis 25 Rebs: McGinnis, Daniels 10 each Asts: Roger Brown 6 | Pts: Swen Nater 27 Rebs: Swen Nater 15 Asts: George Karl 11 |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 10,693
* April 4
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 91, San Antonio Spurs 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–21, 17–23, 17–28, 24–17 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 29 Rebs: George McGinnis 8 Asts: Roger Brown 8 | Pts: Rich Jones 28 Rebs: Rich Jones 8 Asts: James Silas 5 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 12,079
* April 6
* Box score
San Antonio Spurs 100, Indiana Pacers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 24–24, 23–24, 31–32 |||
| Pts: James Silas 28 Rebs: Swen Nater 12 Asts: James Silas 7 | Pts: Freddie Lewis 35 Rebs: Mel Daniels 14 Asts: Billy Keller 5 |
| Indiana leads series, 3–2 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 10,079
* April 10
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 86, San Antonio Spurs 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–28, 19–24, 25–24, 19–26 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 26 Rebs: Mel Daniels 14 Asts: Roger Brown 6 | Pts: Bird Averitt 19 Rebs: Swen Nater 13 Asts: James Silas 7 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 12,304
* April 12
* Box score
San Antonio Spurs 79, Indiana Pacers 86 :
| Scoring by quarter: 12–14, 30–15, 22–30, 15–27 |||
| Pts: James Silas 27 Rebs: Swen Nater 13 Asts: Swen Nater 6 | Pts: Roger Brown 28 Rebs: George McGinnis 17 Asts: Brown, Lewis 3 each |
| Indiana wins series, 4–3 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 10,079
The Pacers were outshot (27/78 to 31/74) but made 30 free throws (to San Antonio's 17) while shooting 2-of-8 on the three-line to prevail in Game 7.

### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (1) New York Nets vs. (4) Virginia Squires

* March 29
* Box score
Virginia Squires 96, New York Nets 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 19–26, 26–27, 24–27 |||
| Pts: Cincy Powell 22 Rebs: Cincy Powell 15 Asts: Mike Barr 7 | Pts: Julius Erving 24 Rebs: Larry Kenon 12 Asts: Julius Erving 12 |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 9,784
* April 1
* Box score
Virginia Squires 110, New York Nets 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–33, 20–39, 28–24, 34–33 |||
| Pts: George Carter 27 Rebs: Carter, Eakins 7 each Asts: Fatty Taylor 6 | Pts: Julius Erving 35 Rebs: Larry Kenon 12 Asts: Gale, Taylor 7 each |
| New York leads series, 2–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 10,747
* April 4
* Box score
New York Nets 115, Virginia Squires 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–21, 26–31, 24–32, 36–32 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 29 Rebs: Julius Erving 12 Asts: Brian Taylor 7 | Pts: Jim Eakins 31 Rebs: Fatty Taylor 9 Asts: Fatty Taylor 5 |
| New York leads series, 2–1 |||
* Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia Attendance: 2,544
* April 7
* Box score
New York Nets 116, Virginia Squires 88 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 30–15, 24–27, 32–17 |||
| Pts: Larry Kenon 25 Rebs: Larry Kenon 11 Asts: Erving, Gale 5 each | Pts: Cincy Powell 22 Rebs: Cincy Powell 10 Asts: Fatty Taylor 8 |
| New York leads series, 3–1 |||
* Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia Attendance: 4,220
* April 8
* Box score
Virginia Squires 96, New York Nets 108 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 26–23, 27–29, 27–36 |||
| Pts: Jim Eakins 36 Rebs: Jim Eakins 21 Asts: Fatty Taylor 4 | Pts: Larry Kenon 22 Rebs: Billy Paultz 9 Asts: Erving, Taylor 5 each |
| New York wins series, 4–1 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 11,903

