1975 ABA Playoffs

The 1975 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels defeating the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals.

3RoundBracket-Byes | RD1= Division Semifinals
RD2= Division Finals
RD3= ABA Finals
group1=Western Division
group2=Eastern Division
RD1-seed1=1
RD1-team1=Denver Nuggets
RD1-score1=4
RD1-seed2=4
RD1-team2=Utah Stars
RD1-score2=2
RD1-seed3=3
RD1-team3=Indiana Pacers
RD1-score3=4
RD1-seed4=2
RD1-team4=San Antonio Spurs
RD1-score4=2
RD1-seed5=1
RD1-team5=Kentucky Colonels
RD1-score5=4
RD1-seed6=4
RD1-team6=Memphis Sounds
RD1-score6=1
RD1-seed7=3
RD1-team7=Spirits of St. Louis
RD1-score7=4
RD1-seed8=2
RD1-team8=New York Nets
RD1-score8=1
RD2-seed1=1
RD2-team1=Denver Nuggets
RD2-score1=3
RD2-seed2=3
RD2-team2=Indiana Pacers
RD2-score2=4
RD2-seed3=1
RD2-team3=Kentucky Colonels
RD2-score3=4
RD2-seed4=3
RD2-team4=Spirits of St. Louis
RD2-score4=1
RD3-seed1=W3
RD3-team1=Indiana Pacers
RD3-score1=1
RD3-seed2=E1
RD3-team2=Kentucky Colonels
RD3-score2=4

The Kentucky Colonels won 22 of their final 25 regular season games to catch the New York Nets for a share of first place in the Eastern Division. The Colonels won their last ten regular season games of the regular season. They also went 13-3 in the ABA playoffs.

Because the Colonels and Nets tied for first place in the Eastern Division, a special one game playoff was played to determine the conference champion. The Colonels hosted the game and defeated the Nets 108-99 on April 4, 1975.

The Memphis Sounds' Eastern Division 111-99 semifinal loss on the road to the Kentucky Colonels on April 13, 1975 was the final game ever played by the Sounds. After the season they moved to Maryland and became the Baltimore Claws.

The first round win by the Spirits of St. Louis over the New York Nets was the biggest upset of the playoffs. Not only had the Spirits finished 26 games behind the Nets in the regular season, they had also lost all 11 regular season matchups to the Nets, and by an average of 17.3 points per game. But after losing the opener of the series to stretch the losing streak to 12, the Spirits rolled off four wins in a row to claim the series.

The 1975 ABA Finals marked the second time in three years that the Kentucky Colonels and Indiana Pacers met in the ABA championship series. The Pacers edged the Colonels 4 games to 3 at the end of the 1973 ABA Playoffs.

16,622 fans attended the final playoff game of the season in Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky as the Kentucky Colonels defeated the Indiana Pacers 110-105 to win the ABA Championship.

Artis Gilmore was named Most Valuable Player of the 1975 ABA Playoffs. Gilmore scored 28 points and grabbed 31 rebounds in the final game of the Finals and in Game 3 in Indianapolis Gilmore scored 41 points and nabbed 28 rebounds.

The 1975 Kentucky Colonels were the final team to win an ABA Championship but not move on to the NBA later.

External links

* [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1975Playoffs.html RememberTheABA.com page on 1975 ABA playoffs]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/ABA_1975.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1975 ABA Playoffs page]
* [http://www.remembertheaba.com/LostPlayoffSeries/1975NuggetsPacers/1975PacersNuggets.html RememberTheABA.com page on 1975 ABA playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers]