# 1969 ABA Playoffs

The 1969 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1968–69 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Oakland Oaks defeating the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals. Warren Jabali of the Oaks was named the Playoff MVP.

## Notable events

The Oakland Oaks won the ABA championship after finishing with the league's best record during the regular season (60–18, .769). The Pittsburgh Pipers had accomplished the same feat the year prior.
Rick Barry, now eligible to play for the Oaks after being forced to sit out the previous season, averaged 34.0 points during the regular season. However, Barry only played 35 regular season games before injuring a knee and missing the playoffs.
The Oaks, like the Pittsburgh Pipers before them, did not play in the following season as the same team. The Oakland Oaks became the Washington Caps for the 1969–1970 ABA season; the Pittsburgh Pipers had become the Minnesota Pipers after winning the ABA championship the prior season.
The Oaks' 60–18 (.769) record in this season was the best in ABA history until the Kentucky Colonels finished the 1971–1972 season with a record of 68–16 (.810), a record that was never surpassed.
Warren Jabali of Oakland was the 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 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Denver Rockets | 3 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Denver Rockets | 3 | 1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | | | |
| Western Division | Western Division | Western Division | 2 | New Orleans Bucs | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Dallas Chaparrals | 3 | 2 | New Orleans Bucs | 0 | | | |
| 2 | New Orleans Buccaneers | 4 | | | | | | |
| 2 | New Orleans Buccaneers | 4 | | | | W1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 |
| | | | | | | E1 | Indiana Pacers | 1 |
| 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | | | | | E1 | Indiana Pacers | 1 |
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 | 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | | | |
| Eastern Division | Eastern Division | Eastern Division | 2 | Miami Floridians | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Minnesota Pipers | 3 | 2 | Miami Floridians | 1 | | | |
| 2 | Miami Floridians | 4 | | | | | | |

## Division Semifinals
### Division Semifinals
#### (1) Oakland Oaks vs. (3) Denver Rockets

* April 5
* Box score
Denver Rockets 99, Oakland Oaks 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 35–36, 21–30, 21–33 |||
| Pts: Wayne Hightower 23 Rebs: Ken Wilburn 12 Asts: Beck, Jones 4 each | Pts: Warren Jabali 28 Rebs: Ira Harge 17 Asts: Jabali, Moe, Critchfield 4 each |
| Oakland leads series, 1–0 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 2,358
* April 6
* Box score
Denver Rockets 122, Oakland Oaks 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 31–26, 24–32, 41–22, 26–39 |||
| Pts: Larry Jones 31 Rebs: Byron Beck 17 Asts: Jeff Congdon 10 | Pts: Warren Jabali 33 Rebs: Ira Harge 15 Asts: Brown, Logan 5 each |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 1,580
* April 8
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 121, Denver Rockets 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–31, 38–16, 22–28, 28–24 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 42 Rebs: Warren Jabali 15 Asts: Larry Brown 4 | Pts: Larry Jones 28 Rebs: Jones, Piatkowski 8 each Asts: Jeff Congdon 5 |
| Oakland leads series, 2–1 |||
* Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 5,062
* April 10
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 108, Denver Rockets 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 28–30, 23–34, 31–23 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 24 Rebs: Gary Bradds 16 Asts: Larry Brown 6 | Pts: Lonnie Wright 23 Rebs: Julian Hammond 10 Asts: Larry Jones 8 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 5,431
* April 12
* Box score
Denver Rockets 118, Oakland Oaks 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–34, 26–33, 31–34, 36–27 |||
| Pts: Byron Beck 21 Rebs: Byron Beck 14 Asts: Larry Jones 5 | Pts: Warren Jabali 34 Rebs: Warren Jabali 14 Asts: Moe, Brown, Logan 3 each |
| Oakland leads series, 3–2 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 3,156
* April 13
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 115, Denver Rockets 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 16–32, 32–35, 31–30, 36–29 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 20 Rebs: Ira Harge 12 Asts: Larry Brown 5 | Pts: Larry Jones 33 Rebs: Wright, Jones 11 each Asts: Jones, Hightower, Congdon 4 each |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, Colorado Attendance: 6,841
* April 16
* Box score
Denver Rockets 102, Oakland Oaks 115 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–35, 29–24, 19–20, 27–36 |||
| Pts: Wayne Hightower 23 Rebs: Wayne Hightower 14 Asts: Jeff Congdon 9 | Pts: Doug Moe 28 Rebs: Ira Harge 16 Asts: Larry Brown 6 |
| Oakland wins series, 4–3 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 5,123

#### (2) New Orleans Buccaneers vs. (4) Dallas Chaparrals

* April 5
* Box score
Dallas Chaparrals 106, New Orleans Buccaneers 129 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–38, 25–30, 25–22, 36–39 |||
| Pts: Glen Combs 21 Rebs: Manny Leaks 9 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 22 Rebs: Red Robbins 14 |
| New Orleans leads series, 1–0 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 3,765
* April 7
* Box score
Dallas Chaparrals 108, New Orleans Buccaneers 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 32–35, 24–20, 29–33 |||
| Pts: Glen Combs 24 Rebs: Bedell, Leaks, Beasley 8 each | Pts: Jimmy Jones 45 Rebs: Red Robbins 18 |
| New Orleans leads series, 2–0 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 3,525
* April 10
* Box score
New Orleans Buccaneers 106, Dallas Chaparrals 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–31, 26–27, 28–39, 32–33 |||
| Pts: Red Robbins 29 Rebs: Red Robbins 14 | Pts: Cincy Powell 26 Rebs: John Beasley 14 |
| New Orleans leads series, 2–1 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 2,887
* April 12
* Box score
New Orleans Buccaneers 114, Dallas Chaparrals 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 25–28, 31–35, 31–21, 27–23 |||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 29 Rebs: Red Robbins 13 | Pts: Beasley, Powell 20 each Rebs: Manny Leaks 12 |
| New Orleans leads series, 3–1 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 5,482
* April 14
* Box score
Dallas Chaparrals 123, New Orleans Buccaneers 112 :
| Scoring by quarter: 34–32, 34–21, 34–35, 21–24 |||
| Pts: Cincy Powell 31 Rebs: Cincy Powell 18 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 37 Rebs: Robbins, Govan 12 each |
| New Orleans leads series, 3–2 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 4,517
* April 15
* Box score
New Orleans Buccaneers 118, Dallas Chaparrals 136 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–27, 17–34, 34–35, 41–40 |||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 21 Rebs: Red Robbins 13 | Pts: Glen Combs 40 Rebs: John Beasley 15 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Moody Coliseum, University Park, Texas Attendance: 4,366
* April 17
* Box score
Dallas Chaparrals 95, New Orleans Buccaneers 101 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 23–27, 24–29, 26–21 |||
| Pts: Cincy Powell 24 Rebs: John Beasley 14 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 27 Rebs: Red Robbins 24 |
| New Orleans wins series, 4–3 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 5,823

### Eastern Division Semifinals
#### (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels

* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 128, Indiana Pacers 118 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–25, 22–32, 38–30, 38–31 |||
| Pts: Darel Carrier 40 Rebs: Gene Moore 21 Asts: Louie Dampier 3 | Pts: Roger Brown 38 Rebs: Mel Daniels 16 Asts: Bobby Hooper 6 |
| Kentucky leads series, 1–0 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,319
* April 9
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 115, Indiana Pacers 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–29, 24–30, 23–28, 39–33 |||
| Pts: Louie Dampier 31 Rebs: Gene Moore 13 Asts: Louie Dampier 4 | Pts: Roger Brown 35 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 12 Asts: Freddie Lewis 5 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 6,789
* April 10
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 111, Kentucky Colonels 130 :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 25–30, 29–33, 30–33 |||
| Pts: Mel Daniels 23 Rebs: Roger Brown 15 Asts: Roger Brown 6 | Pts: Darel Carrier 34 Rebs: Gene Moore 18 Asts: Louie Dampier 10 |
| Kentucky leads series, 2–1 |||
* Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 4,235
* April 13
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 104, Kentucky Colonels 105 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 27–23, 21–21, 22–24, 24–26, Overtime: 10–11 |||
| Pts: Freddie Lewis 26 Rebs: Mel Daniels 19 Asts: Freddie Lewis 5 | Pts: Darel Carrier 24 Rebs: Jim Ligon 19 Asts: Carrier, Dampier 6 each |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–1 |||
* Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 3,079
* April 14
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 97, Indiana Pacers 116 :
| Scoring by quarter: 19–26, 27–26, 32–28, 19–36 |||
| Pts: Darel Carrier 21 Rebs: Jim Ligon 14 Asts: Darel Carrier 3 | Pts: Bob Netolicky 35 Rebs: Mel Daniels 24 Asts: Freddie Lewis 8 |
| Kentucky leads series, 3–2 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 5,612
* April 15
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 107, Kentucky Colonels 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–26, 27–22, 28–24, 20–17 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 25 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 15 Asts: Lewis, Thacker 5 each | Pts: Louie Dampier 27 Rebs: Gene Moore 22 Asts: Ligon, Rascoe, Caldwell, Dampier 2 each |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Louisville Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Attendance: 4,633
* April 17
* Box score
Kentucky Colonels 111, Indiana Pacers 120 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–32, 25–27, 27–35, 27–26 |||
| Pts: Louie Dampier 26 Rebs: Gene Moore 12 Asts: Ligon, Carrier 3 each | Pts: Bob Netolicky 32 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 16 Asts: Brown, Lewis 3 each |
| Indiana wins series, 4–3 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 11,005
This was the first and only time in ABA history that a team overcame a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series.

