1969–70 ABA season
| 1969–70 ABA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Los Angeles Stars |
The 1969–70 ABA season was the third season of the
Minnesota Pipers moved back to Pittsburgh, the Oakland Oaks moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Caps and the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina and became the Carolina Cougars. For the regular-season, the schedule was increased from 78 to 84 games per team. The season ended with the Indiana Pacers
capturing their first ABA Championship.
Denver Rockets
. Haywood was professional basketball's first "hardship case", leaving college after his sophomore season. The NBA prohibited him from declaring for its draft, and he signed with the Rockets instead, leading them to the Western Division championship.
Teams
| 1969-70 American Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Carolina Cougars | Greensboro, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina |
15,000 9,605 7,610 | |
| Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana
|
Indiana State Fair Coliseum
|
10,000 | |
| Kentucky Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Louisville Convention Center
|
6,000 | |
| Miami Floridians | Miami, Florida
|
Miami-Dade Junior College North Gym
|
6,900 N/A | |
New York Nets
|
West Hempstead, New York | Island Garden | 5,200 | |
Pittsburgh Pipers
|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
|
Civic Arena | 12,580 | |
| Western | Dallas Chaparrals | Dallas, Texas
|
Dallas Memorial Auditorium
|
8,998 9,815 |
Denver Rockets
|
Denver, Colorado
|
Denver Auditorium Arena | 6,841 | |
Los Angeles Stars
|
Los Angeles, California
|
Los Angeles Sports Arena
|
14,795 | |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | New Orleans, Louisiana
|
Loyola Field House | 6,500 | |
| Washington Caps | D.C.
|
Washington Coliseum
|
7,000 | |
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers * | 59 | 25 | .702 | — |
| Kentucky Colonels * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 14.0 |
| Carolina Cougars * | 42 | 42 | .500 | 17.0 |
| New York Nets * | 39 | 45 | .464 | 20.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pipers | 29 | 55 | .345 | 30.0 |
| Miami Floridians | 23 | 61 | .274 | 36.0 |
Western Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Rockets * | 51 | 33 | .607 | — |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 6.0 |
| Washington Caps * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 7.0 |
| Los Angeles Stars * | 43 | 41 | .512 | 8.0 |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | 42 | 42 | .500 | 9.0 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA champions
Playoffs
Awards and honors
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- Denver Rockets
- Rookie of the Year: Spencer Haywood, Denver Rockets
- Coach of the Year: Los Angeles Stars and Joe Belmont, Denver Rockets
- Playoffs MVP: Roger Brown, Indiana Pacers
- All-Star Game MVP: Spencer Haywood, Denver Rockets
- All-ABA First Team
- Rick Barry, Washington Caps (2nd selection)
- Spencer Haywood, Denver Rockets
- Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (3rd selection)
- Bob Verga, Carolina Cougars
- Larry Jones, Denver Rockets (3rd selection)
- All-ABA Second Team
- Roger Brown, Indiana Pacers (2nd selection)
- Bob Netolicky, Indiana Pacers
- Red Robbins, New Orleans Buccaneers (2nd selection)
- Louie Dampier, Kentucky Colonels (3rd selection)
- Donnie Freeman, Miami Floridians (2nd selection)
- All-ABA Rookie Team
- Mike Barrett, Washington Caps
- Pittsburgh Pipers
- Los Angeles Stars
- Spencer Haywood, Denver Rockets
- Willie Wise, Los Angeles Stars
