| 1972–73 ABA season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 12, 1972 – May 12, 1973 |
| Number of games | 84 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Carolina Cougars |
| Season MVP | Billy Cunningham ( Carolina) |
| Top scorer | Dan Issel ( Kentucky) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Indiana Pacers |
| Runners-up | Kentucky Colonels |
The 1972–73 ABA season was the sixth season of the American Basketball Association. The Pittsburgh Condors and Miami Floridians had folded, leaving the league with nine teams. However, the ABA decided to (for the first and only time) award an expansion franchise to Dr. Leonard Bloom (President and CEO of the United States Capital Corporation) for $1 million to play in San Diego, California, named the San Diego Conquistadors (however due to a feud they did not play in San Diego Sports Arena, instead playing at Peterson Gym). [1] Subsequently, this meant that the Memphis Tams (formerly the Memphis Pros) would move to the Eastern Division. Once again, the best regular season team did not win the ABA Finals, with the Indiana Pacers (who had the 4th best record), led by playoff MVP George McGinnis, winning the ABA championship, 4 games to 3 over the Kentucky Colonels.
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | 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 |
Western Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Stars * | 55 | 29 | .655 | — |
| Indiana Pacers * | 51 | 33 | .607 | 4 |
| Denver Rockets * | 47 | 37 | .560 | 8 |
| San Diego Conquistadors * | 30 | 54 | .357 | 25 |
| Dallas Chaparrals | 28 | 56 | .333 | 27 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA champions
Playoffs
Awards and honors
- ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Billy Cunningham, Carolina Cougars
- Rookie of the Year: Brian Taylor, New York Nets
- Coach of the Year: Larry Brown, Carolina Cougars
- Playoffs MVP: George McGinnis, Indiana Pacers
- All-Star Game MVP: Warren Jabali, Denver Rockets
- Executive of the Year: Carl Scheer, Carolina Cougars
- All-ABA First Team
- Billy Cunningham, Carolina Cougars
- Julius Erving, Virginia Squires (1st First Team selection, 2nd overall selection)
- Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels (2nd selection)
- Jimmy Jones, Utah Stars
- Warren Jabali, Denver Rockets
- All-ABA Second Team
- George McGinnis, Indiana Pacers
- Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (2nd Second Team selection, 3rd overall selection)
- Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (1st Second Team selection, 5th overall selection)
- Ralph Simpson, Denver Rockets (2nd selection)
- Mack Calvin, Carolina Cougars (1st Second Team selection, 2nd overall selection)
- All-Defensive Team (beginning with this season)
- Joe Caldwell, Carolina Cougars
- Mike Gale, Kentucky Colonels
- Julius Keye, Denver Rockets
- Roland Taylor, Virginia Squires
- Willie Wise, Utah Stars
- All-Rookie Team
- Jim Chones, New York Nets
- George Gervin, Virginia Squires
- James Silas, Dallas Chaparrals
- Brian Taylor, New York Nets
- Dennis Wuycik, Carolina Cougars
References
- ^ "The History of Professional Basketball in San Diego 1972-1984". HuffPost. June 19, 2015.