#### (2) Miami Floridians vs. (4) Minnesota Pipers

* April 7
* Box score
Minnesota Pipers 110, Miami Floridians 119 :
| Scoring by quarter: 23–30, 22–22, 28–36, 37–31 |||
| Pts: Steve Vacendak 28 Rebs: Connie Hawkins 14 | Pts: Donnie Freeman 33 Rebs: Skip Thoren 12 |
| Miami leads series, 1–0 |||
* Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Attendance: 4,103
* April 9
* Box score
Minnesota Pipers 106, Miami Floridians 99 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–24, 31–16, 25–31, 29–28 |||
| Pts: Connie Hawkins 26 Rebs: Trooper Washington 20 | Pts: Donnie Freeman 21 Rebs: Skip Thoren14 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* West Palm Beach Auditorium, West Palm Beach, Florida Attendance: 1,688
* April 10
* Box score
Miami Floridians 93, Minnesota Pipers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–30, 22–30, 28–15, 23–34 |||
| Pts: Donnie Freeman 20 Rebs: Willie Murrell 10 | Pts: Steve Vacendak 23 Rebs: Trooper Washington 20 |
| Minnesota leads series, 2–1 |||
* Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Attendance: 1,520
* April 12
* Box score
Miami Floridians 116, Minnesota Pipers 109 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 26–27, 33–27, 28–27 |||
| Pts: Willie Murrell 27 Rebs: Skip Thoren 26 | Pts: Connie Hawkins 28 Rebs: Art Heyman 10 |
| Series tied, 2–2 |||
* Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Attendance: 2,532
* April 13
* Box score
Minnesota Pipers 107, Miami Floridians 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–32, 20–29, 40–33, 21–28 |||
| Pts: Connie Hawkins 24 Rebs: Connie Hawkins 15 | Pts: Willie Murrell 29 Rebs: Skip Thoren 21 |
| Miami leads series, 3–2 |||
* Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Attendance: 4,206
* April 15
* Box score
Miami Floridians 100, Minnesota Pipers 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 25–30, 25–17, 28–28 |||
| Pts: Skip Thoren 19 Rebs: Les Hunter 13 | Pts: Connie Hawkins 33 Rebs: Connie Hawkins 20 |
| Series tied, 3–3 |||
* Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, Minnesota Attendance: 1,345
* April 19
* Box score
Minnesota Pipers 128, Miami Floridians 137 :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 19–35, 44–40, 39–33 |||
| Pts: Charlie Williams 31 Rebs: Connie Hawkins 13 | Pts: Donnie Freeman 32 Rebs: Skip Thoren 16 |
| Miami wins series, 4–3 |||
* Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Attendance: 5,072

## Division Finals
### Western Division Finals
#### (1) Oakland Oaks vs. (2) New Orleans Buccaneers

* April 19
* Box score
New Orleans Buccaneers 118, Oakland Oaks 128 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 30–29, 35–39, 23–30 |||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 45 Rebs: Robbins, Govan 13 each Asts: Jimmy Jones 8 | Pts: Henry Logan 30 Rebs: Ira Harge 18 Asts: Henry Logan 3 |
| Oakland leads series, 1–0 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 2,848
* April 21
* Box score
New Orleans Buccaneers 124, Oakland Oaks 135 :
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 37–38, 29–41, 28–25 |||
| Pts: Jimmy Jones 31 Rebs: Red Robbins 19 Asts: Jimmy Jones 7 | Pts: Gary Bradds 33 Rebs: Warren Jabali 16 Asts: Larry Brown 8 |
| Oakland leads series, 2–0 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 1,749
* April 23
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 113, New Orleans Buccaneers 107 :
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 28–24, 28–33, 35–24 |||
| Pts: Gary Bradds 33 Rebs: Gary Bradds 14 Asts: Ira Harge 3 | Pts: S. Jones, J. Jones 26 each Rebs: Red Robbins 27 Asts: Jimmy Jones 8 |
| Oakland leads series, 3–0 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 4,253
* April 25
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 128, New Orleans Buccaneers 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–27, 45–38, 25–29, 30–20 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 27 Rebs: Jim Eakins 14 Asts: Warren Jabali 5 | Pts: Jimmy Jones 27 Rebs: Gerald Govan 12 |
| Oakland wins series, 4–0 |||
* Loyola Field House, New Orleans, Louisiana Attendance: 3,583