#### (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (3) Carolina Cougars

* April 1
* Box score
Carolina Cougars 102, Kentucky Colonels 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 24–28, 21–26, 33–35 |||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 21 Rebs: Jim Chones 7 Asts: Gene Littles 6 | Pts: Artis Gilmore 33 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 19 Asts: Chuck Williams 7 |
| Kentucky leads series, 1–0 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 6,749
* April 5
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 99, Carolina Cougars 96 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 23–25, 27–23, 31–27 |||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore 34 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: Artis Gilmore 4 | Pts: Calvin, McClain 20 each Rebs: Joe Caldwell 13 Asts: Mack Calvin 5 |
| Kentucky leads series, 2–0 |||
* Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina Attendance: 8,638
* April 6
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 120, Carolina Cougars 110 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–14, 26–22, 38–31, 30–43 |||
| Pts: Artis Gilmore 19 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 15 Asts: Chuck Williams 8 | Pts: Mack Calvin 25 Rebs: Jim Chones 9 Asts: Caldwell, Littles 3 each |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–0 |||
* Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 3,724
* April 8
* Box score
Carolina Cougars 119, Kentucky Colonels 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 25–35, 24–30, 39–35 |||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 31 Rebs: McClain, Cunningham, Caldwell 7 each Asts: Gene Littles 7 | Pts: Artis Gilmore 33 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: Louie Dampier 8 |
| Kentucky wins series, 4–0 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 5,243

## Division Finals
### Western Division Finals
#### (1) Utah Stars vs. (2) Indiana Pacers

* April 13
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 96, Utah Stars 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 19–22, 29–21, 24–31 |||
| Pts: George McGinnis 39 Rebs: George McGinnis 14 Asts: Freddie Lewis 5 | Pts: Willie Wise 34 Rebs: Gerald Govan 17 Asts: Govan, Jones 6 each |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 7,557
* April 15
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 102, Utah Stars 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–24, 26–32, 26–26, 32–24 |||
| Pts: George McGinnis 30 Rebs: George McGinnis 17 Asts: George McGinnis 5 | Pts: Ron Boone 20 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 13 Asts: Ron Boone 8 |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 7,143
* April 17
* Box score
Utah Stars 99, Indiana Pacers 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–26, 32–19, 17–23, 30–22 |||
| Pts: Ron Boone 24 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 20 Asts: Govan, Boone 5 each | Pts: George McGinnis 27 Rebs: George McGinnis 13 Asts: Don Buse 6 |
| Utah leads series, 3–0 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,337
* April 18
* Box score
Utah Stars 107, Indiana Pacers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 37–26, 27–42, 20–26 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 22 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 9 Asts: Ron Boone 6 | Pts: Freddie Lewis 40 Rebs: Mel Daniels 14 Asts: Freddie Lewis 6 |
| Utah leads series, 3–1 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,265
* April 22
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 110, Utah Stars 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 37–26, 25–36, 29–19 |||
| Pts: Daniels, McGinnis 29 each Rebs: Daniels, McGinnis 14 each Asts: George McGinnis 10 | Pts: Willie Wise 27 Rebs: Gerald Govan 13 Asts: Jimmy Jones 7 |
| Utah leads series, 3–2 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 10,248
* April 25
* Box score
Utah Stars 89, Indiana Pacers 91 :
| Scoring by quarter: 15–27, 25–21, 22–20, 27–23 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 24 Rebs: Willie Wise 10 Asts: Ron Boone 6 | Pts: George McGinnis 23 Rebs: McGinnis, Hillman 16 each Asts: Don Buse 6 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 9,482
* April 27
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 87, Utah Stars 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–36, 23–28, 17–16, 27–29 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 21 Rebs: George McGinnis 13 Asts: McGinnis, Lewis, Keller 3 each | Pts: Jimmy Jones 29 Rebs: Govan, Wise 10 each Asts: Jimmy Jones 9 |
| Utah wins series, 4–3 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,191

### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) New York Nets vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels

