# 1971 ABA Playoffs

The 1971 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1970-1971 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Utah Stars defeating the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels, four games to three in the ABA finals.

## Notable events

There was a one-game playoff for fourth place in the Western Division because the Texas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets had tied with regular season records of 30–54. The game was played on April 1 and the Chaparrals won 115–109.
This was the first season in ABA history in which the team with the best regular season record did not win the ABA championship. The Indiana Pacers had the league's best record during this season at 58–26 (.690), putting them one game ahead of the eventual league champion Utah Stars in the Western Division.
This was the first season in ABA history in which neither regular season division champion made it to the ABA finals. The second place Utah Stars represented the West while the Kentucky Colonels, second place in the East behind the Virginia Squires, met them in the finals.
Game 3 of the Eastern Finals saw 287 total points scored. This was the most points scored in any ABA playoff game, and would be the most points scored in a playoff game in either the NBA or ABA until 1992.
13,260 fans attended the decisive Game 7 of the ABA championship series between the Utah Stars and Kentucky Colonels at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 18, 1971. After the Stars won 131-121, the fans stormed the floor and mobbed the court for twenty minutes. Willie Wise and Zelmo Beaty rode off the floor carried upon the shoulders of Utah fans.
Zelmo Beaty was named Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.

## Bracket

| Division semifinals | Division semifinals | Division semifinals | Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | ABA finals | ABA finals | ABA finals |
| 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Memphis Pros | 0 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Memphis Pros | 0 | 1 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 1 | Indiana Pacers | 3 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 2 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Texas Chaparrals | 0 | 2 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | |
| 2 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Utah Stars | 4 | | | | W2 | Utah Stars | 4 |
| | | | | | | E2 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 |
| 1 | Virginia Squires | 4 | | | | | | | E2 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 |
| 3 | New York Nets | 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | New York Nets | 2 | 1 | Virginia Squires | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 1 | Virginia Squires | 2 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4 | | | |
| 4 | The Floridians | 2 | 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4 | | | |
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels | 4 | | | | | | |

## Western Division Tiebreaker Game

* April 1
* Box score
Texas Chaparrals 115, Denver Rockets 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–30, 32–18, 29–31, 30–36 |||
| Pts: Donnie Freeman 33 Rebs: Gene Moore 16 Asts: Donnie Freeman 6 | Pts: Larry Cannon 18 Rebs: Julius Keye 23 Asts: John Barnhill 6 |
| Texas wins tiebreaker |||
* Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 2,594

## Division Semifinals
### Western Division Semifinals
#### (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Memphis Pros

* April 2
* Boxscore
Memphis Pros 98, Indiana Pacers 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–28, 31–27, 19–30, 24–29 |||
| Pts: Jones, Williams 24 each Rebs: Wil Jones 14 Asts: Wil Jones 6 | Pts: Roger Brown 26 Rebs: Mel Daniels 18 Asts: Billy Keller 8 |
| Indiana leads series, 1–0 |||
* Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 7,562
* April 3
* Boxscore
Memphis Pros 104, Indiana Pacers 106 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–22, 28–28, 29–25, 22–31 |||
| Pts: Steve "Snapper" Jones 31 Rebs: Gerald Govan 20 Asts: Govan, Ladner 6 each | Pts: Mel Daniels 31 Rebs: Mel Daniels 25 Asts: Billy Keller 7 |
| Indiana leads series, 2–0 |||
* Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 8,701
* April 5
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 91, Memphis Pros 90 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 23–24, 23–26, 24–16 |||
| Pts: Freddie Lewis 23 Rebs: Mel Daniels 19 Asts: Brown, Lewis, Jabali 4 each | Pts: Steve "Snapper" Jones 31 Rebs: Gerald Govan 15 Asts: Govan, W. Jones, J. Jones 5 each |
| Indiana leads series, 3–0 |||
* Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 4,107
* April 7
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 102, Memphis Pros 101 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 21–33, 27–18, 20–15, Overtime: 12–11 |||
| Pts: Mel Daniels 29 Rebs: Mel Daniels 20 Asts: Freddie Lewis 8 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 22 Rebs: Jimmy Jones 14 Asts: Gerald Govan 8 |
| Indiana wins series, 4–0 |||
* Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee Attendance: 3,681

