Prior to the season, the NBA merged with its primary rival league, theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA). Four ABA teams joined the NBA, all four of which are still in the league today: theSan Antonio Spurs,Indiana Pacers,Denver Nuggets, andNew York Nets. The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season, and now play as theBrooklyn Nets. With these additions, the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two.
The league adopts a balanced schedule. Each team plays 19 of the 21 other clubs four times each, while playing two from the opposite conference three times each. This scheduling format remains in place for 1977-78 and 1978-79.
TheNBA Playoffs were expanded from 5 teams per conference to 6, resulting in division winners getting a first round bye.
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 andCaldwell Jones, and the Portland Trail Blazers'Maurice Lucas andDave Twardzik.
ThePortland 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.
