1969–70 Denver Rockets season
The 1969-70 ABA season was the Rockets' third season. They ended up with a 51-33 record. Out of the 11 teams that played in the ABA that season the Rockets had the highest rating in simple rating system and offensive rating. This was their first playoff series win. They would not win another playoff series until 1975.
| 1969–70 Denver Rockets season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | John McLendon Joe Belmont |
| Arena | Denver Auditorium Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 51–33 (.607) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | ABA Western Division Finals (Lost to Stars 1–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
Roster
| No. | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Birth Date | Experience (years) | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Cliff Anderson | SG | 6-2 | 200 | September 7, 1944 | 2 | Saint Joseph's University |
| 40 | Byron Beck | C | 6-9 | 225 | January 25, 1945 | 2 | University of Denver |
| 23 | Jeffrey Congdon | PG | 6-1 | 180 | October 17, 1943 | 2 | Brigham Young University |
| 22 | Julian Hammond | SF | 6-5 | 205 | May 27, 1943 | 2 | University of Tulsa |
| 24 | Spencer Haywood | PF | 6-8 | 225 | April 22, 1949 | R | University of Detroit Mercy |
| 32 | Larry Jones | SG | 6-2 | 180 | September 22, 1942 | 3 | University of Toledo |
| 52 | Julius Keye | C | 6-10 | 200 | September 5, 1946 | R | Alcorn State University |
| 19 | Lonnie Lynn | SF | 6-7 | 215 | May 24, 1943 | R | Wilberforce University |
| 34 | Walter Piatkowski | PF | 6-8 | 220 | June 11, 1945 | 1 | Bowling Green State University |
| 11 | Floyd Theard | PG | 6-1 | 170 | September 5, 1944 | R | Kentucky State University |
| 50 | Dwight Waller | F | 6-6 | 220 | October 5, 1945 | 1 | Tennessee State University |
| 44 | Ben Warley | SF | 6-5 | 200 | September 4, 1936 | 7 | Tennessee State University |
| 54 | Greg Wittman | PF | 6-8 | 210 | May 10, 1947 | R | Western Carolina University |
| 42 | Lonnie Wright | SG | 6-2 | 205 | January 23, 1944 | 2 | Colorado State University |
Season standings
Eastern Division
| Eastern Division | 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
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Rockets * | 51 | 33 | .607 | - |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 6.0 |
| Washington Capitols * | 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
Statistics
| Rk | Player | Age | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spencer Haywood | 20 | 84 | 45.3 | 11.7 | 23.8 | .493 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 11.7 | 23.7 | .496 | 6.5 | 8.4 | .776 | 6.3 | 13.1 | 19.5 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 30.0 |
| 2 | Larry Jones | 27 | 75 | 40.4 | 8.3 | 19.2 | .434 | 0.5 | 2.2 | .248 | 7.8 | 17.0 | .458 | 7.7 | 9.8 | .791 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 24.9 |
| 3 | Byron Beck | 25 | 79 | 31.1 | 5.6 | 10.6 | .523 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 5.6 | 10.6 | .524 | 1.7 | 2.2 | .787 | 3.2 | 6.5 | 9.7 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 12.9 |
| 4 | Jeffrey Congdon | 26 | 83 | 29.7 | 3.6 | 9.3 | .386 | 0.8 | 2.1 | .354 | 2.8 | 7.2 | .395 | 1.8 | 2.3 | .786 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 5.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 9.8 |
| 5 | Lonnie Wright | 26 | 79 | 28.3 | 5.0 | 12.1 | .413 | 0.7 | 2.4 | .280 | 4.3 | 9.6 | .447 | 1.5 | 2.2 | .691 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 12.2 |
| 6 | Julian Hammond | 26 | 69 | 26.8 | 4.8 | 9.6 | .498 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 4.8 | 9.6 | .499 | 2.4 | 3.5 | .695 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 12.0 |
| 7 | Julius Keye | 23 | 77 | 21.3 | 3.2 | 8.0 | .396 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 3.2 | 7.9 | .401 | 1.5 | 2.5 | .601 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 7.9 |
| 8 | Walter Piatkowski | 24 | 74 | 17.6 | 2.9 | 7.2 | .402 | 0.1 | 0.7 | .220 | 2.8 | 6.6 | .421 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .768 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 7.0 |
| 9 | Floyd Theard | 25 | 25 | 16.2 | 1.6 | 4.5 | .345 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | 1.6 | 4.5 | .348 | 0.7 | 1.1 | .643 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| 10 | Dwight Waller | 24 | 7 | 12.4 | 1.4 | 3.4 | .417 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | 1.4 | 3.3 | .435 | 1.3 | 2.7 | .474 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 4.1 |
| 11 | Lonnie Lynn | 26 | 12 | 11.7 | 1.7 | 3.8 | .435 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 3.8 | .435 | 0.7 | 1.0 | .667 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 4.0 | |
| 12 | Ben Warley | 33 | 42 | 11.3 | 1.4 | 4.0 | .353 | 0.4 | 1.4 | .259 | 1.1 | 2.7 | .402 | 1.4 | 1.8 | .763 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 4.6 |
| 13 | Greg Wittman | 22 | 50 | 9.1 | 1.6 | 4.1 | .392 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .235 | 1.5 | 3.7 | .406 | 0.6 | 1.2 | .542 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 3.9 |
| 14 | Cliff Anderson | 25 | 3 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | .500 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | .500 | 0.7 | 2.0 | .333 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
Playoffs
Western Division Semifinals vs. Washington Capitals[2]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 17 | Denver | 130–111 | 1–0 | 9,822 |
| 2 | April 18 | Denver | 143–133 | 2–0 | 9,889 |
| 3 | April 19 | Washington | 120–125 | 2–1 | 1,748 |
| 4 | April 22 | Washington | 114–131 | 2–2 | 5,497 |
| 5 | April 23 | Denver | 132–110 | 3–2 | 7,141 |
| 6 | April 25 | Washington | 111–116 | 3–3 | 3,186 |
| 7 | April 28 | Denver | 143–119 | 4–3 | 9,893 |
Rockets win series, 4–3
Division Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 30 | Denver | 123–113 (OT) | 1–0 | 7,071 |
| 2 | May 1 | Denver | 105–114 | 1–1 | 7,187 |
| 3 | May 4 | Los Angeles | 113–119 | 1–2 | 4,468 |
| 4 | May 5 | Los Angeles | 110–114 | 1–3 | 3,432 |
| 5 | May 9 | Denver | 107–109 | 1–4 | 6,401 |
Rockets lose series, 4–1
Awards and records
- ABA All-Star: Larry Jones, Spencer Haywood[3]
- ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: Spencer Haywood
- ABA Most Valuable Player: Spencer Haywood
- ABA Coach of the Year Award: Joe Belmont
- ABA All-League Team: Spencer Haywood, Larry Jones[4]
References
- 1969-70 ABA Season Summary | Basketball-Reference.com
- http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1970Playoffs.html
- basketball-reference.com. "1970 ABA All-Star Game". Archived from the original on 9 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- Remember the ABA: Year-to-Year Postseason Awards Archived December 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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