| 1971–72 ABA season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 13, 1971 – May 20, 1972 |
| Games | 84 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Kentucky Colonels |
| SeasonMVP | Artis Gilmore (Kentucky) |
| Top scorer | Dan Issel (Kentucky) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Indiana Pacers |
| Runners-up | New York Nets |
| ABA seasons | |
The1971–72 ABA season was the fifth season of theAmerican Basketball Association. TheIndiana Pacers won the championship, defeating theNew York Nets, 4 games to 2, in the ABA Finals.
With the signing of players such asArtis Gilmore andJim McDaniels in the offseason, the league looked to shift perceptions that it was a "guard league" without much height.[1] For the first time in the league's history, no franchise moved to a different state from the previous season. The only name change involved theDallas Chaparrals, who were able to secure a lease in Dallas for the season and were renamed from the previous season'sTexas Chaparrals.
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Colonels * | 68 | 16 | .810 | — |
| Virginia Squires * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 23 |
| New York Nets * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 24 |
| The Floridians * | 36 | 48 | .429 | 32 |
| Carolina Cougars | 35 | 49 | .417 | 33 |
| Pittsburgh Condors | 25 | 59 | .298 | 43 |
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Stars * | 60 | 24 | .714 | — |
| Indiana Pacers * | 47 | 37 | .560 | 13 |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 42 | 42 | .500 | 18 |
| Denver Rockets * | 34 | 50 | .405 | 26 |
| Memphis Pros | 26 | 58 | .310 | 34 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA champions