#### (2) Utah Stars vs. (4) Texas Chaparrals

* April 2
* Box score
Texas Chaparrals 115, Utah Stars 125 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 34–36, 33–32, 22–27 |||
| Pts: Donnie Freeman 32 Rebs: John Beasley 11 | Pts: Mervin Jackson 26 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 18 Asts: Boone, Jackson 8 each |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 4,375
* April 3
* Box score
Texas Chaparrals 107, Utah Stars 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–36, 28–28, 29–31, 24–42 |||
| Pts: Donnie Freeman 23 Rebs: Croft, Moore 9 each | Pts: Glen Combs 25 Rebs: Willie Wise 15 |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 6,061
* April 4
* Box score
Utah Stars 113, Texas Chaparrals 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 35–29, 30–30, 26–22 |||
| Pts: Zelmo Beaty 32 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 15 | Pts: Donnie Freeman 30 Rebs: Gene Moore 15 |
| Utah leads series, 3–0 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 4,675
* April 6
* Box score
Utah Stars 128, Texas Chaparrals 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 27–35, 35–23, 39–27 |||
| Pts: Ron Boone 23 Rebs: Red Robbins 13 | Pts: Levern Tart 31 Rebs: Gene Moore 18 |
| Utah win series, 4–0 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 3,666

### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (1) Virginia Squires vs. (3) New York Nets

* April 2
* Box score
New York Nets 105, Virginia Squires 113 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–17, 28–36, 24–28, 27–32 |||
| Pts: Rick Barry 32 Rebs: Billy Paultz 16 Asts: Bill Melchionni 12 | Pts: Mike Barrett 22 Rebs: Jim Eakins 16 Asts: Charlie Scott 10 |
| Virginia leads series, 1–0 |||
* Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia Attendance: 6,149
* April 4
* Box score
New York Nets 108, Virginia Squires 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 28–35, 28–27, 19–21 |||
| Pts: Rick Barry 32 Rebs: Billy Paultz 16 Asts: Bill Melchionni 11 | Pts: Charlie Scott 29 Rebs: George Carter 14 Asts: Charlie Scott 9 |
| Virginia leads series, 2–0 |||
* Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia Attendance: 7,143
* April 6
* Box score
Virginia Squires 131, New York Nets 135 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–23, 33–45, 31–29, 32–38 |||
| Pts: Scott, Barrett 27 each Rebs: Jim Eakins 11 Asts: Mike Barrett 7 | Pts: Rick Barry 43 Rebs: Billy Paultz 20 Asts: Bill Melchionni 9 |
| Virginia leads series, 2–1 |||
* Hofstra Physical Fitness Center, Hempstead, New York Attendance: 3,504
Due to Island Garden being booked without expecting the Nets to reach the postseason, the Nets had to play their home playoff games in different locations.
* April 7
* Box score
Virginia Squires 127, New York Nets 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 36–34, 37–30, 18–35, 36–31 |||
| Pts: George Carter 35 Rebs: Jim Eakins 13 Asts: Doug Moe 6 | Pts: Bill Melchionni 35 Rebs: Jim Ard 13 Asts: Bill Melchionni 14 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Hofstra Physical Fitness Center, Hempstead, New York Attendance: 4,134
* April 9
* Box score
New York Nets 124, Virginia Squires 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 32–36, 36–34, 26–27 |||
| Pts: Rick Barry 36 Rebs: Billy Paultz 15 Asts: Paultz, DePre, Melchionni 5 each | Pts: Mike Barrett 30 Rebs: Carter, Scott 10 each Asts: Mike Barrett 6 |
| Virginia leads series, 3–2 |||
* Richmond Arena, Richmond, Virginia Attendance: 4,250
* April 10
* Box score
Virginia Squires 118, New York Nets 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–35, 30–27, 24–27, 30–25 |||
| Pts: Charlie Scott 38 Rebs: Johnson, Carter 9 each Asts: Charlie Scott 6 | Pts: Rick Barry 45 Rebs: Rick Barry 17 Asts: Jeff Congdon 7 |
| Virginia wins series, 4–2 |||
* Felt Forum, New York City, New York Attendance: 3,016

