Prior to the season, the NBA merged with its primary rival league, the
American Basketball Association (ABA). Four ABA teams joined the NBA, all four of which are still in the league today: the
San Antonio Spurs,
Indiana Pacers,
Denver Nuggets, and
New York Nets. The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season, and now play as the
Brooklyn Nets. With these additions, the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two.
5 of the 10 All-Star starters and 10 of the 24 All-Star participants were former ABA players, and former ABA players filled 4 of the 10 slots on the All-NBA first and second teams. Five former ABA players competed in the NBA Finals: the Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving,
George McGinnis and
Caldwell Jones, and the Portland Trail Blazers'
Maurice Lucas and
Dave Twardzik.
The
Portland Trail Blazers made their first playoff appearance, winning their first and, to date, only NBA Championship. They also become the second team in history (after the 1969 Celtics) to win the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games.