1971 NBA playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 24–April 30, 1971 |
| Season | 1970–71 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Milwaukee Bucks (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Baltimore Bullets |
| Semifinalists | |
The 1971 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the
Baltimore Bullets four games to none in the NBA Finals
.
Led by Finals MVP and the previous season's Rookie of the Year Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson, the Bucks became the fastest expansion team in NBA history to win the championship (a record that they still hold as of 2021), and did so in dominating fashion, finishing 12-2 in the playoffs with a postseason average point differential of 14.5.[1]
The playoff format kept the amount of teams qualifying the same, albeit with a different format from the two-division format, since there were now four divisions rather than two, with each division qualifying its champion and second-place team (as opposed to having the top four from the Eastern and Western). In the Conference Semifinals, the champion of each division played the second place team in the other, with the divisional champion having home-court advantage. The two winners then played for the conference championship.
This was the first NBA Finals appearance for the Bullets, and their only trip to the championship round in Baltimore; they made three more appearances (winning one title) later in the decade.
The 1971 playoffs was the last for the
San Francisco Warriors
under that moniker; the following season, symbolizing their already-established home base of Oakland, they changed their name to the Golden State Warriors.
Bracket
| Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||
| A1 | New York* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| C2 | Atlanta | 1 | ||||||||||||
| A1 | New York* | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| A2 | Philadelphia | 3 | ||||||||||||
| C1 | Baltimore* | 0 | ||||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| P2 | San Francisco | 1 | ||||||||||||
| M1 | Milwaukee* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| P1 | Los Angeles* | 1 | ||||||||||||
| P1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| M2 | Chicago | 3 | ||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference semifinals
(A1) New York Knicks vs. (C2) Atlanta Hawks
March 25
|
| Atlanta Hawks 101, New York Knicks 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–32, 26–22, 32–21, 21–37 | ||
| 5 each | Pts: Bill Bradley 25 Rebs: Willis Reed 22 Asts: Bill Bradley 4 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
March 27
|
| Atlanta Hawks 113, New York Knicks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–26, 35–30, 33–23, 31–25 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Walt Frazier 29 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 15 Asts: Bill Bradley 4 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
March 28
|
| New York Knicks 110, Atlanta Hawks 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 23–27, 37–23, 26–18 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Walt Bellamy 29 Rebs: Walt Bellamy 18 Asts: Walt Hazzard 7 | |
| New York leads series, 2–1 | ||
Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 7,192 |
March 30
|
| New York Knicks 113, Atlanta Hawks 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–28, 31–29, 27–29, 23–21 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Walt Bellamy 25 Rebs: Bill Bridges 18 Asts: Walt Hazzard 9 | |
| New York leads series, 3–1 | ||
Atlanta, Georgia Attendance: 7,192 |
April 1
|
| Atlanta Hawks 107, New York Knicks 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–25, 29–25, 28–25, 22–33 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Dave DeBusschere 29 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 22 Asts: Willis Reed 5 | |
| New York wins series, 4–1 | ||
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[2]
(C1) Baltimore Bullets vs. (A2) Philadelphia 76ers
March 24
|
Baltimore Bullets 112
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 27–28, 35–21, 36–35 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Loughery, Gus Johnson 19 Rebs: Wes Unseld 20 Asts: Kevin Loughery 4 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 6,707 |
March 26
|
Baltimore Bullets 119, Philadelphia 76ers 107
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 36–29, 32–32, 24–17, 27–29 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Archie Clark 26 Rebs: Billy Cunningham 11 Asts: Archie Clark 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
March 28
|
Baltimore Bullets 111
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 22–25, 29–28, 27–31 | ||
| 10 | Pts: Earl Monroe 29 Rebs: Wes Unseld 24 Asts: Kevin Loughery 7 | |
| Baltimore leads series, 2–1 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 5,589 |
March 30
|
Baltimore Bullets 120, Philadelphia 76ers 105
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 32–30, 27–19, 31–24 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Archie Clark 24 Rebs: Billy Cunningham 17 Asts: Billy Cunningham 8 | |
| Baltimore leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 1
|
Baltimore Bullets 103
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–18, 30–24, 26–29, 20–32 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Earl Monroe 26 Rebs: Wes Unseld 18 Asts: Kevin Loughery 5 | |