* April 13
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 106, New York Nets 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–26, 21–26, 24–38, 31–29 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 22 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 10 Asts: Chuck Williams 7 | Pts: Julius Erving 35 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Brian Taylor 7 |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 12,817
* April 15
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 80, New York Nets 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–21, 13–18, 26–30, 19–30 |||
| Pts: Louie Dampier 16 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 18 Asts: Artis Gilmore 4 | Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Wendell Ladner 14 Asts: Wendell Ladner 5 |
| New York leads series, 2–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 13,726
* April 17
* Box score
New York Nets 89, Kentucky Colonels 87 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–31, 27–23, 24–19, 20–14 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 30 Rebs: Julius Erving 14 Asts: Gale, Williamson 4 each | Pts: Dan Issel 26 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 27 Asts: Louie Dampier 8 |
| New York leads series, 3–0 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 13,797
With the game tied, Julius Erving hit a 15-foot shot at the buzzer to deliver a victory for New York. It is believed to be the first ABA buzzer-beater playoff shot in history.
* April 20
* Box score
New York Nets 103, Kentucky Colonels 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–27, 33–22, 20–23, 19–18 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 27 Rebs: Billy Paultz 12 Asts: Brian Taylor 6 | Pts: Artis Gilmore 20 Rebs: Artis Gilmore 20 Asts: John Roche 7 |
| New York wins series, 4–0 |||
* Memorial Coliseum, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 7,800

## ABA Finals: (E1) New York Nets vs. (W1) Utah Stars

* April 30
* Box score
Utah Stars 85, New York Nets 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 14–22, 26–20, 25–25, 20–22 |||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 25 Rebs: Wise, Gerald Govan 12 each Asts: Jones, Wise, Govan, Bruce Seals 2 each | Pts: Julius Erving 47 Rebs: Larry Kenon 20 Asts: John Williamson 5 |
| New York leads series, 1–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 13,740
* May 4
* Box score
Utah Stars 94, New York Nets 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–28, 18–33, 30–20, 27–37 |||
| Pts: Jones, Wise 19 each Rebs: Wise, Govan 12 each Asts: Ron Boone 8 | Pts: Julius Erving 32 Rebs: Larry Kenon 13 Asts: Bill Melchionni 7 |
| New York leads series, 2–0 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 15,934
* May 6
* Box score
New York Nets 103, Utah Stars 100 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–25, 26–18, 31–19, 20–32, Overtime: 9–6 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 24 Rebs: Julius Erving 13 Asts: Mike Gale 8 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 28 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 16 Asts: Jimmy Jones 6 |
| New York leads series, 3–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 10,743
* May 8
* Box score
New York Nets 89, Utah Stars 97 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 24–24, 34–24, 13–23 |||
| Pts: Julius Erving 18 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Julius Erving 7 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 24 Rebs: Gerald Govan 23 Asts: Ron Boone 10 |
| New York leads series, 3–1 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 10,743
* May 10
* Box score
Utah Stars 100, New York Nets 111 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 21–22, 29–30, 23–31 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 34 Rebs: Gerald Govan 10 Asts: Willie Wise 6 | Pts: Larry Kenon 23 Rebs: Julius Erving 16 Asts: Williamson, Gale 5 each |
| New York wins series, 4–1 |||
* Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York Attendance: 15,934

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Total | Total | Total | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played |
| Points | Willie Wise | Utah Stars | 420 | Julius Erving | New York Nets | 27.9 | 14 |
| Rebounds | Gerald Govan | Utah Stars | 246 | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 18.6 | 8 |
| Assists | Ron Boone | Utah Stars | 109 | Ron Boone | Utah Stars | 6.1 | 18 |
| Steals | Brian Taylor | New York Nets | 33 | Mike Barr | Virginia Squires | 2.4 | 5 |
| Blocks | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 30 | Artis Gilmore | Kentucky Colonels | 3.8 | 8 |