1969–70 NBA season

1969–70 NBA season
League National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
Duration October 14, 1969 – March 22, 1970
March 25–April 20, 1970 (Playoffs)
April 24–May 8, 1970 (Finals)
Number of games 82
Number of teams 14
TV partner(s) ABC
Draft
Top draft pick Lew Alcindor[lower-alpha 1]
Picked by Milwaukee Bucks
Regular season
Season MVP Willis Reed (New York)
Top scorer Jerry West (L.A. Lakers)
Playoffs
Eastern champions New York Knicks
  Eastern runners-up Milwaukee Bucks
Western champions Los Angeles Lakers
  Western runners-up Atlanta Hawks
Finals
Champions New York Knicks
  Runners-up Los Angeles Lakers
Finals MVP Willis Reed (New York)

The 1969–70 NBA Season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.

Regular season

The 1969–70 season saw the NBA into a new decade as well as a new era. The retirement of Bill Russell from the Boston Celtics at the end of the 1968–69 season effectively signaled the end of the Celtics dynasty that had dominated the NBA for the past decade.

The New York Knicks were the top club in the league. They had a solid team of players led by star center Willis Reed and rising star guard Walt Frazier. Dave DeBusschere, who had been acquired from the Detroit Pistons the previous year, combined with Frazier and Reed to anchor the league's best defense. Coach Red Holzman led the club to wins in 60 of its 82 regular season games to pace the league.

In just their second season in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks totaled 56 wins behind rookie superstar Lew Alcindor. The 7'2", 230-pound center had caused controversy by boycotting the 1968 Summer Olympics and urging Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and Bob Lanier to do the same. The Bucks, however, were happy to sign him after a bidding war with the ABA. Alcindor averaged 29 points per game on 52% shooting. He was also third in rebounds, seventh in shooting accuracy, second in minutes played, and blocked more shots than any center since Russell or Chamberlain, making him a strong Most Valuable Player candidate in just his first year. Coach Larry Costello's team also had a strong backcourt of Jon McGlocklin and Flynn Robinson, and two ex-Cincinnati Royals, but Alcindor's arrival on the team nearly doubled their win total from the previous season, earning him rookie of the year honors.

The Baltimore Bullets also reached the 50-win plateau. Coach Gene Shue led a squad looking to improve after their early playoff exit the previous year. Guards Earl Monroe and Kevin Loughery were the team's main scoring threats, while center Wes Unseld and forward Gus Johnson excelled at rebounding, giving the Bullets more field goals than any other NBA team that year.

The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA's West Division title with 48 wins. Under coach Rick Guerin, they fielded a solid starting five, led again by scorer Lou Hudson. An early-season trade with Detroit netted star center Walt Bellamy. The Hawks again eyed a shot at the NBA Finals with some of the same faces from their St. Louis days.

Right behind the Hawks at 46 wins were the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers starting five had to account early for an injury to Wilt Chamberlain, who played just twelve regular-season games. Happy Hairston joined Elgin Baylor to average 20 points per game, even as Baylor was hampered by injury for much of the year. Guard Jerry West led the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.2 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 82% from the free throw line.

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division made the playoffs. Unusually, The NBA had the division winners face the third-best teams, while the second-seeds faced the fourth seeded teams in Round One. New York met third-place Baltimore in a rematch of the previous year's playoff series. The Knicks won the series in 7 games, including an overtime win in Game 1. The Bullets scoring was neutralized by the defensive-minded Knicks team. Milwaukee eliminated the 76ers in 5 games on the strength of Alcindor at center.

Atlanta's strong five, with player/coach Guerin coming off the bench effectively at age 37, beat the Chicago Bulls, led by ex-76er Chet Walker four games to one in the Western division semifinals. The Lakers survived a seven-game series with the second-year Phoenix Suns. The Suns had a strong frontline led by Paul Silas and former ABA star Connie Hawkins.

With the top seeds in both divisions advancing, New York then met Milwaukee while Atlanta met Los Angeles. The Lakers swept the Hawks in four games. Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain were again on a mission, but the Lakers bench may have been the deciding factor in this series. In the East, New York eliminated the Bucks in five games.

New York had the edge in Game 5 until Reed collapsed with a torn leg muscle, allowing Chamberlain a strong advantage. Knicks coach Red Holzman devised a strategy to confuse the Lakers with a centerless lineup, rotating different defenders on Chamberlain. The Knicks went on to win 107–100. With Reed out, Chamberlain scored 45 points in Game 6 in Los Angeles to knot the series again at 3. Game 7 would be in New York, but without Reed, the Knicks appeared to have little chance of winning.

With ABC's Chris Schenkel and Jack Twyman leading speculation about what the Knicks could do to guard Chamberlain, Reed emerged from the locker room and joined his team on the floor, shocking thousands and surprising the Lakers. Energized by their big man's effort, the Knicks roared to an early lead and held on long after Reed limped to the bench. The Knicks achieved sports immortality with the 113–99 victory, their first NBA title.

Division standings

[2]

Eastern Division

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
x-New York Knicks 6022.732–
x-Milwaukee Bucks 5626.6834
x-Baltimore Bullets 5032.61010
x-Philadelphia 76ers 4240.51218
Cincinnati Royals 3646.43924
Boston Celtics 3448.41526
Detroit Pistons 3151.37829

Western Division

Western Division W L PCT GB
x-Atlanta Hawks 4834.585–
x-Los Angeles Lakers 4636.5612
x-Chicago Bulls 3943.4769
x-Phoenix Suns 3943.4769
Seattle SuperSonics 3646.43912
San Francisco Warriors 3052.36618
San Diego Rockets 2755.32921

x – clinched playoff spot

Statistics leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per gameJerry WestLos Angeles Lakers31.2
Rebounds per gameElvin HayesSan Diego Rockets16.9
Assists per gameLenny WilkensSeattle SuperSonics9.1
FG%Johnny GreenCincinnati Royals.559
FT%Flynn RobinsonMilwaukee Bucks.898

NBA awards

Source: History section at NBA.com

Notes

  1. ↑ Changed his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar before the 1971–72 season.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "Basketball Star Lew Alcindor Changes Name to Kareem Jabbar". The Morning Record. September 17, 1971. p. 14. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Division Standings". 1969-70 NBA Season Summary. Basketball Reference. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

See also

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