#### (2) Kentucky Colonels vs. (4) The Floridians

* April 2
* Box score
The Floridians 112, Kentucky Colonels 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 24–33, 32–25, 28–33 |||
| Pts: Larry Jones 25 Rebs: Ira Harge 12 Asts: Warren Davis 9 | Pts: Dan Issel 26 Rebs: Jim Ligon 16 Asts: Louie Dampier 11 |
| Kentucky leads series, 1–0 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 3,182
* April 4
* Box score
The Floridians 110, Kentucky Colonels 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–33, 24–28, 23–29, 32–30 |||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 35 Rebs: Ira Harge 19 | Pts: Louie Dampier 28 Rebs: Jim Ligon 15 Asts: Louie Dampier 8 |
| Kentucky leads series, 2–0 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 3,881
* April 6
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 102, The Floridians 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 26–31, 24–30, 26–26 |||
| Pts: Les Hunter 21 Rebs: Dan Issel 16 | Pts: Mack Calvin 24 Rebs: Ira Harge 18 Asts: Mack Calvin 12 |
| Kentucky leads series, 2–1 |||
* Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Attendance: 4,126
* April 8
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 117, The Floridians 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 22–30, 36–38, 31–30 |||
| Pts: Cincy Powell 31 Rebs: Jim Ligon 18 | Pts: Mack Calvin 34 Rebs: Ira Harge 20 Asts: Mack Calvin 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Attendance: 4,268
* April 10
* Box score
The Floridians 101, Kentucky Colonels 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–32, 17–17, 31–33, 26–36 |||
| Pts: Mack Calvin 29 Rebs: Ira Harge 10 | Pts: Darel Carrier 31 Rebs: Jim Ligon 14 Asts: Louie Dampier 18 |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–2 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 4,996
* April 12
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 112, The Floridians 103 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–22, 29–31, 33–20, 22–30 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 27 Rebs: Jim Ligon 20 | Pts: Calvin, Davis, Tucker 18 each Rebs: Ira Harge 19 |
| Kentucky wins series, 4–2 |||
* Miami-Dade Junior College North, Miami, Florida Attendance: 4,478

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

* April 12
* Box score
Utah Stars 120, Indiana Pacers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–38, 34–31, 30–26, 25–23 |||
| Pts: Mervin Jackson 28 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 15 Asts: Willie Wise 9 | Pts: Mel Daniels 27 Rebs: Mel Daniels 15 Asts: Brown, Lewis 7 each |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 7,734
* April 14
* Box score
Utah Stars 107, Indiana Pacers 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 40–33, 17–25, 24–33, 26–29 |||
| Pts: Mervin Jackson 27 Rebs: Beaty, Robbins 12 each Asts: Ron Boone 5 | Pts: Billy Keller 31 Rebs: Mel Daniels 20 Asts: Brown, Jabali, Lewis 6 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 9,458
* April 17
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 108, Utah Stars 121 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 28–32, 31–28, 27–28 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 23 Rebs: Mel Daniels 20 Asts: Billy Keller 10 | Pts: Ron Boone 27 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 14 Asts: Ron Boone 11 |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,711
* April 20
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 99, Utah Stars 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 13–33, 23–20, 22–37, 41–36 |||
| Pts: Billy Keller 20 Rebs: Mel Daniels 16 Asts: Jabali, Mount 4 each | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 22 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 13 Asts: Mervin Jackson 12 |
| Utah leads series, 3–1 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,761
* April 22
* Box score
Utah Stars 109, Indiana Pacers 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 19–39, 26–26, 34–34 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 21 Rebs: Red Robbins 14 Asts: Willie Wise 8 | Pts: Bob Netolicky 29 Rebs: Mel Daniels 27 Asts: Billy Keller 9 |
| Indiana leads series, 3–2 |||
* Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana Attendance: 8,279
* April 24
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 105, Utah Stars 102 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–20, 20–28, 30–21, 29–33 |||
| Pts: Billy Keller 28 Rebs: Mel Daniels 15 Asts: Billy Keller 6 | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 32 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 20 Asts: Ron Boone 8 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 13,208
* April 28
* Box score
Utah Stars 108, Indiana Pacers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–27, 17–24, 41–23, 23–27 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 31 Rebs: Red Robbins 14 Asts: Mervin Jackson 10 | Pts: Billy Keller 33 Rebs: Mel Daniels 17 Asts: Roger Brown 5 |
| Utah wins series, 4–3 |||
* Indiana State Fair Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 11,202

### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) Virginia Squires vs. (2) Kentucky Colonels