### Eastern Division Finals
#### (1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Miami Floridians

* April 20
* Boxscore
Miami Floridians 110, Indiana Pacers 126 :
| Scoring by quarter: 18–28, 24–32, 22–38, 46–28 |||
| Pts: Don Sidle 28 Rebs: Les Hunter 20 Asts: Hunter, McHartley, Anderson 4 each | Pts: Mel Daniels 32 Rebs: Mel Daniels 14 Asts: Tom Thacker 10 |
| Indiana leads series, 1–0 |||
* Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana Attendance: 8,721
* April 22
* Boxscore
Miami Floridians 116, Indiana Pacers 131 :
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 27–34, 25–38, 35–37 |||
| Pts: Freeman, McHartley 22 each Rebs: Hunter 13 Asts: Maurice McHartley 6 | Pts: Roger Brown 33 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 19 Asts: Freddie Lewis 7 |
| Indiana leads series, 2–0 |||
* Anderson High School Wigwam, Anderson, Indiana Attendance: 7,243
* April 23
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 119, Miami Floridians 105 :
| Scoring by quarter: 37–27, 27–25, 28–31, 27–22 |||
| Pts: Freddie Lewis 33 Rebs: Daniels, Peeples 9 each Asts: Tom Thacker 11 | Pts: Donnie Freeman 23 Rebs: Skip Thoren 15 Asts: Willie Murrell 5 |
| Indiana leads series, 3–0 |||
* Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Attendance: 2,112
* April 25
* Boxscore
Indiana Pacers 110, Miami Floridians 114 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–24, 22–26, 27–34, 28–30 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 44 Rebs: Daniels, Netolicky 12 each Asts: Tom Thacker 10 | Pts: Don Sidle 27 Rebs: Sidle, Thoren 10 each Asts: Maurice McHartley 9 |
| Indiana leads series, 3–1 |||
* Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida Attendance: 2,846
* April 26
* Boxscore
Miami Floridians 105, Indiana Pacers 127 :
| Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 32–32, 29–34, 24–33 |||
| Pts: Donnie Freeman 26 Rebs: Don Sidle 13 Asts: Maurice McHartley 4 | Pts: Freddie Lewis 35 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 10 Asts: Tom Thacker 8 |
| Indiana wins series, 4–1 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 3,528

## ABA Finals: (W1) Oakland Oaks vs. (E1) Indiana Pacers

* April 30
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 85, Oakland Oaks 89 :
| Scoring by quarter: 32–36, 28–28, 20–28, 34–31 |||
| Pts: Bob Netolicky 33 Rebs: Mel Daniels 18 Asts: Tom Thacker 4 | Pts: Gary Bradds 40 Rebs: Gary Bradds 17 Asts: Larry Brown 9 |
| Oakland leads series, 1–0 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 3,290
* May 2
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 150, Oakland Oaks 122 :
| Scoring by quarter: 133–32, 40–18, 36–35, 41–37 |||
| Pts: Roger Brown 39 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 15 Asts: Bobby Hooper 7 | Pts: Warren Jabali 31 Rebs: Warren Jabali 15 Asts: Larry Brown 5 |
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 4,171
* May 3
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 134, Indiana Pacers 126 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 33–27, 33–31, 26–30, Overtime: 16–8 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 37 Rebs: Ira Harge 22 Asts: Larry Brown 8 | Pts: Brown, Daniels each Rebs: Bob Netolicky 19 Asts: Freddie Lewis 9 |
| Oakland leads series, 2–1 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 8,467
* May 5
* Box score
Oakland Oaks 144, Indiana Pacers 117 :
| Scoring by quarter: 33–22, 36–37, 41–21, 34–37 |||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 30 Rebs: Gary Bradds 19 Asts: Larry Brown 7 | Pts: John Fairchild 18 Rebs: Netolicky, Daniels 9 each Asts: Bobby Hooper 11 |
| Oakland leads series, 3–1 |||
* Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 7,133
* May 7
* Box score
Indiana Pacers 131, Oakland Oaks 135 (OT) :
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 30–33, 30–31, 34–27, Overtime: 9–13 |||
| Pts: Freddie Lewis 33 Rebs: Mel Daniels 25 Asts: Freddie Lewis 7 | Pts: Warren Jabali 39 Rebs: Ira Harge 14 Asts: Larry Brown 7 |
| Oakland wins series, 4–1 |||
* Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 6,340
* Sports portal

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Total | Total | Total | Average | Average | Average | Average |
| Category | Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played |
| Points | Warren Jabali | Oakland Oaks | 460 | Jimmy Jones | New Orleans Buccaneers | 30.2 | 11 |
| Rebounds | Mel Daniels | Indiana Pacers | 237 | Red Robbins | New Orleans Buccaneers | 15.9 | 15 |
| Assists | Larry Brown | Oakland Oaks | 87 | Larry Brown | Oakland Oaks | 5.4 | 11 |