| Baltimore leads series, 3–2 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 10,998 |
April 3
|
Baltimore Bullets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 98
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–30, 24–25, 34–20, 20–23 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Billy Cunningham 33 Rebs: Billy Cunningham 16 Asts: Billy Cunningham 5 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
April 4
|
Baltimore Bullets 128
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 22–43, 27–25, 41–29 | ||
| 5 each | Pts: Jack Marin 33 Rebs: Wes Unseld 22 Asts: Gus Johnson 8 | |
| Baltimore wins series, 4–3 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 6,662 |
- Bailey Howell's final NBA game.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[3]
Western Conference semifinals
(M1) San Francisco Warriors
March 27
|
San Francisco Warriors 96
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 34–24, 24–28, 23–24, 26–20 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Jeff Mullins 30 Rebs: Nate Thurmond 15 Asts: Jeff Mullins 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 11,216 |
March 29
|
San Francisco Warriors 90, Milwaukee Bucks 104
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–25, 24–18, 16–29, 30–32 | ||
| 4 each | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18 Asts: Oscar Robertson 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
University of Wisconsin Field House, Madison, Wisconsin Attendance: 12,868 |
March 30
|
San Francisco Warriors 102, Milwaukee Bucks 114
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 20–31, 36–31, 24–28 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 33 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 12 Asts: Lucius Allen 8 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 | ||
University of Wisconsin Field House, Madison, Wisconsin Attendance: 12,868 |
April 1
|
San Francisco Warriors 106
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–19, 20–34, 25–25, 35–28 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Jerry Lucas 32 Rebs: Jeff Mullins 19 Asts: Ron Williams 9 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–1 | ||
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California Attendance: 7,615 |
April 4
|
San Francisco Warriors 86, Milwaukee Bucks 136
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–38, 17–31, 22–36, 29–31 | ||
| 4 each | Pts: Jon McGlocklin 28 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Asts: Lucius Allen 7 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–1 | ||
University of Wisconsin Field House, Madison, Wisconsin Attendance: 12,868 |
- All three Milwaukee home games in the series were not played at Milwaukee Arenadue to scheduling conflicts.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]
(P1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (M2) Chicago Bulls
March 24
|
| Chicago Bulls 99, Los Angeles Lakers 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–20, 29–19, 20–30, 25–31 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Jim McMillian 26 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 21 Asts: Gail Goodrich 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 10,726 |
March 26
|
| Chicago Bulls 95, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 29–24, 33–29, 19–33 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Gail Goodrich 29 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 20 Asts: Gail Goodrich 7 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–0 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 13,469 |
March 28
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 98, Chicago Bulls 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–24, 25–27, 26–22, 21–33 | ||
| 6 each | Pts: Bob Love 27 Rebs: Chet Walker 12 Asts: Bob Weiss 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 2–1 | ||
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 10,101 Referees: Mendy Rudolph, Bob Rakel, Allan Brunkhorst |
March 30
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 102, Chicago Bulls 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 22–30, 32–26, 19–34 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Bob Love 36 Rebs: Jerry Sloan 12 Asts: Bob Weiss 13 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
April 1
|
| Chicago Bulls 89, Los Angeles Lakers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–27, 31–28, 20–31, 15–29 | ||
| 7 each | Pts: Gail Goodrich 33 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 14 Asts: Gail Goodrich 11 | |
| Los Angeles leads series, 3–2 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 13,935 |
April 4
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 99, Chicago Bulls 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–29, 27–23, 15–28, 27–33 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Bob Weiss 25 Rebs: Tom Boerwinkle 18 Asts: Boerwinkle, Walker 6 each | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
April 6
|
| Chicago Bulls 98, Los Angeles Lakers 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 23–22, 26–25, 24–32 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Gail Goodrich 29 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 19 Asts: Goodrich, Chamberlain 9 each | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 4–3 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 |
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning the first meeting.
| Los Angeles leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Conference finals
Eastern Conference finals
(A1) Baltimore Bullets
April 6
|
Baltimore Bullets 111, New York Knicks 112
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 25–28, 34–28, 24–26 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Walt Frazier 24 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 17 Asts: Walt Frazier 7 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 9
|
Baltimore Bullets 88, New York Knicks 107
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–21, 25–27, 15–25, 25–34 | ||
| 16 | Pts: Dick Barnett 14 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 14 Asts: Walt Frazier 5 | |
| New York leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 11
|
Baltimore Bullets 114
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–25, 19–32, 18–31, 25–26 | ||
| 5 each | Pts: Earl Monroe 31 Rebs: Wes Unseld 26 Asts: Wes Unseld 9 | |
| New York leads series, 2–1 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 8,083 |
April 14
|
Baltimore Bullets 101
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–22, 24–29, 22–25, 15–25 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Jack Marin 27 Rebs: John Tresvant 17 Asts: Wes Unseld 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 12,289 |
April 16
|
Baltimore Bullets 84, New York Knicks 89
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 24–20, 22–26, 22–19 | ||
| 3 | Pts: Walt Frazier 28 Rebs: Dave DeBusschere 17 Asts: Bill Bradley 4 | |
| New York leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 18
|
Baltimore Bullets 113
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–27, 25–29, 28–34, 25–23 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Earl Monroe 27 Rebs: Wes Unseld 15 Asts: Earl Monroe 7 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 11,211 |
April 19
|
Baltimore Bullets 93, New York Knicks 91
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 24–26, 30–21, 20–23 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Dick Barnett 26 Rebs: Willis Reed 12 Asts: Walt Frazier 4 | |
| Baltimore wins series, 4–3 | ||
- The Bullets become the second team after the Boston Celtics in the 1969 Finals to win Game 7 on the road after the home team won each of the first six games.
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Knicks winning the first two meetings.
| New York leads 2–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
Western Conference finals
(M1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (P1) Los Angeles Lakers
April 9
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 85, Milwaukee Bucks 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–26, 23–17, 22–29, 19–34 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 22 Asts: Oscar Robertson 10 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 11
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 73, Milwaukee Bucks 91 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–24, 22–20, 20–24, 16–23 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 22 Rebs: Bob Dandridge 11 Asts: Oscar Robertson 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 14
|
| Milwaukee Bucks 107, Los Angeles Lakers 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–28, 28–28, 22–34, 30–28 | ||
| 9 | Pts: four players 24 each Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 24 Asts: Gail Goodrich 8 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,334 |
April 16
|
| Milwaukee Bucks 117, Los Angeles Lakers 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–22, 32–29, 30–23, 25–20 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Gail Goodrich 26 Rebs: Wilt Chamberlain 16 Asts: Gail Goodrich 11 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California Attendance: 17,505 |
April 18
|
| Los Angeles Lakers 98, Milwaukee Bucks 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 20–25, 17–26, 32–35 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Greg Smith 22 Rebs: Abdul-Jabbar, Dandridge 15 each Asts: Oscar Robertson 12 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–1 | ||
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[7]
NBA Finals: (M1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (C1) Baltimore Bullets
April 21
|
Baltimore Bullets 88, Milwaukee Bucks 98
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 20–22, 26–29, 20–19 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 17 Asts: Oscar Robertson 7 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 25
|
Baltimore Bullets 83
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 23–19, 30–16, 23–22 | ||
| 10 | Pts: Jack Marin 22 Rebs: Wes Unseld 20 Asts: Earl Monroe 6 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 2–0 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 12,289 |
April 28
|
Baltimore Bullets 99, Milwaukee Bucks 107
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–30, 24–24, 23–25, 30–28 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Bob Dandridge 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 21 Asts: Oscar Robertson 12 | |
| Milwaukee leads series, 3–0 | ||
April 30
|
Baltimore Bullets 106
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–22, 29–25, 29–30, 29–29 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Fred Carter 28 Rebs: Wes Unseld 23 Asts: Wes Unseld 10 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 4–0 | ||
Baltimore, Maryland Attendance: 11,842 |
- The Bucks win their first championship in only their third year of existence. This is also the last NBA Finals to date in which the series alternates in between the venues of the competing teams after every game as opposed to the customary 2–2–1–1–1 and 2–3–2 formats that have been used ever since (with the exception of 1975 and 1978 due to scheduling conflicts, which resulted in the use of a 1–2–2–1–1 format).
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[8]
See also
- NBA records
References
- ^ 1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks Games – Basketball-Reference.com Archived 2011-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Golden State Warriors versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Chicago Bulls versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
External links
- 1971 NBA Playoffs Basketball-Reference.com
- April 19, 1971 'Bucks vs Knicks "We've Got to Spread a Little Anarchy"' Sports Illustrated