| 1970–71 Indiana Pacers season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | Bobby Leonard | ||
| Arena | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 58–26 (.690) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) | ||
| Playoff finish | Division finals (lost toStars 3–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| |||
The1970–71Indiana Pacers season wasIndiana's fourth season in theAmerican Basketball Association and fourth as a team. Entering this season, the Pacers sought to repeat as champions of the entire ABA, as well as remain in the state of Indiana so that they would be financially stable enough to showcase that a champion team in the ABA can stay intact and not move elsewhere for various reasons. This season saw the Pacers come close to matching their best record at the time with a 58–26 record helping solidify them as the Western Division champions by the end of the regular season. In the1971 ABA Playoffs, the Pacers would sweep theMemphis Pros, but ultimately lose a seven-game series to the eventual championUtah Stars (who would get their revenge after losing the1970 ABA Playoffs' championship match in what turned out to their last games played under the originalLos Angeles Stars name); for the next few seasons after that, the Stars would become bitter divisional rivals with the Pacers during their ABA tenure before the Utah franchise eventually folded operations by December 1975 during what later becamethe final ABA season played.
| Player | School/Club team |
|---|---|
| Dennis Awtrey | Santa Clara |
| Vince Fritz | Oregon State |
| Surry Oliver | Stephen F. Austin |
| Don Curnutt | Miami |
| Rick Erickson | Washington State |
| Billy Jones | Louisiana College |
| Jerry Kroll | Davidson |
| Bob Riley | Mt. St. Mary's |
| Heyward Dotson | Columbia |
| Mickey Foster | Arizona |
| Seaburn Hill | Arizona State |
| Ted Hillery | St. Joseph's (IN) |
| Jeff Sewell | Marquette |
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Legend
|
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers | 58 | 26 | .690 |
| Utah Stars | 57 | 27 | .679 |
| Memphis Pros | 41 | 43 | .488 |
| Texas Chaparrals | 30 | 54 | .357 |
| Denver Rockets | 30 | 54 | .357 |
| Stat | Player | Average per game |
| Points | Mel Daniels | 21.0 |
| Assists | Bill Keller and Freddie Lewis | 5.3 |
| Rebounds | Mel Daniels | 18.0 (4.8 offensive and 13.2 defensive rebounds) |
| FG% | Donald Sidle | .548 |
| Minutes | Roger Brown | 41.0 |
Western Division semifinals vsMemphis Pros[2]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 2 | Indiana | 114–98 | 1–0 | 7,562 |
| 2 | April 3 | Indiana | 106–104 | 2–0 | 8,701 |
| 3 | April 5 | Memphis | 91–90 | 3–0 | 4,107 |
| 4 | April 7 | Memphis | 102–101 | 4–0 | 3,681 |
Western Division Finals vsUtah Stars
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 12 | Indiana | 118–120 | 0–1 | 7,734 |
| 2 | April 14 | Indiana | 120–107 | 1–1 | 9,458 |
| 3 | April 17 | Utah | 107–121 | 1–2 | 12,711 |
| 4 | April 20 | Utah | 99–126 | 1–3 | 12,761 |
| 5 | April 22 | Indiana | 127–109 | 2–3 | 8,279 |
| 6 | April 24 | Utah | 105–102 | 3–3 | 13,208 |
| 7 | April 28 | Indiana | 101–108 | 3–4 | 11,202 |
