1970–71 Utah Stars season
| 1970–71 Utah Stars season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Sharman |
| Arena | Salt Palace |
| Results | |
| Record | 57–27 (.679) |
| Place | Division: 2nd |
| Playoff finish | Won ABA Championship |
| Local media | |
| Television | KUTV 2 |
| Radio | KALL |
The 1970–71 Utah Stars season was the first season for the Stars in the state of Utah. After their inaugural season played in the Anaheim and two seasons in Los Angeles (both cities being in the large state of California), the team moved to the nearby state of Utah in June 1970 following a near-upset run in the 1970 ABA Finals against the Indiana Pacers and reneging on an initial plan on moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico to go to Utah over an alternative idea of returning to Anaheim (potentially with the Amigos name returning there). The Stars finished second in the Western Division behind only the defending champion Indiana Pacers by one game, but won their first and only ABA title during this season. In the Western Division Semifinals, the Stars swept the Texas Chaparrals (who would only be named the Texas Chaparrals for this season before aborting the idea of playing as a regional franchise within the state of Texas to become the Dallas Chaparrals within the city of Dallas like they were before this season and would stay that way for the next two seasons of theirs before later becoming the San Antonio Spurs going forward) in four games. In the Western Division Finals, they beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games (including Game 7 that was played in the state of Indiana) to advance to the ABA Finals. Then in seven games, they beat the Kentucky Colonels in the 1971 ABA Finals, in order to give the state of Utah its first professional championship (and as of 2025, their only professional championship in the sport of basketball).
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Legend
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Season standings
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers | 58 | 26 | .690 | |
| Utah Stars | 57 | 27 | .679 | 1 |
| Memphis Pros | 41 | 43 | .488 | 17 |
| Texas Chaparrals | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28 |
| Denver Rockets | 30 | 54 | .357 | 28 |
Playoffs
Western Division Semifinals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 2 | Utah | 125–115 | 1–0 | 4,375 |
| 2 | April 3 | Utah | 137–107 | 2–0 | 6,061 |
| 3 | April 4 | Texas | 113–101 | 3–0 | 4,674 |
| 4 | April 6 | Texas | 128–107 | 4–0 | 3,666 |
Stars win series, 4–0
Division Finals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 12 | Indiana | 120–118 | 1–0 | 7,734 |
| 2 | April 14 | Indiana | 107–120 | 1–1 | 9,458 |
| 3 | April 17 | Utah | 121–107 | 2–1 | 12,711 |
| 4 | April 20 | Utah | 126–99 | 3–1 | 12,761 |
| 5 | April 22 | Indiana | 109–127 | 3–2 | 8,279 |
| 6 | April 24 | Utah | 102–105 | 3–3 | 13,208 |
| 7 | April 28 | Indiana | 108–101 | 4–3 | 11,202 |
Stars win series, 4–3
ABA Finals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | May 3 | Utah | 136–117 | 1–0 | 12,051 |
| 2 | May 5 | Utah | 138–125 | 2–0 | 13,208 |
| 3 | May 7 | Kentucky | 110–116 | 2–1 | 12,337 |
| 4 | April 8 | Kentucky | 125–129 (OT) | 2–2 | 9,863 |
| 5 | May 12 | Utah | 137–127 | 3–2 | 13,260 |
| 6 | May 15 | Kentucky | 102–105 | 3–3 | 11,793 |
| 7 | May 18 | Utah | 131–121 | 4–3 | 13,260 |
Stars win championship series, 4–3
Zelmo Beaty scored 23.2 points per game and rebounded 14.6 rebounds per game, which earned him the Playoffs MVP.
Awards, records, and honors
References
- ^ a b c "Remember the ABA: 1970-71 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results". Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2016.