* April 15
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 136, Virginia Squires 132 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–23, 36–41, 39–33, 30–35 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 46 Rebs: Cincy Powell 18 Asts: Louie Dampier 6 | Pts: Charlie Scott 35 Rebs: George Carter 16 Asts: Charlie Scott 7 |
| Kentucky leads series, 1–0 |||
* Richmond Arena, Richmond, Virginia Attendance: 4,250
* April 17
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 122, Virginia Squires 142 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 26–42, 28–37, 36–31 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 32 Rebs: Dan Issel 10 Asts: Louie Dampier 7 | Pts: Scott, Moe 28 each Rebs: Charlie Scott 9 Asts: Scott, Eakins 9 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, Norfolk, Virginia Attendance: 5,000
* April 19
* Box score
Virginia Squires 150, Kentucky Colonels 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–35, 36–41, 39–30, 41–31 |||
| Pts: C. Scott, R. Scott 30 each Rebs: Neil Johnson 11 Asts: Charlie Scott 13 | Pts: Dan Issel 27 Rebs: Cincy Powell 27 Asts: Louie Dampier 9 |
| Virginia leads series, 2–1 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 4,777
* April 21
* Box score
Virginia Squires 110, Kentucky Colonels 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–34, 25–29, 24–35, 26–30 |||
| Pts: Charlie Scott 30 Rebs: Neil Johnson 14 Asts: Fatty Taylor 4 | Pts: Dan Issel 31 Rebs: Jim Ligon 17 Asts: Louie Dampier 11 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 5,221
* April 23
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 117, Virginia Squires 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 38–26, 19–27, 30–27 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 36 Rebs: Dan Issel 21 Asts: Louie Dampier 7 | Pts: Doug Moe 29 Rebs: Neil Johnson 15 Asts: Scott, Barrett 7 each |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–2 |||
* Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia Attendance: 10,013
* April 24
* Box score
Virginia Squires 117, Kentucky Colonels 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–29, 28–36, 32–26, 29–38 |||
| Pts: Carter, Moe 25 each Rebs: George Carter13 Asts: Charlie Scott 6 | Pts: Dan Issel 31 Rebs: Jim Ligon 20 Asts: Louie Dampier 17 |
| Kentucky wins series, 4–2 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 12,822

## ABA Finals: (W2) Utah Stars vs. (E2) Kentucky Colonels

* May 3
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 117, Utah Stars 136 :
| Scoring by quarter: 35–26, 25–50, 33–25, 24–35 |||
| Pts: Darel Carrier 36 Rebs: Cincy Powell 11 Asts: Jim Ligon 6 | Pts: Beaty, Stone 26 each Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 16 Asts: Mervin Jackson 9 |
| Utah leads series, 1–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 12,051
* May 5
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 125, Utah Stars 138 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–37, 34–28, 29–32, 34–41 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 40 Rebs: Dan Issel 11 Asts: Dampier, Hunter 6 each | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 40 Rebs: Willie Wise 24 Asts: Wise, Jackson 8 ach |
| Utah leads series, 2–0 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 13,208
* May 7
* Box score
Utah Stars 110, Kentucky Colonels 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 28–25, 26–28, 29–33 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 29 Rebs: Willie Wise 17 Asts: Willie Wise 5 | Pts: Darel Carrier 25 Rebs: Issel, Powell, Ligon 17 each Asts: Louie Dampier 11 |
| Utah leads series, 2–1 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 12,337
* May 8
* Box score
Utah Stars 125, Kentucky Colonels 129 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 30–32, 31–30, 34–22, Overtime: 6–10 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 34 Rebs: Willie Wise 17 Asts: Ron Boone 8 | Pts: Louie Dampier 33 Rebs: Jim Ligon 17 Asts: Darel Carrier 6 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 9,863
* May 12
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 127, Utah Stars 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–34, 31–41, 32–29, 39–33 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 33 Rebs: Issel, Powell 16 each Asts: Louie Dampier 11 | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 32 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 22 Asts: Glen Combs 8 |
| Utah lead series 3–2 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 13,250
* May 15
* Box score
Utah Stars 102, Kentucky Colonels 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 25–27, 34–23, 19–24 |||
| Pts: Willie Wise 34 Rebs: Zelmo Beaty 16 Asts: Mervin Jackson 4 | Pts: Cincy Powell 31 Rebs: Cincy Powell 17 Asts: Louie Dampier 10 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 11,793
* May 18
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 127, Utah Stars 131 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–28, 22–33, 36–37, 31–33 |||
| Pts: Dan Issel 41 Rebs: Cincy Powell 20 Asts: Louie Dampier 14 | Pts: Zelmo Beaty 36 Rebs: Willie Wise 20 Asts: Mervin Jackson 7 |
| Utah wins series 4–3 |||
* Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 13,260
Two members of the Stars would eventually be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Zelmo Beaty (2016) and head coach Bill Sharman (2004). This was the last game coached by Sharman with the Stars, as he elected to resign to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. He was replaced by LaDell Andersen. Frank Ramsey was not retained by Kentucky, who hired Joe Mullaney in the offseason.
Celebration spilled out of the 10,000-seat Salt Palace and into the streets of the state capital for jubilant Stars fans. It was the first professional sports championship for the state of Utah and the only one until MLS Cup 2009.
* Sports portal

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Total | Total | Total | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played |
| Points | Dan Issel | Kentucky Colonels | 534 | Rick Barry | New York Nets | 33.7 | 6 |
| Rebounds | Zelmo Beaty | Utah Stars | 263 | Mel Daniels | Indiana Pacers | 19.2 | 11 |
| Assists | Louie Dampier | Kentucky Colonels | 179 | Louie Dampier | Kentucky Colonels | 9.4 | 19 |